Chapter 38 - Preparing to Cast

"Now hold your horses, Eric," Grandpa cautioned, sensing my burning eagerness to dive directly into spellcasting on my first practical magic lesson. "Before attempting to harness arcane forces, you must spend time refining control by continuously circulating mana through your newly ignited circuits."

Though tempted to argue, I recognized the wisdom in his words. Mastering the fundamentals was essential to avoid dangerous mishaps when wielding real power. This training would only strengthen my skills for whatever mystical feats lay ahead on the horizon.

Taking a seat, I closed my eyes and focused wholly on the subtle glittering filament network comprising my body's magic circuits. I envisioned pure mana radiating out from my core, flowing smoothly through each pathway before looping back in a seamless, unbroken cycle.

At first, the streaming current moved haltingly, frequently bumping up against debris remnants and constricted channels not fully opened within the ancient network. But I kept gently willing the mana flow to build momentum, steadily smoothing away impediments until it circulated freely.

As the repetitive visualization drills continued over many successive days, I'll admit my focus wavered occasionally, boredom creeping in spending so much time on what felt like a basic exercise while fantasizing over casting spectacular spells.

But I did my best to maintain diligence during each session. This was a necessary step on my destined path, not some idle distraction. With enough dedication, maybe someday those visions of summoning fire, lightning, and other wonders could transform from idle daydreams into reality...

When Grandpa finally approved my readiness, after inspecting my flowing circuitry and pronounced the channels pure and strong enough to control mana safely, I could scarcely contain my swelling excitement. This was the magical moment I had been waiting for since first awakening my mystical talents!

Carefully, I closed my eyes and gathered swirling currents of mana into my cupped palm, shaping and compressing the raw energy with my intent through intense visualization. The first several attempts predictably fizzled out, wisps slipping through my fingers before the spell could form properly. But I did not grow discouraged. Perseverance and practice were key.

After many focused attempts, sparks finally erupted into a glorious cascade of fire that danced across my palms. "I did it!" I shouted with pure joy, my jubilant cry matched by Shadow's excited yipping as he sensed my elation. We now stood one immense step closer to true magical mastery!

Despite utter exhaustion from the strenuous first lesson, I collapsed into bed that night with a heart swollen with hope and awe, imagining wondrous feats still to come. The journey to fulfill my arcane potential had only just ignited, but with dedication, who knew what magnificent adventures the traveling flames may illuminate?