First Lessons

"Creee!"

"Bang!"

Skalborn's wooden gates shut behind the convoy.

Carriage wheels rock against stones as the convoy strides onto a seemingly endless road. Snowy scenery passes before Lucian's eyes as a pine forest surrounds him. Marquis Harald sits across from Lucian. His facial expression displays that he is deep in thought.

'Guess it's finally time for a new chapter of this life.'

'He said that he had something to speak with me about, but I guess now's not the time.'

Lucian begins to settle into the carriage seat, getting comfortable for the long ride ahead. From his first visit to the Marquis' Castle, the trip back took a little over half a day. Lucian spent most of the time resting, still recuperating from the mental trauma that his regeneration was not so quick to fix.

Lucian's eyes begin to shut as plans for his apprenticeship come to mind.

'He said that most awakened can't control magic within the first year. I'm still unable to control my mana for more than a few seconds. I wonder if I'm still ahead of them. I wonder how fast I will progress once I have some training on properly controlling my mana. This should be my focus during this apprenticeship since it's one of the main requirements for unlocking the next evolution quest.'

"Humph!" The Marquis clears his throat.

Lucian's eyes jump open at the noise. His attention directs to Harald in preparation for whatever he may say.

'I need to make sure I milk this man for every shred of knowledge he has. There's only so much time I'll have with him. Time to put my "Diligent Learner" title to good use.'

"I see my Apprentice is already getting lazy on me. I don't have time to waste on a useless apprentice. You may have innate power, but that is not what makes a mage. So listen to me well, boy, I will say things only once. What you do with my teachings is of your own volition."

Lucian nods his head.

"When I speak to you, you will respond with "Yes, Master." I believe respect and proper etiquette will be one of the first things we go over. However, right now, I would like to examine what you are currently capable of."

"Yes, Master." Lucian responds.

"Show me." Marquis Harald nods his head as a sign for Lucian to start.

Lucian's palm outstretches as his face contorts as he concentrates on producing the most mana he can.

His concentration comes to fruition as small bolts of lightning begin to crackle in his hand. Three bolts start to dance in his hand. Then as fast as they were produced, they fizzle out of existence.

"Hmm, I see. You haven't learned how to properly control the flow of your mana into magic." Harald says.

"Notice how they are two separate entities. You cannot force mana to become magic by sheer willpower. You must regulate the flow of your mana in tune with the power or precision of the spell you wish to create."

"Now, there are two schools of thought on how to do this. The first is called "Incantation Magic" This is the use of runic language to cast spells that channel your mana in a predetermined fashion. This requires knowledge of the runic language in detail and the mana to produce the spell."

Harald opens his palm.

"Aelum" Harald says in a deep tone.

A small ball of light appears, rotating with small tails flowing from it like a miniature sun.

Lucian looks closer, taking in the finer details.

'Wow. This seems to be so easy for him. It's almost like cheating.'

"The drawback of using magic in this way is that once a mage casts a spell using an incantation, they are locked in. There is no changing an incantation once it is made. This makes incantation magic very predictable and simplistic. However, do not take this as me saying it is weak."

"Aelumios"

The ball quickly grows to the size of a plate hovering in the center of the carriage.

"Just by adding a modifier to the incantation, I have created a massive ball of light that will flow until my mana runs dry. This is what makes incantations powerful. They do not require any thought to cast and allow you to do multiple spells or actions at once."

The Marquis jumps forward with his fist striking towards Lucian. His hand stops inches from Lucian's face.

Lucian's eyes go wide at the speed of the Marquis, his sudden movement barely registering to Lucian before it was already too late to react.

'Such speed. I didn't even see him move.'

The Marquis uncurls his fist and sits back down.

"Imagine if I had cast a ball of fire while also striking with my blade at a foe. They would be cornered with no way to react to both of my blows."

Harald nods his head, seeing that he got his point across.

"The second type of magic is called "Innate." This is magic using one's own control over mana to create free-flowing spells which are mentally controlled. They require constant focus and attunement with the flow of mana to be maintained. It may seem simple. However, it is much harder than you would think."

Harald cuts the flow of mana to the ball of light still floating in the carriage. The ball immediately dissipates.

"Watch." Harald commands.

A small ball of light appears in front of Lucian's eyes, disappearing in almost a split second. It then reappears in the center of the carriage.

"Using Innate magic, one can easily cancel spells and rematerialize them at a moment's notice, but this is not the only advantage it has."

The ball of light begins to grow larger until it reaches the size of a basketball. Once reaching this size, it begins to move in various directions signaled by the movement of Harald's eyes.

Harald blinks, and the light disappears.

"With the difficulty of this type of magic comes many advantages. However, to perfect its use is a process which many mages fail to do." Harald says in a solemn tone.

"With the gift that you have been given, it is my hope that you will be able to replicate what I just showed you by the end of our apprenticeship."

'By the end of our apprenticeship? He expects it to take eight years to be able to do that parlor trick?'

Harald gives an expectant look to Lucian.

"Yes, Master." Lucian says in a respectful tone.

"Good, you're already learning," Harald replies.

"Once we arrive at Faerdham, your training will commence. Feel free to rest now. There won't be many times like this once we start." Harald says in a foreboding manner.

(Authors Note: The Marquis' small castle town is called Faerdham or Faerdham Stronghold. It is one of many bastions of defense for the Northern Kingdoms. Apologies for the name change.)

Harald's eyes shut close with his teachings finished, quickly drifting off to sleep moments later.

'Hmm...Manage the flow of mana and visualize what I want to create.'

Lucian closes his eyes, visualizing a small lightning bolt rotating in his palm. Taking a deep breath, he attempts to push out his mana slowly.

Heat is felt against his palm causing his eyes to burst open.

The bolt has appeared in his palm. Breaking his concentration from the excitement, it suddenly disappears.

'Shit.'

Hours pass by...

Lucian has attempted to recreate the bolt nearly a hundred times now. Every attempt has ended in failure or nothing at all.

'100 Times and I still can't get this right.'

Exhaustion has begun to grip Lucian's mind, his veins burning at every attempt to reproduce his first attempt.

'Just one more-'

Attempting the spell one last time, Lucian's mind quickly short circuits as extreme pain riddles his body. His entire chest burns as if someone lit a fire in his lungs. The pain overtakes Lucian's mind as he convulses in his seat.

The world goes blurry and then black...