*****

“You want me to believe that you read these exact words out of the book and that happened?”

Alexander, Nyx, and Lyn sat around the dinner table with Yir. They were more afraid that he could cast magic than pride. They had to beg Yir to come out of his room because he’d locked himself in and cried. He didn’t like the looks on their faces. Papa was mad. Mama was sad and Ms. Lyn looked scared.

“I didn't say the incantation exactly papa,” he answered.

“Write down what you said.” Papa passed a piece of paper and a pencil his way. Yir wrote the incantation exactly. He could feel the letters warm under his touch. Yir slid the paper back to his father at the head of the table. Papa read it over and over again before sighing.

“I’m happy you can cast magic son, but I know you’re smart enough to know how dangerous magic is.”

“But I aimed to the sky,” he tried to explain.

“That's not an excuse! You are a beginner. You didn’t know the outcome of that spell. You understand you could've killed someone. “Alexander slammed his fist into the table. “You could've killed your neighbors!”

Yir couldn’t look Papa in the eye any longer. He didn't like crying. At least not around Papa. It wasn’t manly. He wasn’t thinking at the time. Yir just wanted to cast magic.

“Your punishment is no magic until I say so. You have to train with me in the morning and afternoons too. Now go to your room.” Yir apologized to everyone and then went to his room. After his departure, the dining room was quiet until Nyx broke the ice.

“While the spell was dangerous, we live far away from our neighbors, and we have rune arrays around the house. No one was in danger.”

Lyn butted in. “The young master also pointed the spell in the sky.”

Alexander eyed the pair. He smelled something foul in the waters.

“Am I being accused of something? I reprimanded him like a parent should!” he slapped the table.

“Sure, you did honey.” her tone said she didn’t believe him.” It couldn’t be that you wanted a pure martial artist as a child and were afraid he would spend his time in books instead of sparing.” Both Nyx and Lyn stood up and walked out of the dining room before stopping. “No honey pot from me for two weeks. Hmph,” and she walked off.

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Alexander eyed Lyn softly. “None from me either, humph.”

Alexander was left horny and alone.

******

Yir woke to the sound of his door banging. “Rise and shine son! The early bird gets the worm. Breakfast is on the table. Meet me out front in fifteen minutes.” Yir yawned and stared at the ceiling. He was tired and wasn’t prepared for his ‘punishment’. Ms. Lyn had told him the truth. His father wasn’t mad because of his little magic mishap.

No, he wanted a martial artist as a son and not a mage. Luckily, Yir is both. Ms. Lyn told him that he was a third-generation magician. First-generation magicians were those who used magic to enhance and forge the body. They were the first magicians to exist, hence the name. Second-generation magicians were those who used magic to alter the outside world. Third generations were people who could do both. These paths intertwined to an extent. A first gens could alter the outside world, but not to the extent of second gens, and the opposite for second gens. The differences become less and less the stronger the mage.

Breakfast was heavy, but Yir knew he would need fuel. He looked around, not seeing Mama or Ms. Lyn. They probably were out shopping. After he was done eating, he headed out front where Papa practiced the sword. The fact that he couldn’t practice magic hurt, but he didn't mind being trained by his father. Especially since he could do cool things! Alexander coated his blade in dark magic and swung it at a training dummy. Blade-shaped darkness shot from the blade and cut it in half. Clean.

Yir guessed it was shadow magic because of the way his father's shadow moved. It looked alive. “I see you took your time,” Papa said. “Pick up those bracers and put them on your wrists and ankles.” The bracers were magic items with runic inscriptions inscribed around them and a magic gem at its center. Surprisingly, they weren’t heavy. That was until he put them on. Yir dropped to his hands' knees instantly.

“ F-father. What is this?” he yelled. Papa laughed.

“Those are your new best friends. Those braces will help strengthen your body and help you with magic circulation. They double as armor too.” Alexander pointed his nose to the sky and puffed out his chest. “You’re welcome.”

Yir almost puked blood before his body strained.

Every few breaths the bracers grew heavier. “Try your best to sit and relax. Get into the meditative stance.”

Yir struggled, but he sat with his legs crossed and his arms resting on his thigh.

“I’m sure you studied the body forging book like I asked, so you know what comes next.” Yir nodded his head and closed his eyes. The key to getting into the meditative stance and controlling mana was breathing. Breathing techniques helped draw in and circulate mana through mana veins and muscles of the body. Yir took a deep breath, then exhaled.

Again, inhale, rest, exhale. He got into a rhythm of breathing. Sometimes he kept breathing continuously. Other times, he added a few pauses in between breaths. Soon, he tuned the outside world out. Yir couldn't feel the sun's embrace. He couldn’t hear the birds sing or feel the wind's playful tickles. When he opened his third eye, he saw the world and himself differently. He could see both mana cores and veins in his body. Even his father’s blinding core was visible. He could see the mana in the trees and plants. The earth’s mana pulsed like his own heart. The scene made him smile. It was beautiful.

He focused himself and drew on the mana in the world. At first, he imagined a head grabbing the balls of mana, but it was too slow and strenuous. He wanted to draw it toward him quickly. He leaned on those weird memories for answers, and one came to mind. He pictured a black hole. It was a force so strong that light couldn't escape it. Darkness hovered over his form as the hole conjured. The motes of mana stood no chance. The black hole sucked far and wide into his first core. His belly grew hot.

The braces acted as a guideline to where Yir had to send the mana. Mana was wild and carefree. If his focus waned a little it would rampage through his body. The third eye technique helped with focus while giving the caster the greatest control and vision to see the mana around and within. When mana was refined within the core, it lost some of its wild nature and became a part of him like a child.

He guided the heat through his mana veins. The effects weren’t something he could feel now, but the veins extended the lifetime of humans. It made sure the body stayed healthy and disease-free. It was an increase in overall health.

Sending mana through the muscles was a lot more noticeable. He hadn’t started body forging yet, but he could feel the increase in strength in his arms and legs. He didn't have a mana circulation technique so the pattern he used felt awkward. He was circulating based on feeling, but that could be dangerous. One missed circulation could cause all sorts of problems he didn't want. Yir took it as slowly as possible, but he stopped when he felt fatigue in his third eye.