Tris and Rin's journey was progressing at a slow pace.
For the most part, they spent their time camping at fixed spots instead of constantly moving along the road.
The main reason was that Tris still needed to repair the puppets damaged earlier. In addition, he wanted Rin to have more time to train and truly master the combat technique 'Flash Steps' before continuing onward.
This situation lasted for more than two weeks.
…
And then, once again, the two mounted the puppet 'Black Horse' to truly resume their journey.
To make sure the time spent riding on the back of 'Black Horse' was not wasted, both continued their studies.
For Tris, he delved deeper into his magic. At times he would open a book to read, and at other times he would take out a pen and paper to jot down important notes.
As for Rin, she had begun receiving lessons in magic from Tris.
Though this came a little earlier than originally planned, Tris always taught flexibly according to the situation, never forcing a rigid schedule or fixed pattern.
Judging that there would be no problems or negative effects for Rin to begin learning magic now, he immediately proceeded.
The happiest upon hearing she could finally start learning magic was, of course, Rin. She had long yearned to wield magic herself.
Though she sometimes used the ring that could shoot 'Fire Ball' to fight against certain Magical Beasts, which helped ease her craving somewhat, it was ultimately just a tool imitating magic. It could never compare to truly possessing magic and becoming a real Mage.
At that moment, perched on the back of 'Black Horse,' Rin was fumbling with a small flame in her hand, the very first magic she had learned.
Though it was a simple and weak magic, everything had to begin with the smallest steps.
Because it was such a basic magic, Rin learned it quickly, in just a few minutes.
The combat techniques Tris had taught her earlier were not only for physical training, self-defense, and combat ability, but also to refine her control and manipulation of spiritual energy with precision and flexibility. This was, in fact, the very foundation required to use magic.
For this reason, Rin was able to learn magic far more quickly and easily than if she had had to start entirely from scratch.
The flame in Rin's hand was no larger than the tip of her little finger.
It danced and flickered between her fingers, sometimes swelling suddenly, sometimes shrinking until it nearly vanished.
At first glance, it looked as though Rin was merely playing with the magic she had just learned. And in truth, she was indeed joyfully playing with it. Yet her actions were not simply play.
There are three steps to using magic:
The first step is to control the spiritual energy within the body. This is essentially the preparation of the raw material for magic, ensuring that the energy is directed to where it is needed.
The second step is to release the spiritual energy outward. Here, the key lies in continuing to control the energy once it has left the body.
This step is not more difficult than the first, but it is challenging in an entirely different way. To give an example: for Warriors, it is the difference between techniques used within the body and those projected outward into the environment.
The final step is to shape the magic and unleash it. This is what determines whether one truly has talent in magic or not.
For the first step, Rin had already practiced it many times before. But as for the second step, she had only just begun to get acquainted with it.
The reason was that most of the techniques she had learned earlier were used solely within her own body, with very little need for projection and external control. And even when they did, it was only in the simplest of forms.
The little game Rin was currently absorbed in was, in fact, a way to train the second and third steps of using magic.
In the second step, Rin needed to release spiritual energy outside her body and control it. Then, in the third step, she had to transform that spiritual energy into the shape of a flame.
If she were to simply throw the flame away, it would be nothing more than a basic activation, ending the entire three-step cycle and wasting the spiritual energy used.
Instead, by keeping the flame within her control and moving it back and forth, she was essentially looping the final activation step back into the second step of control. The act of enlarging or shrinking the flame was, in truth, part of the transformation and shaping of magic in the third step.
In this way, steps two and three could be continuously alternated, repeated over and over for a long time, with very little involvement from the first step since only a small amount of spiritual energy was required.
This method of training allowed Rin, who did not possess much spiritual energy, to practice for extended periods without exhausting her body.
. . .
Every game, no matter how fun, has its limits. Though Rin had been cheerful at first, after hours of endlessly repeating the same motions, she began to feel a little bored.
Thus, she voiced her question:
"Master, when will we know that the training is complete?"
After all, this exercise was nothing like the combat techniques she had practiced before, where one could immediately tell when mastery had been achieved.
Lifting his eyes from the book he was reading, Tris glanced at Rin and replied:
"I thought you would ask that much earlier. Yet you managed to patiently play with that flame for so long."
Rin: (⊙ˍ⊙)
Tris: "This exercise isn't something that can ever be called 'finished.' It is, in truth, a tool for honing technique. Once you feel confident with those motions, try to be creative, test your own limits. For example, like this…"
At that, Rin saw a flame appear on Tris's index finger. Soon after, two more flames appeared on his thumb and middle finger.
The three flames danced across his fingertips, at first moving in a circle, then leaping in a crisscross pattern with playful spontaneity.
Next, Tris stopped juggling them and let the flames link together into a small ring of fire, which then fused into a single larger flame. Moments later, they split once more into three smaller flames.
Then, instead of merging into a flame again, the three were compressed tightly into a perfect sphere. The fiery orb shifted shape, first into a neat cube, then into a long cone.
Finally, Tris spun the cone-shaped fireball on his fingertip like a drill before flicking it away. It shot straight toward a nearby tree trunk.
Though small, the flame carried surprising force, boring a charred hole deep into the sturdy wood.