Training Begins (2)

"So what do you think is the true nature of magic?" I asked.

"It is a power we wield from within ourselves to affect the the world around us." She recited, as if from a textbook.

"That is partially correct, but not the full answer. Magic, is not just manipulating mana to impact the world around us, it is bending the world to our will. Right now what your are doing is influencing the world around you, 'borrowing' its power. Why do you think there are so many Supreme mages yet so little made it to an Archmage?

That is because very few opened their eyes and discovered the true nature of magic. And this is the first stage of enlightenment you will receive on your mage journey.

You might think that there isn't much of a power difference between an Archmage and a Supreme mage as there is only a power difference of one circle, but that is far from the truth. Archmages have learned to bend the world to their will, meaning that any magic you cast can be disrupted by them as long as it is part of the world."

"But if that is how one becomes an Archmage, why don't they tell people how to attain it, so more people in the kingdom can be Archmages?"

"Girl, do you even know how much firepower one Archmage has? They are literally a one-man army, and can utterly destroy anyone below their level. That is why only mages who understood the true nature of magic can compete against them. And the other is related to politics. If so many Archmages run unchecked around in the kingdom, some might even turn bad and challenge the King's authority and power."

"Right, I see, but how do you know of this though, you are not an Archmage."

"I- erm, ah yes the king told me, he told me so that I could have an edge over the other competitors in the tournament. Now what I told you is just a hint for your future enlightenment , I don't expect you to master it right now, even those old mages took years. Lets get to the real training, I'll be teaching your concurrent and non-verbal casting. We'll start with concurrent casting, now cast your most basic spell with both hands."

"Ice Speaa-"

"Ice... Sp- Urgh, this is hard."

The first spear she conjured on the left hand was good, but the second one barely had any form.

"Alright let us do this again but now first circulate magicule into both hands, then you slowly start chanting the same spell over and over, get everything out of your head and just focus on that one spell."

"Okay okay, Ice spear..."

"Ice Spear..."

...

...

After 10 minutes of constant chanting, there was no success and she let out a defeated sigh.

"Remember when you were in your 'Ice Queen' form, you were able to do it, now I want you to remember how you felt during the time you used that ability."

After another 30 minutes, the spears slowly came into existence but they were really short and out of shape.

I walked to it and poked the spears lightly with my finger but they shattered with a light touch.

"Good job, you grasped the concept, but you need you visualize it clearer, right now the image in your mind isn't strong enough to solidify your spell. Empty your mind and focus harder." I petted her on the head. "Now that you got it, lets move on to non-verbal spells."

"I thought only high level mages can do that."

"You are right, but in this tournament, there are many high level mages too, so you have to be able to fight them on the same level."

Bringing out roll of tape from my storage ring, I pulled out a piece of tape and walked menacingly towards her. She quickly scurried back in a hurry, but I caught her easily.

"You can't do this to me! Yo-"

"Shh shhh, don't give the people outside any wrong ideas, this is to prevent you from making any involuntary sounds. Now i'm just making myself sound weird, but you get what I mean.

Non-verbal spells require huge amount of concentration and mental discipline. When you use cast a spell out loud, you are using it as a focus. Now what I want you to do, is to redirect that focus into your head. Once you get used to non-verbal spells, it'll get easier over time. Now calm yourself."

Taking huge breaths, she closed her eyes and peace came upon her face. Waving her wand gently as though directing an orchestra, gathering mana in the air. A cool gentle breeze whispered pass me, rustling my hair in the process. She opened her eyes, as if expecting something to happen, but nothing did.

"Try again," I encouraged.

Two hours came and flew by, I looked up from the book I was reading and checked on her progress. There were small beats of perspiration slowly sliding down her face, her brows were furrowed in concentration. She was waving her arms with much more vigor than when she started.

"Alright alright, let's take a break, you need to clear out your mind." I called out to her.

I brought out a table and set some tea and snacks on it. "How is your progress? Is there any part that you don't understand?"

"I keep getting this sensation that I'm close to achieving it, but when I try, the feeling flits from me."

"Let me give you an example, maybe this will give you a hint."

Snapping my fingers, a small ball of fire appeared over my palms. Anastasia looked at the fireball with intense concentration, wondering how the heck I'm doing it so easily.

"You see, by snapping my fingers, I'm showing the motion of activating or lighting up something, at least that's what is going through my thought process. So what I'm trying to say is that if you go though a motion and correlates it with a spell, it'll will come out easier."

She nodded her head furiously, jotting down some notes on her notebook which came from god knows where.

After a break of 30 minutes, we continued for another 3 hours before ending the training. She used up so much mental energy that she passed out on the ground. The figure of her snoring away without a care in the world was a sight to see.

The results of today's training was fruitful, as expected of royal blood. I gently picked her up and carried her to my dorm room, since I had no idea where she lived. I left a small note on the nightstand telling her to jot down her room's address and left the room.

Now it was time for my training, I can't wait to see what the swordmaster had in store for me.