The last week I trained everyday so my mind core will get stronger. I haven’t sparred with anybody yet, but I know that I will be able to spar with someone soon. My mana isn’t like the normal person I can also use my mana as glue instead of only to fight.

In the times I got a break I worked on the invention from my vision I got a few years back. I got a lot further extremely fast. Because of my mana I can easy stick the tubes to each other, so I already have the foundation.

“Orvar how is your training going?” My father asked while opening the door of the shack.

“It’s going fine, but why do I need to do this?”

A grin formed on his face. “You are circulating your mana through your body, if you continue to do this your mana will go through your body a lot easier and faster. So, if you try to do this every day you will be an expert in circulating your mana in no time.”

“Every day!” I asked a bit shocked.

“Yes, every day, so you still have a long time to go, and can you come outside when you are done?”

“Sure, why?”

“You will see then. Good luck.” He gave me a thumbs up before closing the door.

‘I don’t have anything with that answer. But I need to continue practicing.’

I continued to circulate the mana around my body. It is a slow process but, it is easy to do so, it isn’t a big problem to do every day.

After a minute or thirty I walked out of the shack to see what my father wanted. He wasn’t in the backyard, so I looked inside and saw my mother there.

“Mom, have you seen dad? He wanted me to come to him after I was done.”

“No. I haven’t seen him, maybe he’s outside.” She answered avoiding eye contact.

“Okay, I will look again.”

‘This Is the first time in a few years that she answered me with more than one sentence.’ I thought while thinking of another moment.

I walked outside to look if I could find my father this time. As I walked outside saw my father teaching Arora something.

“Ah Orvar there you are! It took you long enough. How did your training go for today?” He asked me enthusiastically.

“So many questions in one sentence. But my training was going well nothing out of the extraordinary.”

“Sounds good, so for which magic will you chose?” Arora asked me directly after I answered.

“I don’t know yet and if I know you are the first to know. I already said that every day since I got my mind core.”

“So, are you ready for your first spar, Orvar?” My father asked me.

“Finaly I couldn’t wait for you to ask me.”

“Great you will spar with Arora.” He said while holding his hand out at my sister.

“Then I can finally win!” She said a bit so happy.

“It’s not like I will let you win.” I said back to her.

“Okay the rules for this spar are, no mana cloaked weapons.” Our father began to explain.

“But that isn’t fun.” Arora cut him off.

“I wasn’t done yet.” He answered. “So, no mana cloaked weapons, only wooden weapons and only Orvar can use mana on his body. Any question? Arora?” He looked at my sister knowing she was going to complain.

“Why can’t I use mana on my body?”

“That is because you have already a mind core for four years now and Orvar only for a week. And” He cut Arora off who wanted to say something. “And you have your advanced wind magic that you can use.”

“Fair enough.” She accepted the rules.

“And the last thing if it goes so far that there will be a life-threatening blow snickers will take the blow.”

“Okay.” I answered on the rules.

“Why snickers?” Arora asked.

Our father sighed. “Because snickers are stronger then the both of you combined.” He signed to the small black cat looking mana spirit next to him.

“Only because he is a mana spirit?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of weapon should I pick dad?” I asked him while standing before a rack with different wooden weapons.

“If I where you I would have picked a sword. Yes, pick a sword, it’s a good weapon to start off with.”

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I take the wooden sword from the rack while Arora grabbed a wooden axe.

After we both chose our weapons, we stood ten meters opposite of each other, we both waited for the countdown from our father to begin.

He waited with counting until we are both ready, when we are both ready, he begins to count down.

‘This is your first real spar Orvar, so don’t lose especially not from your own sister.’

Every second felt like ten second had passed.

“Three.”

We both placed our feet to dash forward.

“Two.”

I tightened the grip around my sword.

“One.”

I took one last breath.

“Start!”

We both shot forward, but Arora was faster. Within the first three seconds of the spar our weapons clashed against each other. I could feel the wind magic from Arora pushing her axe forward.

With that in mind I jumped a few meters back. Arora was close to follow up.

“Don’t think you can outrun me, little brother.” She said while following me.

“How many times do I have to say that you need to call me by my name?” I replied while swinging my sword to her torso.

She dodged my attack and reacted a gust of wind in my back pushing me forward to her.

I put much mana into my legs to slow myself down, but her magic is too strong. When I am close to her, she swinged her axe from left to right. I couldn’t block it, so I conjured a small block of earth under my feet to jump away from.

With my mana into my legs giving, it extra power I jumped passed her attack landing on the other side of her. I didn’t have the time to land on my feet, so I fell the moment I hit the ground.

With that opportunity Arora directly attacked me from above while I couldn’t move. When her axe should have hit me, I rolled over to my side evading her attack, and directly standing up.

Using much mana I begin to feel my legs hurt.

‘I can’t give up now I need to win!’ I motivated myself.

