The next day Erika rose bright and early because she promised to meet up with Teresa to practice magic, specifically her control of Mana which was apparently atrocious!
"Hey, Teresa! How are you feeling?" Erika said brimming with excitement and joy.
"Great, but we must get that mana of your under control. Especially because the Cultivator's Festival is in 6 weeks!" Teresa said slightly annoyed and panicked.
"What's that?" Erika asked extremely confused.
"It's a grand festival put on by the Nobles(those who care to grace us with their presence that is) and/or their sects. It set up to look for talents to recruit into their sects and if you're very extremely lucky maybe even as a servant, in their noble house!" Teresa was extremely excited.
"Come to think of it Teresa, how come you are so good at combat?" Erika asked.
"Well, I've been practicing for this festival for the past year by battling in the forest!"
'Oh, so that's why there were so many random carcasses around the forest. WAIT WHAT!'
"So have I, but I went it to gather stuff for cultivation/money not to hone my skills. That did happen as a side effect though..."
Sigh~ 'Well, not quite, sorry Teresa but it was to raise my talent and the plus side my talent it at low-high now depending on what monsters cores and herbs I could find...'
"To start try to create a circle of pure mana in front of you. First, put both hands out palms away from you. Next, push your mana out from your palms. Then, try to force the mana to flow into a circle."
"Should I try any particular type of mana?"
"Umm, good question I actually don't know."
"In that case, I'll use water mana you described it as forcing it to flow, so water it ideal right?"
'Actually, I just have the talent and therefore comprehension of water, fire, earth, air, nature.'
"S-sure, do whatever," Teresa replied unconfidently.
"Here goes nothing."
Erika felt the water mana in her and guided it to her palms. Then she guided it out it was hard and slow at first but she slowly got the hang of it. Now she had a ball of clear-blue mana floating in front of her. She focused on it and molding it into a circle but it barely moved. And some even went flying away like a spray of water!
'Hmmm... should I try to get it to flow into a circle instead of molding it?'
Erika began to force it to flow into a circle but it exploded! However, she felt she was close so she tried again (by the way Teresa's been reading books next to Erika this whole time). It exploded.
'Maybe I must be more gentle?'
So Erika tried to gently coax the water mana to flow into a circle using a firm but gentle push. It slowly moved but when she tried to speed it up it exploded!
'Should I insteps create a hole in the middle instead?'
Erika then tried to part the mana in the middle the mana then slowly flowed around getting speed and forming a circle.
'Finally!'
"Teresa, Teresa! Look, look I did it!"
'I think this body's age and soul is beginning to rub off on me!'
"Great! That's amazing, it took me a week for my first mana training, you only took a day!"
"Wow, it's really late I should head home now! Bye."
"Bye!"