Comprehending Order Magic

Seated in a very dark room was a bare-shirted young man in a cross-legged meditative position.

He had ripped and compact muscles, tightly compressed into what could at the very least be described as one very athletic body.

The young man's eyes were closed and his hands were folded together behind his back.

The atmosphere surrounding him was so tranquil that it made his aura seem like that of a wise and aged man and not that of an adolescent teenager.

Perhaps the only apparent imperfection to his figure was a grotesque-looking black tattoo that crisscrossed all over his back.

Whew, Hade loudly released a pent-up breath he had been holding for five straight minutes now.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked down beside him as tiny drops of sweat flowed down from his forehead and onto his face.

There on the floor sitting next to him was a small book on whose cover was the title, 'BASIC CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES FOR DUMMIES.'

The book was, as you might've guessed, a gift from Leofred and it was in this book that he had learned the cross-legged meditation technique he was trying to implement now.

The technique was an ancient cultivation art whereby one attained enlightenment after reaching a state of perfect peace and calm.

The technique was one of the more common methods practitioners used when they tried to take their magic to the next level.

Sadly, the book had not helped much so far. Hade had been at it for hours now yet he still had nothing to show for it.

At first, he had blamed it on the sitting posture the book recommended... The book suggested that he sit with his forearms crossed on the chest with the hands touching the shoulders as if he were hugging himself.

This position presumably 'made one more receptible to the universe's energy,' whatever the hell that meant.

Instead, Hade chose to fold his hands behind his back and surprisingly, the modification worked like a charm.

He felt more 'receptible' in his new and improved posture and all that remained now was for the universe to do its part.

Unfortunately, even after changing his posture, Hade still had very little progress. None at all, in fact.

Internally, he knew that the issue was not with his posture or his breathing. Rather, it was the inner peace and calm part that he was struggling with.

Events that had occurred earlier that week had made it so that peace and calm were not things that he was getting any time soon. Hade had sworn to himself that he would only get his peace when he got his revenge and while he was still far from posing Nobu any threat, he had to start somewhere, right?

Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush caused by the fear of dying that pushed him to magically cast a spell or maybe, his magic was the kind that could only be used at a time of dire need... Either way, Hade knew he had to figure it out soon.

"Wait, should I just get Bartholomew to try to kill me again?" He wondered aloud.

If there was one thing Hade knew, it was that the bald man would not shy away from the free opportunity. In fact, he would probably receive it with both hands and a smile on his face.

But before he could even convince himself, Hade immediately tossed his idea out the window.

Not only because he was a little scared, but also because Leofred had advised against it.

According to the Light practitioner, what he had done was just a boost to kick start his magic journey, sort of like a quick fix to get the ball rolling.

Were Hade to become reliant on external stimuli to get the best out of his magic, it would hinder his ability in the long run.

Leofred advised him to start with the little things, that is, basically try to understand what his law did.

For example, the elemental law of Earth was known for its impeccable defense and the variant law of Thunder was known exclusively for its attacking prowess.

Space magic was synonymous with portals and teleportation while the variant law of light was known for its all-round versatility.

Hade had been trying to comprehend his law but so far, the process had been far from easy.

It would've been better if he had some sort of guide or someone to learn from. Unfortunately, his law was one of the more uncommon ones. If he was going to learn anything at all he was going to have to do it all on his own and all from scratch.

As if that was not enough, Leofred said that until he made some sort of progress on his own, their lessons together would be put on hold, a suggestion his mother had thought was a wonderful idea.

'My first spell was a manipulation-type one. Given that magic manipulation is a stage exclusive only to Master-class practitioners and above, it will be hard to derive anything from it.'

When Hade learned that he had cast a spell way above his weight class on his first try, he could not help but feel a tad bit proud.

However, given that the spell was practically all he knew about his law, the feeling was bittersweet.

Moreover, Leofred had dissuaded him from attempting it again, lest he risked damaging his own body.

No matter what, this was a scenario Hade wanted to avoid. His superior physical aspects were the one thing he had going for him. Wouldn't it be horrible if he screwed that up too?

'Wait a minute!' Hade thought as he suddenly leaped from his sitting position.

He had had an epiphany!

He walked slowly towards his window to a small gap between the crimson curtains. The gap was very small, barely a foot long, however, for what he wanted to do, the gap was plenty enough.

As he felt a light breeze come from outside, through the window, and gently blow on his face, Hade thought to himself:

'What best describes what a law can do?'

The answer was so simple and obvious it was almost ridiculous. What best described what a law could do was the law's name itself!

Having the elemental law of Water meant one could use hydrokinesis. Likewise, having the law of Wind also meant that a practitioner could manipulate air particles and currents.

It would've been difficult if Hade did not know the name of his law however, that was something that he knew from day one.

Hade could distinctly remember the word, 'Order' written on the Mirror of Reflections in slimy black ink. The calligraphy, the spacing, all of it had been etched deep into his memory.

So the question now was, 'What is order?'

Hade took some time as he contemplated the question in his head. After a while, he finally came up with an answer.

'Order is an arrangement, a sequence, a conformity... Order is that which is free of disturbance, a law by which all existence abides. It is a neutral, no, a constant even in a world of chaos and discord.'

Hade's eyes were big and wide as he was struck by the sudden realization. All the infinite possibilities!

'Oh, this is so much better than mere physical strength!' He exclaimed in his mind.

However, soon he forced himself to calm down. After all, he was still only speculating. To confirm whether he was right or not, he first had to put theory to the test...

Hade took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He waited a full minute, slowly stretching his heightened senses to the max. He waited until he could hear the very sound of the wind, until he could feel every single air particle bump into the pores of his skin...

And then, he sucked in a cold breath before slowly raising his arm towards the gap.

For the umpteenth time that day, he concentrated his focus except this time, he willed his intent to the universe, beseeching it to bend to his will.

Seconds ticked on and turned into minutes but Hade still maintained his concentration.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, it happened at last. He felt the energy leave his body...