"Okay, let's start right now," Noctharion said, his voice calm, certain—like he had already planned this from the very beginning.
I was still a little drained, my body heavy after the commander's brutal training earlier in the day. But I didn't stop him. How could I? This was Noctharion. Missing a chance to learn from him would be worse than any fatigue.
I forced myself to focus, pushing away the sluggish haze clouding my mind. My eyes locked on him as he continued.
"The first thing," he said, "do you know how you control mana?"
A simple question. Too simple. I didn't understand why he was asking something so basic, but I answered anyway.
"It's… simple," I said carefully. "A person with an affinity controls that specific element of mana in nature to use their power. For example, someone with fire affinity draws on the fire element to wield flames. Of course, we can control elements we don't have affinity with, but it's far harder. Affinity strengthens our connection—it makes control sharper, easier—far above the rest."
"It's as I expected… you mortals have limited abilities in controlling mana," Noctharion said, his voice deep and heavy, his expression twisted with both pity and disgust.
I frowned, confused at his words. Everyone I knew—every mage, every knight—used mana the same way I had explained it. Even the protagonist in the original story used it similarly. So what the hell was he talking about?
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice sharp. My expression hardened into a frown as unease began to creep up my spine.
Noctharion's gaze burned into me. "The way you mortals control mana is flawed. You force it into narrow paths, twisting it into one element, one shape, one purpose. By doing so, you cripple yourselves. You take the vastness of mana—the ocean itself—and reduce it to a drop of water in your palm."
My confusion deepened. His words dug into my mind like thorns.
He leaned closer, his voice dropping into a whisper that felt more terrifying than a roar. "Listen carefully, Kael. Every time you confine mana to only one element, you discard the rest of its essence. You weaken it. You waste it. A flame conjured this way burns… but only with a fraction of the fire it could have. A bolt of lightning strikes… but without the storm's fury behind it. The spell you cast will never reach its true potential because you mortals only use a fragment of mana's nature."
I felt my chest tighten. He wasn't just speaking nonsense. His words carried weight—an undeniable truth that made me question everything I knew about magic.
Noctharion smirked coldly. "That is the consequence of your way. You mortals are shackled by your own ignorance. To you, mana is a tool. To me… it is creation itself."
"What are you talking about? Everyone uses mana like that. This is how my father taught me—he's a peak SS-rank Awakened. He cannot be wrong."
"No, Kael. You misunderstand. It's not that you are wrong—it's that you cannot understand. Not truly. You mortals were made this way, limited. You can only grasp mana through fragments, through illusions you call 'paths.'"
"…Fragments?"
"Yes. You divide mana into categories, into paths, into shapes you can comprehend. It makes it easier for you to use, to fight, to survive. But for us… higher beings… mana is not something to be dissected. It is whole. Complete. Unbroken.
You mortals wield mana as a tool. But to us, it is creation itself. And creation cannot be separated. That is why we stand above you. Because where you see pieces… we see the source."
"Yes, you're right. Before, that was true for you as well," Noctharion said, his voice calm but heavy.
"Before?" I echoed, my brow furrowing at the shift in his tone.
He gave a low hum, almost amused. "Yes. But after you absorbed the core, things changed. You didn't just take the core's power—you absorbed a large amount of my mana as well. That core was born by condensing and feeding on my own energy."
My chest tightened. "So… what does that mean for me?"
"It means your body has already begun to change," Noctharion said slowly, each word measured, carrying a weight that settled deep in my bones. "And if I'm right…" His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "I can help you learn to control mana—not in the crude way you've been doing until now, but in the true sense."
My heartbeat quickened at his response.
The thought of learning mana control directly from the Noctharion a method thousands of times sharper than anything else—sent a rush through me. My eyes widened at the prospect.
"So teach me," I asked, the words tumbling out before I could stop myself.
"Be patient, Kael." His voice was calm, unshaken. "Before I teach you how to control it, you must first understand the mechanism behind it how it differs from the crude mortal control you've relied on so far."
I drew in a deep breath, steadying myself, and fixed my gaze on him. He stood there, composed as ever, his presence filling the room like a storm waiting to break. Then, focusing inward, he began to speak.
"Unlike you mortals, we don't just control fragments of mana," he said, his voice steady, almost condescending. "You bend only one aspect of it the elements scattered in nature. Fire. Wind. Earth. Water. That's all you can reach."
He raised his hand, and I felt the pressure in the air shift. "But we… we use mana itself. Pure mana. The source. Untainted. Unshaped."
I frowned. "What's the difference? In the end, don't you still have to form it into fire, earth, wind, or something else?"
"It's different, Kael. Very different." His eyes narrowed, as if lecturing a child. "Mana, true mana, is infinite. It carries within itself every nature, every possibility. You mortals grasp at one sliver of it, one thread of what it can become. But when I wield pure mana, I hold the fabric itself. I shape it as I wish, not as it already is. That is why its power multiplies beyond comparison."
Listening to him, my breath hitched.
The way Noctharion described it… it was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
A hunger stirred inside me.
I wanted to learn it. No I needed to learn it.
If I could master that technique, my strength would rise by leaps and bounds. Each step forward would bring me closer to tearing apart the chains of weakness that bound me.
Stronger…
Stronger than those so-called main characters.
At least, in the beginning.
And that thought alone was enough to ignite a fire in my chest.
Author Note..
"Tell me your thoughts on this chapter in the comments section."