After delivering all the metal scraps to Leyla, Edward went back to his room to study the tome about magic he had picked up in the library. Leyla was already captivated by all the prospects the runes and raw materials had opened, and she had been more than happy to be left to her own agenda.

Edward opened the book and started to read. ‘Before talking about magic, one must know about mana. All magic relies on mana, without mana there will be no magic.’ Well, ok that sounds like pushing an opened door. ‘Mana is tricky to sense, it is very fickle and doesn’t interact much with the matter surrounding us. However, there are exceptions to this rule, for example if the mana’s quantity is tremendous or if it is channeled properly through a rune or a spell.’ Yes, the tome presenting runes was stating that the runes were a way for mana to interact with reality.

‘As mana is volatile, it is difficult to cast a spell using ambient mana. One usually absorbs the mana inside its body or in an external container before being able to use it. Absorbing mana is done through meditation, the speed of absorption is not that fast but it can not be underestimated as it is accumulated through the years with regular practice. This is the main way to obtain mana. For those who are in a hurry and who are wealthy enough, it is also possible to absorb mana directly through a container like a mana crystal. Be aware than absorbing a quantity of mana quickly will result in side effects like a sensation of time slowing down due to the acceleration of one’s senses. However, your body won’t be able to follow your senses and you will feel as if you are trapped in a time stop. Absorbing mana while outstripping one’s limits can leave you trapped in such a state for what will feels like hours, or days, which isn’t recommended for your own sanity. Moreover, your body won’t be able to hold all of the mana, and some of it will be lost. Most of all, an exposure to an intense mana concentration can result in uncontrollable mutations. This last part, however, is very rarely encountered, as most people are wise enough not to overstep their limits.’

Wait a minute…This is exactly what happened to me when I injured those Bloodmaws with my daggers. I felt like time slow down around me although I wasn’t able to move. Does this mean I already have mana? That part about mutations is also worrying, but I don’t think it applies to me. I was trapped in a time stop for a few minutes at most and not anything comparable to hours.

Edward stopped a moment to process the implications.

The Damkinan were mostly a race comprised of mages. They tried to make use of biological weapon to create an army at one point in their war against whatever was threatening them. Of course, they must have used spells to modify the Bloodmaws in what they are now. So Bloodmaws have mana on top of their blood essence, and the daggers are able to absorb that. But I can’t absorb their mana with the regular way of absorbing their power through one’s aura.

With what I saw in the village, mages are supposedly pretty rare. People are mostly using auras instead to gain power. Which, means I must be one of the rare people with mana in my body.

I also know that some runes need a certain quantity of mana before activating. Back then, I always thought that Adrian didn’t make it to the teleportation mural in time. But what if he made it, but it didn’t activate because he didn’t have any mana?

The first time I used the teleportation mural I was put out of commission, but on the next usages I was feeling much better. Is it because my mana increased?

Gosh…that must have been horrible for him. Seeing me vanish, trying to do the same thing, only for it to fail…It could have happened to me as well. I had just injured a Bloodmaw before using the mural, but if I hadn’t picked the daggers I wouldn’t have any mana, and it wouldn’t have work for me either.

But I did give him one of the daggers though. I guess I will never really know if he managed to reach the mural and it didn’t activate, or if he was killed before that.

To think that your life can depend on such variables that you aren’t even aware of at the time. I need to gain more knowledge, I know that the wilds are not fully explored, but I still need to get basic information for adventurers. Gobéliard sounds more and more like my next destination. As a town they should have more knowledge about this world.

Edward gazed in empty space for a few minutes, he needed that time to regain his bearings. He then continued to read the tome.

‘Mana can feel like either particles flowing around you or as a stream of energy depending on its behavior. To sense it, you will need to regularly practice mediating exercises with your attention focus on your surroundings. Such a process can take some time, and that is why it should be taught as young as possible. This way, when the children are old enough to learn magic, they already have their own mana and are ready to practice.’ Okay…tell me I’m old while you are at it.

