2: Midnight Training

Just past midnight, 00:01 

DAAAAAAN!!! Jon's voice boomed; jolting Dan awake from his peaceful slumber. His heart raced, and he instinctively got into a fighting stance, his fight-or-flight response kicking in.

"What the fuck?" Dan slurred quietly, still groggy from being abruptly awakened. His mind was trying to process the situation, but the suddenness of the moment left him disoriented.

Midnight training time! Jon kept yelling. His voice now coming from the physical presence of the floating figure on Dan's bed. The dim glow of Jon's eyes and mouth pierced through the darkness, giving him an eerie appearance.

Dan's confusion turned into a mix of awe and disbelief as he realized that Jon was no longer just a voice inside his head but an actual entity in the physical world. His heart raced, unsure of what this midnight training entailed and how this mysterious sorcerer was going to guide him on his journey.

"Fuck's sake," Dan sighed. He rubbed his eyes while yawning. Dan didn't want to train. He really didn't. However, he knew deep down that he had no choice but to follow through with it. He went and looked at his window. It was the only way to leave the house without potentially waking his mom. She's a light sleeper and has very sharp hearing.

Dan walked to his window, unlatched it, slowly slides it upwards. He looked out and remembered he was on the second floor of his house. A four-meter drop. He'd at least hurt his ankles.

You'll be fine, Jon assured as he placed his hand over Dan's shoulders. Dan didn't feel anything touching him however.

"Will I?" Dan whispers in reply.

Yes! You worry too much.

Dan looks at the ground, it was a clear drop to concrete. There was a fence about two and a half meters away. He was clear to jump down. Nothing obstructing his landing space.

"Fuck it, here goes nothing," Dan hops on the frame of the window and slides out. He sat on the frame. Took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth. He may be arrogant, but he was no idiot that would think he would be fine after a four-meter drop to concrete.

Land with the balls of your feet.

"Heh, balls," Dan muttered childishly.

Dan released forward. His feet tip toeing. He landed on the balls of his feet, it barely made a sound. He landed it for a second, but he wasn't used to it and fell forward anyway. He stopped himself from slamming into the ground with his palms.

Itai ka? Jon asked.

Itai ka? = Does it hurt?

"Not really," Dan whispered. He laughed a bit. He was surprised he could take a four-meter drop with no serious repercussions. He got up and hopped over the fence. 

Doko e? Jon asked.

Doko e? = Where to?

"I know a spot."

Dan ran down the street, Jon joined beside him. Or rather he was traveling while hovering in a single line.

"Are you actually here? Like legitimately?" Dan asks.

What are you asking?

"Can people see you?" He reiterates his question. "It's kinda creepy how you're no-clipping through the air like that."

No-clipping? Jon wondered what he meant by that. I can project like this if it's dark out.

"Oh, okay. Can people see you, though?"

Nah. Though they can sense me if they're really sharp.

Dan raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the unfamiliar phrase, "sense you?"

Alright, lesson on the go, Jon said. There's this thing called Mana Sense. Very essential to being a proper sorcerer. Jon introduced Dan to the concept of sensing a person's mana wavelength. 

Jon continues, it's an ability all sorcerers have, to sense the mana wavelengths of other sorcerers, Mana Stains, and magic weapons and tools.

"How do I do that?" Dan asked.

Best to go by sensation, really. Training to have sharper mana sense is a very tedious and lengthy training. 

"What's the training like?" 

For few lucky people—prodigies—it just clicks pretty quickly, Jon states. Then there are the people who train very hard. The training is similar to being blindfolded and being able to see with sounds. It would take years to master.

"Which are you?"

Prodigy, Jon laughed. I had sharp senses since I was young. I was lucky.

"Can I sense your mana?" Dan asks out of the blue.

No, Jon states. Because I'm technically "inside" you. So, you'd just be sensing yourself. However, sensing yourself is also a method to getting a better understanding of your own mana wavelength.

"Do people have different, like, mana sensations?"

Odd word to use, we call it wavelengths, but yes. Everyone's different. Some sorcerers I know can pin-point the exact person the wavelength belongs to.

"How different are they?"

Some have an overwhelming presence, some have nothing too crazy, some have no presence at all. Odd thing is, if you use mana sense on non-sorcerers, you can still sense them. 

"What do you mean no presence?" Dan wondered aloud.

I can't really explain it, because I don't know how to do it. But if you ever meet a sorcerer like that, as you are now and the near future, do not act brave, just run, Jon's statement acted as a warning for him.

"Why?" Dan felt an unexpected sense of challenge rising within him.

 You can ask that to the teachers in the school, Jon didn't feel like explaining that to him.

