The heavy oak door clicked shut. Through the window, the towering silhouette of Darius disappeared down the dirt path, heading toward the Adventurer's Guild for the morning hunt.
In the kitchen, Mira wiped her hands on her apron and securely tied a cloth over a woven wicker basket. She turned her warm, amber eyes toward the dining table.
"Grab your boots, Ravon," she smiled, hoisting the heavy basket onto her hip. "We are going on a picnic."
Twenty minutes later, the dense, towering timber of the Beast Forest gave way to an open, sunlit clearing. They stepped onto the shore of Starfall Pond. There wasn't a single tree near the water's edge, only a vast, unbroken expanse of impossibly soft, vibrant green grass.
Walking to the water's edge, the sheer clarity of the pond immediately captured Ravon's attention. He knelt on the soft earth. The water was like liquid glass, completely free of algae or mud, yet the bottom vanished into an intimidating, bottomless blue depth.
"It's beautiful," he murmured, his voice hushed by the quiet of the clearing. "It's so clean."
Mira snapped a large checkered blanket out over the grass, letting it settle before sitting down with Lila in her lap. "It's incredibly deep, too," she explained, pulling fresh bread and sliced meats from the basket. "Every animal in the forest comes here to drink, but you'll never see a monster nearby."
Ravon leaned closer to the surface, trying to peer into the dark blue abyss. "Why?"
"Legend says this pond was created by a massive magic rock that fell from the sky centuries ago," Mira said, handing a piece of soft bread to the toddler. "The rock is still down there at the bottom. It emits some kind of ancient magic that repels the beasts. No one has ever figured out exactly how it works."
Squinting, Ravon searched the deep water for any sign of a glowing stone, but the abyss yielded nothing. A gentle breeze rippled the surface, distorting his reflection.
"Come eat," Mira called out. "You'll need your energy."
After a heavy lunch of cured meat and fresh fruit, Mira stood up and dusted off her skirts. She walked a few paces away from the blanket where Lila was happily pulling at the grass.
"Alright," Mira announced, her tone shifting from a warm mother to a focused veteran adventurer. "It's time for your magic lesson."
Ravon stood up quickly, wiping his hands on his shorts. "I don't know anything about casting spells."
"You know more than you think," she corrected. "For the last six months, you have been successfully channeling mana into your muscles for physical enchantment. The core process for casting magic is exactly the same."
She began to pace slowly over the grass. "Most people only possess one or two elemental affinities. Because of that limitation, learning outside their natural element is incredibly difficult. "You won't fail as often..." Her voice trailed off as she paced, and under her breath, like she didn't realize what she was saying out loud, "No wonder he learned everything so terrifyingly fast..."
She stopped pacing and looked directly at him, her expression turning serious. "But having every energy is not just a blessing. It can be a curse. You have the potential to cast a massive variety of spells, but controlling those energies simultaneously is incredibly dangerous. Some of them naturally violently repel each other—like Stillness and Motion, or Logic and Emotion. Forcing them together can create devastating anomalies in your own body."
A cold shiver ran down Ravon's spine, remembering the terrifying, buzzing distortion of the red and black aura that had cracked his wooden sword a week ago.
"You hold a terrifying amount of potential, Ravon," Mira said softly. "Never let it make you arrogant."
A determined look hardened his red eyes. "I won't. I just want to be strong enough to help people. Like you and Darius do."
A proud, affectionate smile broke through her serious facade. "I know you will, sweetheart. Now, enough theory. Step back."
They moved twenty yards away from the picnic blanket, giving Lila plenty of safe space. Mira held out her right hand, palm facing the sky. Without a single word or wasted movement, the air above her palm shimmered. A perfect, swirling sphere of clear water materialized out of thin air, hovering effortlessly above her skin.
"This is a basic water ball," she explained. "Close your eyes. Find your magic core, just like you do for your sword training. Visualize the mana traveling up your arm, exiting your palm, and gathering into a sphere of water."
Ravon closed his eyes. He found the familiar, heavy golden warmth beating in his chest. Visualizing a blue string of energy, he pulled it up his shoulder and pushed it down his right arm. A cool, damp sensation prickled against his palm.
