“I know it seems impossible now, but I’ve started very similarly to you two, so don’t worry too much. Though I’ll give you one advice. Don’t be so embarrassed about the words you say. You’re both very timid, and it shows a lot. Understand that it’s natural for mages to chant words like these,” Leanne said and rubbed the two’s heads.
Evin and Kon nodded bashfully. But even with practice, Evin felt that this method of chanting wasn’t suited for him in the first place. Like the woman said, maybe he could get used to it after some effort, but it felt like it just wasn’t something meant to be.
“The next most popular method is the use of runes, every mage can use but no one will use this exclusively. Perhaps the simplest, yet the most expensive method of casting,” Leanne pulled out two pieces of paper and gave one to Evin. It was made of very high-quality orange paper and had a symbol of circle with a few swirling lines drawn inside it.
“Just rip it in half.”
Evin did as the mage ordered, and he immediately started feeling the change inside him. The hot flow of energy that was running through his body suddenly disappeared and an orb of fire burst forth into existence. It burned magnificently for a few seconds, before disappearing into nothingness. The same thing happened with Kon, as a wave of air whirled inside the room a few times before dying out.
The two children started to pant heavily, sweat appearing on their foreheads. But rather than feeling tired, they both looked very excited. Evin didn’t really know what he did, but this was his first time casting magic! He looked towards his father with excitement, perhaps expecting the other to look impressed, or even proud… but no. His father wore a scowl on his face, looking back at him with displeased eyes.
Weirdly, Evin expected the voice to make a snark comment badmouthing his father like it always did… but the voice had become silent for a while now.
“As you can see, the process happens entirely out of your own control. It forcefully takes the energy inside your mana-core and uses it to cast the spell that the rune depicts, so it’s very costly on your bodies. And also, these papers need to be created in a very specific way, which makes this method very costly for casting stronger magics… But they are certainly quick and easy to use, so they’re still very popular among mages.”
Evin focused his attention back to the mage’s lesson, trying to forget about his father and the voice for the time being.
“Alright, recharge your mana-cores with World energies and let it settle inside your body,” Leanne paused, and continued after a minute, “Another method that some mages use a lot is the use of gestures and body movements. About 1 in 10 mages use this method, and as you can guess from its name, it is the art of casting spells using specific hand movements and maybe even specific dances.
“Unfortunately, I’m unable to demonstrate this method to you, as it requires a certain amount of skill to work, but I can assure you that if you can manage to make it work, then you’ll have a very powerful tool at your hands. I’ve heard people say that spells created through this method are almost twice as strong and three times as cheap as normal ones. So if you’re interested, the Academy’s gates are open for you.”
Evin thought about the issue for a bit before thinking that this method of casting wasn’t suited for him either. Evin remembered that one time he tried to dance in a festival once… well, it wasn’t a fun time for him and anyone else who happened to see him. The method to use Runes also didn’t seem very plausible to him, as the things cost a lot of money.
“The final method is called Imagination Casting. This one’s the hardest method, and something that has been reserved for the nobility only for the longest time. You two probably tried to will a spell into existence when you first tried to cast magic. This method is exactly that, but you must do it in a much more detailed manner. Let me explain.”
According to Leanne, Imagination Casting was similar to what Evin tried to do after he filled his mana-core with Fire energy. At the time, he willed it to create fire, but it somehow felt as if the energy needed better instructions.
Apparently, he was right. Leanne explained that the more detailed one’s imagination and command was, the better their chances of casting magic without Chants, Gestures, or Runes were. Evin asked her what kind of details it was best to imagine, but the latter explained that Evin just needed to think of what needed for something to burn in reality, without the need for magic.
She made a demonstration. Of course, it was the simplest one, as she only spread open her palm, and a fire appeared on it. It was quite small compared to her previous demonstrations. Leanne explained that it was because she was very unfamiliar with Imagination Casting.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
However, despite the spell being much smaller compared to being cast by the other methods, Evin felt that it was the coolest method out there. There was no need for words, runes, or any other movements.
Just a simple thought, and he could cast magic.
‘I will become an Imagination Caster if it’s the last thing I’ll do,’ he vowed to himself silently.
