The energy that had built up in him leaked away like from a broken wall, slowly leaving him without it.
He got a curious look from René, tilting his head as Mikael's confused gaze met his.
"Go to sleep again, Mother knows you need your full strength." he advice, a sly grin on his face as he averted his line of sight.
As fast as he got awake, the sleepiness came back right away. But same like last time, before he completely fell asleep, his body was absorbing the energy around him, feeling it coursing as if through arteries under his skin.
Before he awoke anew, Mikael tried to imagine to spin, not physically but mentally. And it worked. To his surprise the energy also seemed to swirl, following his imaginary moves.
Not noticing he got himself in a lucid like dream, the sensation grew slowly as if one watches grass grow. But it was there.
'What do I do with that, how should I proceed? Am I doing right or wrong, is this dangerous? Should this be this way? Why didn't René told me about this phenomenon instead of stupidly grinning.'
Thinking and slowly growing concerned, he simply observed himself.
'As if I'm still inside myself, but at the same time a consciousness in me. This energy, mana, is flowing like blood, but formless. Yet I still feel it. Shouldnt it hurt?'
As the mana previously mimicked the swirl, he imagined a calmly flowing river, slowly pouring towards his feet and back up.
'Maybe if I simulate a blood flow. That could work.'
First few moments that sure worked for him, and his whole body embraced the comfortable foreign medium.
He slowly drifted away in his thoughts, and his mind began to wander.
He began to imagine different scenes, first his surroundings, the tall trees and smell of grass, dirt and resin. But something else began to mix into it.
The dirty, unpleasant smell of blood and rotten flesh mixed in, and as it did, his surroundings in his dream area changed.
The place he just pictured, a green hill covered in waving grass, back in his old hamlet not even 2 month ago. The trees on which he played with Nina, and the sound of a anvil getting hit by metal repeatedly. Some distance away the river he thought of flowed calmly.
That changed as soon as the smell came.
His green illusion was turning reddish, the river, as smooth as a blanket overrun its boundrys, rising by the second and growing more violent.
The hill he stood on sunk in, and water engulfed them. Panic took over, and Nina, his childhood friend and only person closer than family, got ripped from his clutch with the current.
The river turned to a light red, and parts of the monsters he had slewn washed by his sides. Wide eyed he fought against the stream, holding with all his strength at the sturdy tree that stood strong, unwavering.
Mikael may not noticed, but the mana that was now in his body responded to his imagination. It got more active, so much the previous comfort mutated into ache.
The real world noticed nothing, as most were asleep, or at least dozing of. René and Alf, the only ones on guard witnessed as Mikael began to move as he rested.
"He must have a vivid dream. Glad he can sleep at least a bit." Alf mentioned, not further questioning his odd behavior.
"Hmm?" René raised his eyebrow, guessing what might happened.
He left an eye on Mikael, soon glad he did so as the situation changed after some minutes, Mikael now was at the point where the river changed. And so did his moves, a moment ago subtle and calm, now violent and jerking.
"Alf, I have to count on you, there is something I want to check. Call immediately when you perceive at movement."
René went to Mikael's side, holding a hand over his head, slowly moving it downwards to his feet.
With closed eyes and visible concentration he mumbled:" It gets out of control. How does he manage to turn something so calm on his first try into a force so dangerous?"
He dared not to wait much longer.
"His experience is far too shallow to overcome this situation. I have to wake him up."
René carefully shook his shoulder, calling out his name. But that achieved nothing, Mikael was still dreaming, and now his skin under the moonlight began to turn red, as if he soaked too long in hot water.
"Mikael! Boy, wake up!" René called out dampened, shaking his shoulders more forceful.
"It's much simpler." a tired voice said behind René, and Sophia walked by his side.
"All one need is a good old kick."
She already had swung out her leg, the foot in the hard boot hitting Mikael's side.
Upon intact Mikael inside his dream felt this impact like a bolt of lightning that struck his tree he held on, running through him.
Then he had already his eyes open, exhaling heavily and sweating bullets.
René ignored this weird way of waking someone up, as it achieved their goal.
