《The Heir of the Morana》 Chapter 1: March 3, 166 ADW Nana places her hand on the piece of bark and mutters a word. The rune on the wood glows softly, and Nana starts the stopwatch in her hand. When the wood disintegrates, she stops the stopwatch and glances at it. Noting down the time on her paper, she makes some calculations. She writes down all of her observations. ¡°Too much,¡± she mutters. She draws the rune that was on the bark and takes a book off one of the bookshelves. Placing the book gently on the table among various others, she flips through it to a certain page. Suddenly, she turns to look in a direction, and then waves her hand. A black hole opens. She steps through and it closes behind her, right before a boy walks around the corner to the space. ¡°This musty old library really needs to be better taken care of,¡± he says, sighing. He notices the book on the table and pauses before moving to take a look. ¡°Amount of mana, rate of mana, mana waste¡­¡± he reads aloud. ¡°What is this, a space rune? But it¡¯s not quite a space rune¡­¡± He contemplates for a moment before his eyes widen and he gasps. ¡°No way¡­ is it a combined rune? But those were lost a long time ago¡­¡± The boy looks around the library, and finding no one, he walks closer to the book. He reads the open page and his jaw drops open. ¡°Well, this is unlike you, Seth.¡± He flinches and spins around to see a girl exiting a black hole. ¡°W-what¡¯s unlike me? Do you know me?¡± he says, his eyes wandering to the green gem in her hand. ¡°And did you just use dimensional magic?¡± Nana freezes for a second, and then facepalms. ¡°Stupid habit.¡± She waves her hand and the portal closes. ¡°You should always be wary of your surroundings, no matter how much something shocks you. And yes, I did.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s bad manners to ask before introducing yourself.¡± She puts a hand on her waist and shifts to one side. ¡°I¡¯m Nana Streak, the Headmaster¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°But the Headmaster doesn¡¯t have a daughter.¡± ¡°Yea, officially, he doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m adopted, unofficially.¡± ¡°Oh. Well I¡¯m Seth. Seth Sazonia.¡± He holds out a hand to shake. Instead of shaking it, she places the gem in his hand. ¡°Here. A present.¡± He looks down at the gem. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Walking over to the table, she replies, ¡°Something for me to know and for Four to find out.¡± ¡°Four?¡± She stops gathering the papers on the desk and turns to stare at him. ¡°Your father?¡± Observing his blank stare, she sighs. ¡°Oh, come on, you don¡¯t even know Bastion¡¯s nickname?¡± ¡°Well, no. I just didn¡¯t expect someone outside to know it. Speaking of, how do you know it?¡± Nana shrugs. ¡°Secret.¡± ¡°Then how can I trust you?¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Isn¡¯t the fact that I know the nickname enough?¡± Seth rubs his chin. ¡°Yea. I guess so.¡± ¡°Then what reason do you have to distrust me?¡± She finishes gathering her papers and returns the books to the shelf. ¡°Are you really the Headmaster¡¯s adopted daughter?¡± ¡°Whether I am or not, you can ask the Headmaster. As for who I am if I really am adopted, anyone can figure it out, with enough time. I suggest, if you do, to keep my existence a secret from the MB. If that¡¯s all, I will be going.¡± ¡°Wait-¡± Seth reaches out to her a little too late as the portal closes behind her and the only trace left of her in the library is the stone in his hand.
¡°I¡¯ve searched through the databases. There is no trace of a ¡®Nana Streak¡¯ anywhere, not even amongst the files on Schindler.¡± The man speaking on the projected screen looks directly into the camera. ¡°Seth, you know better than accept a random object from an unknown person.¡± ¡°Father, she knows your nickname.¡± Seth, hands held behind his back and his feet shoulder-width apart, looks to the image of Bastion Sazonia sitting in his chair. ¡°Only those close to you know it.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ we need to check on that.¡± ¡°She can use dimensional magic.¡± ¡°You saw the portal open? She didn¡¯t just disappear?¡± ¡°You doubt my eyes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re questioning me?¡± Seth hangs his head. ¡°No sir.¡± The man looks at the boy for a long time before sighing. ¡°There are only three people known to have dimensional magic: Alyssandra Wills, Kieth Drake, and Moira Covenant. The rest, the Morana Family, have disappeared. There is no known dimensional user by the name of Nana Streak.¡± Raising his head again, Seth asks, ¡°Could it have been one under a disguise?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, however, unlikely. Wills has been holed up in her tower for years now, I see no reason why Drake would disguise himself as a girl, and Covenant has never been good at disguising her rather strong accent.¡± ¡°Then could it be one of the Morana Family?