But I already managed to sense auras, and I can even see it directly through my eyes. This should help me with sensing mana. Curiously, meditations are focused on the external for mana instead of the internal for aura.

‘Once you have enough mana. You will need to learn how to control its flow inside your body. Just like blood, mana has its own circulatory system. By performing the right incantation while simultaneously circulating one’s mana in the right way it is possible to make the mana react and interact with our reality, this is what is more commonly known as casting a spell.’ Simultaneous tasks, seems like a pain already. But if it is to cast magic, I suppose it is worth it.

Edward continued to read further in, the book was presenting the meditations exercises in more details. This was the core of the tome’s content. Usually, one should be able to sense mana before having any mana. A case like Edward was exceptional, only rich families sometimes used mana crystals to accelerate the development of their kids. But even then, they let them familiarize with the meditation exercises first and used the crystals in moderation to avoid undesirable side effects.

Edward wasn’t feeling at ease doing meditation in this place. He was still sharing his room with Bertrand, even if the latter was on guard duty right now. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t come back while Edward was still meditating. Besides, he was in the guard’s dormitory and there were several guards regularly entering and leaving the building. It wasn’t the best place to do something like meditation.

So instead, Edward decided to go on a stroll. He didn’t go in the forest, as that would be dangerous to stay unguarded in a trance like state, so he decided to settle in the plain beside the village. He was still in view from the guards protecting Agripin and patrolling on the wall, but he was far enough to avoid being disturbed.

He was already familiar with meditation, so he calmly closed his eyes and emptied his mind. He let his thoughts run their course until all that was left in his mind was the calm of a lake without wind. This time, he let his attention drift towards the outside, sensing his surroundings. Even with his eyes closed, he still had his aura and thus was able to sense what was going on around him. He wasn’t able to sense any mana yet, but he didn’t get impatient and let things run their course.

After several hours of meditation, he was able to sense something strange had the edge of his perception. It was as if something was there, and yet when he was paying more attention to check it, he didn’t sense anything. As time went by, the feeling became clearer. In his aura range he was able to sense small dots floating nearby. The dots were moving in strange patterns seemingly unaffected by the wind, as if standing in a separate reality overlapping with this one. From time to time, one such dot was disappearing only to reappear at the same place several minutes later or to a completely different location. Edward wasn’t even sure if this was strictly speaking the same dot of mana or simply another one.

So, this is what mana looks like. This wasn’t too complicated, but at the same time I’m already familiar with meditation. I usually focus internally on my aura, rather than on my surroundings. I never felt something like that when I’m using my aura to scout around. But then, I’m usually focused and not in an empty state of mind. With how elusive mana is behaving, I would subconsciously dismiss it as a product of my imagination.

Then again, this whole process took me what, three, four hours? I refuse to believe that I am the first non-magician who discovered it. There must be others who should be able to sense mana. But sensing mana in itself is not sufficient to cast a spell, and I doubt mages would want to give away their secrets for free. Maybe, that explains why magicians are so rare nowadays?

Since, I’m now able to sense mana, I’m curious if I can sense mine. After all, I did absorb some mana from those Bloodmaws.

Edward, realigned his aura on the inside of his body.

This…It has the same elusive nature as the mana from outside but it feels more like a stream rather than dots roaming around. Edward was able to sense the mana inside of him, flowing slowly in some sort of complex circulatory system adjacent to his blood vessels. The feeling was very distinct from his aura.

His aura felt like a part of himself, as if it was his life made manifest. His own will expending from his body to interact with the world, doing his biddings. However, although mana was flowing inside his body, it was still ethereal, as if it was both here and not here at the same time. He could control his aura easily but he had no idea how to influence the mana stream inside of him. While his aura seems to result from his body, an integrant part of him, mana seemed more as if his body attuned to it rather than the reverse.

Okay, it seems like it isn’t that simple. I still have work in front of me before I can even master my own mana.