The first chapter in the book was titled “What is Mana?”, which was an appropriate question in my opinion. While it was common knowledge that Mana was the energy that powered magic, I knew precious little else about it. Thankfully, this book seemed to have been written with a complete novice in mind.

The bedrock to all magic, great and small, is Mana. This fundamental energy is present in all living things and is required for all manner of spells. However, humans are not naturally capable of storing and accessing Mana and instead require alchemical methods to clear internal blockages and gain access to magical abilities, commonly referred to in Ferris as the Awakening.

After a Mage has undergone their Awakening, they gain access to their Mana Cores which allows them to store Mana internally for personal use. Coupled with Mana Channels which run throughout the body, these organs allow a Mage to manipulate and externalize personal Mana in the form of magic. (For more information on each organ, see Chapter 2: Anatomy of a Mage)

Mana is present naturally in the atmosphere, and as a result of their opened Mana Core, a Mage will naturally absorb Mana to fill this reservoir. However, while Mana is a naturally forming energy, not all Mana is identical. Mages will often be predisposed to absorb and refine particular forms of the Mana, which aligns them to certain elements and forms of magic. Due to this phenomenon, Mages are encouraged to specialize in the spells and abilities most suited to their personal aspect, to maximize efficiency. (For detailed explanations including individual aspects, see Chapter 3: Mana Aspects)

Now that was interesting, I had known Mages typically specialized in certain elements, but it seemed it was out of necessity not choice. That would certainly explain why even Archmagi like Elden or Torros were usually renowned for their prowess with only a single element. That must have been their Mana aspect at work. Looking back down into the book, I continued to read on about Mana.

In addition, Mana can also come in variable levels of purity and density. As Mana increases in either density or purity, its power by volume increases accordingly. Mana purity is affected primarily by impurities present in a Mage’s body, while density is increased through specialized techniques. Increasing Mana density is not recommended for Apprentice Mages, as this can lead to permanent internal damage if done incorrectly.

While these are important factors for a Mage’s training, development of Mana quality and density are not covered in this booklet. (See Introduction to Mana Cultivation for more detailed information)

I glanced over at the second book I had gotten from Master Julian. It was around the same thickness as this first one and would likely contain more practical exercises. While part of me wanted to jump feet first into training, I knew I had to finish reading this book first. Any information on magic was essential to my development, and skipping entire steps was foolish and possibly dangerous.

In addition to Mana, additional methods to increase the power and efficiency of a Mage have been discovered over centuries of research and experimentation. Detailed analysis is beyond the scope of a beginner Mage, but these methods can include enchantments, spell foci, and access to auxiliary reservoirs of Mana such as ley lines.

Lastly, it must be remembered that Mana is merely the energy that drives magic and without a form this power is nearly useless. Exceedingly powerful Mages such as Archmagi can externalize raw Mana powerful enough to affect the physical world, but most Mages require a spell in order to achieve any noticeable effects. (See Introductory Spell work for more detailed information)

Quickly skimming the rest of the introductory chapter, I found that the majority of information mostly referred to additional texts that delved into more detail on specific subjects. A few passages mentioned how some creatures could naturally store and manipulate Mana, while others mentioned that enchantments and alchemy were additional areas of research for Mages looking to expand their knowledge.

While I would need to eventually familiarize myself with those topics, I could leave that for later, when I attended the relevant classes. Instead, I decided to move ahead to chapter 2.

What separates a Mage from a normal person is their Cores and Channels, which are naturally blocked by impurities generated by the body. The size and durability of these organs are determined partially by natural talent, but can be improved through training, as well as other methods not covered in introductory materials.

A Mana Core’s size determines the volume of Mana a Mage can store at once, which roughly correlates to stamina. Through careful exercise and meditation, a Mage has the ability to slowly expand their Core size, with no documented limit in possible size. Additionally, a Mage will often work to increase the durability of their Cores, to allow the storage of purer and more dense Mana that may damage a weaker Core.

