Elemental Channeling: Necromancy

Silas pondered over Lady Fyra's words with a stern expression. The concept made sense and this explained why two fire mages can never be the same because of individualism. 

A person's true nature is reflected in his spells. One may try to mimic but they can never be as good as the original.

"This is where incantations and grimoires come into play." Lady Fyra broke Silas' reverie with more information. 

He blinked as he remembered incantations that came with his soul contract spell. As if responding to his thoughts, the panel appeared with summarized details of his spell, alongside the incantations.

{Soul Contract: The caster forcibly binds a wandering soul to themselves, turning it into a servant. However, the taint of death is not easily controlled—each bond weakens the caster's soul, spreading corruption that can consume them over time.}

{Incarnation: By will unbroken and fate entwined, Rise once more, your soul is mine. Bound in shadow, serve my call, Loyal until the darkness falls!}

"Incantations exist for one purpose—to paint a clearer picture in the mind of a mage. A spell is at its strongest when cast with an incantation." 

Silas nodded in understanding and took another look at the incantation of his soul contract spell. Images of the previous night flashed through his mind while he mumbled those words in his heart. 

Lady Fyra noticed the emerald glow in Silas and Kar's eyes and she understood what was happening. She allowed him to play with his magic a bit and observed a few things.

There was no flow of mana around Silas!

Mana was what energy blended with one's elemental affinity to create magic. This was also a weakness—if someone cultivated a strong sensitivity toward mana, they could tell each time a person tried to cast a spell.

She could tell Silas was doing something but she couldn't feel mana around him. In fact—he could easily pass off as a powerless human if it wasn't for the 7 ft orc standing gained at all times.

 "What is a grimoire for?" Silas' question broke Fyra's train of thought.

"Oh, that? Ehem—" Fyra shifted her weight. "We can't always carry all our ideas and spells, so a grimoire is a good way to store them. Consider it an enchanted book for storing spells."

Silas nodded in understanding—it made sense a mage would keep a grimoire. It could also be passed down to the younger generations. He assumed the reason he didn't get Aiden's grimoire was due to the difference in magic affinity.

 'He wasn't even strong at his peak. So I don't even think I would accept it if he offered.' Silas shrugged.

"Enough about mages, let's delve into what it means to be a magic knight." Fyra interrupted his thoughts with more information—this one, Silas was excited for.

"What do you think is the difference between a magic knight and a mage?"

"One can fight and the other can't?" Silas carried a 'you-should-already-know-this' expression. 

Fyra wasn't sure whether to facepalm or just smack the hell out of this cocky foolish student. 

"Let me show you." Lady Fyra took a step forward with a loud thud.

Elemental Channeling: Fire!

Buzz!

Lady Fyra's hair emitted an amber glow while her veins turned golden. Silas could feel the temperature rising while heat figures from her body.

Her skin has a golden underflow, and a faint plume of smoke is emitted from her body occasionally. 

"While mages manifest their spells outside, we channel ours within."

Bam!

Fyra's charge was marked with a burst of fire from her feet, propelling her in Silas's direction. This would startle any other student but Silas lived his life waiting for the next orc raid—minor things like this can't flinch him.

ROARRRRRRR!

Kar's roar was accompanied by heavy footsteps. He shot past Silas and raced toward Fyra—its clenched fist swinging forward.

Boom!

The impact was instant—the shockwave spread in all directions, forcing Silas to take three steps back.

Kar fared worse—the impact exploded his arm in a burst of flame and sent him hurling back. Silas frowned but remained calm—he sidestepped and barely escaped.

The orc soldier flew past him—traveling a few dozen meters before hitting the ground. 

Kar lost in a test of strength to a human?

{Elemental Channeling detected}

{The most fundamental technique taught to magic knights. Knights enhance their physical capabilities by manifesting their elemental power with their bodies not outside. This technique is physically and mentally tasking and that's why only a few successfully become magic knights.}

{Requirements to learn}{Intel & Vit: 0.5}

Kar's attention was quickly drawn to this and he quickly checked his stat points. 

{Stat}{5 Unused points}

{Str: 0.5}

{Agi: 0.5}

{Vit: 0.3}

{Int: 0.2}

{Cha: 0}

Seeing he still had unused points, he quickly added them to meet the requirements.

{3pts→Intel}

{2pts→Vit}

{Requirements reached: Elemental Channeling Learned}

{Elemental Channeling}{Necromancy Magic}

{Perks}

{Graveborn Strikes – Each attack saps the target's vitality, weakening their strength and slowing their movements as if death itself is creeping in.}

{Phantom Step – The knight moves with ghostly agility, momentarily fading from view to dodge attacks or reposition without making a sound.}

{Corpse Absorption – The knight can absorb energy from fallen enemies, regenerating wounds or temporarily strengthening themselves.}

{Undying Fortitude – While channeling, the knight resists pain and fatigue, allowing them to keep fighting even with severe injuries.}

{Deathly Resistance – The channeling grants resistance to poison, disease, and necrotic magic, making them harder to kill through unnatural means.}

{Side Effects}

{Cold Decay – Extended use causes the body to feel unnaturally cold, slowing blood circulation and making the knight more vulnerable to physical exhaustion. In extreme cases, body parts may go numb or necrotic over time.}

{Hunger for Life – The more the knight uses necromantic energy, the stronger their craving becomes for life force absorption. If they go too long without draining energy from enemies, they may experience intense weakness, hallucinations, or even involuntary outbursts of aggression.}

{Emotional Numbness – Channeling death itself dampens emotions, making the knight less empathetic and more detached. Over time, they may struggle to feel joy, love, or even fear, turning into something closer to the undead they wield power over.}

{Spiritual Corruption – Prolonged exposure to necrotic energy warps the soul, making it more susceptible to possession, curses, or influence from dark entities seeking to claim the knight's body as their own.}

{Weakened Healing – Natural healing slows down drastically. Wounds take longer to close, and injuries that would normally scar instead leave blackened, withered marks on the skin.}

{Restless Nightmares – When sleeping, the knight may experience vivid dreams of the dead, whispers from lost souls, or visions of their own eventual demise. Sleep deprivation can set in, further deteriorating their physical and mental state.}