Once again he closed his eyes, laying a hand on Mikael's forehead and whispering:" Now, not that I can guess what you saw in the later parts, but try to maintain a state of semi-sleep, concentrate and breath calmly, imagine again what you did before, I'll help you as well as I can. Fast, before the Mana dissipates."
Mikael was confused, but through the contact of the hand he felt a calming force, pressing him gently back into a meditative state.
The words and influence of René made it easy for him to get back, feeling the stream of mana inside him.
The minutes passed, both of them remaining there like statues. And as Mikael's condition improved, so detoriated René's.
Taking his hand away, his breathing was heavy, but a smile showed it went how he wanted.
"With this the future before you should be paved with chances and opportunity. Hope you grow up to be a reliable asset to our community."
Sitting back, he told Alf who was only a stone throw away to get the next shift. He needed some sleep, too.
Mikael right now laid at the tree, exhausted and sleeping deeply, having a dream less night.
Awoken by a just too familiar foot, Mikael struggled to lift his hurting body from the ground.
"And? Anything different?" she asked, curious of René's and his interaction.
"What? Should anything be different?" he mumbled, only half awake. But the piercing look from her blew away his sleepiness, only needing a drink and a splash of water on his face.
"Let me check, this isn't something easy."
'Not that I even know what to look out for. This all seemed like a far too realistic dream. But this feeling, no, the mana..' he closed his eyes like he saw Jenny and René doing when invoking magic.
Then he imagined again the flowing river and the sensation the Mana gave him.
'Wow, this is so much easier now. I can clearly feel this energy, as if it was always a part of me. But it is so weak...'
He tried to describe to Sophia what he discovered, but René came from who knows where, interrupting him.
"As you are one of the few persons that now can use magic, I am required to teach you the rules about this ability. I can't force you to oblige by them, but it is also in your best interest to follow."
He gave Mikael an apologetic look, as he narrated:" There aren't many, but quite important. The first is not to tell anyone about the feeling you have, as it is essential for our awakening. So I'm sorry Miss Sophia, but he can't tell you what is different."
She took it more laid back then expected, simply shrugging her shoulders and replying:" That is fine, not the first time I can't get told something secret. And surely not the last. But tell me when you can do something useful, alright?" she then walked away, not looking back as she walked away.
But with her hands on behind her head, the slight tipping of her fingers showed Mikael that she was still curious.
'Hope she won't assault me and spill the beans later.'
Mikael was alone with René, but to make sure he was lead away a bit further.
"Let me tell you the remaining rules. For once don't try too much alone, or the consequences can be devastating, for you and others. Second when gaining control over your Mana, don't teach others who show potential the secret without reporting to authorities. Be it a guild master, the head of a magic institution or renowned teachers. Then never attempt to achieve impossible feats without knowledge. When you only have a slight glimpse of something and try to do results similar, that can go backwards. Very. Bad."
As Mikael looked quite confused by this last rule, René gave him an example. He took a leave that laid on his shoulder, letting it fall. "What makes this leaf fall?" he simply asked.
'That is simple.'
"The leaf moves to the ground, so the earth makes it fall downwards, right?
"Well, yes, but what exactly does it? There should be more to it, don't you think?"
This question was too complicated for Mikael, and René just dawned he talked to a kid.
"It is called gravity, a force that pulls all things that not differs towards the ground. A scholar more versed in this subject once tried to invent magic including this power, but that was impossible, at least for him and anyone that ever tried. Cut short, he squashed all his internal organs, bones and skin into mush, and only left a crater of a meter deep. No heroic or meaningful death."
Mikael showed his understanding, even if his head hurtled thinking about this knew discovery that somehow shook his knowledge.
"There should be a bunch of questions in your mind, and the energy you feel also makes you excited. And I promise you, when we rest next time, hopefully after taking down this evil existence, I answer most of it. But for now don't try on your own. This power won't go away, it is a part of your self, and no one can take it. Congrats again Mikael." he said, his smile now showing genuine.
And slowly it also dawned on Mikael.
'I will become a real magician, the first step is done. A real magician...'