And so for the next month and a half, Lukas fell into an intense routine. He would wake up early in the day, right before dawn and have a few minutes to himself where he would perform a few exercises to warm his body, just something that would set the tone for the day. After that he would do something every other disciple would do on the wee hours of the morning; Meditation seeing as right at the cusp of sunrise, where the morning light pierces through the retreating night, there was a brief period of time where the surrounding mana became slightly become richer, purer making it easier for mages to absorb it into their body for accumulation. Following the same lines, even the elements in the air were docile enough for the disciples to meditate and comprehend their spells with easier clarity and swiftness, something Lukas took well advantage of.

Feeling fresh and relaxed after Lukas would tackle his morning chores next that involved refilling his water reservoirs from a nearby well, tidying up his abode or washing his clothes. Only after he was done would he take a quick shower, don his white robes and then leave his abode joining the countless mages who were already up and about their activities.

At this point, the sun had well risen, and there was only a few hours to noon. Around this time Lukas would make sure to attend the lecturers provided by the Elders within the outer sect. Soon he quickly became selective, choosing only a few lessons that he couldn’t master or read on his own. The lecturers themselves never followed up on someone’s attendance, which gave the outer sector disciples a lot of freedom in choosing which lessons they would rather learn or listen to.

On the outskirts of the Cathedral, there were 7 Lessons freely provided to the outer sect disciples, namely the Art of Defense, which Lukas treated as mandatory as it taught the intricacies of how a priest could defend and protect themselves and other people in times of danger or need. The Art of SpellCasting, a lesson he also made sure to attend as it introduced a clueless mage into how spells were cast and manifested, something which his previous host barely mastered. The Art of Survival which obvious from its very title instructed mages on how to survive the wild, including the infamous Evergreen Forest. The lesson taught the basics of navigating through the wildlife, what to watch for and it was here where Lukas was again reminded of the Purification Spell, a spell each mage worth his salt would add to their collection, something which Lukas planned to do as soon as possible . The Art of Martial Way was a lesson mandatory for warriors while the Common Beasts & Precious Herbs in the Evergreen forest was a lesson Lukas didn’t even bother show up. He could easily find such knowledge in the Hall of Insight and thus he had no need to waste his time.

The next lesson, The Introduction to Foundational Runes Lukas was forced to drop seeing as the Lecturers were painfully slow and taught some of the very simple runes which he had already mastered thanks to the Comprehensive Compendium from his sister. The last lesson which was the Introduction to Alchemy was a lesson Lukas eventually abandoned as it didn’t align with his current goal. He needed to increase his strength first and foremost. Once he solved his immediate crisis, he would have ample to familiarize himself with such things in the future.

On the days where Lukas would be free from certain lessons, he would spend a few hours in the Hall of Insight daily, researching for specific spells to use, ancient wisdom or experience from past mages or other tidbits of information that would surely help him on blending in with the rest of the world. He made sure he amassed as much knowledge as possible as he could never know if what he read could prove useful to the future.

With his mind exhausted from such intensive reading, he would move on to his most favorite part of the day, spellcasting. Enraptured with his ability to influence his mana and cast spells, it was the ultimate nerd boy fantasy. But instead of shooting fireballs, he could only manifest light, and form a miniature sun in his hands. Unlike the fantasy stories he read in his past life, where mages could access all of the elements, magic in the Continent of Lush was tied to the elemental talent each mage would awaken at their ceremony. Since his previous host awakened to Elemental Light, it meant that Lukas could only master and wield spells of elemental light, leaving far behind the balls of fire he might have once imagined himself throwing at his enemies.

On the record there were 3 known methods of casting spells in the Continent of Lush. The most common one was through Incantations & Invocations. Through the Olden Language, a mage could invoke the elements in the air and summon one’s mana to manifest the spell. Some spells required certain hand gestures or specific intonations that made it necessary for a caster to repeatedly practice to get it right. But spells alone were not enough, as the demand on the caster to envision the spell, control and focus the mana required was tremendous. This was the reason why it became important for a mage to put aside the time to meditate on their awakened elemental gift. Only with a closer kinship with the elements would the caster not only be able to shorten the length of the incantation needed but also lessen the burden of one’s mana on the body.

