Chapter 15: Lux!

The very next day, Mikaela was outside, swinging his sword. The humid cold weather was perfect to let out some sweat, Mitchell thought so early that morning before making Mikaela join him for training. 

Mikaela could not keep count of how many times he had been doing this. Slumped on a seat in the distance, Mitchell only gave a few pointers and instructions and monitored Mikaela's performance. The sweat made his hair stick to his skin and his t-shirt damp. Mikaela's body had not gained any ounce of maturity or muscle since the start of his hunting practice a few months ago. Even then, he would swing the wooden sword in his hand countlessly.

Of course, it was not random swings. Mikaela had to follow a pattern. He Breathed in his stomach, tightened his muscles, and swung with all his might while letting out the breath with a 'Hah!/Ah!' sound.

The start of this set was with his right foot forward with a bent knee, his other foot back on a wide stance. Same arrangement with the hands holding the wooden sword. With that, Mikaela swung with his hand straightened in four alterations, head, chin, waist, and knee heights in comparison to his height. He would make front step movements four times and back again to his original position. The main aim as told by his father was to build his strength and improve his center of gravity. 

When he asked why he would not just learn his father's flashy techniques, he got a simple answer. His father's own words were, 'You need to grasp the basics, this is building a stable foundation. Not just a flimsy technique with a lack of balance. This is crucial for all martial artists.'

Mikaela believed these words due to his father's uncharacteristic solemn face while he said so.

"Not like that son. You are starting to slack. Straighten your back! You have to maintain that motion constantly," said Mitchell, smiling in understanding but his words didn't change. 

Mikaela understood he was not getting a break any time soon.

"How long will I do this papa?" asked Mikaela.

"You have a long way to go. Until you can maintain the stance for three hours then we can consider moving forward after a few months," said Mitchell, in contemplation. 

'With your talent, I think a couple of weeks will do.' nodded Mitchell inwardly.

He missed the flabbergasted look on Mikaela who held a look of almost casting his sword aside and giving up but he thought Lucien. The idea that Lucien could easily surpass him whipped off any hesitation from him. He wanted to be as strong as his parents.

"Ah! Ah!" Mikaela sounded with every swing. 

Mitchell caught the flame of determination flaring in his son's eyes but was instead puzzled by his newfound motivation.

'Wasn't he whining a while ago?' He wondered.

Mikaela wasn't the only one with training. Lucien, indoors was sitting in his room surrounded by books earnestly looking at his father. Merlin was drawing a simple symbol that looked like a letter but again it was not. 

All this was done by guiding his mana with his index finger in the air. Surprisingly so, the mana didn't dissipate and it remained in place forming a symbol of Merlin's desire.

"In ancient times, there existed a language with the power to invoke the power of nature. This language was mainly used by dragons, which is why it is usually called Dragonian…. The power of nature at its most basic level is called ether. It exists in everything; plants, rocks, and even normal humans…." Merlin explained some of the things he had mentioned in the past, but Lucien paid attention nevertheless. 

"...this is what makes a mage different from ordinary humans. Why do I mention all this? Because the symbols you have been memorizing will come in handy today. As a beginner, it is critical to first know how to draw them by memory. Now, we will work on sounding them out. The first magic I will teach you is the meaning of your name. Your mother thought it was memorable." 

Merlin gave the last comment in all seriousness. His silver eyes glanced at Lucien to confirm if he still had the child's focus. 

'Φως'

It was the symbol drawn on the air. It shimmered with a light azure glow of his mana pigment. Merlin proceeded to say,

"Lux!" 

A string of mana flowed from his body and fueled the spell. With the components of the magic symbol, language of nature, and mana available, the spell activated. A ball of light formed in the position of the symbol. It kept growing in size, brightening the room further and more intensely until the mana supply was cut off, leaving it to slowly dissipate. 

"You can try sounding the words first. Use your mana to draw the sign in the air with the wand. Afterwards, you can simply follow my lead," instructed Merlin. 

"..." Lucien was speechless. 'Do what now?'

Lucien was surprised at being left to figure things out on his own. It was hard enough memorizing the words, let alone drawing them. And in the air, with a wand?

'Is this possible?' wondered Lucien.

Lucien never questioned his Father's instructions when they were as clear as day.

After memorizing the activation word by muttering under his breath, he proceeded to try drawing the symbol in midair. 

The first trial was an absolute failure! 

Lucien didn't know how to control his mana to the tip of his wand and cut it off on time. As he knew it, a single mistake made the entire spell invalid.

He opted to do a step at a time. He released his mana to flow endlessly to the tip of his wand until he got a feel of it and gained a bare minimum of control in scribbling it on air. Channeling it took great focus but he now had to keep in mind the shape and exactly when to cut off his mana.

His other few trials were a failure as well. He wasn't trying to perform the spell though. He failed at the basics of controlling it.

Merlin watched from the side and didn't bother giving any more instructions. This puzzled Lucien as Merlin predicted. Merlin knew it was important to let one figure it out themselves so that it would make sense later on. Without any rush, he curiously watched his son's trials and failures. Lucien's adjustments and compromise showed both his understanding and growth. Merlin knew this took nearly a week for average mages, it even took him two days around this dilemma at the start. 

Surprisingly, he heard Lucien say the activation.