Third Person's POV
[:| Man, how the hell did you manage to get so many in without them noticing?]
Alaric's lips curved into a dumb smile as he eyed the small stash of healing potions he'd piled onto his bed. "I have no idea," he muttered, hands on his hips and chest held high, with pride.
[Whatever. Let's start, first of all, get a comfortable seat near the window and put your hand out.]
With a sigh, Alaric dragged the chair from his study table to the window. He stretched his hand out, letting it dangle over the ledge as if expecting something magical to happen.
'I don't really think we will need that many healing potions. I only got burnt because I tried to put off the fire with my hands in panic.'
The soreness from running all day still buzzed in his muscles, making him wonder if this was the right moment to do anything.
[Oh, trust me, you'll need them. You will definitely need all of them.]
It sounded like a threat which made Alaric gulp but he quickly dragged his thoughts away from that line and asked something that he had been curious about since yesterday, 'So how do I 'master' a skill that is something I have already mastered?'
[First of all, you haven't mastered it. If you had mastered it, the skill would have been added to [Tome].]
Alaric could only stare at Boon with a confused face.
[Start forming the ball already.]
Alaric with his hand outside, did it in the blink of an eye. It felt like breathing now, Alaric wondered if it was like this for everyone but then again most people shouldn't even be able to use skills so early.
[(._ .)]
A low groan of disappointment echoed in his head, followed by the ever-annoying sound of Boon's grumbling.
Alaric raised an eyebrow. "What is it now? And why can I hear your grumbles and groans when you use those stupid emoticons?" His irritation was clear in his voice. Boon's disappointment felt like a wet blanket thrown over the small moment of pride that he was feeling.
[You're using even less Mana than I expected... We're going to have to fix that first.]
"Really?" Alaric said, his voice couldn't have been more devoid of gratefulness. Boon hadn't exactly been a fountain of useful advice.
[Tell me, do you feel the mana swirling in your hand right now?]
This should sound gibberish but for some reason, Alaric could feel it, there was a strange sensation, like holding something alive—something small and restless, a frantic flutter against his palm. Whatever it was, it felt extremely agile but for some reason, it only moved in the path Alaric desired He nodded slowly at Boon.
[Good. Then you must be feeling the volatile nature of mana too. Focus hard on the flow of mana and force them out of your palm. Slowly.]
Alaric took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts and focus. It was easier said than done. This energy, the way it felt so warm made him feel a sense of strength.
All a hoax.
The small, rebellious energy was incredibly restless, Alaric started losing control the more he focused.
Alaric's breath hitched as the rebellious flame flickered in his hand.
[Stop, that's going to—]
Before Boon could finish, the fireball spun out of control. The flames erupted, licking up Alaric's arm in a wild blaze. Panic shot through him as his hand ignited.
[Stupid! Stop supplying it with Mana!] Boon's voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos and quickly catching Alaric's attention.
Biting back a scream, Alaric yanked the Mana flow away. The flames vanished as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving behind angry, red burns streaked across his skin. The sharp pain seared through him, making his eyes water, but he forced himself to stay composed.
Boon's scolding voice buzzed in his head, [What were you waiting for? To be a well-done human? I emphasized SLOWLY for a reason.]
Alaric's focus was elsewhere. With trembling hands, he grabbed a vial of healing potion from the stash on his bed and chugged it down in one swift gulp. The burning sensation lingered, a cruel reminder that healing potions weren't miracle cures. They didn't work instantly. It'd be a few minutes before the healing process even began, and longer still for the burns to fade.
Healing potions could only do so much. They couldn't fix everything. Grave injuries, sicknesses that ran too deep—the potions might give you a fighting chance, but they weren't a guarantee.
His gaze shifted to the remaining vials, the sudden realization hitting him hard. 'I'll need more of these,' he thought grimly.
"I wasn't adding more Mana," Alaric muttered under his breath. "I couldn't control it and it continued flowing."
[That's one more problem to fix… you need to restrict the mana flow from the beginning so that it stops the instant you want it to.] Boon instructed, its voice sharper than usual. Alaric leaned forward, paying attention to the voice for the first time.
Alaric nodded, his face now serious. He placed the empty healing vial into a leather pouch, 'How do I do that?'
[It really shouldn't be that hard… I don't think people even face this issue, it is just in your case, but it is understandable because of the mana acting so volatile inside your body and quickly acting to flow out of your core and body at any given chance.]
They were silent for a moment before Alaric said, "How do I control the flow then?"
Boon didn't answer immediately, it took a few seconds before giving a reply.
[Sphincter muscles… Yes! It's like an imaginary butthole, after your turd falls out it closes automatically, you shouldn't need to do it voluntarily or one day you end up spoiling your pants. That's how it should feel. (╯▽╰ )]
There was a long silence after Boon finished speaking, no sound whatsoever. If one were to enter the room people would think Alaric was having a stroke.
'Oh, Goddess! Listen to this foolish subject of yours and make people go through a trail before giving them the ability to rearrange letters and speak.'
[It was an Example!] Boon retorted after seeing Alaric join his hands in the dark room and start praying like a devout follower, [If you can pray, you can train. Get your ass back to the seat and start training.]
Sitting back, Alaric extended his hand and started working through the motions again. Flames flickered into life, then snuffed out as he wrestled with the Mana flow. Each failure brought a sharper awareness of what he was doing wrong.
The next day, Alaric found out that Elowen had left for six months, a sort of time limit that now hung over him like a shadow because he wanted to show his grandmother that six months was enough time for him to complete the task he was given.
Weeks passed in a haze of effort. Every day became a cycle: running laps until his legs gave out, then forcing himself to stand and continue. By dusk, he collapsed, his body limp with exhaustion. At night, his battles with [Fireball] continued, small victories carved out of endless mistakes.
Today was no different.
Alaric's body stirred as consciousness returned. The sky above was hazy, his vision still swimming from the exertion. A soft groan slipped from his lips as he shifted, muscles protesting. He blinked, the world slowly sharpening around him.
"Thirty-three laps... still nowhere close." He let out another groan, forcing his shaky legs to move, but they refused to cooperate. With a grimace, he shifted his weight and turned toward the arbour for a moment of rest. That's when his gaze landed on a familiar figure.
"Aurelia?"