Chapter 6: Sensing Mana

"So when can I use magic, Master!?" Asked Alexander excitedly with starry eyes while watching Lavender show off her mana elements.

"I know you're eager to use magic for the first time; however, you're getting ahead of yourself; before you do any of that, you must first locate the mana inside your body." Replied Lavender with a light smile as she stopped using her mana and approached Alexander.

"Ah, sorry, Master." Said Alexander as he sheepishly smiled, earning a chuckle from Lavender.

"Fufufu, that's alright, little Alexander; having a passion for magic is good; it'll help you in the long run." Said Lavender with a light smile as she sat down right before Alexander.

"The mana inside your body is usually stored in one specific spot depending on your species; since I'm a Dryad, the place where my mana is stored is in my heart, like most species. Other species, like Elves and Fairies, have their mana stored in their brains, though because of that, they are usually very talented Mages; in fact, roughly sixty-five percent of all mages are either Elves or Fairies." Explained Lavender as she pointed toward her heart, then her brain, before pointing toward Alexanders' heart.

"So, since you pointed at my heart, I assume my mana is stored there?" Asked Alexander as he gently placed his palm atop his chest, feeling his rhythmically beating heart.

"Yes, just like Dryads, a human's mana is stored in their heart, though you're a High-Human, so I could be wrong. I may have lived for quite a while, but you're the first High-Human I've met, technically, second." Said Lavender as she nodded in response.

"You said that mana is usually either stored in a being's brain or heart, but is there anywhere else they can be stored?" Asked Alexander curiously as he removed his hand from his chest, giving up on sensing his mana for now.

"That's a great question, and to answer it, yes, there is. What I told you are the most common places mana is stored; however, there are some outliers, such as Dwarfs, whose mana is stored in their abdomen or, more specifically, their liver. That is actually the main reason why Dwarfs are capable of drinking alcohol like it's water; their mana naturally detoxifies any harmful substance they consume. So for them to get drunk, they must either drink a LOT of alcohol or have very potent alcohol. There are other examples, but we can talk about those later; I'm sure you're more interested in sensing your mana." Stated Lavender with an awkward face while remembering all the times she's seen Dwarfs down entire barrels of alcohol like it's nothing.

"So how do I actually sense mana? Do I just sit down and meditate all day until I eventually sense it, or is there some other way?" Asked Alexander with a frown as he imagined himself doing nothing but meditating for weeks on end.

"The most common way would be to do as you said, meditate until you eventually sense it, but if you have access to someone very proficient in mana control who is willing to help you, they can use their own mana to sort of jolt it awake, so to speak." Said Lavender as she paused mid-sentence, though her words caused Alexander to smile happily.

"Yes!"

"However, I won't be helping you." Added Lavender with a chuckle as she watched Alexanders' smile vanish while a betrayed expression replaced it.

"Huh!? Why!?"

"Because assisting you won't actually be helping you. You need to learn how to sense it on your own; it'll help you out in the long run, besides it'll be worth it, trust me." Replied Lavender with a smile as she stood up and walked toward her house.

"Tch, It'd be foolish of me not to believe in the words of my Ancient Master, wouldn't it?" Mumbled Alexander as he sulked, though he wasn't quiet enough since Lavender still managed to hear him.

"What did you say, Alexander? Mind repeating it again?" Questioned Lavender as she leaned down towards Alexander, tilting her head with a dangerous smile.

"I-I-I said it'd be foolish of me not to believe in the words of my WISE Master." Declared Alexander quickly while nervously sweating from Lavender's scary expression.

"Ohh, I must've been hearing things; I could've sworn you said something rude about my age, but I must've been mistaken; my lovely little disciple would never rudely speak about my age. Right, Alexander?" Asked Lavender as she leaned in closer, their faces now practically touching.

"O-Of course Master, I wouldn't ever say anything rude about your age; not like there is anything rude to say anyways. M-Master is a very experienced woman still in her prime, after all." Stated Alexander, his heart rapidly beating in fear.

"Fufufu, I knew my lovely little disciple wouldn't talk about my age behind my back. Now then, I'll leave you alone so you can practice sensing your mana; if you ever feel stuck, lost, or need help, just come see me." Said Lavender with a smile as she retreated from Alexander's personal space before turning around and approaching her house.

