Chapter 12) The First True Lesson
After he had finished regaling me with such a fascinating chapter of his life, I could only sit there in shock. 'How can someone be in a high-stakes fight, and still manage to both focus on creating a brand new spell, and not die while having your focus split?'
"Father I assume after that, you simply made it back to the capital at the time with the deed done, and heroic fanfare playing for you?"
He could only chuckle at that, with a hint of gloom in his eyes.
"As a matter of fact, no. For when I returned, the people were angry at me for taking so long, and held me up as the scapegoat for all their anguish and anger. I had to leave the people I had thought would welcome me, as at first, none of them even wanted to look at me. I disappeared for two more years, and that was around the time I met your mother for the first time. After she learned I had been the one to kill the Beast God, she had collapsed in tears, thanking me for what I had done. After a few months, I returned to the capital, after feeling the love and affection I sorely missed and desperately wanted. In tow, was your mother, who at the time, thought she was only my lover, but little did she know that she was the anchor that made me feel wanted and needed in the world once more."
I got up and gave him a warm hug. 'Oh Father, no wonder you back down every time you get scolded by us. To this day, you fear she, along with Jess and Myself, will leave you.' Without thinking too much, I voiced my own thoughts.
"Father, no matter what lies ahead of us, and no matter what you do or have done, I promise you, Mother and I will never leave you. Don't ever think we would abandon you as the people back then did."
I felt him shudder for a moment, and then hug me back with his big bear grip.
'I'm so glad I have you as a daughter, and Sophie as your mother. I would fight the Gods if that is what it took to keep you all safe.'
After a sentimental moment, he gently pushed me back over to my own seat.
"Alright. I suppose with a little bit of my past revealed, I can begin my mana lesson with you now?"
With that, I stood up again, eager to begin the lesson.
"So first, try to sense the ambient mana around us. I will not make this easier for you like last time. You've already discovered how to separate individual emotions from personal mana, but now I wish for you to feel nature's grace. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and you might see the world differently."
I did as told, calming myself down, hoping to the ambient mana as soon as possible. With a single glance however, I heard my Father calmly correct me.
"Don't strain yourself. Let the world guide your senses, and don't resist the natural flow. If you do, you will never feel it."
With that, I relaxed my body completely. I let myself sit down, and waited, falling deeper and deeper into my own sub conscience. Finally after what felt like an eternity in the dark, a wisp of white "air" twirled around me. Then one after another, more wisps came to frolic around me, and as I let them guide me up to the surface, my eyes snapped open, revealing a paradise of colors. Everything in the study glowed with a different color of energy, and the air hummed and danced with the white wisps from before. My father smiled, before finally saying one thing.
"Congratulations Lucilia. You've officially opened the door to magic."
My eyes still wandered, soaking in the beautiful display of mana in the atmosphere. 'So this is what I've been missing out on huh?'
"Father when can I start doing spells and shooting beams and sending out fireballs an-" He cut me off with a loud laugh.
"You are far from doing any of that right now, as you only just started to see the true world around you. You have yet to figure out how to use mana perception, or even realistically manipulate any mana to begin with. Patience, is what I am asking of you sweet daughter. Patience."
With a huff, I sat back down, acting like the spoiled child I used to be, almost willing to throw a minor tantrum. I puffed up my cheeks and pouted.
"(sigh) That isn't going to work on me this time darling. Anyway, let us continue with the lesson. I now want you to dive back into your mind, and search for your mana core. It should look like a big bonfire right now, but as you gain control, you'll be able to solidify it and mold it into whatever your soul inherently is gifted with. After even more time, you can then project that image outward. I digress, let me see you dive in again. This time I can assist you with my mana's soul."
With that he shimmered gold before an image started being displayed outside of his body. Slowly, the figure of an enormous bird took shape. With long tail feathers, a majestic presence, and shimmering wings, it truly stood out amongst other creatures. It took me a moment before I realized what it was.
"Father...you never told me you had a Phoenix for a core. I mean isn't that too overbearing, even for you as a king?"
He only laughed lightly before giving me an amused look.
"Darling, I'll have you know I don't JUST have a Phoenix as a core. Over time, I've made five of them! Normally you would only have one core, but with the way my soul works, every time my core grew too powerful for my body, it would explode, and then split into two super condensed cores and slowly develop to adulthood again, before making another core, and then another. Each time it would detonate, or be on the verge of it, I have to leave the public for a while, as it is similar to a solar flare, with me at the center. The only one that truly splits however, is the original core, as it condenses further."
With those words ringing in my ears, I closed my eyes, trying to dive into my mind once more. The Phoenix flew straight at me and disappeared, having shown up in my mind. With a gentle nudge it offered me a ride and we explored my mental landscape, in search of my core. After a few minutes we eventually found an enormous bonfire, the fires rising until I could not see the top. 'So this is my core? Is it supposed to be that big?' When I stretched out my hand, the flames slickered for a moment, before it seemingly came to envelop me. The flames were a deep azure color, and were warm to the touch, however they did not harm me at all.
When I opened my eyes once more, I saw that in my hand, a little wisp of azure flame was formed. My father was shocked, before grinning like a madman.
"So I think this can be the end of our first lesson, considering you somehow managed to skip a step, haha!"
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Father guided me back to my room after putting a mana mark in my subconscious, saying it is what will allow me to enter his study whenever I please, so long as I focus on the mark before opening any door. He bid me good night before I entered my bedroom and promptly tossed myself onto the bed.
