Chapter 21: Enlightenment

Joshua followed Maydee through the village, making his way back to the library. He had already been here before, during the core formation ritual—a process that had rewired his very being, turning him into something neither fully human nor fully elven.

Even now, he could feel the lines beneath his skin—an invisible energy circuit that ran parallel to his blood vessels and nervous system.

As they stepped inside, the familiar scent of parchment and ink filled his senses.

Maydee walked over to the shelves, pulled out a thick tome, and handed it to him.

Joshua flipped it open and blinked.

"I… can't read this."

Maydee sighed. "Right. Forgot about that."

She stepped forward and tapped his forehead before he could react.

A sharp jolt shot through his skull.

Then came the pain.

Joshua clenched his teeth, gripping the edge of the nearest table. A burning wave of agony flooded his head, as if thousands of red-hot needles were rewriting his neurons. His ears rang, his vision blurred, and for a moment, he felt like he was on the verge of vomiting.

Then—just as suddenly—it was over.

Joshua gasped, his forehead drenched in sweat.

"You—" he panted. "You call that a short spell?"

Maydee smirked. "That was nothing compared to the first time."

Joshua glared at her. "Is there any easier, less painful way to do this?"

"No."

Joshua groaned, rubbing his temples.

Then, an idea struck him.

"What about the book's contents? Can't you just imprint them into my mind?"

Maydee's expression darkened.

"You want your head to explode?"

Joshua froze.

"…Nope. I'll go study now, Master."

Joshua settled down, flipping through the pages.

Then—his eyes widened.

The book wasn't filled with rituals or incantations like he expected.

Instead—

It was math.

Joshua's breath hitched.

The equations, the diagrams, the intricate energy flow charts—everything followed a logical structure.

Magic wasn't some mystical force governed by emotion or instinct.

It was a scientific system.

Energy collection, conversion, storage, and release.

Joshua leaned forward, his mind racing as he began breaking it down using something he already understood: engineering principles.

Magic began with energy collection.

His energy lines—those carved during the core formation ritual—acted like an intricate solar panel system embedded in his body.

Much like how photovoltaic cells absorbed sunlight and converted it into electricity, his energy lines collected ambient magical energy from the environment.

However, unlike regular solar panels that absorbed photons, his energy lines functioned on a multi-layered absorption principle:

Primary Absorption Layer (Surface Collection)

This was the outermost layer of the energy lines, responsible for passively gathering raw magic from the surroundings.

It operated similarly to the p-n junction in solar cells, where energy was excited upon contact.

Resonance Filtering (Selective Absorption)

Raw magic wasn't uniform—it came in various wavelengths and frequencies.

This layer acted like a bandgap filter, allowing only the most efficient frequencies to pass through while rejecting waste energy.

Energy Induction (Preliminary Conversion)

Once absorbed, magic wasn't usable yet—it needed to be converted from raw ambient energy into a stable, processable form.

His energy lines had built-in inductive circuits, which functioned like micro-inverters in modern solar technology—transforming unstable energy into a steady flow.

Energy Storage: The Core as a Transformer and Battery

Once energy had been collected and refined, it had to be stored somewhere.

That was the role of the core—a high-density energy storage unit embedded near his heart.

But unlike a regular battery, his core didn't just store energy—it also transformed it.

Storage Capacity (Battery Function)

The core had a finite capacity. If overfilled, it could overload and cause internal damage.

Just like a lithium-ion battery, it had a charge-discharge cycle that dictated his energy efficiency.

Energy Compression (High-Density Storage)

Raw magical energy took up too much volume to be useful in its natural state.

The core acted as a supercapacitor, compressing energy into a more compact and concentrated form.

This was similar to the concept of quantum-dot solar cells, which packed energy into highly efficient nano-sized structures.

Transformation (AC/DC Conversion Equivalent)

Just like electrical systems required DC-to-AC conversion, his core converted compressed magical energy into a usable format for spellcasting.

The transformation efficiency depended on his core's quality, just as electrical conversion efficiency depended on a power transformer's build.

Energy Release: The Spellcasting Circuit

Gathering and storing energy was only half the equation.

For magic to work, the stored energy had to be released efficiently.

This was where precision and control became critical.

Pulse Modulation (Fine Control)

Spells weren't just brute force energy blasts—they required fine-tuned control over the intensity, duration, and frequency of energy output.

This was similar to pulse-width modulation (PWM) in electrical engineering, where output was controlled by varying the duty cycle.

Energy Pathway Regulation (Minimizing Resistance)

The human nervous system had neural pathways that carried signals.

Similarly, his energy lines acted as conductive pathways, directing energy from his core to the output nodes.

If the pathways were clogged or misaligned, energy loss occurred—just like how electrical resistance caused heat dissipation in faulty circuits.

Efficiency Coefficients (Computational Optimization)

Every spell required a specific energy input-output ratio.

Just like engineering systems optimized energy efficiency using computational models, magic efficiency could be calculated to minimize waste energy loss.

This meant that precise mathematical equations governed the way spells were formed.

Joshua leaned back, exhaling sharply.

This was insane.

Magic was an exact science.

And unlike other mages, who relied on instinct, experience, or trial and error—

Joshua had a shortcut.

He had math.

His lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.

I can optimize this.

From the far side of the library, Maydee watched him.

Her disciple sat motionless, completely absorbed in his reading.

But what disturbed her the most—

Was the expression on his face.

It wasn't the confusion of a struggling student.

Nor the frustration of someone trying to decipher something far beyond his understanding.

Instead—

Joshua looked amused.

No.

He looked excited.

A chill ran down Maydee's spine.

"…There's no way he's already understanding that book," she muttered.

Right?

She shook her head.

"Let's see how long your enthusiasm lasts, disciple."

Little did she know—

Joshua was about to shatter every expectation she had.