Damian was awakened by the first rays of light that heralded a new day. He groaned and weakly lifted himself out of the sand before staggering to his feet. He spied a hand-woven bamboo basket out of the corner of his eye and dragged his weary body over to it. He reached out his hand to grasp the lid and-
"what the hell?"
Damian frowned as the basket seemed to inch away from him. As if it was alive and fleeing from him. But it wasn't just his hand, every time he got too close, the basket maintained the same distance from him. To Damian, it seemed as if there was a person just in front of him, pushing it away.
Damian stared ahead, at the basket. He could subtly make out something in front of him. It shimmered and rippled like the surface of a disturbed pond.
"Is this... magic?" Damian mumbled.
"Nice guess kid" Came Roy's voice from within his head.
"But not quite. This is magic in it's base form. Mana. Your mana core will consistently produce this stuff but you won't be able to transform it into a proper spell until certain conditions are met. Try sucking your mana back through your finger."
Damian did just that and felt a vibration course through his body from his index finger. To Damian, it felt like he was half asleep and someone has given him a quick zap to wake him up.
"Nice going kid. Remember, a good mage never wastes his mana. even if it's still a scrap, you should always absorb it back into your body."
What Roy said made sense to Damian, after all, the more the merrier. But in reality, it was extremely difficult to split your focus between attacking and monitoring your mana so you know when to absorb it during the heat of battle.
While Roy was explaining this, Damian had cracked open the basket and spied a nice turkey sandwich and a bottle of wine. He ignored the bottle and wolfed down the sandwich with gusto.
'I wonder if that couple will mind... well, it'd be a waste to leave such a nice sandwich unattended anyway.'
After finishing his food, Damian began his journey back to the school. His gaze filled with determination.
His walk back to the academy was one of confusion as he seemed to be confused. It wasn't to the point at which he was lost but the surroundings looked... different. The green of the foliage appeared more vibrant and the beat of the sun's rays seemed to illuminate small specks of pure white dust that swirled around the world, seemingly swimming through the air.
'Hmm this is mana? interesting. I wonder if this is the same as what cultivators see?'
Deep in thought, Damian didn't even notice as he walked back into the trimmed garden of the academy.
"Alright Kid, let's go to a training room. I'll teach you the beginning of elementals." Roy spoke.
"Alright" Damian agreed.
A few minutes later in an empty training hall, Damian locked the door before turning to a pillar that partially jutted out of the ground. As he approached, it lit up and the surroundings changed to reflet a vast plain with with not an animal in sight.
"Hmm? Is that hologram tech? Kid is this a sci fi cultivation kinda world?" Roy asked with an interested expression.
"What the fuck is a sci fi?"
"Ah...forget it then."
"The room simulates famous places in the 5th continent, and all you have to do to change them is think of what you want. However, you can't simulate elemental Qi in these and you need higher spec holo-rooms to create your own training environment. Still this will do." Damian explained.
Roy floated from nowhere before hovering in front of Damian.
"Right then, we're about to focus on your trump card. A low level spell called {Summon Familiar}
It's technically a Tier 2 spell but lucky for you, I've modified it to Tier 1. Of course it won't be as powerful, but it'll help with your needs."
Roy got close before flicking Damian's head with his spectral finger. Instantly, knowledge flooded his mind, causing Damian to scream in agony.
"Sorry kid, I don't have time to teach you the normal way."
The pain persisted for a full minute before subsiding.
"Huu... Let's...not do... that again." Damian huffed.
"Heh, if you say so kid. Alright, you got the recipe and all the ingredients, now go bake yourself a familiar.
Damian grinned before placing his hands out Infront of him. He took a deep breath and the air around him seemed to quiver as he focused.
{Summon Familiar!}
...
...
"Uhh Roy, Isn't something supposed to be happening?"
Roy just smiled.
"Wait for it..."
"Wait? Wait for wh-"
The air swelled and seemed to ignite as flames surrounded Damian, scorching his skin. If the grass around him was real, it would surely have burnt to cinders upon contact.
The rampaging inferno seemed so shrink on contract as the mana from Damian pulsed into the fire. Finally, it seemed to calm down when it was just a small flame the size of Damian's palm. It danced about in front of him before zooming around his body. Even without defining features, Damian could feel the small flame's happiness.
"I...did it?"
Damian winced a bit as the cool air assaulted his burnt skin.
The small flame seemed to notice as it burned brightly as it zipped to the burnt areas of Damian's body. Within seconds the stinging sensation subsided and the burns seemed to disappear.
"That right there kid is an infant flame spirit. Cute little guy that can really pack a punch if pissed off."
The flame seemed oblivious to Roy as it continued zipping around Damian before settling itself a few centimeters above his shoulder. Damian walked around a bit and discovered the flame would follow as if it was sitting on him.
"so...this is an elemental?"
"You got a problem with it?"
"no no no! It just looks...small?"
The flame flickered and dimmed as if depressed.
"Ah?! I mean it looks... so strong! How could I have summoned such a strong familiar?!"
The flame perked up and glowed a bright red.
Roy chuckled at this before explaining.
"Well I said I modified the spell. Usually you'd have summoned an adult flame spirit but since you don't have nearly enough skill or magic, you summoned an infant spirit."
Damian pondered on this information before deciding to ask a different question in case his new fiery friend got depressed again.
"So why did you create this spell in the first place? it seems strange to want to summon a weaker spirit."
"Ah! Don't be an idiot!"
Roy chastised with an irritated expression.
"I created this spell so that those with less magic than average can still walk the path of a mage!"
Damian was stunned and a little miffed.
'How was I supposed to know that?'
"Anyway, now that you have your spirit, you should feel a small link between you. Concentrate."
Damian closed his eyes. Faintly, he seemed to hear a crackle of a fire. The smell of burning coal. A small light that danced in front of his eyes. It was small but it was fire. Damian reached out to it and began to understand it. The fire moved but it was never random. If he focused hard enough...he could decide where it danced. Slowly Damian opened his eyes. Dancing on his palm was the small flame spirit.
"whoa...awesome."
Roy nodded his head in satisfaction.
"There we have it. Your trump card. With this, you should have enough strength to not embarrass me."
Finally, with everything prepared... The game was on!