Chapter 4 - The Spark of Knowledge

Victor awoke early the next morning, the soft rays of sunlight filtering through the small window of his room. His thoughts raced—what had happened last night? The fireball… the reactions of those people. There was still so much to learn, but his confidence had only grown since his first display of magic. He was sure that the scientific method could unravel everything about mana.The building he was in—one of the few sturdy stone structures in the village—had been offered to him as a place to stay. The tall man, whose name was Zarek, had told him it was the Council Hall, where the village's most experienced magic users gathered. It felt strange. Even in a world of magic, Victor had expected to see more advanced systems and tools to interact with mana. But instead, it was like stepping back into a primitive era where people relied on methods passed down through the ages.

Victor dressed quickly, donning his clothes with the same precision he used in his lab. As he made his way downstairs, he could hear voices from the common room—a low murmur of conversation. He stepped into the hall and saw the group from the night before gathered around a fire, talking amongst themselves. Zarek was there, along with the woman who had questioned him about his magic.

Her name, as it turned out, was Elira. She had the build of a warrior, tall and strong, with a no-nonsense attitude. Her face was stern, her brow furrowed in deep thought as if she were constantly analyzing her surroundings. The others in the group were more like her—strong, well-equipped, and skilled in their craft. Victor took a mental note of their differences: Elira was the most vocal, challenging him at every step; Zarek was more contemplative, leaning toward curiosity rather than scepticism. Three others were in the group, each unique in their own right.

First, there was Thorne, a quiet man with a thin, wiry frame. He had a bookish quality, eyes always darting to any scroll or map they could find. His hair was a wild mess of black curls, and his clothing was more focused on comfort than utility. It wasn't hard to guess that he was the scholar of the group, although his understanding of magic seemed limited. He had watched Victor's fireball with wide eyes, clearly fascinated by using something other than raw power to control mana.

Then, there was Kael, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a short beard and piercing blue eyes. His presence was commanding, though he rarely spoke. His role in the group was unclear, but he exuded an air of strength and authority. When he did speak, people listened. He was someone who preferred action over words.

Finally, there was Selene, a slender woman with golden hair and a sharp, calculating gaze. She had been quiet throughout their interactions, but there was an intensity in her eyes that hinted at a deeper intelligence. She moved like a shadow, always observing, always thinking.

Zarek looked up as Victor entered the room. His face softened into a welcoming expression. "Good morning. We were just about to discuss what you showed us last night. If you're ready, we can continue our conversation."

Victor nodded, stepping forward. "Of course. I'm eager to see if you've come to a new understanding."

Elira crossed her arms, her sharp gaze fixed on Victor. "Don't get ahead of yourself, stranger," she said, a challenge in her voice. "Just because you can conjure a fireball doesn't mean you know how to control the mana properly. Magic isn't just about fire and heat. It's about connection. Feeling the flow of energy, the will of the world itself."

Victor arched an eyebrow. "And you think your method is better?"

Elira's lips twisted into a half-smile. "I'm not saying it's better, but there's more to it than what you showed. Mana doesn't just respond to brute force or clever tricks. You have to listen to it."

Victor felt his patience thinning. Listen? Was that what these people relied on? Blind faith in the unknown? He took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm. If they would ever understand his methods, he had to show them, not just tell them.

"Why don't we put it to the test?" Victor said, his voice steady but firm. "You show me how you wield mana, Elira. I'll show you again how I do it scientifically. Maybe then you'll see that magic is more than just 'listening.'"

The room fell silent. Elira narrowed her eyes, then uncrossed her arms and nodded. "Fine. But don't be surprised if you find yourself humbled."

Elira stepped forward into the centre of the room, her stance confident. She raised her hands, her fingers curling slightly as if she were gripping something invisible. The room seemed to hum with energy as she called upon the mana.

Victor's eyes narrowed as he watched her. There was no chant, no incantation, no obvious formula. It was all instinctive. The air around her shimmered, and soon, a thin stream of fire shot from her hand—a fireball, but much smaller than the one Victor had conjured the night before.

It hovered in the air momentarily before she flicked her wrist, sending it streaking toward the far wall, where it dissipated in a burst of heat.

"I can control the mana," Elira said, turning back to Victor, "because I understand its flow. I connect with it not through scientific principles but through intuition. Mana is alive, and it speaks to those who listen."

