The morning air carried a quiet freshness as Damon walked along the academy pathways in his uniform, his pace steady and unhurried while the early light cast long, soft shadows across the polished stone, students moving around him in small groups as the day began to take shape.
Now the hard part of selecting an appropriate breach is done…
His thoughts moved calmly, already shifting toward the next step.
All that remains is to prepare a proper strategy…
A brief pause.
I haven't received Miss Elowen's message for the next session yet…
His eyes narrowed slightly.
But I have a feeling it will come soon.
Without breaking his stride, he entered the classroom, the familiar space already filled with low chatter and movement as students took their seats, the energy noticeably livelier compared to earlier days.
Damon walked toward the back without hesitation and took his usual corner seat beside Khaira, who was already there, her presence steady as always, though she did not acknowledge him.
Which lecture is it today again…
The thought had barely formed—
When the atmosphere shifted.
The excited murmurs in the classroom fell silent almost instantly, as though something had pressed down on the air itself.
At the center of the room—
Water gathered.
From nowhere.
A suspended mass of liquid formed mid-air, swirling gently before beginning to take shape, the fluid condensing and molding itself with unnatural precision until it formed a human silhouette, the details refining moment by moment until Miss Elowen stood there fully manifested, her presence calm and almost mesmerizing.
A soft smile rested on her lips as she looked around at the now silent class.
"You all know me," she said, her voice smooth and clear, carrying effortlessly across the room, "but let me reintroduce myself…"
A faint pause.
"I am Elowen, and I will be teaching you mana and its properties," she continued, her gaze sweeping across the students, "how it functions… how it shapes your abilities… and how it will allow you to advance to the next stages."
Her smile deepened slightly.
"So… shall we start?"
Elowen allowed the silence to settle for a brief moment after her introduction, her presence at the center of the classroom calm yet commanding as she lifted her hand slightly, and with that small motion, faint streams of water formed in the air around her, shaping themselves into flowing lines that curved and branched like a living diagram.
"Let us begin with something simple," she said, her voice smooth and measured, "mana is not just power… it is a process, and more importantly, it is a progression."
The streams of water shifted, condensing into three distinct layers.
"Each stage you go through changes how mana behaves within you," she continued, her gaze moving across the class, "and if you misunderstand its role at any stage… you will stagnate."
Damon leaned back slightly in his seat, his eyes fixed on the formation, his mind already aligning her words with what he had previously read.
Let's see how she explains it…
Elowen raised a finger, and the lowest layer of water flickered.
"First," she said, "the Awakening Realm."
The water compressed into a small, unstable spark-like formation.
"At this stage, mana exists as ignition," she explained, "a spark… newly formed, unstable, and inefficient."
The spark flickered unevenly.
"You can release it," she continued, "but only in short bursts, and even then, you waste more than you use."
Her eyes softened slightly as she added, "Your core is newly formed… so what you possess is not control… but potential."
Damon's gaze narrowed slightly.
…Potential without control.
Accurate.
Elowen gestured again, and the second layer began to move.
"Next… the Manifestation Realm."
The water shifted into flowing streams, branching outward and circulating in a controlled pattern.
"At this stage," she said, "mana begins to flow within your body… through what we call channels."
Her hand moved gently, guiding the flow.
"It reinforces your body, enhances your movement, sharpens your reactions," she continued, "you are no longer releasing mana blindly… you are circulating it."
She paused.
"Tell me," she said, her gaze shifting toward the class, "what is the key difference between Awakening and Manifestation?"
A hand rose almost immediately.
Lucian.
"In Awakening, mana is externalized in bursts," he answered confidently, "while in Manifestation, it is internalized and circulated for enhancement."
Elowen nodded.
"Correct."
Damon exhaled faintly.
Basic… but essential.
Elowen continued, her tone steady.
"At this stage, mana becomes a force that strengthens your vessel… not just something you release."
The streams flowed smoothly.
Damon's thoughts aligned again.
Internal flow… reinforcement… exactly as described in those texts…
The water shifted once more, forming the third layer.
"Then comes the Integration Realm," she said.
The streams stabilized completely, flowing in a continuous loop without interruption.
"Here, mana flow becomes consistent," she explained, "efficient… synchronized with your body."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"You no longer think about circulating mana… it becomes natural."
The flow remained steady.
"Techniques emerge," she continued, "your output becomes consistent… and waste is reduced significantly."
She paused briefly before adding, "Mana is no longer unstable or reactive… it becomes a system."
Aelrion raised his hand this time, his tone calm but precise.
"So at this stage, control is no longer conscious… but ingrained?"
Elowen smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
Serena spoke next, her voice composed.
"And the transition between Manifestation and Integration… is it based purely on control, or also on capacity?"
Elowen nodded slightly, clearly pleased.
