CH832 Mora’s Perspective

Delair was humming as she pulled him through the streets, the young dryad as full of energy as ever while Mora looked at her, filled with his own curiosity from the bits in her soul that were standing out, forcing a question to the front of his mind.

Just what is Ben doing to her?

He’d been there for all of her last levels, crafting and enchanting and plant magic as well, and while he’d helped her along a bit with each of them he could already see she was getting close to getting new ones again at a speed that couldn’t be chalked up to his own involvement meddling with her soul. Compared to the people he’d see walking through town or at any of the places Thera would bring him while she worked, the growth benefits she’d get from working under a master seemed incomparable. Not just making her better faster but also building her foundation for the future.

…Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.

He liked Delair, almost as much as he liked Thera and Ben. It had taken a bit to understand that and he was well aware he wasn’t doing the best job of showing it but despite that, all three of them had been doing their best to shower him with nothing but kindness, talking to and playing with him and trying to make sure he felt comfortable in everything he did and it all felt just so nice. Incomparable to the life he’d had when he’d first been born.

His mind flashed to it against his will, memories of orders he didn’t want to follow and expectations he didn’t want to meet. Day after day after day of feeling the crushing disappointment of both the great life and death spirits, two he understood to be his parents who themselves didn’t see each other as such. Spirits weren’t parental beings, their race held no such instinct so he didn’t blame them either but at the same time, he knew he was different from a normal spirit too. He hadn’t even realized he’d been craving that sort of love until he’d actually started to get it.

He hadn’t meant to give any of that away either but just the thought had brought a lull to his step, enough that it made Delair stop dragging him and turn back to make sure he was okay.

“Sorry, was I too fast?”

“No, you’re fine.”

How could she be too fast when he had perfect control over his speed thanks to the power he had over the mana that made up his body? If anything, he was the one always needing to take things slower for the mortals of the world, even if he didn’t see it that way. He had his preferred pace and it was enough to just wander peacefully, even if it did mean he’d be pulled along by the girl to keep up any time they were together.

Despite what he’d said though, she slowed down, walking more his speed even if she didn’t let go of his arm. Young but empathetic enough to see there was something in his thoughts, she tried to actually talk instead of just dragging him off as fast as she could to play.

“So, what have you been doing with Thera when you go out, anyway?”

“Nothing really. I’m just with her while she works so I’m not left alone at home. I guess she and Ben aren’t comfortable with the idea, even if I’d be fine.”

That wasn’t all entirely true, he wouldn’t just do nothing, even if that was what he wanted them all to think. He liked healers. He enjoyed the very concept of them. People who spent their time and energy helping others, could there be anything more valuable in that or any other world? And feeling that, how could he not help them in turn? Every one he could see was constantly putting in their full efforts but it never seemed to be enough which was where he came in, discreetly giving them the benefits of his own power where he could, even if every bit of growth they got from it typically just meant they had more work to do. Still, they were all happy each time they got a level and that couldn’t help but make him feel good as well, knowing that he could be more than what his creators had wanted of him.

It was all a secret of course, he didn’t want people to know and start placing their expectations of what else he should be doing on them but more and more he was wondering if it was something he could talk about, at least a little. He knew Ben would try to do the same and he liked that, even if that particular guardian of his seemed to be a lot less efficient at it. Transferring knowledge to make it happen was always going to be harder on the recipient than just building up their souls with mana but despite the differences in technique, Mora found himself wanting to talk about it and more, if he was being honest with himself he wanted to be praised. Every time he had been before had been wonderful and he wanted it again. He wanted him and Thera to be proud of him.

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…Maybe one day.

He still wasn’t sure. He didn’t know what sort of expectations would be placed on him if he revealed himself like that and he wasn’t so ready to find out. As things were he loved his life, he didn’t want to risk losing the happiness he’d found.

“Well, if you’re not doing anything you should work with me some more!” Delair told him, oblivious to all of the thoughts he had swirling inside of him. “It was fun before, wasn’t it?”

“…It was.”

“So you should come back sometime and learn more, it will be even more fun!”