Chapter 12: It is not so easy

Jean POV:

Mike was under the impression that my magic could do wonders. And while he was right, I still needed time to let the crops grow. Although, the glint in his eyes was something I knew to appreciate.

"Wheat takes about three hours to grow, with my mana, I mean," he nodded, but he still stared pointedly at the garden. "And with my mana it will have double the grain. Do you want to learn how to help plants along?"

"What do you mean by that?" He looked up, and pointed at the sky. "The sun is the only thing that can help plants grow, or am I mistaken?"

It was obvious that he didn't have any lessons in mana manipulation. Every child, who had parents who could afford the luxury of a traditional education, could tell him, that there were precious few things that mana couldn't do.

I nodded, for I wanted to teach him. A soulmate was a precious thing. An encounter, that could happen only once in a lifetime. Mike was someone whom I wanted to impress. 

I went to him not only because I loved teaching, but because I wanted to eat food grown with his mana. For every plant had a slight note to its taste, which reminded of one of the farmers. A soul imprint, one might say.

"Here, just hold your hands together over the garden," I smiled, as he did so without asking any questions. I made a couple of steps in his direction; saw how he scrunched up his nose in deep concentration.

Man, he was just adorable.

"Now close your eyes," now I was next to him. I could swear that he could feel my breath, my warmth. Just a couple of centimeters closer, and I could embrace him. Oh, how I longed for that.

His warm brown eyes were soon hidden from me. I laid a hand on his cheeks, and then let a little bit of my mana inside him.

"How does this feel?" I asked him, as I started letting more and more mana inside his skin.

"Like summer rain," he hummed, leaned into my touch. "It is nice, Jean."

Could I have dared to tell him that his mana felt like a calm river? Ever-changing, but only under the surface. A calm and wonderful source of life. 

Like every river, he could be dangerous too. His emotions could overflow, and then he could bring destruction to the world, yes. Something told me, that if I ever brought him to such a state, I would deserve his ire.

No, he was a source of life, and not only that, but his lips turned up a little. Before I could do anything, he chuckled, and laid his hands around me.

So much mana!

He had so much, that I could just blink. Already, he let me have some of his mana. No, he was no river! He was an ocean!

"How?" I stuttered, but he didn't seem to notice a thing. No, he held me, took from my mana, and then gave me from his in return. It was wonderful, but I felt the first pangs of fear.

Such a profound talent in mana manipulation could mean only one thing. Mike was not just an elf, but something else as well.

"Mike, please stop," we were in a community farming area. I looked around me. The surrounding farmers didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, yet, I was sure, that it was just a matter of time before they did so.

"Why? Is my mana... bad?" His eyes were still closed. I hugged him gently, patted him on the back.

"No, your mana is wonderful," I whispered, soft and saddened. How do I tell him that he had the mana of a nymph? It shouldn't be possible. Most nymphs were female. Maybe his mother was a nymph?

Oh, I couldn't say it out loud here. In a place, where the townsfolk could hear, and prepare a pyre.

"I will tell you when we get home," I promised him. No, this couldn't be kept from him. He had the right to know, just as any human had the right to know such intimate things. His father had a lot to answer for. It must have been love; otherwise, Mike would have been killed as a baby, and yet...

"Did I do something wrong?" He whispered, innocent like freshly fallen snow on a March morning. Meant to melt before long.

"You can never do anything wrong in my eyes," it was more of an oath, than words of compassion. Still, I believed in my conviction to protect him.

"Jean?" 

"Yes?" 

"Can I try to make the wheat grow faster?" It was obvious that he wanted to change the subject. It was a risk to let him, still, I nodded and let him go.

"Remember, the hands clasped together, and the mana should go directly in the soil, and not in the plants," giving him such lessons was less dangerous than provoking him. The farmers weren't paying us any attention. His grin was blinding.

I tried to tell myself that it was worth the risk, as he started to do something that to him must be as natural as breathing, but had taken me months to perfect.

And how could he have any challenges with something like that? Nymphs were also nature spirits, but most of them were evil. They ate human flesh, and not only that, but they delighted in the suffering of others.

I didn't know a thing about Mike's father, couldn't pinpoint Mike's mana clearly enough. There was also the chance, that I have never met the man. 

But for this General to have romanced a nymph successfully, then he must have been something else. I took a deep breath, and then made my decision.

No, Mike needed training, and I was the only one who could give it to him. Most children produced from the union of an elf and a nymph grew up to become great.

If their fellow elves didn't burn them alive first, that is. Mike's nature will one day come to the surface. The only thing I could do, was to hope that my love would be enough to curb it.