"Pope-class," Yanjing corrected. "They're of the same level, but two distinct classes."

"Right. So if you're pope-class, then why aren't you in the military?"

"Someone had to raise you and Xiaoyue. No matter how badly he wanted to, Yichen couldn't just abandon the kingdom for you." Yanjing explained, pursing her lips.

I desperately wanted to ask why Xiaoyue couldn't have just been raised by her father, but judging by Yanjing's reluctance to talk about her last name, the answer was probably something that was tough to talk about.

"Does that mean technically, you have a lot of free time on your hands?" I asked.

"Technically, yes. Although I help out at the barracks to heal any training injuries from time to time. Was there something you needed?" 

I stood up from my chair, bowing ninety degrees, as was the custom when requesting to be trained. The last time I had done this was when I was barely a hatchling, begging Fei Lian to train me.

"Please train me," I begged. "I don't care what I have to do, I'll even beg Yichen to make sure it's alright." 

"Alright," she chuckled softly. "raise your head. No need to bow, I was planning on training you regardless. Follow me; don't worry about the dishes, the maids will clean them up."

Xiaoyue trailed behind me as her mother led us through the halls, and back to the library. The magic gemstone torches illuminated the beautiful white stone walls, glowing with mana, depicting important historical milestones. In a way, although the scenes were different, it was as if I was back in Dralossle. A jade encrustation of Iadra blessing mortals with mana; Donghai's escape from the Aesir's prison; and finally, Donghai bowing to me. To Styrmir.

On our arrival, I groaned loudly, hoping she wouldn't just hand me a stack of books again and leave.

"How much do you remember about aura?" she asked with a smile after seeing the pained look in my eyes.

"I know how it works now."

"Summarize it."

I recapped what I had learned and inferred about aura. It was the power of the Aesir, which was what I remembered from my time before I was sent here. I hadn't really bothered to learn much back then, so I was limited to what I was recently taught. Aura was the manifestation of one's spirit, and could take different colors, and shapes for king-class aura users. 

It travelled through the body, through the bloodstream, as opposed to mana, which had its own vascular system. From there, the physical manifestation would enhance physical abilities for pawn-classes, and would steadily progress, becoming more and more tangible as one's class progressed. 

There was a select group of aura users who also had the ability to heal others through an unknown method. Seeing as Yanjing's aura took the shape of an angel, I had a suspicion that they drew upon the angels' power. Perhaps Yanjing was the key to taking my revenge on Uriel.

"Okay, very good! You understand mostly how it works!" Yanjing smiled. "You and Xiaoyue are on the same level of understanding now."

She directed us towards a large table in the library. As we sat down, I asked, "What class is Xiaoyue?"

"Well, I didn't say she awakened her aura abilities yet. For all we know, she could be a mage user."

"I doubt it," Yunshu interrupted, swinging the doors open, his two sons following close behind. He reached through a portal and pulled out a platter with a covering on it, lifting the cover off to reveal a batch of steaming meat buns.

My mouth began salivating as I resisted the urge to grab one and scarf it down. The fragrant scent of the aromatics wafted through the air irrestistably. Yunshu was undoubtedly the person I hated most at the palace, his elder son a close second, but damn, did he make some good food.

Xiaoyue and the other two kids didn't hesitate to grab one and scarf it down, the golden juice of the meat spilling down her cheek. Her mother followed suit, taking a bite of it before asking Yunshu what he was doing.

"Ah, well. I heard you guys were working on aura fundamentals, and I just thought it would be nice for Huotian and Xiaolong to sit in. That way, I can explain the fundamentals of magic to this guy here," he said as he ruffled my hair. "What's wrong, little guy? No meat buns for the prince?"

I slapped his hand away from my head angrily. "I told you I wasn't sent by anyone, so knock it off."

"Oh, come on. I apologized already. We're past that, aren't we?" he grinned stupidly. 

"You nearly choked the life out of me!" I retorted, standing up from my seat and slamming my hands on the desk, causing the platter to shake. A meat bun fell off, before Huotian grabbed it and threw it at me.