The second method of spell casting was through Sigils. Creation and formation of sigils allowed spells to manifest quicker giving away the trouble of trying to correctly intone the invocation responsible. Spells manifested through sigils were not only stronger but they could also be cast repeatedly though they demanded a fairly high talent and affinity for runes. Perfect precision and accuracy was not only required but it was a must, as a wrong or faulty rune could lead to disastrous consequences less of which included mana backlash. This method was more common around the areas of Cathedral of Light & Talismanic Sect as they were the institutions famous enough for their mastery over runes.

The third method was spellcasting through external means. Usually accompanied by incantations, sigils or runes, some of the strongest spells required the use of a specific medium, or an external agent through which a spell can be manifested. Such agents include treasures such as a beast core, an exotic herb, special kind of ores or they can involve enchanted artifacts, talismans and even formations. Spells of such nature were usually used to fulfill a very specific role, with some achieving a magnitude unimagined through the use of powerful mediums. This was a level Lukas was not yet familiar with as he was still a foundational mage, his strength too low to even come across such methods.

Regardless there was a goal Lukas aspired to, and that was Silent casting, a state of casting spells almost instantaneously without the need of incantations or invocations. Aptly named Intent Manifestation, this was a stage of mastery where a caster could easily hold a clear image of the spell they wanted to manifest before they cast. This was profoundly easier not only with the simpler spells, but also spells the mage was exceedingly familiar with. This motivated him to push his limits every time he practiced his spells. He wanted the spells in his repertoire to not only be ingrained in his mind but also easier to cast on demand.

Some of the spells he wanted to master included the famous Shield of Light most priests of light were known for. Rarely would anything else replace a solidified mass of light as perfect defense against spells and physical attacks. Another spell he included was the Solar Flare his previous host favored. Although no matter how he tried he could never quite replicate the level of destruction his original host achieved before his demise, he still chose it for its utility. A sharp glare of light was enough to blind his adversaries, disorienting them long enough to prepare something else or escape if the need be. The spell could even be used as a flare, dispatching it directly to the sky incase he ever runs into trouble, a function common enough that almost every priest leaned on after learning this spell. Of course he didn’t forget the one spell that has haunted him ever since he transmigrated, The Purification Spell, a simple yet considerably complicated spell that possessed quite a few uses. From filtering unrequited scents and odors, the spell was also versatile enough to protect the caster from harmful fumes and toxic miasma, a benefit that solidified his determination of learning and mastering it as soon as possible.

Most of all, all of these spells were intended for only one purpose; for him to fulfill his designated role as a Priest of Light in this world of magic & sorcery… at least for now.

Back at earth, the word Priest had an undeniable connotation to certain religious or belief practices. But here in the Continent of Lush, the Priests possessed a very specific role especially in the various expeditions throughout the realm. Although almost everyone in the Continent has christened nearly all of the mages under the 3 Cathedrals collectively as priests, the mages from the Divine Cathedral named themselves the Emissaries while those from the Blue Cathedral conned themselves Deacons or Deaconess just to differentiate themselves from the overpowering presence of the 'Priests' from the Cathedral of Light.

Though a priest and a mage could be said to be same thing, a priest specialized more on spells of defensive nature than a normal mage. They are the chosen protectors in normal adventurous groups as they could defend, protect or even heal if the situation required for it increasing the likelihood of such group to survive. For a mage to be recognized as a priest they must fulfill at least 2 of three main criteria, which are defense, utility or auxiliary and healing. Only under those circumstances can a mage be recognized as a priest something which Lukas paid very close attention to.

Enough has been said about the defensive spells of the priests of light, known to have saved lives of many in face of danger but auxiliary or utility spells was where the priests are either made or broken. These spells possess a very specific kit that could either increase the overall fighting power of a team or increase chances of their survival when faced with a sudden crisis. This included spells that can enhance one’s recovery, augment overall speed of the team, increase the might of their allies’ weapon and so on and so forth. On the other hand, they also include spells that can be cast on an enemy to increase the likely hood of victory such as spells that slow, blind, confuse, fear, mesmerize, stun…in short any buff or debuff spells. Even though most mages have certain forms of spells that drop in this category, the priests from all the 3 cathedrals were known to possess a wider variety that makes them a must in any team or squad.

