Hiro thought those words would be the last thing he ever heard.
His heart nearly burst from his chest as the entire world slowed around him.
Then—
Something exploded inside his mind.
No…
It was more accurate to say that his eyes had finally opened for the first time.
The world he had unknowingly been blind to suddenly revealed itself.
He could see it now.
Magic.
Not with his eyes, but with something deeper.
He could feel the flow of energy inside his own body and the terrifying ocean of power radiating from Theo. The difference between them was absurd.
Hiro's magic was like a single grain of sand in an endless desert.
Theo, meanwhile, felt like a collapsing star.
That monster was charging toward him with the full intention to kill him.
Move…
Hiro's body screamed internally.
DO SOMETHING!
"Black Hole: Giga Impact."
Theo vanished from sight once again.
But this time, Hiro knew exactly where he was.
He could sense him.
That overwhelming pressure tore through the air as Theo closed the distance instantly. Hiro's body desperately tried to react, but it was too slow.
Move! MOVE!
Hiro forced his body backward with everything he had.
His legs slipped out from beneath him as he crashed onto the ground—
BOOM!
Theo's fist tore through the space where Hiro's head had been moments earlier, creating a violent shockwave that split the earth apart.
Hiro stared upward in horror, breathing heavily.
Theo slowly straightened himself.
"So it has awakened."
Hiro glared at him from the ground.
"Well yeah! If something didn't happen after you nearly killed me, then all of this would've been a waste!"
Theo ignored the complaint.
"The ability you just awakened is known as Magic Sense."
Theo folded his arms behind his back.
"All species possess it in one form or another. The ability to sense magic is the very first step toward controlling it."
Hiro slowly stood up.
"Then why does my magic feel so small?"
Theo looked at him calmly.
"Because I did not give you magic."
"I merely gave you the spark necessary to begin producing it."
Theo pointed toward Hiro's chest.
"Demihuman children are born with that spark naturally. Humans are not."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"That is why humanity struggles so much with magic. Most never manage to create that spark at all."
Hiro looked down at his hands.
"So my magic is growing now?"
Theo shrugged.
"No."
"…What?"
"You simply completed the first step."
Theo pointed toward the lake nearby.
"If magic were swimming, then all you've done is realize water exists."
His expression darkened slightly.
"You still haven't entered the water."
"And you certainly haven't learned how not to drown."
Hiro frowned.
"Then how am I supposed to grow stronger?"
He lifted one of the magical restraints slightly.
"These things are draining my magic anyway."
Theo nodded.
"Correct."
"That's the point."
Hiro blinked.
"…You really enjoy making things difficult, don't you?"
Theo ignored him completely.
"Think of magic like firing arrows from a bow. The more you shoot, the more accurate you become. Your technique improves. Your body adapts."
He looked directly at Hiro.
"Magic works the same way."
Hiro crossed his arms.
"Okay, I understand that much. But how does that help me actually control magic? Right now I have a bow with no arrows."
Theo crouched down and picked up a small pebble.
"Use your Magic Sense."
He placed the pebble in the center of his palm.
"Find the location within your body where your magic resides."
Then the pebble slowly began floating above his hand.
Hiro's eyes widened.
Theo continued speaking calmly.
"Magic is simply energy shaped into phenomena through elemental affinities and control."
The pebble began spinning rapidly in the air.
"This," Theo said, "is pure energy manipulation."
The spinning accelerated until the pebble blurred.
"The greater your precision and control, the stronger your spells become."
Theo stopped the pebble instantly and tossed it toward Hiro.
"This exercise is simple. Move the pebble."
"That's it?"
"If you can make it float, even slightly, your magical capacity will begin increasing naturally."
Theo smirked faintly.
"Oh, and one more thing."
He pointed toward the ground.
"You may want to sit down. The first attempt tends to be unpleasant."
Hiro sighed and sat cross-legged on the ground with the pebble before him.
This should be easy.
All I have to do is focus on my magic and move the rock.
Hiro closed his eyes.
He focused inward, trying to locate the energy inside his body once more.
At first, he felt it clearly.
But the moment he attempted to direct it outward—
…it slipped away.
