Mana Elements
Bell immediately followed up, his tone calm but clearly testing him, "That's good to see. Now… how about this, try forming wind on your ring finger while still keeping the forms and the consistency of the three elements on your fingertips. I'm sure you could also do that, right?"
Marc looked nervous.
"Ah…"
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Marc looked down at his right hand and began to concentrate, carefully piling mana onto the tip of his ring finger. A faint glow appeared, then slowly grew stronger as the mana started to swirl steadily around the finger in a circular motion.
Suddenly, the fire formed on his thumb began to fluctuate slightly. Marc noticed it immediately and tightened his focus, adjusting the mana flow to stabilize the flame. However, the moment he did that, the swirling mana on his ring finger weakened and faintly began to fade.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
Marc gritted his teeth and refocused. The mana on his ring finger began to swirl once more, slowly gaining shape. The invisible pressure shifted, the mana thinning and stretching until it took on the texture of moving air. A few seconds later, wind fully formed on his ring finger, flowing smoothly while the fire, earth, and water on his other fingers remained stable.
Marc let out a long breath of relief and smiled as he looked at his hand, pride filling his chest at what he had managed to accomplish.
He looked up at Bell.
Bell responded with a smile and gave him a thumbs up, then quickly added, "Alright, now form mana on your pinky."
Marc blinked, clearly confused, and looked back at Bell to confirm.
"Just mana, right?"
Bell nodded. "Yup. Just mana. Pretty easy, right?"
Marc chuckled lightly. "Alright, if you say so."
He shifted his gaze back to his hand and began forming mana on his pinky finger. As mana slowly flowed out, something went wrong. The earth mana magic on his index finger started to crack, small fractures forming along its surface.
Marc noticed instantly and redirected his focus, carefully reinforcing the mana holding the earth element together until it returned to a stable state.
Once the earth mana magic was fixed, Marc tried again.
He focused on his pinky finger, carefully controlling the mana flow. Within three seconds of intense concentration, a stable mass of pure mana formed on his pinky finger. At the same time, the fire, earth, water, and wind on his other fingers remained intact, their consistency unbroken.
Marc stared at his hand, amazed that he was able to maintain all of it at once.
Bell then told Marc to keep all of those elements on his fingers for exactly five minutes.
"Huhhhhh?" Marc exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"You can at least do that, right? It's part of the training," Bell said calmly.
Marc took a deep breath before replying, "Fine. What about you? Are you also going to train like this with me?"
Bell smirked. He extended his arm forward and opened his hand. Instantly, five streams of mana formed at each fingertip. The mana swirled for a brief moment before each finger changed texture in perfect order. Fire ignited on his thumb, earth solidified on his index finger, water flowed smoothly on his middle finger, and wind spiraled effortlessly around his ring finger, all perfectly synchronized and stable without even the slightest fluctuation.
Marc's mouth slowly fell open in shock.
Bell casually closed his hand and let out a quiet, "Heh."
Marc puffed his cheeks and pouted. "Show off."
But despite his words, his mind was filled with pure admiration. Watching Bell form and stabilize the elements so effortlessly only fueled his motivation to try harder.
"Oh, by the way," Bell added casually, "I haven't started a timer yet. The five minutes will start the moment I begin meditating."
"Whattttt?" Marc exclaimed. "Then I've already been holding these for more than five minutes by now!"
Bell glanced at him. "What? You gonna quit?"
Marc stiffened. "Er, I never said anything about quitting. Fine. Hurry up and meditate already."
"Sure, sure," Bell replied as he sat down on the grass. "Oh, and by the way, you'll have to count the five minutes in your head. You do know how to count, right?"
Marc let out a long sigh. "Yeah, fine."
Bell crossed his legs and closed his eyes, slowly beginning to gather mana from his surroundings. The air around him subtly shifted as mana flowed toward his body in a calm, steady rhythm.
