"The rune of origin for gravity spells is called Gravitas, which simply means gravity. The symbol is this." He drew it in the air with one finger. "(Ģ). Similar to a regular G but slightly different."
Mordredt opened his palm and a white magic circle formed above it, hovering steady.
By the two runes of origin I could count, it was a second circle spell. And the color was white, same as a light magic circle. If the rune sitting in the center were not different I would have assumed it was a light spell at a glance.
"As you can see, this is a second circle gravity spell. As you have probably noticed, it shares its color with light magic circles, which tends to confuse mages when identifying spells at a distance."
"This particular spell creates a gravitational field that lets you command the gravity within a set area however you choose. You may already know how to do something similar through the martial arts path, but you need to know the spell version as well since you are following the dual path." He paused. "As a first circle mage you can cast spells up to the second rank. Beyond that the spells become more complex and the mana requirements go beyond what your current capacity can support."
That was true. Heatwave and Melting Body were both second circle spells and they were already noticeably mana heavy. With two reservoirs I could manage them, but anything above that would probably drain me before I finished the incantation.
It was a little funny that the first spells Virgil had taught me were second circle ones rather than first. Very on brand for him.
"We will start with first circle spells and work up to second circle from there. You need to understand the lower rank before touching the higher ones."
The spell on his hand dissolved and a new one formed in its place. Smaller, simpler, clearly a step down.
"Same spell, first circle. The range is limited to about five meters and the strength is considerably weaker."
"Gravitational Field." Mordredt said the name slowly.
The circle glowed as it activated.
I did not feel anything change from where I was standing, which made sense. I stepped forward until I crossed inside the range and felt a clear increase in weight settle over me. I stepped back out immediately.
"That is the ceiling of a first circle spell. Short range, limited strength." He clicked his tongue as if this personally offended him. "Now. Your task from here is to memorize every spell I give you and be able to cast it. I will give you four days per spell. The incantation is simply the name of the spell itself."
Four days was the standard timeline for a capable beginner working through a spell. Some took longer depending on how many runes and shapes they needed to hold in their head. A full magic circle could have anywhere from forty to a hundred individual elements and training your brain to hold all of that in exact detail without slipping was not a small thing.
Mordredt stepped back and gestured for me to come forward and examine the circle properly.
I moved closer and looked at it.
Twenty runes, around fifteen shapes.
And the moment I looked at it, the whole structure settled into my memory like it had always been there. I did not need to study it. I did not need to look twice. It was just in there.
I stepped back.
Thank you, dimensional space.
When I was training under Virgil I had memorized spell after spell over the course of what amounted to weeks of practice. And Virgil's spells, even at first circle, had long elaborate incantations and dense complicated circles. Compared to what was sitting in front of me right now, this was nothing.
Which also raised a thought I had been sitting on since last night when I first read through the basic spell books Evelyn had brought me.
The spells in those books had short incantations. Clean, simple, just the name of the spell or a single line. Nothing like the poetry-length recitations Virgil had made me learn.
What if that man had just made them long to sound impressive?
What if the whole thing about incantations being reflections of the self was something he had invented on the spot because he liked the way it sounded?
It was absolutely possible. The man glazed himself as far as I know.
I cursed him briefly in my head and then turned back to Mordredt.
"I am done." I said.
Mordredt looked at me for a moment. "You are taking me for a fool. Not even a minute has passed."
"I memorized it."
His eyes narrowed.
He clearly did not believe me. Which was fair. What I had just said sounded unreasonable by any normal standard.
So I decided to just cast it.
The magic circle began forming to my right, building out at a pace I was still working to push faster. It completed in just under a minute. Not as quick as I wanted it to be eventually, but still fast.
I heard Mordredt say something very quietly. Something like impossible.
I looked over at him. The serious face he had been wearing since he walked through the door was gone. In its place was something I had not expected to see from him at all.
Genuine shock.
"How did you do that?" He asked.
"Do what?"
"Do not play dumb with me. How did you memorize it that quickly?"
"I just have a good memory." I said while tapping the side of my head with my finger, which was not a lie. After a month of drilling spell after spell under Virgil, my ability to hold and reproduce complex patterns had improved significantly. Compared to what I had been working with in that space, this circle was simple. "Some things are just easier to retain than others."
Mordredt took a step toward me. "You are telling me you had never seen this spell before today?"
"It is my first time seeing it, yes."
He held my gaze for a moment longer. Then he said, "Activate it."
"Gravitational Field."
The circle triggered. The gravity in the immediate area doubled and I watched it land on Mordredt who was standing within range. He did not flinch. He did not shift his weight even slightly.
I was not surprised. I would have been more surprised if it had done anything to him.
***
Mordredt watched Lucas with an expression he was not accustomed to wearing.
Shock.
The boy had not just memorized the spell. He had cast it, cleanly and correctly, in under a minute from the first time he had ever seen the circle. That was not something you could explain away with effort or dedication alone. It was not how beginner mages worked, regardless of how hard they studied.
Many people would argue that a first circle spell was simple enough that it should not take long at all. And for people with genuine talent, maybe that was true for a day's worth of study.
But not seconds. Nobody memorized a spell in seconds the first time they saw it. That was not a matter of talent. That was something rarer.
His expression shifted as something Arthur had said to him earlier that morning came back to him.
Arthur had used the word genius. Mordredt had heard it and quietly set it aside, the same way he always did when someone talked up a student before he had seen them himself. He had watched Lucas awaken the cosmos affinity at the ceremony and acknowledged it was rare. Rare affinities did not automatically produce exceptional people. He had seen rare affinities wasted on mediocre practitioners before.
But this was different from an affinity.
A slow thought formed at the back of his mind and his lips twitched slightly before he could stop them.
Lucas then deactivated the spell.
"Alright." He said. "Let us put it properly to the test."
Three magic circles appeared in front of him at once, floating side by side.
"The one on the left is a body type gravity spell. It is called Weight Control."
Spell classifications mattered in practice. A [body] type spell was one that acted on the caster's own physical condition, enhancing strength, speed, reaction time, weight distribution and similar things. Weapon type spells acted exclusively on weapons and equipment. [Field-type] spells affected an area. Each category had its own logic and its own uses.
"[Weight Control] lets you adjust your own weight at will. Decrease the gravity on your body and you move faster. Increase it and your strikes land heavier. Simple in concept, useful in almost every situation."
He pointed to the one on the right. "This is [Float]. Exactly what it sounds like. You can hover off the ground within a limited height and duration. It is the basic version of the [Flight] spell, which you will reach at the third circle. That is when you will be able to actually fly."
Lucas nodded, though there was a brief flicker of disappointment crossing his face at the mention of having to wait until third circle for full flight.
Understandable. Everyone wanted to fly.
"And the one in the middle is [Gravitational Pull]. Essentially a form of telekinesis. You extend the gravitational force around objects or living beings and draw them toward you. You have already been doing a version of this instinctively, but the spell gives it structure and range."
Mordredt pushed all three circles forward toward Lucas.
"You can start now."