Camp in Nowhere

A stained white cloth fluttered against the wind. The smoke coming from the dying embers of the bonfire was blown out of existence as the sound of mad laughters filled the air.

"... Running out of tricks, new recruit?"

The one-eyed man slammed the table, revealing his cards.

The young man sitting across him paled and smiled with visible effort. He held on to his cards as if his life depended on it.

"Oh... what incredible luck you have there, Rafir."

He was about to reveal his hand when the sound of heavy footsteps caught their attention. Rafir look to the origin of the sound using his one remaining eye and let out a chuckle.

"Guess he made it back, huh."

"Sanjiv Anthony?" The pale man inquired with a hint of curiosity. He came from the Air Base just a week ago and he heard quite a lot about this person.

Speaking of that person...

A group of battered knights walked through the pathway, lead by a formidable looking young man whose clothes were painted with dried blood. Just by looking, one could only imagine what the group went through before getting here. The smell of blood wafted around them, bringing with it an ominous feeling.

The red-haired man didn't seem bothered by it.

Meanwhile, Selene limped beside Sanjiv with her face contorted in what appeared to be disgust. She covered her nose with her palm and her eyes were tearing up for some unknown reason.

"Who's that?" Rafir observed the woman with an offensive look on his face. "... Did he brought a slut for us?"

Beside him, the pale man's eyes widened.

"That is... That is Lady Selene Rosseficent. What is she doing in a place like this?"

Rafir turned to him as if he saw a ghost. "Huh? Do you think... he heard me say that?"

"Let's hope he didn't."

The two of them threw a wary glance at Sanjiv. But, before he could meet their eyes, the strange duo shifted their gaze away from him immediately.

Rafir cleared his throat.

---

Following their arrival, Sanjiv and the others started loading out the supplies.

Selene was in no shape to help them as she was busy emptying her stomach at the back of the nearest tent.

The moment she stepped in the camp, she knew that her worst fears had came true.

Before deciding to come here, her greatest concern was hygiene. She brought a few supplies for her own personal use, but the others wouldn't think the same.

The camp reeked with blood, mud, urine and all other kinds of awful smells she didn't bother to name.

'After the big words I said to Sanjiv... here I am...'

The urge to vomit came once again and Selene let out all the remaining contents of her weak stomach. After regaining some of her strength, she ran back to the carriage and opened her suitcase. She took a piece of cloth and secured it at the back of her head. Taking in a deep breath, she went back to the group, feeling a lot better than before.

Looking at the line of cargoes, she joined the knights carrying the supplies into a larger tent. The tent was the largest in the camp, acting as the storage area which is why it was protected by a barrier.

A few soldiers tried to talk to her. But, Selene managed to drive them away by saying something incomprehensible.

"Lady Selene, why are you here?" A pale young man followed her. His tone was carefree and playful, as if he was talking to a child.

'They must be thinking that I'm still the same Selene they knew. The timid and childish lady... How disturbing...'

"Hydrargyrum."

It sounded like a spell. The pale man paled even more and ran away as fast as he could.

Selene heaved a sigh.

At night, she was unable to sleep. Mosquitos whispered in her ears and the comforter was a bit itchy. She forced her eyes to remain shut as she moved in the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position.

Felice's soft snores made her a bit envious.

Memories played on her mind, remembering similar events in the past. That time when she joined the girl scout camp and had to sleep on the ground. It was the most uncomfortable place to sleep ever.

'At least, I have a bed this time...'

---

The sound of combat boots hitting the mud and energetic shouts greeted Selene in the morning.

She came out of the tent and found Sanjiv meditating near the bonfire.

Sitting next to him, she noticed that his hair was in a ponytail.

"Do you want to train with me?" Sanjiv opened his eyes.

Selene stood up and stretched her arms. Her muscles were a bit sore, but a few spells wouldn't hurt.

"I'd like to."

They headed to the back of the storage tent where the soldiers trained their magic. Selene caught sight of Felice at the side sparring with an unfamiliar soldier. They were using real swords.

Sanjiv threw them a glance and addressed Selene. "What do you want to know?"

"I've had trouble with using my mana efficiently. How do I cast the most spells using the least amount of mana? And oh... the other thing was, how do I deal with the spell recoil?"

"Have you tried transformation?"

Selene's eyes lit up. She was curious about that as well; ever since she saw him with those horns.

"I've never tried it... can I?"

He laughed. "As a Rosseficent, you must learn it... "

Finding a suitable spot, the two stood, facing each other. In an instant, Sanjiv's appearance changed.

Two horns grew from his head. A brown armour made of wood came into existence, covering all of his skin, excluding his face. The surface resembled the bark of a tree. It was jagged and rough. There were cracks placed aesthetically all over the armour. In those cracks, a redish glow emanated, giving the impression of a river of lava. Although the color was a bit pinkish rather than deep red.

The last part to form was the cape. It was shaped like an oversized rose petal, its length reaching the back of his knees.

