It has been a couple of days since I showed that I could use magic. Since then, I have joined Blue mother and Lucy to receive an special training. Blue mother explained me the types of magic that exist in this world.
First, we have the attack magic, which consists of manipulating the main elements of nature: water, fire, wind, and earth. Second, we have the healing/defense magic, which is divided into healing magic, barrier magic, detoxification magic, and divine magic. Finally, there is summoning magic. This one was the rarest one, and only a few people can use it effectively nowadays. Blue mother also mentioned other kinds of magic, such as light magic and sound magic, but these are very uncommon and difficult to learn.
Once you achieve some control in one of these types of magic, your level is divided into ranks. The ranks are: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor and God. A Beginner rank is capable of casting small spells in a limited range, while a God-rank has the power to destroy an entire city or even a country. This was the basic information of magic in this world. Lucy and I were both at the beginner level, but I intended to change that as quickly as I could.
When we started the practical class, I thought Blue mother was going to ask me to create big water spheres or huge amounts of water, but instead she ordered me to do something else.
"Ryker, I want you to make an small water sphere and make it float over your head," She said in a tone that reminded of a college teacher.
I thought that would be easy, but when I created the water sphere, I realized I couldn´t make it small. The sphere would always end up too big or too dense, and guiding it to float over my head was difficult. Blue mother gave me a playfull and challenging smile and then she turned back to teach Lucy. That motivated me to finally make that small water sphere.
I focused and imagined the sphere. I understood that the more my fingers felt like melting, the more water and mana I was pouring into the sphere. Once I realized that, I shut down the flow of mana- and there it was: a small water sphere floating between my hands.
The next step was guiding it. I felt as if there were invisible strings holding the sphere together, so I had to focus on extending the strings upward, placing the sphere in the perfect spot above my head.
"I did it!" I said, excited. Blue mother turned to check If I was telling the truth, and then she smile brightly.
"Well done, Ryker. You´ve just learned how to control the flow of your mana" She said, her voice warm and proud.
Blue mother was right. It was arrogant of me to believe the task would be easy just because it sounded simple. Perhaps I have natural talent for magic-but that doesn´t mean I understand it all. Not even close. There is still so much for me to learn, and so much I haven´t even begun to explore in this world.
The rest of the magic session followed the same pattern. Instead of forming one water sphere, I had to make two... then three... and finally four. Once I managed to do it the first time, the rest came easier.
When we ended the session, we entered the house. I was very proud of my progress and of having such an incredible master as my mother. "Please take these, Ryker-sama and Lucy-sama," Lilia said, handing us towels and a glass of water.
"Thanks, Grandma Lilia," I said to her. I understood that Lilia wasn´t really my grandmother, but I liked calling her that anyway because she always gave off those shy, grandmother vibes.
"Thanks, Grandma Lilia!" even Lucy started repeating me, calling Lilia 'grandma.' Lilia just smiled lightly and then retired solemnly to do her chores.
I looked at Lucy. She had that cute smile of hers, but I noticed she was completely sweaty. I saw her training and it was practically the same as mine one, but despite having a light headache, I felt completely fresh.
"Blue mother," I softly pulled Blue mother´s sleeve. "Why is sister Lucy so sweaty, but I´m not?"
Blue mother looked at both of us and then spoke "I think its because you have a bigger mana storage than Lucy"
She noticed my confused expression, so she continued. "The mana storage is the amount of mana an individual possessess. When you have a small mana storage, the fewer spells you can cast without getting tired. The bigger your mana storage, the more spells you can cast without getting tired."
Now that I think about it, it made a lot of sense. The mana isn´t unlimited and everyone has their own limits.
"Does that mean my mana storage will grow over time, right?" I asked attentively
"Well, most people believe that the mana storage remains the same," Blue mother said. "But I believe that the more mana you use, the bigger your mana storage becomes" She added in her usual clever tone. "Your father is an example of that. When he was a kid, he already had a big mana storage, but the more he trained, the larger it grew-until the point where he could cast multiple Saint-rank spells without breaking a sweat"
"So, basically it depends on how much I train my mana?" I asked, to see if I understood correctly.
"It depends on how much you push your own limits to force you mana to grow larger," She replied, leaning toward me "Ryker, you have the potential to be a great magician, but the difference between someone with the 'potential' to be a great magician and an actual great magician is the effort, hard work and how much you push yourself."
Her words echoed through my mind-she was right. If I wanted to become better at magic, I would have to train instead of depending on a natural talent. I had to push myself harder and work dilegently.
---
One morning I woke up, and Lilia told me that my father, Blue mother, and Red mother were going on a business trip. That dissapointed me a bit because I wanted to continue training magic with Blue mother. She noticed my dissapointment, so she told me to keep practicing my control over the flow of my mana and she encouraged me to ask White mother to train me. Blue mother said that White mother was very skilled at chantless magic and could teach me to manipulate different elements.
Dad was very simple. "You´re doing great, Ryker. Keep woring hard." A little generic, Dad, but I appreciated the intentions.
Finally it was Red mother.
"Hey, Ryker. Come here boy," she said, crouching down. I ran to her, and she stared at me directly.
"When I come back from my trip, you´ll start training the sword with me. I want you to be ready" She said calmly but with a firm tone.
I swallowed hard and straightened my posture, "Yes, Ma´am!" I said determinedly. She looked at me with a puzzled expression, but then she smiled softly and patted my hair.
I returned to White mother´s side and I looked at my father.
"Well, we´ll be back" he said and started to leave.
As I watched them leave, I felt a sense relief in my heart. A lot of challenges would come from now on, and I would have to work hard. But I had a purpose and a goal; now I just needed to give my all to achieve it.