A Journey Unwanted

"So you truly hail from the East?" Fiona asked him.

"Far East, uh, yes. Tokyo specifically." Mikoto informed.

"Tokyo? Tokyo, Tokyo." She seemed to test the name on her tongue. "You Easterners have quite a strange naming sense." She muttered.

Currently, the two were in the confines of the inn room. It was a simple room with a window to the left and a wooden floor with a rug atop it. A wardrobe was placed against the wall, and two normal-sized beds were side by side with plain covers thrown atop them. Mikoto sat on the left bed while Fiona's rear was placed on the right bed, and currently she was asking him all manner of questions.

"Are you sure you hail from the East?" She questioned. "Though not impossible, it is passing strange that Easterners should be blessed by a Goddess of Galadriel. I have more to ask, but I suppose you must have questions of your own, no?"

He wanted to ask what the quickest way to a nearby airport would be, but currently he was in a dilemma. Japan, Europe, hell, the United States—he's mentioned them all to the girl in front of him. Yet she only said those were some off-names and that she had never heard of them before. Now he could assume she was just pulling his leg and joking. But she seemed deathly serious—too serious. Now he could also assume she is just some extremely isolated country bumpkin, but that would be pushing it.

Of course, there was another conclusion that had reached his head.

("No, you read too much Isekai, Mikoto.") He chastised himself but the thought lingered as a pit formed in his stomach.

This whole situation was absurd, right? This whole body changing, but that was just because some sicko did plastic surgery on him, right? But what was all of this spawn of Goddess business then? Fiona and old man Emil were just crazy. No, he knew this situation could not be explained by mere 'logic'. He should have known that the fact that he discovered Fiona's ear's were very real. When he heard Emil speak about magic...

But was it true then, or was he just drawing a conclusion too quickly? But was it true then? Was he simply whisked away from his world just like that? Torn away from his home and his family. It was not right; was he just supposed to accept this?

"Mikoto?"

What kind of sick, twisted bastard was responsible for this? His mother, his sister, his aunt's—he might never see them again. But there had to be way back then, right?

"Miko-"

Yes, if he came to a supposed different world, then there was sure to be a way back. Yes, it was only natural, no?

("Yes, it's only natural. There should be a way back, right? It's only natural that there should be. Hehe, I mean, I came to this damn world, so there should be a way back to them. Mom and Hinata, Aunt Maya, and everyone else Yeah, I'll definitely get back. I'll get, I'll get back, I'll get back, I'll get, I'll get back, I'll get back.")

"Mikoto!" He jumped slightly as Fiona all but screamed his name.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought." He forced out a sheepish laugh, but she did not seem convinced if her raised brow was any indication.

"Hmm, you are fairly paler than usual. It does not seem as if you were merely lost in thought. Is aught amiss?" She questioned him, but Mikoto just shook his head.

"I-it's nothing. A-anyway, so you and Emil. How did the two of you meet?" He asked, trying to get the topic moving.

"Well, if you say so." There was some skepticism in her eyes, but he doubted it mattered. Once her curiosity about him was filled, the two of them would most likely never see each other again. "But if you're curious about how I met that old fool, then I suppose I could enlighten you." She spoke while clearing her throat.

"As I told you previously, I am the daughter of the renowned Duke Arthur Von Achenbach. My father, for lack of better words, was always an overprotective fool." She started, and Mikoto did not quite know what this had to do with her meeting with Emil, but he merely kept his silence as she continued.

"He bid me to learn all I could about both magic and martial arts." She informed, and of course Mikoto found himself interested in magic. Usually he would just assume she was a chuuni, but given the situation, magic might be very real. "As he wanted me to be able to protect myself if the need arises."

"I heeded his wishes and even landed myself at the Luminare Academy of Arcane Arts." She said it with pride in her tone and a smug look on her face.

"This is all very interesting, Fiona-san, but..."

"Hush, hush, I'm getting there." She quickly cut him off. "I am currently on leave from the academy as I just finished my last year. And I was even recommended as a teacher's assistant when the new year begins." Again, pride with a smug face. "But you see, I wanted to prepare myself properly. So I set off on a journey without my father's permission." She seemed boastful of that last part.

"But...I may have neglected to... take the necessary funds." Seeming slightly embarrassed about that, she quickly cleared her throat as she continued. "On my journey, I came across an old fool. He was in need of someone to guard his pitiful life and wares, so I bid him to hire me. Though such work is beneath me, I desperately needed the fund's. So there, that is how I met that old fool."

("What was the point of telling me that whole ass story? The last part would've done just fine.")

"You might be wondering for what purpose I told you so much, no?" She quickly deduced

"Yup."

"Well, you see, I wish to establish a connection with you." She casually stated: "And I have learned that the best way to go about that is to get to know each other better."

"I see, but why?"

"I will not beat around the bush. I'm not one of those scheming noble girls'." She stated. "You see, your position as a spawn of the Goddess Octavia is not a small matter. Your existence as a whole is valuable."

