This food is really freaking good. Cole thought to himself. He’d eaten the entire chicken leg within minutes, not having eaten since before he was summoned to The Tower. Grabbing his set of knife and fork, he cut into his potato. Lucy, on the other hand, grabbed the potato and began eating it like a burrito. She then dipped the exposed interior on the butter before taking another bite. Cole continued using his utensils, spreading the butter evenly around the potato. He was eating faster than he normally would, but Lucy still finished before him. She began to nibble on the leftover bone from her chicken leg.

To Cole’s surprise, the bone gave off a loud cracking sound. Lucy had broken off the top half of the bone and was now chewing away at it. Cole watched quietly as she swallowed the first half, his mouth hanging open.

“Hungry?” Cole asked.

“A little.”

“Is eating the bone normal here?”

“Ah,” Lucy said, seemingly surprised by the question, “no, it’s an old habit of mine. Don’t worry about it.”

Lucy placed the second half in her mouth and began chewing away. It was definitely odd, but, at this point, it was pretty low on Cole’s weird list.

“You want mine?” Cole asked.

“Sure,” Lucy said, her mouth still full.

“It’s all yours.”

“Thanks,” Lucy said. “You can have my portion of the vegetables, then.”

“Uh,” Cole replied, “I think I’m good. You can have them.”

“You should have them.” Lucy insisted. “You’ll need a balanced diet if you’re to recuperate well every day.”

“Why aren’t you having any, then?” Cole protested.

“I don’t need them as much as you do. Besides, bones are very nutritious.”

“If you say so.”

Cole hadn’t had any of the greens, primarily because he’d never been a fan of the vegetables his parents would make. The line was a roasted mix of carrots, broccoli, and spinach. I guess it doesn’t look all that bad…

To Cole’s surprise, they tasted pretty good. He’d never like carrots or broccoli and only mildly liked spinach, but now they tasted great. Either the chefs had cooked them to his liking, or his taste had changed. Cole figured either could be true, as he’d always had microwaved vegetables in the past.

“So,” Cole said, “do you think I’m ready to learn magic?”

He’d been dying to ask her since he initially proposed the idea. Cole had kept it in this long and was excited at the idea of learning something so wondrous. Furthermore, from his time on the train, he knew it’d be a necessity. The only hurdle would be convincing Lucy to train him. At the end of the day, even if she saved him, he was still a demon. Even if it takes weeks or months, Cole thought to himself, I’ll prove myself to be trustworthy enough.

“I think you are,” Lucy replied, finishing the second leg bone.

“That’s fair, I-” Cole said, stopping himself. “Wait, really?”

“I don’t see why not,” Lucy replied.

“Hell yeah! When do we start?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Sweet.”

Cole ate through the rest of his food and chugged some water. They’d only spent about an hour in the room so far, giving them plenty of time to train.

“I’m ready,” Cole said, slamming his now empty cup on the table. “What are we doing first?”

“First,” Lucy said, “you’ll have to learn the basics. Luckily, it seems you’re teeming with unrefined mana.”

“Really?” Cole asked excitedly.

“Very much so. Is there any magic, in particular, you were interested in learning?”

Any magic? Cole asked himself. If given the option, he’d always thought a form of shadow magic would be pretty amazing. However, it wasn’t like he could just recreate something he’d seen on TV. Whatever magic he did end up learning, he’d need to pick it up fast. There was no telling when the next attempt on his life would come.

“How quickly could I learn shadow magic?” Cole asked.

“Shadow magic?”

“You know, a magic where I can disappear into shadows and stuff. Maybe I could extend my shadow to paralyze people or something.”

“Ha.” Lucy laughed slightly, obviously trying to remain serious.

“You don’t think it’s a good idea?”

“No, it sounds like an interesting magic. It’s just not what I was expecting. Something like that would require a lot of training to accomplish, so I doubt you’d be able to learn it ‘quickly.’”

“What would you suggest, then?”

