The real learning began the next day.
And I quickly realized that Lyria hadn't been joking when she'd told me I would have to go back over some of the basics.
Our first session began very simply.
Too simply, in my opinion.
I sat cross-legged in the garden grass while Lyria stood in front of me.
“Today, you aren't casting any spells.”
I stared at her incredulously.
“None?”
“None.”
“Not even a little flame?”
“No.”
“An extra-small one?”
“Ewen.”
“Yes?”
“No.”
I sighed.
“You're really strict.”
She smiled.
“And you're really annoying.”
I couldn't help laughing.
It was strange.
Lyria was technically my magic teacher, but from our very first day, her attitude toward me was more like that of an older sister than a master with her disciple.
She never acted as though I was beneath her.
She explained things to me.
Corrected me.
Teased me.
And whenever she saw me doing something stupid, she didn't hesitate to make fun of me.
I think that was exactly why I felt so comfortable with her so quickly.
“Close your eyes,” she continued.
I did as she asked.
“Now, try to sense your mana.”
I breathed slowly.
Mana.
It had become an almost abstract concept to me.
I knew how to use it.
But I'd never really learned how to feel it properly.
“You're still trying to do something,” Lyria said.
“How do you know?”
“Because you're frowning.”
I opened my eyes.
“That has nothing to do with it.”
“Yes, it does.”
“No, it doesn't.”
“Yes, it does.”
“You're making that up.”
She smiled.
“Close your eyes.”
I sighed before starting over.
This time, I truly stopped trying to make anything happen.
I breathed.
I focused.
I searched for something deep inside me.
At first, I felt nothing.
Then, gradually...
A sensation appeared.
Very faint.
Like a diffuse warmth somewhere in the center of my body.
“I feel something.”
Lyria smiled.
“Good.”
“Is this it?”
“Yes.”
“Is it my mana?”
“Exactly.”
I continued concentrating.
The longer I stayed still, the clearer the sensation became.
I'd never noticed it before.
I'd always used my mana as a tool without ever really taking an interest in its presence.
“Now, don't try to use it.”
“Why?”
“Because I told you not to.”
“But...”
“Ewen.”
“Okay.”
She burst out laughing.
“You really can't listen all the way to the end.”
I smiled.
“I was just trying.”
“That is exactly the problem.”
The first few days were devoted to things I found almost ridiculously simple.
Breathing properly.
Sensing my mana.
Circulating it.
Concentrating it.
Releasing it.
Starting over.
Again.
And again.
At first, I felt like I was wasting my time.
I'd already managed to use five forms of magic.
I'd even managed to cast a fire spell powerful enough to create an impressive explosion.
Why should I go back to something so basic?
Lyria quickly noticed my frustration.
One afternoon, she sat down beside me.
“Are you bored?”
“A little.”
“Because you think you already know all this?”
I didn't answer.
She smiled.
“Your problem, Ewen, is that you only look at the result.”
She picked up a small stone.
“Imagine this stone is a spell.”
She tossed it into the air, then caught it.
“You know how to throw it.”
She threw it again.
“But do you know exactly how your hand, arm, and body work together to produce that movement?”
I thought about it.
“Not really.”
“Magic works the same way.”
She handed the stone back to me.
“You know how to cast your spells. Now you have to learn to understand everything that happens before they appear.”
Her explanation made me think.
She was right.
I'd focused only on magic itself.
Never on the process.
So I started over.
This time, without trying to speed things up.
A few weeks passed.
My results gradually began to change.
I had better control over my mana.
I could circulate it with less effort.
I could also concentrate a precise amount without risking releasing all of it at once.
Lyria then started allowing me to return to casting spells.
But with one rule.
“Incantation.”
I looked at her.
“Again?”
“Again.”
“But I already know how to use them without one.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
She crossed her arms.
“Because you're going to learn what each word does.”
I took a breath.
Then I cast the spell.
This time, I pronounced the incantation correctly.
A small flame appeared.
Lyria nodded.
“Good.”
I made the flame disappear.
“Now without it.”
I held out my hand.
The same flame appeared immediately.
Lyria remained silent.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You made a funny face.”
“I was thinking.”
“About what?”
“About how you learned to do that.”
I smiled.
“By reading.”
“Exactly.”
She sighed.
“You're already giving me work.”
“I thought you were a great mage.”
She shot me a look.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.”
“Want to check?”
I gave her a small smile.
“Why not?”
Lyria simply raised one hand.
A gigantic amount of water appeared behind her.
A wave formed in the garden.
I stared at the wall of water.
My eyes widened.
“Okay.”
She made the wave disappear.
“What were you saying?”
“Nothing.”
