The four eventually went their separate ways.
Tolu walked home alone, the spell book tucked securely beneath his arm.
By the time he reached the house, the streets had grown quieter.
He greeted Aremu briefly before retreating to his room.
Tolu sat on the edge of his bed and placed the book in front of him.
EARTH AFFINITY
BASIC MANIPULATION
He opened it.
The first page contained a short introduction.
"Earth is the foundation upon which all things stand."
"Those who possess an Earth affinity are not limited to controlling soil and stone. With sufficient understanding, the affinity may be used to manipulate the earth beneath one’s feet, strengthen the body, shape stone, and eventually command the ground itself."
Tolu read the paragraph twice.
He turned the page.
A simple diagram appeared.
Three circles were arranged beneath the title:
FIRST LEVEL — BASIC MANIPULATION
1. Earth Spike
2. Stone Grip
3. Pebble Shot
Tolu stared at the list.
"Three spells..."
Below the list was another passage.
"An affinity is not measured solely by the amount of mana one possesses."
"True advancement is demonstrated through mastery."
"Each level contains seven fundamental spells. To advance beyond a level, an affinity user must successfully master all three spells and gain sufficient understanding of their affinity."
Tolu’s eyes widened slightly.
"So that’s how people know when someone has broken through."
He continued reading.
"Mastery does not mean merely producing the spell."
"The caster must understand its structure, control the amount of mana used, and reproduce the spell consistently."
Tolu leaned back.
That sounded considerably harder than he had expected.
He looked at the first spell.
The description was short.
"Pick up a stone and close your eyes."
"Feel the stone in your hand."
"Do not attempt to move it."
"Listen."
Tolu frowned.
"Listen?"
He looked around his room.
There was nothing unusual about the ground beneath him.
Still, he closed his eyes.
He picked up a pebble and closed his eyes.
Nothing happened.
He waited.
Still nothing.
Tolu opened one eye.
"...Maybe this book isn’t as easy as I thought."
He closed his eye again and tried once more.
This time, he focused on the stone in his palm.
His breathing slowed.
The room gradually became quieter. For a moment, he thought he felt something.
A faint pulse. Almost like a distant heartbeat.
Tolu’s eyes opened.
He stared at the floor. "...What was that?"
He placed his hand against it again.
Nothing.
Tolu smiled. "Okay." He picked up the book. "Let’s try again."
Tolu placed the book beside him and looked down at the small pebble resting on the floor.
"Stone Grip."
He reached out his hand.
Nothing happened.
Tolu frowned.
He tried again.
Nothing.
He picked up the pebble and placed it in his palm.
The book had explained that Stone Grip required him to surround the stone with his mana before attempting to change its shape.
Tolu closed his eyes.
He focused.
He could feel the mana within him.
Slowly, he guided it toward his hand.
The pebble remained still.
Tolu opened his eyes.
"Come on."
He tried again.
This time, the pebble trembled slightly.
Tolu’s eyes widened.
But before he could do anything else, the pebble dropped from his hand.
"Ah!"
He quickly caught it.
"Almost."
He tried again.
And again.
And again.
Sometimes nothing happened.
Sometimes the pebble trembled.
Once, it rolled across his palm before falling onto the floor.
Tolu stared at it.
"This is harder than it looks."
He picked it up again.
His breathing slowed.
He remembered the instructions.
Don’t force the mana.
Feel the stone.
Understand its shape.
Tolu closed his eyes.
He imagined his mana surrounding the pebble.
He pushed gently.
The pebble trembled.
Tolu’s concentration tightened.
The trembling became stronger.
Then—
The pebble lifted from his palm.
Tolu’s eyes snapped open.
It was floating.
Only a few centimetres above his hand, but it was definitely floating.
He froze.
For several seconds, he simply stared at it.
Then a huge smile spread across his face.
"I did it."
The pebble slowly rotated in the air.
Tolu laughed.
"I actually did it!"
He nearly lost concentration.
The pebble dropped.
He caught it against his chest.
Tolu stared at the little stone in his hand.
It was nothing special.
Just a small pebble.
But to him, it was proof.
His first spell.
His first real step into the world of magic.
He looked back at the book.
"Stone Grip."
Tolu smiled.
"Again."
Tolu continued practicing.
At first, he could only succeed once in about ten attempts.
Nine times, the pebble would remain still or fall from his control.
But that one success was enough to keep him going.
He tried again.
And again.
Eventually, he began noticing what he was doing differently when it worked.
He stopped forcing his mana into the pebble.
Instead, he allowed it to surround the stone before gently pulling it upward.
His success became more frequent.
One success in ten became one in five.
Then one in three.
Soon, he was succeeding almost every other attempt.
Tolu stared at the pebble as it floated above his palm.
"Again."
He lowered it.
Then tried once more.
The pebble rose.
Another attempt.
It rose again.
Tolu’s smile widened.
He was beginning to understand it.
The next attempt worked.
And the next.
And the one after that.
Soon, he no longer needed to think about every individual step.
He simply reached for the pebble with his mana.
It rose.
Every time.
Tolu slowly raised his hand.
The pebble followed.
Five centimetres.
Then eight.
Then ten.
It hovered roughly ten centimetres above his palm, turning slowly in the air.
Tolu stared at it with a broad smile.
He had done it.
Not by luck.
Not once.
He could do it whenever he wanted.
Tolu lowered the pebble back into his palm.
Then lifted it again.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"Stone Grip."
He looked down at the spell book.
There were still two spells left.
But for the first time, Tolu felt like he might actually be able to learn them.