Of Blue Flames

'They're using ambient mana.'

There had been theories back in Enquath about it being a possibility. But compared to the concentrated mana within the cores, it was a useless topic, and never saw much advancement.

"What's the incantation for the fire spell you used?" he asked, excitement tainting his voice.

"Forget about that," she snapped. "It takes weeks, sometimes even months, just to—"

"Just tell me."

"Fuck, okay," she shot back. "Ignis Ardeat."

Gian closed his eyes. This time he didn't reach within, instead he tried focusing outwards.

'It should be the same. I just need to extend my will out towards the environmental mana.'

Yet even after focusing as hard as he could... nothing.

The girl scoffed at that. "You're batshit," she spat. "Fuck this, I'm going to search for survivors."

"Slave boy, come with me," she said, looking towards her thrall.

"Yes, my queen."

Gian didn't give up. Regardless of the differing laws, methods or sources that magic used, it all relied on the same fundamental framework.

Mana came where mana was called, where a conscious with the right qualifications willed it to be.

'What am I missing?' he thought, still trying to grasp the mana in the air. 'The wands are supposed to act as antennas to boost the mage's will, right?' he thought. 'But why don't I feel anything coming from it?'

To him, the wand was just a stick, it didn't hold even a trace of mana.

'Maybe it works differently for me?' he thought, trying to find an alternative.

His concentration was disrupted by nearby sobbing. He tried to ignore it, but it just seemed to get more irritating with every passing second.

His eyes flicked open, trailing right to the source. It was the girl with glasses, still staring at the corpse in disbelief.

Gian opened his mouth to complain, but decided against it. It was that he wanted to maintain his cover; he had already blown it. Besides, these people didn't even know the original Gian.

It was... sympathy. Albeit a cold, performative one.

He couldn't care less about anyone, especially not after what happened to him in his first life. But in situations like these, where an additional spell could be the difference between life and death, he had to behave in a more understanding manner.

'How do I get her to shut up?' he thought, approaching.

Her head cocked up as he stepped on a shard of glass. "No, stay back," she shouted, whipping out her wand.

Gian just raised a finger to his mouth. "The attackers are still in the train," he said in a calm voice. "And besides, magic can't kill, remember," he paused for a moment, looking at the body. "Or at least it shouldn't,"

The girl just looked at him, wand still at the ready.

"Did you know him?" He gestured towards the corpse.

The girl fell into tears again, nodding. "We went to the same high school."

Gian nodded. 

"I get that you're upset, but you have to stop crying," he said. "The attackers might hear your sobs, you could get us all killed."

The girl looked up, wiping her glasses. "Like we killed that girl?"

Gian sighed. "You're going to the academy because you want to be a registered mage, right?" he asked.

The girl nodded hesitantly. 

"Well, this is part of being a mage," he explained. "Not everything in life can be solved with a spell." At this, his eyes became vacant, remembering how his parents had been slaughtered, all their spells made useless in front of the inquisition.

"Sometimes we'll find ourselves in tough situations... and we will have to make even tougher decisions."

'Just like the night I left my parents to die.'

The girl didn't seem completely convinced, but she wiped her tears and stood up.

"Do you know who's attacking?"

Gian shook his head. "That doesn't really matter anyway," he replied. "They're here, we need to deal with them."

The girl stared at him for a moment, this time intrigue sparkling in her eyes. "Are you really just a student?"

Gian hesitated for a moment. 'Perhaps I shouldn't act completely like myself,' he thought. Even if she doesn't know the original Gian, she might start rumours.

A new fear rose in his mind. The other candidates were out there somewhere. And only one of them could graduate from this exam. If any of them were in the academy as well, rumours of someone suddenly switching personalities might get him killed in his sleep.

"You were trying to learn a fire spell earlier," the girl continued. "I... I have a high affinity for fire," she added hesitantly. 

"I can help you if you want." She took a hesitant step forward. "Bu-But only if you promise not to get anyone else killed." 

Gian had to mask his disgust. He'd kill with his own hands if it meant survival, and the fact that she wasn't willing to do the same was a stupidity he could not understand.

But he nodded anyway.

The girl nodded as well, a weak... sad smile on her face.

"You probably won't be able to cast the spell right away," she started. "But I can tell you want to be useful, don't you?" she asked, stepping closer so she could inspect Gian's wand.

"I remember when I was just a kid. I wanted to help my mom with cooking, so I spent every day learning a fire spell to help start the stove," she whispered, fixing Gian's grip on his wand.

"Despite your cold act, I can tell you're a good person," she whispered, looking up at him. "You're just... in shock. That's all."

Gian looked down at her, confused. What the hell was she on about?

"A common mistake beginners make is trying to wield all six elemental quarks at once," she announced. "A mage's will can only handle one at a time... of course, some masters can dual cast, but even they had to start somewhere."

'Quarks? What the hell are quarks?'

She closed her eyes, gesturing for Gian to do the same. "I want you to imagine a candle, flickering, growing hotter then colder with every breath."

Gian did as instructed. His candle held a red flame, but it shifted blue. He tried to imagine it red again, but for some reason, it always fell back to that nitrous blue.

"Then focus on the heat of your breath on your lips. With every exhale, the candle's flame must call on it... that external heat "

Gian followed. He could feel something prickling his skin, like a million hot needles, uncomfortable but not painful.

"Now, faster... imagine this heat moving to your wand," she whispered. "And then cast your spell."

Gian was lost in the practice, his mental flame flickering wildly with every breath.

He could feel his manacore assisting him. Although the spells he once knew didn't carry over to this world, his arcane knowledge was still intact. Like an athlete who had lost muscle but retained their muscle memory.

He breathed in deeper. Exhaled faster.

He could feel the mana from deep within him, reaching out to the external heat. Bending it and twisting it into the form of the mental candle.

"Ignis Ardeat."

He heard a spark, like metal clinking.

And then...

There was fire.

He opened his eyes, and the cabin in front of him was engulfed in blue flames.

The girl stared at it, stunned into silence.

"...Blue flames?" she whispered, turning to him with an expression he couldn't quite understand. A mix between shock, intrigue... and fear.

"You're a Pyro-thane?"