The carriage jolted suddenly, interrupting Alex's concentration. He looked out the window, taking in the scenery as they rode through the countryside. The sun was rising, casting a warm orange glow across the fields and forests they passed. He couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and hope for his future in the Tower.
As he gazed out the window, he reflected on the events of the evening. He had always been self-conscious about his magic, feeling inadequate compared to his fellow team members. But seeing the lightning bounce between his fingers with visible energy had given him a sense of pride and confidence he had never felt before. Seeing the lighting in his hand had proved that he did indeed have magic he could use but there was something wrong. Somewhere between Earth and the Tower his ability to use magic changed.
A few times during their ride he had tried to use his magic. Alex could feel the lighting forming at the edges of his fingertips, but no true spell formed. He turned to the others in the carriage, wondering if they had been as impressed as he was with his display. Rich was dozing off, snoring softly, while Eric and Taylor were deep in conversation about the latest news from the Tower. Alex couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, feeling drained from the effort of his display.
“I need to replicate that experience again in the Tower,” he thought to himself. “I want to fire lightning bolts from my hands and burn the monsters with them. Otherwise, I am just going to plateau with my dagger eventually. I can use magic, but I should have thought smaller at first. No big lighting attack. Just sparks between my fingertips first.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centering himself and clearing his mind of all distractions. He knew that he needed to start small, to build up his magical abilities gradually and systematically if he was ever going to achieve his goal of using his abilities granted by the Tower.
He focused on visualizing the energy flowing through his body, imagining it as a current of electricity coursing through his veins. He thought back to his experience at the bar. What he was feeling. What had been around him at the time and the thoughts at that time. He concentrated on directing that energy towards his hands, feeling the tingling sensation as sparks of magic rush towards his fingers.
Alex was focused on the simplest thing he could imagine. Making a spark bounce between his thumb and his pointer finger. Nothing else mattered for now. He looked down at the carriage floor, his hands between his knees.
“I can do this. I will do this. In as many tries as I need to.”
Alex let his mana release at his fingertips. It was the smallest amount of mana he could release without losing control of it. He directed the mana to do one thing. Make lighting move between his fingers. He took one more breath and looked at his right hand.
A single spark moved from his thumb to his pointer finger. Alex took a deep breath. He had done it. The carriage hit a bump, causing Alex's concentration to falter, and the spark between his fingers flickered out. Frustration bubbled within him, but he refused to give up. He tried again.
The carriage continued its journey, and the sun moved through the sky. The landscape changed, transitioning from fields and forests to more mountainous terrain. As night began to fall they pulled into another village for the night. They had travelled for three days already and each of them was tired. The new village would give them the chance to get some proper rest, restock on food, and meet some new adventurers.
Alex had spent his time making small sparks between his fingers. He couldn’t hold it for long or make the spark bigger. Each time he tried either of those things he started to get a headache and was forced to stop even when he wanted to continue. The progress in his magic was motivation at least that he was going in the right direction and that he would continue to improve eventually.
As they settled into the village inn for the night, Alex couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement about his newfound abilities. After a hearty meal, Alex decided to stroll through the village. The village was busy with a few other adventurers walking around, always with a look of business. He played with his magic as he walked.
The spark between his fingers had become steadier, occasionally forming a small arc of electricity. He tried to push himself further, concentrating on maintaining the spark for longer periods. To keep it moving and active in his hands.
The spark between Alex's fingers seemed to grow stronger, dancing in the darkness like a tiny firefly. He could feel the magical energy coursing through him, invigorating and empowering him. The village's serenity and the tranquility of the night seemed to enhance his focus, allowing him to channel his energy more efficiently than ever before.
As he continued to concentrate, Alex began to notice that the spark was not only growing stronger but was also becoming more consistent in its movements. It no longer flickered in and out of existence but maintained a steady, mesmerizing dance between his thumb and forefinger. He experimented with different techniques, varying the speed and intensity of the spark, and even managing to send it leaping from one finger to another.
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Lost in his practice, Alex barely noticed the passage of time. His focus and determination drove him to continue refining his control over the spark, pushing it to dance in more complex patterns and grow brighter and stronger. His dedication began to pay off, as he found himself able to maintain the spark for longer periods without tiring. The fatigue normally associated with resummoning the spark over and over again had faded a bit. Now instead of both mana fatigue and physical fatigue from using his magic he only felt the mana drain.
It was something that Alex knew he would have to ponder and ask about once he was in the city. But for now, Alex had made more progress than he could have ever hoped for. It was no combat magic. Not even close but it was visible, tangible progress. Something that he hoped he would see change continually in the future.
