A loud groan escaped Xerxes' mouth as his vision returned to him. "What happened?" he asked weakly, holding his head.
Xerxes looked around and saw Aemon sitting down, peering over the expanse of trees that stretched downwards for miles.
The cracks of sunlight bleached his pale skin as he noticed Xerxes awakening from his slumber.
"What happened? You were simply sparring with me, and then I decided to bring you up to this small hill that my old friend created many years ago.
It is a hill with natural healing properties; it won't cure fatal wounds, but anything less than that is wonderful."
Xerxes tapped his body, not believing that he didn't feel as bad as he had during the fight with the mana beasts. "My body feels fine. I'm feeling great, actually. But somewhere in that battle, I felt as if I had lost myself, and my soul core feels a bit different," he said, holding onto his sternum in a way that seemed foreign to him.
"That's natural," Aemon blurted. "When your body is in extreme conditions, it can either collapse or adapt to a new stage that facilitates your surroundings."
"Sparring with me made your body adapt to a degree of strength beyond what you were using before. This, in turn, awakened the first stages of the Orc soul shard."
Xerxes grinned, looking at his body. "I'm really getting stronger, and it's only been a few hours. Thank you, Aemon, and I'm sorry if I lost my head whilst I was in that flurry of anger."
Aemon waved his hand dismissively, sighing. "You don't need to say sorry all the time! It wasn't a big deal, kid. You did great, without a doubt."
"I want you to keep training like this, and at the end of each session, we must reflect on what we have accomplished and what we could have done better."
"We?" Xerxes asked, surprise evident in his voice. How could someone of his caliber need reflection?
"Yes, we. Even with my experience and power, I still have things to learn from the weakest of mages I have fought and from the strongest of mages I have fought"
"There isn't a day that passes where you cannot learn more, acquire more."
Xerxes began moving closer to Aemon, who took a deep breath before explaining.
"The way you utilise your fire is correct in a modern sense, but the way elder mages used to do it was drastically different."
"You use incantations, which empower your body. That is fundamentally the correct way to do things, but while it can empower your body, it wastes precious time."
Aemon then took out a sheet of paper from his robe, which had writing upon it - that held instructions.
"That is why I have set some homework for you, and I don't expect you to be as ludicrous as Leiya when receiving homework."
Xerxes instantly shook his head left and right and swiftly grabbed the sheet of paper. "No, sir!"
"Good. What I want you to practice is this: always keep your mana in a charged state. What I mean by this is simple. The way normal mages cast spells is by calling upon the incantation, and in that process, mana flares through the manacule system."
"This is released a few seconds after the incantation."
"What I want you to practice is simple. First, use your incantation, but resist the urge to release your mana."
"Some spells can be held internally with different combinations of words within the incantation. However, if you can remember the feeling of mana charging through your veins, you won't need to call upon it and can naturally release it without saying anything."
Xerxes didn't fully follow what Aemon was talking about, and it was clear from his expression. So, Aemon decided to demonstrate.
First, he chanted a relatively simple incantation. Three seconds later, a spell was released naturally. However, on the second attempt, Xerxes felt the mana naturally radiate within his body and, unexpectedly, it shot out instantly.
"Think of it like this, boy. Imagine a chef who has spent years perfecting a dish. In the beginning, every step is measured, and every spice is weighed precisely, like following a detailed recipe to the letter."
"But over time, the chef internalises the process; it becomes a part of him, with the same thoughts replaying as he continues to cook his dish."
"Eventually, they no longer need the recipe."
"This is akin to the mage who has mastered the art of magic. And no, I am not telling you to become a Tier 1 mage. That isn't what mastery is about. Mastery is similar to the chef who has perfected the basic rules."
"Like the chef, Xerxes, I want you to master the natural flow of mana within your body—controlling it, releasing it, doing as much as you can by summoning basic magic and spells."
Xerxes tried to understand and absorb as much knowledge as he could. "I'll be sure to train hard, Aemon. I need to, after all."
In the next few hours, after their training, Xerxes returned to the castle and ate alone with Aemon. They discussed various methods of training - as well as the egg and Xerxes was shown to a room where he would stay.
The room, though extravagant compared to what he had seen before, was simplistic.
There was a bed, a closet with an assortment of clothing made by Aliya, a wooden sword, and a simple steel sword he could use.
There were also a few books on mana written by Aemon and other various books to keep him entertained.
In the corner of the room was a hovering mechanism made of mana, containing the egg Xerxes had found.
Aemon had previously recommended he leave the egg for a while, which he did, and soon, night arrived.
He tossed and turned in the bed, staring out at the night sky, but he couldn't sleep. It wasn't enough; he felt as if he needed to do more.
So, he got up and looked at the stairs that trailed down the castle, setting himself a goal: to see how long he could hold his mana without releasing it, counting the steps as he went.
Xerxes walked down six steps before his mana naturally released, and he repeated this a few times. He tried to conceptualise Aemon's words:
"Mastering the fundamentals." He thought about the passage of mana—gaining it from the atmosphere, passing it through his soul core, and coursing it through the manacule system until it was eventually released.
He practised this motion repeatedly while walking up and down the stairs, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get the hang of it.
