Chapter 9

Her fire spat and her wind gushed forward. They danced together creating a hot wind. Silvia threw her hands around, right above the damp floorboards, blowing the fiery wind around the room.

“This is another special type of magic but It’s only the cheap version.” She shouted with deep breaths as the moist floor dried. “Can you feel the mana being pulled from the air? Mixing with mine and becoming hot and windy?”

“K-Kinda?” Sagil responded as he glared intensely at the orange and white glow around her two hands which were wafting a warm wind. It was almost as if it was a hair drier of some sort, something Sagil’s father had from his old world that he petitioned to be recreated with magic.

“Come closer and try to focus on the air right around you.” Silvia walked over to the intrigued man. “You should feel a slight tingling around your body. Could be with your blood, skin, or muscles.”

“R-Right.” Sagil tried moving his hands closer to hers as he closed his eyes and relaxed his body. He pictured his own mana pumping around his body, growing in potency as mana Silvia exuded and drew from the environment slipped through his pores. A smile grew on his face as he felt blood flowing from his heart to his toes and the top of his head, wrapping all around his body. “Finger Light.” He tried an incantation with his index finger stretched out but no white light illuminated it. Still doesn’t work…

“Ah, did you try to use some light magic derived from fire magic?” Silvia smiled, her smile tensing as she struggled to split her focus. “So, you do know… or, remember, some magic?”

“Uh,” he gulped, “I guess.”

“Well, you watched me cast this cheap version of melded magic, right?” she breathed deeply. “Y-you’re going to need longer incantations than that. It takes years of training to shorten them that much. Only really skilled magicians can do that, king rank at the very least. The chant I did to c-cast this magic was d-double in the length of the others. P-plus…” she took a deep breath. “Incantations used to take even a l-lot longer than the ones you saw m-me use…”

“I see…” Sagil lied. Incantations to him were just a couple of words that activated spells. In fact, as a half-elf, he was capable of incantationless magic, he just didn’t have as much talent for it as his sister so he focused on the sword. He took more after his father after all- Tsch! Doesn’t matter, this is different now.

He swatted his memories away and slapped himself into focus.

“I… I think I felt the mana.”

“Ahhh.” Silvia let out and crouched down with a huff. Her glowing hands faded and the warm wind mixed in with the air as it stopped gushing from her fingers. “Sorry, melded magic, even this cheap version, is a struggle to use. But…” She straightened up and flashed Sagil a smile. “…That’s a great first step!”

“B-But what do I do from here?”

“Well, I tried this magic for a couple of reasons.” She started as she made raised one finger. “One, I thought it’d be good to show you difficult magic. “She raised another finger, “Two, I thought it’d give you some motivation on learning because it’s so cool.”

I guess it was but it was just a drier with an epic sounded chant that seemed like it would gush flaming winds.

Silvia’s smile wavered as Sagil stared blankly. “I-It might just be used as a drier but the idea of the spell is to control a big flaming wind. I j-just…uh, quietened it down so I could…uh,” She firmed her smile and raised a third finger. “Three, to teach you and fix the mess I made before.”

“It’s what I figured…” Sagil muttered.

“Huh?”

“J-Just saying that it was a smart idea, two birds with one stone.”

“Ah, uh, Thaaanks…” Silvia squinted her eyes as Sagil tried to pull the wool over them. “And last but not least,” She raised her fourth finger. “Fourth, it should be easier to sense this magic because of how I was mixing my mana with the mana drawn from the environment along with mixing two different types of magic.”

“I see. It felt kind of like blood rushing around my body.”

“Really? Hmm, Interesting. It definitely feels like that to cast some spells but I haven’t heard anyone describe feeling mana that way.” She pulled out her notebook and flicked through it with a “Hmm,” sound before throwing her hand in her face and muttering “I don’t have anything to write with…”

“Uh, so what should I do next?”

“Ah, s-sorry!” She stammered before flicking through her notebook again. “Um, you might be able to… at least cast… some magic now if you can already feel it.”

“Really?” Sagil’s face lit up and he closed in on Silvia, trying to get a peek at the notebook. I thought I’d be stuck on theory forever. Mother always wanted to make sure though… and I guess she was right because I gave up quickly.

“Um, h-how about w-we…” she stuttered, taken aback by his sudden liveliness. “I mean you… read one of these chants I have written down.”

She turned the book so he didn’t have to strain to read but…

“Uh… I can’t read this.”

