Kael sat in a desolate field, surrounded by barren wasteland. Far behind him, the charred carcass of a building bore witness to the recent devastation. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, it set the sky ablaze with a tapestry of reds and oranges, a beautiful contrast to the bleak landscape. The acrid scent of smoke and burnt wood hung heavy in the air, which remained eerily still. There was not even the faintest whisper of a breeze, as if the world had stopped spinning on its axis, holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come.

Kael's expression was a blank canvas, his eyes staring vacantly downward, as though he were peering into the depths of the earth, searching for something hidden far below. Arrayed around him like broken dolls were the lifeless bodies of his family, their faces contorted in fear and horror. Blood stained the ground beneath them, their unseeing eyes fixed on Kael, forever accusing.

Suddenly, Kael's eyes snapped open, revealing the familiar, featureless white ceiling of Beth's clinic. The nightmare had returned to haunt him once more. In his past life, he had been plagued by the chilling scene each time he slept. Since his regression, however, he had been spared from the torment, but now it seemed that his respite was over. Shaking off the dread that clung to him like a shroud, Kael rose from his bed, determined to carry on with his daily routine.

Days passed, and Kael managed to slog through the colossal, dull tome titled The Basics on the Properties of Mana. He now found himself learning about atoms, the smallest particles that make up everything in the world. Some mages theorized that even smaller particles existed beyond atoms, but Kael had not delved that deep into his studies yet.

As he settled down in the library to continue his studies on atoms and the different properties of the elements, he felt Beth's presence approaching. She entered the library without hesitation, her footsteps confident and firm.

"Kael, now that you understand how mana functions as energy and a source for magic, it's time for you to start honing your skills. Here," she said, handing him a small bag filled with marbles. "These are incredibly smooth and almost perfectly spherical. You'll discover why that's important later."

Kael examined the marbles with curiosity, running his fingers over their glassy surfaces.

"For at least a couple of hours every day," Beth continued, her voice firm but encouraging, "I want you to practice shaping exercises. They're designed to help you manipulate mana in different ways, training your focus and problem-solving abilities. Your first task is to make one of these marbles float. Show me when you can do it consistently. Remember, these exercises are supposed to be easy, so don't take too long, or I'll think you're not putting in the effort. Any questions?"

Kael mulled over her instructions for a moment before shaking his head.

"Alright, good. Don't neglect your studies or chores," Beth reminded him before leaving the library.

Kael's curiosity piqued, and he was eager to begin the exercise Beth had assigned him. However, he knew that if he indulged his curiosity now, he might never return to his studies. Work first, play later, he reminded himself. After a couple of hours immersed in the world of atoms, he decided it was time to venture out to the backyard to begin his shaping exercise. He planned to revisit the book later to take notes and highlight key points, ensuring that the information would remain fresh in his mind.However, for now, he had done plenty of studying, and it was time to start his training exercises.

Once he ventured into the backyard, the warm sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees and casting dappled shadows on the ground, Kael chose a spot on the bench that Beth had acquired for him. Without it, he would have been left to work on the hard-packed dirt. He adjusted himself on the bench, making himself comfortable before loosening the drawstring of the bag containing the marbles.

Reaching inside, he grasped one of the marbles, which was about the size of his thumb—a small size considering his hands were those of a child. The marble was a smooth, gray sphere that caught the sunlight, reflecting a blinding white color on one side. Peering into the bag, he observed that all the marbles were identical in shape, size, and color.

His first task was to make a single marble float. He placed it on the table, but it immediately began to roll away. With a sigh, Kael held the marble in his palm and stared intently at it, pondering the best approach. Creating a barrier beneath it and raising the barrier seemed like one possibility, but he wasn't sure how to make a barrier. And why did things naturally float, anyway?

Thankfully, he had recently learned that things float when they are less dense than their surroundings. A person will float in water because a human body has less mass per volume than water does. So, if he wanted to make the marble float, he would need to make it less dense than the air.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

That seemed nearly impossible. To directly impact the density of the marble, he would need to make it larger, but how big would it have to be before it was less dense than air? And how could he make the mass itself lighter? If it were lighter than air, it would float. That sounded like he would have to manipulate gravity, which he hadn't yet learned about, other than its existence and the fact that it caused things to fall to the ground.

