Days passed before we finally managed to make it to the foot of the Grand Mountains—which certainly lived up to their name.

Along the way, only Helen had managed to lay down her pride and ask me for clarification on the feint-step. I went over it slowly, explaining how to time the interval between the last right foot movement and the positioning of the left foot, and how to properly balance the output of mana into both feet to ensure you go in the direction you want. The whole time, I could almost see the ears of the other three growing larger as they tried to drink in the information I gave her, nodding as they took mental notes.

The first of the four to succeed was Jasmine. She seemed like the brusque, genius type, so I wasn’t surprised.

She’d pulled me aside one day while I was taking my reading and writing lessons on the back of the carriage with Mother. Flushed with restrained excitement, she asked me to watch.

We had to make a brief stop so the carriages wouldn’t leave us behind. After she successfully demonstrated the feint-step, I applauded, saying, “Amazing! You learned it so quickly!”

It was rather basic compared to some of the techniques I had developed, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.

She responded curtly, saying, “It was nothing,” but the upward curve of her lips and the slight proud twitch of her nose showed otherwise.

She was delighted.

By the time we had arrived at the foot of the Grand Mountains, the other three had also managed to learn the technique, each of them changing it slightly to fit their own fighting style.

The next step of the journey was the ascent up the mountains. Luckily, there was a path, wide enough for two carriages, that circled around the mountain, eventually leading to the teleportation gate at the top.

Durden held the reins of the carriage in front, with Father beside him to keep him company. Their carriage held most of our luggage. Helen was currently seated on the top of the second carriage, the one I was riding in, scouting for anything out of the ordinary. Angela sat inside the second carriage with my mother and me, and Adam walked behind us, keeping guard. While Jasmine steered the carriage, she kept turning her head back and staring at me as if trying to drill holes through me with her eyes. I wondered if she expected me to show her some more techniques. But every time I met her gaze, she quickly turned her head back to the front, reminding me of an abashed five-year-old.

Speaking of age, I had turned four during the first leg of our journey to the foot of the Grand Mountains. I didn’t know when Mother had prepared the cake, or where she had stored it—or whether it was even edible—but I didn’t complain. I put on a big smile and thanked her and everyone else. The other adults all gave me a hug or a pat on the back, but then Jasmine surprised me by handing me a short knife, declaring simply, “Present.”

From anyone else it would’ve been curt, but from Jasmine it was almost extravagant.

Fortunately, our journey up the mountain was uneventful. I spent a lot of my time reading my book on mana manipulation, trying to learn more about the differences between mana and ki. They seemed pretty similar, except that an augmenter’s mana usage could occasionally take on the property of elements. Reading on, I noticed that, for beginners who were able to dabble in this, these elemental attributes were not as distinct as what one might see when conjurers cast spells, but only loosely resembled the quality of each individual element.

For example, an augmenter who had an innate compatibility with fire would have mana that showed an explosive quality when used. Water would naturally have a smooth, flexible aspect; earth would be firm and rigid; and, finally, wind would have the quality of a sharp blade.

It seemed strange to me. In my old world, these aspects of ki had nothing to do with elements, but rather depended on how this inner energy was utilized. Shaping the ki into points and edges would give it the so-called “wind element;” storing it up into a single point and bursting it at the last moment would give it the “fire element,” and so on. Practitioners had their own preferences and were naturally better at practicing one style than another, but it wasn’t uncommon. Only the most basic use of ki involved reinforcing the body and weapons.

I would have to test this with mana the first chance I got. I had all the time in the world, free of any responsibilities, but being stuck in a four-year-old body with constant supervision by suspicious adults limited my ability to practice.

I was still reading when, suddenly, Helen’s alarmed voice rang in my ears.

“Bandits! Prepare to engage!” she shouted as a rumble of footsteps came from our right rear.

Angela began intoning, “Submit, O wind, and follow my will. I command and gather you around in protection. Wind Barrier!” I felt a gust of wind forming a tornado around Mother, Angela, and me inside the carriage. Then the gust formed into a sphere, enclosing us.

With her wand outstretched, Angela concentrated on keeping the barrier active. Arrows constantly bombarded it, only to be redirected as soon as they struck.

My mother pulled me in close, using her body to shield me from whatever might get through. Thankfully, her efforts weren’t necessary, as the barrier held strong.

In a matter of seconds, the tarp covering the carriage roof was torn to shreds, and I had a better view of the situation at hand.

We were completely surrounded.