Chapter 78 - Magical Eureka

Michelle made her way over a ledge, her legs moving in a way that did not produce any sound, even against the deep snow over her feet. In the distance, the first thing she noticed about the creature was its species: a bighorn.

I've never fought an earth bighorn… Daddy told me they are called the terror of the mountains; I'll keep far away and finish it with my bow! Michelle thought as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and pulled her bow back.

Before pulling it all the way, she looked back at Lysander's position, whispering a question to him. The man simply nodded, not to produce any disturbance for Michelle's hunt.

What followed caused Lysander to lose his speech. He had known Michelle since she was a baby but hadn't trained with her for a long time.

The flickering lights from the arrow lasted only a second before they dimmed, but what shocked Lysander was that the amount of mana covering and merging with the arrow kept increasing even when the light dimmed.

Suddenly, Michelle’s body resonated with the mana around the arrow; the moment it happened, the projectile was launched. Even if, for just an instant, Lysander could perceive it.

Lysander saw the arrow ripping apart the air resistance like butter. As the arrow’s nock passed the bow’s arrow's rest, its body cracked in different parts. The pressure buildup at the arrow's tip skyrocketed as the potential energy fully transformed into kinetic. Lysander couldn't believe what his eyes registered right before his body felt it. Lysander saw the sonic boom created by the attack, crossing the sound barrier at the tip of the arrow and its nock.

Proudly looking at Michelle, he allowed the shock wave from the Mach cone to hit him directly, causing his skin and clothes to tremble and messing his hair.

The creature down in the ravine moved its head toward the noiseless flickering light, trying to determine if it was a friend or foe. From the bighorn's perspective, a little girl stood in the direction the light had come from. Strangely, the colors around the environment dimmed as her posture twisted in her eyes.

It was far too late when the bighorn tried to activate its mana core to protect itself. Not only had the arrow already passed its guts, but the moment it did, the shock wave ravished what it hadn't compromised inside its body.

Michelle looked back, smiling toward Lysander, waiting for her prize, but all the man could think about was the sequence of events that just transpired in front of him.

Far away in the forest, Bryn woke up trying to block Jonas's incoming blow. His eyes looked around at the empty tent, realizing he had lost his conscience during the battle. Looking down, his fists closed as he pressed his palms, creating grooves in his clothes under both hands.

"Welcome back," Jonas said, entering the tent.

"Mr Jonas, thank you." Said Bryn, lowering both his eyes and head toward him.

Jonas knew he was a proud young man but respectful and humble whenever the situation required.

"What have you learned?"

Bryn turned his head quickly in Jonas's direction, returning his eyes down right after. Pondering about the question, he answered.

"I misjudged my length and the power of my spells and overestimated the mana I had at my disposal," Bryn said as he crossed his arms.

Jonas curled his lips upwards as he patted Bryn's head. "Good. Come, let's eat so we can go another round."

Bryn left the bed outside the tent to a warm campfire. As he filled his lungs, the cold from the winter conflicted with the warmth entering his body. The smell of the roasting meat caused his stomach to roar. He covered it with both hands as his pale face reddened.

"Eat as I give you a few pointers," Jonas said as he extended him a significant portion of meat, laughing while he did it.

Bryn nodded, his hands grabbing the meat and instantly devouring it.

"First things first, you lack experience. Going back, I'll have you fight people."

With his mouth full, Bryn agreed with his head.

"Second, training is when you go crazy with magic. Battling to the death is when you are your sharpest."

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Bryn didn't move this time; they disagreed on principle, but he would tell Jonas that for now.

"Third, know your body. You can exhaust your body, your core, or both simultaneously. You can also shut down from pain and any other biological function."

"Four, magic battles have immense possibilities. Creativity is sometimes crucial to killing your opponent. Versatility isn't about how many elements you can use, but how you use them." While Jonas talked, he waved his hand, forming a water whip. With another wave, the whip formed a sharp blade. The next wave transformed the ice blade into droplets of water that fell on a rock, evaporating from their temperature exchange.

I gotta learn that level of control over the mana flow. There was no loss in the transformation from him! Bryn thought as he gulped the food in his mouth and raised his hand.

"Mr Jonas, what training regime would you recommend to improve my control over mana?" Bryn asked Jonas before he signed for him to ask the question.

As Jonas suggested a few ways for Bryn to improve his control over his mana usage, Bryn's mind expanded the layering concepts further than Jonas could even imagine.

That night, Bryn asked to sleep early as he started to try some of his experiments on the mana control exercises. Inside his tent, the first thing was to form a bit of water and force it to move as he wished. It was different than creating a sphere and moving the entire sphere around; he had to move the water inside the shape he imagined through the mana flow within the figure.

That night, Bryn barely slept. His body and mind rested after the mana exhaustion. Jonas also offered him a few potions to pair with the meat to replenish his core quickly.

Sitting in his room, he activated his magical body and analyzed the changes.