Further.
More distant.
Like trying to grasp smoke with his bare hands.
"…Come on…"
Nothing happened.
The pebble didn't move at all.
Hiro gritted his teeth harder.
Still nothing.
"…Why isn't this working?!"
Frustrated, Hiro grabbed the pebble and threw it.
Theo casually caught it.
"What's wrong, boy?" Theo asked. "Giving up already?"
"My energy disappears every time I try focusing on it."
Theo pointed toward the restraints.
"Did you forget about your little accessories?"
"The more magic you use, the more they absorb."
Hiro's expression twisted.
"So the more magic I output, the more magic I lose?"
"Essentially."
Theo tossed the pebble back to him.
"But that struggle is precisely what forces your magic to grow stronger."
He looked toward the restraints.
"The more magical energy you produce, the less influence those restraints will have over you."
Hiro stared at his palm.
"It's like I'm trying to light a candle while something keeps blowing out the flame."
Theo smiled slightly.
"Then how would you strengthen the flame?"
Hiro fell silent.
He thought carefully.
Magic exists in everything around me…
And I barely possess any magic myself.
A flame needed fuel.
It needed oxygen.
Without those things, it would die.
Then…
Wouldn't magic work the same way?
Hiro's eyes widened slightly.
What if…
He looked toward Theo.
"You said magic exists in everything, right?"
"This place is overflowing with it."
"And you said I only need energy to move the pebble…"
Theo remained silent.
Then suddenly—
Hiro smiled.
"I get it now."
Closing his eyes once more, Hiro focused carefully.
This time, instead of relying solely on the tiny amount of magic inside his body—
He reached outward.
The wind around him slowly began to stir.
Energy gathered around Hiro in faint streams.
The pebble trembled.
Shook violently.
Then—
It rose into the air.
Unstable.
Shaky.
Messy.
But floating nonetheless.
Theo smiled.
"You're finally beginning to understand."
Hiro opened one eye proudly.
"You never said I had to use only my magic."
Theo nodded approvingly.
"So I figured… if I don't have enough energy myself…"
Hiro grinned.
"…then I'll just borrow it from everything else."
Theo crossed his arms.
"Energy attracts energy. Magic attracts magic."
He looked toward the floating pebble.
"The magic inside your body acts as a catalyst that manipulates the magic outside your body."
Theo's expression sharpened.
"That means your ability to control external magic is limited by the amount of internal magic you possess."
Then suddenly—
THUD.
The restraints became drastically heavier.
Hiro was slammed flat against the ground instantly.
"GAH?!"
He couldn't even lift his arms anymore.
Theo looked down at him calmly.
"Well… it seems your magical output increased."
Hiro groaned against the dirt.
"You could've warned me first…"
Theo ignored the complaint.
"There is something important you need to understand."
He gestured toward the surrounding area.
"This place possesses an absurd concentration of magical energy."
His eyes narrowed.
"The outside world is nowhere near this dense."
Realization struck Hiro immediately.
"So that's why we're training here."
Theo nodded.
"Outside this place, it would likely take a human ten years simply to understand the concept of manipulating magic."
He paused.
"And another twenty to use it with any real precision."
Hiro looked up at him.
"What do you mean by 'you humans'?"
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Aren't you human too?"
Theo turned away.
"That is irrelevant."
Then he pointed toward Hiro's body.
"You should focus more on learning how to move."
Hiro strained uselessly against the restraints.
"How am I supposed to move like this?!"
"That," Theo replied calmly, "requires control."
Theo crouched beside him.
"Your restraints are absorbing your magic too quickly because your internal magic and the external magic you're drawing in are wildly unbalanced."
Hiro blinked.
"So… all I have to do is pull in less magic?"
Theo shook his head immediately.
"No."
"You must balance it."
He tapped Hiro's chest lightly.
"Balance the magic inside you with the magic outside you."
Hiro frowned.
I still don't fully understand what he means…
But there was only one way to learn.
Trial by fire.
Slowly, Hiro closed his eyes again.
Balance…
Control…
Magic inside me… and magic outside me…
Hiro inhaled deeply.
Then he focused once more.
"Magic Sense."