Start of Training

The first day of training was something Kai had been waiting for a few years. His life as a baby and young kid had been quite good — he did not have anything to do except rest, eat, and think about his life – but although it was good, it was also a pretty slow boring life.

But now that he was six years old, it was time to start his training! The whole family was around a table eating a special dinner Zerin and his Seneca prepared. Despite all of them being there, the whole moment was off. Kai's parents pretended that everything was okay, but it was easy to notice it, and Hugh, who was older than Kai, was also starting to notice things were different, but he said nothing.

They ate and talked, trying to be like a normal family. After that, it was time for Zerin to start training Kai, who could not wait for it. Hugh came along too, saying things like, "I want to watch my brother's training to see if he is as good as me."

Zerin was the one responsible for Hugh and Kai's training, while Seneca was the one training Lily. It made sense considering Zerin would go with Hugh, Seneca with Lily, and Kai would have to be alone.

Despite feeling a little sad when thinking of the situation, Kai always had a specific thought in mind, 'If there was one of us that should be alone, then it's me. I am mentally older than them, so I will be the one to endure the hardships.'

Kai liked Hugh and Lily. They had flaws, but everyone did, and they were still his siblings. The idea that he would be the one to take the family's burden was something that made him happy.

"So, the first thing for a mage is their sea of consciousness. Do you know what that is?" Zerin asked once they were outside.

"No idea," Kai said with all honesty.

"The sea of consciousness is a place within you. You go there with your mind. Now, what is the role of the sea you ask me, well, that's where your mana is stored, and that's where you draw the glyphs, mentally, to produce a spell."

"Every time you breathe, the mana from the atmosphere goes to your body. We don't use the mana from the atmosphere directly because that is not practical. But we do use the mana stored inside our bodies. To improve your sea of consciousness, you need to meditate and become stronger overall. The higher your wisdom, the more mana you can store inside you, and the more powerful your spells will be. Now, I won't teach you any glyphs yet, because the first step you need is to access your sea of consciousness, and then we can start to think about trying to use your stored mana," Zerin explained.

It was a lot for a kid, and Zerin was about to explain again or answer any questions Kai might have, but he did not have any. Kai understood everything perfectly, one of the perks of having a better intellect for his age.

"Follow me," Zerin said.

They moved out of the village, going straight to a more peaceful place to practice. The villagers saw Zerin with both of his sons, and they could not help but smile. Zerin, Seneca and Jane were the only mages in the village, and everyone treated them with respect, as they were the ones fighting against any threats that came to the village, and they were the ones who utilize magic to make the life of everyone there easier.

"Good luck, Kai, Hugh," an old lady yelled, "I know you two will be even better mages than your parents."

"That 's right. You can do it, kid!"

Kai had a strange feeling inside him when hearing all the support the other villagers were giving to him and his brother. It was genuine, and everyone who lived in Silka helped each other. Kai was starting to understand what that meant.

They stopped next to a waterfall. The sound of water hitting the rocks gave a peaceful feeling to Kai's mind, and he quickly understood the reason for them being there. Zerin stopped next to the water, sitting on soft grass.

"We will meditate now. What you need to do is access your sea of consciousness."

Kai had one doubt inside his mind, and he decided to ask before the meditations started, "So how long will I take to visualize this sea of consciousness?" he asked.

Zerin did not have the answer Kai was waiting for. "It depends, a lot. Some people have pretty good talent, and can visualize it in one year. But most people take two years. Your brother took one year and a half to achieve it, so he is pretty good. Though there are other important things for a mage, and this fact alone won't tell if you will be a good Arcanist or not."

Kai was surprised when hearing what his father said. 'This takes way longer than I expected.'

He had no idea how long he would take to visualize the sea of consciousness, but time was something he had plenty of, and there was nothing else to do in the village of Silka, so Kai was ready to focus all his efforts on that.

"Let us start the meditation. Breath slowly, and feel the energy from the atmosphere entering your body. Close your eyes, and try to visualize a big empty space inside your mind," Zerin explained.

Hugh already knew all of that, so he was already meditating, trying to increase his Wisdom attribute to improve his sea of consciousness. As for Kai, he was about to start his meditation journey, the first step of his Arcanist's path!

Kai went to that same location every day with his father and brother to meditate. His mind was tired after the first week of meditation, and contrary to what he thought, meditation was not the only thing he was doing.

"A mage also needs a decent body, so you will accompany me in some huntings for food to train your senses, your endurance, etc. This is also important for a mage," Zerin explained.

The hunting thing was actually something that made Kai excited. He wished to explore other parts of the area, and not just his village and the waterfall he visited often with his father.

'This might be dangerous, but it will certainly be fun! At least it will make my mind think of something else…'