Chapter 23: Lucien’s First Circle

Lucien on the other hand was practicing his magic casting as usual. He would draw the symbol with great focus and say the activation spell carefully and boldly. His mastery in pronunciation of this nature-invoking language had improved. He would manipulate his mana to maintain a constant flow towards the spell and try to manipulate it in certain ways using his wand. 

This took great focus since he was multitasking on several things at this point.

He has experimented several times so he came to certain conclusions. 

The manifestation of the spell could be moved a certain distance away from the caster. It would be more challenging with the increase in distance. Lucien's limit was three steps away.

'His' three steps to be specific.

The spell would be maintained as long as there was a constant supply of mana. A breakage in the mana flow would render the spell ineffective and it would dissipate even if one tried resupplying.

The spell created by drawing symbols was very rigid. It would just cause a manifestation of what the symbol represented but manipulating its effects was harder. It would be stronger with more mana or weaker with less mana, but that was it.

This was the importance of wands. They worked a channel between the two. It could control the movement or flow of the spell.

After recasting all elemental spells he could, he cast the light spell. He felt that this spell was different from the rest. He couldn't pinpoint this feeling, however. 

He then went ahead and tried casting the other spells he had learned. One of these spells was the freeze spell. 

He drew the symbols in the air using his wand.

'Πάγωμα'

After confirming it was right, he said the chant. 

"Gelo!"

The activation sent a wave of mana from him towards the symbols.

He tried freezing the already conjured water. Once again nothing happened. It was yet another failure. 

This time, he felt closer than ever to casting the spell. Whatever was blocking him, he had no idea. 

Lucien sat down and closed his eyes. He tried casting the spell blinded. This way, his other senses would be more sensitive to change. He also had an easier time sensing his mana flow when his eyes were closed.

Once again, he breathed in and drew the symbol with perfection. After countless trials, drawing symbols was child's play. He could feel his mana being weaved in a certain way, this was him communicating with nature. He sounded the spell, 

"Gelo!"

He felt a wave of mana being pulled from within his own body and flowing in a certain path, finally reaching the symbol and further making the communication feel more… noticeable to him.

He felt like he could see this mysterious flow of mana. The symbol was a guide to this flow and the chant was the embodiment of this spell. The world energy would then bend to the wish of the spell and, Walla! The water was frozen. 

This was what Lucien felt. His eyes were still closed so he didn't notice any change. The sweat formed on his forehead given his great focus. His expression was of little struggle, the strive to achieve something. The wand in his hand trembled ever so slightly. He had entered a zone of perfection.

Merlin observed this from a distance with a dumbstruck expression. 

He knew he had said not to seek out help from the teacher but…this was too incredible, completely irrational. To achieve this in less than a year without guidance was beyond impressive. 

He subconsciously held his breath. This was a significant moment. It wasn't much about casting any spell but casting a First-Tier spell. 

For this to be possible, it needed a magic circle within the mage. To achieve this, given enough mana and the right conditions, a circle would naturally form within the mage. After research, it was concluded that the easiest way to achieve the first circle was by casting a First-Tier spell until success.

The process could not be interrupted or it would affect the quality of the circle. It could end up as an incomplete circle rendering all previous efforts to waste. 

This could only be remedied by the help of a senior mage by completely shattering the incomplete circle and the mage could start anew. Even if the mage achieved the circle once more, their potential would be severely damaged and they could hardly surpass the fourth circle. The consequence of failure was dire.

Slowly, the symbol lit up and a cold breeze brushed past. The surface of the water which it blew past began forming ice crystals. 

Lucien had learned the principle of supplying a constant flow of mana and thus he maintained a small stream of mana towards the symbols. He would not output too much or too little. 

He put his all in every trial, and even though he anticipated failure at each, he still maintained his focus while casting this spell. 

At some point, his view appeared in a dark void. There were scattered fragments of violet lights which Lucien could identify as mana particles. There were countless of them making this dark void seem like a starry night. 

He was mesmerized by the view. He could not help him hold his breath and just stare. 

The fragments seemed to be pulled together forming a solid violet crystal. More and more gathered making this crystal much larger and more brilliant like a star. The dark void seemed to glow with a purple sheen, less dull than before.

There were still a few scattered violet light fragments in the void.

Lucien didn't have time to explore this mysterious space before his eyes opened to reality. In front of him was a frozen glass of water, a frost-covered desk, a frost-covered carpet under him, and a foggy cold room…

'Hm???'

"Dad? What happened?" asked Lucien.

He would not believe he was capable of causing such damage with his mediocre attempt. None of it had bone fruit before anyway.

His crystal blue eyes reflected Merlin's perplexed, silent figure. There was a silent stare for a while.

"...You have advanced to a real mage. Now you are a First-Tier mage, above an average human," Merlin found his words after Lucien's question was registered albeit late, "You caused this as well."

Lucien had his question answered by his very rigid Father after but he still could not believe it.

"Really?"

He had read the books and received general basic knowledge for all aspiring mages. It wasn't even considered basic, but common sense. A First-Tier mage was different from an aspiring mage.

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