Layne’s Point of View

Both of us were about to stand but suddenly, the doors slammed open, and everyone went quiet— the rowdy atmosphere was now filled with whispers. Slowly, the presence of two individuals was revealed.

It was Lady Gresya and Lord Dionne.

They walked like main characters out of a novel. Everyone’s eyes traced what they were about to do, and I, am no exception. Before my eyes were further glued, “Let’s go,” I said to Aishi, and he nodded. Before they notice me, I should hurry up. With that entrance, the gap between all three of us grew. I, on the other hand, only have a last name to brag. They seemed to solidify something here, just like what Uncle has said, they are making a noise in high society.

We were near the entrance when, “Layne!” I heard Lady Gresya’s voice from afar. I slowly turned around and saw both of them, Lady Gresya’s excited face and Lord Dionne’s somewhat pissed face. I looked around and all the students' eyes were glued at us, it would be rude if I ignored her. “I-it’s nice to see you Lady Gresya,” they walked towards me. “Likewise! Just call me Gresya because you know, social classes do not matter here at De Vionne,” well she is technically right. Gresya bumped Dionne’s arm, “Uhm, hello Layne,” he said awkwardly. “Hello,” I replied shortly. He was obviously forced.

“I didn’t know you were studying here at De Vionne,” I said, just to divert the awkwardness. “Well, surprise!” Gresya said with delight. She is a breath of sunshine in this situation. “I believe you are still at Beginner Level?” she asked. “Uhm, yes. How about both of you, what are your levels? and how long have you been here?” I asked with great curiosity. “Well, we are both at Mastery Level and... hmm... how long have we been here again Dio?” She looked towards Dionne. Dio, what a cute nickname.

Are they together?

“Around six months,” he said. Then I remembered what Grand Wizard Z had said; ‘I like that question. As far as I can remember, six months.’ So it was Gresya and Dionne! “Oh, I see,” I said, followed by an awkward laugh, “Uhm, it looks like I have to go, right Aishi?”

“Who?” Both of them looked at me, puzzled. I glanced side by side and saw no one. That’s weird, I reckon he was just beside me. I just smiled at them to mitigate this embarrassing situation, “Well, see you then,” I quickly turned around to head back. “But Layne!”

No, don’t turn back, don’t turn back.

Luckily, I arrived just on time and Grand Wizard Z was still not there. I fixated glaring eyes on Aishi as our eyes met. Quietly, I seated, and our class started. “Alright! I’m back,” Grand Wizard Z, made his entrance once again. “Now, let’s get to our lesson proper shall we,” all of us were fixated. “As beginners, you must know the basics. Magic is magic, but what is the core center of it? Can anyone guess?” A boy with thick glasses raised his hand, “Mana!” he said confidently.

“Looks like you’ve known something in advance, little wizard. That’s right, it is mana. And our mantra as wizards,” he grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote something on the board. “Mana is our best friend. I know this will make you cringe but, everybody, repeat after me, Mana is our best friend,” we all said in unison. “You see, mana is the center because it fuels our magical abilities. It let us cast spells and magic circles. Without mana, there is no magic. But don’t get confused, alright. Because mana is clearly different from our life force. Life force, of course, brings the nature of life, the balance between life and death. While mana, on the other hand, is brought outside of that balance. Hence, creation of magic, something beyond the nature of life.”

“Everyone is blessed with a life force, it’s the reason we breathe and experience humanly things. But mana, not everyone possesses it and only the gifted ones have it. Specifically, the lineage of the four greatest households,” Grand Wizard Z looked at me, “and of course, a few individuals, like the rest of us!” So, we only possess the purest magic but that does not necessarily mean that people, apart from our lineage could not have it. “Mana should be controlled fully to maximize your abilities. There are some instances where you can’t. Mismanaging your mana can cause poor performance of magical spells and in worst cases, a mana storm,” my whole body had goosebumps.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Just like what happened to me.

“We don’t want the worst cases to happen and so, let’s all learn, how to manipulate it,” he went to a cabinet on the side and grabbed a huge box. As he placed it on top of the table in front, he took out a block of a transparent crystal. “With this!” He raised the crystal, like the size of an apple, for everyone to see. “This right here is a type of magical stone that is specifically built for this exercise. Just a bit of background, magical stones are mined and are considered as, one of the Kingdom’s greatest treasures. For generations, we have fused this with different objects, resulting in the creation of communication stones, heated baths, lights, and many more,” Oh, so the blinding lights from houses and buildings are created by those stones.

Interesting

“At De Vionne, we have also conducted several research about it, leading to the creation of this crystal you are seeing right now. Shall we start?” All of us nodded, but I can’t deny the nervousness I felt.

Will I create a mana storm again?

Grand Wizard Z raised his hands with open palms, up to the level of his chest. This gesture made all the crystals in the box levitate. With precision, he pushed his hands forward and each one of them landed on top of our desks. “Now, I need all of you to focus and close your eyes,” I followed, and all I saw was pitch black obviously. “You see, mana feels warm on the inside, like butterflies tickling inside your stomach. As your eyes are closed, envision a light slowly growing,” just like what he described, I felt a sudden warmth in my stomach. It's a familiar feeling I’ve felt before.

I heard Grand Wizard Z’s footsteps in the background; all over the room. “Breathe in and out, then, hold the crystal that is in front of you and open your eyes,” as I peeled my eyes open, I saw the crystal glowing. “Your task, is to maintain that illumination for at least a minute. If your mana is too strong, it will crack, whereas, if it’s weak, it will not light up,” A Few seconds in, I was at a good pace, with no cracks just the crystal glowing. “Oh no! It cracked,” a girl from behind said. “Let me replace that for you, don’t worry, we have plenty of it,” Grand Wizard Z said with a gentle voice. “Everyone, when I say you pass, you may leave.”

Focus, Layne!

“Tik!” I froze as I heard a crack from my crystal. It suddenly levitated and was replaced with a new one. “Now now, you can still do it again,” Grand Wizard Z assured me. I took a deep breath.

I cannot lose my composure.

He said I can do it again.

So do it again, you can do it!

“Tik!”

Again.

“Tik!”

Again!

I was breathless on my fourth try and at the same time, I was engulfed with jealousy because one by one, the others passed and were leaving. Suddenly, I felt a pat on my head, “I passed, see you tomorrow,” it was Aishi. My eyes traced him as he left.

“Tik!”

Dammit!

I screamed on the inside. An hour had passed, and I still couldn’t do it. When I lingered my eyes around, it was only me and Grand Wizard Z, left inside the room. “Can I have another one?” I said with a sneaky smile. “How about we call it a day?” He replied. “No, I can do it, I promise!” I pleaded and he sighed. “Quiet a character,” he suddenly walked towards me, “Look how your body is reacting. You’re breathless; mana depletes energy.”

“No, I can still do it, Grand Wizard!” I groaned in desperation. “Well, here,” five crystals floated on top of my table. “Practice in your dorm and let’s meet again tomorrow. How’s that?” He said with a smile. “Alright,” I then obliged accepting defeat.

Mana is clearly not my best friend.