Chapter 4: First spell

 Karl straightens his posture and looks at Ian, pondering something. 'Talking slyly doesn't work on him. Should I just ask directly?'

He finally speaks. "Tell me about this school."

"Sure, anything for my brother-in-arms," Ian replies happily. Karl cringes at the phrase.

Ian walks toward an empty bench beneath a silver-lined tree, and Karl follows. A cold wind brushes against him as he sits.

Looking up, he admires the gorgeous white tree with maple-like leaves and dark brown bark. Two different cloths are tied to its top, not far from each other. Strangely, one flutters in the opposite direction of the wind, defying the physics of Karl's world.

"Firstly, we are in the Black Pegasus Mage Academy, which specializes in the thunder element," Ian explains, pulling Karl's attention back.

Ian continues while gazing at the tree. "Every area in this academy contains various artifacts that emit a particular type of mana. This one emits wind energy. Such areas help students sense and improve their mana quality while learning magic related to their element. These areas are called Ranges. There are four main tiers: Low, Intermediate, High, and Top. This is a low-tier one. At the center of the academy is a high-tier Range, but that one emits thunder mana. That's about it. Anything else?"

Karl thinks for a moment before asking, "Just curious. When do you graduate from this school?"

"There are six years in total. You advance each year by learning one spell related to your element. Since you're in your second year, it means you learned one spell and moved up. To reach the third year, you need to learn two spells. Ultimately, once you've learned six spells, you can graduate by defeating any teacher in a duel. So, if you're talented enough, you can graduate at any time."

Karl asks another question. "And how do you learn spells?"

Ian raises an eyebrow. "You don't know how to train?"

"Nope," Karl answers bluntly.

Ian chuckles. "You're asking questions that make me think you came from another world."

Karl starts sweating internally but keeps a poker face. "Shut up! It's because of my memory loss," he grunts, pushing Ian slightly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Let me make it up to you with lunch."

"I already ate," Karl replies.

"Then, tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Perfect. Here's my watch ID."

Ian places his watch over Karl's, and a vibration follows. A notification pops up: [IAN DESOUZA PHIRSECOT CONTACT ACQUIRED]

"Anyway, spells can be learned through different methods—reading books, studying scrolls, learning from a mentor, or creating them yourself. Basic spells can even be found for free online."

Karl sighs. "I searched for my element but didn't find any spells."

"That's odd. What's your element? Maybe I can help find a book or something."

"It's space."

"Whoa! That's a forbidden element," Ian exclaims.

"What's that?"

"Well, two elements are considered non-existent: Time and Space. These elements only appeared twice in recorded history—during the Crescent War 120,000 years ago. That explains why spells for them are so rare."

"But I learned one spell, right? I'm in my second year. I just don't remember it. Is there a way to find out?" Karl asks hopefully.

"Yeah, that's easy. Just check your past submissions in your watch. All your learned spells should be recorded there."

Ian grabs Karl's hand and navigates through his watch, pulling up a video. "Here's a recording of you passing the first-year examination. This video is only accessible on your watch."

Ian steps away while Karl watches the footage.

In the video, Leonard stands in a vast empty hall, holding a sword. He lifts his hand, and the sword vanishes. Then, he lowers his hand, and the sword reappears. The video ends.

"It's over. Come here," Karl calls Ian back.

"Did you remember it?" Ian asks.

Karl shakes his head. Ian thinks for a moment. That's when Karl suddenly asks, "How can I learn spells on my own?"

Ian sighs. "Creating a spell requires immense knowledge of the element. Most importantly, your visualization needs to be perfect. And honestly, I doubt you have that yet."

Karl clenches his fist. 'If I don't learn magic in this world, I'll be a sheep waiting for slaughter.' He tries to convince Ian. "Just tell me for reference."

Ian hesitates but sighs again. He walks a few steps away, and Karl follows.

"Listen, a spell is very personal. Very few people allow others to copy or even witness their spell creation. This is why the Sentinel families are so powerful. My spell is still a prototype, so it won't work perfectly. But watch how I make the magic circle."

Ian stops near the border of the Range, where a wall and thick bushes provide cover. He raises his hand in a striking pose and closes his eyes. A white floating circle starts forming around his hand, its intricate design expanding inward. A vacuum materializes in front of him.

It launches toward the wall but it was too small and dissipates before causing significant damage.

'It looks familiar to that game I played in high school. But shouldn't the circle start from the center to reduce casting time? Also, Ian should stretch his palm for better drawing space… and open his damn eyes! How is he going to aim?' Karl swallows his thoughts as Ian opens his eyes.

"You saw that? That's my family's spell—Air Bullet. It's not perfect yet," Ian says proudly. Karl notices he looks much paler, almost like he's starving.

"Motivated yet?" Ian asks.

"The opposite. I feel demotivated," Karl admits.

"You don't need perfect circles and visualization. If one aspect is strong enough, the other follows naturally. Just try like in the video," Ian encourages him.

Karl nods and picks up a rock. He lifts his hand and focuses. 'Away. Away. Away.' Minutes pass. Nothing happens.

Ian observes. 'Bad posture. No mana flow. Should I take him home and ask Father to train him?'

Then it happens—a faint but strong surge of mana flows toward Karl's hand.

Ian smiles. Just as he's about to speak, Karl lowers his hand.

Karl looks disappointed and walks away. 'It failed. Fuck. There has to be other professions which I can learn to protect myself.' He searches for alternatives in his mind but is stopped by a tug on his arm.

"What are you doing?" Karl asks, looking at Ian.

"It worked, Leo! I sensed it. Try again, don't give up!" Ian urges.

Hope rekindled, Karl tries again. This time, he holds his stance for ten minutes. He still feels nothing, but Ian senses the mana flowing more clearly. Karl slowly starts doubting Ian.

Ian searches his watch for training methods. "Tired?" he asks.

Karl shakes his head. "It's just… why can't I feel my own mana?"

Ian thinks before responding, "Maybe you lost your sense of mana."

Karl is about to question him, but Ian continues, "Mana sense isn't something inherited. It's acquired during the Aging Ceremony when someone discovers their element."

"How do you reacquire it?"

"You don't. You rediscover it."

Karl groans internally. 'Same shit.'

Ian steps behind Karl and places a hand on his back. "I'll inject raw mana into you. Try to perform the spell."

A bright light flows into Karl, turning from white to deep purple. In his mind, he sees something—an endless, infinite abyss.

A puncture in space.

Karl takes a step toward it.

"LEO! PERFORM THE SPELL! DON'T GET CONSUMED!" Ian's voice snaps him out of it. Karl refocuses. 'Away.'

His vision clears. A glowing purple circle forms on his palm. He grins as he feels his hand empty. He turns-

Ian is collapsed on the ground.