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nearly impossible. The Morana Family has completely disappeared ever since their prosecution hundreds of years ago. Besides the occasional mention in textbooks, any traces of its existence have been completely wiped out.¡± ¡°But what if¡­ what if they didn¡¯t disappear but merely hid in a separate dimension?¡± ¡°That is possible, but why reveal themselves now?¡± ¡°Perhaps the answer lies within the gem she gave me.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s true that she is one, then we should keep this under wraps. Much of the MB will not take kindly to its return.¡± ¡°Could they have returned under another identity? Aliases?¡± ¡°They could have.¡± The man leans back in his chair. ¡°It¡¯s nearly impossible. Hiding over a hundred people? No one in their right mind would take the risk.¡± Seth¡¯s eyes wander to the gem on his desk next to the projected screen. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t know anyone possible? Come to think of it, she seemed to know me fairly well, personality-wise.¡± ¡°She did?¡± ¡°When she appeared, she said, ¡®This is unlike you, Seth.¡¯¡± ¡°And this was before any interaction with you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bastion strokes his stubbly chin. ¡°Could she have observed you from afar? You said she was wearing the student uniform.¡± ¡°I searched through the school database and there is no student named¡­¡± Seth¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Could it possibly be?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The blank space above my name on the leaderboards. Everyone always thought it was a mistake, even some of the teachers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that could be her?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. If she really is the Headmaster¡¯s secret adopted daughter, it¡¯s possible that she did take the tests and her name was just deleted. If she was around on campus, someone would know who she is.¡± ¡°Perhaps the Headmaster would be inclined to tell you, since you already know. I will make time to visit you tomorrow to pick up that stone.¡± ¡°Okay. See you tomorrow, Father.¡± Seth salutes and the screen turns off. Seth lies down on his bed and covers his eyes with his arm. ¡°Nana Streak,¡± he mutters. ¡°Nana, Morana. It can¡¯t just be coincidence, right?¡± Chapter 2: March 5, 166 ADW Nana dips her head. ¡°Headmaster.¡± In front of her, in his leather chair behind a desk, sits a middle-aged man with smile wrinkles and a clean-shaven face. ¡°You said you have something important to discuss?¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± He looks at her for a moment before sighing and slumping. ¡°Why is it you only search for me when you have something important going on instead of just coming by to see me? Why do you not call me ¡®Papa¡¯ anymore? It¡¯s been so long since we last saw each other.¡± Nana¡¯s expression freezes and she looks up. ¡°I feel it inappropriate. You are too busy and I don¡¯t wish to bother you.¡± ¡°Bah, business is for fools. Any wise man makes enough time for everything.¡± The Headmaster crosses his legs and leans his head on his fist. ¡°So what is this ¡®important thing¡¯ we must discuss?¡± She goes to sit on one of the couches surrounding the antique wooden coffee table. She takes a deep breath. ¡°You knew my mother, correct?¡± It¡¯s the Headmaster¡¯s turn to freeze. Her next words cause his face to pale. ¡°Headmaster John Linsder, formerly known as John Schindler, the heir to the Schindler Family, the secret protector of the Morana Family. Please do not lie to me.¡± The room falls to silence. ¡°How long have you known this?¡± ¡°Not long.¡± ¡°Where did you learn of it?¡± ¡°This¡­ I can¡¯t tell you.¡± After a few more moments, the Headmaster sighs and smiles ruefully. He relaxes back into his chair and looks up to the ceiling. ¡°Cecelia Morana was a free spirit, always searching for new uses of magic, much like you. When the Magical Bureau got wind of an unknown person travelling through dimensions, they chased her on the grounds of being a possible Morana, one of the so-called ¡®traitors¡¯ of humanity.¡± ¡°Why was the Morana Family deemed a traitor? It¡¯s only written that they betrayed humanity.¡± ¡°The Morana Family holds the most power, by far, of all of humanity. During the Demon War, the Moranas held the front line by themselves. When the war ended, afraid that the Moranas would take over in the future, the MB forced them to either submit or die. Instead, they chose the third option and went into hiding. The Moranas fled to a separate dimension. Thus, the MB said that the Moranas switched sides and joined the demons.¡± ¡°They felt threatened of their position?¡± ¡°Not the entire MB. A minority sided with the Morana Family secretly, a few of which were found out and killed.¡± ¡°Then the MB President¡¯s group?¡± ¡°Yes. Despite unifying the continent under a ¡®presidential rule,¡¯ the power is corrupt, and the most powerful mages are on their side.¡± ¡°But why didn¡¯t the Morana Family help to overthrow them?