Due to being in the library, he was understanding what he was reading at a pace that was beyond what he could do before; it flowed into him like a stream.
The book explained, magic was no talent, it wasn't a gift that a select few were destined to have. No, it was understanding, the workings of the world and turning yourself to its frequency.
Many people are born with their minds turned closer to the frequency of magic, and that allows them to use magic, which was what was called talent in short.
But it wasn't real talent, and it wasn't like they were destined for magic. It was like a radio, if it was randomly set to a frequency and then shipped out, the one closest to the frequency of magic would be talented, and those set far away, like that of Raze, would be considered talentless.
But like the said radio, it could be tuned again. One could tune himself to find the frequency of magic, and once they can find it, they can slowly tune themselves properly, slowly yet steadily pushing themselves into the frequency of magic, and one day, they would reach the level where their ability would far surpass that of those that were called talented.
[Skill seed has sprouted, Mana sense unlocked]
[Mana sense: under full concentration, discover the flow of Mana and tap into it. Practice makes perfect]
A notification came up. Raze read it, and a smile formed on his face. He decided to keep reading and gain more understanding, but after a few more minutes, the understanding he gained was shallow.
"What's wrong, what happened?"
[Practice makes perfect, knowledge without action can't be fully understood, you should aim to fully integrate what you have learned before you can gain more knowledge]
"I see, so I should practice Mana sense then, and after that, I can read more," he said. He got up and closed the book.
"Library, can I take this book with me?"
[Novices are only allowed to take a book per time]
"Alright, then I'll take this. How can I leave and how can I return?" he asked.
But there was no reply, and as he thought about leaving, he felt a force, and the next second, the library closed on itself and he was back in his room lying on the ground.
Beside him was the book. He picked it up immediately and shoved it into his small bookshelf.
He sat on his bed and crossed his legs. "There is no time to waste, I have to understand it so I can read more," he said and shut his eyes.
He began concentrating, blocking off the noise. As someone that spent his life reading, he had long learned how to forget everything that was around him and concentrate, so it didn't take any time before he was already in a full concentration state.
'Find the frequency of Mana, in a world where magic is important, Mana flows everywhere. I have to cut through all other forms of energy and find it.'
Time slowly went by. He sat down on the bed not moving a single muscle even after hours. It got dark and it was time for dinner, yet he wasn't done. Beads of sweat formed on his face.
The maid from before came to check on him and call him for dinner. She knocked a few times, but after no reply, she began to panic and so she took the risk of opening the door without permission. It slid open and she saw him seated on the bed.
She could see him breathing, he was alive, but he looked like a statue otherwise. She became worried something was happening to him, but on the other hand, he might be doing something important and if she touched him, it might shatter what he was doing and cause damage.
With no choice, she closed the door, sat down with her back leaned against the wall. She would watch him and ensure that he was safe. And so she watched, as minutes turned to hours, her panic grew, it was already late into the night.
Just when she was at her wit's end and was about to wake him up, she felt a powerful surge of energy around his body. It was so much that even she, who wasn't a mage, could tell that it was mana.
She stood, watching in awe as his blonde hair flowed without wind, making a beautiful scene. A few seconds later, his eyes opened, glowing brightly. He looked at her, "I understand it," he muttered and passed out.
She rushed to him and grabbed him. She laid him down on the bed carefully, looking at him with a soft gaze.
"No one knows how much you push yourself at times," she said and tucked him in before she left the room.
[...]
The sun seeped through the window of the room onto Raze's face, announcing the new day. The sounds of birds chirping filled the air.
His eyes flickered open, he lay there, looking at the ceiling for a full minute, and then he smiled. He shot up from the bed and sat on the side.
Yesterday had been amazing. He searched for the frequency of Mana, going deeper and deeper until he finally spotted it, a white flow of energy, flowing all around him.
It was beautiful, majestic, and warm, and the moment he grabbed onto it, it flowed into his body without stop, filled all his pores, and rejuvenated him.
Then it went to the center of his body and began forming a core. It gathered together until the core was the size of a fist, white and beautiful.
Raze rubbed his stomach as he thought about it, imagining his core right there, the stored mana, which meant how he would be able to do some magic. He was already eager to do it.
He got up, he needed to wash first before he continued his study. Yes, he was about to study the hell out of his mind.
What he didn't notice was the the statue in the room had vanished.