Chapter 28: More Practice

Maydee led the way to the library, her pace brisk and unyielding. Joshua followed, his body still sore from his recovery, but his mind was racing. He had too many questions, too many theories he needed to test, but first—he had to endure Maydee's inevitable scolding.

She stepped inside the book-lined room and moved to a large wooden desk, sitting down with her arms crossed. Joshua hesitated at the threshold, but her sharp gaze made it clear—he wasn't getting out of this.

"Sit," she ordered.

Joshua complied, feeling like a student being reprimanded by a strict professor.

Maydee exhaled through her nose before speaking. "I want you to tell me exactly what you did when the accident happened. Every detail."

Joshua met her gaze and took a deep breath. He had no reason to lie.

"After reading the book you gave me, I noticed something," he began. "The chants seemed to act as a stabilizing factor, like a formula that constructs and binds the spell."

Maydee nodded slightly but said nothing.

"But I thought, if I could construct the formula mentally, then I wouldn't need to say the words. So, I skipped the chant and just... did the calculations in my head while gathering energy. I imagined the form I wanted and willed it into existence."

Maydee's fingers tapped lightly against the wooden surface, her face unreadable.

"And then?"

Joshua swallowed. "Midway, I realized the spell was too weak, so I tried to modify it—adjust the energy flow, refine its structure... but it backfired."

Maydee sighed and leaned back in her chair. "And that's when you overdrew your energy and nearly destroyed your core."

Joshua scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… pretty much."

Silence stretched between them. Then, to his surprise, Maydee let out a soft chuckle—though it was more exasperated than amused.

"Marvelous and stupid at the same time," she muttered.

Joshua opened his mouth to defend himself, but she raised a hand.

"Shut up and listen."

Joshua obediently shut his mouth.

Maydee leaned forward, her voice firm. "Magic follows a strict process, Joshua. You cannot just make up your own rules. What you attempted was something even high mages would never dare. Let me break it down for you properly."

She lifted a hand and began counting off each step.

Step One: Gathering Energy

"The first step is always energy collection. This energy comes either from within your core or from the environment. Your core is a finite reservoir—it recovers over time, but if depleted, it can take days to replenish. External energy, on the other hand, is abundant but impure. It must be refined before it enters your body."

Joshua nodded, recalling how the wild energy in the air felt chaotic compared to the controlled warmth of his own core.

"Using unrefined energy is dangerous," Maydee continued. "If you absorb too much without refining it, your body will suffer energy sickness—or worse, permanent damage to your core."

Joshua shivered. "Noted. No reckless energy absorption. I can only use the energy that has been absorbed and refined in my core."

"Correct. You have the blank attribute. This means that the impure external energy contains all the attributes plus spirit energy and must be refined to filter the blank attribute only." Maydee added.

"I understand Master." Joshua nodded.

"Let's continue."

Step Two: Imagining the Form and Effect

"Once you have energy, you must give it shape. A spell is not just raw power—it is structured intent. You must clearly visualize its form, movement, and function before it takes shape."

To demonstrate, Maydee raised a hand and softly chanted in the village's ancient tongue:

"Fior i'ma fe'shal, kera no'mun tel—Ignis Orbis!"

A ball of fire materialized in her palm, flickering with intense heat.

"This is a basic fireball," she explained. "But watch."

She took another breath, focusing, and chanted again:

"Fior i'ma fe'shal, kera no'mun dra'hal—Ignis Hastam!"

The fireball compressed, its shape elongating into a sharp, flaming spear.

"By refining my visualization, I control the spell's form," she said. "But notice—I had to chant again to reshape it."

Joshua's eyes widened. "But I changed my spell's form mid-casting without chanting at all."

Maydee's fingers tightened slightly. "Yes. And that's why you nearly died."

Step Three: Chanting to Compress and Stabilize Energy

"Now comes the most crucial step—stabilization. The chant isn't just a fancy incantation—it acts as a binding force that compresses and solidifies the energy into the desired form."

Joshua watched intently, using the spirit energy gathered in his eyes as she demonstrated with another spell.

"Ventu no'thar, riven kel'hal—Ventus Falcem!"

A thin, crescent-shaped blade of air formed in front of her, its edges razor-sharp.

"If I skip the chant, the energy becomes unstable," she said. "Watch."

She tried forming another Wind Blade without chanting, but the moment the energy gathered, it wobbled uncontrollably before dispersing into thin air.

"Without a chant, you need absolute control. I lack the ability to shape energy purely with my mind the way you do, so I must chant."

Joshua's breath caught in his throat. She's right. I didn't need to chant at all.

Maydee's sharp gaze locked onto his. "What you're doing is unheard of. If you can control energy purely by thought, then you possess a level of magic that defies the natural order."

Step Four: Releasing the Energy

"Once the spell is fully formed, you must release it immediately. Hesitation or attempting to modify it mid-cast will destabilize the entire process."

Joshua grimaced. "Yeah, I learned that the hard way."

Maydee smirked. "Exactly. Magic isn't something you can adjust on the fly. You must fully commit to the spell from the moment you begin."

Joshua nodded, digesting everything.

"Good," Maydee said, standing. "Before we discuss how you process magic differently, let's go outside and test this properly."

Joshua's lips curled into a grin. "Finally, some action."

Maydee rolled her eyes. "Just don't kill yourself again, idiot disciple."

Joshua chuckled, already forming new ideas in his mind. This time, he wouldn't just experiment blindly—he would apply everything he had learned and refine his abilities properly.