Dan stopped running as they arrived at a football field. He climbed the fence and got in. It was a public football field that anyone can use with permission, only it was open until 9 p.m.

Dan ran to the middle of the field and started stretching his limbs and back.

Alright, what do you want to learn? Jon asked excitedly.

"Immediate practical use," he said confidently.

Hah, go fuck yourself. We're learning the basics.

"Alright," Dan replied, annoyance in his voice, "why bother even asking me?"

Jon ignores Dan's complaint and moved on. Since you're quite good at fighting, I'd say you'd be a great CQC sorcerer—heavy-hitter on the front-lines, Jon assessed.

"Okay," Dan prepared himself for whatever he needed to do first.

You breathe in deep and exhale while clenching your guts and focus mana to surface.

"How do I... Focus mana?" Dan asks.

Feel it in your gut. That weird spike of sensation when you drive emotions when tensing your muscles.

So, he did. Dan took a deep breath, trying to steady himself for a few seconds. He clenched his muscles, closed his eyes, and attempted to focus. Driving in a rush of annoyance and insecurity into himself. He found himself irritated at everything. Suddenly, the mana within him erupted out of his body like a raging fire—an intense display of black-colored flames with hints of different colors—dark red, dark blue, and dark purple.

Dan opened his eyes and was surprised to see what he just did. The fire-like mana on coursing outside of his body made him feel powerful.

"Holy shit, I did it!" He screams in excitement, his heart pounding with exhilaration at the successful display of his newfound powers. He starts jumping and laughing aloud.

You certainly did, Jon smiled. See? It's that easy. Jon loved seeing the reactions to people who had just awakened their magic.

"Suspiciously too easy, what's going on?" Dan was wary all of a sudden.

For almost all sorcerers, it's by a fluke. No one could do it on purpose first try. 

"Why?" Dan wondered.

Mana is tailored to a person's soul. Unlike regular people, you have no specific goal to fulfill—No dreams. That somehow made it easier for you to call it forth because yours is still abstract. On top of that, you don't have a bloodline of sorcerers.

"What does bloodline or dreams have to do with it?" Dan said as he admired his mana flowing in circular motion around him.

Sorcery almost became a bloodline exclusive thing, so commonly, you would awaken sorcery at an early age. Most of them are indoctrinated by politics, which became their goals and dreams. But you only awoken sorcery a few months ago, Jon answered.

"So, let me get this straight," Dan tries to clarify for himself, seeking to understand. "Because I have no ambitions and wasn't born into a special sorcerer family, it's actually easier for me to harness my mana?"

Hundred points.

"Tailored to the soul? It feels more physical than that would describe it," Dan claimed, expressing his perception of mana as a more tangible and physical force rather than a purely spiritual or soul-based phenomenon. He spread open his right palm and then clenched it. He tensed his arm muscles and the mana converged around it. The mana envelops his entire arm and visualized as if his entire right arm was on fire. He did it to his left arm too and it enveloped it too. 

Don't push it too hard. You'll get a cramp.

"Nah, I'm good," Dan clenched both his fist harder and the flames became timid. Subtle hints of dark red, blue, and purple. 

Very good. You learned how to condense mana.

It wasn't exactly very difficult to do, but condensing it like how Dan did it wasn't a simple task. Dan began experimenting on condensing mana to every part of his body and then all of his body consequently. He started to tire. He may not be expelling any mana, but keeping it raging for long, above the fact that it was his first time, is draining. 

Dan never got to see what he could actually do with his mana; Jon forbids him to destroy public property. Or even nature. Luckily, Dan listened with very little convincing.

For more than two hours Dan had been training with Jon. They also decided to associate his moves with names and categorizing them as spells. Giving spells names makes it easier to cast them. And to invoke the name of that spell while casting it, it can boost the spells capability by, at most, twenty percent. A war cry does help men get braver before facing an army.

They conducted the discussion like a business meeting, ultimately naming the process of condensing mana "Black Envelope."

As for the extensions of that spell:

"Dark Gauntlets" were designated for condensed mana around his arms. Like a calm fire burning on his arm.

"Dark Boots" for condensed mana around his legs. Almost like a literal knee-high boot.

"Full Cloak" for condensed mana enveloping his entire body. This one just looks like he's on fire, creating an image of himself with a negative filter.

After they wrapped up their training, 02:31

Dan ran home, accompanied by Jon. He had fun, despite training in the middle of the night. He got the hang of it pretty quick and he was proud of himself. 

He arrived home pretty quick. He figured out that halfway home, he could use Dark Boots to increase his speed. Once Dan arrived, he began to panic.

The window of his room was closed, meaning his mom came into his room and shut it. Meaning his mom knows he went out.