His face turned blank in an instant as he scoured over the pages. Scribbles, symbols, signs, numbers. Everything was a mess. But it wasn’t just the nature of the scribbled notes. He couldn’t read the words. The only thing that stopped him from giving up was that they seemed familiar. Is this… the demon’s language? So… this is the same world? But I thought their continent was destroyed which is why they invaded the DragonLands in the first place…

“Oh!?” Silvia exclaimed. “Sorry, I completely forgot, it’s not written in human. Just let me…” She fumbled about in her robe pockets. “…write it in human… I don’t have a pen.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The two stared blankly at the wooden walls of the barrack's main hall. Nothing was said until Silvia let out, “uhhh…. Ummm,” and glanced back at her notebook. She muttered under her breath “But the chants are…” and continue making noise until, “Uh!” She flung her head up and pulled Sagil’s gaze with it. “It’s right here. In between the demon symbols.

She placed the book into his hands and traced her finger on a specific part of the ink-covered page. Sagil squinted his eyes at where she had her finger, barely noticing a difference in the scribbles. He tried reading the needle in the haystack. “B-Bestow the protest…no, protection. Bestow the protection of w-water… on the place then demanded? Then demandast?”

“Place thee demandest,” Silvia stated matter of factly.

“R-right,” Sagil muttered, still unsure if it’s really what it said. He continued following along. “Place thee demandest, let vine crimson c-clear liquid… flow here?”

“I see…” Silvia sighed as if she was pitying her student for barely being able to read. “Close.”

“Yeah, I thought it didn’t make sense…” he muttered with the click of his tongue, annoyed at her tone. At least I can recognise the letters though. It is the DragonLands language. I am so confused by where I really am.

“It’s let thine crystal clear liquid flow here.”

“I see…” he shrugged, still not convinced the scribbles really said what she told. “Uh, so what now?”

“Well, it’s a pretty basic spell. Just stretch out your stronger hand and chant.” She smiled as she gave an example with her slender arm.

“Okay…” he muttered, taking a deep breath. He switched the book to his left hand, stretched out his right, and read the words.

“Bestow the prot… protection of water on the place th-thee demand… demandest, let thine cry-crystal clear liquid…” he trailed off before taking another deep breath and shouting, “flow here!”

He felt the sensation of blood pumping through his body, gathering in his right hand. It was as if it was bursting to get out… except it couldn’t. It was like the blood had clogged up before returning to pump around the body.

“Um…” a sad look grew on his face. Was he not cut out for it, after all?

As if to answer his oncoming depression, Silvia burst into laughter.

“It’s-hahaha, not going to…” she could barely get her words out as she keeled over with laughter. “It’s not going to… hahaha… work like that.”

Sagil’s skin burned bright red as he averted his gaze in embarrassment. “L-like what?”

“Ahh,” she sighed, releasing the last bit of laughter from her body. “I'm sorry for laughing but you didn’t say any of it clear enough. Plus, you probably don’t have a great image of it in your head if it’s your first time so it definitely wasn’t going to work.”

“Right…” he muttered. Not my fault it’s hard to read and it has some weird words that are hard to memorise.

“It’s alright. If you’re having trouble with the words just follow after me.”

“O-okay,” he said, stretching out his arm again and thinking, I’m having trouble with your writing more than anything…

“Bestow the protection of water on the place thee demandest,” she chanted as clear as a whistle.

“B-bestow the protection of water on the place thee demandest…” he followed shakily.

“Let thine crystal clear flow here,” she continued.

“Let thine crystal clear flow here!” He shouted. His blood gathered in his right hand, feeling almost like it was being squeezed out as his skin glowed a faint blue, a drip of water seeping from his fingertips. “Uh, is th-this it?” He mumbled with disappointment.

“Noooo!”

“Wh-what?”

You forgot the last part?”

“What last part!” He shouted; his eyes wide from missing an extra step. “I followed what you said!”

“…” she paused. “Shoot.”

“…?”

“I forgot to mention it.” She tried passing it off with laughter.

“…” Sagil threw his hand into the palm of his free hand. “Thanks, great teacher.

Her face turned bright red and her eyes quivered as she said, “S-sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!”

“It’s alright…” he sighed, already feeling a lot more tired. “What is it then.”

She gave him one last demonstration of the incantation, missing out on the last bit again so she didn’t fire the spell off. She explained that she couldn’t miss the other bits as she can cast the spell with only the last words, like the skilled mages she had mentioned before. The only difference being this was the lowest level of the spell.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Finally convinced he could say the chant without stumbling. He stretched out his right hand and chanted. “Bestow the protection of water on the place thee demandest, let thine crystal clear flow here,” he took a deep breath as blood gathered in his right hand, “WATER ORB!”