Marc focused his gaze on his right hand, keeping his posture steady while maintaining the elements on his fingers. At the same time, he began counting in his head, forcing himself to stay calm as sweat slowly formed on his brow.
The training had officially begun.
As Bell continued collecting mana, he could clearly see the subtle flows drifting toward Marc. However, compared to before, the flow was slower and far less intense. The restraint Bell had placed on Marc's unconscious mana absorption was working exactly as intended.
Two minutes passed.
The five elements resting on Marc's fingers began to fluctuate slightly. The textures wavered, and faint instability appeared at the edges. At the same time, a dull strain crept into Marc's fingers. He clenched his jaw and focused harder, carefully correcting the fluctuations one by one.
Four minutes in, Marc's right hand started to tremble.
Marc took deep, controlled breaths, forcing his thoughts to remain steady. He poured his focus into maintaining the shapes and consistency of the elements, his mind filled with a single thought.
To become like The Greatest Mage.
At exactly five minutes, Bell opened his eyes and stood up. He walked over and examined Marc's hand. Seeing that all the elements were still perfectly formed, Bell nodded in approval.
"You can relax now."
The mana and the four elements instantly dispersed from Marc's fingers. His arm went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Haah… finally," Marc muttered. "That was the longest five minutes I've ever experienced."
Bell looked down at him calmly. "Now do it again, but with both of your hands."
"Haha…" Marc let out a tired laugh.
Bell tilted his head slightly. "You're not surprised?"
Marc shook his head weakly. "I'm too tired to be surprised. I half expected you to say something like that… and honestly, I'm kind of excited to see what I'm capable of doing."
He took a deep breath and continued, "Alright. Give me five minutes and I'll begin immediately."
"Alright," Bell replied. "I'll get you some water. Just lie there and rest for now."
Bell headed to the back of the orphanage and returned shortly after, handing Marc a cup of water. After Marc drank, Bell spoke again.
"You'll be repeating this exact training for the next few days. The goal is to fully familiarize yourself with the feeling and flow of mana control."
Marc nodded slowly, exhaustion clear on his face, but his eyes still burned with determination.
Marc simply nodded, clearly satisfied. "I'm fine with it, as long as I get to train," he said with a smile. "Every little progress matters."
As time passed, the sky slowly darkened, and before they realized it, it was already 6 PM. Both Bell and Marc were called back inside the orphanage to help prepare dinner.
While walking inside, Marc glanced toward the kitchen and asked Jenna, "Is Grenold going to join us again?"
Jenna gently shook her head. "Not tonight. Grenold has work he needs to take care of."
Marc nodded in understanding.
They helped with preparing the food, and soon everyone gathered to eat dinner together. Laughter and casual chatter filled the dining area, and before they knew it, time quietly slipped by once more.
..
..
A few days passed.
Year 8745, Ranyuja, Day 28, Monderi.
At the back of the orphanage, Marc stood calmly with his eyes closed.
Slowly, he opened them.
At the same moment, his hands also opened, and mana almost instantly flowed out from each of his fingers. His lips curved into a confident smile. One by one, elements formed on every finger of both hands, smooth and controlled. Fire, earth, water, wind, and pure mana manifested perfectly, each holding its shape without resistance.
[image here or kofi]
There was no sweat on his forehead. No strain in his hands.
Perfect consistency. Not a single fluctuation.
Marc could now maintain the elements on his fingers for twenty straight minutes without any instability.
Bell watched from the side with a satisfied smile. "You're ready," he said. "We can slowly start learning mana magic."
Marc's eyes lit up immediately. "Finallyyyy!" he exclaimed in pure joy.
Before Bell could respond, a sudden voice interrupted them.
"Bell! Marc!"
They both turned around as one of the girls from the orphanage ran toward them. She's one of the 9 year old girls, slightly out of breath.
"Jenna is calling for you two," she said. "She said to meet her at the dining table."
Bell and Marc exchanged confused glances.
Still, they nodded and followed her back inside the orphanage, unaware of what awaited them.