Chapter 5: Studying

  Despite Mr. Rolmand’s staying in our spare room, the moaning continued nearly every night father was home from the mine.

  I understand their needs, but surely they don’t have to shake the whole house…

  My tutor had taught me a great deal over the last 5 years.

  “Each person’s mana pool is mostly constrained by genetics, and yet through hard work, anyone can become a successful mage.” He always reminded me of that.

  I think Hilvire sees a future where I’m cocky and drunk with power so he’s doing everything he can to avoid that. Showing me that there are other talented, hard-working mages is one step towards it.

  “In terms of genetics, Elves generally have the biggest mana pools of all races.”

  Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. They are probably rare and have a long life span. Still, it’s nice to have confirmation that they are in fact alive in this world.

  “There are different classes of mages. In the simplest terms, there are 2 categories.

  Those like your father, Cedric, either can’t manipulate matter, or are just more skilled at enhancing their body, so they choose to do that instead.

  These magicians are called Enhancers.

  Magic can be channeled into any body part. Most commonly, it is used in limbs to move faster and punch harder.

  Enhancing magic is even more useful when used to enhance your eyes.

  If you are already enhancing your body to move faster, it must be paired with enhancing your eyes in order to keep up with the speed of battle.”

  So you’re telling me that high-speed anime battles have a canon explanation to them? It seems there is some logic in this world after all.

  Following this lesson on enhancing, this was the only part I could figure out.

  Enhancing an entire body part like your arms or legs, is difficult, at least for me. It seems like I’m more of a conjuring type who doesn’t pair well with these things.

  Luckily, I’m able to cast enhancing magic on my eyes which seems to be extremely useful to my type, not just Enhancers.

  I’m hoping to expand my repertoire in the future, but for now, this was the single best type of enhancing I could have hoped for as a first pick.

  “The second type of class is that of your mother, they are called Casters.

  Casters can be split up into another 2 categories, that of Manipulators and Conjurers.

  Almost anything can be Manipulated, but the most common are the 4 elements: earth, water, air, and fire.

  Earth and water are the most useful as earth can be turned into rock and water can be turned into ice. This makes them strong, solid weapons that are easy to control.

  Another plus is that they are common features in the landscapes of battle. Remember, Manipulators cannot create these elements, they have to find them.

  You would think air magic would be strong then, considering its presence everywhere. In practice, it is often weak and difficult to control, however it is still useful to knock a foe off balance, or as a form of mobility while in mid-air.

  The last element, fire, is the hardest to come by in a battle, so fire magic is typically associated with Conjurers.

  Your mother is a Conjurer as well, but she can only conjure water.

  Conjuring uses up more magic than Manipulating and it is also weaker. Because of this, it is only used in certain scenarios, or paired with fire as mentioned.

  Fire is inherently dangerous and can do passive damage to monsters while you fight it with other means.”

  I put this into practice in my field lessons with Mr. Rolmand. I was able to learn all elements of conjuring magic, but fire came to me the easiest.

  As my tutor explained, fire is a sort of energy itself. Because of this, it takes less effort in order to convert mana into fire, than water or earth. This is yet another reason why Conjurers usually cast fire.

  “Just as different enhancers can only cast enhancing magic, or are only good at enhancing magic, so do Manipulators and Conjurers stick to the same element.

  This is why we might refer to a magician as an Earth Manipulator. Similarly, we might refer to a magician as an Agile Enhancer, also known as a Thief, should they specialize in footwork.

  Another thing of note with classes is its relation to a magician’s understanding of magic.

  Those who specialize in enhancing magic can generally only cast enhancing magic. Most Manipulators can also cast enhancing magic, and most Conjurers can cast them all.

  Manipulators are rare, but Conjurers are the rarest. This is because it takes more knowledge of the flow of mana, a difficult thing to study or teach.

  Reports show that among the 100 million souls on this planet, 50 million are Enhancers, 30 million are Manipulators, and only 20 percent can Conjure even a single drop of water.

  You, Vespera, are a Conjurer. You are also a Manipulator.”

  I gave him a confused look.

  That second part is news to me. What have I ever manipulated?

  “You already know that in all our years of training, you haven’t been able to Manipulate a single element. Not earth, water, air, or fire.

  However, you have been able to conjure these elements by using the magic in the air.

