Chapter 11

The other initiates stared at Arran as if he had told them he had never seen the sun .

“You don’t know what stages are?!”

Arran could not see who spoke, but the voice sounded dumbfounded . From the looks on the initiates’ faces, it could have been any of them .

Adept Kadir turned toward the initiates . “All of you, get back to your training,” he said in a firm tone that allowed no argument .

Reluctantly, the initiates followed Adept Kadir’s command, although several of them shot curious looks at Arran . It was obvious that his words had shocked them .

“Did I say something wrong?” Arran asked Adept Kadir, feeling uncomfortable .

The man turned toward Arran . “Not wrong, exactly . Follow me, we should talk . “

Arran followed Adept Kadir to a small room at the side of the training hall . Inside were a desk and some chairs, but little else . The stone walls were bare, and the room looked as if it saw little use .

“What has your master told you about magic?” Adept Kadir asked, closing the door behind them .

“Not much,” Arran replied honestly . He went on to repeat what little he knew of magic, Realms, and Essence .

“I see,” Adept Kadir said with a serious expression that did not suit his friendly face . “I’m afraid your master has done you a disservice . “

Arran was startled at the harsh words about Master Zhao . Clearly, the man thought Master Zhao had failed in his duty as a teacher .

“I do not know why your master failed to explain this, but I will do it in his stead . “

Arran sat up, listening attentively . He understood that what Adept Kadir was about to tell him was important .

“When learning magic, mages start at the Foundation level,” Adept Kadir began . “Within the Foundation level, there are nine stages . “

“Nine stages?” Immediately, Arran wondered what his own stage was .

Adept Kadir nodded, then continued, “The first three stages form the initiate level, the second three form the novice level, and the final three form the adept level . “

“So what do the different stages mean?” Arran asked .

“The first stage merely requires opening a Realm,” Adept Kadir answered . “The second stage requires you to control Essence to the point where you can expel it from your body . As your display in the training hall showed, you have already reached that stage . “

Arran nodded, eager to hear more .

“The third stage,” Adept Kadir continued, “requires you to fully control a single strand of Essence . “

“Fully control a strand of Essence?” Arran asked, slightly confused . “What does that mean?”

“Fire isn’t my strongest Realm, but I’ll give you a small demonstration,” Adept Kadir said .

He raised his hand, then stuck out his index finger . A moment later, an orb of fire the size of a marble appeared above his finger .

Once the orb fully materialized he flicked his wrist, and it began circling around his hand . With another flick of his wrist, the orb suddenly flew toward Arran, stopping only inches from his face . Finally, with a snap of Adept Kadir’s fingers, the orb vanished in a blink .

Arran watched in amazement . While he had seen Master Zhao perform magic, the man had never shown him this kind of delicate control .

“From the way you’re staring, I take it you haven’t reached this level of control yet,” Adept Kadir said, giving Arran an amused look .

Arran shook his head . Then, he asked, “So what is the fourth stage?”

“Initiates reach the fourth stage, and become novices, once they learn to use spells,” Adept Kadir said .

“But wasn’t what you showed me a spell?” Arran asked .

Adept Kadir shook his head . “That was just a technique . “

“There’s a difference?” Until now, Arran had thought the two were the same .

“Techniques control raw Essence,” Adept Kadir replied . “They require constant attention and effort to maintain . “

“And spells?”

“Spells are different . They weave strands of Essence, and once cast, they can be maintained without effort . “

Thinking of how Master Zhao had changed his appearance, Arran understood . He had wondered how the man could maintain the illusion without any apparent effort, but what Adept Kadir had told him explained it .

“So I’m a second stage initiate, then?” Arran asked .

“Correct,” Adept Kadir answered, although his expression was troubled .

“When I threw that fireball, the other initiates looked at me as if I had just turned into a goat,” Arran said with a thought . “Why was that?”

Adept Kadir chuckled for a moment, but when he spoke, his gaze turned serious . “You are an initiate of the second stage . Yet what you did…”

“Didn’t I just use a technique?” Arran asked . “You said that’s normal for initiates, right?”

“The technique itself was normal,” Adept Kadir said . “The amount of Essence you used, however… It was far beyond what a typical novice could use, much less an initiate . “

As Arran considered it, he was sure that it must be due to the black pill Master Zhao had given him . Yet he understood that if the black pill’s effects were so unusual, it was something he could not discuss freely . Not without Master Zhao’s permission, at least .

“Has your master told you how mages strengthen their power?” Adept Kadir asked .

“Master Zh—” Lost in thought, Arran almost misspoke . “Master Fireheart told me that a mage’s connections to his Realms grow stronger as he uses them . “

“Indeed,” Adept Kadir said . “But usually, it’s a slow process . To reach the point where a mage can draw as much Essence as you did can take years if not decades . Yet in your case…” He shook his head . “I’ve never seen anything like it . “

Arran was starting to worry . Adept Kadir clearly sensed something was amiss, and the man seemed smart enough to see through Arran’s clumsy lies .

“So does that mean I’m as strong as a novice?” Arran asked, attempting to steer Adept Kadir’s attention away from the origins of Arran’s power .

Adept Kadir laughed, then shook his head . “You have strength, but you lack control . In magic, the latter is far more important than the former . “

“But if I’m strong enough, can’t I just overpower my enemies?” Arran asked .

“Skilled mages can easily deal with raw strength,” Adept Kadir said . “Let me show you . ” He stood up, walked toward the bare stone wall, then turned around . “Throw some of those fireballs at me . “

Arran blanched . “Are you sure?” Adept Kadir looked confident, but Arran was afraid he would hurt the man .

“No need to worry . You won’t hit me . ” Adept Kadir seemed completely at ease .

Arran didn’t like the idea, but he stood up and faced Adept Kadir . Ignoring his reluctance, he gathered up Fire Essence in his hand, then threw a head-sized fireball straight at Adept Kadir .

The fireball missed its target by a good three paces, crashing harmlessly into the stone wall .

“How?” Arran was dumbfounded . At this distance, it should be impossible for him to miss .

“Again,” Adept Kadir said .

Arran tried again, but the result was the same . Once more, his fireball flew into the wall, well away from Adept Kadir .

At Adept Kadir’s urging, Arran tried again, then again . After eleven fireballs his Fire Essence ran out, and he stared at Adept Kadir, who was completely unscathed .

“How did you do that?” Arran asked . He had seen nothing out of the ordinary, but it was as if his fireballs had simply refused to come anywhere near Adept Kadir .

“I used Wind Essence to deflect your fireballs,” Adept Kadir said . “Without you fully controlling your Fire Essence, even a slight sliver of it was enough to send them off course . “

Arran was taken aback . Until a moment ago, he had believed the fireball technique to be a fearsome weapon, but now he understood that other mages could easily defeat it .

“So I should improve my control,” Arran said, recognizing the problem . With his current command over Fire Essence, to other mages, he would be little more than a toddler clumsily throwing rocks .

“You should,” Adept Kadir said . “But with your power, and you using Fire as well… It would be far too dangerous for the other initiates to practice with you . “

“Then what should I do?” Arran asked, hoping the man would have a solution .

For a moment, Adept Kadir sank in thought .

“I will ask Grandmaster Windsong to give you a Wind Realm scroll,” he finally said with a smile . “That way, you should be able to practice magic without setting the other initiates on fire . “

Hearing this, Arran was overjoyed . Not only would he improve his magical skills, but he would also receive a new Realm .

So far, their stay with Windsong was turning out even better than he had hoped .