Still healing spells were the bread and butter of any decent priest. If a priest didn't even possess a single healing spell in their inventory, they would be forced to compensate in other criteria and more often than not it won’t be enough. Battle injuries are usually unavoidable especially with numerous expeditions of conquering ruins of ancient places; uncovering long lost dungeons or facing powerful demonic beasts in the wild. The ability to heal is often enough for a priest to save lives in more ways than one even in the midst of danger.

Due to this, priests are known for lacking formidable means of offense. Solaris was one of the few well-known priests who tried to subvert the expectations. In turn he had to sacrifice a considerable amount in terms of defense and utility. But as healing and defensive spells became indispensable throughout the years, priests prestige rose to prominence in the eyes of many which in turn cultivated some of the most arrogant and aloof characters imaginable.

In his one month and a half of intensive training Lukas made huge strides in several areas. He could now confidently hold the image of his soul altar during meditation for more than a few hours. He could also instantaneously cast more than half of the spells in his repertoire, without the needed invocations and incantations. All of this became possible because of just one thing; he could now meditate deeper and more efficiently.

Many of the advantages it brought was not only an easier and faster accumulation and recovery of mana which allowed him to train even more intensely, it also brought him closer and closer to understanding his own elemental light. By now it felt so familiar to him, that his whole body radiated a soft hazy light every time he was about to cast spells but most of all it become even more pronounced every time he meditated.

Yet the best thing Lukas did during this time was to fix some of the glaring flaws his previous host left on his foundation. The accumulated mana before he repossessed the body was imperfect and impure as the original Lukas was in hurry to obtain higher cultivation regardless of his future progress. This made him unable to cast of many of the more powerful spells any talented mortal ranked priest could cast. Through deep meditation and his meticulous efforts at compressing and refining his present until it shone a clear hazy blue, his foundation become stable, robust with an added benefit of feeling his body and limbs as light as a feather and his mind sharp with clarity.

It was only after he had perused through some of the manuscripts at the Hall of Insight did he reach such conclusions. There were enough cautionary tales of young mages impatient for power and prestige, ending up destroying their foundations and future prospects for quick progress. It was a clear warning and as much as Lukas wanted to level up quickly, he knew this life wasn't a game. He would make sure to take one step at a time until the moment he could reach the top and see if there was a possible way back to his home world, though by then he wasn’t sure if he would still be as keen as before.

During the days he was forced to sleep late at night, he discovered quite a strange incident. Every night at the stroke of midnight his body let out a glow of a different hue of grayish blue as opposed to the soft golden light he was used to. Every time it would happen, he would be bathed in more mana than usual. After an intense investigation to make sure nothing was amiss, he soon realized that it was the star in his soul altar that caused such phenomena. He had no idea why or how and as much as he tried to control it in order to take advantage of it, he was helpless in doing so.

Like clockwork, his body would always collect and refine mana impassively at a very slow pace during midnight. Seeing as he had no control over it, he gave up in the end, opting to use his nights for a much needed rest. In any case, he chalked it up to his body cultivating in the night by pulling in the energy of the stars through his soul altar. It might not be noticeable in the beginning but the advantages will clearly show in the long run. And who knows, the day would come where he would be able to control it and his cultivation would advance by heaps and bounds in turn.

Not long through his self imposed training Lukas met a wall. It came in two parts which were the training of his psyche and the needed nutrition to grow his body.

Psyche, a formless manifestation of his mind palace after hours and hours of visualization happened to be the hardest thing Lukas could ever have decided to try to train. It exhausted his mental facilities faster than he could recover and the most he could do with such power was barely move objects around him with his mind. At first, he had reveled at the fact that he could perform telekinesis but the true advantage his psyche brought him was the increased control over his mana and his spell manifestation. This was the reason why he stubbornly kept at it despite the diminishing returns even after he somehow incorporated into his daily training regime.

The second snag, nutrition became the forerunner of all his problems. The decent food he got the Mess Hall was enough to fulfill his hunger but for the training he was putting himself through it wasn't enough. If he dared perform heavy exercises on an already lean body he might as well just end up destroying himself. With almost no gold in his pocket, he couldn’t search for more sustenance, thus forced to slow his physical training to almost a standstill.

As he worried about his future and wondered if his current strength was enough to dare venture into the Evergreen Forest, the answer would come to him in form a missive that arrived the very next morning at his doorstep, the missive that would give him no choice but to step out into the world for the very first time.