However, no matter how much he tried to order the Fire energies, they refused to do anything productive. Evin had imagined so much, his head was starting to hurt, but
‘Maybe I’m just not cut out for casting spells?’ Evin thought dejectedly, ‘Even the slave girl showed some promise with Chants…’
‘No. I shouldn’t give up so easily. The least I can do is try my hardest and only then I can give up,’ he said resolutely and focused on his imagination. ‘I’ve finally become a mage, there’s no way I’m getting stumped by this.’
But right after he’d resolved his will, something weird started happening. The Fire energy inside his body suddenly became very active, as Evin could feel that they were starting to work on something. While he was trying to understand what was happening, the pile of paper started to crackle a bit, before it started catching fire. The pieces of paper turned into smoke, but even then, the fire grew taller and taller before it finally burst into an array of sparks and embers.
Evin really wanted to ask it if that fire was his doing, but he obviously couldn’t. He looked around the room, and saw the surrounding people all making a shocked face. The most striking was Leanne, who stared at him with a look of uncertainty and disbelief.
“How did you do that?” she asked after a bit.
Evin tried to reply, but was unable to. After all, even he didn’t know what exactly happened.
“I… I don’t know,” he murmured, before suddenly falling to his knees. His breathing became rough, and his head felt dizzy. Leanne quickly dashed over to pick him up, though her eyes still contained traces of suspicion.
“You’ve just overworked your mana-core a bit. You’ll feel better if you rest for a bit.”
Evin wanted to thank her, but the exhaustion seemed to take over his entire body as he could only offer a sigh.
A few minutes later, when Evin started to get better, Leanne resumed speaking, though she looked deep in thought.
“With this, we’ll finish for today. Congratulations on participating in your first lesson.”
Leanne fell silent after that. He could see her writing something down on her notes, occasionally going into a daze. After she finished writing, her enthusiastic voice returned and she continued speaking.
“If you want to learn further, then you can do so at our Academy here. Trust me, you won’t find a better place to study if you want to obtain knowledge about magehood. And thanks to King Seth’s benevolence, every mage is allowed to study in it for a year without costs and even after that, if you’re talented enough, you might be able to win yourself further benefits. These include more payments for your tuition, more World Shards for your mana-core, and even monetary benefits!” Leanne exclaimed, “That’s right. The kingdom’s willing to pay you money if you study hard enough!”
It was a dream come true for Evin. Thanks to it, he could finally achieve his independence.
“Lady Mage,” her father suddenly asked. “What if we don’t want to enroll in the first place?”
“What might you mean?”
Leanne’s voice had a chill to it. Evin looked up and saw her face forming a cold smile.
“I know my son, his talent’s not worth much. It’ll only be a waste to spend a year here. I’d rather him work on his blacksmithing so he can-”
“That fire he just made,” Leanne cut him off. “Is proof that he’s more talented than even myself.”
“It must be a fluke,” his father added. “Ask him to do it again.”
“You can rest assured that I know more about flukes of spellcasting much better than you ever could.”
His father looked troubled at the mage’s insistence, but he looked unwilling to give up.
“Lady Mage, please. My child truly should not become a mage.”
“I really cannot understand why you’re so adamant about limiting your own child’s future?” Leanne finally said. “It’s every family’s dream for their child to be a mage. You are the first person I see acting otherwise.”
“Lady Mage, I can’t explain my reasonings. But I assure it’s an important one.”
Leanne looked truly annoyed.
“At the end of the day, it’s the child’s choice. If he wants to study as a mage, then under the laws of the kingdom, we are obliged to grant him his wish. If you’re still against it then, then I must warn you that it’s not so hard for a mage to disown their former family.”
Evin gulped, realizing himself stuck in the middle of the argument.
“Evin,” his father intoned. “Refuse the mage. You know why I’m doing this.”
“I…”
“His classes will start in 10 days,” Leanne quickly spoke. “Think carefully until then and you can come here in person to inform me of your decision.”
“The kid can make the decision today.”
“No. I insist that you think about this," Leanne smiled.
A tense silence filled the air.
"We'll be sure to think about it."
Everyone said their goodbyes and Evin headed back home with his father. He expected his father to berate him endlessly on the walk back home, but oddly, no word came out of his father’s mouth at all.
Even the voice was strangely mute.
The silence felt more and more unbearable, until eventually his father spoke.
“Go home without me. I’ll be there later.”
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