Magic Theory Lesson: Part 1

It was not only Max's heart filling up with admiration, as every child in that class was experiencing the same. Well, who wouldn't want to listen to stories of greatest and strongest magicians, while knowing that they rose from nothing and achieved what everyone wishes but only few can obtain.

"I wonder how powerful he was?", wondered Max after hearing stories about Seraphus the Enlightened. "Would he be stronger than a nuclear bomb? I wonder when I can reach such strength?"

Max's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden question coming from behind him. When Max turned around, he looked at the young boy who asked the question. The boy appeared to be around his own age, with a head full of perfectly coiffed blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to exude a sense of arrogance and entitlement. Despite the uniformity enforced by the academy's dress code, there were subtle indications that betrayed his noble heritage.

His uniform was tailored to perfection, clinging to his physique in a way that accentuated his lean form and broad shoulders. The academy's emblem, a motif of an open book flanked by twin serpents, was stitched onto his chest with threads of real gold, glinting under the artificial lights of the classroom.

"Mr. Loinfield. Is Lord Seraphus the Enlightened still alive? How can we obtain the "Enlightenment"? asked the boy.

"Hahah. That is a great question. But you must know that nobody knows if Lord Seraphus is still alive. Although he lived thousands of years ago, no one that we know of has ever been able to reach his realm, so we do not know how long he can live. What we know is that he has spread the magic to the world and created a system of junior and magic academies to let everyone who possesses the talent develop it to their limits. Although currently we do not know where Lord Seraphus is, we believe that he is always with us and provides us with blessings. This is the reason all junior and magic/knight academies showcase Lord Seraphus' statues at the entrance."

"As for how to reach the "Enlightenment", that is both incredibly difficult and simple. Anyone can receive an epiphany as long as they are lucky, but others can chase after it their entire lives and not even get a glimpse. What you should know is that you should not be arrogant, as that will result in your downfall. Hundreds of great mages, kings, and emperors have lost everything because they chased after it with their impure hearts. Lord Seraphus shared that one shall be blessed with "Enlightenment" when one is true to oneself and one's heart. When one's ideas have solidified, and one has created a path that is unique to oneself. Then the heavens shall become witness to the rise of a great individual and bless that individual with "Enlightenment"."

All the students listened in awe to the answer, while the student who asked the question sat back down looking proud to have asked such an important and interesting question. The rest of the class covered brief introduction to the history of the academy, the kingdom, and the empire that it belongs to. As minutes tickled by, the class came to an end.

Maximus' next class was Foundations of Magic Theory. As he entered the class, he could see the room brimming with eager students, all of whom shared the same dream - to awaken their magic. Among the crowd, he spotted a few students who were calm, seemingly unaffected by the anticipation that filled the air. These were nobles - children born with a silver spoon, who were fortunate to have access to vast resources and personal tutors from a young age. They have already learnt a lot of fundamental knowledge before joining the academy, which gives them an incredible advantage compared to all other students.

Despite being young, they had already experienced the sensation of magic from their tutor. This was the privilege of birthright, something that the commoners lacked.

'After realizing that this is the world that follows the peerage nobility system, I should not be surprised. Each kingdom has nobles, and nobles have families. Wherever I go, I will be encountering their children, most of whom are entitled because they have been born with the silver spoon. Whenever they wish for something, they will get it, while others have to struggle to obtain whatever they wish. But what should I expect?

Currently I have no power nor status, so I can only do my best in the academy and breakthrough to novice mage and novice knight as soon as I can, so I can start laying down my own path for myself!'

From only a few classes, Max has realized that strength and status in this world reign supreme, while you obtain status either from birth, or from being stronger than the rest. His eyes shone with motivation and unshakable resolve to lay down his own path and follow it until he reaches the peak of power and stand equal with the like of Seraphus the Enlightened.

As the class began and all the students found their seats, the teacher, a middle-aged woman named Elara Fairmont, began her lesson. She started by explaining that magic was not something that could be rushed. It was a delicate process, akin to nurturing a seedling, which required patience, perseverance, and a keen understanding of its mechanics.

"Magic," she started, "is the very essence of our being. It flows within us like an invisible stream, permeating every bone, every vein of our body. It is a force of nature, a divine gift that lets us tap into the primordial energies of the universe. This magic that is everywhere and has created everything is called mana."

"All things have mana in them be it a person with no talent, a falling leaf from a tree, or you my dear students. Now a question. Why do some humans have no talent at all, while some have a talent to become a mage or a knight, or even both. Why do some species have only talents to become mages, while others only knights?

To be honest, we have researched these questions for thousands of years and have created elaborate theories, but none of them are concrete. From this we have learned that when strong mages have children, they pass on a part of their magic talent to them, which grants their children a high chance to possess a talent. The stronger a person, the higher the talent this person's children would possess. This is how the empires and kingdoms have been built, and this truth will remain forever."

"When a person awakens their talent, they will reach the first level of novice. There are many stages in both systems, ranging in different level, but currently what you should know is the level breakdown of novice stage, which is the same for both mages and knights.

Novice stage is a stage during which a person learns to use their mana and how to absorb it. Before a person awakens, they have mana coursing through their meridians. But their meridians are so weak and thin that they can only let a very small amount to travel within them. This creates a limit to how much mana a person can absorb and use at the early stages. This has resulted in humans seeking multiple ways to strengthen meridians, and though trials and errors they have created a few methods.

Some include consuming a potion that has been brewed according to recipe that helps strengthen the meridians, while the most utilized and universally used method is training. After training and draining all of your mana reserves, you sit to practice and absorb more mana, which begins coursing through the meridians and making them constantly function actively.

While this can be dangerous, because when you are drained of energy you are very vulnerable, this method ensures that you remain training and improving your meridians strength and width, which in return allows your to contain more mana," tirelessly explained Miss Fairmont.

"Each mage and knight realm can be broken down into stages. Novice realm consist of nine individual stages, with 3 major thresholds. First threshold is called early, which corresponds to stages 1-3. It is where you learn the basic controls of mana. Second threshold is called middle, which corresponds to stages 4-6, while the last threshold is called late, corresponding to stages 7-9. During the middle novice realm, you continue improving your control of mana, and learn to use stronger spells. At the peak of late stage you will have improved your meridians and are able to control higher level magic spells and power."

"You should understand the importance of meridians, as lower-level magicians and knights rely on them to contain the mana. If you laze around and don't train them enough, when you attempt to breakthrough to higher level, your meridians would explode from containing more than they can handle and in the best-case scenario you will become a cripple."