Chapter 8 : Wait !

"Wait," he said, "that's the only thing you retained from what I said? I told you she had white hair and literal galaxies in her eyes. Galaxies, Sam."

"But she was a girl? Pshh, right." Sam's face couldn't have been more serious if he tried.

Right. That's who they had been - two awkward, bookish nerds who could barely string two words together when a girl walked by. God, this was embarrassing. He'd somehow forgotten that part of his past self.

Adom laughed.

"Excuse me?" A hesitant voice interrupted them. "Are you going to finish that?"

Adom turned to find a round-faced boy hovering by their table, his black robes bearing a single red line on the shoulder - a first year. Blonde hair fell into clear brown eyes, and his cheeks were slightly flushed, either from the stairs or from gathering the courage to approach upper-years.

Something about the boy's jovial expression tugged at Adom's memory. Do I know this guy?

"The soup," the boy clarified, pointing at Adom's bowl. "If you're not going to..."

"Please, save me from myself." Adom pushed the bowl toward him. "I'm Adom, by the way. This is Sam."

"Leo!" The boy plopped down beside them, already reaching for the spoon. "I saw what you did earlier, with that barrier spell. That was incredible! Was that really a multilayered weave? We've only just started learning basic patterns in Professor Kern's class - you know, 'straight lines for Push and Pull, direction matters more than force.'" He mimicked their professor's droning voice perfectly.

Sam snorted. "Oh man, Kern's still using that line? When we were first-years, he made us recite it before every practical session. 'Direction before force, focus before flow.'"

"It was a multilayered spell," Adom cut in, watching Leo attack the soup with surprising enthusiasm. "Double hexagonal pattern with flow variation."

Leo's eyes went wide, spoon frozen halfway to his mouth. "But that's third-year material! Are you taking special classes as a second year?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Sam said, grinning at Leo. "Our mysterious prodigy here won't tell me where he learned it. Says a warrior-mage taught him during summer break."

"Really? Could you teach me?" Leo blurted out. "I mean, not the advanced stuff, obviously, but maybe some tips? The professors keep saying visualization is key, but honestly, I'm still struggling with keeping my line straight for Push spells."

A glob of soup dripped from his forgotten spoon, and a vine darted down to catch it before it could hit the table.

"Where are you at in Fundamentals right now?" Adom asked. "Still working on basic Push?"

"Yeah. We just finished the first chapter in Kaveth's Primer. 'Forces and Control.'" Leo grimaced. "We're supposed to master pushing at different strengths before moving to Pull spells next week."

Sam perked up. "Ah, the control exercises? Learning to push a feather without sending it flying across the room?"

"Exactly," Leo sighed. "I either barely move it or blast it away. Can't seem to find the middle ground."

"The grimoire's focusing phrase helped me with that one," Sam offered. "'Gentle as a summer breeze, steady as a river's flow.' Really helps calibrate the force. I still use it sometimes when I need extra precision."

"You don't have to use the words," Adom added, noting Leo's surprised look. "It's all in the head, but they're in the grimoire for a reason. Same with the hand movements - they're training wheels, helping you build the right mental pathways. Once those are solid, you can weave with pure intent."

"Like Professor Kern's demonstration last week?" Leo asked eagerly. "He moved like five different objects at different speeds, all at once!"

"Exactly." Adom drew another line, letting mana particles dance visibly along it. "But before you get there, you need to master the basic forms. Have you been doing your daily weaving exercises?"

Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Well..."

"They seem pointless, right?" Sam grinned. "Just tracing lines in the air over and over, practicing different pressures. But trust me, they work. My fine control was terrible until I actually committed to doing them properly."

"Want to try pushing something light now?" Sam continued. "We can walk you through it. Right, Adom?"

"Well..." Adom considered for a moment. "Every spell has its own geometric pattern. The simpler the pattern, the easier the spell. As you know, Push and Pull are the most basic - just straight lines. That's why they teach them first."

"The trick is," Adom continued, "mana particles want to follow certain paths. They're like... you know when sunlight hits dust motes?" Leo nodded. "Imagine those dust motes actually wanting to form shapes. The straight line is just the simplest shape they can make."

Sam leaned forward. "I've never heard it explained quite like that."

"Right. So when you're struggling with your Push spell, you're probably trying to force the mana. Don't. Just..." Adom drew another line, slower this time, and Leo gasped as tiny motes of light followed his finger's path. "Show it where to go. The particles will do the rest."

"Want to try a basic Pull spell?" Adom asked.

Leo straightened up, nearly knocking over his spoon. "Right now?"

"Why not? Just remember - don't force it. Visualize the line, feel the mana, and..." Adom gestured encouragingly.

"Here," Sam leaned forward, "the trick that helped me in first year was thinking about what you want to happen. Don't focus on the mana yet - just think about what you want. Intent."

Leo raised his hand, face scrunched in concentration as he attempted to Pull the soup bowl. His fingers twitched, but the bowl didn't move.

"Your line's wobbling," Adom said gently. "Try this - close your eyes."

Leo did.

"Now, open your palm," Sam added, "and think about reaching for that bowl. Just... feel the distance between you and it."

"Oh, I'm starting to get it."

"Good," Adom said. "Now visualize the path to it. A perfectly straight line, like a string connecting your palm to the bowl."

"I... I think I see it," Leo whispered, eyes still closed.

"Perfect. The mana particles will want to follow that line," Adom explained. "Now, keeping that image in mind, make a smooth, straight movement with your hand - like you're pulling on that string."

Leo took a deep breath and drew his hand back in a clean, straight motion. The bowl slid smoothly across the table toward him, stopping right at his fingertips. His eyes flew open in delight.

"I did it!" He beamed at them both. "I really did it!"

"Nice work," Sam grinned. "Clean movement, clear intent - that's exactly how it should look."

"And I said this before, but with practice," Adom added, "you won't even need the hand movements anymore. The mana will respond to your intent alone. That's how more experienced mages can weave without gesturing - but for now, the movements help train your mind to direct the mana properly."

"Leo!" A voice called from across the hall. "We're going to be late for Fundamentals!"

"Coming!" Leo scrambled up, somehow having already finished most of the soup. "Thanks for this! And, um, if you ever have time to help a first-year..." He let the sentence hang hopefully.

"We'll see," Adom said, finding himself smiling at the boy's earnest enthusiasm.

"Thank you!" He shouted one last time to them, before disappearing in the sea of students.