The next morning, everyone at together breakfast an 8 am Lucas taught everyone there the basics of magic.
"Well, since off you are either mages or have an aptitude for it, these lessons should be of help."
Lucas walked around the group.
"First of all, to understand magic, you need to know the source of magic, which we call mana. It was a term used by ancient humans in their games."
"Mana is everywhere and ever generating, In the air, in every single piece of dirt to every drip of water. there is no limit to the quantity, but only the quality. For example, the mana that the sun gives off is of much higher quality than that, that earth gives off naturally."
"We use this mana to strengthen our mana core, The mana is the fuel for all magic that we want to perform. But to use magic at a higher degree we need to have our mana reserves at a higher degree as well. Mana is absorbed into the mana core by an absorption skill, when it is full, we condense the core with the mana in it. In the process strengthening the mana core and increasing the quality of the mana it generates."
"Generates?" Ter asked somewhat confused.
"Just like the Celestial Bodies, everything living that we know of can have a mana core and the core generates mana. Unlike the planets and stars that have a massive amount of mana generates every second without limit, we have a limit. That limit is our bodies."
"As our core strengthens, it generates more mana and of higher quality. For example, I am a rank 8 mage, If I were to go to rank 9, the quality of my mana would be about 3 times purer and twice as much capacity. This is different for every person though. In turn, the mana strengthens our bodies passively and or actively if we stimulate it to do that. those are called Close Combat Mages, also knows as Warrior Mages."
"Why do we need to know all of this?" Ryle asked, he was right, everyone who had ever been a mage would notice these things.
"Simple, because I can't leave the non-mages to clueless. Anyhow, each person has a different core, some have special elements to them while the majority don't."
"With that out of the way, the mana in our bodies is like an extra limb, it does what we tell it to. Because of that, the only limit is your imagination."
"Imagination?" Lyn asked as she cocked her head sideways. The rest chuckled at her reaction.
"How about a little test, Focus on your mana core and draw mana out," Lucas said as he walked towards Lyn.
"Like this?" She held her hand up showed a blue-ish white glow. Leaving Lucas a bit stunned.
"Ex-exactly..., now imagine it being a ball of fire, it should take some time to get t-" Lucas has his mouth wide open. Without even 5 seconds passing, a red fireball was covering Lyn's hand.
"Do you want to marry my son?" Not even realizing what he said. Both Ryle and Ter's eyes grew cold. After he felt a chill on his back he corrected himself.
"Ah, sorry, I misspoke, I meant to say, want to be my second legacy student?" scratching his head he looked at Ter.
'Yea right, misspoke my ass.' All the grown-ups and Ryle thought at the same time.
"Thank you! but who is the first?" Lyn asked with sparkles in her eyes.
"He is" Lucas pointed at Ryle.
"I never agreed to be your student," Ryle interjected.
"Woahh, Ryle and I both! That is so fun, right Ryle?" Lyn looked at him with those sparkles intensifying
"Y-yeah... o-of course... that is very fun." 'Since when was she so persuasive' Ryle thought to himself.
"Me too! Me too!" the little Lisa also shouted and went towards Lyn.
"Alright, all 3 of you can be my students." Lucas smugly smiled at Ryle.
'forcing 1 and coaxing 2.'
As time went by, the finished the first lesson and after having dinner they proceeded on their journey.
Ryle finally had time to check the memories in the seed, but he was soon disappointed, most memories were jumbled together and missing the majority of them, with only a few being there and he recognized the owner of it, it was the one in his dream.
'Just what is going on. What is the secret of this person.' Not finding anything useful from The Seed. Ryle decided to practice his mana control. Unlike Lyn who managed to do it almost instantly, he needed much more time. He also realized that if he did not put extra effort into his practice he will be left behind. This realization made him push forward much harder. Practicing until mid-night, he went to sleep.
Their journey was very uneventful, then again with a rank 8 mage overseeing it, it was hard to come across trouble. The journey to the capital is 3 months.
While the party were making their way towards the capital. In Feather City, Jess and Jame were being lectured like little kids. In front of them, a masked man was sitting on his sofa.
"So you lost track of him? again?"
"M'lord, by the time we heard of it, he was already gone."
"Venar is dying and he will pass away in a few years, with no competent children to take over, he will look to marry his daughter to a talented youth."
"Everything is going perfectly here in Feather City region M'Lord. " Jess said with her head still down.
"Is it? from my information, Lucas got his hands on 2 very talented youths and one of which is a boy. Do you know what will happen if that boy gets chosen and not my son.?" The masked man looked at her, releasing his bloodline power and mana to oppress her.
"The take over would fail." She meekly replied.
"Oh no, no that won't happen. It will not be as smooth, sure, but... Your heads will be used for decoration."
"Understood M'Lord." Both of them said at the same time.
