With the end of the first class and the beginning of the second, Nora had to bid farewell to Percy. Although they shared many classes, Magic Theory was one of the three classes that they didn't share.
Learning about magic in this world was one of the main reasons Nora was originally so happy to attend the Alossian Imperial Academy. The single display of power from Mage Glenn only helped increase her desire to learn more about the potential new Path.
Nora quickly made her way towards the next class. The new classroom was very much like her previous classroom.
Now alone, Nora found herself a seat and patiently waited for class to begin. In the background, she could hear a few students talking about previous knowledge their families had taught them about magic theory. Seemingly trying to show off to the other children.
Nora's patience slowly withered as whoever was going to teach the class was surely late.
To Nora's surprise, the teacher for Magic Theory was by far more generic than her previous teacher Mage Glenn. The old man wore worn grey robes and carried a long wooden staff. The only odd thing with the old man's appearance was a bright red ring he wore on his left hand.
The old man entered the classroom seeing the eyes of many of the children holding the same feeling which Nora had. They too had grown rather tired of waiting for the old man.
The old man's face turned stern as he began, "A mage is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." the old man losing his composure and began to chuckle. The light chuckle grew into a hearty laugh as it infected the students. Even Nora, who had thought herself rather annoyed quickly joined along.
"My name is..." the old man begun before a nasty cracking noise came from the old man's knee. "Oh my, I used to be young like you. Until I took a spell in the knee..."
The old man hobbled towards the door, attempting to hide the severity of the pain he felt. "I'll be right back. I need to get my knee healed."
The sounds of the old man complaining about the pain could be heard for some ways as the old man went further and further from the class.
The many children in the class quickly began to talk about the joking statement the old man had said. Nora hearing a noticeably louder child say, "A mage is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to. What kind of joke is that? Has that old man gone senile?"
The room was quickly hushed as a figure Nora recognized walked into the room. Mage Glenn slowly made his way to a neatly placed desk, "My name is Glenn Moongreen and I'll be the substitute who's in charge of this class while Mage Incanus finds a healer."
Nora couldn't help feeling rather mixed. Mage Glenn had been a good teacher in her previous class but he was really unmotivated. Surprisingly Mage Glenn seemed to be rather focused on the task at hand and began the lesson.
"All of the students present here are part of the Mage course. As any Mage would tell you, the beginning of any mages adventure all begins with a basic step..." the eyes of Mage Glenn catching a student dozing off in the back of the classroom which quickly interrupted his focus. "You in the back, focus! This is what your entire future depends on, focus!" the words of Mage Glenn containing a very faint trace of residual mana, causing the young boy who had begun to fall asleep to immediately awaken.
"As I was saying...", Mage Glenn slow exhaled in an attempt to calm himself before continuing, "All mages must begin their journey by accumulating Mana and creating a Mana Pool."
Mage Glenn then walked to a chalkboard behind his desk and drew a diagram. "Those with the ability to manipulate Mana can focus said Mana in a specific spot to create the foundation of the Mana Pool."
Mage Glenn pointed at the human diagram he had drawn and emphasized a spot between the lower ribs and naval.
"Only when one can accumulate enough Mana can one properly create a Mana Pool. The process itself requiring one to have enough control with their affinity to force the accumulation of Mana to turn into a perpetually rotating Mana Pool. Only then will one qualify as an Initiate Mage. The true starting point of the Mage classifications. I myself am a Mage. I have already gone through the steps of an Initiate Mage, Apprentice Mage, and I am now growing ever closer to becoming a Great Mage."
After taking a brief pause to ensure that everyone had understood the lesson so far, Mage Glenn continued, "For the first few classes we will undergo communal meditation with a focus on teaching and showing you all how to begin accumulating Mana." While gesticulating Mage Glenn continued, "Can everyone close their eyes," his eye's scanning the room, ensuring everyone closed their eye's. "Try to feel the Mana in the air around you. Imagine the Mana moving towards you. Picture the colour of the Mana and how it comes to rest inside of you"
Instead of jumping headfirst into the accumulation of Mana, Nora sensed around at the progress of other students near her. A small fraction of students had already begun to accumulate Mana beforehand and already had a small quantity of Mana within themselves. Nora then sensed the different quantities of Mana each student were managing to pull towards themselves.
Some of the people who had never learned how to accumulate Mana learned quickly while those with lower abilities to manipulate Mana struggled onwards.
Having gauged that this was a very individual process, which was highly constricted based on one's ability to manipulate mana, decided that she would begin attempting to accumulate Mana herself.
Before Nora could properly begin, she heard the old man return to the class. "I have returned!" the old man proudly shouting. Nora noted the robes of the old man were no longer grey. They had become a bright white. The hair that the old man once possessed had also turned white.
Mage Glenn greeted him, "Mage Incanus, what are you doing back, you've barely been healed" the contemplative noise of Mage Incanus sounded quiet as he muttered, "Oh yes... that was what they used to call me... Mage Incanus. That was my name..."