Leo and Heidi

Alea’s cabin, Black Forest, Germany

Leo took the orb lying on the grass after his initial shock and asked Heidi, “Damn, that scared me. Was that how it usually works?”

“Yes, that is how the crystal works,” Heidi replied. “It is just that no one triggers the recording successfully on their first try when they have never held a recording crystal before. That is why I was surprised to see that it worked on the first attempt for you.”

“So what do I do? Attempt again?” Leo asked for confirmation.

“Yes, try again and let's listen and see what the recording has to say,” she replied and sat next to Leo to view the crystal better. Leo proceeded to repeat the steps as before and triggered the recording successfully.

A monochrome figurine appeared above the orb. A woman in her twenties with dark hair was dressed in what seemed to be a simple white dress. She had a kind face that looked like it wanted to offer guidance and eyes that reminded Leo of a kindergarten teacher looking at her first class of kids.

“Welcome, initiate,” the figure began by saying the same thing it did before. “You are viewing the first entry of the Grand Grimoire. A series of recordings designed to train a young aspirant like yourself to grow into a full-fledged mage who will work wonders! But before you ask, remember, this is just a recording. I will not be able to answer you. So listen carefully and do not lose focus in feeding your mana to the crystal.

“In case you have not used recording crystals before, if you want to pause and return to the middle of the recording, just remember the last scene in your mind’s eye and guide the mana when initiating the recording.

“Now, let me explain to you what the Grand Grimoire is. It is a series of lessons designed by me, Alea Monti, to guide you, whoever you are, to the path of the free mage. Along the way, I will teach you how to wield the mana as it was supposed to be wielded, freely but with care.

“Though be warned! The road before you will be challenging and will not offer immediate results or accolades, should you want to start slinging spells already. There are no shortcuts in our path. One must fully commit in order to reap the rewards. Now, enough about that!

“In this first recording, I will explain the series and what each part will impart to you, hopefully forming you with time to be a full-fledged mage. The series are designed to be viewed individually if you happen to be on your own without a buddy mage to help you with the exercises and in groups, where you can practice the manipulation of mana together!

“If you are viewing this, then by now, you have discovered that there is some mana in you, though you do not know what to do with it yet. You may feel slight discomfort in your body as it has started to concentrate mana in various parts, causing some build-up.

“Do not worry, that is normal! And hence the reason why we will start with the formation of the core. In short, the core will be the first gate you will form. It is located below your navel and will act as a focal point and gathering-well for your mana.

“Your first job will be to gather all the mana you have accumulated up to this point in your body to this one place and form your mana core. Do not worry! Likely you are just up to ten years old. I will try to keep it simple for you!

“Once you have managed to form the first gate or the core, as we call it for simplicity's purpose, you will notice that it will gain color in your mind’s eye. That is normal and expected. You should expect to see a gray or brown color. If you see a red one, I congratulate you beforehand as the heavens have granted you a boon seen once in a thousand years!

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“But, in case you see the standard gray or brown, do not worry! With magic, everything is possible! You will grow to possess all the requirements for progression with time and dedication, no matter what color you start!

“Now to the other six gates. Four of them will be located in your torso. From those four, two will be on your shoulders and the other two at the tops of your thighs. These gates enable your body to gather your internal mana and mix it with the external mana to form grand-scale spells or simply spells that cannot be cast only using your internal resources.

“In simple terms, you will channel large amounts of mana in the various parts of your body while casting, and you will need a proper place for the mana to accumulate and go through.

“The sixth gate will be the most important and the hardest to form. It is called the mind’s eye. It is located right around the back of your neck and connects your brain to the mana inside you. It is the most important one as it will enable you to go from simple intent-based casting, where you visualize what the mana could be, to seeing mana in and around you. Many of our kind get stuck here and can never see what magic is - all of its grandeur.

“By forming the sixth gate, you will gain access to large-scale spells that only a few of us are able to work. Though, do not worry! All is a matter of time, and I am sure you will get there, young aspirant!

“In regards to the gates, that is all. Oh! Before I forget. Besides them, there are these natural structures in us that connect our body and its organs to the mana. Those are called mana channels! They are a natural part of us, allowing us to use the little mana we have in us before we awaken our cores. Also, they will enable you to channel the mana required to trigger this recording,

“The channels are like little canals where the mana flows in you. Similar to how blood does. They are connected to your core and all of the gates. It will be a matter of great importance for us to strengthen them and make them flexible for you to progress! So do not forget to view other crystals for lessons on this topic!

“Right, we forgot meditation. Remember! Nothing is free in our world! And magic is one such thing. To work magic, you must learn to collect mana from around you and gather it in your core. Make it yours. Collect it, convert it and conserve it. CCC - three little letters for you to remember.

“You will need to spend a lot of time in meditation practicing various exercises related to the CCC process if you want to progress as a mage. You can hold only so much mana today in your body. And believe me, before you have developed a gray core, that is not much. Though do not feel discouraged! Time is on your side! Especially if you are as dedicated as you believe yourself to be!

“Now that is it for the introduction. And if you are asking, ‘When do I start to cast the spells?’ You are just staring at the mountain top from the hillside. Remember, nothing comes for free. If you want to cast spells today, join one of the mage clans. They will have you with open arms. Though expect to succumb to mediocrity and lose the ability to build a proper foundation. Always stuck at the bottom.

“See you in the next lesson!” the woman, from the top of the crystal, winked out, and the recording ended. Leo and Heidi stared at the ball in Leo’s hand before he asked, “That was Alea? I thought she would be some grandmotherly-looking figure speaking in riddles.”

Heidi looked at him, chewing on what she had heard in the recording crystal just now. Some parts she knew from her lessons, for example, what the core and the mana channels did when casting spells. Others, about the gates and this ‘mind’s eye,’ she had not heard before. So she said, “I believe we just glimpsed at what it means to train as a free mage. It sure is different from what I learned.”

“That woman,” Leo began. “Do you think that really was Alea?”

“I think so, yes. She seems to own the whole place, including these boxes,” Heidi answered, pointing to the other recording crystals.

“So what now?” Leo asked, understanding that his progress was only now beginning.

“Now, you will take the crystal with number two and view the lesson recorded there,” she answered.

Leo sighed and said, “I feel this will take more than this afternoon.”