He was growing exhausted, and drawing in mana seemed like an impossible task.
Unbeknownst to Xerxes, there was also someone else who couldn't sleep. They walked over and watched Xerxes practising for a while before calling out.
"Xerxes, what's keeping you up?"
Startled, he instantly looked back, and in doing so, his concentration was disrupted, causing him to fire off his mana straight at Leiya.
Leiya immediately raised her hand, forming a water ball, and countered the ball of fire.
"A girl comes up to you, and THAT'S how you react, you barbarian!"
Leiya went over and tugged at his ear, making him wince in pain. After scolding him, Xerxes sighed in relief.
"Sorry, Leiya, I didn't mean to. I've just been practising my mana. Truth is, I'm finding it hard to sleep knowing there's still more I can do, you know?"
"I also want to make sure Aemon's lessons go to good use. I've been trying to perfect this incantation-less mana, but each time I try, it doesn't work."
Leiya's naturally vicious attitude relaxed. All he wanted was to work harder and make good use of her grandfather's teachings. The least she could do was help him, right?
"You're honestly a total rookie, but that's okay, I guess. I suppose I can help you out. Something that helped me when Grandpa Aemon was teaching me was holding my breath."
Xerxes replied, "Like you're underwater or something?!"
Leiya gave a thumbs-up. "Exactly. Think of it like this: when we breathe, mana naturally siphons in and out of our body. When you hold your breath, I guess it's cheating, but it will help."
Xerxes tried implementing that strategy and began walking down the steps, starting with a deep breath. The first step was easy, as were the second and third.
The fourth step was where he originally struggled, but this time, there was less difficulty, and he was able to progress to the fifth. The sixth step had been his previous limit, but he even surpassed that.
He continued walking down more steps, eventually reaching the thirteenth before his body released mana.
"Oh my word, Leiya," he looked back and grinned. "I did it! I was able to get past the sixth step!" he said loudly.
Xerxes quickly covered his mouth, realising everyone was still sleeping.
Leiya sighed and quickly crossed her arms and smiled. "You could say I'm great, couldn't you?" she stated, proud of herself.
Xerxes nodded, recognising the level of mage she was already at, and sat down on the top step.
Leiya took a seat next to him as Xerxes stretched his arms. "Yeah, now I'm feeling quite exhausted, Leiya."
Leiya chuckled. "That tends to happen when you train with Grandpa and use your mana all day. It's like you enjoy being hurt and exhausted."
Defending his reckless behaviour, Xerxes stammered, "No, it's not like that, I promise. It's just that when you know you can do more, why not take that extra step? I don't want to let anyone down, not in Layne nor here."
"Plus, I have dreams of visiting every kingdom and learning how to be a great mage."
He paused for a moment and asked with enthusiasm, "What are your dreams, Leiya?"
Leiya thought for a moment, looking over the city and out to the forest. "My dreams? Well, I think I want to travel to the outside world, beyond what I've known. I love the City of Truth with all my heart - I really do, but I've read books about what's out there."
Her eyes began to glimmer as she spoke about her idea of the world beyond.
"I've heard that adventurers band together and go to places with trees that scrape the clouds. There are large academies where you can learn not only about magic but also different sports. There are places where people sing in front of thousands, and lands with people that stretch for miles and miles."
Xerxes began smiling, connecting the pieces together.
"Yeah, the first is the Great Tree of Eros—its branches could fit entire villages. Then there's Indonyia Magic Academy, the most prestigious on the continent. The singing thing is what I think you're referring to as concerts, and the last is just regular kingdoms. Oh, and there are Star gates—they're the most impressive thing!"
Leiya was immediately intrigued and demanded Xerxes tell her more, which he did until they had a long 30-minute conversation about all the wonders of the continent.
"Hey, Leiya, once I get out of this place and can travel back and forth, how about I take you? You can see all the wonders. I mean, I'm going to become a great adventurer, and my party will need strong people. I think you're around my age, so that's perfect."
Leiya looked reluctant for a moment but replied with a bittersweet smile.
"My father won't allow it. I think it has something to do with who I am and where I come from. I'm not sure if I'd be accepted, but should that stop me?"
"I want to make my own decisions, you know. At the age of 15, we're classed as adults in the Truth Kingdom. My 15th birthday is in two years, so who knows what will happen by then? Maybe I'll decide to leave."
Xerxes smiled and thought about her age. She was only a year older than him, and speaking of birthdays, his was soon—about two months away.
"I don't think that should stop who you want to be, Leiya. If you want to be someone who experiences the outside world, do it; if you want to spend your days killing monsters, do it, just make sure when you have a dream - you own that dream."
He held out a hand to Leiya. "Well, when you're 15 and an adult, tell me the decision you make, whether it's to stay or to leave. I'll be sure to see you or take you along on my journey."
"Call it a token of gratitude for helping me learn incantation-less mana. Then, I can show you the beauties of Elaijya."
Leiya smiled, her cheeks burning with happiness and suurprise. "That's a promise I'll hold you to, Xerxes." She took Xerxes' hand and shook it, the two creating a promise to potentially continue their journey together in the future.