~~~Marion~~~
Puddle of mana

I looked up at the sky from my room, noticing how the dark it was around the town. I didn’t think it was night time yet – we had left the town of Kulun in the morning, so it should still be evening by this time – but I guess when you’re high up in the mountain, you don’t see the sun much.

I stayed in my room, my mind wandering towards Moswen and her current predicament. Later, Stella came in and asked if I was okay from the hike through the blizzard. She came and checked my fingers and my face, and after seemingly satisfied, left me alone, and my mind continues to wander.

I wonder how she’s doing in the coffin?


Later, I went outside for a walk, and it was not long before I was looking at the coffin that was holding Moswen. It was silver in colour with many detailed marking all over it – almost like it was some sort of writing – and it was adorned with a few jewels. I circled around the coffin, noticing that no snow had collected above the coffin. I took a handful of snow and experimentally spread them across the top of the coffin. They dissipated right away before they could touch the coffin.

I bent down to take a closer look at the coffin, and I found that there was a handprint at the side of the coffin. I decided to leave it alone, as it might trigger something.

“Guess we’ll be seeing you later, Moswen,” I said towards the coffin. I was answered with a bark. “Huh?” I peered at the coffin, half-expecting it to open by itself. I waited and strained my ears. There it was… the barking again. I went to the other side of the coffin, and I saw a lump of snow moving about.

“Puppy!” Karam exclaimed, as Kun the puppy crept out from a pile of snow. His ears were drooped, and his tail was still.

“Aww, you miss Moswen?” I picked him up and held him around my chest. He sniffed Karam, and let out a whimper. “Come on, let’s get you to the tavern.” Karam made a weird growling sound, patting Kun’s head.

“Puppy’s being weird. He doesn’t want to chase Karam.”

“Yes, because-”

“Because Moswen is in that coffin. Karam knows that.” He looked up at the sky. “Oh, look! A shooting star!”

I quickly looked up, but I barely caught glimpse of the said shooting star. “Hm, guess I missed it…”

“Maybe… but Karam knows where it lands.” He dropped down at ran at one direction. “This way!”


When I caught up with Karam, he was sitting on top of a flat surfaced rock, his snout pointing towards the puddle below. I looked closer – it was not water that made up the puddle. It was something that looks like mercury, except that it was shining with a rainbow hue, like a bubble. I cautiously touched the liquid with one of my fingertip, and it was warm.

“What is this?” I asked Karam.

“Well, see…” he began. “Karam had one day woke up in the night to see a shooting star coming down at Karam. So Karam thought, oh no, Karam’s toasted. So Karam closed eyes, and waited. When nothing happen, Karam opened eyes, and these Karam saw this strange liquid. Just like this one.”

“So, liquid from meteor?” Karam’s eyes blinked at the mention of meteor. “Liquid from shooting star?”

“Karam think so,” he scratched his ears with his foreleg. “Anyway, Karam saw some people taking the liquid, and they say something about selling it for a high price. Don’t Marion want some mananites?”

I looked down at the puddle of the liquid, and then back at Karam. “So, how do we pick the liquid up?”

“How about that green thing there?” Karam pointed helpfully towards a lump hidden beneath some bushes. I took the object out, and it turns out to be the lower half of a broken bottle. I inspected its bottom, satisfied to find that there was no hole.

“I think I’ll give it to someone else,” I said, as I carefully scooped the liquid with the bottle fragment. “It’s not that I wanted to get anything for now, anyway”.



Meteors come off the second moon as it settles into orbit. The Mana in the meteor hardens when it reaches the lower levels of the atmosphere, but since it is in the upper when it crashes, it is still in liquid Mana. The liquid mana could be used to coat a sword or sold for a high price.