Just as the sun started its climb two wagons pulled by their horses left the campgrounds speeding towards the city that can be barely seen near the horizon.

Inside one of those wagons, Alexis was currently being teach the basics of magic.

Old Man tapped the side of his head with his index finger and started their lesson with a statement, “The foundation of magic is here.”

“Mind?” The young man guessed.

“Well they are connected, but to be more exact it is our imagination. Mana is capable of changing into something and affecting the nature and its laws, however for humans to utilize that omnipotent power we first need the catalysts called knowledge and imagination.

“However all of that was thrown out the window if we are talking about the Blessed, as they could instinctually use their powers just by fueling it with their mana.”

Alexis nodded indicating that he was following his words.

“Your blessing was both related to fire and blood, hmm...let's name it Blood Flame, do you know that someone's blessing have connection to what magic are the best suited for them?”

“No.”

Old Man chuckled, “Of course you wouldn't.”

“What spells can you learn easily and are not can be surmised with the connection of your blessings. You will learn Fire related spells easily conversely you will have hard time learning even the most basic spells of Water Element.”

“So its already decided once you receive a blessing?”

“Yes it is, but they could still study or use other magic if they wanted to, however only pure magicians can be versatile and use the different type of spells with their full potential, most of them had also their own specialization.”

“Pure magician?”

“Those who are not Blessed but had a mana core inside their bodies.” Old Man paused then pointed towards himself, “Like me.”

“...I thought all the people in the group had blessings.”

“Well I can't chide you for thinking that, but having a blessing are already rarest and being together with nine of those as group can even be considered as a miracle.

“Still its easy to spot if someone had it or not.”

“How?” Alexis curiously asked.

“Here.”

A red magic circle suddenly appeared on top of the palm of his right hand then it was followed by a ball of fire that 'jumped' out of it.

“Now summon your flame.” Old Man pointed towards him using his chin.

“A-Alright.”

Following his words Alexis raised his arm and opened up his right palm, instantly a crimson fireball appeared floating on top.

“Did you noticed the difference.” Old Man put out the fire by letting the circle vanish into thin air.

The young man nodded as he too put out his flame, “Is it...the glowing circle?”

“That's right and its called magic circle, you'll know it later but pure magicians of low tier will took a long time casting a spell due to the necessity of it. It is something Blessed have advantage to.”

Alexis nodded he designated the information as important inside his mind.

“But this weakness soon might vanish, right young miss?” Old Man cast a look to Kyrille who was listening next to his side.

“Yes, from the rumours coming around the mages of the tower they will publish the new magical language next year.”

“Oh...” he muttered in fascination as his hand unconciously started brushing his beard.

“Ahem!” Alexis immidiately took his attention before the old man could sink into his world.

“My apologies, its just that my interest had been piqued and I couldn't help but form my theories about that, Cough! Now let's get back on the topic.”

Old Man then took a parchment from his robes and then passed it to Alexis.

The young man took it from him and unfurled it intriguingly, what's written inside are different symbols that he didn't understand but it look somewhat familiar.

Alexis removed his puzzled gazed away from the parchment and asked Old Man, “What's this?”

“Magic, and the symbols written there are what needed to cast a spell that I just showed you, Fireball.”

“So that's why its so familiar, now what am I gonna do with this? Should I cast now a fireball...? How do I do that?” Waving the parchment on his hands he shot a confused look towards him.

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“Each of every one of symbols have meaning they corresponds to and we use them to draw the magic circles which gives the specific orders to our mana, the result of adding the knowledge, imagination, and the symbols together is what we called magic or spell. However what you need to do first is to control your mana.” Old Man paused as he points towards the thing in the young man's hand, ”That parchment is your first lesson and you need to pass it before we move on to the next level, understood?”

“Yes.” Alexis nodded.

Old Man took glanced at Kyrille and realized something, “Oh right! Young miss you can teach him how to control mana but that's all, he needed to learn the rest by himself.”

“I understand.”

After that he closes his eyes and turned quiet like Ellena whose whole focus was solely on the black bead in the middle of both her palms something she's been cultivating ever since the start of their journey.

Alexis excitedly turned Kyrille. “So how do I control mana?”

“Hmm, close your eyes first.”

He instantly followed her instruction and let his eyelids fall.

“Then try to feel something inside your body.”

Like she said he started immersing himself finding the 'something' she said but all he could feel was the rocking of the moving cart.

“I...can't feel anything.”

“There should be some heat on the center of your stomach.”

Alexis tried to feel the something there but even after wrinkling his brows he could not find any warmth.

“T-There's nothing.”

Even Kyrille started to frown before she suddenly realized her mistake.

“Right you're mana core was located elsewhere! Try sensing if there's something in your heart or close to it.”

Alexis was dumbfounded but instead of asking her he first followed her instruction and tried focusing on his chest where the beating sounds of his heart are, slowly his face easen from worry as he immidiately felt the heat exactly where she pointed, meanwhile inside the darnkess made after closing his eyes he could see a glowing light.

