The special class was abuzz with curiosity and astonishment as Mirai, the dark elf professor, took stock of the spacious but underutilized classroom. She couldn't help but wonder why such a large room was allocated for a mere ten students. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the eager gazes of her students, who were expecting their first lesson.
With a hint of a smile, she began her lecture.
“First let's review the basics of magic. What is magic? Well, magic is the art of shaping mana to perform an action, most of the time by the use of spells.” She explained, then turned to Mia. “You, Mia, explain how one forms and uses a spell.”
Mia rose from her seat and explained in her typical straightforward manner. “You need to have an image of what you want in your mind and will the mana in your control to become that image, which you can then control.”
A hushed silence fell over the room as Mirai's expression shifted from curiosity to disbelief. “Stop joking, Mia, and explain how to cast a spell properly,” she urged, her voice a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
Mia, slightly annoyed, responded, “This is how I do magic. If there's another way, I'd like to know.” Her simplicity stunned both her classmates and the professor.
"Incredible!" Mirai thought as she gazed at Mia. She couldn't fathom how this young girl had stumbled upon such an unconventional method for spellcasting. “You are not joking, are you?” Mirai asked one more time just to make sure.
Mia, somewhat perplexed by the reaction, confirmed her words. Mirai's jaw dropped in defeat. She recognized that Mia was genuine and that her spellcasting method was unique.
“Well, I should probably explain then how normal people use spells.” Mirai said.
Using the blackboard she begins to draw an example of a spell while explaining it.
Spells, as apparently most people know, are cast by aligning nodes of mana and vibrating them in a certain frequency. On the black board there is a symbol similar to the letter 'O' made out of 6 points connecting each other. Mirai explains that if you control mana to create those 6 points, nodes, in the air and vibrate then in order, in a certain frequency you would create an elemental ball. By adding a node in the middle of it you could also launch the ball once you vibrated the node.
You could choose the size of the nodes for the most part. Bigger nodes meant that the spell would be more powerful while maintaining the shape but it would take more mana.
Mia lost herself a little and tried to see if she could do what her professor just explained. She created 6 nodes in the shape on the blackboard and began to vibrate them. She made sure to make very small nodes since she didn't want any damage.
First, her little spell became a ball of wind. Then after Mia vibrated it again, this time stronger, it became a ball of fire. She began to change how hard the nodes were being vibrated and the elemental ball quickly changed from one element to another. Sadly not much in the way of special elements appeared, just the basic water, fire, wind, earth, light and dark.
Earth was basic dirt. Light and darkness are two somewhat strange elements. Light, as a magic element, is something similar to glass while darkness is like liquid that is almost solid. But even with those characteristics they can't really do much by themselves.
Once the ball went back to water, Mia created a ball of water using her usual method and analyzed both side by side. She was not happy that the spell, in the way the professor just explained, was really inefficient. It took almost 5 times more mana than the one Mia made by just thinking about it and it was not as structurally firm.
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Once the initial shock wore off, the students couldn't help but wonder how Mia's magic functioned in such an unorthodox way. Moon, no longer restrained by his companions' silence, couldn't hold back his skepticism. He bluntly declared, “There's no way your way of casting spells is superior to the traditional method.”
“I am not saying it's superior. But it is more efficient and structurally firm. At least in relation to the spell the professor just drew. Besides, I would like to learn more about how people normally cast spells, it might help in the future when dealing with other people.” Mia explained.
Mirai continued her explanation, discussing the difficulties many faced in vibrating nodes to cast spells. She mentioned that people often had elemental affinities that allowed them to vibrate nodes at the corresponding frequency but with enough training, anyone could cast spells using any element.
She then moved on to rituals, explaining that more than one person could cast the same spell by aligning the nodes they create during the casting to make a spell. This sparked a glimmer of hope in Mirai as she glanced at Mia. “Do you think you can cast a spell with someone else?” she inquired.
Mia's response was a thoughtful one. "It depends on your definition of casting and together. I can use other people's mana with their permission, which lets me create a spell with that mana. However, casting is a complex matter. I remember when I was a child; one of my friends casted a water spell. I combined it with one of my own, but we could only launch it if we both wanted to. Whether it counts as casting is for you to decide."
Mirai, unable to refute Mia's logic, conceded that Mia's explanation was valid. There was a high probability that other children, like Mia, could use magic in unconventional ways. Mia explained that her childhood friends, who used a similar approach, didn't focus on magic as much as she did. They had limited mana, so even though they could cast spells using her method, they couldn't sustain it for an extended period or cast spells in great volume.
“But is your magic more powerful?” Moon asked, trying to win something.
Mia, ever the analytical thinker, posed a question to Mirai. "Is there a way to measure the power of a spell?"
“Yes. Usually it's by the amount of mana used on it or by the potency of its effect. Since Moon seems to be so eager to help, we could do a little test. He can create a basic elemental ball using the normal method and you Mia create one using your method, both with the same amount of mana. Then you just press one on the other. If one is less powerful than the other, it will dispel itself. Don't worry I can sense if they both have the same amount of mana.”
Moon didn't hesitate to accept the challenge. In contrast, Mia saw it as a learning experience, not a competition. They both created small water elemental balls the size of tennis balls and pressed them together after their professor checked if they used the same amount of mana. Moon's ball disintegrated in less than a second, confirming Mia's superior spellcasting.
The students were in awe of Mia's skill, and Moon was left in a state of near disbelief. The room was filled with astonishment, except for Mia's fan club, Nariza and Shishen, who cheered wildly.
“Again! Water magic is not my forte.” Moon almost shouted. The professor and Mia accepted.
Moon created a ball of darkness and to no one's surprise but his, the test went the same way.
With the demonstration concluded, Mirai asked the students to return to their seats, and the lesson shifted back to her control. She inquired of Mia, "Is there anything else you can add about how you use magic?"
Mia pondered for a moment and then replied, "Not much. You think about what you want and focus on it. Emotion might play some part, too."
The remaining lesson time was dedicated to the students as they experimented with casting spells as Mia did, trying to find something she couldn't replicate. However, none could replicate her method, and the most substantial revelation was that one could use magic to fix spells on non-magical objects, which Mia had never considered before as she never really had a reason to try. Mia managed to fix an elemental ball in the air once she had the mental image for it.
The conversation also touched on creation magic, with Mia suggesting she couldn't use it but, once again, the students were curious about this lesser-known form of magic. Mirai explained that creation magic was a form of magic that allowed one to create anything, even life.
As the lesson drew to a close, Mirai explained that Mia might not be able to perform certain types of magic due to her lack of knowledge, such as summoning, healing, or enhancement magic. These branches of magic required more than the basic spellcasting ability, and Mia's inability to use them didn't prove that they were beyond her capability.
With the lesson completed, Mirai instructed the students to gather their belongings and follow her. The next lesson would be conducted outdoors.