Resolve

Only a single month is what Leus needed to master converting Neutral Mana to Fire Mana silently.

Not only was converting Fire Mana easier for him than Wind Mana, but it also consumed less Mana, which allowed him to train for longer times.

Thus, he was able to master it in half the time he needed for Wind Mana.

'Now that I know how to create the Elemental Mana, I only need to focus on the spell'

He focused on replicating the feeling the spell Flame evoked ...

'The process is easier than controlling Wind, but it isn't an overall easy task'

In the beginning, Leus was only able to create a flickering flame on his palm, however, he couldn't maintain it or increase its size ...

' ... I just need more training'

He was certain

'Eventually, I'll perfect it'

And that's how Leus spent most of his time ...

Days passed, and quickly, a week went by ...

One morning, Blaze stopped Leus before he began his usual training

"Hey, Leus, do you mind coming inside for some time?"

Leus nodded

"Sure Dad"

'Usually, no one disturbs me during my training'

'It must be something important'

So he followed Blaze inside ...

Inside the house, everyone was in the lobby ...

Blaze sat beside Viorica on the couch, while Merlin and Amethyst were sitting on the floor in front of them, so Leus went and sat beside them ...

After Leus sat, Blaze started talking to his three children

"Tomorrow, I'll be going back to the Strife Zone. I will be back in a couple of months"

The first to react was Amethyst; her expression changed to a sad one and she got up and hugged Blaze

"Dad ... I'll miss you"

Blaze carried her and placed her on his thigh

"Don't worry little one, I'll return soon"

He ruffled with her hair and continued

"Until I come back, take care of your brothers and help your mother, you're my reliable big girl here!"

Amethyst nodded vigorously

"Yes, Dad, I will! Don't worry"

Merlin and Leus hugged Blaze as well but not as intensely as Amethsy, then they sat to spend some time with him ...

After Blaze spent some time chatting and laughing with the kids, he got up and asked Leus to follow him outside ...

Leus found that a bit strange, but he followed Blaze to the yard nonetheless ...

When Leus stood beside him, Blaze spoke in a very serious tone

"Leus"

Leus was taken aback by the change in mood

"Yes? Is everything alright?"

"You're different from Merlin and Amethyst, Leus.

You're becoming stronger, so it's crucial for you to understand the value of power and how the world works."

Leus didn't say anything and kept looking at Blaze

"That's why I'm treating you differently. I want you to understand something"

"Okay ..."

Blaze continued solemnly

"Whenever I go to the Strife Zone, I know that I might not make it back.

Anything can happen there, and I don't tell that to Amethyst or Merlin to avoid worrying them"

Blaze took a deep breath and then looked at Leus

"But you're different, Leus.

You must understand that, from the moment I joined the military, I've been aware that there's a significant possibility of facing death.

Right now, the chance of that happening is relatively low, but it is not zero. It is NEVER zero."

He paused for a second then continued

"I'm sharing this with you so you can understand that whenever you make a decision, you need to brace yourself for whatever might happen.

If you ever face a similar situation, you must be ready and determined to accept the consequences."

After a couple of seconds of silence, Leus replied

"I understand, Father"

Blaze was a bit hesitant to say the coming part, but seeing Leus' composure and seriousness encouraged him to continue

"In the Strife Zone, I kill people.

Everyone there has decided to be in the war, and whenever I can, I take out my opponents. It's only natural that the same might happen to me.

Leus, remember my words, those who gain power often die by it.

When entering a battle, be ready to either take a life or lose your own."

'Dad is really serious today' Thought Leus to himself before replying ...

" ... I understand. If I ever enter a battle I will resolve myself, Father."

Hearing that, Blaze faintly smiled

"Good. I want to see your progress when I come back, make me proud"

Leus' voice was full of determination

"I will"

After they were done talking, the two went back inside ...

Now that Blaze was leaving tomorrow, Leus decided to not train and spend the day with his family playing with his siblings or talking with his mom and dad.

'I want to spend some time with Dad before he leaves, then I can go back to training tomorrow'

And like that, the day quickly ended ...

At the dawn of the next day, Blaze left.

Leus went back to his normal training schedule; he resumed his training on silently casting Flame ...

With every passing session, he was getting better ...

After about a week, he mastered silently casting Flame, and after that, he decided to start his third spell

'Fireball!'

'I'm very excited about this spell'

Leus opened the Fire Magic chapter and read the details of the spell

(Fire Ball: A ball of fire. As long as you're controlling the ball, it won't hurt you.

Note: Don't burn your clothes)

'There really aren't that many details huh' Leus thought with a chuckle

He began by learning the spell's incantation ...

Quickly, he memorized it, then he went outside to try it ...

However, he faced an obvious problem

'Where should I shoot the Fireball?'

After pondering over it for a couple of moments, Leus decided

'I'll just aim at the sky'

And like that, Leus started chanting his first attack spell.

Leus aimed at the sky and repeated the incantation, and he quickly noticed something

'Oh? Interesting'

'Unlike other spells, there's a bit of control here'

'This is a more complex spell ...'

Leus noticed that with Fireball, he was able to faintly adjust its size and speed, unlike other spells that had what felt like fixed instructions

'The longer I control the fireball, the more mana it consumes, though, the Mana consumption is negligible compared to the size of my Mana Pool'

He started experimenting with the spell for a bit; making it as small as possible and then as big as possible ...

'As I expected ...'

'There's a limit'

'If I make the fireball bigger or smaller than that specific limit I'll lose control'

'I wonder who set these limits ...'

But that didn't matter now ...

WHOOSH!

Leus let go of the fireball, and it kept going up until it dissipated in the air ...

He was quite pleased with the result

'Not a bad experience at all'

He chanted the spell a couple more times until he felt familiar with it

' ... I want to begin silently casting it'

'There really is a lot to do with this spell if I silently cast it, like better control over the size and the speed'

A smirk appeared on his face

'This will be fun ...'