The sun was just rising on the horizon, painting the sea in strokes of gold and orange. William stepped out of his cabin, stretching his arms, still carrying the heaviness left by a long and vivid sleep. A few sailors on the deck caught sight of him and gave him a casual wave from a distance.
William raised a hand in return, a faint smile on his lips and his head held high—without a hint of arrogance. Just... mutual respect.
He stopped in front of Aurus's door. For a mont, he lifted his hand to knock, but didn't go through with it. A calm, steady voice reached him from inside.
—"Co in, William. I've been expecting you."
The door creaked open by itself, as if the ship itself acknowledged his presence.
Inside, William found himself montarily speechless. Aurus's cabin was ten tis the size of his own. On one side, several tables overflowed with vials, jars of erald-colored liquid, polished tal tools, and rune stones pulsing with a dim light. Bookshelves stacked high lined the walls all the way to the ceiling.
In the center, beneath the soft glow of a floating lamp, Aurus read from a thick to. A spiral of bluish energy rose from his right hand, twisting upward before dissolving into the air.
—"Sorry I took so long," William said, still in awe of the room. "Sothing... made sleep more than usual."
Aurus didn't look up from his book.
—"It's a side effect of awakening to mana for the first ti. No need to apologize. Tell , how do you feel?"
William paused. It wasn't just fatigue. There was sothing different about him.
—"Good. Strangely good. Like... soone pulled a veil from my eyes. Everything looks sharper. I think clearer. It's like I'm really alive now."
Aurus nodded slowly, closing the book with care.
—"That's the mark of a true awakening. What we did with you wasn't a casual ritual. It's a thod reserved for those with real potential. Your body, never having touched mana before, was like dry land finally receiving rain. The absorption was violent, yes—but effective. The cost is fatigue... and internal burning."
William frowned.
—"Internal burning?"
—"Not literal," Aurus replied with a faint smile. "But mana is a living force. With no natural defenses, your body felt it like an invasion. In ti, you'll develop resistance. The other recruits started yesterday, slowly exposing themselves to small doses in their rooms, through a controlled flow. You, however... dove in headfirst."
William understood. He had suffered, yes—but gained sothing he couldn't quite explain. He decided not to complain. He simply nodded, resolved.
—"Follow ," Aurus said.
They walked to a table where a milky white stone sat, streaked with slow-moving veins that shimred inside.
—"Place your hand on it," Aurus instructed.
William obeyed. As soon as he touched it, he felt sothing invisible grasp his hand. Not painful, but firm. The stone began to change color: white to yellow, then orange, and finally faded.
—"Interesting..." Aurus muttered. "Your spiritual power is five. Not bad."
William didn't get a chance to ask. Aurus gestured toward a nearby bed.
—"Lie down. This test will be... more intense."
Once William settled in, Aurus handed him another stone—this one black with flickers of violet. As soon as he held it, a suction force activated. It felt like sothing was draining him. He gritted his teeth, enduring for nearly twenty seconds.
—"Warning... a critical problem has been detected," whispered Angel in his mind.
And then, darkness.
An undefined ti later, William opened his eyes. He was still on the sa bed. Aurus, at the far end of the cabin, was grinding ingredients in a stone mortar while flipping through another book.
—"Took you long enough to wake," he said without looking up. "But you're alive. That's what matters."
William sat up slowly.
—"What happened?"
—"Your your mana capacity is ten. Way above normal. The mana flow was too intense. But your body held up. That says a lot."
He approached, carrying three books.
—"Start with these. If you have questions, ask. But for now, study. Don't waste ti."
He left them on a table beside the bed and walked away without another word.
Still dazed, William took the books and returned to his own cabin.
Back in bed, he spoke to Angel.
—"How long was I out? And show what happened while I was unconscious."
—"Eight hours. Replaying footage."
William watched Aurus calmly remove the stone, lift him carefully, and place him on the bed. The rest of the ti, the man read, took notes, and ground ingredients. Nothing suspicious. No secrets.
Angel had even managed to reconstruct so of the notes: Aurus was refining a formula labeled Black Water. William barely recognized a few terms. The rest looked like advanced alchemy mixed with arcane abstractions.
—"Activate supplental mode. Boost analysis and focus. Ti to study."
One of Angel's greatest strengths was exactly that—amplifying William's ntal capacity by syncing with his nervous system. Not only could he retain information—he could process it like a second brain.
The first book: Fundantals of Magic by J. Thompson.
Chapter 1: Mana as the World's Breath
Mana is the world's life energy, the invisible sap that flows through all living things. Just as a mother creates milk to nourish her child, the world offers mana to its creatures—not as a gift, but as a drive to evolve.
Chapter 2: The Human Body and Mana
The human body is capable of absorbing mana and storing it, primarily in the brain. Just as we store energy from food, mana can be tabolized to fuel strength, clarity, endurance, and willpower.
Chapter 3: The Alchemy of Spells
A spell is not a trick, nor a whim. It is the manifestation of mana channeled through the human body. Arcane language doesn't control mana—it translates it. It is the bridge between imagination, which guides; mana, which fuels; and the body, which executes.
"A spell is not a command to the world... it's a conversation with it."
William lingered on those words as the page turned itself. For the first ti, magic didn't feel distant. He could feel it beating inside him.
And for the first ti... he was ready to understand it.
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