A faint silver glow surrounded Aric’s arm as he drove his fist into the training post.
The impact sent a dull crack through the yard, making the wooden post tremble beneath the blow. Aric immediately pulled his arm back, his breathing already growing heavier as the Battle Aura around his skin flickered before disappearing completely.
Ivar watched from several steps away, arms folded across his chest.
"Again."
Aric exhaled through his nose and shook his arm, trying to ignore the ache running through his knuckles.
"Give me a moment."
"You need to flow with it Aric, you can’t be taking breaks just when you finally managed to get it."
"I have been training since sunrise."
"Alright, you can rest. But give me one more"
A faint smile appeared on Ivar’s face.
Aric sighed before turning back toward the post.
He planted his feet, lowered his stance and focused on the mana within his body. It no longer felt as foreign as it had during his first weeks of training. He could sense it now, moving through his mana core and circulating through his body whenever he deliberately reached for it.
He drew the mana inward, letting it gather around his muscles before pushing it toward his arm.
A faint silver layer settled around his skin, lingering this time. Clenching his fist, Aric struck the post again with noticeably greater force.
The wooden post shook violently, and a small crack appeared along its surface.
Aric stared at it for a moment before looking toward Ivar.
"Did you see that?"
"Finally."
"I damaged it!"
"Of course you did, I’m the one training you after all"
Aric frowned.
Aric looked back at the crack in the post, and a small smile appeared on his face.
The aura around his arm vanished, and his shoulders immediately slumped.
"That took everything I had."
"Which is why we stop there," Ivar said, stepping forward to hand him a waterskin.
Aric accepted it and drank, barely noticing how dry his throat had become.
Yara passed behind him, spinning her spear casually between her fingers.
"Would you look at that, you finally did it."
Aric lowered the waterskin.
Bram snorted nearby.
"But we need to learn how to fix your stamina, it’s so pathetic."
Aric turned toward him.
"Why do you always have something to say?"
"Because you keep giving me reasons."
Yara laughed, while Darian shook his head from where he was adjusting the straps around his arm.
Nira was already preparing another arrow at the far end of the yard, seemingly uninterested in the conversation, although Aric had learned over the past month that she heard far more than she let on.
Ivar took the waterskin from Aric.
"Alright time for you to disappear to your magic training."
Aric opened his mouth to argue, then remembered he had forgotten something important.
"Shit, I have magic training today."
Ivar nodded.
"Yep."
"Why didn’t you remind me?!"
"Why would I? You were on the brink of a breakthrough."
Glancing toward the estate, Aric muttered, "She’s probably waiting for me."
"She is."
Aric turned to him. "How do you know?"
"She arrived to watch you train."
A flicker of surprise crossed Aric’s face. "She was watching?"
"For the past hour," Ivar said with a knowing look.
Aric looked toward the edge of the training grounds, suddenly feeling more self conscious about everything he had done that morning.
"Just perfect."
Ivar laughed quietly.
"Go before she decides you aren’t worth teaching."
Aric gave the others a final glance before leaving the training grounds.
His body felt heavy after the morning’s exercises, but there was a strange excitement beneath the exhaustion. For the past month, menos had been the only thing he could actively train, and although he had made progress, magic was something he had been waiting to explore ever since learning that his mana core had been restored.
He found Inara near the gardens.
She stood beneath the shade of a large tree, her arms folded as she watched him approach. She looked completely rested, which irritated Aric slightly considering how exhausted he was.
"You sure took your time."
Aric stopped in front of her.
"I was training."
"I know."
Aric studied her expression.
"So, what did you think?"
Inara tilted her head.
"Of your training?"
"Yes."
"You were pathetic I guess, A Noctra who can barely use Menos and has a weak body."
Aric let out a low, breathy laugh that held no humor.
"What?"
"Do you take offence to my statement? I’m simply answering your question."
She walked around him slowly, studying him from different angles before returning to stand in front of him.
"Your control over menos is disgustingly pathetic to your father and siblings, maybe it’s because you were in a coma. But you were talentless even before no?."
Aric raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a problem? Isn’t it magic you are going to teach me?"
"It will become one if you want to learn magic."
That caught his attention.
Inara turned toward the trees.
"Come."
Aric followed her.
They left the gardens behind and continued toward a quiet clearing beyond the estate. The further they walked, the quieter everything became until the sounds of the training grounds disappeared completely.