  How you accomplished this is by manipulating mana itself. Therefore, you are also a Manipulator. Manipulating magic is not confined to the 4 elements.”

  Magic is proving to be even more interesting than I thought. Only one thought is bothering me.

  “Master, if Conjuring is weaker and uses more magic, when would it ever be useful?” This logical world must have a natural balance of power in place to answer this question, but I was clueless since I have only ever manipulated magic and conjured the elements. I had only experienced one side.

  Mr. Rolmand took a deep breath, something that everyone I’ve known did before casting magic or answering a difficult question.

  “In the city, freezing food is easy, but in villages like these, crates must be filled with food, then frozen solid before Winter.”

  I interjected, “Yes! I know! Mother conjures water of her own because its easier to freeze that way, right?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He smirked again. Hilvire was always thankful of my attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

  “Precisely. Your mother could manipulate the water from any faucet, but then she would have to spread her magic in it in order to freeze it. Conjuring the water herself does most of the work for her.

  In battle, this is called control. Magicians have a much higher degree of control over conjured magic than manipulation.

  Another factor is the quality of the product you are manipulating. The soil may be too coarse or water may be too warm and concentrated with energy in order to shape properly. Conjuring bypasses all of these issues.

  As you have only been able to manipulate mana itself thus far, you only need to worry about the quality of mana in the air.

  Mana is pure and constant so you should rarely have an issue. However…”

  Master became even more serious than usual.

  “Your greatest enemy will be mana which has already been manipulated. Claiming it would put you at risk to whatever effects the original Manipulator may have cursed it with should the mana still be claimed.

  It’s a first come, first served basis.”

  And that quickly, he lightened a bit up.

  “You have a small mana pool, but thanks to your talent with antimagic, it is mostly an irrelevant issue.”

  There were also lessons where he would teach me more about the world, than magic itself.

  “As you know, I come from the World Association of Magic. The WAM recognizes tiers of magicians through exams or recognition in quest completions. These tiers are as follows:

  Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, Master, Ascendant, Mythic, Transcendent, and God or Goddess.

  It is exponentially difficult to reach each tier. For perspective, 80 percent of the world is categorized as Beginner. This shouldn’t be surprising considering many live ordinary lives and never hone their magic ability.

  Another 15 percent of the world are considered Intermediate. This leaves only 5 percent of the population to fit in the remaining 7 tiers.

  Yes this is astronomically low, but by associating yourself with adventurer guilds in populated cities, high tier magicians will seem somewhat common.

  Tomorrow, you turn 10 years old and you are already considered an Expert in Fire Conjuring magic. Fewer than 350,000 magicians are Expert in at least one field.”

  That sounds great and all, but there are still 5 tiers above even that, and as Hilvire said, it becomes exponentially more difficult to attain the next.

  Oh wait, I never asked. “What tier are you Master?”

  I could already picture his answer considering his demonstrations throughout our time together.

  “I’m an Ascendant Water Manipulator and relatively skilled in many other areas.”

  So he’s 2 tiers above me which I’m sure is a giant gap, but what was more jarring was the difference in combat experience. That must have a large part to play as well.

  Our last lesson confirmed thoughts I had for a while now.

  “I know that you already have some experience with the topic thanks to your mother and your own observations, but there is a relationship between mana and nature.

  This is a topic that few know logically, but many know subconsciously. Understanding its principles will be a great resource to you throughout your adventures.

  You first learned about magic through enveloping yourself in nature. Magic is natural.

  For reasons even I cannot explain, having an understanding of nature puts magicians’ minds in a place perfect for casting magic. Now this is where it gets difficult:

  A staple of adventuring is traveling through dungeons and labyrinths. These are monster and treasure-filled creations of dense mana, however they are also rocky, underground, and often devoid of natural beauty and fresh air.

  You may spend months in a labyrinth without touching grass or seeing the sky.”

  (Doesn’t sound that different from my past life…)

  “In times like these, the only nature you can find is in yourself.

  Breath. As you learn to understand the flow of mana, understand your own anatomy and place in the world.

  Your lungs fill with air and your core with mana. Fill your mind with consciousness.

  This will keep you sane and strong in the caves.”

  So that’s why everyone breathes so deeply here.

  Maybe they were taught its effects, or the people I’ve met just have a deeper understanding of mana than most.

