Naki's Home - Training Grounds
There was a large clearing, a fairway behind Naki's home
Zickler and Naki were 25 steps apart as they prepared for their first training session
"(So this is the little runt that has been giving our affiliate instructors some trouble)"
He stared at Naki, who was getting some jumping squats done.
"Man, I can't wait to get started!" he said, anticipating a fun session
"(He's got a decent build, to account for his lack of magical control perhaps. A good initiative, but let's see how much he's actually learned about magic)"
Zickler folded his hands behind his back and assumed a dignified pose.
"Now then, Naki, how much have you learned about the magic of our world?"
"Huh?" Naki stopped the light exercise, confused
"Surely your previous...trainers taught you a thing or two before their unfortunate incidents?"
"Yeah...not so much. They all quit after 1 session. All I know is what I've read in grandma's books."
"I see. While reading is important, let's start with the basics for now."
Zickler stretched one of his hands forward
"In theory, magic is dependent on 3 factors:
- imagination
- state of being
- and development of our mental connection with nature - known as Pshi gates"
Zickler said as the air around his palm appeared compressed,
"A balance of these 3 factors concerning the magic you are about to unleash is very important, to cast with control."
The compressed air around his palm intensified, and with a flick of his finger, he sparked it to burn into a ferocious cinder.
"With efficient control, you can shift from one form of magic to another in a flash; a trait that distinguishes a novice from an expert."
Zickler proudly informed Naki of his pedigree
"Wow, Sir Zickler, you make it look so effortless!" Naki anxiously said
"Focus on the lesson, Naki, for should any one of these factors be off by some margin, control is immediately lost."
The cinder dispersed into tiny ashes and blended with the soil
"Depending on how said control is lost, it may either lead to the dissolution of your current cast or a complete disaster."
Zickler said, staring sternly at Naki.
"I'd like you to etch this in the back of your mind and perform a simple cast," Zickler said
"Huh? ...are you sure...it all started with a simple cast before you know," Naki said, concerned about the damage his lack of control could cause.
"I can only tell what you are lacking when you show me what you can do. Watching you fail will be quite informative if you are ever to succeed," reassured Zickler.
Naki decided to put his faith in him.
"(This is Sir Zickler we're talking about. Even if something happens, surely he won't run away like the others...)"
Naki fixes the gloves on his right hand and takes a step back, letting out a deep breath.
He was ready to begin
Zickler nods, giving him the go ahead
"Alright - let's do this. I'll go for a water sphere this time. I mean, that should be harmless enough."
Naki closed his eyes and stretched his right hand forward, the one with the sigil to begin his cast.
Giving it his best shot, a water sphere was morphing from thin air around Naki's stretched-out palm.
Zickler watching closely
"(steady and expected growth of sphere...the air around him doesn't appear tense... so far so good)"
Shortly after, Zickler noticed a red glow from Naki's right hand
"Hmm!?"
Suddenly, the sigil lit up Naki's hand from under the glove, causing the sphere to grow exponentially while boiling and bulging tantalizingly close to Zickler.
"Not good!"
Zickler immediately used both hands to create a quick shield around himself as the now gigantic water sphere in front of them exploded with great force!
The impact pushed Zickler away as the dangerous wide spread of boiling point water burns all the plant life around the yard and melting anything else it touched.
"Huh!?" Naki opened his eyes to the mess he'd just made, as there was seemingly steam in the air around him
"Oh no...not again! SIR ZICKLER!!!"
he said, dashing forward to find his instructor
Zickler had taken a knee and was bleeding lightly from his mouth
"(What...power. Could this runt be a prodigy like her?)"
