Chapter 12: This magic stuff seems a bit too logical for me, but whatever.

So, it's been a couple months since that embarrassing magic awakening. Mana practice was added into our already packed schedule, replacing our very little free time in the evenings. Well, none of us mind that much. It's interesting, useful, and the only thing we really did with that free time was play with each other, and we can do that anyways.

Our mana lessons consists of meditation, theory, and practical's. We've worked up from basic mana circulation to different parts of the body, to self strengthening, and then to external steps. The first two are just mana circulation, but external steps is pretty much the individual parts of magic. Stringing them together would create a spell, but it's a lot harder then we originally thought. The basic steps are releasing mana, shaping it, commanding it, and controlling it. Overall, the skills needed for this are will, imagination, and a clear thinking process. Luckily, I possess all three in plentiful quantities, and have been able to thrive in this environment.

Releasing mana is pretty much the same process that we used to determine our attributes. Except, we have to be faster, more accurate, and rather then guiding the mana to a specific place to release it, we either pull it out through our mouth using a chant as a medium, or instantly transport it out of our body. The second option is incredibly hard compared to the first, and barely anyone is actually capable of doing so. I'm proud to be one of the few, although it took a month of constant practice to even figure out the technique, and I'm not nearly as proficient in it as dad. Meanwhile, Rowan managed to create an entirely new, unique technique to do this step. Crying. Yep, that crybaby managed to make his tears useful. He's fully capable of using the normal way as well, but the mana from his tears is somehow more powerful. It's honestly annoying. This is also the stage where you change the attribute of the mana.

The second step of shaping mana is trickier, mainly because we have to use our mind to do it. We need to be able to, with our willpower, change the shape of mana. It took some time to figure out the trick, but basically you think of a shape and will your mana to become that shape. Yeah, pretty vague. It works though, but honestly it's inefficient so I'm going to try make an alternative system that skips this step and the next. Maybe combining them through some kind of magic circle concept? It's a pretty common idea back on earth, using magic circles, but I've seen no mention of them anywhere here.

Anyways, the third step is commanding the mana, which is pretty much just telling it what it's supposed to do. For example, 'blow up', or 'create a strong shot of pressurized water in this direction.' You're supposed to do this at the same time as steps one and two, which is super hard, but it gets easier the more you practice. It's kind of like you're uploading a program onto some new software, but once again, some kind of premade magic circle would really make the process a lot faster. They'd be easy to just slightly tweak, too, in order to create new magic. I'm liking this idea more and more, actually.

The last step is controlling the mana, which is actually optional but we're all learning it anyways. It refers to controlling the mana to point towards specific people, places, or track. Very helpful, but hard enough that most don't even know this technique exists. Truly, my parents are archives of lost information that will give us an edge in life. Now it's up to us to pass on this information and add to it, creating a rich library for our descendants. Or well, my siblings descendants. I'm a lesbian who hates kids, in this life and my last. Let's hope at least 2 of us end up straight.

I'm thinking all of this while trudging my way through the cave, dragging my exhausted body to my lovely new bedroom. Yep, I have a bedroom of my own now. As soon as we hit 5 years old on our status', mum and dad kicked us out into the forest and told us to get ourselves some bedding. I obviously went to go find something and ended up discovering a kind of grass similar to cotton. It has a fluffy pink top, and when water is added sticks together. Anyways, we each got to make our own rooms in the cave, giving our very much in passionate love parents the space they deserve.

Sadly, I'm not given that same luxury. When I walk into my room, Azazel is asleep on my comfy pink bed. Rude. She does this a lot, even though she's the least affectionate of us, and the most comfortable being alone in the night. Maybe it's just because we're both small compared to our siblings. Or my bed is the softest. Whatever, might as well check something before I sleep. 'Status'

*Ding*

---Status---

Name: Nicole

Age: 5

Race: Unnamed(Heavenly tiger/dragon hybrid)

Title: One of a kind; reincarnates

Stigma: Mind over matter; analyse

Humanization: 20%

---status---

20%? wow, that's not bad. It was 15% last time I looked, which was admittedly like, a month ago. Well, nothing really changes so I don't need to look very often. "Goodnight." I say out loud, before snuggling against Azazel and shutting my eyes. I think she grunts back, but I'm already floating off to sleep.

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When I wake up, the sun is already shining through my little slit in the wall, and both Azazel and myself have woken up late. As I open my lazy eyes, the first thing that comes into sight is the sunlight slipping through the small slit in the wall that I consider to be my window. Now, waking up slowly to the warmth of your beloved family and light, buttery rays seems like the perfect way to start your morning, right? Wrong. Our schedule starts at the crack of dawn and by the intensity of the light it is far past that time. Oh shit, we're in for the scolding of a lifetime.

"Azazel!!! We're late!!" I scream, leaping out of my modest bed and jogging towards the door. My older sister is roused from her sleep, and seems just as horrified as I was seeing the sunlight. She's out of bed even faster then I was, and we both start sprinting towards the open outside area we use as a training ground.

We're welcomed to the area by the shrill, unpleasant noise of something sharp being dragged across stone, and turn around to see that something is our mothers claws. Scary. Even worse then that though is the smile on her beautiful humanoid face as she does it, all while staring straight at us. "um, so, um, we might have, just a bit, woken up.. late?" I'm the first to speak, and the pitying glances sent our way as I do so speak volumes of how our morning is going to go. "Should we start running?" Mums smile widens, and her VERY sharp teeth are put on display. "20 laps."

I really miss alarm clocks.