Chapter: 6
Two days had passed since I made the deal with Alex, and the progress Abeni and I were making was nothing short of astronomical. Being able to leave the quarters earlier and return without rushing made everything easier—training, planning, even just thinking things through. And the books? They were a treasure trove, even if the spells themselves were underwhelming. The Mana control techniques and the insights on different spell types were invaluable. The history of magic book helped me piece together a timeline of how magic became widely known and used.
As Abeni and I read through the books, however, we quickly noticed a few glaring issues. One of the biggest problems was how the English viewed magic, particularly spell casting. Their methods were... strange. If Abeni and I saw spell casting as a natural process—imagine what you want to happen, then use your Mana to make it real—the English treated it almost mechanically. Their approach made the whole process rigid, like they were following a formula. It was the polar opposite of our more intuitive method, which made their way of using magic unnecessarily complicated.
Another issue we found in the history of magic book was that magic had been outlawed in England, and in all English-controlled territories, for the better part of three to four hundred years. That aligned with events like the Salem witch trials, when people were persecuted for anything remotely magical. This was good news for Abeni and me since it meant their magical knowledge was likely limited. But it also helped me solve something that had been bothering me for a while.
After Abeni and I learned how to sense Mana, we stumbled upon an interesting discovery: there was a massive difference in the amount of Mana between the slaves and the slave owners. Even excluding Abeni and me, the gap was astonishing. And now, it made sense. The English had spent centuries suppressing magic, weakening their Mana over generations. Meanwhile, African cultures, known for practices like Voodoo and various forms of black magic, had continued using magic in some form or another.
It was like a gene that had weakened in one population and stayed strong in the other. If Mana was a muscle, the English had let theirs atrophy, while the Africans, even those who didn't actively use magic, still carried a stronger potential. And since Mana could increase with training, the difference would only grow.
Those were the main irregularities in the books that concerned us. But outside of that, they were a goldmine of knowledge.
I sighed, leaning against the tree as I absentmindedly manipulated a basketball-sized orb of water, keeping its form with ease. Across the clearing, Alex was practicing the Mana control techniques Abeni and I had taught him. What looked easy on paper was proving to be much harder in practice, and I couldn't help but smirk as he struggled with the exercises.
Abeni, meanwhile, was going through the last set of Taekwondo moves I had taught her. She had been a fast learner, though her impatience sometimes got in the way. After finishing up her set, she walked over and plopped down beside me, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.
"So," she started, "are you finally going to tell me what the map is for?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it's about time. I've figured out the path I want us to take."
"Well, the path to where?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The path we'll take when we leave the country."
"What? What do you mean? When are we leaving? And why?"
"One question at a time," I said, holding up a hand. "First off, there's a reason I've been teaching you English, and it's not just for reading the books. We'll leave in nine years—when I'm thirteen and you're nineteen."
"Nine years?!" Abeni exclaimed, looking surprised. "Why so long?"
I smiled. "Because by that time, we'll have grown strong enough that staying here would only hinder our training. Also, leaving gives us the chance to find allies."
Abeni frowned, clearly not thrilled with the idea, but she nodded, accepting it. After a pause, she asked a different question. "When do we start training other elements?"
I sat up, considering her question. "That depends. Do you feel comfortable with your control over wind?"
She nodded, her eyes gleaming with determination.
"Good. Have you picked your next element?"
Abeni didn't answer with words. Instead, she raised her left hand, and a small orb of fire appeared, flickering above her palm.
I grinned. "Ah, so you picked the one that pairs best with wind. Smart. I'll do the same."
Raising my right hand, I visualized an orb of lightning, channeling my Mana to manifest it. The air around us crackled as the lightning orb materialized, buzzing with energy above my palm. Before the last two months, I would have been hesitant to use something as volatile as lightning, but now I felt confident enough to control it.
"Alright," I said, standing up as the lightning disappeared. I pulled out the pocket watch Alex had given me and checked the time. "We've got three more hours until three o'clock. Let's get started."
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Abeni said, jumping to her feet, her fire orb vanishing as she cracked her knuckles.
We stood across from each other, both eager to push our limits. I could feel the crackling anticipation in the air, the energy of our new elements just waiting to be unleashed. Training wind and water had been challenging, but this—this was going to be something else entirely.
Abeni grinned, her eyes shining with excitement. "Think you can keep up with me, Kael?"
I smirked. "You know I can."
"Then let's do this."
The next few hours passed in a blur of energy, crackling lightning, and roaring flames. Our training had reached a whole new level, and as we pushed our limits, I couldn't help but feel that this was only the beginning. We were growing stronger—stronger than I had ever imagined.
And in nine years, when the time was right, we would be ready.
Chapter 6: End