V

Now that my life is well established, let's move on into the nitty-gritty.

Keroco and Dogo never forgave me for the death of Returin - I was too scared to insist it was Dogo who suggested we go and look at the Buzz Bee, and I guess Keroco's aggressive persuasion had got into Dogo's head that he wasn't to blame, and I was. Often, there was a bit of yelling coming from that house, and the whole village knew when to stay away from it - Keroco was a very antisocial, more-righteous-than-thou, angry person all of the time. It was no wonder that he was regarded as the village bully.

It was a few months - I think the start of the autumn after Ark's hatching - when I started school. Dogo had already been there about two or so years, and he had made his presence well and truly felt. Kippo, being the small community that it is, had only the need for a single class, so all the children my age and older were there. I knew I was different the moment I stepped in the front door - not only in personality and mentality, but in the fact that I had a much larger nose, wider eyes, an exceptionally longer tongue, and a tail.

My teacher was Syoro (or Syo. for short, it's Pandoran for Mr) Yarapren, who was wisened, but was not elderly then, yet. He was an assistant to the Guardian of the Water Palace, Sonao Endigo, for some time before he decided to settle down and teach.

"Everyone," he alerted as I walked in and climbed into my wooden chair for the first time, "we have a new addition. Now, I don't want any trouble to come out of the fact that our new member is quite different to the rest of us…"

Well, that's pretty obvious, everyone must have been thinking.

"…and that he has very - different names - as his name."

He would have said "historically conflicting", but that was beyond many people's vocabulary in the class.

No introduction was needed, but none of the children really knew my second name, surprisingly. Everyone knew me as Dy, some as Dyluck when I had broken something from Gold City with my childish clumsiness, the word coming from my mother, but it was what set things in motion.

"Everyone, this is Dyluck Thanatos Yoshi. Say hello to him."

There was silence in the room as everyone eyed me suspiciously upon the mention of the word "Thanatos".

"Well, isn't anyone going to say hello?"

There were a few mumbled "Parano"s here and there, and one or two "’Ano"s.

Satisfied with the fact it would probably be the only response, he started the day's teaching. Class always started with Invocation: in other words, everyone stood up and called the Elementals to come and teach them, with a rhyme. Translated, it would be something like:

We start today with eagerness to learn,
Come, Elementals, teach us today.
Undine, with your water cleanse us.
Gnome, with your ground support us.
Sylphid, with your air around us,
May Salamando's fire come to inspire us.
Shade, teach us that your darkness of unknowing
Will be filled by Lumina's light of wisdom.
Luna, give us bravery to try new things.
Dryad, give us a long life of learning.

Yes, I know it doesn't rhyme. I can't help the translation.

After that, we did some mathematics, Pandoran grammar rules, and then we had Mana Development. The learning of Mana was an integral part of education on Fa'Diel. I never really liked Mana Development at school - it was too formal, and Syo. Yarapren expected too much of me, I feel. I visited him after I became Guardian of the Cyan Arc, and he was so impressed that he had a heart attack the next day. Irony loves to play around me.

As a new student, the first thing that had to be done was for me to decide which Path I wanted to take. In Mana, there are what are considered to be the Left Path and the Right Path, both equal in Mana terms and in society. In school society, though, the Left Path was considered a "drop-out" for those who didn't want to, or did not have enough ability to undertake the Right Path. Basically, the Left Path is the use of Mana through the mind - psychic power. On the Right is the use of Mana through nature - elemental power.

Syo. Yarapren explained it to me while he set the rest of the class at work on creating ice cubes.

"Which one should I take?" I asked.

"Well, I've taught many, many different types of people, Dyluck. But you're the first Yoshi for me. I have heard about you before, and I've heard your parents come from a world called Yamauchi, am I correct?"

I nodded.

"Very well. I have studied this Yamauchi, and there is an increase in Mana usage on that world in the past few years. Most of them there appear to be down the Left Path. Your kind seems to have a very powerful being named Markior, a true champion of the Left Path, residing there."

I'd like to see the surprised look on Markior's face as he read that. Information, particularly in the Mana regard, does very much so get out of Yamauchi onto Fa'Diel. But it's only heard by those interested in it.

"What your homeworld needs are more people who travel down the Right Path of Mana. We will make a true champion of you, Dyluck - someone who will outshine even those of your namesake. Dogo, back to work, please."

At the mention of the namesake part, Dogo, who was old enough to know well the history of the Resurrection, must have caught on.

So, it was pretty much chosen for me to go down the Right Path, and that evening, Syo.Yarapren came around to the inn to get my parents to sign the government form that said I was studying the Right Path.

Lunch break came around - and we were allowed free access of the village, but we had to be back in an hour. I decided to go home to tell my parents all about what had happened, when Dogo and two of his friends came around the next corner.

"Oh, hello there, Dyluck Thanatos," he said.

"Dy," I mumbled.

"Dyluck…and Thanatos. Thanatos is a bad name."

I was starting to go red at that time, and I wanted to get away from them, but my way was blocked by one of his friends.

"Do you know what Thanatos did?" Dogo asked.

I shook my head.

"Thanatos was the Dark Lich - evil sorceror from two hundred years ago. And if you have the name Thanatos, then Dark Lich must be in you!"

"Yeah, you're Lich," one of the friends sneered.

"Lich!" Dogo laughed.

"Run away everyone!" the other friend called.

"Lich is here!"

And that's how I got called Lich - and I didn't like it, either - how dare they insult my name, it wasn't my fault I got called that. I still insisted on Dy, because it did not have the overtones that Lich did. At least Ark was spared from it - and the fateful day was arriving.