"Show some respect to my dad, asshole!"

I grabbed the bun midair, taking a massive bite out of it. I was willing to do a lot of things, but wasting good food was not on that list. As I scarfed down the meat bun, I grumbled angrily.

"If we were past it, then you wouldn't be pestering me about using mana."

Yunshu grabbed another bun and tossed it to me. "Slow down there. There's enough for everyone. I've got another batch steaming right now. In any case, I know what I saw that night. Don't you think it would be amazing if you really were able to use both mana and aura?"

I stayed quiet, pondering the possibility of my mana returning to me. My heart raced as images of my older self wielding aura on par with Yichen's while slinging spells around flashed though my mind. Actually, maybe it was the deliciousness of the buns that was making my heart race.

In response to my silence, Yunshu pressed on. "I mean, that's the stuff of legends, you know?"

"This is what you and Yichen fought over?" Yanjing asked incredulously. "You attacked a child?"

"Water under the bridge," Yunshu responded nonchalantly. "In any case, even if you aren't able to use magic, it'd be good for Xiaoyue to learn about mana, on the very slim chance that she awakens as a mage. It'd also do the boys some good to understand how aura works."

Yanjing shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Xiaoyue being a mage, almost as if she knew Yunshu was about to say something inflammatory next.

"One of his parent's was a mage righ-" Yunshu's voice faltered. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine," Yanjing said with a resigned sigh. "It's true, after all."

Yunshu fidgeted as he tried to fix the awkward atmosphere. Xiaoyue didn't seem like she caught onto what Yunshu and Yanjing were talking about, but she still frowned at the unexpected silence.

"So, can I learn more about aura now?" she asked, a slight frustration in her voice. I turned my head and looked at her in surprise. It was the first time I heard her express anything other than fear and sadness. 

"Right! So, kiddos, who can tell me what aura is again?" Yanjing asked cheerfully, attempting to alleviate the tension in the air.

"The manifestation of someone's life force," Xiaoyue answered, drumming her fingers impatiently on the table.

"Not quite, actually," Yanjing corrected. "It's the manifestation of someone's spirit. A lot of people, even some rook classes, will make that mistake. The two terms aren't the same." 

"What do you mean?" Xiaolong asked, a puzzled expression on his chubby face.

"I'll put it this way: what is spirit?" Yanjing asked. "Is it the same as life? Just the presence of cells? That can't be the case, because then plants would be able to use aura. No, what sets spirit apart from life is conviction. Spirit is the synthesis of conviction, devotion, the strength of our feelings. The more emotion you feel, the stronger your aura will be."

"What does synthesis mean?" Xiaoyue asked.

"I have no idea what any of those words mean. Can I go?" Huotian asked at the same time.

"Dumbass," I whispered. 

Huotian whipped his head around staring at me with bulging eyes. A vein on his neck pulsed before Yunshu put a portal between us, preventing us from lashing out at each other.

"Cool it, both of you." 

"This isn't going to work, is it?" Yanjing sighed. "How about I'll take the brothers to the training grounds to do some hand-to-hand training, and you can take the other two out to the market to have some fun and explain how magic works while you're at it?"

"Sure. Make sure you go extra hard with Huotian; he needs to learn some humility."

"Will do," Yanjing smirked evilly, cracking her knuckles audibly.

"Dad!" Huotian complained. The look on his face was priceless. His eyes widened like saucepans, clearly revealing his mismatched purple and red eyes. If I had to guess, I would say that Yanjing had done something to him during training that traumatized him, if the fact that his irises were shaking was anything to go off of.

Yunshu ignored him, turning towards Xiaoyue and I, flashing us a grin, highlighting his sharp canines. He ran a hand through his sky-blue hair and asked where we wanted to go.

"To Mister Li's shop!" Xiaoyue demanded, practically bursting with joy.

"Mister Li's shop it is." Yunshu agreed.