Today marked Damian's first day of training.
He would begin learning the fundamentals of magic alongside Fiona, under the guidance of the twins, and Duchess Freya Everhart, who would be staying at Ignatius Castle for the week.
But when I say "fundamentals," I mean practical fundamentals—not the theories and concepts he had absorbed so far from books.
Damian had spent years reading and studying, but today he would finally put his knowledge into practice.
Fiona, already in her twenties, had long since mastered the theoretical side, under her mother's guidance.
She was simply awaiting the Awakening Ceremony to unlock her latent talents.
This ceremony, held only once every thirty years, by some twist of fate or divine intervention, would coincide with Damian's eighteenth birthday.
Freya began the lesson with a steady, instructive tone.
"As mages, we manifest magic through mana, the most abundant natural energy available to us. We do this by converting mana into the element we have an affinity for."
"Right now, as an unawakened, you cannot yet activate your mana core, but we don't need to go into that just yet," Freya explained, casting an appraising glance at her nephew.
"Before we move on to absorbing mana, you must first learn to sense it. I know you've read the theories, but now is the time to put that theory into practice," she said, her eyes sharp as they focused on Damian.
Damian looked at her with an innocent expression. "But I already know how to sense mana."
Freya's eyes narrowed in surprise, and she glanced at the twins, who were stifling their laughter behind their hands.
"Aunt Freya, he's not joking," Annabella said, unable to hold back a chuckle. "He already knows how to sense mana."
Turning back to Damian, Freya raised a brow. "Do you really know how to sense mana, my little Damian?"
He nodded.
"I'd like to see for myself," she said, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Close your eyes and let me know when you sense my mana."
Damian nodded, closing his eyes and focusing—though not with his full concentration.
He had never had to use his full abilities yet, finding little in his life that truly demanded it.
Freya was skeptical.
Even though she had caught a glimpse of the depth within him, she found it hard to believe that an eight-year-old boy could already sense mana. "Let me know the moment you sense it."
A few moments passed, and Damian tilted his head slightly. "I can sense the ball of mana in your hand."
Freya's eyes widened.
She had only just conjured it, and he was already aware of it.
'Isn't this... too fast?' she thought, glancing over at the twins, who were now barely containing their laughter, clearly enjoying her reaction.
Freya felt her composure slipping as the twins' laughter only grew.
Meanwhile, Fiona looked back and forth between them, trying to understand what was happening, though her gaze remained firmly on Damian, who seemed blissfully unaffected by this scene.
"Alright, Damian, tell me—where do you sense it now?" Freya asked, making the ball of mana in her hand disappear before making it reappear just above her head.
"On top of your head," Damian replied instantly, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he tracked the mana's presence the very moment it shifted.
Freya felt a flicker of unease. Damian's sensitivity to mana was almost unsettling. She moved the mana again. "And now?"
"Behind me."
"And now?"
"Between the ceiling beams."
"Now?"
"Behind my sisters."
"Now?"
"In the bedroom."
"Alright, alright!" Freya sighed, lowering her hand as the mana ball dissipated.
"Clearly, you have an extraordinary sense for mana…" She glanced at the twins, who were failing to suppress their laughter.
"Aunt Freya," Isabella said, once she could speak, "Damian's abilities go beyond just mana sensitivity. He possesses a unique visual power that lets him see things that are invisible to normal sight—like the flow of mana, for instance."
"A… visual ability?" Freya's expression shifted to one of bewilderment.
She was familiar with certain rare abilities—after all, Victoria and Elizabeth Ignatius possessed such gifts—but Damian's seemed on a different level entirely.
"Yes. Not only can he sense mana, but he can also control the natural, accumulated mana within his body," Isabella continued, her voice serious.
"He can shape it however he wants... It's unnerving even for us"
Isabella hesitated before mentioning one more aspect, her voice quieter.
"And there's also… an ability that allows him to absorb energy from others." She didn't elaborate, choosing to leave that piece of information unspoken.
Freya raised an eyebrow, looking between the twins and Damian with new understanding. "Then… it seems there's no need for me to teach him the basics. Why exactly did you ask for my help?"
Annabella grinned. "Well, my sister and I were thinking it's time for our young Damian to attempt something that's always been deemed impossible."
"And," Isabella continued, "we'll need your help to make it happen."
"Honestly, I didn't expect this… but given the sheer amount of mana accumulated in his body, he just might be able to pull it off," Freya murmured, her face lighting up as her alternate persona as a magic researcher began to emerge.
Her grin was met with equally eager smiles from Damian's sisters, Annabella and Isabella.
Fiona, watching their exchange, was bewildered. "What are you all talking about?"
Freya shook her head, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "I haven't had anyone attempt this before because no one has ever shown such promise. Anyone who tried failed."
"It's called Mana Core Creation," Annabella explained, eyes shining.
"Mana Core Creation? But I thought that could only be done after awakening our talent and beginning mana cultivation?" Fiona asked, her face a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
"That's partially true," Freya replied, raising a finger.
"To create a mana core, two things are required: a significant reserve of mana and a high level of mana control—abilities that are normally inaccessible to an unawakened individual."
There were, after all, three primary types of mana cores among mages.
The first was the Source Mana Core, the core individuals are born with.
This core is the central reservoir of their power.
Without it, they couldn't absorb or store mana, rendering them unable to cultivate their full potential.
The second type of core was called the Reservoir Core.
These are created by gathering a concentrated mass of mana from the Source Mana Core and compressing it into a spherical shape.
Reservoir Cores serve as auxiliary mana stores, providing additional reserves but little else.
Though they can be destroyed and reformed, reformation takes considerably more time and risks causing internal damage if not carefully managed.
Finally, there were Elemental Cores.
These are created by condensing the essence of the specific elements for which a mage has affinity.
Elemental Cores are by far the most challenging to develop.
The essence of each element is intertwined with others in nature, making it incredibly difficult to separate and isolate a mage's specific elemental affinity.
However, once formed, Elemental Cores serve as repositories for purified elemental essence, allowing mages to conjure spells with far greater potency and precision than those cast with basic mana.
While it is possible to create elemental magic using mana from the Source Mana Core, elemental magic channeled through Elemental Cores is of a higher grade.
A fireball conjured from a Fire Elemental Core, for instance, would be more intense and destructive than a fireball created using basic Source Mana.
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