Cassie built our campfire. I provided a water shield to block the rain. The wood was wet but it stood no chance against Cassie’s alchemy. Soon, we had an impressive fire. Our dinner would be soup. The powder providing the flavour was not too different from the stew, to be honest. And, of course, we had crackers…

The meal was not great but it was hot. While the temperature did not bother most of us, a hot meal still felt nice. Not that it was really cold. It was still summer. But the rain had lowered the temperature significantly.

As we sat at the fire I had a thought: “You know, I think we should combine physical exercise with magical training more often. I feel like it really helps.”

“I know what you mean.” Skadi said. “It really helps to become familiar with spell after you have learned it.”

“I don’t think I could pull that off. I would just collapse.” Cassie complained.

“That is why you need more training.” Skadi countered.

“My core is not that big. And I will mostly just use potions anyway.” Cassie said.

“Alchemy is a great choice for you, and you have talent, but you should not ignore your physical training.” Skadi pointed out.

“Skadi is right.” Helena said. “You will be in combat and you will be forced to use some spells too. It’s good to have a focus, like alchemy, but you can’t neglect everything else.”

“Don’t worry, I will help you train.” Skadi offered. “We regularly spar to make sure Koyuki can do more than swing a stick around.”

Cassie looked panicked. “Koyuki, save me!”

“I do know a technique that helps with training. I figured that out by accident. I was told it’s something for more advanced students but maybe you can all try it.” I suggested.

“That is not the saving I was looking for.” Cassie grumbled.

I explained to them how I was using the mana leaking from my core and pumping it through my body.

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“I remember you telling me about that when we went shopping.” Helena said. “Maybe we are now advanced enough to give it a try. It will require a lot of concentration. Hey, that could be the perfect thing to try while marching!”

“Will it even make a difference with our smaller cores?” Cassie asked.

“You can actively use your mana too.” I said. “That is how this is supposed to go, I think.”

“And even if it only gives us a small boost it’s better than nothing.” Skadi added.

“Maybe it will even help with alchemy?” I said.

Cassie looked sceptical. But she sighed and gave in. “Ok, I will give it a try.”

Skadi padded her on the back. “We will make a strong warrior out of you yet.”

We spent the remaining evening with me trying to describe what I did and walking them through it. While it felt natural for me they all struggled a bit.

“The mana just does not want to keep doing that. It always returns to orbit my core if I stop focusing.” Helena complained.

I scratched my head. “I don’t know. It all made sense to me. You have those pipes inside your body where blood flows. And I kind of just imagined mana as a liquid flowing through those too.”

“Those are called blood vessels.” Cassie corrected me.

“Ok. I just imagine them as pipes. The point is, they are a network through your entire body. If you can just attach mana to the same network it will reach everything.”

“But how does the mana know what to do without a spell? How does it help you improve?” Cassie asked.

“Uhm. No idea? Maybe the body can just use it as fuel somehow? My trainer said it would simply help the body train faster and reach its peak condition.” I said.

“So, the body simply knows how to use the mana and does not need more instructions. And only if you want to truly enhance yourself beyond what is natural you need a spell.” Helena theorised.

“And spellblade runes give the body additional instructions on what to do with the mana? And automate the mana circulation process?” Skadi wondered.

“Maybe. When do we have classes on spellblades?” I asked.

“You can specialise starting in the 2nd year. But if you are uncertain, I think you can wait till the 3rd year to choose your path.” Skadi answered.

While my friends were struggling with my technique I pondered ways to help them. What more could I do, other than explain it? Was there a way to show it?

“What would happen if I pushed mana into you? Could I just show you directly how I do it?” I asked.

“You want to push mana into us?” Cassie asked.

“That… that is how I killed the fire mage during the ambush. I used death mana back then. But neutral mana should not harm you, right?”

“So, you want to use a method that killed someone on us?” Helena asked.

I blushed. “Um. I mean…”

“I am just teasing you. I am sure you would not harm us.” Helena assured me.

“Can you actually control mana inside someone else?” Skadi asked. “I have never heard of something like that.”

“I have no idea.” I admitted.

“If you could push mana into someone, would that mean you can enhance someone’s spells?” Cassie wondered.

“We learned that the body can only hold a certain amount of mana proportional to your core. So I guess you could not boost someone beyond their natural capacity.” I theorised.

“I suppose we could just vent if something goes wrong.” Helena mused.

“I guess the biggest problem would be trust. If you allowed someone to just push mana inside you, they could easily kill you.” Cassie pointed out.

“I do trust Koyuki.” Helena said while looking at me.