Training (2) [6]

The next morning was like usual, my mother shouted at me to wake up repeatedly though I was still half asleep. After about 10 minutes back and forth I walked down the stairs and sat down at the table and ate my bread with jam in silence.

I was still to deep in thought about yesterday evening when Eldrin woke me up from my thinking. "Jin. Now that we've got the books I can really teach you. Today we will tackle mana control.", she said while eating.

"By the way, I've tried some spells out yesterday...", I confessed. They all snapped their heads at me like statues. "How did it go?", my mother asked with a shaking voice. "Oh, you know... not too bad.", I answered her. I chose to keep quiet about the forest but I'd show Eldrin a bit later anyway. "I can't overdo it if I don't want to get on the radar of the 5 great saints...", I thought.

After breakfast, Eldrin and I went back to the open field I was yesterday. She looked at the forest and asked me "Were there not more trees yesterday?", "Maybe the lumberjack did some work or something. Doesn't matter now.", I answered.

"Anyway. Let's begin with the lesson.", Eldrin said while taking her staff. I nodded at her but thought to myself "A staff? Why would she use a staff? I'll just listen for now."

"Jin. When you close your eyes, can you feel the mana coursing through you?", she asked. "Yes.", I answered. "Good. Take your book and look for a spell you want to use. Preferably a Novice spell."

I didn't even look at the book, I just held out my hand like yesterday. "Wait. I suppose you're going to use one from yesterday. But you need to stay concentrated as you don't have a staff.", she lectured me. Of course, normal people would need a staff, just like normal people would have to say the incantation. But right now, I'm acting like a normal person.

"Darkness... form and strike.", I chanted. A dark bolt of shadow appeared in my hand, just like yesterday. I shot it at the forest again but this time it didn't blow up a huge part of the forest, just a little tree.

I looked at Eldrin, smiling. Though she wasn't smiling, she was shocked. I didn't get it, really. I just destroyed a little tree, that was it. "Jin... Jin, you... With just a novice spell, you destroyed a tree... that shouldn't be possible.", she muttered. "I think that's quite average.", I told her. "No, no it isn't. Not even I can destroy a tree with a Novice class spell. I think you don't get it, do you?" I shook my head.

"Okay. I'm going to explain it to you. Novice class spells require minimal Mana, meaning you can use them over and over again. They are seen as weak as a miniature barrier COULD easily stop one. They are also mostly utility based, meaning healing or debuffs on the enemy. Adept class spells are much more complex and are primarily for dealing damage for a low mana cost. Expert class spells ramp it up a notch. They take a lot of mana, about 50% of the average mage. They are able to deal A LOT of damage like destroying a house or a few. Now we get into the category where most people can't continue. Master class spells are only known to people of the magical academy. I'm suprised you got some in your book. They can cause mass destruction or to put in simpler terms about a street if chanting time and everything plays out. The next tier is Saint class spells. I can only use one. I don't know how you were able to use one as a child... but you were lucky your mana wasn't as potent as now. If you were to use it now you'd probably destroy a city or a village. Now the Archmage class category. There are only 5 people who can use this type of magic. They can wipe out a large city with one attack, though it comes at a great cost, most loose their lives because the mana consumption is too high. Now the last tier... the God class magic spells. There was only one person to ever master one... the legendary hero from 1000 years ago. These spells have the power to destroy the whole world... or as he did, split the world in parts so the races live in peace and no war could go against eachother. What you just did, the "Novice spell" was on par with a Expert class spell. And don't try lying to me, I know it only destroyed a tree, but it damn sure could've destroyed a house. Got it?", she explained. "Yeah, I think so.", I said.

"Maybe... I need to put it down a bit... 200% is still overkill I guess. But wait... didn't she say Master class spells destory a street? That means that the 1000% was a bit higher than a Master class but still not on level as a Saint class? This shit is bad... imagine if I went further and used the expert class attack spell... I would've been doomed...", I thought.

And so the time passed. Waking up, going out for training with Eldrin, then in the afternoon sword fighting with my father. After about a year, I was better than them both in the categories. And now was the day my sister would come to this world. My parents settled on the name "Evie", meaning Life. And there she was, laying in her crib staring up at me, smiling. I finnaly had something I didn't in my past life, a sibling.

My seventh birthday had passed. It was just three more years until I could attend the magic school. Sadly since Eldrin couldn't teach me more, she had to leave. And there we stood, at the front door. The carriage was ready. "Eldrin... I promise to learn more about magic... and even surpass you once day.", I told her while she just laughed at me. "Oh, Jin. I am the one that has to surpass you. Please, never stop on practicing magic. Let me tell you something, out of all the children I had taught, you are the most fun of them all. You are a prodigy. Never stop.", she said while patting my head. I never liked it, though this time I'd allow it. She turned around and entered the carriage. "We will meet again, Eldrin Faelivrin. I will show you that I have become a great mage.", I said as I turned around and went into the house. My mother was busy caring for Evie, my father just drank a tea as he took care of her last night. Yeah, this life is great.