"Why did today have to be so fun, but cost so much energy?" I mumbled to myself while tossing and turning.
'Does this mean I get to spend time with Father more often because he is now my Magic Tutor? This is definitely going to give way to more fun in the coming future.' As I imagined fantastic lessons, my eyes drew heavy and a long day came to an end.
....
"Why is this so much woorrkkk??"
"Because you're new to the feeling of pushing and pulling in mana. Now, again."
"Ughhhhh"
As I didn't think it'd be the case, Father's following lesson consisted solely of pulling a wisp of mana from my core, projecting it out in front of my body, and forcing it to form intricate shapes. If the mana doesn't hold a solid shape for longer than ten seconds, he would have me redo it, over and over again. He says it is one of the best methods for control, but he failed to mention that it is just as tiring as a full guard's exercise. Every movement of mana felt like another flexing muscle, and it drew my exhaustion far faster than I ever could have thought.
"Isn't there anything easier to do than this Father? I'm dying over here. Come ooonnn."
I continued my protests while still practicing, and I finally completed the next symbol I had been stuck on.
"If you can whine, you can still do more work Lucy. Look at you! You're completing my assignment even while begging for it to stop. Now if only you'd focus more, you would undoubtedly be done already. After you learn how to do all of these runes, I want you to practice shortening how long it takes for you to pull the appropriate amount of mana out, and shorten how long it takes you to create the runes stably."
I could only pout and focus more on the runes. Each moment brought me closer to utter collapse due to my relentless exertion, but even after all this work, and all this mana, my core somehow stayed just as enormous as ever. It was weird to say the least, but when I told my father, he simply said 'Your natural amount of mana from your core is as much mana as I possessed before my Phoenix first compression and purification. In other words, your starting line is where I finished as a Magic Knight Initiate. You should feel exhilarated learning your raw potential is almost triple mine, with zero training.'
With that thought rolling around, I had to show more focus in my practice. I pulled more mana out and tried forming two runes at a time. They dispersed, after a few moments, but I simply continued pulling mana and trying to form multiple runes at a time. My father stood off to the side with his hands behind his back, smiling softly at my motivation. 'Seems as though a monster is in the making,' he thought to himself as after an hour of serious training, I successfully managed to form nine runes simultaneously, while keeping them all stable for twenty seconds.
" Yay! I finally managed it! Okay, time to do eighte-"
I started falling forward as the world grew dark, when my father suddenly appeared holding me up.
"You did great sweetie. Now rest, and when you wake up, we can continue."
I slumped in his arms, softly snoring. 'Gods, I feel sorry for whatever man ends up with her. She is a true born prodigal daughter of the heavens, and she's absolutely adorable while sleeping. I don't think a single man on this planet has a heart that can withstand her cuteness.'
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Meanwhile in a distant place....
(Achoo)
"Jason are you alright? You catching a cold or something?"
"No no, its nothing."
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I woke up in the afternoon, a few hours before supper.
"Glad to know you're alright darling. Your father left me quite worried when he didn't tell me why you were slumped in his arms, as all he said is 'You'll be surprised Darling.' Do you care to tell me what is going on with you two?"
I groggily sat up in bed before giving out a loud yawn. Then a look of confusion crossed my face. 'Father hasn't told mom about me starting to use magic? Well that is a first I've ever heard of him keeping a secret from her. Well, this gives me the opportunity to spook her a bit. Hehehe.' With that, I flicked my hands with my palms face towards the ceiling before writing into the air a series of of the runes I had learned already, with mana. My mother stared at me with shock all over her face before pride washed over her.
"So my little angel, this is what you two have been up to? I will have to punish your father for daring to hold secrets from me, but alas, that can wait for later. Show me everything that you have learned, as I want to see where you currently are in your practice."
With a nod, I pulled more mana out, and shaped multiple runes in the air, sweat slowly starting to roll down my face as I finished almost fifty runes, and suspended them all in the air. With a loud gasp, I released my hold on them, and they all started to crumble. My mother simply clapped happily before scooping me up into a hug.
" Oh this is so exciting! You are halfway to becoming a true mage. Congratulations are definitely in order. Once you reach the moment when you can successfully write one hundred runes and hold them for more than five seconds, you can successfully perform your first set of spells, as the weakest only requires thirty runes, while the most complex of the basic stage, require the one hundred runes you will soon learn. I can't wait!"
She laughed happily, and me long with her. This is how Mother usually is, always so full of vibrant energy, almost as though she is the sun in every room she walks into. Sophie Saphire is not the most beautiful woman in the room because of looks. Her beauty comes from her attitude towards everyone, as she breaths life into conversations and overall moods alike. While she is by no means ugly, she is simply above average, as she is just a typical woman next door. She doesn't feel the need to "act professional" in court, and simply walks along to the beat of her own music. You would most likely find her more in the apothecary and gardens, then you would in a dress in the ballroom, as she was an herbalist before marrying Father.
"Lucy darling, why are you still smiling at me? Is there something on my face?"
I could only giggle when I realized I was lost in thought.
" No, mother, besides a lock of hair, your beauty stands true."
My mother blushed before fixing her hair. 'This is probably the side of her that Father absolutely lost his mind over. As much as she doesn't care about other peoples opinion of her, she has quite the bashful side when you give her compliments of any sort. Funny, really.'
"Come now, as your Father wishes for you to meet him downstairs for something."
With that, we made our way out of my bedroom door.