As the light faded, Jacob was still sitting in a chair, but the room was completely different. Wow, I must be in the workshop already. The room was small, giving Jacob enough room to reach out a hand to the wall from next to the table. The room had one wooden door, braced with metal. On the left and right were two archways. On the simple wooden table in front of Jacob was a note:
Dear Jacob,
I have taken the liberty of expanding it out the workshop with a little kitchen on the side. The ambient magic should keep it stocked, so don’t be afraid to eat and be healthy. I also made a small room for you to sleep in with a bed. I put a small shelf there with some introductory books, so read them and build up your knowledge. Start with Intro to Mana. Workshops operate on a dimensional magic based around a core. With mana control, you can expand the inside any way you want. Learning how to do that is a good first step in learning magic. I checked if the place was safe enough for my nephew, and it is. So don’t be worried about anything like that. If you go outside the door and head to the left, you’ll see the wide, main street of the novice district. You’re on the outskirts, so it will be calm and quiet. Perfect for getting used to city life.
Your Uncle Jeryn
PS - I put a delay on the invitations for your friends until you can expand three extra rooms for them yourself. Don’t keep them waiting.
On reading the last line the note softy dissolved into a green mist, disappearing rapidly into the air. Jacob immediately went to the door and opened it. Squinting in the sunlight on his face, Jacob could see a long narrow paved path in front of him going to the left and right. Large stone walls fenced off everything else. This isn’t home for sure. The air even feels different. More like how a city should feel, I guess. Closing the door and heading back in, Jacob looked through the first archway, seeing the small kitchen.
On grabbing the pantry door, Jacob felt a chill run through him. He couldn’t quite describe what it was. Opening the door, it was like a small closet inside, filled with shelves. Jacob could see all sorts of breads, cheases, dried meats, sausages, and dried fruits. Perfect, there’s plenty of easy things I like that I don’t have to cook! This will be great. Jacob grabbed some jerky to chew on and headed to the other archway.
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Inside the bedroom was a bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf. On the side of the room was another archway covered by some curtains. Though that was a small washroom. All the basics are here. Time to get studying! Jacob walked to the bookshelf, and on the top shelf was Intro to Mana. Jacob grabbed the book and walked back into the room with the table and chairs.
Jacob sat down at the table and set the book down. I guess this is the dining room, but it will also be my study until I can get mana control down well enough to really design this place. Jacob opened the book and began reading.
“So I just need to circulate my mana before I can do magic, good thing Uncle Jeryn helped me learn to sense it when I was little.” Jacob relaxed his shoulders and focused on his mana like his uncle had taught him. From there Jacob began to move the mana in his body. The mana felt thick and sluggish, but as Jacob continued to move the mana, the mana flow was easier to keep up. I just need to train to keep this going at all times now, Uncle Jeryn mentioned how mana is a part of the body. So I’ll circulate mana like it’s breathing, only noticing the circulation if I focus on it for some reason. The book says it’s an advanced technique, but sounds like it should be easier to start early than later.
Several days had passed. Jacob had finished the Intro book, practicing the things he learned and started another book on mana manipulation. My mana circulation feels very natural now. Jacob wanted to check his progress by making the entry room bigger. Standing near the back wall, Jacob put his hands up, placing his palms firmly on the wall while focusing on his mana circulation. Feeling the mana in his hands, Jacob pushed against the wall, straining with all his might. When his elbows started to hurt from the strain, Jacob started getting distracted, “this isn’t working,” but then the wall suddenly gave away forcing Jacob to barely catch his balance before slamming his face against the wall. “Reign would have laughed at me so hard if he saw that…” Jacob sighed. But I won’t see him again until I really figure this out. I felt something different when the wall moved, but I didn’t understand it. Jacob struggled, pushing against the wall until it got dark before taking a break for bed.
In the morning Jacob grabbed some bread and cheese for breakfast from the pantry. No good is going to come from me sitting here doing the same thing over and over. I haven’t been outside yet. Some fresh air might help me get some perspective. Jacob finished up his breakfast and grabbed some jerky in case he was out a while.
Opening the front door for the second time since his arrival, Jacob looked out. The pathway in front of his workshop was calm