("Again with this Octavia nonsense. Come on, let's think for a sec. You read tons of bullshit isekai, Mikoto. None of this should be shocking. But it is because it's reality.)

"Continue." He merely said as she obliged.

"Since you're a foreigner and severely lacking in knowledge, I shall enlighten you. The Gods and Goddesses possess spawns, or people they deem worthy of their blessing. Few are worthy of them."

"So I'm guessing I was blessed by this Goddess, Octavia? Is that why I look like this?" He questioned.

"Correct, our history tells us that the Goddess was a beauty with skin as white as snow and a mane of hair of equal color. And then there were her contrasting eye's that shone like a million brilliant Ruby's." She spoke as if reciting from a text. "Though, as I said, it is almost unheard of for a male to receive her blessing. But are you sure you're-"

"Yes, I'm sure. You want proof?" Mikoto spoke as he reached for his pants.

"Wait, wait! There's no need for that!" Fiona was quick to stop him as she held her hands up with a beet red face. "N-now where was I?" She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain her composure.

"S-so you see these spawns of the Gods excel in certain talents depending on their Gods or Goddesses. In your case, the Goddess Octavia governs over war, magic, and navigation. I'm sure you've already noticed that you're stronger than any normal person. Faster, more agile."

Those were things he only recently came to realize. But how strong was he? Could this strength be useful for finding a way back?

"You should also have a talent for magic." She stated this as Mikoto hummed. "But you're from the East, so I think the term they use for magic is ninjutsu." He just nodded his head absentmindedly.

"Fiona-san, can you teach me more about magic?" He asked as the girl tilted her head.

"I suppose I could. It would be interesting to see how another spawn of Octavia gets nurtured." She murmured.

"Another? There's another one? I thought you said it was rare."

"It is rare. You see thousands upon thousands get blessed by the various Gods and Goddesses. But the Goddess Octavia is among the most well-known of God's, and currently there are only two people with her blessing." She clarified.

"I see." This was a lot to take in, but he forced himself to process it. If he was being completely honest, he did not care about this God and Goddess nonsense. The only thing he cared about was this magic. Apparently, he should have a talent for it. If he could harness this power, maybe he could...

"But to answer your question, I can teach you magic. I am quite proficient in the art." She said this while flicking her hair in a dramatic fashion.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

____________________

Magic was a simple concept. It came in many forms and was used for many purposes. And it varied.

But how did it function?

Envision water. How would you create water from nothing? You couldn't. That is where mana came in; mana was everywhere. From the plants and trees to humans', animals', and demi-humans' In simple terms, every human had a set mana that infinitely replenishes itself. However, did that necessarily mean every person had a lot of mana? No, the amount of mana a person could draw out from that set well varied greatly.

Let us make an example.

Person A can draw out 80%.

Person B can draw out 10%.

Person A obviously has 'more' mana in simpler terms because he can draw out more of said infinite well. But people varied; some could draw out 100%, 200%, 100 000%, 1 000 000 000%, and so on. So mana was a simple concept.

But something to add was that every single person had a unique mana signature. Only rarely are they the same. But that was neither here nor there.

Back to our first question: How do you create water with magic? In truth, there is no set way to conjure water; every person had a method they use to get the desired results. Some used their imagination.

Imagine the flowing and calm current of water. That serene and unique aspect. And viola water was created, not real water. A mere concept was created—the concept of water.

"That was a lot quicker than what I was expecting, and not even a glyph." Fiona muttered in slight disbelief as she stared at the boy. Inches above his right hand hovered an orb or flowing water the size of a basketball. "But your mana... I can't feel it." She muttered, but Mikoto did not pay attention.

("Molecules need to join together. Water molecules have two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. It's a simple process of using a reference to get results; with mana, I can create the needed atoms and join them. Then viola.") Of course, the fact that he had some Goddess blessings also helped, but he was too busy being lost in this feeling to care.

This feeling of power enveloped him like a blanket. He had power—actual, real-life power. He just created water with a thought; what else could he accomplish with a power like this?

("Suppose that is a spawn of Octavia for you. I only taught him the basics then, and already he's conjuring a construct of water without a glyph to focus the spell. Most impressive....however.")

"Say, Mikoto, how old are you?" She suddenly asked.

"Fifteen, why?" The orb of water in his palm shrank itself smaller and smaller, as if it were to expunge itself from existence.

"Hmm, a year off from the 'phase'." She muttered much to his confusion.

"The what now?"

"It's nothing. Do not worry." She dismissed.

"Right..." Of course he was not convinced that it was supposedly nothing.

"Well on with the lesson, I suppose."

"Are you sure? It's getting kind of late." He spoke as he stared out the window of the room that displayed the darkened skies.

"We have all the time in the world, Mikoto." She said with a smile that he did not quite like it.

Tonight's going to be a very long night.