Similar in nature, Channels may also increase in size and durability. However, instead of dictating stamina this instead corresponds to how much raw power a Mage can lend to their spell craft. Larger Channels allow for more Mana to be pulled from the Core at once, while stronger Channels allow for more pure Mana to flow without damage.

It is crucial that a Mage ensures their Core and Channels are durable enough to withstand the power of their Mana before increasing the purity or density of their stored Mana. While it is not the only contributing factor, increasing the power of Mana without increasing the durability of the related organs has been conclusively linked to Mana-burn.

I felt a twinge of excitement shoot through me as I read the last paragraph. I had found a lead on how I may keep myself alive and stave off Mana-burn. It was impossible to say for sure, but maybe my early death had been linked to progressing too recklessly in training. Between this, and Cynthia’s tip to exercise often I was getting confident I could keep myself alive into my thirties.

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More than that, I realized that I had an advantage over the rest of my peers. I could focus entirely on strengthening my body to withstand Mana rather than increase the size of my vessels. From what Master Julian had said, I was already able to store and channel much more Mana than my age or experience would suggest.

The rest of the chapter was much less useful, mostly warnings against common injuries and how best to deal with them. While definitely useful to know, I was not at any immediate risk of injury from training. I could safely leave that for later examination, but for now I was far more interested in determining my Mana aspect.

The most immutable feature of a Mage is their aspect. While their Cores can be trained, their minds honed and their spell craft perfected, their Mana aspect is fixed from birth to death. Because of this, a smart Mage endeavors to work with their aspect’s strengths, rather than against them. For instance, while fire aspects are capable of casting many types of magic, they are most suited for powerful explosive offensive spells. By contrast, water aspects tend to falter at direct combat, but their support and control magic is among the most effective.

One of the most distinctive effects of Mana aspects are the passive effects they eventually cause to a Mage’s physiology, through diffusing into their bodies over time. While it is unknown exactly why this occurs, it has been found that a Mage will over time take on characteristics of their Mana.

For instance, a fire Mage will become increasingly resistant to the effects of extreme heat, to the point where a Master can withstand open flames to their bare skin with no discomfort. A water Mage may develop the ability to breathe underwater naturally. The only common trait acquired by every Mage is a gradual immunity to spells cast by weaker Mages, in particular spells that match a Mage’s elemental aspect. Due to this, a Mage of sufficiently high strength can outright ignore the attacks of weaker Mages.

Interesting, so stronger Mages had more than just raw power of their spells over weaker Mages. I had assumed their stamina and the breadth of their knowledge were their greatest advantages, but it seemed their passive defenses could possibly be their most dangerous feature. Despite that, I could also still see a serious weakness with most Mages. While a Master may not fear magic anymore, I doubted they were immune to a sword through the chest. Master Julian had recommended I take a class for martial combat, it seemed he also had noticed the same weak point.

Flipping forward in the chapter, I began thumbing through the pages on different types of Mana. I was unsure I would be able to identify my aspect without assistance from a Master or at least a more experienced Apprentice, but I still wanted to familiarize myself with the information. At a minimum, it would help me become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of my classmates. I planned to keep a very low profile and doubted I would be getting into battles with other Apprentices, but I still knew I should be prepared just in case.

It only took a few minutes of reading to grasp the basics of Mana aspects and how they contributed to a Mage’s power. For one thing, it seemed all aspects were roughly similar in total power, but differed sharply on their individual advantages and disadvantages.

The most common aspects were called the natural elements, and consisted of fire, water, wind and earth. Roughly two-thirds of Mages would possess Mana of one of these four types, and due to this most spells were designed with one of these elements as their base.

Rarer than these four elements were the focused elements, which were believed to be either mixtures or specialized forms of the natural elements. For instance, wood was believed to be a mixture of water and earth, while metal was a more specialized form of earth aspect.

