Ender woke up with a start, his heart pounding in his chest as he scanned his surroundings.
The room he was in, was quiet and familiar, the soft glow of the moonlight casting eerie shadows on the walls.
After a moment of tense observation, he realised he was safe and in his own bedroom.
"That wasn't nice… I had a nightmare about the previous night," he thought out loud before frowning.
Sitting up on his bed, Ender started rubbing his temples, trying to dispel the remnants of the nightmare.
'I should probably go back to sleep.'
After trying to flex his limbs and failing miserably, he laid back down.
'My body definitely needs rest,' he though with a pained expression.
Closing his eyes, he practiced deep breathing exercises, calming his racing heart and easing the tension that had built up in his body.
Not long after, his eyelids grew heavy, and he succumbed to the soothing embrace of sleep.
— — —
It was afternoon in the next day and Ender was sitting on the floor inside his living room. In front of him, lay all the books that he bought the day before.
He thought that it would be a splendid idea to stay home for a a day or two and read all of his newly acquired tomes.
'I'm definitely not in any hurry to go back in the forest.'
He leaned in and picked a book with the title "A novice mage's guide to magic".
'It would be a good idea to start reading the basic mana and magic principles first, before diving into the books.'
And so, he started.
Magic always requires a source of energy to be harnessed. Said energy, is usually drawn from the caster's mana pool.
The mana pool's recovery speed is based on the mage's ability to store mana. Do not be fooled though. Other energy sources could be used to power spells.
The casting time of a spell is not fixed, but it fluctuates due to various factors. Primarily, a spell's complexity is a major influence on how long it takes to cast.
Generally, higher-ranked spells require a substantially longer casting time compared to lower-ranked ones. Nevertheless, the caster's proficiency and comprehension of a spell can significantly reduce the time required.
A complete mastery would enable the caster to cast spells instantaneously. This however, remains an elusive achievement.
Different types of magic exist, divided into schools or disciplines. Each school specialises in specific abilities.
Every mage is born with a predetermined aptitude towards a certain school of magic. There are some rare cases where a mage can have an aptitude for two schools, though more than that is unheard of.
The mentioned proficiency is predominantly influenced by genetic factors. When both parents are mages, the child's aptitude is thought to be determined randomly from one of their genetic contributions. In cases where a child is born to non-mage parents, it's generally believed that the mage aptitude is also randomly determined.
Extensive data has been gathered, revealing that a child with one mage parent has a 50% chance of inheriting mage abilities, while a child with two mage parents has approximately a 75% likelihood of possessing magical talent.
Like with most skills, talent in magic matters. Sadly, some individuals are born with a bigger natural aptitude for magic, while others must work harder to develop their skills.
That is not to say that the latter individuals cannot reach as great heights as the former. With hard work, everything is possible!
The book introduced some other topics such as the forbidden schools of magic, the magical creatures, the correct mindset while casting spells and so on.
It wasn't a very big book and it took Ender less than an hour to finish it and, in his opinion, understand it.
"Shit. I totally forgot about magic school aptitudes. The shield spell was abjuration magic. Does this mean that I will only be able to cast sorcery spells?.."
Suddenly, Ender's energy and excitement seemed to vanish.
'But dad said he is the god of time and space. Shouldn't my aptitude be those types of magic. Unless mum was a demon sorceress??'
Sighing, Ender picked another book. It wouldn't do well to overthink his situation.
The book's cover was made from supple, aged leather, and it had intricate engravings of swirling gusts and elegant depictions of flying birds.
'I'll try a single spell from every tome and see if I have a second aptitude. If not, I'll just continue with what I have. I can't imagine what my older self would think if he knew that I was complaining for having aptitude only towards sorcery.'
The book was about elemental magic and more specifically, it was about the air element.
Its content was a combination of handwritten notes and carefully drawn diagrams. The ink was a rich, dark blue, giving the pages a soothing, almost ethereal quality.
The author started by explaining the essence of air as an element and how it could be harnessed for spell casting.
Air is transparent and, for the most part, invisible to the naked eye. Its essence embodies the idea that the most powerful and essential forces can often be subtle and hidden from plain view.
It is constantly in motion, flowing without boundaries or restrictions. It symbolises freedom, adaptability, and the ability to change directions or take different paths.
Air is a purifying element. It has the power to cleanse and refresh, whether it's through a gentle breeze that clears the air or a fierce wind that sweeps away impurities.
And so on…
After that, the author mentioned some magic exercises that helped in mastering the basic principles of air manipulation and air spells.
The last part of the book was yet again, a spell list.