"In todays class Adeline would not be joining us for safety reasons."
That was how Gabriel had began the class when he noticed Sakura's eyes wondering around looking for something or someone.
"Oh? What's for todays study?"
"To cultivate mana and to manifest it."
"!! I'm going to learn how to do magic today!"
Her eyes widen in pleasant surprise.
'It was sooner than expected. I would have expected him to start it after Adeline became 8.'
"Yes. I was planning to start you after Adeline's 8th birthday. However I was able to notice that the magic energy has began to manifest as an aura around you. So I believe it is time to teach you how to control it and to keep it hidden."
"Yes!"
Gabriel chuckles seeing her so excited. He removes a key out of his left breast pocket and a small box the size of a music box from his sash.
He inserts the key in the box and twists it. A click is heard and it opens a bit for him to open it the rest of the way up and then remove an object from the box Sakura quickly recollected what it was when she saw it fully out of the box.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Huh!? Oh. No not really. But I feel like I may have seen if from somewhere."
"Then that feeling is correct. This is a concealment device that uses a type of barrier stone and a few other magic spells carved into the surface. It is the same type as the one used by the assassins in the assassination attempt against Igor. You must have seen it from there."
"Oh yeah! Your right. I did see it then."
Sakura was lying through her teeth when she spoke. She looked interested on the device on the surface but inside she didn't really care much for it.
'Of course I would know this thing with a single glance. It is the same device Rose's bitch of a mother used to conceal her talk with Sakura when she revealed that she was the one who caused her mothers death and fed corrupted blood to Sakura.I as well remember seeing one when Roxes trained Rose in the game. At that time he did so because he didn't trust Sakura not to try and interfere in Rose's training. Heh, as if she had the free time to play around with an annoying brat like that.'
"Do you know why I brought this device today?"
"Hmm~ is it to make sure no one notices me using magic?"
"Yes. This device conceals magic energy when a person uses their abilities. That's why no one noticed the fight between Igor and the assassins. The barrier stone forms a barrier in the perimeter it allows and the carvings are both used for silence and for suppressing magic energy so it wouldn't be detected by those outside the barriers area of space. It is a hard item to even have made because of the material needed and the carving of the spells and whatever else is embedded into the device. A secret item that not many know how to recreate."
"Wow~ that is amazing Uncle Igor. Can you actually make something like this?"
He chuckles and shakes his head no.
"I do have the ability to use embedding magic, but I have only reached the mid-tier 3rd stage of it. So the tier isn't high enough to give me the ability to make something like this."
Sakura wanted to curse out loud his talent in magic, especially when it is on magic he shouldn't be able to reach high in level.
'He really is a freak of nature my Uncle Gabriel. He acts like that level is too low for a man who can use around 5 other attributes in such high levels.'
"I'm going to activate this device and teach you how to collect magic from your surrounding."
"Ok!"
'I'm actually really excited to learn magic at last. Because for some reason, even will all the memories of past Sakuras. I don't seem to have any memories of the basic of magic and how to grow my level of abilities. I was stumped and couldn't go further than the thought of doing magic without just releasing the energy of it.'
"Magic is something we are able to do because of the magic energy we accumulate from our surrounding. Our world is filled with mana which we absorbed by cultivating it in our bodies. It then becomes magic energy stored on oneself and increases our magic capacity by how much we can cultivate. There will be a bottleneck for each stage we reach however we can overcome it if we have the talent and blessing of a god. For example, remember how I explained the importance of the blessing a god gives us?"
"Yes."
"Well that blessing will depend how much mana one can collect from nature. If you have a high blessing that mana will be easier to collect from your surrounding, but if you have a low blessing then it becomes even more difficult to collect mana from nature. In a way, the land we live in favors the gods because they were directly created by the mother of the universe. And if a person receives the highest favor from a god then the land feels more connected to that person."
"Oh~ but that gets me curious. If a person receives such a high tier blessing from a god, then can't they use other elements or types of magic abilities because the world favors them?"
"Ah, I was waiting for a question like this. I'm glad I was finally asked this question. It is actually quite easy of an answer. It is because the world is filled with different types of mana. The lands of dirt and plants give the energy of earth magic, while seas and rivers or any natural water source would give the mana of water, and the sun and burning magma of the deep layer of earth would give the mana of fire and etc, etc. So it is all from nature but it is all separated."
"Oh~ but then how does spatial or strengthening and all the special attribute magic works? How does a person accumulate magic energy for those type of magic."
"That is from the combination of different types of mana. For example, spatial magic is the combination between dark and light magic. While strengthening magic is created by the combination of fire and earth mana and embedding magic is from the combination of earth and air mana. So that is why it is actually harder to reach high tier for such attributes unless you have a specific type of blessing like those of the dwarves and beastmen. Even the demon race have a constitution to be able to accumulate dark mana at such high rates."
"I see~ that's really amazing."
"It is amazing."
He smiles and lightly pats her head when he saw her adorable expression.
"But there is an exception to this law of nature that we held for millions of years."
"Really? What's that?"
"You."
"Huh?"
"From the tender age of a 3 year old child, for some reason you are able to accumulate dark mana from your surrounding. Without the need to concentrate on collecting it but by just breathing."
He looks at her with a serious expression and she felt tense from his gaze.
