A Dangerous Art: The First Steps Of Control.

Mammon woke an hour later, stretching his body and feeling energetic.

'Even sleeping here feels real,' he thought.

Now that he was refreshed, he wanted to return to the barracks, but he knew he'd still be beaten black and blue. Going to Astranor's place would be the best option.

Even though he had recently acquired mana, his control over it was still a little bit shaky, and Astranor was the only person who could help him in his situation.

He stood up from his bed and proceeded to the library. By the time he got there, Astranor was already seated, as if waiting for him.

"About time," he said, standing up from his chair.

"What is it?"

"I heard you went to the barracks today."

"Yes, I want to learn the ways of the blade."

"But I thought you wanted to be a mage!"

"Yes, being a mage and a swordsman at the same time isn't something bad, right?Mammon said.

"I guess you have a point. Anyway, come with me."

"What am I learning today?"

"The basics of Mana," he said, walking down the staircase that led to the underground cave.

When they finally reached the cave, Astranor just stood, looking around, before speaking.

"Ah, it has been a very long time since we've had someone with magic potential in these parts. I will help you get stronger as best I can."

"Now that Elian is training you to use the blade, I won't teach you much magic. You can learn that on your own. What I will teach you is mana control. If used well, you can incorporate it into your fighting style," he added.

Mammon nodded and sat down, excited to learn something that would make him stronger. The old man walked around him for a bit, saying nothing.

"What I'm about to teach you shouldn't be taught to starters like you. It is a higher concept of magic. Most mages first train their mana heart for years before getting to learn what I'm about to teach you," he said.

"For your own good, I recommend you never slack on training your mana control. The skill I will teach you requires immense control," the old man warned, still walking circles around him.

"What am I going to learn, sir?" Mammon asked.

"Mana sensing and gathering, then mana manipulation. Three concepts that push magic to a higher level. But they can also put you at risk if not controlled properly. If I feel you're losing control even once, I'll stop you," the man said, his eyes steely.

"Is it that risky?" Mammon asked, doubtful.

"It's insanely risky at your level. You might die if I don't intervene fast enough, especially with your small mana capacity," the man said sternly.

Mammon gulped. If he died, he'd take a massive penalty to his exp.

"Now, close your eyes and focus," the old man said.

"I want you to focus on your mana heart. Once you're aware of it, sense the mana swirling in it. Get used to that feeling. Get used to the energy coursing through it," the old man added.

"Okay," Mammon said simply, closing his eyes. He focused on his mind, as if trying to see within his own head.

After a while, he started feeling a faint pulse coming from inside the center of his brain, like waves slowly washing onshore, gently ebbing in and out.

He focused on that feeling and finally found a small ball-shaped mass of light in his brain. Astranor, noticing his focus intensifying, knew he had reached the first part.

"Good. Now that you've reached your mana heart, focus on it. Feel the energy pulsating from it. Try to breathe in sync with the rhythm. Move the mana slowly throughout your body so you can get used to the feeling. Only a little at a time," he said, watching over Mammon.

"Yes, sir," Mammon replied.

He focused on the slow pulse, trying to match his breathing speed to it. After a few minutes, he finally synchronized his breath with the pulse. More time passed as he continued to maintain the rhythm. Once he felt confident in keeping this pace, he could sense the energy.

To his surprise, it felt cool to his senses. He circulated it within his mana heart before trying to move it throughout the rest of his body.

He messed up the first few tries and felt the mana slip away from him. But after a few more attempts, he managed to circulate it fully through his body after four tries. He continued to practice, circling the mana again and again, and then called out to the old man.

"What's next?" he asked.

"Now we move on to the next step," the old man answered.

Mammon could feel the concentration in his voice. Even with his eyes closed, he knew Astranor was fully focused on him.

"You keep channeling your mana inside yourself. As you do, I want you to expand your senses outside your body," Astranor explained.

"Do not, under any circumstance, stop rotating the mana within your body. If you do that while expanding your senses, you might face severe repercussions."

"If you feel your concentration slipping, pull your senses back. Do not let go of the channeling. Do you understand me?" he said, stressing every word.

"Yes, sir!" Mammon responded, gulping and focusing to the max. And so it began, long hours of channeling and expanding his senses, pulling them back at any sign of difficulty.

Slowly but surely, Mammon expanded his senses further. After about six hours of this tiring practice, he had finally reached the cave walls with his senses.

----------

Merry Christmas to you all, as a gift I'd be dropping extra chapters so make sure to check them out. Don't Forget to vote with your powerstones, comments and drop a review.