Distracted by his thoughts on the incident, he belatedly noticed Naki's call
"Sir Zickler! Are you alright?" asked Naki, worried if the tutor was still sane
"(Debatable. Habiki was able to master control of her power 2 years ago, but her power was not as raw as this one)"
Zickler got up and cleaned the blood from his mouth
"I'm fine. Your novice casts are still grossly underdeveloped to cause me any harm," said Zickler, portraying great resilience
"I see. Sorry, I don't know what happened. I did the best I could, but then I just...lost control of my cast," said Naki
"There's an explanation to that," Zickler replied, walking towards him
"Your imagination is strong, but the other 2 factors are inadequate. Being unable to recall what happened means your state of being was not attuned to the cast"
"But I was focused!" Naki responded
"It's not just about focus, it's about the will behind the cast and the capacity of your Pshi gates to contain it."
"I see..." Naki said saddened
"(But then...what would explain that weird sensation I got from the suspicious light)"
Zickler recalled noticing the red glow of Naki's right hand
"(I have to find out more about it. I have a feeling it could have affected the magic somehow)"
"Let us continue the lesson," he said
Naki, delighted by those words, ran back to position
"We're going to take a different approach this time."
"A different approach? What do you mean?"
"Pshi resonance. By connecting my essence to your own through resonance, you can share up to 50% of my developed Pshi capacity for your casts."
"For a simple spell, that should address one of your shortcomings," Zickler lectured.
"Wow, that's incredible! What do I need to do?"
"Nothing more than to re-establish your focus and ensure you don't get distracted this time, is that understood?" Zickler asked for confirmation.
He may have shown resilience before, but who could say what disaster another failed cast will cause
Naki responded with a nod - "Understood."
"(The risk is huge...)"
"(During Pshi resonance, for the duration of the cast, I won't be able to do anything else, and I'll have to be within 10 steps of him.)"
"(Should another incident occur then I won't be able to defend myself in time)"
Zickler thought for a while and motioned for Naki to get ready
"(But that's a small price to pay. Through resonance I can also explore his state of being, and perhaps learn the meaning behind that glow before)"
"I'm ready," Naki said
"Good, begin!"
Naki inhaled and started his water sphere cast once again.
Then Zickler brought his hands together to a grip, and his soul-like essence diffused into Naki to establish the link for Pshi resonance.
In Naki's resonance Soul space
Soul Zickler was exploring the depths of Naki's soul
It seemed empty, there was just complete darkness like nothing exists
"!!? what does this ...emptiness mean?" soul Zickler wandered in confusion
He'd never encountered any soul space like this one before
"The absence of a Pshi core essence is concerning...how can I establish resonance without one?"
"Better yet, how can any magic user even EXIST without one?"
Soul Zickler kept looking, perplexed by the peculiarity of Naki's soul space.
Then, he heard a pumping sound from the distance
"Hmm? What's that sound?"
Following the sound, Zickler came across a small, deep violet egg that was bulging and pulsating in front of him.
"!? an...egg?" soul Zickler approached the egg cautiously
Meanwhile, unaware of what was happening outside the space, Naki's sphere started growing big again, and his sigil was more than lighting up this time; it was heavily vibrating
In the soul space, as soon as ZIckler reached for and touched the egg, a heavy jolt of dark energy burned in his mind
He saw the face of a diabolic figure, with crimson peering eyes and the scowl of unparalleled animosity towards him.
It was an irredeemably frightening face that terrified the hell out of Zickler.
Hastily pulling his soul out of the resonance, he screamed in fear
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
But it was too late, as the water sphere had completely evaporated into steam, and suddenly the steam burst into a huge pillar of pitch dark flame consuming the entire space around them.
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!" Zickler cried in pain.
This was no underdeveloped novice cast, this was high-level dark cast that no barrier Zickler possessed would've helped him escape harm.
In the aftermath, once the fire died down, Naki regained his senses, holding his aching right hand as he looked around, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Wha...what the hell...just happened to me...I felt...a powerful entity take control of me for a brief moment. That has never happened before..." he muttered, looking around, only to find the body of Zickler beside him.
He had burns in multiple areas of his body, and his magic cloak armor was shattered.
"No...no..." Naki was torn with fear, fear he might've just killed a renown magician