CHAPTER 22

The morning fog hung low over the forest, the dense mist clinging to the trees and casting everything in a dull gray haze. I stood in the clearing, my breath misting in the cool air, my mind focused on the task ahead. Today was going to be different. I could feel it in the air.

Alric had been quiet these past few days, watching me closely as I trained, as if waiting for something. I had sensed it too—a shift in the way we approached the lessons. Everything was becoming more intense, more deliberate. He hadn’t said much about the changes, but I knew something was coming. Something that would push me further than I had ever gone before.

I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath, feeling the Aetheric Flow swirl around me. It had become like second nature now, the mana moving through my body as easily as blood through my veins. But today, there was a difference. A tension in the air that made my senses sharpen.

Alric stood a few feet away, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable as always. He had been up before me, preparing something, though he hadn’t told me what.

“You’ve come a long way, Niv,” Alric said, his voice breaking the silence of the clearing. “But there’s still more for you to learn. Today, we’ll be pushing past the limits you’ve grown comfortable with.”

I raised an eyebrow, curious. “What do you mean?”

Alric took a step closer, his gaze serious. “You’ve mastered control over your abilities, but there’s something you’ve been holding back—something you haven’t fully explored.”

I frowned, unsure of what he meant. “I’ve been experimenting every night. I’m learning as much as I can.”

“I’m not talking about your experiments,” Alric replied. “I’m talking about your mana. You have unlimited mana, but you’ve barely scratched the surface of what that means. You’re still treating it as if it’s just a tool to enhance your existing skills. But there’s more—much more—that you can do with it.”

I nodded slowly, my mind racing as I tried to understand what he was getting at. I had used my mana to fuel my abilities, to heal, to manipulate the Flow. But he was right—I hadn’t really thought about the full potential of having unlimited mana. I had been focused on mastering the abilities I already knew, but there was so much more I could tap into.

Alric gestured to the forest around us. “Today, I’m going to show you what it means to truly control the Flow—not just within your own body, but around you. The world itself is alive with mana, and you need to learn how to harness it on a larger scale.”

I felt a surge of excitement, mixed with a hint of apprehension. This was new territory, something I hadn’t even considered before. But I was ready. I had to be.

“What do I need to do?” I asked, my voice steady despite the nervous energy building inside me.

Alric gave a faint smile. “You’re going to channel the Flow, not just within yourself, but through the environment. We’ll start small, and then we’ll see how far you can go.”

Alric began by explaining the basics. The Aetheric Flow wasn’t just confined to living beings—it was in everything. The earth, the air, the trees, the very stones beneath our feet. It was all part of a larger system, a web of energy that connected everything together. And with unlimited mana, I could tap into that web, manipulate it, and reshape the world around me.

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“You’ve been using your abilities to control small, specific aspects of the Flow,” Alric said, his voice calm and steady. “Now, I want you to expand that control. Feel the Flow in the earth, in the wind, in the trees. See if you can influence it.”

I nodded, closing my eyes and reaching out with my senses. I could feel the familiar pulse of the mana inside me, but now I focused outward, letting my awareness expand beyond my own body. I felt the Flow in the ground beneath my feet, in the air swirling around me, in the trees that swayed gently in the breeze.

It was subtle at first, like a faint vibration just below the surface. But as I focused, the feeling grew stronger, more tangible. I could sense the mana in the environment, flowing like a river beneath the surface of the world.

“Good,” Alric said, his voice low. “Now, see if you can direct it.”

I took a deep breath, reaching out with my mind. I didn’t want to force it—that wasn’t how the Flow worked. I needed to guide it, to nudge it in the direction I wanted. Slowly, carefully, I directed the Flow in the ground beneath me, willing it to shift, to move.

At first, nothing happened. But then, with a faint rumble, I felt the earth tremble beneath my feet. A small patch of dirt shifted, rising slightly as I directed the mana to it. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

I opened my eyes, a grin spreading across my face. “I did it.”

Alric nodded, but his expression remained serious. “That’s just the beginning. Now, I want you to try something more complex.”

He gestured to a cluster of trees a few yards away. “See if you can manipulate the wind. Use the Flow to create movement, to influence the environment without directly touching it.”

I nodded, closing my eyes again. This time, I focused on the air around me, feeling the Flow as it moved through the wind. It was different from the earth—more fluid, more difficult to grasp. But it was there, waiting to be guided.

I reached out with my mind, directing the mana through the air, willing it to swirl around the trees. Slowly, the wind picked up, a gentle breeze at first, but then it grew stronger, swirling around the trees in a controlled spiral.

I opened my eyes, watching as the wind moved according to my will. It was exhilarating, the power of controlling something so vast, so beyond myself. I could feel the strain of it, the effort it took to maintain that control, but it was manageable. I had unlimited mana, after all. I could keep this up for as long as I needed.

Alric watched in silence, his expression unreadable as I continued to manipulate the wind, making it rise and fall in intensity. After a few minutes, he finally spoke.

“Good. Now, let’s take it further.”

For the rest of the day, Alric pushed me harder than ever before, forcing me to expand my control over the environment. I manipulated the ground, the wind, the trees—anything I could sense through the Flow. Each new challenge tested my limits, but with every success, I felt myself growing stronger, more attuned to the world around me.

But it wasn’t easy. The strain of controlling such vast amounts of mana, even with my unlimited reserves, took a toll on my body. I could feel the Auto-Heal kicking in, repairing the muscle strain and fatigue as I pushed myself to the edge. The pain was always there, a constant reminder that my body wasn’t invincible, no matter how much mana I had.

Alric didn’t let up, though. He pushed me to my breaking point, testing not just my physical strength, but my mental endurance. Controlling the environment was different from controlling my own body. It required a level of focus and precision I hadn’t experienced before.

By the time the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the forest, I was exhausted. My body ached, my mind was foggy with fatigue, but I had done it. I had taken control of the Flow on a scale I hadn’t even thought possible.

Alric approached me as I sat on the ground, catching my breath. His expression was softer now, the intensity of the day’s training fading.

“You’ve made significant progress,” he said quietly. “But remember, this is just the beginning. The real test will come when you need to use these abilities in the heat of battle.”

I nodded, too tired to say much, but his words stayed with me. This wasn’t just about mastering a new skill. It was about preparing for what was to come. I had been focused on building my strength, on refining my abilities, but the real challenge would be using them when it mattered most.

The demon was still out there, waiting. And every day, I was getting closer to being ready to face it.

But today, I had taken another step forward. I had tapped into something new, something powerful. And with each new skill I mastered, I could feel the gap between me and my goal growing smaller.

I wasn’t there yet. But I was getting closer.