A Novice's Journey into the World of Spells

Adam excitedly bent over Julius' shoulders, his eyes ablaze with curiosity as he read the spell's names.

Illuminate: conjures mana in a blue sphere, radiating a soft light to illuminate the surroundings without relying on elemental forces.

Mana shield: creates an invisible mana barrier able to block tier-one spells and enchanted attacks.

Magical perception: allows the identification and classification of magic energies, revealing the nature of enchanted items or spells cast in the area.

Mana arrow: shapes the mana in an arrow to deliver a focus shot at distant targets.

Mage's hands: conjures ethereal hands made of pure mana under the caster's command. These hands can interact with magical elements, objects, and spells, allowing the caster to manipulate and control magical energies with finesse. The spell incurs a high mana consumption because of its versatile and intricate nature.

"Take the last!" Adam screamed excitedly, scaring Julius, who was still deciphering the incantations. 

In truth, each of the five spells was useful in their own way, but Adam dreamed of interacting with anything other than Julius for too long. Anyway, he would eventually learn them all.

Julius nodded as he held the paper recording the mage's hand spell and took another weird pose to signal he would try to cast it.

Simultaneously, Adam double-checked the incantation and recited it in his mind to ensure he got the pronunciation right before saying, "Julius, repeat after me: *"From the aether, shadows weave, hands of mana, I now conceive. Grant me touch, both firm and grand. In magic's grasp, at my command.*"

Right after the boy pronounced the last word, ethereal tendrils of pure mana materialised and weaved themselves to resemble two translucent adult hands that shimmered with arcane luminescence.

Awe covered Julius' face as he thought, 'You are the best, big bro! You even succeeded on the first try!'

However, a splitting headache assaulted Adam a few seconds later. He only had time to move the hands slightly before his mana ran dry.

"You really conjure them..." Lucius remarked, astonished by the boy's talent.

The mage's hand spell was one of the rare no-tier spells, meaning that its strength and utilities depended on the caster. Usually, no one bothered to learn it because of its high mana consumption and limited potential. After all, how many could reach high tiers, and why wouldn't they learn elemental spells instead?

"Not bad. You kept them materialised for half a dozen seconds, give or take." Lucius said approvingly.

However, Adam felt anything but happy about the outcome. What could he do in five seconds except prank Julius?

Determination flashed in his eyes, making them glow like two torches as he exclaimed, "I'm going to train that spell until I master it!"

Subsequently, Julius asked a question of his own, surprising the two men. "What about elemental spells? When will I learn to cast fireballs, ice spears and earth walls?"

"To cast elemental spells, you need the corresponding elemental affinity first. Usually, everyone has at least one, but it's possible to have more." Lucius started pensively before delving deeper into the subject. "However, having many affinities with distinct elements isn't necessarily better than having only one. For example, it's better to possess one high affinity to earth than three low affinities to fire, water and wind."

"What are my affinities?" Julius asked, eager to help his big brother learn new and powerful elemental spells.

However, Lucius' answer disappointed them as he said, "We can't know before you enrol in a magic academy. The techniques and tools used to check someone's affinities are secrets they are unwilling to share."

"I understand. That's why we'll learn neutral spells only, right?" Julius said in realisation.

"Yes, mana is, most of the time, a neutral energy. Over the years, mages developed many low-level neutral spells before shifting their focus on elements, creating many new paths. In magic, there are no better paths, only better practitioners," Lucius explained as Adam fell deep in thought.

'I wonder what my elemental affinities are. I should at least have one, right?' He mused, unsure if his ghostly condition would impact his magic journey.

"Let's end our lesson here. So, how was your day?" Lucius asked with a smile, ensuring the boy wasn't overwhelmed and could follow this routine.

After all, he knew that shoving too much information in the kid's brain could be counterproductive and make him hate studying.

However, his worries were unnecessary.

"It was a really amusing day! I'm already used to training in the morning and studying in the afternoon, except that now, the knowledge is more practical." Julius answered with an innocent smile.

Behind him, Adam nodded. The knowledge they now had access to truly widened their horizons and was invaluable.

Simultaneously, Lucius dropped his smile, his face turning solemn as suspicion flashed in his eyes. It made no sense for a commoner to endure such a schedule in a poor village.

"Tell me, who taught you how to train and read?" Lucius asked, his eyes narrowing. He had to get an answer, or his paranoia wouldn't allow him to accept the boy wholeheartedly.

"My big brother, of course! He said he could be the best teacher if he chose to become one." Julius answered, his voice full of enthusiasm as he missed the man's shift in behavior.

"IDIOT," Adam yelled and slapped him on the back of his head.

"Aouch... I meant Grandpa Theodore taught me how to read and my friend how to train." Julius said hastily, trying to correct his last sentence while massaging his head.

"Oh? Who is this big brother of yours? What is his name?" Lucious asked, a menacing glint flashing through his eyes.

"It's just how I call my friend when we are together. He told me not to say his name because he doesn't like attention..." He answered under Lucius' scrutinising gaze, finally realising something wasn't right.

Lucius's voice echoed loudly in the library as he asked commandingly, "Is your big brother a young man with long raven black hair carrying a stick around?"

Simultaneously, he sent his mana crash like a flood on the boy, applying pressure on his body. He would force the truth out of his mouth today.

Petrified and unable to think for a moment, as Lucius' figure grew in his eyes into that of a giant, he trembled in fear and fell on his knees.

"Say no, idiot!" Adam hastily shook him to make him recover from his stupor, understanding the situation went south. If Julius failed to handle it correctly, only trouble awaited them.

"N... No, I... I have never seen the man you described. In the entire village, I only know Grandpa, my mom and my friend," Julius stuttered, his legs trembling as tears welled in his eyes and cold sweat dripped from his back.