He excitedly snapped his eyes open. For a fraction of a second, a wobbly, shapeless blob of water hovered over his hand. But the moment his concentration broke, the water instantly dissolved into a fine mist, leaving his hand completely empty.
Mira tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I thought you might be able to perform magic without an incantation because of your affinities. It seems you still need the verbal focus for now."
"Incantations?"
"Yes. They help the mind lock the visualization into reality," she explained. "Try the exact same process again. Pull the mana to your hand, but this time, say the words. say 'Water ball'."
Ravon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled the energy down his arm. He pictured the rushing river. He pictured the clear depths of Starfall Pond.
"Water ball," he commanded.
A heavy weight suddenly settled into his hand. Opening his eyes, a perfectly round sphere of water hovered just an inch above his palm, spinning rapidly.
"I did it!" he gasped, a grin breaking across his face.
"Very good," Mira praised. "But water isn't the only element."
Before Ravon's eyes, the water ball hovering over Mira's hand suddenly darkened. The liquid hardened, turning rough and grey. In a single second, the water had seamlessly transformed into a jagged, solid rock.
"Summoning Earth magic is the same process," she instructed. "Just say 'Rock form'."
Ravon focused. "Rock form."
A chunk of heavy stone materialized over his hand, instantly dropping a few inches to smack painfully into his palm. He winced, rubbing his skin.
Mira chuckled, her rock suddenly bursting into a bright, roaring sphere of orange flames.
Ravon immediately tried to copy her, pushing his mana into the stone to ignite it. Nothing happened. The rock remained stubbornly cold and solid. Frowning, he dropped the stone onto the grass. Starting from scratch, he pulled fresh mana from his core.
"Fire ball," he chanted.
A burst of heat flared to life, and a roaring flame hovered over his skin, casting a warm glow against his face.
"Excellent," Mira nodded, dispelling her own magic. "You know how to manifest an element. Now it is time to level up. Do you see that grey boulder resting near the tree line?"
Ravon turned his head. About thirty yards away, a massive, smooth stone sat at the edge of the clearing.
"Throw your fire at it," she ordered. "Visualize the flames leaving your hand with intense speed."
Locking his eyes on the target, Ravon pulled his arm back. He threw his hand forward like a game of catch. The fireball shot out of his palm, blazing a bright orange trail across the grass.
It flew ten yards. Then fifteen.
Suddenly, the flames flickered and died, completely fizzling out into thin air long before reaching the boulder.
"Don't worry," Mira encouraged, watching his shoulders slump. "You are just learning how to project your mana outward. Do it again."
Ravon gritted his teeth. He summoned another fireball, packed more energy into it, and threw it harder. This time, the flames survived for twenty yards before evaporating into a wisp of dark smoke.
"Again."
Sweat beaded on his forehead. His chest felt strangely tight. He pulled the energy from his core one more time, forming the fire. He wound his arm back, preparing to hurl it with everything he had left.
The flames instantly vanished from his hand.
A profound, hollow coldness slammed into his chest. His knees immediately buckled. The vibrant green grass rushed up to meet his face, and he hit the dirt hard. The world spun dizzily around him, his limbs feeling like they were filled with wet sand.
"Ravon!"
Footsteps rushed across the grass. Gentle hands rolled him onto his back. Mira was leaning over him, her amber eyes scanning his pale face.
"Today's training ends here," she declared, her tone softening. "You reached your mana limit. You are completely empty."
She easily scooped his exhausted frame off the dirt, carrying him back to the picnic blanket and laying him down gently in the shade of the basket.
The moment his back hit the soft fabric, a small weight crashed onto his chest. Lila giggled wildly, sitting squarely on his stomach and clapping her tiny hands in absolute joy. Despite the sickening dizziness of mana exhaustion, a warm, protective affection flared in his chest. He managed a weak smile, reaching up with a trembling hand to pat his sister's soft hair.
"How do I... get more mana?" Ravon breathed, staring up at the blue sky.
Mira packed the empty plates away, thinking for a moment. "You can steadily increase your capacity by draining it every single day. The more you train, the deeper your reserves will grow. Eventually, you will hit your natural, absolute limit—the point where training no longer expands your core. But you are a long way from that."
