Let me tell you about the first day…
It was magical—words can't describe the intense enjoyment that overtook my consciousness. By the end of it, exhaustion pulled at my muscles like a forceful current—but it didn't matter. I had finally found my calling in this world. Forget all the luxuries, the amenities, and everything else that came with a life of abundant wealth. None of that compared. With the mana granted to me by this mysterious world, I could grasp nearly anything. And I wanted to test the limits—to see just how far I could get.
Back to that first day.
After I explained my unique magical circumstances to Esvian—how I utilized mana directly rather than through the average person's refinement process of Vos and Vis—we got straight to work.
"The first thing we're going to start with is controlling your mana output, Reed," Esvian began, his tone measured but commanding.
I was sitting before him, cross-legged on the polished floor alongside the remaining students. They all seemed… off-put by me. Had I really beaten them that badly? Eh, no matter.
"Because of your unique affinity to mana itself, I would imagine your attempts at control up to this point have ended in failure," he continued.
I frowned slightly. They hadn't necessarily been failures—just not exactly what I'd intended. Then the memory of my first fight during the Dracovenia riot came to mind. My wind blade decapitating that guard. My body flung backward from the sheer force. Yeah… they were definitely failures.
"During our spar, there were many moments where you could've bested me—strictly speaking in terms of energy output—if it were utilized correctly," Esvian said. "Your command and release are sporadic, not following any path beyond wishful hope. We're going to fix that."
He grinned. The other students shifted, eyes narrowing. Their gazes felt like daggers. I hadn't even done anything this time, yet they stared as though I were some strange creature that didn't belong.
It hit me then—a random kid shows up at the dojo, demonstrates a unique magical trait that shocks even the master, then spars said master… who openly claims the kid could surpass him one day. Yeah. I probably looked like a complete weirdo.
"So how exactly are we going to do that?" I asked.
"You're going to learn Soulvein," Esvian said after a pause. His voice dropped slightly, almost reverent. "You will face your inner self—any delusions you hold, any façade you portray—and learn what it truly means to be indifferent and independent."
"And how exactly will that help me control my power?" I asked, genuinely confused.
The other students scoffed, as if I'd just asked how to breathe.
Esvian clasped his hands behind his back. "When you enter this state, the trivialities of the average no longer exist. You see the world only through the lens of your dominant thoughts—nothing else. If you learn to wield that awareness, control over mana will follow naturally."
"Well, I don't completely understand," I admitted, "but that's why I'm here. So how long should this take? A few days? A week? Maybe a month?"
Esvian chuckled—a low, knowing sound. "This isn't something you can just pick up on a whim. Some people take decades to master the practice."
"D–decades?" I stammered. "You're joking."
He wasn't.
I didn't have decades to wait. Not when Elias, Aeloria, and I were practically fugitives.
"At the end of the day," Esvian continued, "how fast you learn depends entirely on you. If you can face yourself—truly face yourself—without faltering, and emerge, you will achieve power."
Soulvein. Facing myself and emerging. It sounded poetic, but vague. Still, it promised strength—and I needed that more than ever. That's when an idea sparked. A reckless, brilliant idea that would change everything.
"Esvian," I said carefully, "you've already mastered this Soulvein, right?"
"I have," he replied, curious now. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, you see… I might have another ability that could speed this process up—by a mile."
A grin crept across my face. "You see, I'm somewhat of a conduit. A mana sponge. I can absorb mana from people directly."
The dojo fell into silence so thick I could hear my own heartbeat. Mouths hung open.
"...Reed," Esvian finally said, his voice low, "if that is true… are you sure you are human?"
"As far as I can tell," I said with a shrug. "Last time I used it, I managed to learn that ice magic you saw in our spar. I couldn't do that before."
I didn't mention the side effects. The collapse, the pain—Chiara's fainted body. If Esvian knew, he'd probably forbid me from even trying. I couldn't risk that.
"I think we should give it a shot," I pressed. "It'll speed up the process—and it'll be a demonstration for everyone to learn from."
He studied me in silence. Then nodded slowly. "How exactly do you do this?"
"All we need is contact," I said. "From there, I can start absorbing. Honestly, I haven't completely figured out the limits yet—but the benefits speak for themselves."
To prove my point, I conjured a shard of ice between my fingers. Frost shimmered in the air.
Esvian smirked. "Well, this makes things even more interesting. I am willing to attempt this absurd ritual."
Yes. This was it. I couldn't afford patience anymore—I needed power now.