It's as if my subconscious was free to use mana as fuel for any function of my body… If it can influence my status, it might affect other portions of my being…

With the spell still active, he started to form spheres of water in different sizes. He could feel the strain over his mind and core reduced from what he usually felt when casting.

Closing his eyes, Bryn put his hand forth and formed the image of the infinite in his mind. Trying to channel his visualization for the water spheres, they slowly approached each other. Some joined together, others simply stood near them.

The amount of mana was minuscule compared to what he expected, and there was barely any change in the output. Even so, Bryn started to sweat on his forehead, drops dripping from his eyebrows.

After a few minutes, the combination of water spheres formed a single image that resembled the infinite figure. The weight on Bryn’s mind was tremendous; he couldn’t last more than five seconds with the spell in that format.

What is happening? Controlling the spheres, the pressure inside them, or the ice wasn’t nearly this tough!

He kept repeating the experiment, but the result was the same: the trembling figure couldn’t hold its form for more than a few seconds, and the water inside didn’t move.

Come on, Bryn! I’m visualizing the hydrogen bonds keeping the water together. I’m causing the pressure to separate the holes and keep the limits on the outside. What am I missing?

The sun soon became visible through the canopies. Jonas entered his tent and noticed that the floor inside was wet.

“This kid… Wake up! Time for another round.” Jonas said, poking Bryn a few times.

The young faun almost fell out of bed, frightened. “Yes, sir!” he said even before he realized what was happening. His face was smashed from spending most of the night trying to improve his mana control.

As Bryn left the tent, Jonas was outside, waiting for him in an open area.

“Before we start, let’s do that routine of yours. Meanwhile, you tell me what you did inside my tent.”

Bryn knew Jonas was allowing him to getter his thoughts while waking up; thankful that he wouldn’t have to fight the veteran half a sleep, he started his yoga exercises.

Both performed the exercises as their bodies awakened.

“Bryn, you face magic differently than anything I heard before. Still, I think you are making it more than it should be.”

“What do you mean, Mr. Jonas?”

“You rambled about the pressure inside and outside, all these things… Did you try simply visualizing the image?”

“What do you think I’ve been doing all night!” Bryn answered, rolling his eyes, annoyed.

“From what you told me, that is nothing like what you did,” Jonas replied, ignoring his rudeness.

“How do you mean?”

“Well, you are not allowing magic and mana to compensate for your shortcomings. I don’t understand your thoughts about your water spheres, but I can use them nonetheless.” Jonas said, creating a few high-pressured water spheres that blew up when they touched a tree nearby. They were small, only breaking a portion of the bark from the tree.

Bryn’s entire body felt it at that moment. As if a thunderbolt had struck him in the head, his mind started clicking, and a chain of thought formed.

“I’m overcomplicating the creation process!!! THANK YOU, MR. JONAS!!” He screamed, abandoning his yoga position and instantly forming a comfortable stance. One foot before the other, both palms opened facing his body, and his eyes closed.

Remember water bending from the comics? Allow the mana to flow and forget about the science behind it for a moment, he thought before opening his eyes.

“Interesting…” mumbled Jonas, looking at the fire inside Bryn’s eyes. The determination coming from the kid was almost tangible.

Bryn moved both his legs and arms in soft and constant movements. As he did it, a string of water formed, and he started to dance in a direction related to his body's movements. His arms aimed at the tip of the string, and his legs gave it speed.

I did explain where to improve but on the first try? Really? Jonas thought, looking at the circling drawing of two big drops touching each other as the water inside kept moving, allowing the image to be precise even when the flow speed changed.

Bryn stopped as soon as he achieved the image in his mind. Dumbfounded by the situation, Bryn started to giggle a bit. He tried to hold it inside but couldn’t. Soon, his laugh got the best of him, and he rolled on the floor, crying from laughter.

I’m foolish! I'm in a magical world; I don't need to know or think of every detail! Of course, that would help, but overthinking can also get in my way! Bryn thought as he laughed.

Jonas looked confused at the situation while the faun rolled on the floor. Children would be children, and it didn't matter how mature they seemed. Crossed his mind.

As Bryn calmed, he had a few last chuckles about how he faced magic. Getting up, he looked at Jonas with excitement in his eyes.

"Mr. Jonas, can I try something else before we start?" Bryn asked.

The man nodded, waiting for Bryn's next move.

If magic can compensate for the knowledge I lack or force a condition even without science baking it, I should be able to do this, right? Bryn talked with himself, calming his mind. Unlike his posture when going for the live infinite symbol, his stance now was a bit more aggressive. Both hands closed, his elbows covering his face partially as his torso leaned forward.

His eyes looking sharp at the three before him, he sent a first jab with his left hand, following it with another and then a straight. As his hand returned, he sped up the rotation to his right, allowing himself to set up a spinning sidekick.

Before speaking with the faun, Jonas held his medallion tightly. Who or what is this kid?