Ravon processed the information, his determination overriding his exhaustion. He looked around the quiet, secluded pond. "Can I come here to practice?"
"It is close to home, and the magic rock keeps the monsters away," Mira agreed. "Yes, this is a perfect training ground."
He looked down at the toddler happily bouncing on his ribs. "Can I bring Lila?"
Mira stopped packing. She looked at the boy, then at the distant boulder, and smiled a challenging, motherly smile. "You can bring your sister when you can successfully hit that boulder with every basic element."
The sun was dipping below the heavy tree line by the time the familiar wooden house came into view.
Darius was sitting on the porch stairs, his heavy longsword leaning against the railing. He watched the trio approach, a lazy smile spreading across his scarred jaw.
"You're home early," Mira teased, adjusting the sleeping Lila in her arms. "How long have you been waiting?"
Darius pushed himself up with a heavy groan, stretching his broad shoulders. "There were no decent quests left on the Guild board. I came back around noon." He opened the heavy front door, ushering them inside.
An hour later, the house was quiet. Lila was asleep in her crib, and the three of them collapsed onto the plush living room couch, the warm glow of the hearth lighting the room.
"So," Darius said, crossing his arms and looking at his wife. "Where did you run off to without me?"
Resting her tired feet on a small stool. "I took Ravon to Starfall Pond to begin his elemental training."
Darius raised an eyebrow, shifting his attention to the boy. "Is that right? How was the lesson, kid? What did you learn?"
Ravon sat up straight, the exhaustion completely burned away by excitement. "I summoned water, rock, and fire! But when I tried to throw the fire at a boulder... my mana just disappeared and I fell over."
A booming laugh echoed through the living room. Darius slapped his knee. "A tragic ending! But completely expected. Physical enchantment barely sips your mana, but projecting elements outward drains the core fast. It's a completely different muscle."
Mira leaned her head back against the couch cushions. "From tomorrow onward, Ravon is going to the pond by himself to train his capacity."
Darius stopped laughing, his protective instincts instantly flaring. He thought quietly for a long moment, scratching his stubble. "Alright. The pond is safe enough. But I am still going to drop by and check your forms from time to time, kid. You never know when something unexpected might wander out of the deep woods."
The very next morning, the grueling routine began.
For the first week, Ravon stood on the grassy shore of Starfall Pond, doing nothing but summoning elements. Water. Earth. Fire. Wind. He drained his core over and over until the dizziness forced him into the grass.
During the second week, he practiced throwing. He hurled fireballs and water whips at the grey boulder until his arms burned and his vision blurred.
By the third week, Mira taught him multi-summoning. He learned the agonizing mental gymnastics of maintaining three fireballs floating over his head simultaneously.
In the fourth week, he threw them all at once.
It was a brutal, exhausting month. And whenever his mana completely ran dry and he could no longer spark a single flame, he didn't rest. He picked up his wooden sword and endlessly drilled the intermediate forms Darius had taught him, letting his physical stamina burn until the sun went down.
One month after the picnic, Ravon sat at the dining table, wolfing down a plate of stew.
Mira walked into the room and placed a heavy, leather-bound book onto the oak table right next to his bowl. The cover was worn, the pages thick and slightly yellowed with age.
Ravon paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth. "What is that?"
"A spell book," Mira explained, taking her seat. "I have watched your progress at the pond. Your capacity has grown tremendously, and your control is excellent. You don't need me to hold your hand through the basics anymore. By reading this, you can learn the formulas to perform much more complex magic."
After the dishes were cleared, Ravon retreated to his bedroom. He lit the small candle on his desk and opened the heavy cover.
The first chapter was entirely dedicated to mana channeling and basic elemental summoning. He skimmed it quickly. The second chapter detailed the projection of elements. He skipped it. He already knew how to do those things.
I want to learn something huge, he thought, flipping the thick pages faster. Something Darius would use to hunt a Wyvern.
Halfway through the book, his hand stopped. He stared down at a complex diagram of swirling wind currents and precise incantation verses. The bold, inked title at the top of the page read: How to Create a Tornado.
A fierce, excited smile touched Ravon's lips.
"This is it," he whispered to the empty room. "Tomorrow, I'm going to try this."