Ch. 20 - Mana

Our next class was basic spellcasting. This class was the class I was very much looking forward to because I wanted to learn how to cast magic spells of my own as soon as possible.

The class had a traditional class setting, and there was a podium in front of the class and rows of desks facing the podium. By the time Valde and I arrived, most of the class was already waiting for the class to start.

A few moments after sitting down, an old man who used a cane to walk around walked into the classroom quietly. The boisterous room immediately turned quiet.

The old man made his way to the podium and slowly started counting the number of students in the classroom.

"Everyone is here today. Good. Because not everyone was here yesterday, I will reintroduce myself. I am Markus Costanzo. You all may refer to me as Professor Costanzo. I will be teaching the Introduction to Basic Spellcasting this year. Now, turn in your homework from yesterday." (Professor Costanzo)

Homework? I looked towards Valde beside me with a bit of panic in my eyes.

Valde whispered to me, "you should be fine due to the incident yesterday."

Professor Costanzo walked along the desks and collected everybody's homework. Eventually, it was my turn.

"Where is your homework?" (Professor Costanzo)

"I don't have it."

"Why is that?" (Professor Costanzo)

"I was in an accident yesterday, causing me to be in a coma."

"So why are you here now." (Professor Costanzo)

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"You said you were in a coma, and yet you are here right now. Why is that?" (Professor Costanzo)

"Umm, because I woke up from my coma?"

"So, you had time to do homework then. Why didn't you do it?" (Professor Costanzo)

"Ah…"

At this point, I didn't know what to say. To be honest, I didn't even know that we had homework.

"I didn't know we hand homework."

"Is that my problem?" (Professor Costanzo)

"No."

"Good. At least you know that. Come to my office after school today. I'm giving you detention for missing the first day's homework." (Professor Costanzo)

I was shocked by the sudden decision. I was about to protest the professor's decision before stopping myself, knowing that it would probably only make the situation worse for me.

"Yes, Professor Costanzo," I replied meekly.

"Good. Now I can get to teaching the class." (Professor Costanzo)

Professor Costanzo walked back to his podium before starting his lecture.

"Yesterday, we covered the basics of sensing mana. Is there anyone who has successfully felt mana last night?"

A few students raised a few hands, including Valde.

"Good. That's more than I expected. Though, whether that is the fruit of your own abilities is yet to be determined. As for those who have not yet sensed mana, do not fret. It is a slow process which requires both time and hard work." (Professor Costanzo)

"Now, for the first ten minutes of class, we will have a meditation session for you to sense magic. Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes." (Professor Costanzo)

Following the professor's instructions, I sat crisscrossed and shut my eyelids.

"I want you all to remember the times when you accidentally used your magic. It could be that day at the bakery or that one time in the park. I want you to reimagine yourself in that setting and recall how you were feeling." (Professor Costanzo)

I didn't know I possessed magic until Mrs. Kimberly told me on that fateful evening. I thought intently, and an old memory of small objects moving across my table without me touching them surfaced in my mind. Back then, I had supposed that those items were moving due to wind. However, now I know that it wasn't wind but my magic going out of control.

Compared to what some of my classmates' events were like, mine paled in comparison. Focusing back on that memory of the small objects moving, I tried to recall how I felt. It was a challenging task as it was not a memory I held in high regard, so I only remembered bits and pieces of it.

I kept concentrating and concentrating until Professor Costanzo announced to stop.

"That marks the end of our ten-minute meditation session. Again, do not feel depressed or worried if you couldn't feel mana. The process of sensing mana is a timely one." (Professor Costanzo)

"Now, I will begin the lecture. Today's topic is mana, specifically, what mana is." (Professor Costanzo)

"Mana, an intangible substance upon which we are dependent on. I believe all of us already know what mana is used for, but maybe not what mana is. Over the years, there has been much debate, and many more hypotheses on that mana are. However, nothing has been proven. I will now proceed to discuss the most popular and accepted hypothesis regarding what mana truly is." (Professor Costanzo)

"Mana is the unit in which we measure a being's life force. The more vibrant a being's lifeforce is, the more mana they will create. That is why species such as dragons who possess limitless vitality also possess unparalleled mana. On the other side of the spectrum, this explains why species such as goblins who possess very little vitality, contextually speaking, also possess very little mana. In broader terms, mana is water whereas our bodies are the cup; and naturally, the bigger the cup is, the more water it could hold." (Professor Constanzo)

"Now, does this mean the key to holding more mana is to train our bodies? No. Not exactly. It is believed that an unknown variable also plays a factor in how much mana a being could possess. We call this factor existential power. Exactly what existential power is, we do not know. But we know that the higher one's existential power is, the more mana they can possess. We will continue to discuss more what existential power is in a future lecture. Now, let me get back to the topic at hand, mana." (Professor Costanzo)

"Now mana is also sometimes referred to as life currency. The more mana one has, the longer they will live. The goal of every magician, witches, and magical creatures is to gather more mana." (Professor Costanzo)

"That marks the end of the lecture about mana, the remainder of the class is self-study. Don't forget to come to my office after school today, student Azrail" (Professor Costanzo)