1.36 Mana Exercise

The drumming of rain on the roof had reached a crescendo, each downpour a miniature explosion that drowned out most conversation. Isha sat hunched beside the still figure of Nairobi. Lightning flashed every few minutes.

Across from her, Castra finished her hushed conversation with the healer, and she settled beside Isha.

The healer left the room.

"What did she say?" Isha asked.

"That Nairobi is perfectly healthy. She should wake up in an hour or two."

"That is good to hear."

Castra traced the crystal-like carapace of Nairobi with her fingers, before giving Isha a sidelong glance. "Have you felt for her Magicore, Isha?"

Isha blinked. What was this about? "I haven't. It never crossed my mind."

"This Nairobi girl has an incredible reservoir of Mana," Castra said. "Not half as much as yours, but incredible nonetheless. And unlike you, the density of her Magicore tells me she is just a Practitioner."

"Where are you going with this, Castra?" Isha asked.

Castra smiled, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "If the girl agrees, I will take her as my apprentice as well. It would be a criminal waste of her potential otherwise. I cannot allow that."

A surprised laugh escaped Isha's lips. "But Castra, didn't you say you already had more than one student?"

"Including you, I have seventeen students, but what's one more? Most of my students are not Black Coral Academy material—they rarely are. But they're capable, and they'll find their paths as Mages in other schools or adventuring groups."

"Why did you become a proxy for the Black Coral Academy? Why not join the war effort against Demons at Vallum? Or become an adventurer yourself? Why be a proxy?"

Castra's expression turned uncharacteristically grim. "Because at Vallum, Great Mages are nothing more than a parlour trick mage. I don't want to go there as an underdog, to be another sacrifice. As for being an adventurer—who said I'm not one. I simply haven't joined a group and make my students do most of the dirty work. How do you think I can afford so many students?"

"That still doesn't explain why you are a proxy for the Black Coral Academy."

"Studying at the Black Coral Academy is expensive, I could never afford them," Castra sighed. "But they do allow capable students to continue studying there if you agree to become their proxy until you fill your quota of twenty successful admission of mages. Does that answer your questions?"

"I see," Isha said. "How are you doing in your quota?"

"Just two more left. I intend to complete my quota this year," Castra sighed. "It has been ten years already."

Isha's jaw dropped. "You have been doing this for a decade?" 

Castra laughed. "Do not worry, child. Ten years isn't a long time for me. Our lifespan starts increasing once we advance to High Mage and above. Everything I learned at the academy is worth ten years of my life."

Isha didn't know what to say. Unlike Castra, she wouldn't have to struggle ten years after graduation to pay the debts of her studies—her parents were paying for her. 

"All right," Castra said, changing the subject. "While we wait for Nairobi to wake up, I want you to go over the exercises I taught you. Be steadfast."

With a nod, Isha synergized a spell that produced colourful lights. Then dismissed it, moving to another spell.

"To cast any magic successfully," Castra began, taking a lecturing tone. "You must first determine the amount of Mana you want to use."

Beads of sweat ran down Isha's temple, stinging her eyes as she wrestled with the spell. Finally, the spell synergised, snapping into place. Instead of a gust of wind, it produced a screeching sound that would send shivers running down anyone's spine. 

The spell had failed, the screeching sound was the result of her frustration, a reflection of her stifled intention to scream.

Gust of wind was easy to produce in general. The problem was, the spell she used for this result was needlessly convoluted. There were better spells that were so much easier to cast and produce the same results. Yet Castra had insisted she do it this way.

"Then you must maintain a mental image and the intent of your spell. The mental image and the intent have a melody, a tune to it and you must learn to recognise that tune. Once you are successful, you must synergize that tune with your Mana."

After succeeding in producing the gust of wind, Isha moved on to the next spell, a complex one that should have conjured an illusion of a shimmering shield with colourful patterns of rings.

Instead, it sputtered and fizzled, producing interlocking rings of light, each a different, mismatched colour. Why was Castra making her practice these convoluted spells when she already knew how to cast their simpler, more effective counterparts?

"Of course, the school of Mana you are using must be appropriate for the spell you want to cast, otherwise it will fail. For instance, you cannot cast a fireball using the School of Water, obviously. The more advanced spells require use of more than two or three schools of Magic."

And why is she telling me this? Isha thought. I know these things already. Is she trying to distract me?

"Once you have found the synergy of your spell, you must push your Mana outwards at the intended target to produce a spell."

Castra droned on explaining more finer details about spell-casting. Most things Isha already knew. Only a few points were new to her.

It took Isha four tries to produce the illusion of the shield Castra wanted. 

Isha couldn't do this anymore. "Is there a reason you're having me practise these… inefficient spells?"

Castra's lecture faltered for a moment, a flicker of something akin to amusement flashing in her eyes. "It took you long enough to ask. Only idiots blindly follow their master."

Was this some kind of stupid test? Isha wanted to kick something.

"These spells are indeed Inefficient," Castra said. "Stop glaring at girls, it makes you look like a bristling cat—not a noble woman. These spells may be inefficient, but they are not without purpose, Isha. Think of them as… weights for a runner. They may slow you down now, but the effort of using them will strengthen your core, allowing you to run faster and farther later."

Isha considered this. Each of these needlessly complex spells demanded a greater focus, a finer control over her Mana. The frustration they caused was palpable, but knowing their purpose helped. 

So Isha clenched her fist and moved to another spell, then another, each spell becoming more ridiculous than the previous one—useless and incredibly difficult to cast. 

Isha wanted to stop and complain, but she continued on wiping the sweat from her face—but now, she understood the importance of these spells. Even the most useless spells were helping her to become a proper [Mage].

"Good!" Castra said when Isha finished her magic exercise that left her gasping for breath. "But you forget again, you don't have to dismiss your first spell before beginning to cast your second one. You can even synergize multiple spells at once. As long as you do not cast it at once."

Isha nodded. "I will try not to forget it again. But it's a habit."

And maintaining a mental image for a single one of these spells was already hard enough. She baulked at the idea of doing it for more than one spell. Isha didn't voice her thoughts, she wasn't stupid.

"Indeed," Castra said. "And bad habits do not die easily."

Nairobi groaned on her bed and her eyes flickered open.

"Castra, she is awake!"

"I can see that, child," Castra sneered. "You don't have to announce it."

Isha snorted at the jibe. "Ah, my bad, I thought you were blind. You are not?"

"Cute," Castra said.