Pao leaned in slightly as she spoke, her voice lowering—not out of secrecy, but reverence. "So, mana is in everything. You, me, him," she gestured toward the waiter in the corner, "everyone. Every animal, every beast, every monster. It's in the breath we breathe in, the water we drink, or the flowers that make a garden feel alive. It flows through every single thing that was intentionally crafted by God."
Amukelo's brows lifted as he listened, her words painting a larger world than he'd ever considered. She went on, her tone steady, calm, like someone explaining something as natural as how to walk. "That's the difference between rune diagrams and magic. Runes take mana from the environment—the air, the stone beneath your feet, the wind passing by. Magic draws mana from the caster. From you."
Amukelo nodded slowly, remembering. "That's why I was able to use that rune to heat up the water back at the inn…"
Pao grinned. "Exactly. Or why Bao's arrows can do all those cool things. It's all rune-powered. That's why you'll always find the best gear reinforced with rune diagrams. And if they're not drawn with chalk or something temporary, they can be reused again and again."
She leaned back, her eyes catching a small glimmer of light from the restaurant lamps. "That's why enchanted cloaks can feel like cloth and still protect better than a whole chestplate of iron. The strength is in the rune, not the bulk."
Amukelo's eyes lit up, and he chuckled. "That's actually perfect. I never liked having too much gear on me anyway. My leather armor's already enough."
Pao nodded with approval. "Yeah. And with the right runes? You could have leather armor that could stop a steel blade—light, mobile, and better than most heavy armor."
Then Amukelo paused, brows furrowed. "Actually… that makes me wonder. If mana's everywhere, like you said, then why did that golem from our quest kill people to gather mana?"
Pao's smile faded a little, but not with discomfort. She turned more thoughtful. "Because not all mana is the same. Every living being has mana, but creatures made in the image of God—we're different." She looked at him. "Humans. Elves. Orcs. Dwarves. Vampires. We were created with something more. That makes our mana purer. Denser. Think about it like food."
She picked up her glass of wine and gave it a little swirl. "The world is full of edible things, right? But that doesn't mean all of them are good for you. Some food is barely digestible. Others give you energy for days." She set the glass down. "To a golem that isn't bound by a master's control, it goes into self-preservation. And it learns. It learns what mana is easier to extract, what gives it more. It's not about cruelty—it's survival. And for it, we're the best source of mana it can find."
Amukelo's face darkened slightly, remembering the aftermath of that battle. Pao noticed, and her tone softened again.
"That's why I prefer magic over runecraft," she said, sitting back up straighter. "It's connected to us. Not just the world—but us. It's cooler to cast a fireball from your palm than to spend ten minutes drawing a circle that'll shoot it for you."
She raised her hand, her fingers loose. A soft warmth built in her palm, and then a flicker of flame appeared—small, steady, bright orange. It danced there as if it belonged, hovering inches above her skin without burning her. The light glinted off her eyes, full of quiet pride.
And then, with a flick of her fingers, it vanished into nothing.
"Then why do people even use runecraft?" he asked, genuinely curious. "If magic is so much more… I don't know, alive, why not just go all in with that?"
Pao smiled, but not in a mocking way. She appreciated the question. "For the exact reason we just talked about," she replied. "Runes are incredibly useful. Weapons, scrolls, armor—all of that. They're amazing for traps too. You know how Bao's arrows explode on impact? That's not magic—it's runecraft."
She paused and thought about Amukelo's sword. "Also, your meticulous blade."
Amukelo thought back to it. He was never overthinking it, for him it was part of himself. "What about it?"
"If it's not fake," she said with a bit of playfulness in her tone, "then it's something special. All those markings on the blade? They're not just for show. Those are rune diagrams. Or… at least, they look like it."
Amukelo frowned a little, tilting his head. "I don't know. I never really thought about it."
"But think about it now," Pao said. "Has it ever chipped? Cracked? Even dulled?"
He blinked. "No… Actually, no. I've never had to repair it. Never even had to resharpen it either."
Pao leaned in slightly, voice dropping a bit like she was pointing out a secret. "That's not normal. No matter how well a sword is made, it should at least wear down with time. Yours hasn't. That's probably the runes."
"Huh," Amukelo muttered. He'd always taken it for granted. "I guess I never really questioned it."
Pao sat back, letting him take it in, then continued. "Runes aren't just about weapons. They can be used for so many other things. Communication over long distances, setting magical traps, reinforcing buildings… You know that facility you're training in? The reason it can handle all those intense fights without crumbling is because of runes."
Amukelo raised his brows. "Really?"
She nodded. "That's also why some ancient ruins still stand, even after hundreds of years. The rune work was that good. And sometimes, people find new ones—places that were hidden before. You know why?"
"I don't know..." he nodded negatively.
"That's because the mana fueling them faded," she said. "When the mana that fuels those runes runs out, the protective enchantments fade. And suddenly you've got a doorway where there was once just a wall. Or a whole underground passage that hadn't been visible before."
Amukelo murmured. "So it's like… magic buried in stone."
Pao grinned. "Pretty much. Runes are reliable, structured, and reusable. But they're not really for direct combat like magic is. Magic's faster. More flexible. And…"
She raised her wine glass slowly, holding it midair for a beat. Then, without chanting, without moving, the liquid in the glass began to freeze. It spread from the bottom up, tiny ice crystals blooming outward until the entire surface shimmered and cracked with frost. Pao gave a small smile and added, "It's not as cool as magic."
Amukelo laughed, shaking his head. "That seems to be the most important thing to you."
Pao gave him a cheeky grin. "Well, yeah. Obviously."
With another thought, she released the mana in the glass. The ice melted smoothly, dripping back into its original liquid form like nothing had happened. She set the glass down gently and leaned forward, her tone shifting again—less playful, more focused.
"Now," she said, "you know what mana is. You know how it's used. So let's talk about how people actually uuseamd feel it."
Amukelo blinked. "Feel it? Like what?"
Pao shrugged. "Inside you, around you. It's everywhere. But most people can't feel mana at all. Not naturally, at least. Even mages—most of them really have to try. They can sense mana, but not effortlessly. It takes focus."
Amukelo crossed his arms, clearly interested now. "So how do I start?"
"You sit still," she said plainly. "You clear your head. And you listen to your body. You try to feel things you've never paid attention to. It won't be a sound, or a smell. It'll be more like a… a pulse. A rhythm inside you."
He nodded slowly. "Alright."
She studied him for a moment before continuing. "Advanced mages though? They can feel everything. And I mean everything. You walk into a room with someone like that? They already know if you're hiding something. They know how much mana you have, even if suppressing it, unless you are master at it."
"That's creepy," Amukelo said, half-joking.
Pao smirked. "It is. But it's also insanely useful."
He leaned forward again. "How so?"
Her smile faded into a more serious expression. "Because once you awaken your mana, most mages can't control it that well. It leaks out of them. Fluctuates. They can't supress it that well. But if you can effortlessly read someone's mana? Then you can predict whether they're a threat or not."