Kwame looked at the young faun as he walked towards the training structure. Bryn’s walk was confident, and he didn’t look back.
“I hope you are right, Bryn,” Kwame whispered.
I should start by performing a sequence as a base comparison. It will be helpful not only for today but for the following levels as well. After that I have to start maintaining mana flow on different parts of my body and testing an intensity variety. Let’s get to work. Thought Bryn.
The entire morning was dedicated to the analysis. After the first half hour, people started to notice Bryn was dead set on performing the same move sequence repeatedly. It wasn’t hard compared to what he used to do, and that caught their attention.
First, let’s allow the natural flow of mana from my core to my body.
He got a feel for his performance after trying the sequence a few times.
Now, let’s close the gates completely—no mana flow from the core to the body.
His muscles squeezed their fibers on every move, and his mind was taken from the movements to guarantee that the mana wouldn’t leak out. It was a more rigid sequence for the initial tries, but his precision increased as he got used to the feeling.
So, the constant flow of mana allows my body to perform better, but without mana on my core, the possibility of using magic is gone… Let’s find a level of flow from the core that doesn’t compromise my future magic capabilities!
With each sequence of movements, Bryn allowed a small amount of mana to flow from his core to his body. He tried to release the least possible amount at first, increasing it little by little each time.
I’ll find the perfect balance between mana generation and release; that should be the flow I aim towards.
As time passed, Bryn’s performance on the sequence oscillated, but his overall movements got faster and smoother; he improved the perception of his body and surroundings.
After the morning was almost over, he initiated his final runs. Releasing all core energy to his body. Those watching could feel the power coming from the young faun. At his first jump, he noticed the difference; the distance he covered was almost double that of the previous tries. He skipped an entire obstacle, making him lose the flow of the sequence. Despite having to interrupt his movement sequence, his face started to smile, and the increase in strength output made him extremely happy.
Hunting will become much easier by using magic and improving my body with mana; I should reach level 20 sooner than expected.
He kept experimenting with the increased release of mana from his core until he fell to the ground unconscious. Kwame was the first to run towards him.
“He has exhausted his mana core completely.” Said Kwame, looking at the others. “I’ll take him to the main hall so he can rest up.” He continued.
In his arms, the faun seemed like the small child he was. Bryn’s limbs were utterly loose. As Kwame pulled him up, his weight made him turn into a fetal position on the man’s arms.
The new horns were prominent from that distance. Kwame took a few seconds before starting to walk with him. Who are you, young man… Thought Kwame as he replayed the training session that had made Bryn have his first mana depletion. The speed at which Bryn’s control was evolving was noticeable. Usually, one had to train for days before achieving any level of development.
Jumping out of the bed, Bryn placed one of his hands on his forehead as the other helped balance him. “Uhh, what happened?” he said. Analyzing his surroundings, he recognized the main hall of the village.
“You depleted your mana…” Said Kwame.
“Mr. Kwame? What do you mean?” Asked Bryn as he analyzed his body. His core had a minimal amount of mana; it was so tiny that his body wasn’t trying to consume it.
“For one to use magic, we must accept a small setback. If we spend all our mana, we lose consciousness, my friend.”
“But my body keeps draining my core; I have been without mana before.”
“Do you think nature is that simple, Bryn? Bodies like yours consume extra mana from your core until it reaches a minimal level essential for survival, and then it simply matches your mana generation…”
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Wait, if this impacts my mana core badly, I won’t be able to hunt… Bryn’s face started to contort as Kwame explained the situation.
“Don’t worry, all you have to do is not use mana and rest for a few hours, and you’ll be back to your regular self,” said Kwame, as if reading the faun’s mind.
Kwame sat down on the foot of the bed, placing one of his hands over the blanket covering Bryn’s hooves. “Look, young man, resting is also part of improving. Overexerting yourself won’t do you or your parents any good. You are training so you can have a chance to rescue them, are you not?” Asked Kwame.
“Mr Kwame, I’ll take care of my health. But they are alone, with that monster calling herself Lady. I can’t rest until I know they are fine.” Said Bryn as his mind thought about what he wanted to say. I’ll repay Freya and Sylas for caring for me as I came into this world.
“I may not be Gabriel, but I’ll help you train your magic whenever possible when hunting for levels.”
“Why are you helping me, Mr Kwame?”
“Who do you believe me to be? I, Kwame Nkosi, have vowed to protect you. If you wish to go on a suicide mission, all I can do is guarantee you have a minimal chance to survive it. Now let’s eat; you have training in the afternoon.”
Both man and faun got up from the bed and started to walk outside. A tall, blonde face appeared before them as they crossed the door.
“Bryn, there you are. I was told you had a mana backlash. How are you feeling?” asked Gabriel, looking at them both.
