Ascension of the last Celestial

After getting the stern look from Aurelia, the caretaker took his little hand and led him back inside the building. As they walked down the old hallway, Valerian’s eyes shifted between Aurelia’s face and the floor.

’Please, not another one of her lectures,’ Valerian silently prayed.

Perhaps guessing what the child was thinking, Aurelia gave his small hand a soft squeeze of reassurance. After walking for a few minutes, they finally reached a wooden door. On the door, it was written: "Headmaster’s Office".

Aurelia pushed the door open, revealing a spacious office. The whole left side was filled with one massive bookshelf reaching all the way to the high ceiling. There was no ladder in the room that could help an old lady reach those high books that sat at the top, but someone of Aurelia’s rank didn’t need a ladder or any other help to get even the highest books.

The right side of the office was decorated with a big, comfortable-looking sofa, a large coffee table with a glass tabletop, and two armchairs at the sides of the table. Across from the sofa was a big, expensive, and comfortable-looking armchair. Behind the chair, a lit fireplace cast a soft orange glow into the room. The smoky and oaky smell of the fire filled the office, giving it a cozy feeling.

At the far end of the headmaster’s office was a large wooden table. Behind the table was another big, comfortable chair, just like the one at the coffee table. In front of the table was a simple but padded chair, standing ready for when one of the children wanted to talk to her in private.

Aurelia, still holding Valerian’s hand, led him to the coffee table by the fireplace. She gently guided him to sit on the sofa, which didn’t have long legs, since it was made with the age and height of the children in mind. Aurelia herself settled her old body into the big armchair across from Valerian.

"I’m sorry, it was my mistake. It won’t happen again," Valerian started the conversation, looking down at the coffee table. Even though he himself didn’t think he did anything wrong, he just wanted to apologize quickly so he could get back to whatever he wanted to do that afternoon.

"Haaa, I don’t remember ever teaching you to lie to me?" Aurelia let out a tired sigh, her old age clearly showing on her face.

Realizing he had been caught, Valerian stiffened in his seat. ’Should have known she wouldn’t buy it. Just what did I do?’

Seeing the boy fiddling and struggling to understand why he was here, Aurelia smiled at his antics. "You didn’t do anything wrong, Val, hehe."

After hearing the old woman say that with a giggle, he looked up at her with a puzzled face. "If I didn’t do anything wrong, why am I here?" Valerian questioned.

"I told you before that you shouldn’t use mana when you are playing with the others. It’s dangerous." Aurelia looked at Valerian with a stern gaze, but the answer just seemed to further increase the confusion on the boy’s face.

"But you know that I can control it. You said yourself that I’m a genius at mana control," Valerian said, smiling proudly at the last part.

"Yes, you are more gifted when it comes to mana, and that’s exactly why you need to be more responsible with it. I know I’m asking for a lot, but do you think you can play with the others without mana, or at least only use it when they are?"

After that, Valerian fell silent for a few seconds. Aurelia could clearly see that he was contemplating her request.

"Okay, I won’t use it recklessly anymore. I promise," Valerian finally answered, even though he was pouting about his decision.

’Cute,’ Aurelia giggled and thought at the sight of the boy pouting. "Thank you, it means a lot to me. You can go if you want."

Hearing that he was finally freed, he didn’t waste another second and began to sprint to the door, still being slightly faster than any normal child his age, but clearly slower than when he was chased by the other children. Seeing the boy running away with such fervor, Aurelia had a grandmotherly smile on her face.

After Valerian left and silence returned to the office, Aurelia lifted herself up from her chair and rotated it so it faced the fireplace behind her. Looking at the dancing flames, she fell into thought.

’He’s already so good at mana manipulation at his age, but even if he is [Loved by Mana], he shouldn’t be able to do the things he is doing without breaking a sweat.’

[Loved by Mana]

Aurelia clearly remembered the time she saw a child that was [Loved by Mana] 200 years ago...

200 years ago, Aurelia was still in the capital of the Solaria Kingdom, working under the crown as a soldier in the never-ending war that was taking place on the other side of the kingdom. She had been summoned by the king to receive new orders to go to the next battlefield. She was making her way to the king when she suddenly felt a significant amount of mana that was in the atmosphere getting pulled in one direction.

When she turned her head to the side, all she saw was a 9-year-old boy. She immediately recognized the boy as the crown prince of the Solaria Kingdom, Helias Solaria. The boy had blond hair paired with ocean-blue eyes that held an intelligence and maturity that wasn’t supposed to be in the eyes of a 9-year-old.

Aurelia put her right fist to her heart and bowed to the crown prince. "Aurelia Thorne greets Crown Prince Helias Solaria."

Looking at the grown woman bow to him, Helias didn’t even bat an eye, long accustomed to adults bowing. So, he just ignored her and walked past. After he walked past her, Aurelia lifted her head to look at the back of the crown prince.

’The mana in the atmosphere is passively flowing towards him. So, that’s what it means to be [Loved by Mana].’

And now, Aurelia immediately recognized the unusual movement of mana whenever Valerian was around.

’With the crown prince, a big portion of the mana was flowing towards him, but with Valerian, it’s even weirder. Whenever he uses mana in any way, the mana seems to be happy to be guided by him. In my almost 300 years on this planet, I have never heard or read that mana can have emotions.’

Staring at the dancing flames of the fireplace, she couldn’t help but think: ’Whether Valerian is [Loved by Mana] or something else entirely, I will protect him and all the children with my life.’