2 years later
A bald man and a very fit kid could be seen on the courtyard
The kid was swinging a wooden sword from up to down
"Thats good, you are finally resembling a mini knight" The bald man emphasized the world 'mini'
"Im only 6 years old teacher, i still have many more to grow" Not caring at all as he was really a kid, Maxwell ends todays routine
"Today marks the end of the 2 years training, how the time flies" Rick says while rubbing his bald head while walking toward the exit as he doesnt like goodbyes
"Teacher, if by some means i need to be a propper knight then i will come to you!" Then, making a bow to bid farewell, Maxwell watchs as Rick leaves the place
Waving his hand back Rick dissapear in the distance, on the inside having a little bit of hope to teach Maxwell again
Inside the courtyard Maxwell was gulping the regeneration potion while gazing at the manor
"Today is the day i finally enter this mysterious world of magic... i hope"
After finishing he walks into the manor and approach his father library as he was called to come here after the training
Maxwell knocks the door and a gentle 'Enter' can be heard from the other side
Opening the door he can see Isaac, his father reading a book
"Hello Max, sit" Being more serious that normal, Isaac tells Maxwell to sit
After sitting, Maxwell starts to get nervous as the mood in the room is a little tense
"Okay Max, tell me what do you know about mana"
"Nothing mu-"
"And before you lie to me in the face i can tell you that i know you have been sneaking around my library" With a smile Isaac exposes Maxwell
"... Mana is the most basic energy, to be a mage you need to control it. To start as an apprentice you need to start feeling and absorb it to expand you mana cap" With sligly red face after being caught, he starts to quote the book he read
"So its [Mana for Begginers]" With an understanding nod his father gaze at him
"Then... thats all, i wated to start learning but after i saw that you need to have a strong body i stopped" Maxwell sincerely told his father why he didnt do more
"Thats good, because if you had done it then you would need to stay in bed for half a year to heal your wounds"
After listening Maxwell gave a relieved sigh at not being rash back then
"Today little Max, im going to teach you how to feel and control the mana surrounding us to become an apprentice. Im also going to tell you the stages of mages so you dont have the misconception that every mage is powerful"
"understood" Nodding with a solemn face, Maxwell is ready for the info
"First of all im going to teach tyou the stages, since you are most likely to be distracted if i teach you how to control mana first"
"Thats... well, true" Maxwell doesnt deny that fact, after all if he was given something related to a true mage he is going to ignore everything else and research it
"First of all is the early stage of a mage, also know as an 'Aprenttice Mage', they are the most basic level of a mage and even the normal peasant can reach that stage if they get bored enough and have a little talent"
"After reaching a certain cap of mana, you start to feel bloated and cant expand more, this is where you can become a certified mage of level 1. To do this you need to be able to chant a complete Level 1 mage spell, it may sound easy but for very complex reasons its not"
"Mages are divided in 9 levels, from Mage lvl 1 to lvl 9. There is a very big difference between each level. First of all the Mana capacity, as each level double your ammount of mana, meaning that a lvl 3 mage has 4 times more mana than a lvl 1 mage. Second and most important is the spells they can cast, as each mage can cast more powerfull and complex spells. And last but not the least its the upgrade of the mind, which is a little hard to explain so you'll know when you become a lvl 1 Mage"
"Father, i was told by my writting teacher that our country was built by Supreme Bluefire, which level is he?"
"Thats the next thing i was going to explain, above a lvl 9 Mage is the powerfull Arch Mage, and above Arch Mage is the Supreme Mage realm"
"Thats... powerful i guess?" No understanding how powerful can a supreme mage can be, Maxwell puts a curious face
"Very powerful, Supreme Mages can do things that exceed the limits of a mortal"
After a complete explanation, Maxwell finally understand the realms of Mages
"There are also Knights having their own scale of power but you dont need to know that yet, as you must concentrate being a Mage"
"Okay... now about the absorbing mana thing?" With shiny eyes Maxwell asks his father
"... Sure, lets start with that"
"*Ehem* First get into a comfortable position, it could be anything as long you are relaxed"
Maxwell nods and gets into his cuved back leaning to the front position of back then when he was a scientist... dont judge him
"...Like that? Arent you uncomfortable?" Isaac asks with a weird face
"Im good, lets start"
"Whatever suits you i guess. Now empty your mind and try to concentrate you sense of touch and feeling
Doing as told, Maxwell tries to empty his mind which, weirdly, is very difficult
After that he starts to concentrate on his surroundings and how his fingers touchs the air
"Now imagine a blue color flowing and moving in the air. Think of it as bue air in the... air"
Trying to feel, Maxwell reachs a strange state where he can feel that there is something everywhere around him... it last for a mere seconds before banishing
Before Maxwell knows whats going on he start to feel dizzy and tired, very tired
"Wha-" He doesnt know why he is tired, he was staying in the same pleace all the time
"Meditating and feeling mana can be tiring for newcomers as you are using every bit of mental strenght, at least you seem to have some talent as you got to feel mana in your first try although it didnt last"
"That weird feeling... is that really mana?"
"Yes, is everywhere and you need to not only feel it but absorb it, you still have a long path ahead"
Thinking of how he was able to only see mana for a few seconds he sighs
"By the way, father, i didnt ask before but which level are you at?" After recovering some breath he asks a question he wanted to asks for a long time
"Me?" After hearing that his father puts a proud expression
"Im a level 8 Mage, almost a lvl 9. I have the hope to become an Arch Mage in a few years"
"How long it took you to reach that level?" Curious, Maxwell asks a very important question
"I dont like to boast but i reached this level in only 83 years, im called a genius in the Mages circle"
"... wait what?" Maxwell have a very shocked face
"What happens?" Not understanding his shock, Isaac looks at Maxwell
"Father... how... how old are you?" Stuttering a bit Maxwell asks
"Me? Im only 103 years old, why? Let me tell you that im still in my prime" He puts a sligly hurt face, as his son just implied that he was an old man
Maxwell: "... ... ..."
"And mom... How old is she?"
"... You cant ask that... but between us, this years she turns 89 this year, although she is more weaker than the normal person"
Maxwell is shocked to the core, he cant grasp how person having a kid while having almost a hundred years can exist
He of course thought that mana makes you live longer, like 5 or 10 years longer... but this is unscientific!
After a few minutes of his father shaking him around he recovers from the shock
"Sorry father, im okay now"
"Dont worry, becoming a Mage is a very long road so try to not be hasty" His father says concerned of his son future, as he thinks that Maxwell find the road too long
"Dont worry father, i know" With a reassuring smile Maxwell gets up, preparing to leave the room
"Go to rest a little, you can try to feel mana after that. But i must warn you, if you are tired then dont force yourself as you can damage your mind. There are not many healing potions for the mind out there so its a very serious injury" His father warned before he could leave
"Sure... now im gonna throw myself to the bed, goodbye" Maxwell leaves the room
And while walking, he could help but think about the first time he exercised 2 years ago
'Its almost like that time, i was like a dead fish after training, i need to get used to feeling mana'
Reaching his room he throw himself to the bed
'Lets sleep a little... after that i need to start feeling mana, maybe i can short the time a little if i can organize a training plan' While thinking of many timers and plans he starts to doze off, falling asleep in just a few seconds