“That's what I thought.”
I started laughing.
Then she added casually:
“I am a Royal Water Mage, after all.”
I remained silent for a few seconds.
I still didn't have a clear idea of what that title represented, but one thing was certain.
She was terrifyingly strong.
And she'd just reminded me with a single spell.
While Lyria handled my magic training, my father also began my sword training.
And I quickly discovered that Kael was absolutely not the same man when he was teaching.
“Stand up.”
I got back to my feet.
“Again.”
I started over.
“Faster.”
I ran toward him.
He dodged my attack with a simple movement.
“Too slow.”
I turned around.
“Again.”
I started over.
Then again.
And again.
After a few minutes, my arms were already shaking.
I looked at my father.
“I'm tired.”
“Good.”
“That wasn't an invitation to keep going.”
“I know.”
I sighed.
Kael tossed me a small wooden sword.
“Start over.”
I caught it.
“What is the rule?”
“No magic.”
I grimaced.
“But...”
“No magic.”
“Not even to strengthen my body?”
“No.”
“Not even a tiny bit?”
“No.”
“You can't even tell whether I'm doing it.”
He looked at me.
“Try.”
I fell silent.
He'd got me.
So I began training for real.
Kael was tough.
Very tough.
He never yelled.
He never hit me unnecessarily.
But he never made things easy for me.
Every movement had to be repeated.
Every stance had to be correct.
Every attack had to have intent.
At first, I found it extremely frustrating.
I wanted to improve quickly.
I wanted to apply what I already knew.
But Kael categorically refused to let me use magic to compensate for my weaknesses.
One morning, exhausted after several exercises, I discreetly tried to concentrate my mana in my legs.
“Ewen.”
I stopped immediately.
Kael was looking at me.
“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“You were using magic.”
“No, I wasn't.”
He stared at me.
I smiled innocently.
He sighed.
“Start over from the beginning.”
“But, Dad...”
“From the beginning.”
I grumbled before resuming my stance.
Behind us, Lyria watched the scene.
She started laughing.
“You just got caught.”
“Thanks, Lyria.”
“My pleasure.”
Kael looked at her.
“You can talk.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“Your smile says it all.”
I looked at the two of them.
Then I smiled too.
Even these difficult training sessions were starting to become enjoyable.
Kael eventually explained the basics of his style to me.
He held his sword in a way I'd never seen before.
His movements were direct.
Powerful.
But above all, incredibly precise.
He called it the Sword God Style.
“This is the style I learned.”
He raised his wooden sword in front of him.
“Watch.”
I paid close attention.
Kael advanced.
A single strike.
I didn't even have time to understand what I'd seen.
He stopped a few yards away.
“That's it?”
I slowly nodded.
“Yes.”
“Now you.”
I took my stance.
I tried to reproduce his movement.
I struck.
Kael blocked immediately.
“Wrong.”
“What was wrong with it?”
“Everything.”
“That's encouraging.”
He smiled.
“You wanted an honest answer.”
I resumed my stance.
And started over.
The weeks rolled by.
Then the weeks turned into months.
Magic and swordplay took up a large part of my days.
In the morning, I trained with Kael.
In the afternoon, I studied with Lyria.
And when we were finished, I sometimes continued on my own.
I was beginning to understand why they insisted so much on the basics.
My magic was becoming more stable.
My spells consumed less mana.
I could use my five forms of magic with greater precision.
And above all, I now understood the difference between casting a spell and actually controlling it.
Even Lyria seemed pleased with my progress.
“You learn quickly.”
“You're saying that because I'm your best student.”
She snorted.
“You're my only student.”
“So technically...”
“Don't start.”
I smiled.
Our relationship had changed without my realizing it.
At first, Lyria had simply been the person my parents chose to teach me magic.
But after six long months...
She had become something else.
A friend.
My first true friend since my rebirth.
I could talk to her freely.
Tease her.
Complain about my training with Kael.
And she held back even less when it came to making fun of me.
One evening, as we were putting our things away, she looked at me.
“You know, you don't have to become the world's greatest mage.”
I looked at her.
“I know.”
“Then why do you work so hard?”
I thought about it.
I looked at my hands.
Then at the sky above us.
“Because I like it.”
Lyria smiled.
“Good answer.”
She stood up.
“See you tomorrow, little genius.”
I frowned.
“I'm not a genius.”
“Of course not.”
“Stop saying that.”
“Okay, genius.”
“Lyria!”
She burst out laughing and ran off.
I chased after her.
“Come back here!”
For the first time in a very long while...
I was running after someone simply because I was having fun.
Not because I was running away.
Not because I was afraid.
Just because I wanted to catch my friend.