"Right now it is a good opportunity for us to start. When exhausted it is easier for you to feel your own mana, how it moves and reacts.
It is not really difficult to understand how to gain control it, but to master it is another story."
Mikael listened attentively, holding himself forcefully awake, trying not to bend to his own tiredness.
"First, seat yourself comfortable. As if you are relaxing."
René made an example by sitting cross-legged, back decent and hands on his legs.
Mikael instead choose to stretch out a single leg, the other kinked in.
"Keep your back straight, breath in a rhythmic manner and close your eyes. Don't fall asleep, only drift into a similar state like last time. Feel your own body, the hurting bones, stretching muscles and rising chest. Keep your mind not restrained. Let it drift, but remember to lightly nudge it back. You should slowly feel a previously foreign sensation. Give me a sign when, no talking. We'll proceed then. Don't feel pressured, take your time. No success is born out of impatientness."
René spoke in a relaxed manner, only loud enough for Mikael to hear who followed his instructions step by step.
As he closed his eyes, he nearly fell over, suddenly getting a bit dizzy.
Then he did as told, letting his mind drift as he felt his own body. Thinking for very brief moments about various things. His companions, own future, the past battle, the raid on his family and friends... all that messed with his mind. But he didn't let them stay.
Listening inside his self, feeling the blood pulsate, the lungs that took in air, his heart beating and how the sweat on his palm gathered.
'There is something else. It feels like last time.' the weak mana that coursed through him.
It escaped his sense, time and time again, likely because he occasionally twitched, be it finger or toe.
After an unknown time, the sensation came back, him getting deeper in this meditative state as his excitement reduced.
Like a formless mist, he kept it in his perception not actively seeking it out, but also not forgetting it.
Slowly he tried to nod, careful not to disrupt the focus.
"Good, now think of it flowing along a prepared path. A tube, a river, a root inside yourselves, depends to you. Make it pass through the most important parts. First the head, towards your chest, along your arms to the abdomen, down the legs and back up. Make it a circulation, and so it will slowly, over time improve your strength, endurance and health."
As the river previously worked for him and left a deep impression, the choice was clear. He tried to make the mana move, making it follow it along, but it would not budge.
'Before it'd moved just fine. Why doesn't it now.'
Hee tried somehow to get it moving, focusing even harder and concentrating on his mana.
But as he did, the mist like feeling dispersed, vanishing in his whole body.
Mikael opened his eyes, looking straight into René's who seemed to already wait for him.
"I couldn't make it flow around my body. I felt it, all throughout myself but when I tried to make it move, it was like trying to move stone with my mind. Not at all when I awakened. Did I do something wrong? Is my talent so bad?" he asked, nervous about his answer.
Calmly René explained:" I told you, it would've been unlikely to achieve anything noteworthy first time.
The awakening is special, and as I said I'd supported you. Now, even perceiving something counts, as it signified you truly are able to manipulate. In the future you need to acclimate to the mana, notice certain features and inimitableness.
It is true tho, other could maintain the meditative state longer, did at least move their mana a bit. But these people were either geniuses or nobles with expert level teachers. I'm just a small hunter with a bit of knowledge. Don't despair, but try, again and again.
Persistence and training will lead you far."
He still saw a bit of doubt and uncertainty in Mikael's gaze,
Inhaling, he put his hand on Mikael's shoulder.
"Look, you just started. Others began much younger than us, and even those with talent had to train. There is no shortcut. Be patient, Simon is a better teacher than me, and under his tutorship you'll improve. But for the first while I'm your man, so believe me."
Mikael didn't know why, but his voice delivered a emotion that resonated with him, lifting his mood.
"When did you start with magic? I mean, from what I witnessed you were awesome in that fight, holding your own against the monster we had trouble with, despite we were three and had some luck."
"I think I was around 8 when my teacher told me I had talent. Wasn't part of a noble family, only commoners. But a wandering magician tested others for compatibility. Don't know how. And is perhaps his secret, but my turn was as my parents dragged me to him, and he said after a while he'd take me in. I could move mana after 2 weeks. Apparently okay, as he didn't say I had bad talent or so. Anyway, my guess is in 2 weeks to a month you'll also make visible progress."
