Infinity: Rising of the Soul Weavers

"Ok, let me tell you what we saw of your mana pathways, and you tell me if that makes sense," Aella said. "In short, your mana core is blocked, your mana nodes are set to prevent you from using mana to start with, and there\'s little to no mana in your body. I\'m not even sure how you\'re able to do the stuff you do now..."

"Eh? But that can\'t be right…" Raven seemed confused.

\'It is,\' Tu said through their mind link. \'I have always thought it was your way of limiting your mana use, but then after witnessing your fights, I realized you even fought with your core as is.\'

\'But what does that mean?\' Raven asked. \'Is someone preventing me from using my own mana? And if so, how can I use all those mana types and skills?\'

\'Rave, those different mana types you use are ours, I think you\'re just borrowing them somehow, maybe through your inherent talents?\' Kayla said in a hushed voice. \'Think about it, the sacred crimson aura you use is Tu\'s, the purple one that controls the cyber matter is mine, the white aura is for Aether, the primordial dragon fragment, and so on. 

\'I think that your own original mana is the golden one too since I can\'t think of anyone else having it, but at the same time, you barely use it for actual skills. Right?\'

Realising that Raven was silent all of a sudden, Kayla was scared. \'Rave? Are you ok?\' It took her a second to realize that she was in a different subspace and that she was now, more or less, separated from Raven.

"Hello, little Cyber Valkyrie," a rather familiar voice called. 

"Eh? Hello?" Kayla said suspiciously. Looking at the person in front of her, she found herself staring at a young azure haired beauty. "Avavia?" 

"Oh, glad you still remember me," Avavia raised her eyebrows. She has always tried erasing both of her and her daughter\'s memories, yet somehow, the little Cyber Valkyrie was able to remember her.

"Of course I do, you\'re my best friend\'s mother," Kayla said, yet still acted cautiously. "How can I help you?"

"Don\'t be alarmed," Avavia said with a smile, noticing her tense expression. "And I simply need to tell you something, regarding my lil Amy, err, Raven, I mean Raven."

*Sigh*

"So to keep this short, I simply want to warn you…" she said with a smile. "As much as I love my daughter, I\'d like to prevent her from using her innate powers. 

"I don\'t expect you to understand, or even fully trust me, but please do believe me this time, it is better for everyone that Raven doesn\'t learn to utilize her full potential."

"And why is that?" Kayla narrowed her mysterious dark purple eyes. "Why would a mother who supposedly loves her daughter want to limit her potential? 

"You\'re basically admitting that you were the one to mess with her mana core, correct? And if so, how does it feel to know that you were the one to prevent her from saving Maya? 

"Do you even know how broken your own daughter is because she simply has to take care of everyone, and has no one to take care of her?"

Biting her lower lip, Avavia seemed hurt, but she simply shook her head. "No one loves her more than I do, but I simply know the consequences of letting her powers run amok…

"You have Gaia, the Voice of this planet, on your side. Ask her, why was she so afraid of Raven?

"Also, ask yourself, why is there a primordial being blessing her? Do you remember what happens to Raven without my blessing? 

"Please, believe me. I love my sweet daughter, but I just can\'t let her make the same mistake she has already made once…" Avavia shook her head, regret and guilt filling her eyes. "Would you please be so kind and help me in that regard, Kayla?"

Hearing that, Kayla didn\'t know what to think. \'What does she mean? Ask Gaia… does she mean that her fears were actually based on factual information? Did Raven indeed destroy a planet?

\'And why is a primordial being supporting her? I\'m assuming she is talking about the primordial dragon of light… True, why?

\'Also, what happens when I deactivate Avavia\'s Affection… Raven would suddenly get hungry for souls, and her entire personality would change… why? Why is she like that? Who is Raven really?\' Suddenly, countless questions roamed around her head as she felt lost.

"Kayla," Avavia called with a sad smile. "I understand that I\'m asking too much, but would you please ask her not to refine her mana? Please…"

"I can\'t, and I simply won\'t," Kayla shook her head. "If there\'s anything I can do to make her stronger and give her hope of protecting her loved ones, then I\'ll do it without hesitation. I\'m sorry. 

"I may not know who Raven really is, but, I know that she\'s my friend, no… she\'s my best friend, my soul, and everything. I\'ll help her reach her goals without any doubts!"

Taking a deep breath, Avavia seemed rather conflicted in her heart, yet her mouth curved into a tiny smile. "I\'m glad she got to meet someone like you. And, I\'ve already expected that this would be your answer.

"Let me give you some tips before I am forced to leave," she said while looking at her body that seemed to be slowly losing colour. "First of all, the power Maria has now is a derivative of my own power that is called the Soul of the Phoenix.

"The reason her core is being constantly destroyed and reconstructed is because this power focuses on immortality, and always maximising one\'s own potential. 

"So, please let Raven know that Maria is okay. She will no longer need her constant protection. However, let Maria herself know not to act carelessly since she can still be killed...

"Second of all, I- *sigh* I\'ll help you refine your own mana, together with Raven, since it might be dangerous for anyone else to do it.

"If you really love her, you must trust me in this. I will leave her core blocked as it is, but I will instead allow her nodes and paths to circulate a little bit more mana through her body, thus, she can use the manas around her more efficiently.

"Lastly, please keep this a secret, ok?" Avavia smiled while asking her last question.

Kayla, who thought that by knowing more, she\'d be more satisfied, realised that she was wrong. She had way more questions now. "Wait," she said while looking into Avavia\'s body, slowly turning into grey light particles. 

She needed to ask the most important question, and fast. "If your powers center about immortality, doesn\'t that mean that you\'re alive and well? Why don\'t you reveal your presence to your daughter? 

"She needs you! Why would you torture her the way you do? Why-" before she could finish, the space all around her flickered a couple of times, before changing back to Raven\'s mind space.

\'I am sorry lil Kay,\' Avavia muttered to herself, away from stray ears. \'The reason I hide myself from my precious Amy is because she\'s not yet ready to meet me… or her past…\'