Victor's brow furrowed. This wasn't science—it was... faith. But there was no denying the power she had commanded. His curiosity was piqued. If he was going to prove his approach was superior, he needed to understand their way of doing things better.

He turned to Zarek, who had been watching the exchange quietly. "You all… rely on intuition, then? Do you have any set principles for controlling mana?"

Zarek considered the question for a moment before nodding. "We teach a set of practices and rituals to help guide mana flow. It's not as rigid as your scientific methods, but it's effective enough for those who understand it."

Victor's lips pressed into a thin line. It was clear that their understanding of mana was built on tradition—on concepts that had been passed down without the scrutiny of the scientific method. They were missing something fundamental, which Victor planned to uncover.

Elira shot him a challenging look. "Then prove it."

His gaze flicked over the gathered crowd. Elira stood to the side, her arms crossed, watching him intently. Zarek's expression was hard to read, but there was something in his eyes that suggested Victor had piqued his interest. Still, it wasn't enough. He needed to do more. He needed to show them that what he did was not random, not mystical, but entirely predictable.

Victor lifted a hand, feeling the mana coiling around him. It buzzed with potential—raw, untamed, but accessible, waiting for him to shape it.

"I'm going to show you something else," he called out to the crowd, his voice calm but filled with authority. "This is magic, yes, but it is also science. Watch carefully."

He could feel the moisture in the air—the humidity that swirled around him as a latent part of the environment. He took a slow, deliberate breath, extending his hand toward the sky. What he was about to do required precision, control, and timing. He could feel the mana flowing into him, responding to his mental commands.

Victor focused his will. This time, he wasn't just going to create fire or alter matter. He would create a pathway for electricity, a process grounded in the scientific understanding of energy, resistance, and conductivity.

He could already sense the latent energy in the atmosphere. The storm clouds above hung low in the sky, crackling with potential, but they lacked direction. That was where his understanding of physics would come into play. The key was guiding that energy, providing a path of least resistance for the lightning to travel.

Victor turned his attention to the surrounding air. His mind moved with calculation as he began manipulating the mana. Using his deep understanding of water molecules, he began pulling moisture from the air, creating droplets suspended in a thin, controlled mist. As the mana flowed into the molecules, he guided the condensation process, drawing water out of the air, ensuring that the vapour was dense enough to conduct electricity but not so thick as to create a dangerous downpour.

The villagers murmured nervously, but Victor didn't care about their doubt. His focus was unshakable. He watched the mist form in the air, feeling the mana bind to the water droplets, creating a dense enough concentration to act as a conduit for electricity.

Victor raised his other hand, and with a quiet mental command, he activated the pathway. A flicker of light rippled through the air, and the energy from the clouds above responded, a sudden crackling of static. He could feel the tension in the atmosphere, the pull of the incoming lightning, but he held firm. The pathway was there now. The mana had shaped it. The water vapour created the right environment for the electrical charge to follow.

Then, with a sharp crack, the lightning struck.

The lightning bolt ripped through the sky, its jagged blue tendrils arcing toward the ground. But rather than just hitting the earth indiscriminately, the lightning followed the dense water vapour path, shooting downward with pinpoint accuracy, splitting the air like a knife. The bolt struck the ground mere feet from Victor, the air crackling with power as the ground below sizzled with energy.

The villagers staggered back, shocked by the display. The strike's intensity was enough to send a few of them stumbling. The ground trembled slightly from the impact, and a strong smell of ozone filled the air. The mist Victor had created shimmered in the air, lingering as the storm clouds above pulsed with residual energy.

Victor lowered his hand, the lightning path dissipating as the mist faded into nothing. He stood calmly, his gaze unwavering as he faced the crowd.

"That," he said, his voice steady, "is not magic as you know it. It is science. I used mana to create a path of least resistance—a method of conducting the natural electrical forces around us. Lightning follows the path that offers the least resistance. And I just created that path."

The villagers were silent, their faces a mixture of awe and confusion. Elira, however, was the first to speak, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"You... you made lightning strike... on purpose?"

Zarek stepped forward, his face unreadable but his tone curious. "And what does this mean for us, Victor Alchemion? You've shown us something powerful, but how do we know this is the limit of what you can do?"

Elira looked at him, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. She stepped closer, lowering her arms. "You're saying everything we've believed about magic... is wrong? That it's not some mysterious force but just... another element?"

But Zarek's voice broke through the silence. "Then show us, Victor. Show us what you can do. Show us what science can accomplish with mana."