Ellie nodded nervously and shut her eyes again. This time, when the green glow came back, it was even more unstable than before.
It flickered wildly as she tried to keep it down. She was clearly fighting against her own power, as her face scrunched up in pain.
William said, "Too much tension," and then he reached out and lightly tapped her shoulder. "You're at war with yourself."
"Don't act like your mana is your enemy. You have control over it because it's part of you, and you're just not using that control correctly."
Ellie said through gritted teeth, "But it feels like an enemy." The glow got stronger even though she tried to stop it. "It feels like something strange is trying to take over my life."
William had seen such symptoms happen to soldiers who had trauma responses to combat before. People see the body's natural reactions as threats. "That's because you've scared yourself into thinking you're dangerous."
"Every time you overload, it makes the fear stronger, which makes you tense up, which makes the control worse. It's a loop of feedback."
He stepped directly in front of her, so close that the mana coming from her hands was washing over him in waves. Lia moved nervously against the wall, clearly worried that he was putting himself in danger.
"Keep channeling," William said in a calm voice. "Don't try to stop it or make it smaller. Let it flow naturally while I talk."
Ellie's eyes flew open in fear. "But I'll hurt you! If I lose control at this distance, the healing energy could seriously harm your body.
"Too much healing breaks down cells and..."
William cut in, "I know the risks." "Do it, just trust me."
The elf girl seemed to be torn between following orders and her clear worry for his safety, but eventually, her need won out. The green glow got even stronger, making it almost painful to look at directly. William could feel the mana pressing against his skin like warm water, looking for wounds to heal that weren't there.
"Good," William said, his voice steady even though it felt bad. "Now, picture the mana as a muscle."
"You can make it tighter or let it go. It's completely bent right now."
"I want you to loosen it up by 10%. Don't stop it or cut it off. And just take it leisurely, no pressure!"
"I can't!" Ellie yelled, her voice rising in fear. "That's not how it works!"
William said firmly, "Yes, it does."
"You think it doesn't work because no one taught you the right way. You only have to use ten percent of it! Think of the muscle letting go a little."
Ellie's whole body was shaking from the effort, and sweat was pouring down her face. But the green glow's brightness slowly, almost imperceptibly, started to fade. It wasn't much, maybe five percent at most, but it was progress.
"There!" William started to feel proud seeing her accomplish it. "You just did it. That shows you have more power than you thought."
"I did?" Ellie gasped, and her eyes got big with surprise. "But it seems like I'm still at full capacity."
"Because your baseline perception is off," William said. "And you've been working at full power for so long, anything less feels wrong only because you didn't know how to hold back."
"We need to change how you think about what 'normal' is. Again, cut it by another ten percent."
This time it was a little easier. The light got dimmer, and it looked less like a bright light and more like candlelight. Ellie was still clearly working hard, but there was a hint of amazement on her face along with the tiredness.
"Holy shit," Lia said from the wall. "She really is doing it. I've seen medical instructors try to teach mana control before, but it never works this quickly."
William said, "That's because they're teaching theory instead of how to use it." He never took his eyes off Ellie. "Again. Another ten percent less."
They kept going like this for another five minutes, slowly lowering the output until Ellie was giving off a steady, soft glow that would be ideal for basic healing work. At the end, she was shaking with exhaustion, but her face had gone from hopeless to cautiously hopeful.
"I did it," she said quietly, looking at her hands like she had never seen them before. "I really did control it."
"I can still feel all the power, but it's not too much for me anymore."
The system notifications flashed in front of William's eyes, giving him another small boost in his abilities.
[Ellie Trained: Magic +3, Mana Control +2]
[Student Bond Made with Ellie Von Synthia]
[New Skill Learned: Mana Sensitivity Level 1]
More importantly, he now had two students who were beginning to see him as more than just the academy's Zero-class Instructor. "I see how it is, I just need to train someone a lot until I get ever stronger."
Ellie suddenly looked up at him with her bright amber eyes, and there was something intense in her gaze that William didn't like. "You're great, Instructor Wade."
"You are the first person who didn't think I was broken or dangerous. You really understood the problem and fixed it in one session."
William quickly responded, "I wouldn't say it was fixed."
"You'll have to practice that control a lot before it comes naturally. This was just a way to show yourself that you could do it."
"But still," Ellie said, moving closer to him with a smile that was maybe a little too bright. "You helped me more in fifteen minutes than the doctors did in three months."
"You really are amazing. If it's possible, I'd like to train with you every day. Please?"
William was about to say something when Lia spoke up, her voice dry. "Well, the situation just got interesting. Instructor Wade, it looks like you're gathering students now."
Before William could think of a response, the door to the practice room burst open with a loud crash. All three of them turned to look at the person standing in the doorway. The hallway lights behind her created a dramatic effect, likely intended to enhance the moment.
She was a girl, probably the same age as Ellie, with long silver hair that fell down her back like a waterfall of moonlight. She wore the academy uniform, but hers had gold trim and what looked like real gemstones set into the collar. Her eyes were a striking ice-blue that made it clear she didn't care about anyone in the room.
"Ah, so this is where the famous Zero-Class teacher is hiding," she said, her voice dripping with aristocratic disdain.
"Uh, who are you?" Willian almost had a heart attack when the door burst open like that.
"I am Princess Kaela Aurelius, and I am the third person in line for the Celestial Throne."
"And you, Instructor Wade, are going to teach me right away."