"The only thing even indicating your connection to dark magic is the deep black of the rims in your iris and the pupil that appears a bit larger than normal ones. However nothing else in your appearance display the attribute of dark magic. It is an abnormality that hasn't been seen in any records I have uncovered to explain this strange occurrence.'
"..."
"The god of death for some reason decided not to color you in his color, yet he gave you such a blessing that just by being there, you are able to collect dark mana from the night and shadows. Nature doesn't need you to try and collect the mana because it is already willingly pouring it into your body.
An existence that receives full love by one of the ancient gods is someone many would like to get their hands on. As an ally or as a tool."
"..."
"You understand what I'm getting at, right Sakura?"
".. don't let those who isn't trust worthy find out my strange body constitution."
"Correct, especially because the rest of the gods in our world seem to allow this to happen, it can indicate they view you in a favoring way as well. Anyone who receives such a blatant display of bias by the gods will be sought by many. So do you understand why I choose to use this device in your training?"
"Yes uncle Gabriel."
"Now we will begin your first lesson on using magic. Which is how to conceal your magic abilities."
"Huh?"
Watching her confused reaction, he gave her a wary smile.
"Right now you haven't noticed. But your body is unconsciously absorbing dark magic from the shadows in this room. Luckily you haven't gone out much after the whole incident so not many people noticed it. However I and the rest of your uncles and your father noticed the subtle signs of it. As well because you haven't learn how to collect it without it being spread around you so a dark aura filled with dark magic seems to seep out of you every now and then."
"Really!?"
Sakura covers her mouth in surprise and looks at her body. She frowns when she quickly notices what Gabriel said. Unknowns to her when she got overexcited or overwhelmed, an aura or dark energy appears to seep out of her. It was so obvious that she really wondered how she hadn't been found out by others other than her uncles and father.
'I was too careless. Just because no one brought up the talk of my strange body constitution to collect magic doesn't mean it had stopped in doing so. If it was anyone else other than them who noticed, then it would have already spread around the empire or even to other empires and kingdoms of my strange abilities.'
"So you are fine with learning this first right."
"Yes. Please teach me how to first conceal my strange abilities from others."
"It is not strange, just too soon for people to learn of it."
He smiles warmly this time and lightly pats her head again.
"Then I will first teach you how to sense the mana in your surrounding and how to feel it when your body begins to collect it."
"Aye!"
"Close your eyes and remain calm."
Sakura did just that. Now the only thing filled in her vision is just darkness.
"Listen to my voice. Remain calm and think of nothing but your breathing. Take deep breaths and feel each one you take. It should take a wh-"
"For some reason I feel like each time I breath, some light forms in my mind."
"..."
"Uncle Gabriel?"
"Sorry, was a bit distracted. You had quickly formed a conscious of magic so it surprised me a bit. But that is good. Now pay attention only to that light and the energy that seeps into it for it to form even more."
Listening to his voice she paid attention to the light that seems to grow each time she took breaths it. It was small changes, but she somehow knew it was growing stronger.
But she quickly remembered the next task Gabriel gave to her.
'I have to notice the energy that is strengthening this sphere of light.'
She frowned in concentration and noticed this part was a difficult task to accomplish. Feeling the mana flow into her and then become energy for this strange light was growing to be difficult to sense.
She began to panic a bit when she still hasn't noticed the energy but the sphere of light became more solid and now appears to grow in size.
'Shit! Is it because I'm willingly forming this thing that it is getting stronger by the minute! What would happen if it grows even more!'
"Calm down."
Gabriel's soothing voice reached her panicked mind and she took some breaths to calm herself.
"Sorry, the strange light was just growing and I was scared it'll grow to big."
"Do not pay attention to it. Rather, it is actually a good thing for it to grow stronger. It can actually help you sense the magic energy more easily when you take notice of what it is."
"Ok."
"But I do have a question."
"Yeah?"
"How many spheres do you see?"
'How many? I only see o-'
Her thought was caught when she noticed other scores of light, however they were expediency more smaller than the other one that is before her.
"This is...?"
"So there are other light you see. How many more?"
"Two other ones."
"I see. Well for now concentrate on the energy that is entering those lights."
"Ok."
Sakura's attention was in the balls of light in her minds vision and she didn't pay attention to her breathing as much. But then she sensed something in her surrounding.
'This...'
She removed her attention away the spheres as well and paid attention on the surrounding of the spheres, she quickly noticed a stream form toward it and she began to follow those streams only to sense a pressure in her surrounding space.
"Is this..?"
"Oh? Can you sense it."
"I think... so?"
"Then cut it."
"Huh?"
"Whatever you sense right now, block it from entering your body. Concentrate on just that."
"Ok."
After she agreed she pays great attention to her surrounding and takes a hold of that feeling she has that spreads to her body and into the sphere.
'Ugh... I was able to stop the stronger flow of energy, yet I can still sense a few still strengthening the middle sphere.'
Her mind was fully focused on those energies that doesn't move by her will but by its own. Each time she cuts a source, another stream of energy appears from somewhere else.
'Dammit! This is annoying now!'
"Remain calm Sakura. I can see the mana flowing quickly but dissipating in your surrounding even more strongly that before. Don't be impatient and just take your time. You will be able to do it."
He can see the mana surrounding her to be the black mana the is sleeping from the shadows to enter her body, but the ones that are scattering back are blatant to the naked eye.
'She needs to control the mana that is moving on it's own around her, if she keeps on letting it take control, then her powers will be quickly found out. I have to make sure she takes control over it now.'