Chapter II Part One

When I turned two, my mother convinced my father to allow me to study the healing arts, but I had to learn the more traditional forms as well. So the day after my second birthday, a full mana examination team was summoned from the city. It was imperial law that every child was tested for mana when they turned five. Any with mana was recorded and any commoners born with mana were forced to sign up to the imperial draft in the event of war. Children of the aristocracy were exempt.

Most people born with mana in Aquitaine ended up becoming healers. It was a far safer profession than the military anf tended to pay very well. Every nation had signed a treaty to not attack healers, so even when they served with the military, it was considered a safer.

The man who came from Aquroya wore a white lab coat. He brought a machine with him that was large and clunky, hardly portable. According to him though, that machine was the portable version.

"Please, take a seat here, your highness," the man asked, gesturing to a spot under the machine.

"This wasn't the same model used to measure my mana," my mother said, eyeing the machine.

The man nodded. "Yes, your majesty. The model used in Britannia is an older model. I suspect that it will fall out of use. Sooner are later. Your highness, please put this on."

He detached a helmet from the machine and fitted it around my head. I felt like some kind of test subject. "Just don't make me your monster, doctor Frankenstein."

"... Pardon me, your highness. I don't understand."

Duh. Of course, Frankenstein hadn't been published here. "Just forget about it."

"Very well."

Huh. All the books and movies and anime that I love didn't exist here. Hell, if this whole prince thing didn't work out, I could write them and become a best-selling author. Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Attack on Titan, it was all laid out for me.

"Alright, your highness, this won't take but a moment. You may feel a strange sensation, but that's completely normal."

It was a good thing he warned me. It felt like ice water was being poured down my back, only I wasn't getting wet. Around me, everything that was nailed down began to fall. Or float. A few of the guards were hurled into the wall.

Then the machine pulsed and everyone else was hurled away from me. My mother screamed as she hit the wall and her head made a sickening CRACK!

"Mom!" I tried to get up, but it felt like something huge was holding me down. I tried to scream for help, but my voice wouldn't make a sound. Something was very wrong. The grounds outside should have heard the chaos. They should have come running.

In almost every fantasy involving royalty I ever read, their enemies almost always tried to have them assassinated. Was this some kind of assassination attempt? I was fifth in line for the throne. All of my siblings currently outranked me. Why would I be targeted?

At first, it wasn't painful. It just held me still, but as the seconds ticked by, I became aware of pressure pushing on me. It was bearable at first, but it gradually began to feel like I was being pressed into a pancake. I couldn't even sit up anymore, the force was pushing me into the stone floor.

Then the machine exploded and my world went dark.

Until the machine exploded, I hadn't considered exactly what would happen to me if I died again. Would I be reborn as someone else in this world? Maybe I'd wake up in a different world altogether. Or maybe I would be dead. Truly, absolutely dead.

Would I end up in heaven? Or was I going to hell? What if there wasn't an afterlife? Would I just stop existing?

"-plain yourself immediately!" some commanded. It took me a second to recognize Victoria's voice.

"I agree," Xavier said from somewhere else. "Or I will instruct my guard to take you into custody as a Prussian assassin."

Prussian assassin? What were they talking about? I tried to open my eyes, but the light was too bright. I quickly closed them.

"Xavier. Please," my mother said. "I know what happened was upsetting, but I want to get to the truth of this. I don't know if threatening him is the right course of action."

Get to the truth of what? Then it came back to me; the pressure, the machine exploding, my mother being hurled across the room...

"Thank you, your majesty." That voice belonged to the doctor. "The machine we brought was a portable model. It did not have the capacity to scan the amount of mana his highness has. Prince Calixte's mana pool overloaded the machine and caused it to self-destruct. I don't know the extent of your son's mana reserve, your majesty, but quite frankly it's frightening. To make that machine destroy itself? His mana reserves might rival his fathers."

Was my mana pool that large?

"I see." It was Victoria who spoke. "I apologize for my behavior, doctor. I will make sure you're reimbursed for your machine."

"I can't let you do that, Victoria," my mother said. "He's my son. I should be the one who pays."

"He's my brother, your majesty. Please, allow me."

Victoria and the doctor left soon after.

"I'll go tell Henri what happened," Xavier said.

"Thank you my darling."

When Xavier left, I chanced opening my eyes. The light wasn't as searing as before. My mother stood at the end of the bed and we locked eyes.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to know I messed up."

She shook her head. "This isn't your fault, Calixte. None of us could prepare for that. I think this is good news. You've been blessed with more mana than Henri or Victoria. More than me or Louise. You might have more mana than your father."

She walked to my side and took my hand. "I was so worried about you."

I was the one who should be worried. I had heard the crack when her head hit the wall. "I'm okay, mother."

"I know. You might want to see little Euphy when you get out of that sickbed."

"Why?"

"She was in here crying of you. You should have heard her. I think that might have been part of the reason Victoria was so angry. You know how she dots on her little sister."

"When can I get out of bed?"

"The High Healer wants to keep you here under observation for the time being. He has said your recovery has gone well, so you shouldn't be here for too much longer."

"That's good. Did he say when I'll feel better? I hate being sick."

"He said it should pass soon. You're suffering from Mana Withdrawal. The machine expelled a lot of your mana before it blew up. It was a good thing it blew up when it did. If you had lost more mana, you'd be suffering worse right now."

I wouldn't have called the machine blowing up good luck. "What would have happened if it kept taking my mana?"

"You could have died."

Then I guess it was a good thing it blew up. I didn't want to find out what would happen if I died again. I don't think I had good enough luck to get a third shot at life.

I tried to sit up, but the world started to spin. My mother pushed me back down. "None of that, Calixte. The High Healer said you need to rest and I agree with him. Don't move. Give your body a chance to restore the mana that it lost."

"Okay. Okay." I gave in. I didn't fancy throwing up on myself, so I wasn't going to push it.

She brushed the hair out of my eyes. "You should try and get some rest. I have to meet with your father, so I'll come back as soon as possible."

"Okay."

"Before I go, one of the High Healer's students will be coming by soon to check up on you. She's going to bring a potion for you to drink."

Potions were real? Maybe the world was a bit more fantasy-like than I had come to expect.

"What's a potion?"

"They're a concoction that prompts mana restoration. It isn't a magic cure-all, but your mana will recover faster. It is also going to be very bitter and taste like dirt. Don't spit it out. Drink it. All of it. Take your medicine with the dignity of your station."

That was easy for her to say. She wasn't the one swallowing the bitter pill, so to speak.

A nurse did come in later, carrying a red vile. The potion was bitter and it tasted worse than dirt, but I made sure to drink it all.