Chapter 85: Explosion

I delved deep within myself, sensing the flowing sensation of Mana marking my mind. Suddenly, my head cleared and my senses sharpened. A strange, vague sense of what resembled enlightenment graced my mind as I began mentally running through the exercises and processes for the spell.

Normally, this wouldn't be necessary. I could already cast some spells simply by visualizing them into reality, but I had progressed too far to risk my Core being blown up. I was determined to follow the entire process outlined in the book meticulously.

Tripling my focus more than necessary this time, I accurately willed my Mana to stir from my core, down the veins of my shoulders and arms, reaching a "Center Point" in my palms.

Externally, slowly and subtly, I spread out my fingers, maintaining a slight pressure between the grasps of my fingers and the surface of my palm.

As I delved deeper within myself, the external world faded into the background of my mind. Nothing else mattered at that moment—it was just me and my Mana, along with the single visualized tongue of flame in my head.

My existence seemed to melt into an euphoric mental state as 'everything' began to unravel. Strange words and characters formed like distant, vague memories surfacing in my altered mental state. These words felt elusive, like Mana itself. The more I tried to grasp them, the more they slipped away into the recesses of my mind.

Yet amidst this uncertainty, I was certain of one thing: those words held meaning.

"[Fire]," I unconsciously spoke aloud.

***

In the quiet village, the streets lay peaceful, with residents tucked into their beds, retired for the night. The guards on duty patrolled the outskirts, diligently preserving the walls and boundaries, unaware of the impending disaster.

"Ah, Night Watch Team One, you're back from the first routine already," one of the guards greeted warmly as a group of companions returned through the gate.

Among them was a tired Skylar (refer to Chapter 40: Blood Knight). His messy blond hair was held in place by a bandana wrapped around his head. Skylar had been part of the village guard for a little more than three months now and had slowly grown accustomed to their ways and society. He had to admit, despite initially thinking he'd been sent to a backwater remote village somewhere up in the mountains, he had genuinely come to appreciate and learn from this tiny place.

"Yes..." He yawned and forced a smile of his own when another man among his team spoke up.

"Team Two is already on their way. They should be crossing the first—" Before he could finish, the guards stationed around the village walls and gates felt the tremor of a distant explosion.

[BOOM]

A minor shockwave swept their feet and forced surface cracks in the ground.

"Wh-what was that?"

"Captain, are we under attack?"

"Ready the men and man the gates! Nothing or no one gets in!" The guards of the village were thrown into a frenzy.

Those who felt the mild shockwave raised their heads towards a climbing pillar of dark smoke almost a full kilometer away from the gates.

***

My eyes glistened in excitement and awe against the sizable tongue of fire nestled in my open palm.

"Fire... I... I did it..." It took a little while to get the words out.

I had successfully recreated my first spell without losing control. The vibrant hue of the flames I held was a testimony to all of my efforts and achievements.

The conjuring worked—everything worked! For a moment, I lost myself in the exercises, and everything else felt vague and unclear yet familiar, but ultimately, I was successful.

Using my free left arm, I patted down every inch of my body, reaffirming that I had not lost a limb or been burnt to a crisp. Even my clothes remained untouched and unscathed. No accidents or injuries.

I quickly reverted my attention to the fluttering tongue of fire held in my hand. It was strange—the flame was vibrant, tall, and healthy. Despite the intense heat I could clearly feel, my palm remained unscathed and undamaged from holding this element known greatly for its destructive properties. It just felt warm. This was what the passive augmentation of Mana offered to a Mage's body: protection from the recoil of spells.

"Eh?" Pulling out of my reverie, I caught a glimpse of black wisps of dark smoke clouds from the corner of my eyes. With full awareness, the sight of a scorched forest slowly unraveled before me.

*

*

*

"

"So that was it?!!!" I shouted in protest atop my bed.

It had been three days since my little accident—or achievement—in the forest. For those three days that followed, I was wrapped up in my own head, trying to decipher exactly what had happened to me.

Fortunately, the fire I conjured hadn't spread too far or caused massive destruction to the forest fauna. Its range was confined to just a few meters around me. When I rushed back to the village at that late hour, I found the whole place on high alert due to a certain explosion that had occurred not far from the gates.

Everyone was urged to remain calm and stay in their homes, and I managed to sneak through the panic and return to my room. An investigation began immediately, and it wasn't until the next day that rumors about a dry lightning storm began to circulate.

I learned more about the explosion that had occurred. It was about a kilometer away from the gates—a relatively small explosion on a larger scale, but powerful enough for mild shockwaves to travel all the way to the outskirts.

In the end, the guards couldn't identify the true cause of the forest fire and reluctantly attributed it to the effect of dry lightning. This meant I wasn't found out and was in the clear. However, it also meant that my breakthrough didn't go as simply as I thought. Something was wrong, and I couldn't relax without knowing exactly what had happened.

I had followed the directions in the book meticulously, practicing the mental exercises, meditations, and diligently learning the spell. But on the third day, I realized what had gone wrong.

"I had transcribed the paragraph wrongly..."

The text hadn't warned that an incorrect Mana control process could result in an explosion. Instead, it mentioned that 'first timers tended to explode upon their first success, so this is advised to be practiced in an isolated location...'

It seems, I had read it wrong after all.

***

Next chapter incoming...