Interestingly, Mages of these focused elements also tended to possess some degree of talent with related elements. A metal mage would have greater natural power with earth than say a water mage. I wondered if there were any examples of Mages that had multiple aspects, but if there were any this book listed none of them.

There were also several elements that were much rarer than any others, and were known as abnormal elements. Their name primarily referred to their rarity and difficulty in classifying them, and abnormal seemed more of a catch-all term rather than a true definition. For every one hundred mages, only one or two of them would possess an abnormal aspect. Light and darkness were both considered abnormal elements, as was another element named Aether.

Aether sounded very familiar, and it took me a few minutes of thinking before I could place where I had heard it. When I did, I felt a smile come across my face as I realized I had a lead on what my aspect might be. My future self was given the title “Aether Blade” by the King, which I originally dismissed as a meaningless detail. But now, I suspected it was far more literal than I had assumed. After all, I had conjured a giant sword made of Mana in the future, maybe that was a trait of Aether?

Scanning the pages for the description of Aether, I found that its description was much shorter than any other aspect.

The rarest of all Mana types, at least in the human body, is Aether. Often nicknamed “Raw Mana”, it is near exclusively found in ley lines and other natural reservoirs of Mana. Research into Aether indicates it is much more powerful relative to volume than any other form of Mana, lending its users incredible raw strength. This allows a Mage to cast spells of far greater power, as well as pierce the defenses of other Mages with much greater ease than most.

However, this strength comes with several notable drawbacks. One such disadvantage is the premature damage done to the body by this Mana. While all Mages are at risk of shortened life spans due to the side-effects of Mana, Aether in particular causes far more severe degradation. The second and possibly more severe consequences of Aether is the limited nature of spellcasting available.

Unlike all other forms of Mana, Aether seems to strongly resist conversion into alternate forms of Mana. While all other forms of Mana can be converted at a cost to allow a Mage to cast spells outside of their native elemental aspect, Mages of the Aether aspect are far more restricted and only capable of casting spells without a Mana alignment.

Due to the very nature of Mana types, most spells have been designed with specific elements in mind and there are only a few dozen commonly known neutral spells. Unfortunately, little else is known about Aether due to in large part to its rarity. Those who possess this Mana aspect should use extreme caution when cultivating their Mana, or risk severe injury.

I snorted in amusement at that last sentence. Their warning was unnecessary, since I had no intentions of dying in my twenties from impatience during training. Time was of the essence, but being reckless would do more harm than good.

It seemed like Aether was a mixed bag in total. I would not want for raw power, but I would likely lack versatility. I would have to keep that in mind when I got to the spell book. Whatever I would pick to practice would likely remain in my magical arsenal for the foreseeable future.

Closing the first book, I reached over and picked up the second book titled “Introduction to Mana Cultivation” and flipped to the first page. After a minute of reading, it was clear that learning to use magic was far more difficult than I had expected.

The first stage to learning magic is to practice your ability to touch Mana willfully. Finding your Core without experience is much like finding a candlelight. In the daytime, this is nearly impossible but at night the candle will burn clear and bright. To allow yourself to locate your Mana, it is suggested to clear your mind of distractions and quiet your mind. By entering this calm state, you will be able to focus internally and become more sensitive to the movement of your Mana. To enter a meditative state, we recommend…

Below was an exhaustive list of steps, including common mistakes, to more easily meditate and allow a Mage to access their Mana at will. After rereading the section through a half dozen times, I stood up and walked over to thick carpet before sitting on the ground. Crossing my legs, I clasped my hands on my lap and tried to relax my body.

The primers recommendation was to breathe deeply and slowly, while attempting to push any conscious thoughts from your mind. Once you succeed at this, you would be able to sense the Mana gathered in your Core which is the first step to conscious manipulation.

Attempting to keep their directions in mind, I took a few deep breaths before closing my eyes and began attempting to meditate.