“I’m fine, Mr. Gabriel. I just didn’t know any better…”
“Kwame, today Bryn’s magic lesson will be private as well. But I wish you to be with him during his morning training…” said Gabriel.
“Do not worry, Mr. Gabriel, I’ll take care of him.”
“Good. Bryn, come, it is time for your next lesson. Kwame, Jonas is waiting for you and the rest of the party to continue your training.”
“See you soon, my friend.” said Kwame, looking at Bryn. His expression was already much better than before.
Gabriel and Bryn took off to the woods as Kwame walked to the square's center to meet everyone.
“Bryn, magic is a complicated subject. Before you train on your own, you should learn your basics. You may hurt yourself otherwise.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gabriel. I had no idea depleting one’s core could have such an adverse reaction.”
“Today, while we train on your control, I’ll teach you some magical theory so you can use your free time without harm...”
“Thank you.”
Snow started to fall as Bryn spoke. Gabriel looked up at the skies as he stopped for a second.
“You don’t have to thank me… Now let’s go, we are almost there.”
Bryn kept looking around, trying to find the traces of their skills. Gabriel and his water ball destroyed the trees, but looking around, there were none.
“Mana geysers pump world energy, or mana, to their surroundings. If you do not drain the mana geyser completely, its surroundings will reconstruct faster than you can imagine.”
“Mr Gabriel, how can one use more mana?”
“Before going into it, it's time for your lesson about control to start. I want you to control your mana flow. Fill your core to the maximum without allowing your mana to leak out, then force your mana out to your entire body at full strength.”
“But that is how I depleted my core this morning…”
“Exactly; today, you’ll learn how to control mana output until the last possible second before losing consciousness or even body performance. For that, we’ll take you to the brink. Also, the mana geyser will make you recover much faster than at the village.”
Bryn knew that Gabriel had much more knowledge than him about magic, so there was no reason to challenge his teacher. He sat down, crossing his hooves. Placing his hands on his stomach, he closed his right fist, placing its thumb on the open palm of his left hand. With his eyes closed, he used his breathing technique to increase the mana generation and focus on blocking any leakage from his core.
This kid is incredible; in a single day, he can already block his core and focus his mind on mana repletion. I won’t let him get complacent with his training. I thought, Gabriel.
“Magic theory, if you go to any of our academies, they will give you amazing books about it. Even records about pathways one should follow to comprehend magic. The reality is few understand that you can only increase significantly your magic when you are one with it. But let’s cover the basics. Use appraisal on yourself and tell me your INT level.”
Bryn's head tilted slightly to the side as he used appraisal without speaking it out loud.
“Don’t lack on your concentration; I saw a bit of your mana leaking…” said Gabriel in a severe manner. It wasn’t the tone he previously had with Bryn.
“I have 14 intelligence, Mr. Gabriel,” answered Bryn, using his focus to block his core once again.
“The more INT status you have, the more all things related to magic will increase. But that is too simplistic. Tell me, do you believe a person who trained with magic every day for years would lose to someone with the same amount of intelligence who learned magic the previous week?”
“No, sir.”
“The next thing that can influence your magical capabilities is skills. All mages learn two skills at a minimum. “Magic Perception” and “Magic Control” are the basis for all magic. The first allows you to feel, see, and sense mana. The second allows you to manipulate it. The more you train both, the more you can improve by leaps and bounds.”
Bryn scanned his skills; both were there as the last two skills he had learned. As his mind looked through his status this time, no energy left his core.
“Before I continue, it is time for you to force everything out of your body. As you do it, I want you to try and imagine your limbs absorbing your mana.”
Bryn followed his command. Forcing his mana out of his core with everything he could, his body trembled a bit. His mind traveled through his entire body as he mentalized. Mr Gabriel told me to mentalize my body absorbing the mana. What better way to do it than to imagine a new mitochondrion inside every cell of my body to process the mana? It should balance the absorption literally to my entire body.
Gabriel's eyes opened wide, robbing him of his serious expression. He couldn’t believe his eyes as Bryn’s core depleted with raging speed. I was told that all users with magical bodies have a limit to how much mana output from their core they can absorb, but his kid is too far away from his current limit.
At that time, neither Gabriel nor the others knew that the quality of a magical body's capabilities was no chance or luck given by the heavens but the user’s visualization capabilities of absorption.
“Bryn, that is enough!”
Bryn could stop at the nick of time; his eyes saw some dark spots, but he recovered quickly.
“Good, start the process once again.”
Closing the gates, Bryn’s mind regained its focus and his core filled with magic once again.
“The last theoretical thing that can impact one's magic are blessings and titles. Tell me, what do you know about them? Remember, no leakages on your core until I tell you to.”
Bryn’s mind divided, he focused to answer controlling his core.