There were intricate carvings on the chestplate, some on the shoulders and wrists. The look was completed by a huge ruby crystal placed on his chest and surrounded by an oval-shaped vine.

Selene stared in nervous anticipation as the transformation took place. A couple of soldiers looked their way, bearing the same mesmerized expression on their faces.

'Uh... it's nice. But, the style is not to my taste.'

She didn't say it out loud. But, it was indeed worthy of praise. It's just a bit on the gaudy side.

Overall, his transformation gave off the vibes of a mighty warrior raised by the faefolk.

"How did you do that? It was different last time."

"That was a partial transformation. Do you want to try it?"

"Yes. Where should I start?"

He lingered, as if gathering his thoughts before giving an answer. His mighty transformation had slowly turned into sparks, enveloping him in its light.

"Let's start with your awakening... That, I am sure you saw what type of magic manifested while you were undergoing the change?"

"Vines..."

Sanjiv nodded his head.

"All you have to do is replicate that and let it bend to your will. Be one with it, embrace your magic. Accept it not as a separate aspect of yourself, but an inner piece of your identity. I mean... what are your thoughts when casting a spell?"

Selene thought for a bit, looking at Sanjiv's expectant gaze.

"I thought of... controlling the mana according to what I imagined?"

They were silent for a while. Selene was in a battle-ready stance, waiting for Sanjiv's instructions.

"Actually... I will teach you a shortcut. Just keep using your mana without letting it form a certain shape. Just let it out. Once you achieve that, find me."

And he left her confused. Selene shrugged and started doing what he told her to do.

A few minutes into it, she realized that it was not as easy as she had thought.

Everytime she tried to use her magic, they come out as vines as though following an instinct.

It was strange. Mana is the foundation of all magic, they were able to control a certain element or cast a spell using it as some sort of fuel. She learned in school that energy is equals to mass times the speed of light squared.

Which means that anything that has mass can be converted into energy. Like the creation of nuclear bombs. In return, energy can be converted into something with mass, when certain conditions are met.

Was it the same with mana?

Does mana have mass?

All this time she had imagined mana as something incorporeal, like sunlight for example.

'It doesn't make sense... how can an incorporeal thing be the foundation of something that could alter the physical world?'

Selene noticed her own error.

'I just mentioned it! Yes, theoretically, sunlight can be converted into an electron and positron, which are particles with mass!'

She tried to remember everything she had studied in past exams. While she was busy recalling it, the soldiers around her had turned their backs and resumed their training.

She thought longingly of Albert Einstein and wished that she could summon him right here and now and help her understand the physics in Zetheria.

'I could really use his help.'

Throwing a glance at the occupied soldiers around her, she noticed that some of them were casting spells without forming it into any type of element. Too bad, they don't have the Rosseficent blood rushing in their veins. They couldn't do the transformation.

'Let's see, when a photon interacts with a heavy nucleus... that's it!'

Selene stopped and stood still. She imagined the photon as her mana and as it came out of her mana veins, it interacts with the rouge, natural mana all around her and slowly... she will compress it into a ball.

What happened next could only be describe as a miracle.

The mana ball she imagined appeared right before her eyes. She found some inspiration from Felice's mana balls and now, it manifested into reality. Although it was a bit smaller in size and there's only one of them, it was still an amazing feat. Having achieve it for the first time just by merging her scientific knowledge to her magic... it made her heart swell with happiness.

She had witnessed the power of these mana balls in action, which is nothing short of incredible!

Raising her head, her eyes met with Felice. The graceful woman stared back at her with wonder and... fear?

"Lady Selene? Please don't release it."

"Oh..."

Looking at the floating mana ball, Selene willed her mana to disperse, and it did.

The ball of mana disappeared as fast as it appeared.

"Thank you for warning me, Felice. That was dangerous."

"Ah, yes... was that your first time?"

Her solemn voice relaxed Selene's beating heart a little. She was too excited with her discovery that she momentarily forgot the devastating effects of such raw power.

"It was."

Felice's sparring partner was nowhere to be seen. Left with nothing else to do, she walked over to Selene and stood next to her, watching the mess happening among the mages around.

"It's amazing."

Selene gave her a questioning look.

"Your mana ball. It was amazing."

"Oh... thank you."

A comfortable silence enveloped them, giving Selene the chance to entertain her thoughts.

Her initial plan was to go with Sanjiv in order to escape the confines of the duke's rules and she was a bit curious with her magic, too. She wanted to take the chance to get to know it and adapt to this strange, new world. When that is done, she will use her magic and the Rosseficent's wealth to build her own laboratory, conduct experiments, make new products and maybe, she can even start a business.

Plus, she really really wanted to be strong. Not just in the mental aspect, but to be strong enough to protect herself and the things she cared about. No earthquakes or any kind of bizarre events will make her waver.

Being transported into a different world doesn't mean her dreams are over. Her goals didn't change. Every small achievement will bring her closer to the result she desired.

Today, in a camp in the middle of nowhere, she took another step leading to her goal...