"Take this sword so I can teach you your first magical technique," Fuyu instructed, his voice calm yet carrying an undertone of anticipation. He extended the sword to Ryoshi, the blade gleaming under the faint light.
"Okay," Ryoshi responded, taking hold of the sword. The weight of it felt strange in his hands, but he gripped it tightly, determined to learn.
Fuyu's expression brightened with approval. "Good! Now, the first ice magic technique is called Ice Tip."
"Ice Tip?" Ryoshi echoed, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.
"Yeah," Fuyu confirmed with a nod. "You focus 100% of your ice magic into the tip of your sword. This not only amplifies the power of the blade but also grants it the ability to freeze almost anything it touches."
"That's cool and all," Ryoshi began, his brow furrowing, "but I don't understand the concept of magic."
Fuyu chuckled softly, realizing the gap in Ryoshi's knowledge. "Oh, right. This is your first time dealing with magic. Everyone is born with mana. Your mana is separated into six parts of your body. Your head allows you to sense and see mana, and it also acts as a safeguard against mind manipulators and illusions. Both of your hands are crucial for performing magical abilities. Your feet help you sense the presence of anyone on the ground, while your torso is the core of your mana. It's where you store all your mana in an indestructible bubble located in your stomach. Some people's bubbles are larger, while others are smaller."
Ryoshi's eyes widened as he tried to process the information. "Wait, do I have a big one or a small one?"
Fuyu shrugged slightly. "I don't know, but you sure do have one."
"Okay... can you continue now?" Ryoshi asked, eager to move on.
Fuyu raised an eyebrow playfully. "Say please."
Ryoshi sighed but complied, "Can you continue now, please?"
"Ok!" Fuyu agreed with a grin. "The indestructible bubble is called the Geji. The Geji also allows you to distribute more mana to different parts of your body. When mana is released from your body, it turns into magic, but you can't just throw out mana. Mana is turned into magic by a special energy inside your body called Yoso. Yoso mostly borders the inside of your body and contains all the different types of magic within it. Once your mana touches your Yoso, it has to transform into something. It turns into what we call your destiny magic, which is determined by your genes and mana type."
"So what you're saying is, destiny magic is a randomized magic someone can get?" Ryoshi asked, trying to make sense of it all.
Fuyu shook his head. "No, it's someone's first magic, and it can even be passed down through a single bloodline."
"Ooh, okay," Ryoshi nodded, understanding a bit more. "But how do you know that I'll have the ice destiny magic?"
"You can change destiny magics by teaching the person a different magic," Fuyu explained with a knowing smile.
"Oh, okay! Can we get to the magic learning now?" Ryoshi asked, excitement creeping into his voice.
"Yeah, yeah. Focus hard now. Think about coldness, think about power, feel uncomfortable," Fuyu instructed, his voice dropping to a more serious tone.
Ryoshi closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as he could. Suddenly, his entire body was encased in a solid block of ice. His breath caught in his throat, the cold biting into his skin.
"Oops," Fuyu muttered, realizing his mistake. "I forgot to tell you that you need 100% control over all your magic, so things like igniting your body or electrocuting yourself don't happen."
With a gentle tap, Fuyu shattered the ice, freeing Ryoshi from his frozen prison.
Ryoshi gasped, his breath coming out in visible puffs of air. "Thank you so much for getting me out of that block!"
"No problem!" Fuyu replied casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Ryoshi shook off the remnants of the ice, his determination undeterred. "Ok, let's get this over with. Ice Magic: Ice Tip!" he declared, focusing his energy. The tip of his sword began to glow, a brilliant blue light emanating from it.
"Wooah, this is cool," Ryoshi marveled, feeling the raw power coursing through the blade.
"Yep!" Fuyu nodded in approval before raising his own hand. "Ice Magic: Ice Wolf."
"Heh?" Ryoshi's eyes widened in confusion, only for them to widen further as a massive ice wolf materialized before him.
"What the hell!?" Ryoshi exclaimed, panic seeping into his voice as the towering creature growled, its breath visible in the cold air.
"Go easy on him," Fuyu instructed the wolf with a nonchalant tone, just as the beast swiped at Ryoshi with its massive paw.
Ryoshi's instincts kicked in as the ice wolf lunged toward him, its enormous icy claws slicing through the air. With a swift motion, he dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the beast's attack. In a single, fluid motion, he swung his sword and decapitated the ice wolf, the creature shattering into a cascade of frozen shards.
Fuyu watched the scene unfold with a raised eyebrow. "That was maybe too easy…" he mused aloud, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
Ryoshi, still catching his breath, shot Fuyu an incredulous look. "What the hell, man! Are you trying to kill me or something?"
Fuyu waved off the accusation with a casual hand. "Nah, I was just testing your reflexes."
"What if I didn't dodge that, though?" Ryoshi demanded, his heart still pounding from the near-miss.