A voice cut through the air. "I am opposed."
It came from one of the students—Rojas. His tone dripped with anger.
"Master, this person just waltzes in, claims all these unique abilities, and now you trust him enough to absorb your mana? This is foolish!"
Of course it was Rojas. The guy had radiated hostility since I arrived.
"Rojas. Stand down," Esvian ordered.
"Master, I can't!" Rojas protested. "For all we know, he was sent by the Theocracy!"
Before I could even blink, Esvian was behind him. One precise chop to the neck, and Rojas collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Esvian exhaled. "Excuse Rojas—he is passionate, perhaps envious of your abilities, Reed. Shall we continue?"
"Fine by me," I said, though the mention of Theocracy stuck in my head. Elias had said there were still parts of the world that worshiped the gods of old. I made a mental note to dig into that later.
Esvian reached his arm toward me. His expression was unreadable.
"Just so you know," I warned, "we might both black out for a while after."
"No matter," he said simply.
Alright then. Here goes nothing.
I grasped his arm and focused. "Leech!"
Purple and blue tendrils of mana erupted between us, twisting like lightning through water. The air pulsed.
Nothing yet.
I dug deeper, forcing the pull. If I wanted results, I had to drain him—like I did with Chiara. Dangerous, yes, but necessary.
"Hwah!" I pulled harder. Mana flooded into me. Esvian didn't resist; his eyes were closed, serene. Maybe he saw something in me worth trusting—or maybe he was just insane.
Then my senses collapsed.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
I woke—or thought I did—in a world of black. No ground. No sky. Just endless void.
Dizziness clouded my thoughts until I remembered this sensation—it was the same as when I first tried to sense mana.
But this time, something felt wrong.
There was an undertow in this world—an invisible current dragging me downward. A flood of negativity, like a bottomless pit whispering for me to fall.
Every emotion imaginable seethed there: anger, rage, contempt, hatred, anxiety, envy, guilt, resentment… and something deeper. Something ancient.
I refused.
I forced my will upward, or whatever direction wasn't down. My "body," if you could call it that, obeyed sluggishly. A faint thread of mana pulsed somewhere above—or within—me. I reached for it like a drowning man reaching for light.
As soon as I touched it, I felt myself return.
I gasped awake.
No screaming. No splitting headache. Just the rhythmic pounding of my pulse. Aurius really had done something to help by naming this power Leech.
Esvian knelt before me, one knee on the ground, chest heaving. He wasn't unconscious like Chiara had been—but he was close.
"Cough—cough—Any luck, Reed?" he asked, struggling for breath.
You had to hand it to him—the man had endurance. That ability had flattened a Dracovenia knight, yet here he was, still upright.
"Give me a minute," I said.
I hadn't been flooded with overwhelming memories this time, so maybe it hadn't worked. But then again…
I closed my eyes and searched inward—like sifting through fog. Then, like a dam breaking, fragments poured in. Not foreign thoughts exactly, but recollections—summarized flashbacks of Esvian's journey toward Soulvein.
The battles with himself. His youth spent chasing false enlightenment. His collapse into disillusionment and eventual rebirth through acceptance. He had torn at his own mind, allowing himself no peace, rejecting everything he once believed–all in an attempt to grow beyond his youthful falsifications. Only to realize, decades later, that this was all still… youth.
It was brutal. Beautiful.
In that moment of vicarious insight, I understood. It wasn't Esvian who had endured those decades of torment—it was me.
It worked.
He had propelled me forward—not just as a mage, but as a person.
And then I realized something else about Leech. It wasn't just a parasitic ability—it was a triad. Mana transfer. Memory inheritance. Possible skill acquisition.
But that was something I'd need to explore privately.
"I understand now," I said aloud, opening my eyes. "Esvian, thank you. You've done far more for me than I can ever express."
He blinked, still pale. "What do you mean, Reed?"
"I can see the trials you've faced—how overcoming them led to the cultivation you call Soulvein. I'll use that same understanding to do the same."
My voice sounded… detached, monotone. Like I was half in another reality.
Esvian's expression hardened. "Are you saying that through a single exchange of mana, you've acquired Soulvein?"
"I am," I replied simply.
The dojo was silent. The air felt heavy, charged. Every eye was on me.
Esvian was the first to break it. "Then your suggestion worked," he said quietly, straightening despite his exhaustion. "Let's see what your power looks like now."
I rose, nodding. "Sure thing."