The training was started hidden by many upper ranks magus. There are two towers. One is located in the capital, where most of the magus lived, and the ancient magic tower is located in Wysteria estate. This training was not recorded in the official. Relia standing a few feet away from Elara.
Elara inhaled sharply, steadying herself. The first test was simple—let the dark mana in. Let it imbue her essence, let it powerfully influence her soul. But it was not as simple as it looks.
As soon as Elara opened herself to the abyss, the magic struck. It wasn't like channelling normal mana. There was no gentle flow, no guiding warmth. It was violent, raw, and consuming. Suffocating weight crashed into her heart, pressing against her chest, Elara's veins burning as if filled with molten iron.
Elara gasped, her vision darkening at the edges. Moving of mana corruption started. The corruption dug deep, clawing at Elara's mind, and started whispering forbidden things.
Promises of strength. The temptation of destruction. Mana danced at her feet, coiling around her body, crawling up her arms. Her body convulsed, the pressure of mana corrupting unbearable. This method was difficult for anyone, Even the mage would have collapsed by now, and their mind shattered under the abyss's influence.
Elara hadn't given up now. Her body was trembling, and the air became thick. Relia observed her every movement.
Relia speaks in herself and whispers. "The abyss does not give freely. It takes first. If you become weak now, it will definitely consume you." [Try harder, miss]
And it was morning that Elara started her training. And Relia was getting bored with just standing around on the ground and waiting. Relia is a long-forgotten golden dragon, even the Emperor doesn't know about her existed.
Long years ago, she was saved by former magic master Lucius. She was only a child, and some people tried to sell her on the black market. Then, she lived in a tower. But the death of her master caused her to leave the tower and hide in the mountains. Two children saved by man became the most powerful persons.
In the hours that passed, Elara still practised Mana Corruption. She pushed her limits, but as minutes passed, her endurance began to crack.
Elara's body trembled. the dark mana fought her at every step, seeking dominance, demanding submission. The corruption slithered through her bloodstream, black veins surfacing along her skin. She clenched her jaw, forcing her body to endure, forcing the magic to bend instead of breaking her.
The ground beneath her cracked further than her control wavered. The abyss pushed harder, digging into the edges of her consciousness, its whispers turning into maddening roars. She could feel it — One wrong step, one moment of weakness, and she would lose herself forever.
But before she could control her mana, the dark flames started moving on itself. As Relia noticed this, she immediately approached and stopped her. Even though she never performed that type of ritual before, her pushing limits was amazing, and that is her weakness, at a point, she collapsed to the ground, and Relia used her light magic to calm dark flames.
Light magic and Divine, they both the same, and the weakness of dark magic, and that is the reason Orian chose her to train Elara. Every time he could not save her from her dark flames, she needed to learn her magic, but for her, one light magic user had to be by her side.
"Let's break for now." Relia gives her some time to recover before the next session. The sun is already higher up in the sky, almost like afternoon. Sun casting a shadow across the ground.
"Do you learn Mana manipulate? I mean, controlling mana?" Relia sat closer to Elara under the Tree. Far away from the ritual circle.
Mana manipulation, it's crucial but not that hard if students are fast, learners it will become easy for them. Mana manipulation is the ability to sense. Control to shape mana, at its core. Manipulation involves three key aspects: perception, feeling the presence of mana. Control guiding mana within one's body. External influence, drawing mana from the environment. All three keys are important to master mana manipulation. After that, you will learn mana corruption resistance.
"Yes, but only three months," Elara replied, in her face, a swat fell.
"That's quite impressive. I'll cover other parts of our training."
Memories of the fall West drifted into her mind, Orian and the brutal training he had drilled into Elara. She learned to sense mana in its purest form, to listen to its rhythm. It had taken time, pain, and an unshakable determination. Elara learned slowly, mana controlling.
Relia instructed her how mana corruption would work, and Elara used this to be defensive and offensive, but for this, she had to work hard.
Every morning Elara training in the ground, in month training became more and more merciless. Relia already crafted their three years of training plan. Plans movie was focusing on mental and physical. That way, Elara freely uses her magic power.
On the other hand, Orian was trying to snap Elara's brother Cassius out of his Mana shutdown. A month had already passed, and Elara, after her training, was helping Orian with his treatments.
Cassius's eyes seemed glazed over, as if his mind was a million miles away. Orian and Elara's words barely he heard, and he didn't respond.
It doesn't matter which world she lives in, but if someone enters in a coma, it's difficult to open their eyes in one or two days, and that happens to Cassius, and the difference is that his mana caused his situation.
Elara's expression turned worried, she had never seen Cassius like this before, even her memory that doesn't happen in that life. And days passed, but he didn't open his eyes.
Relia and Orian trained her in months. Their training was tough for Elara, and if she mistake, they doubled her training until she had not reached her daily goals. Elara every day pushed her limits, and as part of her training she participated in a monster hunt mission, every time when she went on a mission she changed her appearance, that way other people didn't recognise her.
Most of the monsters appeared in the northern region, and they stayed in Grand Duke Northcrest's shelter house. It's not like magus fights with swords they help northern shoulders and heal them. Elara in meantime could change her magic colours to other colours. Relia taught her, thus keeping her dark magic hidden from most people.
===
Northcrest Shelter
After six months, in the Northcrest shelter home of Magus. Elara slept on her bed, the room was not as good as her room in Magic Tower. Outside of the home, the weather was chill winter, the weather of the season of monsters appearing in small towns. Loud steps echoed in a shelter home, It was evening and most of the magus was resting in their rooms, exhaustion from the mission made them suffer from amnesia. The atmosphere was silent, the voice slowly became loud. And a moment knocked on the door in harried Elara's room. Lily knocked on Elara's door, her breath heavy and her pace hurried. Elara opened the door.
"What is Lily—" Lily cut through Elara's voice.
Lily received a message from the Magic Tower master. The message was important she ran towards Elara's room without breathing.
"L-Lord Cassius" Lily was panting heavily, her breaths growing shorter and more ragged. She leaned against the doorframe with one hand, her other hand pressed against the small of her back as she doubled over, gasping for air.
"What happened to him? Tell me, Lily."
The words ripped from Elara's throat as she lunged forward, trembling hands clasping Lily's shoulders. Raw terror blazed in her eyes.
"Lord Cassius finally regained consciousness, My Lady," Lily exclaimed, tears fell when she said that after waiting months, Elara's brother came back to his senses.