Mana Sensing: 'Is it actually sensable'

Alex stepped into his dorm, shutting the door quietly behind him. The room was dimly lit by the soft glow of the full moon, its pale light casting long shadows across the floor.

Rile was curled up on her bed, snoring softly, completely undisturbed by his entrance.

Alex let out a breath and sat down on the ground, placing the book in front of him. The cool night air brushed against his skin as he flipped open the first page.

"Alright… let's see if I'm destined to have mana or not," he muttered under his breath.

The first few pages were filled with a brief history of mana itself.

"Mana is an energy classified as divine in nature. It exists everywhere—woven into the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the world itself. However, despite its omnipresence, the majority of people cannot sense or harness it. But why?"

Alex's eyes narrowed as he read further.

"Scientists discovered that mages possess a unique organ—one that most others lack. This organ, known as the Luminaris, is located just above the stomach, nestled between the intestines. Despite years of research, its full capabilities remain largely unexplored."

Alex scratched his head. "So, this is all the history they're giving me?" He sighed and turned the page.

Now, finally, he reached the real test—the method to sense mana.

Alex didn't know if Mages were truly powerful people, he did like the tricks Eryndor showed them but they were just tricks, one time a student got hit by a fireball but he didn't burn, if that was how Mana was Alex didn't want to learn it spending years doing it.

But he also knew from the legends how powerful Mages could be, so he decided to go for it.

"Yes, what can happen, I will burn?" Alex chuckled and flipped the page to see what was the trick of sensing mana, he hoped he would be able to do this fast before the potion ran out and before the sun rose since he would be evaluated tomorrow.

--

The night was silent.

Alex sat cross-legged on the floor, the book open in front of him. The moonlight washed over the pages, its glow soft and eerie, making the ink seem almost alive.

He exhaled slowly and turned to the next section.

"To sense mana, one must silence the body and mind. Focus on the world around you. Feel the rhythm of life—the pulse of existence itself. Do not search for mana. Instead, let mana come to you."

Alex frowned. That was easier said than done.

He closed his eyes. Breathed in.

And waited.

…

…Nothing.

He sat there for what felt like an eternity. The cold stone floor pressed against his legs. His muscles ached from training, his head throbbed, and all he felt was exhaustion.

His breathing wavered. His patience thinned.

Come on… Just something… anything…

Seconds turned to minutes.

Minutes turned to an hour.

He felt nothing.

His fingers clenched into fists.

He tried again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, it was the same. A void. An absence. A silence so deep it felt like a mockery.

Alex gritted his teeth.

"Dammit..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.

He wanted to scream. To throw the book against the wall. To do something. But all he could do was sit there, feeling like a fool.

Was this a mistake? Was he not meant to be a mage?

He tried to do this couple more times but it didn't work.

"Oh well, I guess I didn't think I would be mage too... but its fascinating..." Alex imagined the feeling he got when he was too emotional, it was fiery in his stomach like something was burning inside, he though it was... fire magic or something like that, but looks like it was not.

"Aghhh!"

BANG!!!

He just slumped down looking up in the ceiling sighing...

"Knights are strong too, in the words of Instructor Helgar "Mages are pussies, they hide, they fight, but they can not get hype" Alex chuckled "I guess main passion in fighting is feeling that extreme sense of excitement in you..." 

He was about to close the book and sleep but... 

His vision blurred with frustration as he looked up at the ceiling.

And then—

Something changed.

A single blue dot appeared in the sky outside his window.

Small. Glowing. Unmoving.

At first, he thought his tired eyes were playing tricks on him. But no—it was there.

He stood up reached out instinctively, his fingers brushing against the empty air—

And the moment he did—

The world shattered.

"AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!" He yelled out as he felt like he was suffocating.

A violent pull dragged him downward, like he had been yanked from reality itself. The dorm room disappeared. The book, the moonlight, the sleeping form of Rile—gone in an instant.

Instead—

Flames.

Roaring, all-consuming flames.

Alex stood in the middle of a burning city.

The sky was pitch black, choked with smoke. Buildings crumbled, their foundations reduced to ash. Shadows darted through the fire—screams echoing in the distance.

And unlike before—

He could move.

He turned his head. His hands weren't bound. His feet weren't stuck in place.

He was here. Truly here.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears as his eyes darted across the inferno.

"What… is this? WHAT IS---" His own voice sounded distant.

This dream—this nightmare—he had seen glimpses of it before. Faint, fragmented images that disappeared the moment he awoke.

But now—he was standing in the middle of it.

"WHERE AM I!!!" Alex scared out of his mind yelled this out, he felt like he was suffocating, he looked around to see people dead blood splattering in the ground, he then looked towards the tower... it was made out of glass?.

Before he took a look at the sky.

He took a step forward—

And suddenly—

A shadow moved.

Something—or someone—was watching him from within the flames. 

And just before he could react—

A cold, whispering voice crawled into his ears.

"You're finally here."

End Of Chapter.