“Do it.” The man, with black leather combat gear, was Sensei Sephith. I’d been about an hour late for his class, and now, Sephith was making me punish myself. I took one last look at my teacher’s gentle features, then at my fourteen fellow students, who started intently at me. So, in the center of the green meadow with the occaisonal flower, I plunged my combat knife into my left hand.

My shriek of agony as the blade passed through my palm provided cause for the teacher’s grimace. he usually was kind, but this had been my thirtiath or fortieth time I’d been an hour or so late for class. The fact that I’m probably the only female in the school probably has a helping hand in this, but, whatever. To tell the truth, I liked the pain.

“Gomenasai, Sensei!” I quickly apologized, sat down with my fellow blue-geared students and re-wrapped my hand wound as Sephith continued in his darkened voice, “As I was speaking of before the interruption, mana can be channeled in three different ways.”