“Ice magic,” Lucy replied with a nod.

“You mean the magic you use?”

“Yes. It’s extremely versatile, easy to learn, but hard to master. Nowadays, I only use ice magic as a decoy, but I’m more than capable of passing on the fundamentals.”

“What do you mean by ‘a decoy’?”

“Keeping your magic hidden is one of your greatest assets,” Lucy said. “If your opponent doesn’t know your magic, they’ll be overly cautious. However, if you put one magic constantly on display, you can lure your opponent into a false sense of security. They’ll start to notice your weaknesses and habits with your magic, and will strike when given the chance. This is when you unleash your real magic, securing an overwhelming victory.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“And that’s what you did to Felix,” Cole said, recalling how she’d revealed her magic to him only to escape with another.

“Exactly. Felix thought he could attack me because I was using my ice magic to protect you instead of myself. When his sword passed through me, he was let off guard. I could have easily attacked him while he was confused, but showing restraint is key for any adventurer.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lucy brought her hand to the table, grabbing the bowl of strawberries. Instead of cutting off the end with the leaves, Lucy ate each strawberry whole. She passed Cole one before she continued speaking.

“What I’m trying to say is you can learn ice magic now without having to worry about being stuck using it forever. If you dedicate yourself to learning it, and become proficient at it, it’ll still be extremely useful even if you decide to pivot to a different form of magic later in life.”

“That’s awesome!” Cole said, “So, I can learn as many magics as I want?”

“Hypothetically, yes. However, most people decide to hone a single magic to a level far beyond the other magics they happen to use. My master always taught me this was the wrong approach, but that it undeniably works for some people. An example would be the use of amplify magic.”

“Tobias mentioned that one,” Cole said. “He asked Monica where she learned to use it.”

“There are certain magics that, given the opportunity, all adventurers should learn. Amplify magic is one of them. The fact Tobias could recognize it so easily shows that he’s familiar with its importance. You should be familiar with it, as well. After all, it’s the magic Felix was using to attack you.”

“It’s what Felix used? Will you teach it to me, too, then?” Cole asked.

“No. Most people use it to cover weaknesses in defense or offense, depending on what their primary magic is. Ice magic already has both an amazing offense and defense, so you won’t need to learn amplify magic anytime soon. It’ll be easy enough to find a master whenever you decide to, given how many people know it.”

Well, as long as I can learn it later.

“Felix, however,” Lucy continued, “used an advanced form of amplify magic. This is what I was referring to before when I said some people find success in honing a single magic. If used correctly, amplify magic is one of the most potent magic I’ve ever seen.”

“Seriously?” Cole asked, dejected by the idea that Felix would only be harder to surpass.

“Luckily for us, Felix could only use a fraction of that potency. If he can learn to condense mana around specific parts of his body, rather than applying it so wastefully, Felix would be a challenge to deal with. I’m excited to see how much he progresses by the time we meet again.”

“Whose side are you on?” Cole joked.

“Anyways,” Lucy said, “this will be your first goal.”

Cole watched as Lucy brought her hand closer towards him. She faced her palm towards the ceiling, with her fingers slightly curled. A small ball of ice formed in Lucy’s hand, suspended above her palm. Unlike the sharp shard Cole had seen Lucy fire at Felix, this was more of a frozen snowball.

“That’s it?” Cole asked.

“For now. Most of your training will consist of learning to focus your magic. Once you’re able to do this, I’ll give you another goal to strive towards.”

“Alright,” Cole said, “so how do I do it?”

“You’ll need to learn the feel of your mana,” Lucy said, closing her eyes. “It courses through you, and every living thing around you, at all times. Commanding it at will is what will manifest your magic.”

“Should I say something cool like ‘Ice Blast’ or Kameha-”

“You won’t need to chant anything yet,” Lucy laughed as Cole pretended to shoot out a beam of energy. “Just focus on manipulating your mana. The rest will come later.”

“If you say so.”

