“Basics of Mana and Magic”

I read and absorbed the information like a vacuum. I was astonished; it seemed to answer all my questions and more. The explanation my mother gave my sister seven months ago was just a simplified version, a piece of the whole pie.

According to the book, magic has seven natural elements: Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Light, and Dark. 70% of mages, once they awaken, have an affinity for two of these natural elements, while the other 30% have an affinity towards one element. However, just because a mage only has one element doesn't mean they are weaker than a mage with two; it all depends on the mage's creativity and combat prowess.

The mana core process my mother talked about was vague, but correct. The awakening age is normally 9, but it can happen early or late depending on the person. From birth, your body slowly gathers mana particles. These particles make their way through your body to the solar plexus, where they slowly condense into a mana core. Once this core is formed, it triggers an awakening, and your body dispels its impurities and opens up mana pathways called mana veins. These pathways allow you to absorb mana from the atmosphere, enabling you to cultivate your core through deep meditation.

You can determine your strength by the color of your mana core, which starts off as dark red due to the blood the mana particles gather on the journey to form a core. After that, it becomes mid-red, then light red.

The mana core stages from weakest to strongest are Red - (Dark) (Mid) (Light), Purple - (Dark) (Mid) (Light), Blue - (Dark) (Mid) (Light), Cyan - (Dark) (Mid) (Light), and White - (Initial) (Mid) (High). The lighter the core, the more power the mage has access to.

Absorbing all this information left me with a feeling of enlightenment. The book reminded me of my old training, where I had to cultivate my mind through deep meditation to fight with maximum efficiency, no mercy or sympathy for my enemies. I wondered if refining the mana core could achieve the same result.

I closed the book and put my theory to the test. When I began meditating, I started looking for the mana particles the book mentioned. It didn't take long to find them - little black specs with a glowing white outline - scattered throughout my body. The book said they moved slowly, but that was an understatement. They didn't look like they were moving at all. I focused on one spec in particular, slightly bigger than all the others, and tried to force it toward my solar plexus. I sensed it move, but it still seemed motionless. This was going to take a while.

***

MELVIN ELWAY'S P.O.V

My son. I was so happy that we had a boy. Before Falyn was born, Faliya and I made a deal with each other that if we had a boy, I would get to train him.

During my adventurer days, believe it or not, Faliya and I had a constant rivalry between us. I didn't know it at the time, but now that I look back, I was hopelessly in love with her.

The way she danced on the battlefield like a leaf in the wind was something I could only describe as true beauty. She was only a Bronze-rank at the time, but her swordsmanship was on par with Silver-rank, and maybe even Gold-rank adventurers, magic aside.

We were in the same party back then, and even though I was a Silver-rank, a rank above her, she could keep up with me.

I didn't wield any weapons; my hand-to-hand combat style, along with my water, earth, and mud magic, was all I ever needed.

Faliya would never admit it, but I know the day I saved her from that flame behemoth, she fell head over heels for me. I mean, what woman wouldn't fall in love with her hero?

I still remember the celebration the crew had after that. The flame behemoth was only a Silver-rank beast, but we made ten gold coins selling the corpse.

A couple of years after that, we got married and came to the countryside to settle down. We had my daughter, Myla, then four years later, my son, Falyn.

When I told little Falyn about my old adventurer days, he always seemed so happy, so I kept telling him stories.

Eventually, it became a habit.

On Myla's birthday, when he said his first word, "sissy," it was once again a loss for me. When Myla was born, her first word was "mama," so I lost to Faliya, but it didn't matter. I was happy. With my family living free with no worries, I knew my children would grow up to be great mages.

Today, I was watching Falyn while Faliya and Myla were outside. Faliya was teaching our daughter the basics of her sword style. I had assumed Myla would get tired after a couple of hours, but she and Faliya were truly alike. They would rather pass out on the ground than quit. The sword Faliya got Myla for her birthday was a simple sword, something to train with until she awakens. The present I got her, though, was something more valuable. I told Myla it was silver, but Faliya and I knew it wasn't that simple.

The necklace was made out of Sky Silver, a mineral only found in the Lunar mountains. The way it danced in the sun and moonlight, it should be obvious to anyone that the necklace wasn't just any silver. The necklace surrounds the wearer in mana to protect them from minor physical and magical attacks.

Only the best for my children.

… Speaking of children, where's Falyn?

I dropped what I was doing and started looking around the house.

First, I looked under the dining table. He wasn't there.

"Falyn, son, where are you?" I called quietly so Faliya wouldn't hear me. If she found out I wasn't keeping an eye on him like she said, she'd kill me.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I recalled my wife's angry face.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Falyn crawling out of the study room with a baby smile on his face.

***

FALYN ELWAY'S P.O.V

After putting the books back on their respective shelves, I made my way out of the study room, feeling satisfied that most of my questions had been answered. Now, I could finally start forming my mana core. The thought brought a smile to my face. This world was full of exploration and opportunities for achievement.

As I crawled out of the study room towards the familiar voice, my father picked me up and seated me in my baby chair. "I'm glad I found you, bud. If I didn't, I'm afraid your mother would've killed me."

"I would've killed you for what, dear?" My mother asked, walking in from outside.

I could see a cold sweat appear on my father's face as he dodged the question. "Oh, you and Myla are done training? You guys should go ahead and get washed up, dinner's almost ready."

My mother and sister washed up, and we had dinner. It was nice, aside from the baby food. My mother and sister told my father all about their training today, and even though I couldn't speak just yet, I felt like part of the family.

When it was time to go to bed, my mother put me in my crib. As I lay there, I stared at the ceiling and started to ponder everything I had read in the "Basics of Mana and Magic" book.

I thought about the seven natural elements: wind, water, fire, earth, lightning, light, and dark. Most mages have two, but I had only seen my father and mother use one. Did that mean I would only have one? Or would I inherit both of their elements and have two?

Either way, it didn't matter. With my skills and knowledge from my past life and the early start I would have in this one, I knew I would be a great mage, no matter what element or elements I ended up with.