"Clean Feather City and its region of all talented individuals, if they don't join us that is."
"Yes!"
"Dismissed." The masked man then took back his pressure. If Lucas was to be here he would know that that man was stronger than the current him.
In the Dananses Forest, 2 women were eating together. On was a beautiful silver-red haired beauty while the other was an equally beautiful green-haired woman.
"Why is he late again." The silver-red haired beauty complained as she stuffed her mouth.
"Rena, be a bit patient, he must have come across something." The green-haired woman next to her said as she also started eating.
"Rafaela, this man can't be trusted! Who knows how many more women did he meet! You did not forget the last time he went out, he came back with a woman and not only that IT WAS A SPY!" Rena complained over her husband's behavior.
"He did not bring her as a lover, more like as a trade partner." Rafaela defended him but just to quickly shut up as Rena looked at her.
"Right, then why are all these possible partners female! How about that 'Weapon Trader' or the 'Clothing Merchant'! Did she have to be so revealing when Lucas was there. I swear if he brings another woman this time, I will castrate him!" She slammed the table with her fist.
"You can't do that! what will w- I mean, that is inhumane, how about we just lock him up for a month." Rafaela complained as she thought about what would happen to them.
"A year."
"6 months"
"Fine."
After a bit of small talk, they both went silent again. Not long after Rafaela started talking.
"Maybe he found Ryle."
"You say that every time he goes out," Rena interjected, not wanted to talk about it.
"If only I didn't delete my memories of him... We could have had him with us now."
"You did what you were supposed to do, don't blame yourself."
"But-"
"Mommy! Mommy! Look." two boys ran into the wooden house, one looked around 10 and the other 8.
"What is it Ren, Kite?" Rena asked as she held the two boys in her arms.
"Brother broke through! he is a rank 3 mage now." Kite smiled and pointed at Ren.
"Good job Ren, now wait until you turn 13, your father has something that can let your body mature a few years, until then don't practice the absorption skill but only your control." Rafaela smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Alright Mom, where is dad?" Ren smiled and looked around.
"Your dad is looking for your brother."
"Oh, I want to meet him," Kite said
"Me too!"
"haha alright, go play with the other kids, when your brother comes he will give you two gifts."
"Oke~" With that both of them ran out of the wooden house.
As the family in the forest kept doing their own things, The royal palace was also busy, for the princess was getting her first private lesson.
"Celica, train me like any of your trainees, please forget that I am a princess during practice."
"I can't do that princess, you fathers orders are to train you, not ruin you."
"this.... i feel bad for those that train under you."
"Don't be, My division and I am the blade in the dark, we only know to follow orders, for that is our purpose."
"Alright princess, take up your weapon, defend my strikes with all you have. I will limit my power output to yours-"
'Woosh' before Emily could even react a dagger was at her neck.
"Lesson Nr.1, don't talk nonsense with an assailant, stay on your guard at all times." Celica went back towards her place.
"Start."
Emily instantly took her stance with her lance and readied herself to fight. Celica saw that and smiled, taking her to daggers she coated herself in a membrane of light that hid her from ones eyes.
"Lesson Nr.2, Don't always trust your senses, trust your instincts more, for those will never warn you for nothing." As she was talking Emily could hear her from behind her. She turned around and stabbed her spear at it, just to hit nothing.
Celica slowly materialized now behind her and put her dagger once more against her neck.
"Did I not tell you to not trust your senses blindly?" With that, she once more went to her starting position.
"You are aware that magic has no limits except for our imagination, right?"
"Yes."
"Good, but you are not aware that you can use mana to stimulate one's bodies in different ways than only strengthening it." As she was talking small arcs of lightning danced at her skin.
"Your mana will never hurt you, it may backfire or you may get a backlash, but mana itself is part of you, it won't hurt you. Now, remember what our first 2 lessons were." The image in front of Emily faded as a dagger was once more against her neck.
"Lesson Nr. 3, even your closest family can be an imposter if one is talented enough, always be aware of the small inconsistencies, you did not realize that my clones left hand was missing a finger, and or that my left ear was slightly longer than the right ear in the image. Nothing is perfect."
"Now let's fight."
"Yes!" Emily shouted as she released her Mana and bloodline.
"Good, never hold back against a strong enemy." Celica smiled and rushed at her. as she came 1 meter close to the lance, she threw both her daggers at Emily, as Emily was preparing to parry them away, both daggers moved through the air as if they had their own will. Of course, they did not, Celica was controlling them with threads of Mana.
Emily instantly let Mana flow through her body to strengthen it, but it was not enough, a dagger was once again pressing against her neck.
"Again," Celica said as she brought her daggers back to their original position.
"YES!" Emily wiped away the cold sweet on her forehead and went into a fighting position.