Evolution

After training for a relatively short time, Leus became able to control his body while blindfolded

He did that by following a simple strategy

'Only move when I have to, and always keep a map of my surroundings in my head'

The yard wasn't that big anyway, So it was somewhat easy for Leus to be aware of his exact location, and after many days of practice, he didn't have any problems with his movements

'The difficult part is to be able to sense the changes in my surroundings'

'I can't see anything, and hearing is very difficult'

Because being able to do that would take a while, Leus thought of an alternative method to train his Magic attacks

'I have to mark a spot then try to attack it'

So, Leus would mark the ground with his sword, Then move randomly in different directions,

After that, He'd try to focus and hit only the spot he marked with a spell

Leus kept repeating that, and at the same time, he concentrated on the Mana around him.

He tried to notice the slightest changes and to sense the Mana's movements and their interactions with physical bodies.

He'd move his hand in the air and focus on the Mana in that spot, What happened to it? To which direction does it disperse if his hand Moves in a specific direction, and so on.

As time passed, Leus came to realize something

'In the beginning, I thought that it's just like dust, spreading in random directions, But there seem to be patterns for its movement'

The more Leus knew about what he wanted to learn the easier it became for him to achieve his goal

Blaze confirmed that by saying

"You'll be able to unlock an Abstract once you are able to understand its principles and how it works.

The more you know about it the more capable you become at doing it.

Eventually, You'll master it."

As time passed, Leus got better at feeling his surroundings, and his senses sharpened a lot.

Sometimes he'd feel the movement late, and Sometimes he'd get distracted and lose his focus, But apart from the flaws, He was steadily improving.

After a couple of weeks, Leus began to feel that feeling again

'The same feeling before I evolved the first time'

Every time he'd train he'd feel that his Life Force was near a wall and it was pushing through it, About to break it apart.

So he decided to talk to Blaze about it

"Dad, I'm getting the same feeling as I felt the last time before I evolved"

"Good, It means that you'll evolve soon.

You're already very close to unlocking your version of Domain, I guess that you'll evolve as soon as you unlock it, It's a strong abstract"

Leus had some questions to ask

"How does one evolve exactly? Mages don't unlock Domain, so how do they evolve?"

Blaze explained

"There are countless ways to evolve, It all comes down to becoming stronger, If you train your body until a certain limit you'll evolve, If you train your magic to a certain limit you'll evolve, If you unlock Abstracts or Skills you'll evolve,

There's no one correct way; people do what they think is right until they eventually face a bottleneck and can't move forward anymore."

Blaze sighed then continued

"In your case, I'm not sure what you'll get from evolving.

If you were just a Knight, you'd become stronger and faster, and you'd gain more control over your weapon and mana.

But since you're also a Mage, I have no clue what your evolution will bring.

All I know is that Mage can do more complex and fancier spells."

Leus wanted more details, So he asked again

"What are abstracts? And what are skills?"

Blaze took a deep breath and started explaining

"Generally speaking, the inherent difference between Abstracts and Skills is vague.

However, there are key differences

1- Skills are directly related to your affinity, You can't have a Skill with an element that you're not attuned with.

2- Abstracts are related to your mastery over Mana, So you can have an Abstract of an Element that you're not attuned with, however that comes at a cost, Which is:

3- Abstracts are weaker than Skills.

4- Some Abstracts are inherent abilities that consume no Mana but are parts of your being, Like Domain and Ultra-Speed Regeneration."

Then Blaze quickly continued

"However, That's as far as I'm aware, There are many things that I don't know"

Leus nodded

"I see, Thanks"

He was thinking about everything so far

'So Abstracts and Skills are a lot more useful than just training ...'

'It definitely was the best decision to evolve by unlocking an Abstract rather than just training with the sword, Dad is indeed an expert ...'

'I guess I'll understand more about how valuable it is once I unlock this Abstract'

The new information made Leus excited, and also, More determined.

And so, He resumed his training

A couple of days later, Leus was training with Blaze like always when he felt it

'It's about to happen'

Leus quickly told Blaze

"Dad, I think it'll happen anytime now"

Blaze replied in a serious tone

"Very well, Don't worry about it, I'm here with you"

Leus nodded and continued training

Suddenly, Leus' breathing quickened, His body felt sluggish and he wasn't able to stand anymore, So he sat down on the grass

He was trying to be as calm as possible as he already knew all the symptoms

'It'll feel like I'm dying and then I'll be unconscious'

But being calm didn't reduce the pain

The Mana from the surroundings began to rapidly enter Leus' body

And Blaze was clearly able to sense it

'I think it's a bigger amount than usual ... but that's okay I guess?'

Blaze wasn't really sure, He didn't witness many evolutions, and also

'Leus is a special case, He's so young ...'

After many seconds, Mana stopped rushing into Leus' body, and the place became silent.

Once again, Leus entered an Evolutionary Slumber.