A Time For Learning (4)
The Kingdom of Lusaria is a prosperous realm nestled in a land of abundant natural beauty. It is a kingdom predominantly inhabited by humans, who have established a thriving civilisation that embraces magic, swords, culture, and unity.
The capital city, known as Celestia, stands at the heart of Lusaria, a bustling metropolis, home to the royal palace, where the ruling monarch resides.
Throughout its history, Lusaria has maintained a delicate balance between progress and tradition, valuing the pursuit of peace, justice, and equality. It is a realm where magic intertwines with the mundane, where dreams are forged into reality, and where the strength of unity and peace with the kingdoms that surround it.
***
"Ok?" Darian thought, resuming.
***
Beyond the borders of Lusaria, to the east, lies the kingdom of vampires, a dark and mysterious realm that has been a source of both fascination and fear for many races. For centuries, the humans, vampires, elves, and dwarves had been at constant war with each other, until the last 100 years where peace was negotiated amongst the four humanoid races.
***
"What?" Darian said out loud.
"Hmm? What is it?" Asked Emily who happened to be passing by the front desk.
"Nothing. I just read something- Never mind master, I was surprised is all..." He said, a little flustered.
Darian knew he was in a world completely different from the ones he'd come from before, but he hadn't thought of the possibility of blood-sucking vampires being strong enough to have their own kingdom!
***
To the south of Lusaria lies a realm of ethereal beauty and ancient wisdom, the Kingdom of Elarius. This land is the domain of elves, a graceful and long-lived race known for their affinity with nature and mastery of magic. Elarius is a verdant paradise, with sprawling forests, shimmering lakes, and majestic trees that reach high enough to touch the sky.
To the west of Lusaria, nestled amidst towering mountain ranges and vast underground caverns, lies the Kingdom of Durindor, a realm inhabited by a hardy and industrious race known for their expertise in mining, metalworking, and engineering.
***
The mid-afternoon sun cast a warm orange glow through the windows of Lady Emily's clinic. Darian was laid flat on the floor under the front desk, with the book on the kingdom's history finally finished.
"Ha…" He sighed. It had taken him longer than he thought to finish, but he managed to do so anyway.
With his promise to his master still in need of keeping, Darian immersed himself in the world of magic by reading the second book as quickly and as meticulously as he could.
As he delved into the details of mana channelling techniques from the second book, a realisation began to take hold. The book's approach was nothing more than elementary, it seemed rigid and limited compared to the intuitive understanding he had developed over the last 10 years.
'Why would they do it this way?' Darian thought.
The book described that mana had to be kept and stored in the mana core at all times, it was only when a spell was cast that it be let free.
Darian continued reading, his frustration building at how elementary the book was in its teaching, however he continued searching for insights that might enhance his existing understanding. He found none. None at all!
"Tsk, this is completely useless." Darian muttered, closing the book.
In the background, Lady Emily's clinic hummed with activity. Patients sought her healing touch, their injuries and ailments tended to with care. Darian glanced up, observing his master as she seamlessly cast her magic.
Seeing that she was busy, he picked up the third book as he didn't want to disturb her.
***
"Wind storm?" He muttered to himself, after reading the third book for a while. It was a new spell he found.
Carefully chanting the spell and doing the necessary hand movement, he attempted to cast the spell.
"Vortispiritus." The boy said quietly with the book on his left hand, and doing the required hand motions with his right.
A small whirlwind burst from his hand while he was sitting under the front desk.
"This is easier than I thought." Darian said to himself, however before he could dismiss the spell, it caused the chair and a few papers in front of him to fall, making a loud noise.
Woosh~ Bang!~
The commotion caught his master's attention, and she swiftly turned towards the source of the disruption.
"Darian? Is everything alright?"
"Yes," Darian affirmed, crawling out from under the table with the third book. "I was trying to cast a whirlwind spell…" He admitted sheepishly, his voice tinged with regret. "I thought I could control it, but it went out of my control for a second, I'm sorry".
Emily's eyes grew wide with both shock and confusion. 'A whirlwind spell?' She couldn't believe that he had managed to cast a tier 1 attack magic spell so easily.
"So you're telling me you cast a tier 1 attack magic spell?"
Darian nodded. "Yes, I did. I was just testing it out, and I didn't expect to be so…powerful."
Emily's shock and surprise turned into a mixture of awe and concern. If this was true she had a monster for a student, someone on par with one of the great seven mages!
Calming herself as best she could, she patted him on the shoulder. "Well, it's impressive you were able to attempt a tier 1 spell, but we'll need to work on your control," she said, trying to hide her smile at his scary rate of progress.
"Go through the door at the back of the clinic, and I'll be with you shortly."
Darian was relieved to see that his master wasn't too upset about his accidental display of magic. In his hurry to learn, he had forgotten he was hiding his abilities, he felt like quite the idiot for a moment but it seemed to have ended well.
Making his way through the backdoor, he found himself in a large, empty open space made of a stone floor.
***
After a while, Emily arrived.
"This place used to be owned by the town; they used this space for training, but I bought the land and the building on it." She explained with a smile.
"Show me how you did the spell," she ordered her apprentice after she handed him the third book on tier 1 spells.
With the third book in hand, he began to chant the spell once more.
"Vortispiritus," he said aloud while repeating the hand motions as he had done before.
As he did, a small whirlwind formed in front of him. The small whirlwind continued to grow, but Darian tried to keep it in check. He concentrated on maintaining the spell, doing his best to make sure it stayed in front of him without causing chaos.
Emily observed his every moment closely, her eyes assessing his technique and control. She was visibly impressed once again, but noticed that at times it looked like his control had waned on the smell where his mana would flow too greatly causing it to increase in power.
Darian gradually brought the whirlwind to a halt, dispersing it with a wave of his hand, causing it to dissipate into thin air.
"You've shown exceptional progress, but we'll need to work on refining your control. I'm really proud of you! To think I'd have such a talented student!" She patted him on the head.
"Thank you, master, it's only because I learn from the best." He flattered her.
Emily chuckled at his compliment. "Oh and a flatterer as well! We'll do a control exercise tomorrow to help you with your little problem. For now, you can go home" She instructed him.
With that, Darian left the clinic, he had never noticed before that his control of mana wasn't as good as he thought until today. He was eager to come back the next day as he walked through town.
***