I had countless theories ever since deciphering the ancient language of the book. I discovered about the Mana Core and the essence behind spells and magic, and was even able to theorize my peculiar circumstance.
I spent the nights of my days familiarizing myself with various categories and concepts of magic that I could, raising my sparse knowledge concerning the subject. Until I was finally ready.
"This should be enough..." I straightened on my bed and cast a glance outside my room window.
It was night outside, the day was over with the sun completely hidden behind the horizon. I was holed up in my room, my bed surface littered with pieces of papers and wrinkled pages.
I had made significant progress in translating the old language of the withered book over the past few days. With my schedule in the day tightly packed, the only times I could study the book were limited to my nights, and hence began sharing of my sleep time into shifts.
I looked drearily around the inside of my room before scratching the tiredness out of me eyes. Despite all of that I still had enough vitality to keep me awake without terrible repercussions toward the following day. Courtesy of my new body.
"I should get going then." I got up from my bed and muttered to myself.
I've kept my possession of the book and my late studies of magic to myself, away from the knowledge of others up until now. And I've finally decided to take my first active step towards practicing magic.
But with my days as they usually were made it extremely hard to have some private time to myself without racing suspicion. I couldn't let the fact that I was learning magic become known to avoid the many risks that could follow.
I swiftly changed into black clothing and wrapped a dark scarf around my neck to partially cover my face. I approached my closed door and pushed it subtly open, slowly and quietly to take a peak into the empty passage way that followed.
'Layla and Cliff should be asleep by this time. But in a few hours, I'llbe expecting Layla come up to check in on me, leaving me with vaguely about two hours and thirty minutes to leave and return.' I calculatedly deduced as I reached out for my dagger and hid the sharp weapon inside of my clothes.
I sorted out my untidy bed and picked up the old book before reaching for my window. Pushing the blinds wider open, I peered into the compound yard that unfolded before my view.
Then I jumped without hesitation.
It was funny; a few months ago, I would never have considered throwing myself out my room window, but here I was, doing what I dreaded when I was still 3 at barely 6.
'That's self-improvement right there...,' I wistfully thought during my descent.
All that said, the distance to the ground was still something that would risk me a few bruises and fractured bones, maybe. So I used some pavements as foothold to climb my way down then quickly flew over the stone fence of our compound.
Cloaked in black, through the starry night, I lurked in the shadows; running deeper into the woods, away from the prying eyes of anyone from the village.
The forest stood mostly quiet with the soft rustling of trees in the cool night breeze as a backdrop. It didn't take too long for me to head in deep enough, just before a small river.
I halted my steps and observed closely my surroundings.
"No one followed," I ascertained and lowered the dark scarf surrounding my mouth a little with a sigh.
"Having to this each night is risky. I can't keep this up without anyone finding out much longer," I lamented my circumstances to myself then looked up past the canopies above my head at the moons' position.
"The guards on duty will be patrolling past this river in the next forty five minutes."
I couldn't wait for the guards any longer, hence why I took off first.
I sighed deeply.
"That just gives me even less time."
But I was confident I wouldn't need that much time...
Over the course of the last few days now, I've had sneaky night private lessons out in the woods, away from the eyes of anyone from the village. With my schedule as it is in the day, nighttime was the only single period i had all to myself, and I haven't been at all hesitant to make the best use out of it.
I walked towards the flowing river and pulled out a folded piece of thin paper, then recalled a certain transcribed paragraph from the old book:
"The Refinement stage is the last and final, and eternal, stage on the advancement of magic. This is the entire journey of a Mage's life, and as such posseses a vastly wide field of studies. But all of this only begins with the primary beginning of being able to sense the actual flow of Mana."
The thin pieces of paper, when unfolded, illustrated sketched images and figures that represented people and Mana.
A Mage's life can be summed into three simple stages. The Dormant stage was the silent period whereby the Mana Core organ formed; The Awakened stage is when first signs of Magic Talent in an individual blossoms; the third and final stage represent the rest of the Mage's journey if they wished to pursue Magic, and this was called The Refinement stage. Or Cultivation Stage, as I fondly liked to refer it.
I already had a Mana Core and displayed first signs of Magic Talent at 3; miraculously, I was able to skip over the initial two stages and over into the last.
I took a deep breath, feeling my lungs pump and fill with air in the process, then fell to the ground, sitting across legged.
"Let's begin then." I closed my eyes, drawing in my consciousness. Instantly 'my world ' withdrew inside of me and shrunk. Slowly it became silent, soon it became still; everything did.
My world was limited to the sound of my heart beat and the sensation of my lungs drawing in breath. I felt my chest pump with each action and calculated each breath I took in a practice rhythmic pattern.
To officially take the first step into the Cultivation or Refinement stage, I had first of all attune to my Mana and Core. That is, I had to be able to actively 'sense' the Mana in my body and Center then, actively move and redirect it. As well as accumulate and absorb it from the atmosphere actively.
This delicate process required delicate time and even more concentration.
Total concentration.
As Mana had no apparent form, the mysterious energy was innately elusive to grasp, physically, mentally and even metaphysically.
That was why the Mana Flow Control was created to help individuals relate to the power hidden in their Centers and body.
Basically, the Mana Flow Control, was like a series of careful meditation that drew one's consciousness inside of them, as a form of strange introspection.
During my first few days of trial, I faced many struggles at the initial stages of this single step.
How was i supposed to feel something that held no particular form? Something I struggled to even imagine?
The Mana Flow Control and the series of specialized meditations implemented granted the user a more vivid mindset and form. A strange state, so to say.
A state where the world was clear — the world beyond the veil.
For four days I struggled...four nights of incessant meditation sessions. It felt like nothing happened each time and i slowly became frustrated.
But in closer inspection, the mental exercises provided by meditating sessions slowly became coherent and tangible to comprehend.
In other words...
After each Meditation, I grew enlightened and my confidence grew.
That was precisely why I was certain...I was going to feel Mana this time around.
...A vague image grew sharper in my mind as I felt my body grow warmer. My heart thumped in symphony as instinctively performed the rhythmic breathing pattern.
Then it wasn't long before a familiar rush and flow engulfed my body.