Seeing the Unseen

The professor's words echoed like a beacon in the students' minds, guiding them back to the challenge of perceiving the inherent mana of their element. Carl cast a discreet glance at Damian, who had closed his eyes in deep concentration. Inspired, Carl took a deep breath, closing his own eyes to focus. "So I have to fight six battles simultaneously, don't I?" he murmured to himself, his determination firmly permeating his thoughts. He vividly recalled the professor's words, feeling them resonate in his mind like a mantra.

Time seemed to slow down, and about forty minutes later, a soft voice, laden with awe, broke the silence in the room. "I... see," whispered a young man in the second row, his eyes shining with the newfound revelation. Professor Gaius, with a subtle and proud smile, responded in a low but clear voice, "Very well, I sense your flow. Congratulations, now you can see." His expression held a contained satisfaction, a sign of respect for the effort and concentration of the other students who were still immersed in their quest to connect with their own mana. The room was filled with palpable energy, each student on their own journey, exploring the depths of their minds.

Carl delved into deeper reflections. "Maybe I need to change my approach," he silently pondered, his forehead furrowing in concentration. "As the professor said, I'm trying to grasp all six flows at once. Imagining six distinct scenarios, one for each element, is simple; however, truly feeling each one is an entirely different challenge." As these forty minutes dragged on, Carl diligently applied the professor's instructions but still didn't achieve the desired result. A hint of frustration began to grow within him as he turned over every word and concept taught in his mind.

A bold idea began to form in his mind. "What if... I need to perceive each element individually?" Carl questioned himself, biting his lower lip. "According to the professor, it's essential to feel each one separately. But people with transparent cores are rarer than a three-legged dwarf. Maybe I shouldn't take the professor's words as an absolute truth. Come on, Carl, use your logic. Show why you were one of the best programmers on Earth." Lost in his thoughts, Carl began to draw parallels between the complexities of programming and the intricate art of manipulating mana, seeking a new perspective that could unlock the secret behind this enigmatic skill.

"Six elements, but they're all mana... So I think I can treat them as one, six elements, one mana." Thoughts of how he would turn six elements into one thing processed at absurd speeds in his brain. "I think I can consider mana as a set of data, data that can be reshaped in the future; I'll make a kind of abstraction, and I'll imagine that the elements present in the air are bytes, six different types of bytes, and a seventh that encapsulates them all." Carl's mind was working feverishly, intertwining the world of programming with the realm of magic. He was planning to visualize mana as code, a dynamic array where each element was a unique byte, vibrating with unique energy. With each breath, he felt closer to uncovering the secret, as if he were about to break an intricate code.

A spontaneous yet controlled excitement was rising from the depths of Carl's soul. Despite being in a world of magic, using the familiar concepts of programming always brought him a different kind of joy. As a programmer, creating things was his job and something he enjoyed doing on Earth; creating something from nothing was the closest anyone could get to being a god. Carl, an introvert, spent a lot of time creating things from scratch. Carl smiled to himself, a rare expression of satisfaction and pride. He felt he was on the brink of transcending the limits of knowledge, trying to merge the familiar and the unknown into an almost perfect symphony.

Carl took a deep breath, releasing the tension from every muscle, seeking a state of total relaxation. He allowed himself to dive into the depths of his mind, where thoughts and sensations intertwined. "One flow," he focused, trying not only to discern the six elements but to unify them under the singular term "mana," a term he had chosen for the seventh byte - a comprehensive matrix. Carl had no idea of the exact shape or size of each byte, but that didn't deter him. He delved even deeper into his quest, his mind stretching and reaching, trying to feel beyond the tangible.

Suddenly, like a beacon cutting through the darkness, a light flickered on the periphery of his consciousness. A small zero floated through the void of his mind, closely followed by a one. More zeros and ones began to appear, dancing and merging in a rhythmic flow. His mental space soon filled with these binary digits, creating a spectacle of light and shadow. "These are... THEY'RE BINARY NUMBERS!" Carl exclaimed internally, his mind buzzing with electric enthusiasm.

The numbers in his mind not only appeared but began to descend like raindrops on a fogged glass, each digit reflecting a spark of understanding. In this moment of revelation, a deep and encouraging voice reverberated in his consciousness. "Congratulations, kid," Professor Gaius spoke, his voice a mixture of pride and admiration. Carl, emerging from his introspection, slowly opened his eyes, his pupils adjusting to the room's light. He was now enveloped in an aura of awe and wonder.

"Now you can see," Professor Gaius continued, a faint smile lighting up his enigmatic face. Carl, still stunned by the discovery, looked around the room. What he saw was nothing short of spectacular. The space around him shimmered with tiny points of light, pulsating like stars in a distant galaxy. They were smaller than atoms, but each one gleamed with its own intensity, flooding the room with a kaleidoscope of colors - red, blue, brown, white, gold, and black. Each color represented one of the six elements, weaving a magical tapestry that extended through the environment, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. Carl felt as if he had opened his eyes for the first time, witnessing that hidden splendor that was visible only to mages. "This is... incredible."