'Still 2 weeks at least... Considering I had prior no magic, this time will fly by in no time. This isn't so bad. Still, wish I could make something awesome right away.'
"And also, my magic is a bad copy. I can't really summon the elements, nor conceal myself or others. My best skill is in reinforcing myself. And intimitation as well as scouting a bit. The other stuff are basics, everyone learns how to make a flame to light a fire or maybe summon a breeze. But for the bigger stuff this," he pointed at his head, "your imagination muscles, intelligence and heart play the vital roles." he flexed his arms and pounded on his chest, producing a deep sound.
"As my teacher said, without the right mind your mana won't form, without muscles you can't effectively wield and without heart not control it."
Mikael took in the words, letting them sink in and honoring their meaning.
'I have to step up my game. I don't have a good background, not the best talent or abilities. All I can brag with so far is my endurance.'
He then remembered the weird feeling he'd gotten as the Tusk Stalker died.
"Mr. René, there happened something odd back then, you know, when I had to finish the monster." he looked towards their sleeping companions, unsure to continue.
"They aren't awake. If you need to, you can see for yourself." he held out his arm, and for a second Mikael looked perplexed.
"Grab it, and concentrate on my mana." he instructed.
In wonderment he followed, and as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate as before, he could faintly feel a flowing stream of a warm, almost fluid like substance. When he noticed, the stream branched away, and a part of it went towards Mikael. Then, the sensation of many different senses overcame him.
'Woah, what is all this?' he wondered. It was as if he saw with closed eyes, but not color or sound, but waves and light itself.
The mana then began to reduce the amount of senses he perceived, reducing it so few were enhanced, many reduced. Soon, a outlining of their camp came to his mind, and what he got transmitted was at first difficult to process, but the mana guided him again.
'They breath consistently, make barely subtle movements, their ears don't tremble and no water forms from their body.' it was as if he suddenly understood.
The mana retracted then, and when opening his eyes, he noticed he himself was out of breath.
"Now you know, right?" René asked, smiling as Mikael's eyes grew wide.
Suddenly deprived of the senses, he took a moment, blinking and looking around.
"That was amazing and... Eerie." Mikael admitted. "But yes, I get what you meant."
"Took me a long time to somewhat get this to work. At first I was like you, couldn't make sense of a damn thing, but after years, this space is at least to 5 percent under my control." he boasted.
"Only 5? But there is so much."
"Already so much gives me abilities beyond normal human understanding. See, you only had to pool a moment, not even navigating or controlling your mana, but got out of breath as I used your mana to show you the senses. Imagine my part in this."
As he explained, Mikael made out small shivers coming from René, and subtle drops of sweat on his forehead.
"Ahh, right. Let me tell you. When others know you are a magician, don't show if you are tired, especially when the enemies are around. You should know magic drains also our stamina, and so they can guess our limits. Always pretend to be more capable than in reality."
Taking his flask and taking some mouthfull, he looked at Mikael in expectance.
"So, your question was?"
Mikael then remembered as he'd forgotten for a second. After a last glance, he began to recall:"
When the monster died, it send some kind of aura towards me, but it felt really different. No malice or anger, but pride and sorrow. As if it wanted to be slain directly, and from me personally. When I did, that moment it was as if a foreign power went into myself, settling down somewhere next to my mana. It didn't harm me or changed anything, but I clearly knew it was there. Now tho only a glimpse is left. Like a hair in my shirt, sometimes itching. Is this something to be concerned about?"
As René didn't say anything for a minute, Mikael grew anxious. Holding his chin and a frown on the forehead, René mumbled some unintelligible words, before he rose and looked at Mikael.
"I really can't say much. As mentioned, I'm at most a third rate teacher and by no means a scholar. But if my guess is right, you didn't receive a curse or anything bad, but a gift, and a valuable at that."