It was like the light blue mana pumping like blood was squeezed out, except this time it didn’t just dampen his fingers. A water bullet the size of a fist appeared in front of his right hand.

“Woah!!”

But as soon he let out in excitement, the water bullet fell to the floor, dampening the wood that was only just dried by Silvia.

“Nice!” Silvia jumped up and down and clapped her hands before settling down. “Just need to concentrate more. You should have the image in your head now, as well, so you can concentrate more on firing it off rather than chanting and materialising it.

“O-okay…” Sagil said, licking his lips in anticipation. Magic never felt this good when he used it before, whether it was lighting up a dark place or opening a lock, it was just standard incantations. However, Sagil couldn’t help but grin as his blood rushed around his body, not mana acting like blood, but blood. The rush he got from casting the simple spell felt so good. Stop! He slapped his cheeks. Concentrate. The sensation of blood gathering in my right hand. Mmmm… focus on it, that, that feeling.

Sagil closed his eyes and focused on his right hand, the sensation he felt. He raised his right hand, recalling that feeling, and imagined it in his mind.

I’m already feeling drained… maybe it’s using up a lot of mana, I don’t know. Either way, I need to try. Concentrate, and make every attempt be a successful one.

He chanted the incantation in his mind over and over. It didn’t matter if it ends up in failure, he was determined to succeed, whether it was with his next try, or his tenth. As long as he treated it like this was his only shot, he could do it. It was how he’d gotten better at the sword after his father- Concentrate!

He forced his useless thoughts away, focusing on the chant.

“Bestow the protection of water on the place thee demandest, let thine crystal clear flow here, WATER ORB!”

Water shot from his hands and formed a bullet of water which collapsed to the floor instantly.

“Eh?”

“It’s okay. Just practice. Again, and again.” Silvia placed her faith in her student. “You can do it; I know you can. I need to get something from Ban but I know you’ll have progressed by the time I come back.”

“R-Right…” Sagil muttered, his body feeling heavy, as if his clothes were drenched with water.

He watched the girl walk out of the barracks, slapping his gaze from her slender legs. “Focus!”

He took a deep breath.

I need to concentrate. Perhaps I was too focused on the chant. Yeah, let that come last. She said something about imagining it. Concentrate, and let every attempt be successful. Imagine it, and repeat the scene over and over again in my mind. Yeah, that’s the way. Cast it only in reality when I am sure I can go through the motions without trouble. If it fails, don’t beat myself up and just imagine it again and again until I can do it perfectly in my head. The fundamentals of learning shouldn’t be different for this than it is for learning the sword. It might not be life or death if I don’t learn it but just concentrate, focus, and try to succeed.

He rolled his neck around, making a cracking sound as he stretched his fingers.

He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes.

Feel the blood pumping around my body. Send it flowing down my right arm and into my hand. Feel it gathering, the power. Picture the mana as blood gathering in that hand, gathering power.

A faint blue light flowed through his hand.

And then, it comes from my hand. Have the feeling of that. The feeling of it gathering and firing from my palm, or was it fingers? Shit, I think it came from my palm but the drips before came from my fingers?

The faint blue light dispersed.

“Concentrate!” He shouted, taking another deep breath.

Direct the blood down my right arm, and gather it in my right hand. The feeling of strength flowing through my body and gathering in my right hand. The feeling of it firing from my palm… Carefully build it. Carefully, not all of a sudden, but carefully, gather it. Bit by bit.

The faint blue light returned, its glow strengthening with every heartbeat.

It’s a water ball, a water orb. Water, water, water.

The blue grew even brighter and seeped out of his palm.

An orb of water. Water ball, water ball, water orb, water orb water orbwaterorbwaterorb… slower. No rush. Water, water bullet, water ball, water orb. Water orb, water orb. Concentrate, squeezing out the water….

More and more water was pulled from his palm, forming a ball in front of it.

“Bestow the protection… of water…. On the p-place thee demandest, let thine crystal clear l-liquid flow here…Hah!”

He shouted as he collapsed to the floor, his body too light to finish-

Plop

Sagil creaked his eyes open. The orb of water had splashed on the ground.

“But I didn’t finish the chant…?”

He trailed off as his eyes slammed shut, his consciousness ebbing away as darkness overtook his mind.