Without even having time to catch my breath I saw Arora already running at me. Every time she attacked me, I just barely managed to dodge.

She kept swinging her axe not giving me an opening, out of nowhere she attacked me from under. While her axe came closer, I stabbed my sword into her axe, as a result of my action she head butted me to give herself an opening.

We both knew she expected me to walk back but instead of going back I leaned forward to take the opening for myself. When she saw me leaning forward, she jumped back dodging my attack.

I tried to conjure a fire ball to shoot at her, but I only got a fire pebble, I shot it to her, and she just kicked it back.

“You need to practise your magic better, Orvar.” She teased me with a smile on her face.

“I am doing my best okay.” I answered thinking of a way to make her tired.

I Dashed at her again but this time with an idea. When I came close to her, she jumped to the side to dodge my stab.

I directly turned and boosted myself with some wind magic, running at her she attacked me, but I just barely managed to dodge it. As a counterattack I hit her left upper leg.

She almost stumbled the moment I hit her.

I couldn’t help but smile at the reason that I had hit her. Our father also clapped in his hands at my clean hit.

“Now I will hit you Orvar!” She dashed at me and attacking me from above, she knew I would jump back so she pushed me forward with her wind magic.

With no other options I send mana to my arms at the last seconds to block her attack. The moment the attacks hit my sword I felt the immense power of my sister. I lifted my leg and kicked her away from me.

She turned to our father. “Dad, can I go all out for a moment please?” she plead at him.

“Five seconds and no more.” He answered at her holding up five fingers.

“That is more than enough.” She said with a big smile on her face.

‘Was she holding back!?’ I asked myself.

The moment our father began to count, Arora dashed at me with a speed that I couldn’t even react to. I managed to block her first attack. Directly after her first attack she shot a barrage of attack at me while pushing me away with wind after every attack.

So, this is Arora her real power, lightning-fast attack while making me unable to attack.

“Four!”

‘This was only one second!’

She continued with attacking me for another two seconds, now she has still two seconds left.

She kicked me in my stomach away, I slowed my fall by stabbing my sword into the ground. When I fell on the ground, I coughed for the last two second, she had.

“In a battlefield you are dead now.” She said to me with a straight face.

“Arora! You can’t say that! He only practised mana circulation, this is his first time using mana and magic in battle.” My father said with a sharp tone.

While Arora was distracted, I stand up, I send all my remaining mana to my right arm. I lifted my sword and threw it with a super high speed at Arora.

She managed to sense it in time and block it with her axe. While she was blocking it, she was pushed a bit back.

“When did you throw it?” she asked me with an expression unable to read.

“I think this spar is over.” I said with a smile while falling to my knees.

I have used all my mana, so I don’t have any strength left in my body.

“You did great Orvar, above my expectations.” My father said proud while carrying me.

“You did great to Arora.”

“Thank you, dad.” She answered.

He carried me inside where my mother sat. He then directly explained the situation so she wouldn’t get angry at him.

He put me down on the couch. “Orvar take It easy for the rest of the day okay.” He said with a very calming voice.

He sat down beside me. “First I will explain the difference between mages and archmages to you.”

“To begin you already know that you need mana to form magic.”

I nodded.

“Good, so mana can be used in different ways you can use it as pure mana. If you use pure mana, it does not have an element, it is just like a house without the roof. The house can stand on its own, but it needs a roof to be completed and to also have effect.” He explained.

“So, mana is the house and when mana becomes magic it gets the roof because of the element it gets?” I asked so I know that I had listened well.

“Yes, that is right.” He answered.

“So, a mage is someone who uses magic in close range, mages can also defend or strengthen their bodies with mana. If a mage is not in close range anymore then they are useless, they need to be close to their target to get full effect. They can do somethings in long range, but their spells aren’t so strong then.”

“Archmages use long range spells, they need to be better concentrated to use their spells. Archmages are the opposite then mages if they get in close range, they are almost useless. They can still fire off magic spells but then it would get dangerous for themselves. Archmages cast in most every situation directly a defence spell or barrier to protect themselves, because if they protect themselves with mana then it would be a waste of their own mana.”

My father catches his breath before continuing to explain.

“This is the hardest part; mages can use long range spells if they use long range spells most of the time it won’t have much effect. If the mage is trained properly in long range spells, then they can be as powerful as the spells of Archmages. So, if you see two second shell mages where one of them is an Archmage fight, then even on long range the mage can still win.”

“Okay, that was a very long explanation thank you.” I said to him after he was done.

“You’re welcome but recover fast because you will spar again tomorrow.” He answered me.

“Oh, okay.” I scratch my head when he said that.

“So, hurry up and do some mana circulation exercises.” He told me while walking away.

“Sure. Tomorrow I will win for sure.”

He chuckles. “We will see that tomorrow.”