Alone in the room with his soul that illuminated the place in a vermillion tone, Dorian rested his back against the gothic pedestal, the only furniture the room had.
Opening the book, which was the only other item besides the now useless torch in the room, he noticed its words lit up as he opened the first page to start reading.
[Welcome newcomer, to the world of Ethra, a planet just a bit bigger than your own.
Due to certain ailments in this world, which is located in a double solar system, an excess of stellar energy helped produce a new form of energy called mana.
This, along with many other factors, created the habitable world we now live in and... I lost you right, seems like a small mind like yours needs simpler sentences…]
I stopped and slapped the book which thankfully changed some of the wording.
[Ehem... leaving the harder concepts and theories behind, I will only finish by stating that the mana we now use is just like petroleum, meaning that it's a by-product of the great magical beasts that once ruled these lands, such as Dragons.
As mana was dispersed all throughout the world after their death, the beings that thrived hereafter have grown with the ability to absorb it through special organs and use it in a telepathic manner, causing a variety of effects—from creating various elements to producing what you know as magic."
In your specific case, mana is being absorbed directly into your blood, making it so that you can use magic right off the bat and with great potency.
There are side effects in doing this, but you will achieve your goals faster, so all is good, right?
Now, before we continue, I want you to check your body again.
That's right, caress every part carefully, making sure not to leave any nook or cranny." (Then on the next page write with your blood about how…)]
Dorian slapped the book before slamming it on the floor, hoping it would somehow feel the impact.
Restless about the mention of side effects, he proceeded to check his body thoroughly.
He got up to do some jumping jacks to examine his physical strength, easily handling over two hundred without sweating or being out of breath.
The only thing he was left with was to hope that no negative traits of having this body would interfere with reviving Eva.
Dorian picked up the book from where he had left off, his determination to finally use this so-called mana and produce magic driving him forward.
[Ehem…Magic 101... Right, let's begin this lesson now that the intro has been given.
First off, this will require constant practice until you finally achieve grasping the use of mana stored inside your body.
Let's go with the traditional method.
Sit down, close your eyes, and meditate.
Have your mind be one with your body and all that... To make this easier, let me explain what you will look for.
Since you have lived for some time now, you should know if there is a difference between who you are now and who you were back on Earth.
Find that difference and then focus, so that you can learn what mana is.
It should feel like the faint pulses you sense right before you fall asleep.
Anyways, close your eyes, and sit near the orb—which is the real you.
Your back should be resting near the pedestal.
Concentrate (Warning, do not doze off!!!)]
As there was nothing else written on any other page, Dorian did what was instructed and positioned himself beside the pedestal.
At first, it was difficult to clear his mind; worries, questions, and everything that had happened clouded his thoughts for a decent amount of time until it all began to quiet down.
As someone who easily entered sleep, he started his usual process, focusing on his breathing—inhale, hold for three to five seconds, exhale.
He repeated the process several times, gradually clearing his mind.
Eventually, he started sensing the pulse of his heart, the tiny buzz in his ears, and the loud sounds of air going in and out of his nose.
Finally, Dorian understood.
A warm feeling circulated through his veins, resembling heat the more he noticed it.
It began in his chest with his heart, then moved towards his left hand, his feet, and finally to his head before making its way back to his heart.
At the end of the first session, Dorian felt sweat dripping down from his forehead.
He decided to take a nap on the floor, which became soft, almost as if it was reading his intentions.
A few hours passed before Dorian woke up and raised himself, noticing that he hadn't felt hunger since arriving there.
He opened the book to see if there were any new writings or changes, and to his surprise, new words appeared.
[Continuation of Magic Training (By the way, you snoozed off on training, loser!)
First things first, congratulations on getting a hold of what mana is. (Not that it was too hard to notice that ocean-like mana you currently possess!)
So, to motivate you, here is your next lesson.
System: Creation / Magic Type: Unique Class: Organic / Sub-Class: Food Production Name: Saganaki
Put your hand out and chant the following: "So that I may live another day, I seek to create a dish that doesn't taste like clay, so I beg for its creation, a meal that will leave my tongue with a tingling sensation." (Make sure to twirl your finger in front of you while you chant, for a better and tastier meal!)]