Alex found himself in front of the city hall for the village. It wasn’t an active decision, but he knew he had to go in and check it out. Just like he had done once before he entered the new village’s city hall and walked through to their portal area. Once there he put his hand out to the portal. Instead of exiting, he let a system prompt appear and this village location’s exit and entrance were cataloged for him. He had no idea where on Earth the portal might lead to, but other adventurers had found it to be in good practice.
By cataloging and visiting the portals of other villages and Tower beacons from Earth some adventurers had made a habit of traveling the world using the portals. It allowed them not only to traverse Earth but also to journey far into the Tower's first floor, discovering new territories filled with peculiar monsters and bountiful resources. While Alex and his group were near forested mountain regions other adventurers had landed in villages near beaches or volcanoes.
He very much hoped to visit places like that someday. So far his experiences in the Tower had been quite Earth-like as far as the environment was concerned. Sure, there were mutated animals and monsters, but it was very much recognizable. For other entrances into the Tower, it was very different, if the reports on the web were to be believed.
Making his way back to the inn they had chosen for the night, Alex could feel exhaustion creeping in. He realized that attempting to harness magic had taken its toll on him. He couldn't resist summoning a tiny spark of lightning above his index finger once more, admiring its dance around his digit. Feeding more mana into his control, he experimented with various patterns - figure eights, squares, triangles, and even cubes - as the spark followed his command.
Alex decided to push his limits. He focused intently on the tiny spark of lightning, attempting to channel more energy and transform it into a larger, more powerful bolt. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he poured his concentration into the task. However, despite his best efforts, the spark remained unchanged, stubbornly refusing to grow. He felt like he would soon throw up.
Feeling disheartened, Alex took a deep breath and tried again. This time, he envisioned the spark expanding into a magnificent display of lightning, illuminating the night sky. He could feel the mana surging within him, but the spark merely flickered and vanished, leaving him feeling more exhausted than ever.
He knew he need more practice and perhaps guidance from a seasoned magic-user, Alex decided it was time to call it a night. As he neared the inviting inn, the warm glow spilling from the windows beckoned him inside. Alex retired to his room, where a plush bed promised a good night's sleep. As he succumbed to slumber.
In the morning Alex prepared for the rest of the ride to the city. His bags were filled and reattached to the carriage and the horses were fed their meals. Alex himself also took this time to get a meal inside the inn. The food itself was simple, just some oats mixed with a few of the local plants for flavor, but he ate it up. After staying up last night he was hungry. In the village, he stopped by some of the shops. The prices varied slightly compared to his starter village but not by much. He noted that there wasn’t anything particularly different as far as the selection of items went. Still, he and the others bought up their needed rations for their travel over the next three days.
The morning sun cast a warm, golden light across the landscape as Alex prepared to continue their journey to the city. He had spent the previous evening practicing his newfound magical abilities, and though he still had much to learn, he couldn't deny the excitement that bubbled within him.
“Where were you last night? Do anything fun?” asked Taylor.
“I’m not sure about fun,” Alex responded. “I connected to the portal network at this village’s node and walked around for a bit. I tried my magic but I’m still only creating sparks. It is like I don’t have enough mana to do what I want. It all just fizzles out.”
“I’m sure that you will figure it out eventually. When we get to the city a mage trainer can help you with it. They already helped me a bunch even though they were only a village trainer. You just got to wait a little longer.”
“What did you do for your training? I have seen how it benefited you of course but what did you do?
“For my training, I meditated and tried connecting to my element, nature. Was out in the forest and all that. Made myself refocus on what nature is. As a result, I felt the inherent magic connecting me to the grass and flowers. Not just vines and roots anymore. It also got me close to connecting to the trees as well, but I am nowhere near powerful enough to control them outright. “The training involved more than what I've described. It's hard to put into words, and your training will likely differ from mine, given the nature of our different elemental affinities.”
“So, I should try connecting to my element. Got it. And meditating along with my other practices. I think I can do that.”
“Hopefully, a mage trainer can give you some more guidance than my inexperienced suggestions, but it is a start at least. Do what you can on your own and the trainer should help boost you even further.”
“I hope so too.”
As the carriage trundled along the dirt road, Alex found himself lost in thought, reflecting on the strange turn his life had taken since he had entered the Tower. His gaze wandered across the landscape, taking in the lush forests, rolling hills that dotted the countryside. He couldn't help but wonder how different the cities would be, and how much more there was for him to learn. His plan for the day was to get some more rest. He felt physically and mentally exhausted from his practice with the lighting magic.