“Now, why are we in here for a simple venting spell?” He asked.

I thought back to the ambush. Even without any training I was able to kill someone. Magic was a dangerous thing and I would not underestimate it.

“Because I have used death mana in the past. If I accidently used that, when learning the spell, I could harm someone.”

“Yes. Although it’s mostly to teach you proper procedure. In truth, the venting spell is unlikely to hurt someone, unless they are hugging you. Death mana is a lot more lethal if it is inside your body. Simply touching it will hurt but there is enough time to retreat. And it disperses quickly in the air. That is why a real combat spell would bind the mana to something, like the water in the air, or transform the mana into something harmful. If you create a cloud, like mist, people can breathe it in and it gets nasty.”

“How would that work? Do you combine two elements?”

“Good observation. A lot of magic uses multiple elements. Do you know them?”

“Water, earth, fire, wind, life and death.”

“Correct. Death is sometimes called dark and life is called light. The elements are mostly based on the gods and their domains. In reality, there is quite a bit of overlap in their use and some effects can be achieved with different elements. You can burn something with fire, light or lightning. And electricity falls under wind.” He explained.

“If death and darkness are the same, would a spell to hide in the shadows harm people?” I wondered.

“No. Mana is the fuel for a spell. You are rarely throwing raw mana at anything. It disperses too quickly. You feed it into the spellform, which then does something, like create water. If you wanted to cover an area in darkness you would use death mana as fuel for your spell. But the result would simply be an area impenetrable by light. There would be no raw mana in the air.”

“So there is neutral mana and there are six elements. Neutral is harmless, the others can be dangerous. Mana does not leave the body for most spells. It just fuels the spellform which creates an effect.”

“Yes, any more questions before you learn your first spell?”

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“How does life mana hurt people?”

“It makes parts of your body grow that should not. Really nasty way to go.”

That did sound rather unpleasant. “I am ready sir.”

“Good.” He handed me a sheet with a rune on it. “This is the venting spell. Forming it in your mind is similar to forming an element. You need to concentrate and imagine it in your mind. You will be able to feel it when it's right. Then you just pour your mana into it. And do not use death mana.”

I sat down, studied the rune and concentrated. I looked at my inner self. The shiny core pumping mana all through my body. I realised that I did not actually know where I needed to place my mana to vent it. Maybe it did not matter? I tried forming the rune. I had to stop multiple times and check the drawing. Major Charles was sitting a few metres away, reading a book. I guess he did not expect this to be fast.

Multiple times I thought I had it, but the rune sort of collapsed when I wanted to bring mana close. I was getting really sleepy. When I started, there was simply the physical exhaustion from training, but now I grew mentally tired as well. But I refused to give up. After hours of trying something clicked. The rune in my mind turned solid. Finally!

With it came a certain understanding. The rune would simply expel all the mana inside me, that was not inside the core. It did not matter where in the body it was. Everything outside the core would be ejected through the skin. I always had some mana circulating but maybe I should try a bit more? I took a chunk from my core. It was hard for me to judge how much. Maybe a third? I shoved everything into the rune. Suddenly the world was white and I screamed.

I lay panting on the floor. My skin itched. My eyes hurt and my vision was blurry. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“I… I don’t know. My eyes… I think my vision is coming back. What happened? I thought I had the spell…”

“Oh, you certainly did cast the spell. But with a lot of mana. Your entire skin lit up. You were so bright you blinded yourself. You released more than most graduates have. I am impressed.”

But… that was not even all of my mana? What was I?

“Don’t worry. You can’t deplete your core, even if you put everything you have in a spell. It constantly produces mana. It simply strains your mind, makes you tired. If you overuse your magic you will fall asleep. Not a great thing on a battlefield but not really dangerous during training.”

Oh. He misinterpreted my shock. He thought I had put all of my mana into it.

“That… that was not all of my mana.” I admitted.

He looked at me. “Is that so? You certainly are a mystery. Your mana, combined with your affinity for death magic, might allow you to become one of the greatest necromancers that has ever lived. And you learned your first spell in a few hours. That is not normal either.”

Was that bad? Should I have hidden my power?

Major Charles smiled. “I understand why the princess is sponsoring you. And why I was ordered to prepare you for the academy. You will be a considerable boost to our nation's strength. I would advise you to hold back a bit, at least until you can defend yourself. Not everyone will be happy about your existence.”

At least he seemed to be on my side. And now I knew my first spell. I was looking forward to learning more.

He dismissed me afterwards and told me to meet him again at 7:00 tomorrow. When I exited the building I realised it was already evening. The clock said 18:34, so it was a good time to grab dinner. I had spent the entire afternoon learning the spell.

In the mess hall I got a sausage and potato stew. I also claimed my free ale, something I had skipped the previous day. I had never been allowed alcohol before. It was nice and made me feel slightly warm. It was a shame that I did not have anyone to share it with. I hoped my roommate would be nice, whenever she arrived. After the meal I went to bed. I had to admit, having my own room felt a bit lonely. I did not have any real close friends as a slave, but we had a lot of camaraderie. I snuggled my tail and fell asleep.