After spending a good ten minutes mulling over his options, Kael finally settled on an approach. He would use his mana to move the air around the marble, directing the air beneath the marble to push upwards. Unfortunately, the marble simply rolled away, and Kael couldn't help but frown at the outcome. It seemed like his idea would work, but his control of the air would need to improve significantly before he could execute his plan. This was going to take a while.

Determined, Kael continued to practice for several hours, the sun tracing its arc across the sky as the day progressed. He decided to call it a day once he noticed the sky beginning to change colors, signifying the approach of dusk. It was time for him to engage in his physical training and complete his nightly chores before heading off to bed.

That night, the nightmare returned, and Kael awoke the following morning, drenched in a cold sweat and with a stiff body. In his past life, he had considered the recurring nightmare a form of punishment. It was his penalty for failing to protect his family, his country, and for failing to exact revenge. It seemed only natural that he wouldn't be allowed to rest.

With unwavering determination, Kael embarked on a new day. It unfolded similarly to the last, but this time, he triumphed in levitating the marble. By carefully controlling a constant stream of air beneath the marble, neither too fast nor too slow, and ensuring the air circulated evenly around it, he prevented the marble from rolling off to any side.

Once he achieved consistency, he invited Beth outside to demonstrate his accomplishment. After observing his progress, she laughed. "So that's the clever solution you've come up with? This should be quite entertaining. Your next challenge is to make two marbles float at least a foot apart from each other." Her chuckles echoed as she returned indoors.

Kael opted for simplicity, intending to create separate air currents for each marble. To his dismay, the task proved to be far more difficult than anticipated. Doubling his efforts felt like attempting to simultaneously write two distinct essays, each hand gripping a different pencil.

Reflecting on Beth's earlier words about commanding multiple mana processes concurrently to achieve specific effects, Kael's stomach lurched. If doing the same thing twice was this difficult, how could he possibly manage several distinct tasks simultaneously? And how long would it take?

Knowing that despair and complaints wouldn't help, he dedicated himself to practice. Hours bled into darkness, and as night fell, he begrudgingly skipped his physical training. Over the next three days, he endeavored to levitate both marbles simultaneously, all while haunted by nightmares each night. When he finally succeeded, Beth merely nodded and added a third marble to his task.

Between exercises, training, and chores, Kael immersed himself in the study of gravity. He found the subject intriguing, learning that his world was a vast sphere and that gravity arose from the attraction of mass. A helpful analogy likened gravity to a sheet, with larger objects on the sheet drawing others toward them.

Although Kael still had much to learn, he felt satisfied with his progress in understanding gravity. He only wished that his magical practice advanced as swiftly as his studies.

The morning after he was assigned the task of making three marbles float simultaneously, he was cleaning up the kitchen while Beth sat at the dining table, engrossed in a book. As he cleaned, Kael thought about how to speed up his progress. Eventually Beth spoke up and interrupted his thoughts.

"What's got you so worked up this early in the morning? Your sour mood is ruining my coffee."

"Just a bad dream," Kael muttered, avoiding eye contact.

Beth frowned. "Don't try to deceive me. You've been growing more and more agitated lately. You know, ever since I started teaching you, you haven't asked me a single question. You also avoid getting close to anyone in the village. Remember, it's often easier to accomplish things with the help of others. You can't do everything alone, so don't bother trying. Regardless of what you said about your past life, you won't get far by shutting people out."

Kael just "hmphed" in response and returned to his cleaning, thinking about how ironic her words were coming from a reclusive old woman. He thought he heard her mutter something about ungrateful brats before she went back to her book. And so, Kael's day continued as usual, filled with chores, training, and studying.

Under the cloak of darkness, Kael, weary from a day laden with arduous chores, exacting training, and intense studying, sank into his bed, seeking solace in its comforting embrace. Though his body craved rest, his mind resisted slumber, for he feared the haunting visions that would plague him once he surrendered to sleep. Afraid of his night terrors, and desperate to change the ominous fate that loomed over him and his loved ones, he forced himself to rise from his bed. He returned the solitary bench, marbles in hand. There, he began to practice again. Straining his mind and stretching his willpower to the limit. Perched upon a rigid bench amidst the midnight frost, he persisted in his practice, his determination unwavering as he defied the shadows until dawn's first light graced the horizon.