"Imagination is the essence of magic. Even if words fail you. You can shape mana with your mind and imagination if your willpower is strong enough. The more complex the imagination the harder it is to dispel and more will power it takes to accomplish. Now try again." Merl's voice droned on. They had been heading north for several days and Nona had listened to this same lecture every day. Though he understood the concept, the execution of it still escaped him.
He much preferred the nightly sparring matches with Skelly. Though he still could not last more than a few swings from the skilled warrior he no longer found himself disarmed before his mock death. To him this was a major feat. So with a sigh he attempted to perform the task given to him by Merle.
He closed his eyes and called forth the now familiar image of the flower of flame and himself among the elements. The sense of foreboding has disappeared as long as he did not force mana through the image. As the image solidified in his mind he felt the addicting sensation of power fill his veins. He desperately wanted to lose himself in that feeling but he learned the hard way of the consequences of taking in more mana than his body could hold.
Now that he had the power called forth he opened his eyes. As he was contemplating what to do with the mana Merle started talking yet again. Annoyance flashed accross Nona's face as he imagined Merle unable to speak. This idea appealed to him to he quickly pushed the mana out of his body with this sole purpose in mind.
"Now its impor..." In mid sentence Merle found his lips moving but no sound coming out. He smiled at Nona thinking his student had simply silenced him. Clapping his hands together he unleashed a powerful Shockwave of magic and tried speaking again. It was at this time that he realized he was unable to speak not just simply silenced. He glanced at Nona reevaluating his student as he touched two mana infused fingers to his throat in an attempt to break the spell.
With his mana like so he finally got a clear grasp of the amount of power that was preventing him from speaking. Panic flashed through his mind as he wondered if he even had enough power to break the spell. Taking no chances he quickly gathered up all the power he had and focused it on the spell Nona had cast. There was an audible snap that surprised Skelly into drawing his sword and going on the alert.
After seeing what happened Skelly could not help but to laugh. "Guess you should take that as a sign he is done with your lectures for now."
Shaking his head Merle started speaking. "It seems you have a green willpower. That is great without training."
"What is a green willpower?" Nona's interest was finally piqued.
" To control magic as you have requires willpower. It is broken down into ranks indicating strength and precision of control. White is the lowest and has to stick to large areas and weak power. Green is next, than blue, purple, gold and finally red is said to be able to alter a single cell. your willpower has to equal or surpass the one who cast the spell on you. Otherwise knowing the vocal spell that resembles the imagination spell cast is the only other way to break it."
"So imagination magic is stronger than saying the words?"
"Not exactly. With time and training even a white willed mage can cast powerful spells. Imagination magic is more like a shortcut. The normal downsides to still apply though."
"So how do I increase my willpower?"
"By using it and knowing who you are. If you falter or allow the magic to change who you are than your willpower will take a significant blow."
As Merle finished speaking the trees gave way to a wide expanse of blue grass that stretched as far as the eye could see. There were little dots in the distance that was moving around just below the horizon line. The grass itself reached the wasts of the three travelers and the wind seemed to be playing with the grass as it blew along.
"Welcome to the wild grasslands. Don't let the scenery fool you. There is more dangerous life here than one would expect." Skelly said after seeing the look of amazement on Nona's face.
"I'm doing it. I'm leaving my life behind and starting an adventure all of my own." Nona said breathlessly.
"Uhh kid the time to say that would have been back at the village." Came Skelly's reply.
"Yeah but it didn't seem real when surrounded by trees. It felt more like an extended hunting trip. But now, now it feels like a major step in my life."
With those last words spoken he stepped out into the grasslands and played with the tall grass next to his hands. A feeling of comfort and relaxation slowly encroached into his mind and he found his eyelids getting heavy. At first he was tempted to give in to this sensation when something slithered acrossed his foot.
Startled Nona jerked his foot back almost losing his balance. The small amount of training acquired from Skelly is all that allowed him to move his foot back into position. This fortunate event allowed him to avoid the fangs of the snake that was waiting for him.
As fear of his first conflict clamped its jaws firmly into Nona's mind the only thought he had was of fire. As this thought grew he felt his blood begin to boil. Realizing what was going on he desperately tried to quell it but it was to far gone. The fear of the snakes was replaced by a fear of boiling alive. So in a desperate attempt to escape such a horrifying fate he pushed the fire out of his body.