¡± ¡°If the Moranas helped, the war that ensued would allow demons to run rampant once again.¡± ¡°But the demons will come again anyway.¡± ¡°Yes, the demons will¡­¡± The man¡¯s glance shifts to her. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°The demons will come again.¡± ¡°Where did you learn this?¡± ¡°The truth is-¡± Nana¡¯s voice chokes and she grits her teeth. The Headmaster smiles ruefully. ¡°You can¡¯t say?¡± She nods. Looking out the window, she crosses her arms. ¡°You said the MB chased Cecelia, not killed her. Then how did she die?¡± ¡°She visited me one night, years after I had last seen her, and a few days later, she died giving birth to you. She had eaten a locrian seed.¡± ¡°A locrian seed? Why?¡± ¡°Locrian seeds have the common known effect of lessening the time it takes for a baby to be born at the expense of the life of the mother.¡± ¡°But why would she use it?¡± He smiles sadly. ¡°Out of despise for the world she once loved.¡±
Seth knocks on the door and enters when a voice responds from within. He closes the door behind him and salutes. ¡°Headmaster.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Seth Sazonia. To what do I owe this pleasure?¡± The Headmaster smiles warmly from his desk. ¡°Obviously, he¡¯s here to confirm whether we really are related, Headmaster.¡± Sitting leisurely on the couch, Nana crosses her arms. ¡°Nana, How many times must I request you call me by a more familiar address?¡± the Headmaster says exasperatedly. ¡°Then it¡¯s true,¡± Seth says, looking between the two. ¡°Who is she really, Headmaster?¡± The man gestures for him to sit down, and Seth takes a seat across from Nana. ¡°It looks like you already have your guesses.¡± He looks back to Nana. ¡°She¡¯s one of the Morana Family.¡± ¡°Correct. To be precise, she¡¯s the heir.¡± ¡°The heir?¡± Seth repeats, his eyes widening. ¡°Indeed, though the family is at the moment unaware of this fact.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t someone else just be the heir then?¡± ¡°The sign of the heir is only passed through one person at a time. I¡¯m sure the Morana Family is searching for her.¡± ¡°What do you mean the sign? There was no record of such a sign in the MB files.¡± ¡°I see you did your research.¡± The Headmaster stands up and begins pacing. ¡°One of the most closely guarded secrets of the Morana Family is the Seal of the Heir.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay to tell such a ¡®closely guarded secret¡¯ to me?¡± Seth says, raising a brow. ¡°Nana trusts you, so I trust you as well.¡± ¡°Even though my father is a part of the MB?¡± John stops pacing and scrutinizes Seth. ¡°Even so. On that note, he was invited here as well, so before we continue, we may as well wait for him.¡± Right on time, a knock sounds from the door. ¡°Come in!¡± An older version of Seth appears. After closing the door behind himself, the man glances at the three people in the room. ¡°Headmaster Linsder, or should I say John Schindler.¡± ¡°As expected, the MB knew my hidden identity.¡± The man smirks and shrugs. ¡°The only reason you are still alive is because of your position as Headmaster. Your connections are so strong that the MB couldn¡¯t spread rumors strong enough to turn the people against you.¡± Going to sit beside Seth, he looks toward Nana. ¡°You must be Nana.¡± ¡°Four, since you are here, I take it you looked into the contents of the gem.¡± ¡°How do you know my nickname?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I can not say.¡± The man slumps back. ¡°Magic restrictions, huh?¡± Nana smiles. ¡°As expected of Bastion Sazonia. It¡¯s nice to see you again. How have you been?¡± ¡°You speak as if you know me.¡± Her face reddens and she curses. ¡°Stupid habit.¡± ¡°Habit? So you do know me.¡± ¡°Yes. I do.¡± ¡°How are you acquainted with me?¡± Opening and closing her mouth a few times, she again settles with, ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± He sighs. ¡°What kind of magic did you cast to fall into this predicament?¡± ¡°A secret, extremely forbidden magic.¡± The Headmaster coughs. ¡°Apologies for intruding on your one-sided reunion, but I do believe that is not why we are here.¡± Nana and Bastion turn their attention to the Headmaster and he continues, ¡°As I was saying, the closely guarded secret of the Morana Family is that of the Seal of the Heir. As Nana is the heir, she naturally has the Seal.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Morana Family have the means to track the seal?¡± Seth asks. ¡°No. They never had a need to track the seal as all Morana members before were born with at least two other members present.¡± Bastion leans his chin on his fist. ¡°So what exactly is this seal?¡± John takes a seat at the head of the table. ¡°It would be easier to show you. Nana, I will assume you know how to undo the Seal.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she confirms and stands up. Closing her eyes and rolling back her sleeve, she begins drawing a magic circle in the air. The circle stays visible as a concentrated blue light. When she finishes drawing, she opens her eyes and points to the center of the circle. ¡°Book of Morana, Seal Release!