After that day, I began practicing magic more and more whenever I could, mostly at night when I was alone and free to do as I wished. I also noticed that my body had a limit to how much Mana it could gather. After a certain point, it would just stop accumulating, which I suppose was a good thing. Now that I had learned the basics of gathering Mana, it was time to work on control.
'Eight years later.'
In these eight years, I discovered what magic natures I possess. It turns out I have both fire and wind. Just having wind would be a big deal, but adding fire to the mix makes it even more remarkable. Most of my time is spent in my room, either practicing techniques for my Mana natures or reading up on them, my mom even lets me have the books from the top shelf now.
I wonder how my parents would react if they knew, though. For now, I'll only tell them about the fire nature.
"The question is, how should I reveal it?"
'Wait, I think I have an idea.'
I found my dad out in the garden, working.
"Dad, I wanted to ask you for a favor."
"A favor? What kind of favor, kid? You know your dad will do anything for you, right?"
"I want to learn how to fight. Will you teach me?"
There was a brief silence as Dad stood there with a plant in his hand. Then, a burst of excitement lit up his face.
"Really? You want to learn to fight, son?" he said, grinning.
"Yes, Dad. I want to get stronger."
"I knew it! I knew my son would find his path one day," he said proudly.
"So, will you teach me?"
"Yes, but first we'll need your mother's permission."
"Prepare your war face, son. We'll need it," he said, giving me a serious look.
"I'm ready, Father."
I followed him into the house, and well, let's just say we got permission, but a few scars remain from that 'war'.
The next day, Dad and I went to the front yard with wooden swords to practice. Even though I want to use magic, I should also learn how to wield a sword, it's the most common weapon here, and I need to be prepared for anything.
"All right, son. Training starts today. You'll bleed, but you'll need to be strong and grow from it."
"I understand, Dad."
'Shouldn't he be saying I might bleed, not will?'
"Okay, son. Since this is your first time, I'll let you have the first strike."
"Ok then, here I come!"
I dashed toward him, swinging, but he easily blocked the attack and pushed me back, just as I expected. Dad has years of experience with the sword. I steadied myself and took a defensive stance.
"Not bad! I didn't expect you to have that much power." he said, smiling. "But now it's my turn. Prepare to block, Lucian."
'Is he serious about going all out on a kid? When he said I'd bleed, was he really being literal?'
I gripped my sword tightly, ready to use magic if I had to. But before I could fully process it, Dad's sword came at me. I barely managed to block the attack, but the force sent me flying, and I landed on my back.
"That was just a taste of what I can do. You'd better be ready to attack or defend next time. Now get up."
My arms were shaking from the blow, but I pushed myself to my feet. If I want to learn how to attack, I have to be prepared to take hits too. But if he keeps this up, I won't make it through the first day, I need him to go easier on me.
"Dad, maybe you shouldn't go so hard on a kid."
"Listen to me, son. The world is a dangerous place. In your eyes, you may be a kid, but to enemies, you'll be nothing but prey." He looked at me with a fierce pride.
"If you don't ease up, I'll tell Mom you hurt me during training." I said, raising an eyebrow.
"There's no need for such a serious threat, son. Let's be fair to each other," he replied, giving me a serious look of his own. "I accept your request."
"Then here I come, Dad."
'Now's my chance.'
This time, I charged at him, faking a sword strike, then surprised him with a burst of fire. He dodged quickly, clearly not expecting it.
"What?" he said, eyes wide with curiosity. "You can use magic already? And fire, no less. Looks like you've got more to show me. Give it your all, son."
Our duel continued, with me using fire attacks to keep some distance when needed and attacking whenever I saw an opening. But even then, I knew I couldn't win, Dad was still holding back. We sparred for a long time until I was completely out of breath. Meanwhile, Dad hadn't even broken a sweat.
"It seems my son has been hiding something important from me, huh?"
"I wanted to tell you that I've awakened my nature. That's why I asked you to fight me."
He nodded with approval. "That's the true spirit of a warrior. You're just like I was in my younger days."
"But… does Mom know about this?" he asked, glancing toward the house.
"No, I was hoping we could tell her together. Also, Dad, I want to learn more about magic."
"Then prepare your war face, son. We've got another battle to fight soon."
Let's just say that night was a long one. Mom was thrilled for some reasons, and furious for others. By the end of it, Dad and I were left with even more scars.