I don't care about spirits anymore, fuck the bastards, they didn't show up when I needed them, now that I'm one of the strongest wizard I don't need them anymore. What do you want me to tell you? Yes, I'm very spiteful, so I cling to my imagination as the strongest tool to invoke and manipulating magic.

"If people with their imagination are able to convince themselves that their partner, who has cheated on them three times, will not cheat on them again, then why couldn't I create something magical with my imagination? If you analyze it, it's easier to create a fireball"

The only basis I have to start is meditation, I also remember perfectly how to attract the energy of the environment, but this time the idea is to give that energy the shape of some spell with my mind. I mean, attracting the energy to me did not work or at the moment I still do not know how to make it work, so it's best to try something new. Yeah, it doesn't make much sense and no one can tell me that I'm doing it right, but on the other hand, no one tells me I'm doing it wrong, so all that's left is to try.

Now that I can see the gray energy, it would be very helpful to see someone use magic to give me an idea of how the energy reacts, but Danamus is still sleeping and the animals outside the wall are not an option. I don't think they will be patient enough to teach me. Everything I'm doing is experimental and many things can go wrong, but if I can avoid an obvious danger, I will definitely do it. With all my previous experiences, my aversion to pain has only increased.

'If meditation is the key, I hope it's only necessary while I'm learning. Otherwise, magic won't be very useful'

Once again, I sat in my meditative pose and gradually regulated my breathing, as practice makes perfect and since I already knew what I had to do, this time it didn't take me much to achieve my goal. It only took a couple of minutes to get the strand of energy to separate from the rest of the gray matter and connect to my heart, which gave me access to the mental map.

Once I was able to see the grey world, I was surprised to realize that, contrary to what I had thought, the energy from outside was not being sucked into the castle. I mean, I thought that since the vault is the point of energy accumulation, all the substance would be attracted like a magnet. But contrary to my expectations, the castle instead of attracting the substance, expels it. The energy flows out of the castle like a stream of wind and spreads throughout the place, similar to the flying rivers of the Amazon.

'So the vault is not the place where the mana gathers, but where it is born?'

I thought my mental map could encompass the entire place, a small mistake created due to my inexperience and because the vault is not that large. But now that I'm on the outside, I realized my mistake. The mental map didn't even cover the entire city. Maybe it has limits, or maybe my inability to handle magic prevents me from accessing the entire map. I still don't have enough information to draw a conclusion.

In any case, I'm sure I'll discover the reason later on. For now, what I need is time and experience, something I can only gain through trial and error. I need the energy to obey my thoughts, but it's easier said than done, especially because I have no idea what I'm doing.

I tried to focus on my breathing and as before, I managed to make the nearby energy notice me and head towards me. Knowing it wouldn't have any effect, instead of letting it pass through me, I tried to give it commands with my mind. At first, the energy seemed not to listen to me and what happened before repeated itself, but I kept trying and soon, the energy that had passed through my body began to shake.

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The gentle current of wind transformed into a small unbridled whirlwind that moved from left to right absorbing more energy as its size grew and even though I was the creator, it did not obey my orders, so the first attempt to master the magic was a failure. That moment of distraction caused by my disappointment made the accumulation of gray matter lose its stability and spread throughout the city like a strong gust of wind that cut the strand of mana that connecting me to the environment.

From the reaction I saw in my mind, I thought the strong wind would send me flying or cause some damage to the surrounding trees, but it seems like it all happened in my mind. Sure, I came out of the meditative state, but I'm still in the same place and in the same pose, and there's no sign that disaster has occurred, though not everyone is safe. I mean, my nose is bleeding again.

“Did I try to do more than I could or am I doing it wrong? Shit it's all just fucking speculation”

I needed a bit of rest after that failure, after all even if I rushed I won't achieve anything if I don't know which direction to go. Besides, knowing when to rest is also an essential part of learning. Of course, this decision was also influenced by the fact that I'm hungry and I need a bath because I stink. Unfortunately, I only have fruits to satisfy my hunger, just like in the early days, since the hunter refuses to wake up.

Since the trees I experimented with bore fruit, I prefer to eat from them. it doesn't have any important meaning, it's just eating the fruits of your labor. It gives me that feeling that my time was not wasted and at least I planted my own food. Of course, the trees would have grown without my intervention, but that doesn't diminish my feeling of accomplishment.

After a relaxing shower with water from the stagnant river, I set out to enjoy a delicious fruit salad, with the small difference that the fruits are whole and there are only two types, but the mind is strong and doesn't let itself be convinced by what the eyes see. In any case, while enjoying my meal, I noticed that the fruits had a fresh flavor, as if they were mint, and every time that freshness entered my stomach, it spread throughout my body until it disappeared.

'Do they also contain magic? If so can I use it or is it just like the magic of the environment?'

If you think about it, it makes sense. I mean, now that I remember, the trees on my mental map appear the same color as the energy, so they contain magic or are made of it, but since I was focused on something else, I didn't pay much attention to them and overlooked their fruits. Besides, there's the fact that the fruits I'm eating are from the trees that were nourished with Danamus's blood. It would it make sense if they contain more mana than the fruits of the other trees.

But the question is whether I can make use of the substance they contain or if it's beyond my reach. I mean, the feeling that I get when I consume them is that the energy travels through my body as if it were seeking for a place to settle, but after its journey, it gradually weakens until it leaves my body, unable to find what it was searching for.

'Haaa* looks like I need the lazy dragon's help'

Ever since Danamus's blood reformed my body, it seems like a door has opened, but I don't understand what changed or what I should do, so I'm not able to make use of the benefits I got. But since the young dragon is still taking his nap and can't clarify my doubts, I can't just wait for him to wake up, it will take me longer without guidance, but I'll have to move forward step by step as I stumble upon obstacles.

I will have to continue with my meditation sessions, especially now that I know that fruits can become a source of energy. I can eat them and try to create the spell with the energy contained within the fruits inside me before it leaves my body. I think it might work better than trying to command the energy of the environment, although there is also the risk that it will explode like a watermelon, but for now I prefer to think positively.

Although to put my idea into practice, I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I mean, I just had a mental explosion, and while I'm not sure what an excess of those explosions could cause, there's one thing I'm sure of, I don't want to find out.

However, I didn't plan on spending the afternoon doing nothing. I want to try to see the goats using magic. Going out is dangerous, but now that my vision has improved, I can take a look at the young ponies who are the closest to the walls. Of course, they don't come too close, but I think it's close enough to see when they use magic. I didn't get eagle eyes, but at least I hope it's useful for something. The positive side of the situation is that those fucking things seem to love to fight.