¡± The circle moves over her exposed arm, revealing a shifting pattern on her skin. ¡°The Seal is a powerful spell cast by one of the first of the Moranas. It takes the mana of all the previous heirs and becomes the sealed mana pool of the new heir.¡± Seth and Bastion look at the shifting pattern in shock. ¡°Isn¡¯t that extremely powerful?¡± Seth says. ¡°No matter how powerful magic is, there is always a limiting factor, that is, the price of using the mana from this seal.¡± Nodding, Bastion leans forward in interest. ¡°That price is?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say, but it changes on the user. After all, the higher the price, the more powerful the magic used is.¡± Nana retracts her arm and the pattern quickly fades. ¡°So are you going to find the Morana Family, then? You can go directly inherit your position right now, couldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t, at least, not right now.¡± The Headmaster turns to the three-fold mirror. ¡°In order to stay hidden from other possible dimension-users, the Moranas move once a month and hide within three dimensions. A dimension within a dimension within a dimension. Pinpointing them is impossible without knowing where they will be.¡± Bastion takes out the stone that Nana had originally given to Seth from his pocket. ¡°Then what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± ¡°That, Four, is merely me seeking your help. All the information in there is true.¡± Nana smiles. ¡°The demons are coming, and right now, we are powerless to stop them. ¡°And you can¡¯t say how you know this information.¡± ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m glad you catch on quickly.¡± Bastion nods. ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to believe you and go along with your plan.¡± ¡°I know your true identity, Mr. Younger Brother.¡± He sighs. ¡°I almost can¡¯t be surprised anymore. You intend to blackmail me?¡± ¡°Quite the opposite. As you can see,¡± she gestures to John who looks as confused as Seth, ¡°even the Headmaster knows nothing of this affair.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I merely wish to save this world and the people in it.¡± ¡°Who are you really?¡± ¡°My name is Nana Streak, or Stina Morana. Will you help me?¡± Chapter 3: March 6, 166 ADW Nana looks at the notes in her diary. ¡°With this, even if I die, this world will be saved, right?¡± she mutters, shutting the book and locking it with a key. Hearing footsteps, she places her diary on a bookshelf. ¡°What are you doing, Nana?¡± Seth says, appearing around the corner. She picks a book and rifles through it. ¡°Just some research. Did you finish your class? It seems a little early.¡± ¡°I skipped.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t attendance mandatory?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just say I was sick. I¡¯m the best student in class anyway; no teachers should complain.¡± Sett pulls out a chair from a table nearby and sits down. ¡°Sure sure, whatever you say. If I was you, I¡¯d still go to class.¡± Nana pulls out her notes from a portal and spreads them out on the table. ¡°It seems to me that watching you research would be more informative than going to class. What are you researching anyway?¡± Nana raises her brow at Seth before returning to her notes. ¡°You¡¯ve learned the rules of magic, yes? Explain it.¡± ¡°In order to perform magic, two things are needed. Mana and a medium for conversion. Mediums normally take the form of runes and magic circles, and enough mana must be provided in order for the action to be performed.¡± ¡°What if you don¡¯t have enough mana? How can you acquire it?¡± ¡°You can get it from a source. Everything in this world has mana, and you can also manually store it.¡± ¡°Right. So what makes a mage better than the next?¡± ¡°The amount of mana they have, how fast they can use mediums, and how effective their mediums are.¡± ¡°What affects the effectiveness of the medium?¡± ¡°How fast it draws mana and converts it into an action.¡± ¡°Precisely. I am researching how to minimize the conversion ratio.¡± ¡°I thought the runes were long since perfected.¡± ¡°Different combinations of runes are used to convey different actions. For example, in language, if you use ¡¯I am angry¡¯ instead of ¡®I am disappointed,¡¯ you aren¡¯t using the correct phrase to convey your emotion. If you use the wrong combination, then the effectiveness of the rune goes down.¡± ¡°Do you mean to create new spells?¡± ¡°I mean to perfect and create spells.¡± ¡°How would you perfect the spells? They¡¯ve been perfected to the point of being put into grimoires.¡± ¡°When you want to experiment like this, you start with something small, something that simple. I¡¯ve already perfected a spell¡¯s efficiency by approximately half a second.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°How is that even possible? The spells use runes that have been perfected over the course of years.