'That was close, too close.' Thought Alexander as he shook his head before quelling his rapidly beating heart.

Once I had finally calmed down, I sat in a comfortable position before attempting to sense the mana in my heart, though since It was my first time meditating, I didn't know exactly what to do.

'Let's just focus on my heart.' Thought Alexander as he closed his eyes and calmly sat in the clearing while focusing all his attention on his heart.

With only the quiet sound of the wind blowing, It was easy to focus on my beating heart, and in doing so, every time my heart pumped blood through my body, I could feel how it coursed through my veins before eventually returning to my heart so that it can repeat the cycle again.

Unsurprisingly, time seemed to flow incredibly slowly while I sat still, doing nothing except sensing my heart; what had felt like an entire hour had passed when it had only been twenty minutes, turning this whole mediating thing into a tedious ordeal.

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"Ugh, nothing! Five hours and absolutely nothing! Wasted my freaking time attempting to sense some mystical energy in my stupid heart!" Exclaimed Alexander in frustration as he stood up and walked around in circles before eventually lying on the surprisingly comfortable grass.

'Haa, maybe I'm doing something wrong? Master never said how long it usually takes for one to sense their mana, so maybe I'm doing something wrong.' Thought Alexander calmly as he looked up at the dimming sky after having vented all of his frustration and anger.

'But since she didn't explain much, she knew I wouldn't need extra information to be able to sense my mana, so maybe it's not that I'm doing something wrong; I'm just not doing it efficiently.'

"Well, I can think about it over dinner; Master should've finished by now." Muttered Alexander as he stood up and dusted himself off before heading toward the treehouse.

The moment I opened the door, I got a whiff of a pleasant aroma that caused me to smile; swiftly closing the door behind me, I ran through the house, and when I arrived at the dining room, I saw Master sitting at the table that was practically filled with food.

"Thanks, Master! Though, why did you cook so much?" Asked Alexander, though he wasn't complaining since he quickly hopped into his seat and began eating.

"Well, since today will officially mark the start of your teaching, I figured I should cook something special, so eat as much as your stomach can, as I know your stomach can hold quite a lot." Replied Lavender with a smile as she also began eating.

"So, I take it your practice hasn't been going well since before you arrived, I heard you angrily yelling about stuff." Mentioned Lavender as she suppressed her desire to chuckle at her disciple's misfortune.

"It's not funny, Master." Said Alexander blandly with a dry expression as he looked at Lavender.

"Hehehe, nothing can get past your eyes, can it? Though, seriously, how has your practice been going?" Asked Lavender as she stopped suppressing her desire to laugh before regaining her composure.

"Well, in the past five hours, I've made absolutely no progress; all I could sense was the blood coursing through my veins, that's it." Stated Alexander in frustration as he took a large bite of delicious Direwolf meat.

"Would you like some advice?"

"No, at least not yet; I'd like to try and figure it out on my own before seeking you for help, though; how long did it take you to sense mana?" Asked Alexander as he took the final bite of Direwolf meat before grabbing another piece the size of a grown man's hand.

"I can't answer that, you see, unlike what I have you doing; I had assistance in sensing my mana, though if you wish to know still, it took about three to four hours." Replied Lavender, her words eliciting surprise from Alexander.

"That quick! You would've already been done by now, while I haven't made any progress." Remarked Alexander in low spirits.

"Don't sound so sad, Alexander; I got it the easy way, but if I could, I would've much rather taken the harder route. Besides, just because something is easy doesn't necessarily mean it's good; most great things are often received through hard work. Though just because something is hard, doesn't mean you can't find a way to make it easier." Said Lavender as she smirked toward the end.

"I know, Master, but that's the problem; finding an easier way isn't easy. Apparently, nothing is easy when it's related to mana." Said Alexander in annoyance as he once again filled his plate with Direwolf meat.

"Well, you know what they say, 'Life ain't easy'." Remarked Lavender, while Alexander nodded in agreeance.

"Yeah, don't need to tell me about that; life had already killed me once, and I ain't trying to let it happen again." Said Alexander with a sigh, while Lavender merely chuckled before the two continued eating.

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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, https://discord.gg/eXBcr9DH

if it doesn't work, I don't know what to say.

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Elven Legacy (Chapter 131: Bet of Hatred) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 11: Alexanders Uniqueness) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 16: Determined Wife & Mother) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]