"It wouldn't have killed you," Fuyu assured him. "The wolf didn't have its claws out, but if you hadn't dodged, you'd have been knocked out for sure."
Ryoshi sighed, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Well, that's better than dying, I guess."
Fuyu glanced at the sky, gauging the time. "We need to hurry this up. I have to verify you to the Great Ones. I'll teach you one more technique now and save the last two for later."
"Last two? Come on, man!" Ryoshi protested, frustration creeping into his voice.
"You need to be one rank higher for me to teach you the stronger attacks," Fuyu explained firmly.
"Ok, fine," Ryoshi grumbled. "Let's just get this over with."
Fuyu nodded, satisfied. "Alright, the next technique is Ice Sword. It's similar to Ice Tip, but this time you cloak the entire sword in ice magic. It's a weaker technique than Ice Tip, but it's easier to land a hit with it."
"Got it," Ryoshi said, determination steeling his resolve.
He focused, trying to channel his ice magic into the sword. However, instead of the sword, both of his arms froze solid, the ice creeping up to his shoulders.
"Shit—how long do we have?!" Ryoshi exclaimed, his panic rising as he looked at his frozen limbs.
"We have exactly five hours," Fuyu replied, his voice calm, almost bored.
"Why are you in such a rush then? It's only five hours!" Ryoshi retorted, confusion lacing his words.
"The Great Ones go in and out of their building at random times," Fuyu explained, his tone becoming more serious. "They're there all day, but from my experience, they're all there within these five hours."
Ryoshi blinked, the urgency of the situation finally dawning on him. "Oh… why didn't you say that earlier? Now I'm gonna use this time to master this technique!"
Fuyu couldn't help but smile at Ryoshi's sudden burst of enthusiasm. "So you've decided to use all the time you've got to train?"
"Mhm," Ryoshi nodded vigorously. "NOW WATCH ME!!!"
---
Four and a half hours later, Ryoshi was a mess. He had attempted the technique 746 times, failing more often than not. Yet, despite the failures, he succeeded 373 times. The ground beneath him was frozen solid, a testament to his relentless practice. His clothes were soaked through, and his body was streaked with blood, a chilling reminder of the countless times he had to unfreeze himself.
Fuyu returned, glancing around the icy battlefield that had once been a training ground. His eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. "I'm back! Are you… done… yet?"
Ryoshi was barely recognizable. His body trembled from exhaustion, his breath ragged and shallow. Blood dripped from his fingers, staining the ice beneath him.
"What happened here?!" Fuyu exclaimed, rushing to Ryoshi's side.
Ryoshi inhaled deeply, his voice weak but laced with pride. "I had to unfreeze myself so many times," he exhaled slowly, "but I think I finally mastered the Ice Sword!"
Fuyu looked at Ryoshi with a mix of awe and concern. For someone who nailed Ice Tip on the second try, he sure is struggling with Ice Sword, he thought, his mind racing. Also, why does it look like he just bathed in a bath of blood? Wait… is he using what I think he's using?!
Before Fuyu could react, Ryoshi raised his sword high. "Ice Magic: ICE SWOOOORD!!!" he shouted, the blade now cloaked in a red, sinister energy.
Fuyu's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening. Yes, he is! I must stop him before it's too late.
"Ryoshi! That's enough for now!" Fuyu shouted, his voice laced with urgency. "You've unknowingly unlocked one of the many sacrificial abilities!"
Ryoshi's breath hitched as he processed Fuyu's words. "Sacrificial… abilities?"
"Yes," Fuyu confirmed, his tone grave. "Sacrificial abilities are tied to your destiny magic. Once the user runs out of mana, your Geji starts to fill itself with whatever it can find from your body. You're using Blood Ice right now. Blood Ice is significantly stronger than regular ice, but it comes at the cost of your blood. If you don't stop, you might die."
Ryoshi's eyes widened in realization as the sword slipped from his grasp. He collapsed to the ground, his body finally giving in to the exhaustion and blood loss.
"Shit, I'm too late," Fuyu muttered under his breath, quickly moving to pick up the unconscious Ryoshi. "Well, it's now or never. I must bring him to the Great Ones right now."
In an instant, Fuyu disappeared, reappearing in a large, dark room that exuded an aura of power and authority.
"Great Ones, I have a new member," Fuyu announced, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. "But he's unconscious right now, due to blood loss."
A deep voice echoed through the darkness. "No worries, Hinansho, we'll give the boy time."
Another voice, sharper and more concerned, interjected. "Time?! Hinansho said he lost blood, and by the looks of it, he's lost around sixty percent of it. We should call in a medic."
A third voice, calm and decisive, spoke up. "I'll call some over."
Fuyu bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Great Ones."
"There's no need to thank us," the second voice replied. "You've helped us out a lot in the past years."