Chapter 5 - Affinity from the Legends

I am using mana. That was the first thought that entered my head. I felt a warm feeling enveloping me and I felt like I can smash a boulder with my tiny hands.
My family was astonished and it took a while for the event to sink in their head so I stood up and went to father and asked him:
"Dad, was that mana?"
He woke up from his reverie and said
"oh, yes, that was mana. I can't believe you sensed it at such a young age. that's incredible. we thought your siblings were awesome and then you came in. ohh, we are really blessed to have kids like you"
He said as he took all of us in his embrace and hugged us tightly.
Mom looked at me and said:
"ok, Edward, for the next week you will be familiarizing yourself with mana. and after that you will join Endric in his training with me."
"ok, mom"
For the next week, I tried to feel mana and get the hang of how to manifest it.
It was tiring at first but after five days I started getting better at it. And by the end of the week, I was familiar with mana. That's when my training with mom began. Apparently Endric have been training since the moment he started sensing mana, and so did Sacha as well. my mother trained them by giving them instructions and tasks to do in order form them to improve their magical prowess.
Now Sacha is being trained by dad in combat. And I was training under mom's guidance. she would give me tasks and instructions that I needed to follow them.
First she told me what I had to improve my mana density. mana density was really important for people. So she told me that I had to keep training it every day so that I can have a great mana density.
She told me that by the age of twelve, your mana density stops increasing and what you accumulated so far will be your final mana density. because by that age, your mana pool will be slowly increasing until you reach your prime. the age of 25. every person's final mana density and pool would be relative to how much mana they were born with. Some people would be born with huge mana prowess and other unfortunate souls would be born with the bare minimum.
well she said it depends on someone's bloodline and lineage and their luck was also a factor. Some one would be born into a family of Grand Mages with great magical prowess and only have a tiny bit of mana.
And so for a year, I trained under mother in increasing my mana density as much as I could. At first, I would get tired quickly. But as I practiced more and more I would be able train for a longer time. In my resting time, my mom would teach me along with Endric about ways to use mana, other than when using spells. She said when circulating your mana in your body. you are strengthening your body, and if you guide that mana into a specific part of your body, it's functions and resistance would be improved.
If I hit a wall with my bare hands, it would probably break. I mean my hand. but when I would do it while infusing mana into my hand. I can probably make a crack in it. Well, it depends on how much mana I put into it.
Other than that, Mom would train me on controlling my magic. she said that a Mage with no control should never use magic. if you can't control your spell and endanger your comrades then it's better if you don't have it.
She would have make a thin thread of magic pointing out of my finger and said that I have to make it as thin as possible while also extending it as far as I can. It was hard at first even making the thread out of my body but with hard work I managed to do it, but still struggled to make it into a thread. It was really hard shaping it. but I was making slow progress.
Sacha is thirteen year old this year. She still had to attend the Academy for another four years before she chooses to either continue studying in a magic university or do something else like getting a job or anything she wants.
At the age of 20, she would have to do military service for two years. It was compulsory, unless someone was attending a university. But attending one was hard in the first place, because you had to possess strong magical prowess and remarkable affinities and also great knowledge.
Sacha was doing excellent during the three years she passed at the academy and her grades were great. not to mention her great magical prowess and her three affinities with the rare healing one. So, if she chooses to attend university, they would welcome her in open arms.
Endric made his 10th birthday yesterday, and we threw a small party for him. he completed his training with mother three months ago and mom was satisfied with his degree of control over mana.
Tomorrow we were going back again to the Magic Hall to have his attributes awakened and his mana measured. my parents were looking to see his mana density. because he started sensing mana at an early age.
When we got there, I noticed changed much. the place was still full of people. Dad took Endric to register than we waited until his name was called. We went inside and we were greeted by the same guy as last time.
He told Endric to step forward. He started by measuring his mana density and the orb was shining so bright, it was like someone was pointing a flashlight in your face.
he then went on to measure his mana pool and started emptying his mana on the orb until his face went pale. I didn't step in this time because I knew it was something natural. It shined for a moment. the guy from last time nodded and told him to put his hand on the orb on the middle to awaken his affinity.
Endric did as he said and placed his hand on the orb. at first it shined in red color, then it turned to a yellow color than finally into a black color.
I didn't know what it was. I thought it was bad but i looked up to my parents' faces but I didn't see any concern on them.
Endric came down next to us and after some time the guy came with a paper in hand and said
"well I got excellent news for you Mister and Madame Raiden. Endric's mana density is astonishing at Rank 7. It's probably the highest that I have ever seen in my life. His mana pool is falling shortly behind but is still quite high at Rank 6. As for his affinities he is also a triple elemental just like your daughter and he awakened some really good affinities. the first one is fire affinity. the next one is the evolved thunder affinity it is quite the strong one. and also the rare and unique shadow affinity. he will grow up to become a great Mage."
My parents were very pleased about this news and I was left wandering about what is Shadow affinity. No one mentioned it to me before and I don't remember reading about it in any book. Most of them mentioned the basic affinities and some that were evolved and mixed. the Healing affinity was mentioned in a couple of books in more than a hundred a book that I have read.
I decided to ask my Parents about it when we get back. Just like last time, we did it a small celebration for Endric and passed a great night in the house.
Next morning, I asked mom what is Shadow magic and she told me that it was an obscure magic. well some people know about it's existence because it is pretty rare to find someone with that affinity. They know some people wielded it and use to each great feats. some were good, some were bad. but still they were great feats. but nothing is known about it's capabilities since they are seen once in a thousand years some times more. So there isn't anything recorded about it. So Endric has to be creative about how to use his magic.
She also told me that there are many other mysterious affinities that are still regarded as legends.
And just like that, I spent another year training my mana density and control till the day came when I became six years old. the day my social life starts and I enter a school for the second time in my two lives.
I was nervous at first, not from school, but the kids that I have to endure for four years straight.
But, I had a plan in mind. I just have to finish it early.
Tomorrow was going to be my first day of school.