  Wait of course! We are in a small village after all. I’m sure those in the city are more unfamiliar with nature’s relationship with magic.

  Although Mr. Rolmand knows of it and I’m pretty sure he’s from the city. I guess that’s one of the many reasons he’s such a strong magician.

  It’s almost like this world has its own version of the supernatural from Earth, except there is some merit to this idea.

  I want to put my trust in it.

  *

  The next morning I was greeted with something I thought didn’t exist in this world.

  “Happy Birthday!” The three of them startled me as soon as my foot reached the bottom step and I rubbed my eyes.

  Cedric stepped up, “My little girl is already 10! Happy birthday, Vespera.” His eyes and smile sparkled as he handed me a wrapped box.

  I guess this world only celebrates every 10th birthday? I’m hoping that birthdays only start at 10 years old so that you are sure to remember it for the rest of your life. I know I want to remember this one.

  I quickly ripped open the box, somewhat expecting its contents. How many times have I asked for it before? Still, it was more beautiful than I could ever imagine.

  Emerging from the box was a witch’s magic gown.

  It was pure black, of a texture between cloth and leather, modest, and plain in decoration. The box also contained matching pants and knee-high laced boots.

  I couldn’t be happier.

  “Thank you, dad! I love them. It’s exactly what I wanted.”

  We hadn’t exchanged many words throughout my childhood, but we understood each other. I was grateful for the caution he took with my secret.

  I embraced him, my face barely reaching his stomach.

  “I’ve got something for you too, Vespy.” My mother pulled out a box that fit in her palm, I accepted and opened it.

  It held a painful reminder: large, diamond-shaped, earrings containing a dark stone.

  They had pierced my ears when I was little and kept placeholders in them, so even though I was still a bit angry, I was glad it wasn’t for nothing and I could put the piercings to use. Besides, the gift was pretty.

  I smiled as Tessa put them on for me. I didn’t let my resentment show. I only remember the piercing because I was reincarnated anyway. “Thank you, it’s perfect.”

  “Alright, let’s eat!” Cedric stepped aside to reveal the feast that lay on our table.

  I hadn’t made many close friends in the village, and this seemed like a more intimate moment, so I was glad it was only spent with my parents and tutor.

  Of course I had met some of the other kids in the village, but there is still somewhat of a part of me that is a reincarnation.

  This new life and body does naturally incline me towards acting like a child, but not enough. The simple fact is I’m too mature and yet too young to be super close to any kids or adults right now.

  We ate, laughed, reminisced, and when it was all over, the air became more serious. My dad took charge again.

  “Usually, children turn of age at 15. But it’s not terribly uncommon to begin life on your own as early as 10.

  Vespera, we know how much magic means to you and how interested you are in the world.

  You are a talented mage and will have no trouble supporting yourself using the lessons we have taught you here.

  Do you want to start your own life and find work in the city?”

  Was this really an option? “What will happen to me once I’m found out to cast antimagic?”

  Mr. Rolmand answered, “The Association has grown the last 5 years of our lessons. It follows a new head. If they interject with your life it will be to help you, not force you into anything.

  They want to be on your good side.”

  It was clear the three of them had talked everything over. As I trusted them before, I must trust them for the last time. It always worked out in the past.

  The three of them shared my mother’s reassuring smile.

  “I’d love to. I want to learn more about this world.”

  Breathes of mana followed in the room.

  “It’s best to leave for these journeys quickly. We will call for a carriage to be here shortly, so grab your things.” Tessa’s voice quivered slightly.

  Already? Maybe it’s common or a superstition that you should leave for long journeys quickly in this world.

  At the front door, equipped with my new mage’s gear, jewelry, and a dark adventurer’s bag that looked almost comically large on me, I realized that there was no superstition about leaving for long journeys.

  In reality, if I stayed any longer, my parents may have changed their own minds. They knew this and wanted to rip it off like a band-aid.

  It was the first time I had seen my mother cry, and father was just about there with her.

  “Send us a courier every week, I know you will be able to afford it. You’re going to be a successful mage.” Her words didn’t match her expression.

  My father said the words I expected from Tessa, “I’ll miss you. Stay safe and don’t push yourself too hard.”

  “I love you both, I’ll make sure to write and visit, don’t you worry!”

  With final embraces, I joined Hilvire in the carriage and we departed on the day journey to the city of Torvus.