[City of Magnolia]
Ivan took a deep breath as he meditated.
He had never heard of this method of teaching in the anime, well he did remember a couple episodes of Zeref teaching magic to Mavis, Precht, Warren, and Yuri. They had also meditated to awaken their magic.
He pondered on the memory, then he deiced that he needed to focus, lock in.
Ivan felt his senses dull; his consciousness seemed to dive deeper into his mediative trance. He wanted to learn magic to...protect, well that was part of it but that wasn't him, he didn't just want to protect people. He wanted to travel, to explore this world, to be free in a sense.
It wasn't simple freedom that he wanted, no Ivan wanted a freedom of choice, a freedom that would make him untethered to too the world.
'I'm really making this personal, I better get a crazy dao revelation from this.'
No, he would not get a crazy revelation, while he may look deep into what he wanted he still wasn't all the way there. What else did he want? Ivan kept digging, looking at himself from a neutral perspective and his own.
'I want to be travel, to explore, to have freedom of choice, but also, I want to...'
It hit him like a slap on the face or a pinch on the skin, he wanted to fight.
Of course, he did!
He hadn't been violent person in his past life, but it was different now. He wasn't a battle hungry savage, no, instead he was more so a challenger. Yes, that seemed to fit, he wanted a challenge that would give him a... thrill.
Was that a bad thing?
Well, yes if let it control him, if he started picking fights with everyone no doubt it would consume.
No, this thrill inside of him would have to be controlled. Just like his other passions, freedom was great, but it could also leave to chaos if left unchecked, travel could lead him to become a solitude monk. He would have to keep a balance on them all, dark guilds might be inclined to let their passions consume them, but he would not.
As he made his personal revelation something changed within him and...around him, it wasn't like a shock of lighting nor was it a sudden burst of power.
Instead, it was a faint feeling that emanated around him.
The best way he could describe it was like a rope snapping into place, a connection forming, between him and the world.
Inside him something new appeared, like a limb he had never moved, or a muscle that had never been trained.
Was this his magical container?
He began to inspect it.
Calling it a magical container was well deserved; it was sphere like to his senses and currently small, the size of an apple. The magical power trickling into it was fluid and also intoxicating, he felt stronger than ever before.
Though the process was slow, as expected. He had just awakened himself so it would take a couple days for his body to grow used to absorbing ethernano and forming magical power. He mentally sighed, first step done, though it had been a little tricky nothing he hadn't really struggled with.
As Ivan opened his eyes, he looked at his body, it was glowing a faint gray and black.
He moved his hand closing his grip and opening to feel the magic within him, it was really something.
He looked up a moment later to see Makarov staring at him in amazement.
The old man seemed startled as Ivan began to stand, "Ivan you, you've awakened already. So quickly, so soon." he took a breath, "It's only been an hour, incredible..."
Ivan's mind paused at Makarov's words, an hour. Had it really been so long?
Gildart's still sat next to him, he seemed to still be in his trance, trying to find his own passions and who he was.
Had he really been that quick?
Well, he did have a pretty good idea of what he wanted. His last life had been one of responsibility, he had liked it of course but in one where fights between magic users were common and where the supernatural was possible, well he knew where he stood.
Ivan shrugged "What can I say? I guess I know myself pretty well."
Makarov nodded, "Gildarts is still meditating, he likely will be for an hour give or take. He won't be far behind you, but the next step will be far more personal, so I'll be splitting you up..."
Makarov was cut off as Gildarts body began to glow, the color white. Not gray but complete white, Makarov's eyebrows lifted and lips parted. "...unbelievable" he muttered under his breath.
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Gildarts looked at himself, he really looked.
What did Makarov mean by all these why's?
He knew why he wanted to learn magic, because it was cool.
That seemed right to him, but he felt nothing change, should he look deeper? Ivan definitely was and he really wanted to beat him this time. For so long had they been friends, getting into all sorts of trouble together, but for some reason Gildarts felt like he was always behind Ivan.
It wasn't that filled him with anger but...hunger, a hunger to win, to taste victory for once, to beat Ivan at his own game. It was why he had stayed up late last night looking over all the questions Makarov had asked them and his own answers.
Dammit he just wanted to get stronger, to travel, to fight, and he wanted to win! He wanted to never lose to always win and be as strong as he could!
It wasn't out of an ego, he did want to beat his friend, but he also wanted to be there for him. And most of all he wanted to protect his family.
Gildarts felt something, prickles all across his body, then he began to sense something. Was this magic? Well, if it was it could wait, he wasn't done thinking.
Makarov said that passion could get him stronger so he would find all his passion. He looked back on all he had said, all he had thought of, then he found he was missing one thing that made him, Gildarts Clive.
'I want to live.' he thought
His magic seemed to respond as it began to rise up within him, the small drops became a river and soon enough ethernano began to flood into him from nature, into his core and body. He felt incredible strength enter him; it was intoxicating. Gildarts felt like he could destroy a building with only his bare hands, while he had enough energy to wrestle a magical beast.
His eyes flew open as he turned to see Ivan standing to his side, 'DAMMIT!' he thought
Gildarts stood up a grin plastid all over his face "Thought you could run ahead of me and learn magic, did ya?"
Ivan smiled "Yea honestly I'm surprised, I guess anyone can learn magic?
Gildarts snorted before turning to Makarov with a smile "So gramps you were saying?"
Makarov chuckled "Well done, well done both of you. Honestly it took me a fair bit longer than you too, to think you both know yourselves so well, incredible."
Gildarts nodded sagely while Ivan laughed himself
Ivan glanced towards Gildarts, inwardly he cursed 'He's a fucking monster! Was he always like this? In the anime he was hyped up but I thought he was just a S-class mage, a powerful one, but still. I had a whole life to know myself and this guy had only sixteen years!' Ivan sighed, 'I guess he did survive against Acnologia for a reason. Just puts to show how much of a monster the dragon is.'
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AUTHOR THOUGHTS BELOW! (*NOTICE*)