Cole closed his eyes. Putting his hand out in the same way as Lucy, he tried to imagine a ball of ice forming in his hand. A minute passed as Cole stayed as focused as he could. He couldn’t ‘feel his mana’ like Lucy had mentioned, but kept trying. Cole was certain that, within no time, he’d be a natural. Surely enough, Cole felt a cold feeling around his hand.

I think I get it! Cole thought to himself. He felt as though he was in touch with his whole body. The cold feeling became more pronounced as he focused on his palm. Cole opened his eyes to look at what he’d manage to create. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what he expected. Lucy had brought her hand over to his, apparently using her magic to chill his hand.

“Hey!” Cole said, disappointed in the revelation.

“I wasn’t expecting you to try on your own,” Lucy laughed, pulling her right hand back, “but it was fun to see you think it was that easy.”

“Well that’s just mean.” Cole laughed.

“Did you feel anything?”

“I thought I did, but I guess not.”

“I’ll give you a bit of a hand,” Lucy said, wrapping her fingers around Cole’s shoulder.

Cole felt a chill radiate from Lucy’s hand. It was akin to the feeling he’d get when placing a freezing ice pack on a bruise.

“I’m pouring mana into you,” Lucy said. “You should be able to feel it coursing through your body. It’s the same technique I used back when Felix and Azula were attacking you.”

The cold sensation flowed through him as Lucy spoke. It moved from his shoulder, into his upper arm, through his elbow and lower arm. As it reached his hand, it spread itself evenly between the surface of his palm and fingers.

“Once the mana reaches the location I tell it to,” Lucy continued, “it will manifest itself into the shape I desire. This is how mana is converted into magic.”

A small ball of ice began to form in Cole's hand. He brought his hand closer to face to get a better look. The ball was forming slower than it had in Lucy’s hand, giving Cole a clear view of the visual process. Ice seemed to collect around it in a circular fashion. It levitated above his palm, anchored by the mana flowing through him.

Lucy lifted her hand off of Cole’s shoulder, breaking the continuous flow of mana. Cole could feel the chill diminishing slowly through his arm. As the lack of mana reached his hand, the ball of ice dropped into his palm. Surprisingly, it felt like any other piece of ice.

“Why doesn’t it disappear?” Cole asked.

“Mana that is expelled from your body remains with the magic you create,” Lucy replied. “Otherwise, magic would disappear.”

“So, I could create basically anything with enough training?”

“That depends on you. For now, let's stick with a ball of ice. Try to recreate the feeling of my mana coursing through you. Once you’re able to do that with your own mana, try to direct it to your hand as I did.”

“Alright. How do I start, though? Should I just imagine it happening until it does?”

“The process is different for everyone,” Lucy replied. “For me, I collect mana at one central point before using it. This can be anywhere in your body, but moving it closer to the site of deployment is typically best. For you, that’d obviously be your hand.”

“Okay,” Cole nodded, “and what do I do to form the ball in my hand?”

“Imagine the mana spreading to, and moving out from, your fingers. When you’re able to get it right, the mana will continually collect around the center, forming a shape relative to how you expel the mana.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“Good,” Lucy said. “Let me know if you need any help.”

Lucy got up from her seat. Walking past Cole, she made her way towards the bed to their left. Lucy kicked her shoes off as she lifted the blanket that laid over the bed. Swiftly tucking herself under the blanket, she made herself comfortable in the bed. I guess she’s taking a nap. Cole thought to himself. Is she really still tired?

Cole shook his head, turning back to the table. He needed to focus on training. The faster he trained, the more he could get Lucy to teach. Putting his arm out in front of him, Cole concentrated. Lucy’s mana had felt like a cold stream of dense water flowing through him. It was a memorable feeling, one that he hoped would be easy to reproduce.

Sitting in silence, Cole imagined the flow from his shoulder restarting, slowly making its way down his arm. He went over this time and time again in his head. No matter how long it would take, Cole was determined to make progress on his own.