14. Maturing

Reid moved behind Castus and pointed at the complex formation on the pages. Castus skimmed through some of the words realizing this spell was called wind blade. It was a low-level spell that stated it required ten points of mana to cast successfully. Reid began to lecture, taking Castus attention away from the page.

"Castus this is a spell formation. To cast a spell you have to visualize your mana taking the shape of this formation. This will instruct the mana on what effect to manifest as. Now I don't use magic much beyond the simple types for help around the house so I can't say what the formations mean or how they function, but I can tell you that as long as you memorize this formation and push mana into it you can cast the spell."

Reid stood up from behind Castus and returned to his chair looking at Castus. "Now that's the simple explanation of how to cast spells. I am not your magic tutor, but I can give you the same warnings my father gave me when he taught me some magic. Firstly never try to cast magic that requires more mana than you have. This can lead to black outs, migraines and low energy if you only go a little beyond. If you try to go well beyond what your capable of this can result in severe backlashes and sometimes permanent injuries. If you take it way to far you could even kill yourself." Reid's tone conveyed his concern to Castus, causing him to shake his head profusely in agreement.

"Reid I promise I won't abuse magic and hurt myself." Reid looked into Castus' eyes narrowing his gaze before moving on. "Now lets get to mana." He stood to his feet and began pacing as he normally would when lecturing.

"Mana is the energy that moves through us all. The primary theory on mana is it is a life enhancer. It allows people, creatures, and objects exposed to it to gain power well beyond what should be normally possible. Its in everything in the world and is used primarily for magic, but it is also used in things like enchantments or certain skills and warriors will imbue themselves with mana to make themselves stronger. To use magic you first need to learn how to circulate and train your mana." Reid's pacing halted and he faced Castus. "Now close your eyes and feel deep within your mind for your mana." Reid looked expectantly at Castus, and he followed the instructions, closing his eyes and looking within himself for his mana.

In the darkness he Castus started to gaze around looking for something that could be what Reid talked about. As he searched and rooted around himself for mana Reid had sat patiently down next to him waiting for Castus to complete what he was doing. Castus stayed in his meditative state for almost thirty minutes before Reid snapped him out of it. "Castus, don't push yourself too hard. Most people are not able to find the mana within themselves until they are nine to ten years old. That's why your father didn't schedule you to have a magic tutor yet. In due time you will be able to use magic." Reid smiled at Castus and pushed a book into his hands. "While I cannot give you the magic you have been so adamant about learning, I can gift you this book to at least satisfy your curiosity for the time being. This book contains a number of low-level spells you can learn when you get some more mana. Keep it and go ahead and memorize some spells for when you get your magic tutor." Reid patted Castus on his shoulder and began Castus' normal lecture on general knowledge.

That afternoon Castus was taken by Ben to a different location in his family's yard. Ben had walked Castus to the edge of the woods where Castus quickly noticed five green beings squirming against restrains that held them in place. They were small, with pointed ears, malformed teeth and bright red eyes that burned with anger. Ben stopped Castus a decent distance from the goblin and handed a dagger to Castus. "Castus today your going to gain some levels. The first step in doing that is killing. I want you to kill these goblins. Now I've restrained them for you so they can attack, but do be warry of their teeth." Ben patted Castus on the back, gently propelling the stunned Castus towards the creatures that glared at him.

Castus had known that killing was the most efficient way to gain levels, but he had never expected the hesitation he felt right now. He also never expected to have to kill so suddenly. The green beings in front of him seemed almost like people. Take a way the color and they could be smaller people honestly. The goblins seemed to have intelligence in their eyes. Their hatred and fear was real to Castus. He instinctively put himself in their position realizing how horrifying what he was about to do was. His mind started to spiral when Ben came behind him and grabbed his wrist and looked at Castus. "Castus, listen these are not people. They are monsters. They look a little like people, but they are not. If they weren't restrained, they wouldn't hesitate to kill and eat you. Listen to me, NEVER feel bad about getting rid of a monster from this world."

The words of Ben pounded on Castus' sense of morality. He had been raised back on Earth in a peaceful society. He had never gotten in more than a school yard fight. Killing was something far beyond him, but the words of Ben echoed in his head. He just had to think of monsters like threats or livestock. He shouldn't feel bad about killing them. They were dangerous. His hand trembled as he held the dagger in his hand. He took a step forward. Then another, until he was standing two feet away from the goblin. It hissed at him and tried to lurch forward and bite him. The movement made Castus flinch.

For a moment Castus wondered if he could do this. When he looked at the goblin again, he noticed that it seemed to be loosening the restraints that held it. The ropes holding the goblin started to fall as it closed the gap between Castus and himself. Castus panicked and swung the dagger at the goblin's head instinctively, his eyes closing. His arm jolted to a stop, and he felt his hand get dragged down by the handle of the dagger. When he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed the goblin lay dead on the ground. His hand was covered in a mucus like black blood.