“Is this...the mana core?” Alexis voice was on a higher note when he asked that.

“Yes, a bright light in a shape of an orb.” An ethereal voice that came nearby yet far away said.

“Next 'take' a little of that light and moved it outside.”

Following her order he 'took' a little light out of the bunch making the core dimmed a little but for it to moved outside was something he did not yet understand.

However instead of asking he decided to follow his insticts, he made the light passed through parts after parts until it arrived at the final opening the 'entrance' or maybe 'exit' and finally the light moved outside.

“You did it!”

Kyrille's voice made Alexis open his closed eyelids, he then took a look at his left hand, there is nothing there but he could feel that the light was coming out of his index finger.

“What's next?” Alexis eagerly looked at her.

Kyrille felt her pockets before she pulled out a white handerchief in one of them. “Here, control your mana and lift this handkerchief off the wooden board.”

Alexis nodded and instantly acted as he points his finger towards the silky handkerchief, however just the process of letting his mana touch it was so slow that he yawned and when he just started feeling bored of it his mana finally connected, he immidiately raised up his finger as he imagined the handerchief is going to fly and land back on Kyrille's hand but instead of that fantasy the flimsy connection between him and handkerchief broke and the mana he just worked hard to connect scattered in the air.

“Do it slowly and at your pace, practice it until you can do it smoothly.” Kyrille reminded stopping him from rashly doing it again.

“Alright.”

Alexis took a deep breath before he tried to lift it up once again, for his second try he didn't succeed and only made the edge float just for a second, he then tried for the third, fourth, and so on, and he failed all of them with a little advancement being seen in the process of it.

Kyrille did not helped him anymore than she did and happily watched him fail repeteadly until veins started appearing on his forehead.

“Hahaha.”

When he heard her laughter he couldn't help but put down his hand and complain, “This is hard!”

“Of course it would be when you're not being focused on it.”

“But I am...”

Kyrille pointed at his heart and said, “Calm down first, the more you're distracted the harder it is to control your mana. Magician's has a maxim: be calm even if the sky fell, remember that.”

“Why?” Alexis tilted his head confusion.

“What do you think will happened when you're distracted in a middle of casting your spell?” she thrown him a question with a teasing smile.

He scratched his hair as he think of the answer but he's just started to learn magic, so he could only make an unconfident guess, “It stops?”

“Right it will stop—but not only stopping, the mana will go berserk and damage your insides a little, and that's only if you're just starting the spell or if you are able to cleanly stop your magic, however if the spell was mostly complete and about to be cast depending on the magic the worst that could happen is all the mana would suddenly surge back to your body and then—”

Clap!

Alexis looked at her hands and imagined himself blasting to pieces like she said he gulped at that thought, he took a deep breath to calm down his nerves and clear his mind before he once again tried to make the handkerchief float.

Maybe it was due to Kyrille's warning having a good effect that the handkerchief levitated for a couple of centimeters from the wooden board but as soon as a smile crept up his lips it fell back like nothing happened.

“Damn it!” Even Alexis who rarely cursed couldn't help it.

The young miss covered her lips with her right hand as she hide her chuckles from him, she was interested in seeing Alexis' face change from hus expressions as it was previously burnt and black making it easy for him to hide his emotions.

“Why are you laughing again?”

“Well its amusing seeing this side of you.”

Embarassed by what she said he shifted his eyes downwards where the unmovable white handkerchief laid.

“This time I'll let you soar into the sky!” He proclaimed before once again taking a deep breath.

Alexis practiced until his core almost lost its light, it made him dizzy but its a little weaker than when he lost his blood as he did not fell unconscious.

“Looks like your mana is almost running out.” Old Man who had his eyes opened for sometime said.

He held his head and with Kyrille's help leaned against the wooden railing before he replied, “But I was only able to raised it just below the knee.” the disappointment was clear from the tone of his voice.

“You shouldn't rush it, learning magic takes time and it's not something one can learn without countless of practice and failure so take your time and rest properly, you can practice again at night once your core is full.” Old Man reminded him.

“...A-Alright.” the young man nodded and stopped his practice before he closed his eyes to easen the dizziness.

Old Man then turned towards the front and said like he was capable of seeing through the thick cloth that covers them, “Looks like we arrived.”

In a while their covered wagons came to a stop near the end of the line which filled with carriages and carts waiting to enter the large gate.

Just as Alexis dizziness got better their turn came and they easily passed without even an inspection after Lance showed the medallion to the stationed guard.

The sounds of horses' hooves, the turning wheels of wagons and carts, the shouts of different vendors, a loud voice of complaining buyer, the pleads of hungry people sitting on the side of the road, and the scent of the dungs littered on the streets all of it mixed forming a lively community.

The group finally came back to the Norcois City.