Methodology - 2

"As most of you know, your power is broken up through nine tiers. Each subsequent one taking exponentially more mana than the rest. However this is for what reason?" 

It was to this question that I woke up. I took a look around and felt the gazes wash over me, hoping that I would answer rather than them.

Luckily for them I would rather answer and keep the lecture going rather than keep this awkward silence.

I raised my hand and spoke.

"It is because of the way that mana contains itself in the human body. When mana reaches a breaking point, meaning that it can't contain itself in the limited space of the body, it reaches a blocking point."

She glances up towards me, before writing down some things. Drawing diagram after diagram.

"Yes, correct." 

She points towards the diagram of a human body, several arrows pointing in several different directions.

Yet all of them coalesced towards a center, in different ways.

"As you can see," She pointed towards the midpoint, where all of the arrows pointed towards, "This is what you all know of as a core. Your mana, after countless rotations will crystalize here and create a sort of pocket where mana can be stored. And depending on the quality of mana that you utilize the amount stored can be increased or decreased."

She pointed once again.

"However this is basic, and many of you already know this by heart. So let me pose a question. Why are some of you stronger than others, why do some of you have denser and more focused mana?"

For once it wasn't me that rose to the teacher's question. But some random kid that had mustered the courage.

"Because they have better techniques."

"Partially correct, as Tom said, some of you have the advantage of techniques that allow you to part your mana, make it more dense, or any other number of qualities. But there is a fundamental difference between that and talent. The answer was talent. Some of your bodies are just made better, can gather and use mana instinctually better than others."

A couple of grumbles of how unfair the world was echoed through the lecture hall before they were shushed.

"But that talent can be overcome. Recent findings have found some… lets say techniques that can increase the talent of one. And by talent I mean talent of the body, for those of you so dumb that you yearn for intelligence greater than what you have been granted," She sneers, "Wallow."

With that she turns back to the board, inscribing several runes and other such things.

"The rest of the class will be focused on deciphering these runes, who knows maybe you'll find something useful in them."

With that she stood and went back to her desk, looking over random piles of paper.

It was only then that the class turned to furious writing, copying the runes down and transcribing them with a furious pace.

I scoffed, doing the same. Yet contrary to what the others were doing I stood up, turned to one of the nearer desks and sat next to the only one I knew capable enough to speed up the process.

"Emilia."

"Inari" She greeted back.

…

…

…

I stretched my back, feeling the kinks pop right out of it, and letting a pleasant sigh out. Then, after a moment, I found myself laying down on the bed.

Thinking about the previous afternoon and all of the work that Emilia and I had gone through.

The runes were a dud, barely giving any information. But in that dud there was something that caught both of our eyes.

The sequence that they were put in. it was some sort of code.

And once we had figured that out it was finally clear what this was. One last deciphering of the text left us with another random string of words.

Once more both of us had groaned, it still brought a chuckle to me even till tonight, laying here in bed.

Thinking of the frustrated looks on our faces as we tried our best.

But it was nothing compared to the utter fury that others were throwing to the window. Literally in some sense.

As some of the smarter ones were starting to go insane. Like they could see the solution to one part at least, but couldn't do it.

It was amusing to say the least.

But even after the whole class, working in dozens of languages, rearranging them and even invoking them after some tries.

Both of us felt like we were only half way there if anything.

And judging by the smirk on our teachers face, this was an expected result.

I sat on my bed, staring at the ceiling, letting my focus go back to the mana in my body. How it flowed, stronger, like a spring to the sludge that it once was.

And I smiled. It was progress, major progress. Not only had my reserves increased because of the potion I had brewed the previous day, but I was able to advance to the next step.

What people called the most tedious part. Yet even then, it was the most important. According to my research at least.

I let my mana rest for one more moment. Before I observed the ebb and flow. How it circulated around my body in set patterns and frequencies.

Yet as I did, watching and doing nothing more, I found a certain pattern. One that could not be ignored.

Not right now.

I burst up in my bed, hurriedly turning my light on. Studying the papers that I had scribed my thoughts on. The infinite pages that kept on going and going.

A laugh echoed from my lips.

That was what it was… that was what it was.

And without any thought I slammed my door open and bound down the hall. Hounding the servants for Emilia's location.

Once I had it, I turned through the hallways, hands filled with paper and writing utensils. Only to practically knock down the door to Emilia's room.

All in excitement.