Part 1
"But," Mother continued, "returning home with his knowledge of mana came at the cost of his sight. The king was now blind. It was said that the rainbow sun was too bright for him to gaze upon."
"But that was just a story my mother told me as a child. The reality is, who has ever heard of a sun cry?" she said with a laugh. She was right; it was a bedtime story, but it didn't mean there weren't some ideas that seemed to make sense.
"Alright, there's something else you should know," she said, now serious again. "The spell I used earlier isn't a common way of casting magic. Spells like that were languages created by extremely powerful mages. The one I used was from a fire mage in the Songs of Epiphany, Jaromir the Great. Unfortunately, these are just minute spells I can remember the most basic ones."Mother then brought us back to the lesson, her mind already wandering to what she should make for dinner. She explained that the Songs of Epiphany was a very powerful book and that knowledge of its spells was kept secret.
"Astraya, now use the spell-casting method I taught you," she said.
Astraya raised her palms, more focused than ever. "Remember, for a spell to be executed effectively, it must match your intent. It's synchronous. You can't have the intention of manifesting a water ball while using a wind ball spell; that would make the spell null."
Astraya's eyes glowed with a white light as she began to chant, "O pure breath, gather in my hand... Wind Ball!" A gust of air concentrated in her palm, forming a perfect, basketball-sized sphere.
Mother instructed her to move it around, and Astraya followed her directions with subtle tilts of her head, guiding the sphere's movement. Then, she immediately sent the ball in my direction, where it began to revolve around me.
"Haha, Astraga, you see? I got it!" she exclaimed, excited.
"Well done, Astraya," Mother praised her. "You may not know it, but what you pulled off, many can't do at your age. You're a natural."
She continued, explaining that at an early age, mages learn intent magic first, and then memorize spells. She said that the more you use or understand a spell, you can conceptualize it, and this helps increase the speed of casting and the ability to use certain abilities without needing to think and plan. Mother was basically saying that just like an athlete who repeats a training session or routine until it becomes muscle memory, a mage could do the same.
She finished the lesson on casting and channeling by saying that she would only cover intent and spells. Other forms, like arrays, were another level of casting. They took much longer to cast but paid off because they were incredibly powerful and, in most cases, had permanent effects. These were also the area of seals and barriers. Other forms of non-verbal casting were will casting, which I presumed had to do with a mage's willpower. Then there was voiceless casting, which was more about chanting or casting spells within one's mind. Finally, there was material casting, which involved using wands, staves, and other artifacts to channel mana.
Part 2
"But wait, Mother, how was Astraya able to control and channel mana just now?" I asked.
Mother looked at Astraya's abdomen and explained that all she did was direct her own mana into Astraya's core. From there, the process was seamless, but the mana you're channeling into a person's body must match their core. This was another advantage specialists had; awakening was easier for them. She then said that all she had to do was channel white mana into Astraya's core. For those with multiple affinities, it would be more challenging. She used me as an example, saying that to develop or awaken a quad core, I would need all four mana types (fire, water, air, and earth) to be channeled into my core to begin the awakening process.
Why was everything about this core making my job of controlling mana so difficult? The more I learn, the more impossible it seems. How am I even supposed to awaken now?
Just as Mother was brushing grass off her clothes, signaling that the lesson was over, I decided to make my move. I needed her to at least unlock my other three mana types. I'd find the last one myself, somehow.
"Mother, could I know what it feels like?" I asked. It was a long shot, but the plan was simple: guilt her into channeling at least three of her mana types into my core. I remembered that Mother had a triple core, so all I would need to do was find an Earth-type mana user or some other loophole. It couldn't be that hard, right?
"Absolutely not, Astraga. It's dangerous," she replied.
"But you did it for Astraya," I said, even though I knew she'd just say it was different because I had a quad-core.
"I mean, as a quad-affinity user, it is dangerous. Knowing you, you would definitely try casting spells or something."
I got closer, giving her the best puppy-dog eyes I could muster. "Mommy, please, I just don't want to feel left out."
Astraya must have felt bad, because she joined my plea. "Mother, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. You said he would need all four types of mana to be channeled into his core for an awakening. Just let him know what mana feels like in the body."
I smirked to myself. I was becoming a pro at manipulation.
"Fine, fine, you're right about that, Astraya," she said. She then turned to me, telling me to get into a meditative pose.
I did exactly that as Astraya gave me a few pointers. "Mother said that all cores reside somewhere from the chest to the lower abdomen, but their exact location differs from person to person. The goal is for you to pinpoint its location, and then Mother will channel through there, okay, Astraga?"
I gave her a firm nod and closed my eyes. The anticipation and tension were building inside me. This is it.
"Now take a deep breath," she said from behind me. "Breathe in, breathe out." Her palm rested on my back.