Elevation of Mana Chapter 170 Parade

The morning of my announcement my family helped me dress. Most of it was the girls doing my hair and making sure all the jewelry was on right, but they fussed a lot, trying to make sure that everything fit perfectly. After all, there were few times when one made an announcement as big as this.

“Stay still,” Isha griped as she put my hair in a braid that would best show off the one white strand.

“Yeah, stay still daddy,” her little twin echoed.

“All right, all right. No need to gang up on me.” They both laughed at my surrender, but kept their hands moving.

Long hair had been an on again, off again fashion among men over my life, and I'd had times when it had been both long and short. Now however I was letting it grow in anticipation for this particular event. Even if we were sooner than expected there had been a chance that I would have gained my first white hair for the past few years, and long would show it off best.

In theory, one could keep their hair cropped short to hide their status as an elder for awhile if they really felt like it. I'd heard a few stories of people doing just that, or even resorting to dyes to hide the white strands. There were many reasons for such an action, to avoid conflict with other local elders, to keep your power concealed to an extent, or even just not wanting the attention, but I'd never met anyone who I'd known to actually do it.

As I let them fiddle with the outfit I thought back on all the people I'd known. My mother had been so close to this advancement, her and dad both, and had they made it just a few more years... well, perhaps they wouldn't have been there when Cino came to destroy the village. Would that have saved them? Had she gone off on her own and made her own place would she still be here? Perhaps, perhaps not, it's possible that he'd have gone wherever they did and killed them, but who could say? It wasn't like I'd personally known the man.

What about the other elders I'd met over the years? How had they felt when they did what I was doing now? Did they meditate on it? Consider the ramifications? I wondered if they worried for what was to come as I was, or if they'd simply been thrilled to have achieved something few of us did.

And it was a sad fact that a minority of elves made it to elder status. We might not age, and might have advantages that humans of Earth hadn't, but we had problems too. Medical technology was basically non-existent outside of magic, so if you didn't have a healer, you didn't have anything. Violence was also shockingly common, not so much amongst ourselves, but with the beasts of the wild.

Everywhere in this world were monsters, and while you were unlikely to run into one on any given day with so many days, and so many spent roving the wilds, it happened. The first I'd dealt with had been that bear, but there had been many times I could easily have died.

It wasn't surprising then that the well off and those who already had magic were the ones who tended to become elders. Though by the time your first white hair appeared everyone would have developed at least a weak form of magic to the level of being a proper mage it was the strongest who were likely to live the hundred or so years it took to achieve the advancement in age. Sadly the weak also tended to die not long after, having the 'authority' without the power to back it up was a recipe for disaster.

“All done,” my wife finally told me, stirring me from my thoughts.

“Let's go.”

I led the way, pulling open the doors and moving out of our chambers into the greater facility. As I descended into the main hall there were gasps of surprise and wide eyes. Some of my people had known what was going on, either leaked or just having seen me, but that was fine, it wasn't a secret. No the surprise came from what I'd affixed to my belt.

People needed symbols, a truth that held even across worlds. Symbols united, divided, inspired, they could be the beginnings of bravery or the sign that defeat was imminent. Therefore I'd decided that I needed a symbol too, and only one thing stood out to me.

From my side swung a hammer, not a warhammer, not something for battle, but something for building, a smith's hammer, a tool for advancement. It was constructed of a mix of metals and crystals, some magical, some not, but pulsed with inner power and light. This wasn't the prototype I'd made for Atal, nor was it something I'd be using if I could avoid it, but instead a symbol, and a warning to my enemies of what would come for them should they cross me.

Chien smiled wickedly as the arranged group of aides and workers looked on.

“Ready to go boss?” he asked.

“Yes, let us,” I answered with a far firmer voice than I felt, but I needed to look strong today.

He took his spot at my right hand, with Isha to my left, just behind my shoulder and we headed outwards. Doors swung open and the fresh air and sound of city life rushed in. A few dozen of my people were following, chosen to come along. Others were staying behind, managing the facility and keeping an eye on my child, who would watch as we left but wasn't coming along for this.

Little Adia cheered and called from an upstairs window as I made my way across the small courtyard to the gates. This place was of course for security, with arrow-slits and spots for spellcasters looking down upon it. I gave her a brief smile and wave as the gates too swung wide.

As my foot cleared the gate and people began looking up to see what was happening a wave of silence spread up the road. People froze in their tracks or quickly made their way out of the street, for I was known, and they hadn't been expecting this action. They all knew the results of crossing me on this procession though, for I was going to make a statement, and weakness before such a thing would be unthinkable.

For that I was grateful, because I'd hate to have to break someone just to prove a point. I'd still do it, it was required, but I would feel bad about it later. Even if I didn't kill them, my people might, either out of some misunderstanding of what I'd want, or the insult to all of us that trying to waylay such a procession would imply.

None did though, the street cleared, with only a few people here and there running off. Clearly they were going to tell their bosses what was going on. That wasn't any issue for me though, I wanted people to know, wanted them to expect what was coming.

And so I walked, the only sounds reaching me the many feet crunching upon the road and the hushed whispers that a new elder was making their way forward.