Dorian slapped the book really hard for a third time, unsure if it had any effect, but this time the words did not change.
He wasn't hungry enough to make a fool out of himself and thought it would be a waste to have his first magical spell be food-related, especially with such a lousy one at that.
It would mark him for life, so he waited it out for a few hours.
Yet, nothing changed.
Not a single word, even when he tortured the book by burning one of the edges with the flames of the lonely torch.
Dorian had given up and went along with the joke.
The book recovered its burnt parts instantly, leaving him with a sense of defeat.
"So that I may live another day… I seek to create a dish that doesn't taste like clay, so I beg for its creation… a meal that will leave my tongue with a tingling sensation. Saga…naki?" He ended it with a lifeless tone, not caring if it would taste good or bad, just wanting the book to move on to the next lesson.
Finishing his chant in a lifeless tone, not caring if it would taste good or bad, Dorian felt a surge of heat course through his body until it seemed to explode in his hand, producing a piece of what looked like burnt toast.
It sadly fell flat on the floor, giving off a smell of cheese and bread that was somewhat similar to the item he was trying to create.
Since it wasn't on a plate, it didn't really appeal to him.
Now he was stuck trying to figure out how to get rid of it in a room with no windows or doors.
The room seemed to notice Dorian's thoughts as the Saganaki was removed in a bizarre manner.
The floor opened a hole under it and closed on it as if taking a bite out of it, almost like a mouth appearing out of nowhere.
Intrigued by this, Dorian tried commanding the floor to take the useless torch that was overshadowed by the light of the orb.
That too was taken away in a similar fashion.
Realizing that he could create things and that the living floor would handle removing them if he didn't learn how to make them disappear, Dorian felt a surge of excitement.
However, before letting himself run wild with trying the chant again, he went back to looking through the book.
[Did you learn something from this?
I hope you did… like how you need to make a damn plate before you create food! (Idiot)
Ehem, do you recall how the mana flow was directed towards your hands after the chant?
That is the basic way of manipulating mana.
As for the chant, you will need to learn how to properly make one, and with time, you will learn to make it shorter, more concise, and direct until you can finally do without it.
For your next chant, you will be creating a dish for the next time you try making a meal.
To chant, it should be very simple for someone of your level of education.
First off, think of the product or the effect you wish to create; this will go last in the structure of your chant, but it will be the most important part of the whole process, so it has to be the first thing you need to think about.
Next is the reason for its creation; this will actually go first in your sentence, followed by defining what it is that you want to produce with clear characteristics.
Finally, you will call out the name of the creation or effect.
Reason, Description, and Product for short.
Let's try making the plate you so badly needed so you can try the prior chant again.
So that I won't eat off the floor, I need to produce a plate like those found in any store, so grant me this wish, a nice round and silver dish. Come to me, a grand Salver!' (Remember to work those fingers)]
"Son of…a!" Dorian fumed, slamming the useless book against the wall, breathing hard while scratching his bare scalp.
It took an hour before he finished creating the most delicious item he had ever made, or as the chant called it, Grand Salver.
It was basically fried cheese that he finally managed to create on his fifth attempt.
It was worth the wait, as each time he attempted to make it, he added a few more ingredients, using his imagination as the main tool.
What at first seemed like burnt toast later turned into soft toast with the addition of pasteurized milk.
During his third attempt, the toast was actually more cheese than bread, which was the correct way of making it, only this time he thought about it being crisped by using olive oil.
The fourth time included adding in some brandy and having it flaming during its creation, but sadly the fire was too much and it ended with another burnt product.
The final product was a slab of the finest cheese this world had ever seen.
It was coated with a thin layer of flour mixed with eggs and milk, crisped to a golden hue by flames that ignited the brandy and olive oil, which would only last five seconds after its creation.
Lastly, parsley leaves and a slice of lemon adorned the side.
All of this appeared on an exquisite silver platter, and the best part was that Dorian never touched the food to make it; everything just happened in front of him.
That day ended with Dorian dreaming of ways to torture the demonic book while wondering if his poor floor would get indigestion.