¡± Seth¡¯s brow furrows, and then his eyes widen and his jaw drops. Nana smirks. ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Combined runes. You¡¯re using combined runes to increase efficiency.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Combined runes are dangerous! Using them incorrectly could damage you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I started small. There are less drawbacks for simpler spells. It¡¯s only dangerous if the spell is of a high enough tier.¡± She points to one of her pages of notes. ¡°If you gauge the amount of mana needed for your average spell in each Tier, Tier 1 spells need approximately 25 mana, Tier 2 spells need 50, Tier 3 100, Tier 4 200, and so on. 25 mana is barely enough to kill a fly, let alone harm a human being.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s still dangerous-¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I theorize before I apply it. Theoretically, anything is possible with magic. I am merely applying theory.¡± ¡°That¡¯s blasphemous thinking¡­ it would never go by the Magical Bureau.¡± ¡°That¡¯s precisely why this is a secret.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re telling it to me so easily.¡± Smiling widely, Nana walks over to Seth and places a hand on his shoulder and he stiffens. She leans and whispers into his ear, ¡°I trust you.¡± Turning around, she walks over to the bookshelf. ¡°Besides, you would never report me. If you did, your father¡¯s enemies would take this chance to have both you and your father placed under suspicion. Furthermore, you wouldn¡¯t get any more information out of me and this world will end if my research is not completed.¡± ¡°What does me reporting you have to do with my father?¡± ¡°Who knows what information I would give up under torture? Or maybe they will suspect because I would run away.¡± She pulls a book from the shelf and flips through it. ¡°Considering I know the future and the past, along with being a Morana family member, if I fell into the hands of the MB as it is, our current society would perish as it stands.¡± ¡°You mean to say the MB is not working in the interest of humanity?¡± ¡°To be more precise, it¡¯s working in the interests of the current highest powers.¡± She returns the book to the shelf and pulls out another one. ¡°As corrupt as it is, the MB still needs to work in the interest of humanity as a whole.¡± ¡°That is not so. The MB can call fake news and keep the public under control with headlines like ¡®Demon Uprising put to Rest¡¯ and ¡®Humanity emerges Victorious Once Again.¡¯ Besides, the MB as it is right now will not even understand that humanity is under such a huge threat. By the time it realizes, most of humanity will be wiped out, and anyone with any power to resist the demonic forces will have either fled into hiding or been wiped out.¡± ¡°What about moving to a new dimension?¡± ¡°The reason why humanity has not moved is precisely because this dimension is the most stable and best suited for maintaining life. That is also why the demons wish to take over.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®best suited?¡¯¡± ¡°Not all dimensions contain energy to sustain life. Each one has a varying amount of resources, and so far, all of the ones that I have explored do not have nearly as much as this one.¡± She sits in a chair and begins writing some notes. ¡°Over the years, the demons took over and infected most of the dimensions with dark mana. All the animals and plants became demonic, and they no longer have the qualities of living beings anymore. They are mere husks. Zombies. This is why demons are so terrifying.¡± ¡°Then what about the Morana Family? How can it continue to live in dimensions separate from this one?¡± ¡°That is because someone in it has to pay a price like me. Something in exchange for the ability to maintain the energy in an area around them. But that is also only possible because of the innate ability of those in the Morana Family.¡± ¡°Innate ability? You mean there¡¯s more than just being able to use dimensional magic?¡± ¡°Mana is like air. It¡¯s filled with many different types of particles. Carbon dioxide, Oxygen, Nitrogen. When it passes into a human, it becomes filtered. Everything except for certain mana particles leave the body. This filtered mana is the mana that the particular person is able to use. The more a person trains, the more raw the mana they can use is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why mages train from a young age.¡± ¡°Exactly. However, the Morana Family members are different. The reason that we can use dimensional magic in the first place is because the mana that courses through our bodies is pure and unfiltered. Our bodies have the same natural properties as demons¡¯ bodies. This idea, a well-kept secret except to those associated with the family and the highest powers of the MB, is the basis for the rumor that the Morana Family worked with the demons.¡±