"Fuck, what do I do?" Dan started feeling stressed.

Just say you were training by yourself or something. I don't know. You're on your own.

"Kuso!" Dan quietly slurs.

Kuso! = Fuck!

Gomen na, ganbatte! Jon said in a mockingly apologetic tone. 

Gomen na, ganbatte! = Sorry, good luck!

"Shut up…" Dan was despaired. He winds down his options to one. He was tired and would rather talk about it in the morning, so he'd just sneak in. But his mom would hear it. Better than nothing, he thought.

He decided to circle around and reach his back door near the kitchen. He decided to use mana sense to check if his mom was near him, since Jon said it can be used for non-sorcerers too. Dan didn't sense anyone; the coast was clear. It didn't show her. At all. 

Dan's heart sank to his stomach, and in that fleeting moment, his life flash before his eyes. He heard his mom cough behind him.

"Sneaking out at night, are ya?" She asked in an odd tone.

Dan turned to her, making a lame smile.

"And you're wearing your sorcerer uniform?" Her eyebrows raised in intrigue and a little bit of annoyance.

"I can explain," Dan claims. 

"Just get inside, Dan," she sighed, exasperated.

He bowed his head as he walked. "Yes, mom," he made no argument and obeyed.

The two went in from the front door instead of the back. There was something Dan and Jon noticed together as Dan was caught. Neither of them noticed her until she announced herself behind him.

The two went to the living room, they sat on the couch together. She didn't have an upset look, granted she was never angry. Dan was a little spoiled in that sense. His mom barely ever gave him punishments.

"Were you training?" His mom asked.

"Y-yeah, I was."

"Alone?"

"Yeah," Dan answered immediately. He thought it would be easier than to say there's some person inside his head helping him.

I get it, now, his mom understands now.

His mom looked at Dan and smiled, "protégez le, d'accord?" She had a hopeful look within her eyes.

"Was that French?" Dan recognizes the language. "I didn't know you spoke French," Dan was surprised.

"It's when I was a florist," she said jokingly.

"You weren't a florist," he replied.

"Are you tired?" She asked.

"Kind of," he exhaled as he leans back to the couch.

"Let's train for a bit. You'll skip school tomorrow, it's fine."

"Okay…?" He replied uncertainly. Train with mom? He wonders. What's she going to teach me? Dan anticipated for something exciting.

The two went down to the basement, where they both built a gym together. It was mostly his mom that did the heavy work, but Dan helped a lot too.

The floor was a one-half inch thick foam carpet. She stood across of Dan, looking away from him. She took off her cardigan and revealed that she was wearing cargo pants and a tight yellow sleeveless turtleneck the whole time. On her neck was a necklace with a colorless crystal-like amulet.

"Wait, why are you wearing that?" Dan asked, feeling a bit weird. His body got warmer.

She smirks at him, "I anticipated this."

"…You did?" He was shocked.

"I know my son more than anyone," she turned around and got into a fighting stance. Her back leg was ready to launch herself forward. Her hands up, her main hand—her right hand—was closed to a fist. Her left was opened. Right arm up close to her chest and her left arm low on waist level. A low hanging Philly shell, a certain reflexive stance in boxing.

Dan was surprised that she got into a very mixed combat stance. Based around patience. Waiting for the enemy to strike first, catch their hand with her left hand and strike with her right, then possibly a kick with the back leg.

"Ready?" She asked, her voice filled with anticipation and readiness.

Dan got into a light front foot stance with both his hands closed to fists. His right close to his jaw, his left more pushed outwards, pointing at his opponent.

"Yeah," Dan was ready. Or so he thought.

The two got closer, having the blender a few inches wide. His mom made the first move with her left hand, a backhand slap. It was so fast it almost looked like it never moved. Dan got slapped, and she got control of Dan's left arm. She held his left wrist with her left, then she grabbed the collar of his suit with her right arm and placed her back leg on his lower abdomen. She dropped and sat down, she pulls him with her arms and pushes with her leg, performing a tomoe nage from Judo. Dan flips, falls over, then lands on his back

"That was quick. Ippon for me," she declared, claiming victory. She sat up and then stood up.

Ippon = full point

"What…?" He muttered, still on the ground. Baffled. He had absolutely no idea what had happened.

"You were in shock from my slap. So, you couldn't counter fast enough," she explains briefly.

"Shock...?"

"Yeah, Kind of. Your body was still processing the slap."

"I didn't even see it coming."

"Gotta be quicker next time," his mom challenged.

Omoshiroi… Jon said faintly.

Omoshiroi = Intersting

Dan and his mom trained for a little bit more. Dan then collapsed and fell asleep on the tatami carpet. His mom moved him to his room later on.