Chapter 30: Conversation

Tree: "I'm the tree that you thought non-existent."

Arcturus: "Well, how about that. Boy wasn't insane after all."

Alder: "Hey, I'm standing right here!"

Arcturus: "Sorry, but you got to understand. Anybody would be creeped out if someone suddenly started to talk to themselves."

Alder: "Okay, I will let that go."

Arcturus: "So, you have been observing me all this while?"

Tree: "Yes, and I think there are few things that are best left unmentioned."

Arcturus: "You are absolutely right. Let's just forget those unmentionables happened."

Tree: "Yes, that would be good for your dignity."

Alder: "What are you talking about."

Tree, Arcturus: "Nothing!"

Alder: "Whatever."

Arcturus: "So, Alder since you managed to wake me up that means you can perform first technique of my martial art. How long did you take? A week, a month or a year?"

Alder: "I just did it and you were awake."

Arcturus: "What. You mean it only took you single try to perform my first technique?"

Alder: "Yes, it did. It was quite easy actually, but powerful. I like it a lot."

Arcturus: "Are you sure. Even I took a whole week to use it right. And I created the technique you know."

Tree: "Yes, he did it on his first try."

Alder: "See that, I have a witness here."

Arcturus: "Hmm, amazing. This means you're either you have a natural talent for martial art or your energy control is impeccable. What did you use? Qi, pure energy or mana?"

Alder: "I used mana."

Tree: "His mana control is already at rank AA level. Only thing lacking is his knowledge and mana vessel rank."

Arcturus: "Amazing. And you say you are nine."

Tree: "Alder show him your sparrows."

Alder: "Okay."

I conjure up five little sparrows. I can feel myself getting more familiar with the process more I use it. And more familiar I get with the process I can use my mana more efficiently with no waste. Now I think I can conjure up a more than twenty sparrows if I use my full mana reserve.

Arcturus: "You weren't kidding. So, his soul must be amazingly strong right?"

Tree: "Yes, it is at rank of SSS wizard. Even I'm baffled by strength of his soul. But that's not the only thing that makes him scary. It's his temperament. He is too mature for a nine years old boy and most peculiar thing is his indifference for almost anything. He looks at everything way to logically. And that makes him kind of scary for a child."

Alder: "Compliment won't get you anything."

Tree: "See?"

Arcturus: "Indeed."

Alder: "Okay, enough about me. Arcturus you say you were a powerful wizard, right? If so you can teach me few things that are compounding me."

Arcturus: "Yes, I can be considered powerful. And I can certainly teach you."

Alder: "Okay, I need to teach me about properties of mana."

Arcturus: "Well that is pretty simple. Once you convert pure energy into mana with your Soul Root that mana becomes energy that is unique to you. So, you can actually will its properties to change anything you can. But prerequisite is that you know what properties you want it to take."

Alder: "If I can simply will my mana to change it's properties why do I need spell matrix to convert it to other kind of mana then?"

Arcturus: "Spell matrices are something for beginners. They help those beginners to direct their mana and cast spell so that they can get feeling and improve their control over their mana."

Tree: "But in your case, you never had to struggle with control. You soul is way too powerful for kid your age and your temperament are way too rational for human your age. So, all those gave you control only high ranked wizards possess."

Arcturus: "Exactly, that's way you can simply will your mana to conjure up those sparrows and they do it. Only wizard above rank A can control their mana to that extent."

Alder: "Okay, that is understandable. I got the theory, now I got to experiment with it to come to conclusion. So, I already can convert my mana into elemental one. And isolate fire mana from it. Now I want to isolate other elements from my elemental mana. How do I do that?"

Arcturus: "Okay then. So, how do you isolate fire mana from your elemental one?"

Alder: "I simply will it while visualizing fire's properties."

Arcturus: "Other elements are like that too. For example, water. What is water. Just think about it and will your mana to take shape."

As Arcturus instructed I close my eyes and first convert my mana into elemental one and visualize water wet and cool liquid of life. A simple molecule consisting of one oxygen atom bonded to two different hydrogen atoms. More I implement my image to my elemental mana I can feel it changing its properties.

And as soon as I feel it finish changing I will it out. As I open my eyes I see almost transparent fog with just a tinge of blue hovering above my palm.

Arcturus: "There you go. That is initial form of water mana. Still, you control is kind of scary. Only after little bit of instruction you managed to change properties of your mana. Frankly that is scary."

Alder: "So, in the end everything about mana usage comes down to control. Is that right?"

Tree: "Fundamentally, yes. But extent of your control is not something common. And even more scary thing is, I discovered from my observation your control doesn't only extend to your mana, but it also extends to your emotions too. When you were fighting that tiger you almost got consumed by your rage and lose control, but you suppressed your rage and controlled it, thus, using it to fuel you flame. And that is not something anyone can do."

Alder: "Okay. So, control it is then."

So, according to these two I don't need spell matrices since my control is stronger than others. That means I need to nurture my vessel and increase my mana quantity. My last fight in the dice game was too close for comfort. If I couldn't finish the ice lizard with my sparrows I would have been a goner.

And I need to practice this nameless martial art extensively. If I had a sturdy basics in martial art I would have finished it with no danger of running out of mana with my new gears.

Alder: "Arcturus, you were a wizard, right? Then why did you create a martial art? And do you have a name for this martial art?"

Arcturus: "Yes, I was a wizard. And strong one at that too. But when I was being chased by my enemies to corner I felt how weak I actually was before numerical advantage. Individually I was stronger that all of them. But when they got together I couldn't emerge triumphant. And when I tried to get out of here I came across a beast so strong I couldn't even put a dent in its scales. Thus, that got me thinking advantage of strong body. But my body potential was pathetic. Only at rank E. That ruled out normal body tempering. So, I decided to create my own tempering technique. Main problem with mainstream tempering technique was that they always used Qi to temper their body. But qi was too aggressive to temper my body with. On the other hand, mana was too gentle to make a difference. So, for me that only left pure energy. It was right in the middle. And after researching mana crystal for a while I managed to create this martial art. But just as I managed to create it I sensed my sanity crumbling. So, I decided to go with my bold plan. And I got no name for my martial art. But I like Nameless Martial Art"

Alder: "Okay. Now that's out of the way. Can you help me with my training?"

Arcturus: "Gladly. What do you need?"

Alder: "I need you to make that illusion formation to work again and let me face with the ice lizard in purple platform. I have few things I need to experiment."

Arcturus: "That is easy."