AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 14 :D, enjoy!!
PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader
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After another busy day learning how to fight and craft, it's finally time for my first real magic lesson. My mother is an average magic user, so she can only teach me a bit, but that will be enough. Mana, it's an energy present in all things, living or not. There are places with more mana than others, and there are things and beings with more affinity to mana than others. An excess of mana within a being or an object will mostly result in a harmfull result. That's how monsters are born.
Mana is made of different elemental particles, and thoses elements are classed in spheres. In the material sphere, there is the fire element, water element, earth element and air element. In the spirit sphere there is the body element, the mind element and the nature element. In the divine sphere there is the holy element and the darkness element. Sentients beings have a high resistance against the mind element, and the strongest effects require too much time, skills and magical power and are banned. So people are safe from brainwashing.
People with magic ability have affinity for 1 or 2 elements at the very least. Having affinity for 3 or 4 elements is good, 5 or 6 affinities is very uncommon and valued, 7 affinities is extremely rare, and there are no records of people with more than 7 affinities. Affinity with the elements of the material sphere is common, affinity with the element of the spirit sphere is uncommon, and affinity with the elements of the divine sphere is rare. People usually don't have the same level of affinity for each of their elements. The more affinity you have with an element, the easier it is to use it.
To cast a spell, you need to draw out the right elemental mana, weave it into the right patern and release it. The wrong mana or the wrong patern will cause the spell to fizzle out or the gathered mana will blow up, and depending on what you are trying to achieve, the consequences can be very serious. Weaving 2 or more elements can create advanced effects. Water and fire can make either mist or ice, nature and mind allow taming beasts and monsters. The body and holy elements make healing, however healing consume a bit of the vitality of the wounded, so trying to heal a critically injured person can kill him if the caster isn't skilled enough.
To make an enchantment is a lot harder than casting a spell, you must engrave the mana in a more complex patern in the object. Magic spells and enchantments are temporary. To sustain a spell or an enchantment you need magic energy. They last as long as you poured magic in them during the cast. To bypass this problem, people use special ingredients and materials (mana crystals or somemonsters parts) that can drain ambiant mana (draining and storing) or store mana (store the mana only if forcefully fed mana). It's possible for a mage to draw mana from an external source, or quickly cast complex spells by infusing mana in a magic tool with the spell engraved in it.
This is how magic works. From now, the next step should be to learn how to feel the mana, but I stunned my parents once again when I told them I could already do so for some time now. So, every evening, I will learn how to draw mana from a single element. That will allow me to know for which I have the most affinity.
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Since I only wanted to learn the basics of leather working for maintaining my equipment and get better prices for beasts and monsters leather, I decided to stop learning it. That will give me more time for alchemy, which is going nicely. My father thinks I'll become a disciple within 2 years. I will soon be done with my staff training too, then I'll start training in the use of the spear. I'll find someone to teach me properly once I leave Argot.
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I'm 8 years old now. I made a lot of progress in magic. At first I had a bit of trouble. Feeling and controlling are 2 differents things. But I got the hang of it within a few weeks. However, my sensing ability is almost the same what I could feel during the attack of the village, and it's getting better. I can recognise who is using magic within a certain area, and i will be able to determine what kind of spell or element will be used before the spell is cast, something only the best mages can do. Oh, the joy of being great!!!
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The first time I drew an element it was wind, it was what felt most natural for me, so I have high affinity for wind and I'm fine with that. Since my mother also have affinity with wind (like most elves by the way), she taugh me some basic wind spells, to blow a breeze, protect oneself with a whirlwind, cut something at medium range.
The second element I was able to draw is fire. I was also taugh basic fire spells to light a campfire, launch a fireball or a wave of fire like a flamethrower. To avoid any confusion, we are seeing basics spells elements after elements, though if I have an affinity my mother doesn't have I will have to learn about it later.
That aside, my days are mostly spent learning alchemy, smithing, unarmed fighting and magic. Speaking of magic, the villagers now know I can already use magic. I can hunt, I'm learning how to fight, learning alchemy and smithing. And I'm handsome. Once in a while a man or a woman comes to chat a bit with me, a little chat during which he or she often talk about the good points of his or her daughter, how she will probably be good woman later. I don't mind that kind of attention. Even Jenna and Erik are praising Kerrina from time to time now... I really don't mind, nope!!
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From a young age, Kerrina had spent a lot of time with that boy. He is the son of an elf and a human who are friends with her parents. They spent a lot of time playing together with her brother. The boy was kind with her, sometimes mischevious. But when he was with her, he would always help her. Sometimes he would come to their field and help them. He would also help her with a few things she couldn't do or couldn't understand.
She really liked being with that boy. Her parents said that the boy was very bright and smart, that he could be a great man in the future. She was happy for him when she heard that. She was also a little jealous because he was younger than her. So she decided to work a little harder. Time passed and the boy grew fast. He was big enough to play with her brother and the other boys.
Sometimes she would watch them with other girls. The boy was very strong even though he was the youngest in their group. The only one he couldn't beat was her brother. She admired him a lot not only because he was nice, but also because he could do a lot of things. He started to learn things, not only from his parents, but also from the best smith of the village. Her parents were impressed.
She wanted to be able to do many things like him. She secretly put more efforts on her side. She worked harder on learning tailoring from her mother, who was also a good cook, so she learned it as well. She alo wanted to learn from her father, so she asked him to teach her how to hunt. It turned out that she was a natural at hunting. She was really good at tracking and sneaking, and she was steadily getting better with the bow.
One day, she went to hunt with her father and the boy, and she impressed him with her skill. She was really happy to catch his attention more than usual, and at that time she was hoping he would get interested in her more. She wanted more of his attention. Because of all the things he was learning he spends less time with her, and she was a little sad about it. She wants to spend more time with him.
When news reached her that he could already use magic, she was stunned. On the little time he spends with her he showed her a little of what he could do. She was impressed, but also a bit sad. He was growing further away from her. Later she heard her mother say that the parents of others girls are trying to get him interested in their daughters.
That almost made her panic. She didn't want him to lose interest in her. She decided that she will have to be stronger and prettier for him. She heard from him that he wanted to travel around the world. She decided that she will become good enough to travel with him, and stay by his side. And her parents agreed to support her, after all, the young boy has a promising future ahead of him...
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AN: XD XD XD
And too bad if lazy me made mistakes :P