The rainstorm fell upon the grass like cold and sharp needles. Had it already been two hours? A rather strong gust of wind almost flipped over the page of the book in his hand, which prompted Jered to scoot backward. At that point, he just didn't know how he would have gone back home. Maybe if he made a rush for it...

Had it been any other day, he would have cursed and blamed his luck. However, he couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It was undoubtedly chilly, but with his heart pumping out the blood at a faster pace, the cold tickling his skin was negligible. He turned on the next page, the recipient of his happiness ensnaring his whole attention as word after word flowed into his head. It was real... the lingering smell he came to hate was now pleasurably lingering on his face.

Mana Sensitivity.

He could feel it! The slight movement of that magical energy slithering across the veins in his heart, or the faint cracking sound in the back of his mind, like that of dried leaves being stepped upon. It was so feeble that the rattle of the rain almost drowned the sound.

According to the book—and Rainey—Mana Sensitivity could be broken down into; Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, and Touch.

It was the first step, to grasp completely your sensitivity and not let it overwhelm you, something he was clearly having trouble achieving.

Most magician trainees could only perceive mana by Touch. It was the standard for anyone who tried dabbling with the magic arts, not including natural talents, and Jered was elated to know that he was among that last category. His Mana Sensitivity extended to Hearing and Smell as well, which meant a higher attunement, and a higher attunement meant that manipulating mana would have been a cakewalk... or so he thought.

He stretched his fingers apart, leaving the center of his palm completely exposed. Mana Orb. It was the easiest spell highlighted in the tome, whose initial purpose was to provide light. To conjure it, he had to rally a moderate amount of mana on the middle of his hand, which was not coming along well.

It was a rough start, but he didn't give up.

As the minutes flew by, his concentration began wavering, a shy breath's away from wholly shattering. There was no progress to speak of, besides a slight disturbance in his heart. Of all the 10 magical veins in his heart, only one was working properly. It was normal, as he had found out reading. Everyone started with one vein. Jered, though, was still miffed if the frown on his face was anything to go by.

"I take it you're having a rocky start."

He spun his head around to find the source of the voice smoking yet another cigarette.

"You're not going to live long... you know that?"

Jerry brushed his concerns off with a lazy wave of his hand, "Naah, it's totally fine... I've never seen a magician dying of anything else than a sword or a spell. We're basically elves in that regard, well... almost..." he puffed out a well-crafted—though Jered would never admit it—ring of smoke. "Rainey briefed me of our new entry... never thought I'd see the day where you became a magician. I did tell her that you have a good mind... but noooo... she didn't believe me..."

"You knew? What do you mean?"

"What I'm trying to say is that you had the potential even before gobbling down those pills. I was planning on sneaking some of them inside the food Nancy usually gives you, but there was no need to... you did everything by yourself. And it worked like a charm, didn't it?"

"... I could have died if I didn't stop promptly..."

"Bullshit..." Jerry chuckled, "Who told you this? Rainey? Don't listen to her... she's full of bullshit. She knew those magic dopings would have not killed you. You're not a normal person. I told you, there is no way for a magician to die from anything else than a swordsman or another magician. Pills, diseases, guns, and normal injures can't even tie you down on a hospital bed. Unless you're using it for something else, mana is self-sufficient. It will automatically heal you. Of course, you can still die by normal means... then again, you've just woken up mana."

"But I didn't have mana when I took them."

"Those things were not made to come with deadly side-effects, well... sort of. The only reason those girls died was that they became addicted, and Rainey kept on experimenting by handing them out willy-nilly. She wanted to see if they could work as tonics too. Also..." his eyes crinkled enigmatically, "I'm not sure of the details, but I did feel a mana reaction inside you a long time ago. Which is crazy, right? Normal people can have a talent for manipulating mana, but they're never born with it. Yet, here you are. As little as it might have been, you indeed had mana. Maybe she knew it all long? Who knows..."

Jered's face twisted, "Why should I think that your words are any truer than hers?"

"Between me and her, who is the most trustworthy?"

"Neither."

"Fair enough. But if you had to choose, who would you think is the one that is less likely to lie to you?"

"..."

At his contemplative gaze, Jerry pressed on, "Rainey is just a little girl chasing after her dreams of revenge, and to climb on that peak she'll use everyone around her as a ladder, as a stepping-stone, as cannon fodder. She'll feed you, give you..." he pointed at the book in his hand, "...tomes, a bit of power... even wealth, and make you think that you're important. That's bullshit."

Jered shook his head with a small laugh, "Nice tale, Jerry. That would have been a convincing speech if I really gave a fuck about it. I don't care if Rainey is trying to use me... what I want is what she can give me."

"Why?"

"Why not? Do you really need a reason to want wealth and power? Ask that to any average Joe and see if they'd answer no. Life is a competition, and I don't care what I have to do to make sure I'm ahead of everyone else."

"Such a mundane desire, there is just so much to explore and find... why grounding yourself to the earth when you can see the stars?"

"I'm 16 years old, what were you expecting? I won't indulge you in a deep conversation about the endless possibilities of magic and whatnot, you can go find Rainey for that."

The old man inhaled another breath of smoke before chucking the cigarette away, and then he exhaled the residual wisp of tobacco towards the icy wind, "Okay... okay... never mind," he turned around, and with his voice a tad bit softer, he explained. "Mana Orb is the easiest spell... you need to visualize how your mana travels from your heart to your hand, not the mana itself. Just think of yourself under the shower, and focus on that stray bead of water gliding down your arm. Think of that as your mana going to your hand. Visualize, Jered. Belief and Visualization are the keys to success when learning a spell."

Jerry stomped on the smoldering embers of the cigarette and headed back inside. Meanwhile, Jered had his eyes closed. A cool sensation traveled through his arm, like goosebumps, making his hair stand on its end. His heart thrummed explosively when an unknown source of warmth quietly floated atop his hand.

He fluttered his eyes open, a widening smile etched on his face. A miniature sun-like white orb shone brightly within the confines of his hand.

[You have learned the skill 'Mana Orb', Lv.1]

[Experience: 3%]

[This is the most rudimentary spell any magician can chant. It allows you to create light. However, by leveling it up to a certain extent, its degree of concentration would be enough to use it as a magical attack. The amount of Mana Orbs you can conjure depends on your proficiency and Mana Pool.]

Jered's chewed on his bottom lip in barely contained euphoria. His efforts were finally awarded—though he had partly to thank Jerry for that.

And he wasn't even halfway through the book. The prospect of learning more spells was so tempting that he just wanted to shut off the world around him and enjoy this magical piece of literature that had him so deeply enamored. However, a good read was always savored better if within the safety of a dim-lit room, perhaps with a steaming cup of coffee to accompany it. Jered had three more tomes to eat through, and a rainstorm was definitely not a proper backdrop for such a task.

His thoughts were then interrupted by a cheery tune. He siphoned his phone out and looked at the caller. A momentary flash of surprise froze him, but he composed himself right away and answered.

"Hey, mom."