:''"Yes, I do wish."

:''"Yes, I do wish."

Uncle Ke'val came and laid a suit of soft wooden braided straw armor at his feet, which he immediately put on. He also gave him a knapsack, a suit of soft wooden armor, a small, sturdy shield, a finely chiseled short sword and dagger, and a fine pair of magic amplifiers, looking like large, ornate gloves. In essence, like everything coming from Atys, homins were made up of spiritual particles, and irrigated by a primordial energy called Sap. Each homin was also able, instinctively, to imprint his will to the Sap that was irrigating him, in order to manipulate the spiritual particles that made him up, or those of the environment. Thus, he could modify their aspect, their nature, or their behavior. Here was the magic. Unfortunately, this required a high degree of mastery and consumed a lot of life energy. The amplifiers, because of their composition in conductive elements and catalysts of Sap, were invented in order to overcome the homin limitation, and thus to practice magic more widely. Pü stared for an instant at the present he was being given, then transfered his gaze at his uncle's mask.  He read pride there. A year earlier, Shengi, his own son, had failed the mask growing ordeal. Seeing him mad in pain, Grandmother Bä-Bä had to intervene and interrupt the ceremony. By this failure, his cousin had denied himself a glorious future. Pü was particularly sad to learn of his mysterious disappearance some time later. Had he fled? Had someone gotten rid of him? The answer to these questions remained taboo. Putting these painful thoughts out of his mind, he quickly and silently equipped, then turned his gaze back to his mother.

Uncle Ke'val came and laid a suit of soft wooden braided straw armor at his feet, which he immediately put on. He also gave him a knapsack, a suit of soft wooden armor, a small, sturdy shield, a finely chiseled short sword and dagger, and a fine pair of magic amplifiers, looking like large, ornate gloves. In essence, like everything coming from Atys, homins were made up of spiritual particles, and irrigated by a primordial energy called Sap. Each homin was also able, instinctively, to imprint his will to the Sap that was irrigating him, in order to manipulate the spiritual particles that made him up, or those of the environment. Thus, he could modify their aspect, their nature, or their behavior. Here was the magic. Unfortunately, this required a high degree of mastery and consumed a lot of life energy. The amplifiers, because of their composition in conductive elements and catalysts of Sap, were invented in order to overcome the homin limitation, and thus to practice magic more widely. Pü stared for an instant at the present he was being given, then transfered his gaze at his uncle's mask.  He read pride there. A year earlier, Shengi, his own son, had failed the mask growing ordeal. Seeing him mad in pain, Grandmother Bä-Bä had to intervene and interrupt the ceremony. By this failure, his cousin had denied himself a glorious future. Pü was particularly sad to learn of his mysterious disappearance some time later. Had he fled? Had someone gotten rid of him? The answer to these questions remained taboo. Putting these painful thoughts out of his mind, he quickly and silently equipped, then turned his gaze back to his mother.

:''"Here is an amber cube, take care of it. The tribe is currently composed of one hundred and forty-eight souls, and three births are to be expected in the next few months. You will thus have to donate us one hundred and fifty-one offerings. You may go."

:''"Here is an amber cube, take care of it. The tribe is currently composed of one hundred and forty-eight souls, and three births are to be expected in the next few months. You will thus have to donate us one hundred and fifty-one offerings. You may go."

Unable to resist, Pü started a hugging motion. He had to embrace his mother. But, appearing from nowhere, his father interposed by catching his wrist.

Unable to resist, Pü started a hugging motion. He had to embrace his mother. But, appearing from nowhere, his father interposed by catching his wrist.