The suddenness of the explosion surprised me. Waving one hand in front of me to clear the mist, I reached out to try again. Firmly keeping the image in my mind as I held onto the fluid, I waited for the next instruction.

  “Good,” Marcy said softly from somewhere behind me. “This is the basics of how one picks up and moves their mana around. As you get better you can do this with rger amounts. The more practice you get, the less you will have to pay attention to it.”

  Her statement brought a question to the forefront of my mind. As I went to ask it, the mana in my hand exploded into a steam-like fog. Sighing, I asked her, “Is there any use to mana on its own or can we only use it in spells?”

  “Good question. Long ago, before spells were as well developed as they are now, one would circute their mana through their body to strengthen it. It was fairly efficient and you could choose which part of the body to strengthen.”

  “And now?”

  “Most still do this but there are some spells to target specific spots more efficiently.” She paused in thought before continuing. “Like the spell for enhancing one's eyesight. You could push mana into your eyes but that will only do so much. With some spells, you can induce night vision or the ability to see through time and space. Neither of which you will need.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, opening my eyes and physically looking at her. She returned the look.

  With a simple shrug, she said, “Complete the bond, and then you will know.” She gave me a look that said to not ask her again before continuing, “Now, I want you to repeat after me. ‘Lux Erschafir’”

  We both repeated the phrase a few times until she was satisfied. “I think I understand what Lux means but what about Erschafir?”

  “To summon or to create.” Marcy said, “So we are asking for the magic to summon or create light.”

  “Ok, I get that the words have power, but why don’t they hurt as much as the words I gnced at on the parchment you were reading?”

  “It has to do with the degree of power imprinted on those words. As humans and other species have used magic, and the nguage associated with it, said nguage has evolved. In doing so, each word has lost some of their power This means that each spell is less powerful but that more people can cast magic without suffering.”

  “That and the fact that everyone can pronounce half the words without stumbling on the tongue twisters that make up the original words of power,” Victoria said with a huff.

  “Now,” Marcy seemed to ignore her daughter as she moved on. “Pull a bit of mana out. As soon as you have a bit under your control, visualize the mana creating a ball of light as you say the spell.”

  Closing my eyes, I did as she asked. Pulling a small cup full of mana before saying the phrase. “Lux Erschafir.” Suddenly everything around me lit up. The light shone bright enough that it hurt my eyes through my closed eyelids. My hands batted in front of me, trying in vain to shove the light away from me. To my surprise, it worked. My eyelids dimmed from a bright orange-white to the typical darkness one expects when one closes their eyes.

  Carefully, I opened my eyes. Hovering in front of me was a ball that shone with a dull grey light. Marcy had her eyebrows lifted while Victoria was smiling at me. “Congratutions on casting your first spell,” Victoria said as she lept toward me. As she passed through the ball, the thing exploded into tiny rainbow particles.

  “And just in time,” Marcy said as she stood up. “It is time for you to go get beaten up, I mean trained by your uncle. Victoria, come, we need to get to your training.”

  “But Mom, can I not go with him? I am sure that I could use some physical training.”

  “You do not want this kind of training.” She warned.

  “I agree with your mother on this. Go, I will be back ter.” I said though my body refused to let her go.

  Eventually, though, I did let her go. They continued deeper into the room while I returned upstairs. “Ah, there you are. I was wondering if you would show up or not.” Gregory said.

  “What? And miss the chance to use my new sword?” I scoffed as I stepped into the section of dust and dirt that would serve as our fighting ring.

  “You mean these things?” Gregory said as he held up a sheathed sword and knife in his hands. “As I already told you, you will not be using those until I deem you ready.” With a flick of his wrists, both disappeared. In their pce, a pair of wooden versions appeared. He lightly tossed them at me. “Now, come at me with everything you have.”