When they reached the clearing, Inara stopped.
"This will do."
Aric looked around.
"Why here?"
"Because I do not need half your attention going to people shouting and swinging weapons."
She pointed toward the ground.
"Sit."
Aric lowered himself onto the grass.
Inara remained standing.
"Before I teach you anything, I want to know what you already understand."
Aric thought for a moment.
"I know that magic uses mana and that spells are created through mana circles."
"Go on."
"Mana circles provide structure to the mana being manipulated. The more complicated the spell, the more complicated the circle."
Inara nodded.
"Good. What else?"
"Mana comes from the mana core."
"Not quite."
Aric frowned.
Inara crouched in front of him.
"Mana does not come from the core. Your core gathers, stores and regulates the mana you draw into yourself. The mana itself exists throughout the world."
Aric nodded slowly.
"So the core controls it."
"Among other things."
She tapped her chest.
"Every mage has a different relationship with their mana. Some have tremendous reserves but poor control. Others have smaller reserves but extraordinary precision. Raw power means very little if you cannot control what you possess."
Aric considered that.
"Then what determines how strong someone’s magic can become?"
Inara smiled.
"That is a much better question."
She stood and walked a few steps away.
"There are many factors. Your mana capacity, your control, your affinity, your understanding of magic and the quality of your mana core all matter. Talent helps, but talent without discipline eventually reaches a wall."
Aric looked at his hands.
"And where do I start?"
"With the most basic thing of all."
Inara turned toward him.
"Feel your mana."
Aric closed his eyes.
"Breathe normally. Do not force anything."
He took a slow breath.
"Forget about moving it. Forget about casting. Forget about what you think mana is supposed to feel like."
Aric relaxed his shoulders.
"Just find it."
He focused inward.
At first, there was nothing.
He could hear the wind moving through the trees, the distant rustling of leaves and his own breathing, but beneath all of it was only darkness.
He pressed deeper into the search. Then came a faint thread of warmth stirring in the center of his chest.
Keeping his eyes shut, he breathed out, "There."
Inara said nothing.
Aric focused on the sensation, allowing himself to become more aware of it. The warmth seemed to pulse gently within his mana core, almost like a second heartbeat.
"I can feel something."
"Do not reach for it yet."
Aric stopped himself.
"Why?"
"Because, I want you to observe it."
Aric did as he was told.
The sensation became clearer.
Mana was not simply sitting inside his core. It moved, circulating slowly through the pathways within his body before returning to its center.
For the first time, Aric understood the difference between knowing about mana and actually experiencing it.
"Now move it."
Aric concentrated, trying to guide the warmth toward his arm, but nothing happened. He tried again, only for the sensation to vanish entirely.
His eyes snapped open. "I lost it."
"Then find it again," Inara said simply.
Closing his eyes, Aric searched until the spark flared back to life. He nudged it once more. This time the warmth shifted slightly before slipping away.
"Again."
Aric clenched his teeth and pushed further. The mana shifted, just a fraction, but enough for him to feel the pull.
"I moved it."
"Yes."
Aric opened his eyes, a grin spreading across his face. "That was easier."
"It will not always be." She pointed toward his palm. "Move it there."
Aric looked down at his open hand, then closed his eyes to lock back onto his core. The warmth returned. He guided the thread through his chest, forcing it past his shoulder and down into his arm.
It resisted him every inch of the way. His concentration wavered twice, but he fought to keep the mana moving until it finally settled in his hand.
Mana gathered in his palm, wrapping his hand in a faint silver glow. Inara watched in silence.
Aric stared down at his hand, a crease forming between his brows. "This feels familiar."
"What does it feel like?"
"Like menos."
A small smile touched Inara’s lips. "That is because it is."
Aric snapped his gaze up to her. "What?"
"You are using MENOS right now."
He stared back down at his hand, bewildered.
"Magic and Menos both begin with the same source, mana." Inara explained. "The difference lies in how you direct it. Menos keeps mana inside the body to reinforce it, while magic shapes that energy and projects it outward to cast spells."
Aric looked at the glow on his palm. "So this whole time..."
"You thought I was teaching you magic," Inara said, her smile widening. "I was teaching you how to control your mana."
Aric’s eyes narrowed as the silver light pulsed over his hand. For the first time, he wondered just how much of MENOS he had been doing wrong.