Novels2Search
A journey of fire and blood
Chapter 11: training

Chapter 11: training

The next day, Vincent woke up to Randolph's shouting. He opened his eyes slightly and saw Randolph looking at him with a stern expression.

"Come on, you lazy boy, your training starts today."

Vincent glanced at Randolph for a moment before getting up from the straw bed. He was experiencing a severe headache because he wasn't used to waking up late; it felt as if a saw was digging inside his head.

Randolph saw his difficult situation and said, "Well, after you fully wake up, join me outside."

Then Randolph opened the door of the cabin and stepped out, wearing the same tattered robe as before, but holding a small bag in his hand.

Vincent stood up, analyzing his surroundings. He felt a strange sensation even as he recalled the events of the previous day, just before he ran out of the house after that state of unconsciousness he had experienced.

After he went out, he was met with a sight that his eyes could hardly believe. There were trees of various shapes and colors, and there was a small pond surrounded by flowers and plants of all colors. This view stretched as far as Vincent's eye could see; he felt as if he were in a fantastical place, or in a fairy forest.

"Um..." "Will you stand here forever?"

His astonishment was interrupted by Randolph's voice. Vincent looked to his right and saw Randolph staring directly at him, at that moment he realized he hadn't caught up to him yet.

"Ah..." "Excuse me, the scene from here has amazed me."

Vincent scratched the back of his head while wearing an embarrassed smile.

"Never mind, come on, catch up with me."

Randolph did not want to continue with the matter, so he turned and began to walk away, while Vincent followed him. Randolph walked with quiet and measured steps; he wasn't walking too fast or slow like a turtle. He still held the small bag in his hand, which caught Vincent's attention, and immediately piqued his curiosity.

"What is this bag?"

His voice was full of curiosity. Randolph glanced at the bag and then returned his gaze to the road ahead.

"You will know soon."

Vincente didn't ask much and continued to catch up with Randolph. He had begun to feel uneasy about not understanding anything that was going to happen. He was supposed to start his "training," but he didn't know what it entailed.

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"Will there be physical training?" But do I eat strange foods and plants? But will there be rituals? "Wait, are there magical rituals like the global Qais?"

They had ventured deep into the forest, where various types of plants could be seen along the sides of the path they were walking on. After a little while, Randolph suddenly stopped, and Vincent stood beside him, filled with curiosity about the place they had reached.

It was an empty square, with nothing special about it. There were some runes drawn on the trees. When they arrived at this place unexpectedly, Vincent felt a bit of pressure, while he could no longer hear the sound of the wind as he had before. It occurred to him that it was the work of the runes on the trees, but he couldn't explain the sudden pressure.

"Now, sit in the middle with your legs crossed."

Randolph said that as he walked to the side and opened the small bag in his hand.

After Finn did what Randolph told him, he asked, "Can you tell me what we will do now?"

There was some annoyance in Finn's voice.

"Be patient, little one, for you will wish you had never started learning magic in the first place."

Randolph smiled sarcastically; he could imagine what would happen, and that made him want to laugh.

"What does it mean?"

Vincent was a little confused by what Randolph said.

"To become a magician, you must do a few things, the first of which is to build your spiritual castle."

"My spiritual palace?"

Vincent raised his eyebrow in confusion; just from the name, he felt it was something very significant.

"Yes, I didn't tell you this yesterday because it got late." "Every magician has a unique spiritual palace that they can shape according to their desires, which is the place where mana is concentrated. It is the most important area in the magician's body, and often the spiritual palace reflects the person's character and traits."

Randolph explained briefly, because if he delved deeper into this matter, it would never end.

"Why is it called the spiritual palace?"

Randolph anticipated this question and answered in a straightforward manner.

"It is called the spiritual palace because it exists in a place that is not found in our world; it is somewhere between reality and the person's spirit." It is big enough to be a house in the real world. Of course, it's not big, but when it enters through your spirit, you will see it as if it is very huge.

He nodded slightly; this was strange and incomprehensible information, but he knew that there were some things that were impossible to understand right away. He also had some questions.

"In other words, the spiritual palace is a place for preserving mana and has other functions, I believe?" "Wait, what is mana?"

Vincent was filled with confusion.

"You don't know what mana is..." "Well, how can I put it? You can imagine mana as the primordial form of magic before it takes shape. In other words, mana is the beginning of the formation of magic."

"Oh..." "Where is the mana located?"

Things started to become clearer in Vincent's mind.

Randolph chuckled a little before answering him.

"The mana exists everywhere, in the earth, in the grass, even in the bodies of living beings, truly in any place, whether it is a living or non-living entity."

Vincent was a little surprised, but he quickly analyzed the situation in his head before asking.

"Alright, let's return to the important topic, about the spiritual palace, how can it be formed?"

Randolph smiled a little.

"You need to gather the mana from your surroundings for the formation, and this is where your training comes in." In simple terms, all you have to do is close your eyes and feel your surroundings; the mana is also present in the air, so you need to sense it and gather it to form your spiritual palace.

"How can I sense it?"

Vincent was confused. A poem as if someone is trying to learn cooking for the first time, but of course, magic is a matter more complex than cooking.

"You should breathe through your nose, not through your mouth, that's the first thing." Secondly, after you sense the mana, which you will likely see as some lights, you should direct it towards your blood, your skin, your muscles, and your bones, in that order. "Then you will be able to shape your spiritual palace."

Vincent is still confused, but he sat cross-legged. Then he closed his eyes and tried to sense the mana. At first, there was nothing different, as if he were trying to sleep. However, after some time, he felt his focus becoming sharper.

He could no longer hear any sounds from his surroundings, and he saw a few lights starting to form before his eyes. The lights had different colors; some were blue or red, and some were even black or a mix of two colors. Then Vincent focused his awareness in an indescribable way and tried to gather it as Randolph had said. At first, the lights did not move, and they remained that way.

He took a deep breath, and suddenly, the lights went out and his awareness returned to the real world. He opened his eyes in surprise.

"What happened!?"