Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 55 - Mana Control Exam Demonstration

After everything was weaved flawlessly, his mana congealed, and a soft pulse of magic power verified his success.

Carefully he heated up one side of his cube, slowly getting used to the controlling the velocity through temperature.

Kiel too had not cast Temperature much in his 18-year old life. But unlike the rest of the examinees, he was confident in his control. As a non-mage, he wasn't able to cast many spells, but Heating and Cooling were among the spells he could cast.

He used it to dry his hair after showering or dry his sweat drenched clothes. He used it to heat up or cool down his meals, adjust the temperature of water in his bath and even used it to heat up his weapons to have a stronger penetrative power.

Since he was proficient in both of them, Temperature, which was made out of the two, should pose no problem. Even so, he wasn't overconfident. Instead, he was diligently trying his best to familiarize himself with moving the cube.

Controlling mana and controlling the finished spell greatly differed. Mana was the extension of a mage by default, even babies could move their mana. It came as naturally as using one's own limbs or breathing.

One needed to practice his mana control to polish it, just like children needed to constantly practice drawing to one day be able to become great painters. Once polished, regardless of what they needed to paint in the future - whichever spell they needed to weave, it would become much easier to accomplish.

However, spell control was like suddenly gaining a new limb. It wasn't inherent or inborn. One would need to get used to the new limb - when the spell activated, the mage needed to find a way to connect deeply with the spell. To "feel" the spell. To sync with it, to integrate with it, to unify with it, until it became a part of themselves.

Because every spell was different, the process of "feeling" the spell depended greatly on the spell itself. It was as if mages switched between having an extra arm, an extra leg and then later, gained a tail or a wing. Someone might quickly get used to having a tail, while others might keep stumbling for a while.

It wasn't uncommon for mages to have a certain affinity towards some spells while being unable to integrate well with other spells.

"Feeling" the spell was very similar to the concept of empathy. Some people could relate well with certain emotions and situations, other couldn't.

Some mages hypothesized that mage's ability to synchronize with a spell is related to their inborn affinity for magic. Some claimed that it depended on the sensitivity of mage's Mind or even their intelligence. And some insisted that both spell control and mana control were influenced by mages state of mind - the emotions and even personality.

Perhaps it was the combination of all those different factors.

The only thing that Kiel was sure of was that at the beginning, his spell control could only be called average. However, through his hard work it had gradually improved over the years. His understanding towards it naturally increased so that surely had an impact on his spell control. Yet, to him, it felt as if the more he loved magic, the more magic loved him back.

As if magic was an intelligent being who initially disliked him so it wasn't easy to control. But when he opened his heart to it, it accepted him.

Kiel caught himself smiling gently as the cube floated around him gracefully, completely under his control.

This smile couldn't be compared to his usual smiles. It was like comparing the brilliance of the sun to that of fireflies.

This one...was a genuine smile.