"Both," she replied, "control stabilizes the flow… but capacity determines how much you can sustain."
Damon's fingers tapped lightly against the desk.
So control, capacity, and consistency…
That's the foundation.
Elowen lowered her hand, and the water formations dissolved gently into the air, leaving the space clear once more.
"The next stages…" she said calmly, "we will address when you are ready for them."
Her gaze moved across the class one final time.
"Any questions?"
Damon leaned back slightly in his seat, his gaze still lingering where the water constructs had dissolved moments ago, his thoughts quietly aligning the pieces together.
So I need to sense mana first…
Only then can I perceive the channels… and only then can I actually strengthen myself beyond just instinctive use…
His fingers tapped lightly once against the desk.
…Makes sense.
At the front, Elowen glanced across the class, her smile returning as she clasped her hands lightly behind her back.
"Since there are no questions," she said, her tone soft yet carrying easily, "let us move to something a bit more… engaging."
With a small flick of her fingers, several tiny spheres of water appeared in the air, each glowing faintly, hovering like miniature orbs around her.
"Tell me," she began, her eyes scanning the room, "what is mana, in the simplest sense?"
A few students exchanged glances.
Lucian raised his hand again.
"A source of power," he answered.
Elowen tilted her head slightly.
"Not wrong," she said, "but incomplete."
She pointed lightly at one of the floating spheres.
"In your words, before you entered the academy… what allowed your cities to function?"
A brief pause.
Serena spoke this time.
"Energy," she replied, "fuel… systems that sustain infrastructure."
Elowen's smile deepened.
"Exactly."
The floating spheres began to move, spreading outward as faint projections appeared within them—small visualizations of lights illuminating, transport systems moving, barriers forming.
"Mana, in this world, functions similarly," she explained, "it powers structures, enhances materials, sustains artifacts, and enables systems that would otherwise be impossible."
She gestured again, and one of the spheres expanded slightly, showing a faint image of a barrier forming.
"Protective barriers around cities," she said, "mana."
Another sphere shifted, showing a weapon glowing faintly.
"Enhanced weaponry," she continued, "mana."
Another—communication lines.
"Long-distance communication through artifacts… again, mana."
She let the visuals fade slightly before looking back at the class.
"So tell me," she asked, her tone turning slightly playful, "if mana is so useful… why don't we simply rely on artifacts for everything?"
Aelrion raised his hand this time, his voice calm.
"Because artifacts are dependent on stored or external mana," he said, "while individuals can generate and control mana directly."
Elowen nodded.
"Good."
Then she turned her gaze slightly.
"But what happens when an artifact runs out of mana?" she asked.
Eric, half-leaning over his desk, answered without raising his hand.
"It becomes useless," he said, "like a dead device."
A few students chuckled.
Elowen laughed softly.
"Precisely."
She stepped forward slightly.
"That is why individuals capable of generating, controlling, and sustaining mana are far more valuable than any artifact," she continued, "artifacts are tools… but you are the source."
Damon's eyes narrowed slightly.
So the hierarchy is clear…
Users above tools… always.
Elowen raised another question.
"And what do you think happens when someone with poor control tries to use too much mana?"
A student from the middle rows spoke hesitantly.
"They… lose efficiency?"
Elowen smiled.
"More than that."
The water around her flickered briefly.
"They waste energy, destabilize their flow, and in some cases… damage themselves."
The room grew slightly quieter.
"Mana is not just power," she added, her tone softening, "it is something you must understand, respect, and refine."
Her gaze shifted across the room once more, pausing briefly—just for a fraction of a second—on Damon.
"Because if you fail to control it…"
A faint pause.
"It will control you."
Damon's fingers stilled completely.
…That again.
His expression did not change.
But the words landed deeper than the rest.
The lecture flowed forward from there, the rhythm of Elowen's teaching settling into a steady pace as the class moved through example after example, her explanations weaving between theory and application with effortless clarity, while small demonstrations continued to appear and dissolve in the air, showing mana reinforcing structures, stabilizing flows, and even collapsing under misuse, the students gradually becoming more engaged as questions were raised, answered, and expanded upon.
Time passed almost without notice.
Concepts layered over one another.
Simple ideas turning into deeper understanding.
Damon remained mostly silent throughout, his gaze steady, his mind quietly dissecting everything being said, aligning it with his own experiences, filtering what was useful and discarding what was not, while occasionally his fingers tapped lightly against the desk, a subtle habit that betrayed his constant processing.
Around him, the class shifted from curiosity to focus.
Even Khaira, who usually showed little patience for such lectures, remained unusually attentive, her eyes fixed forward, while others leaned in slightly, drawn into the flow of the lesson as Elowen guided them through the fundamentals that would define their progression.
Eventually—
The pace slowed.
The floating constructs disappeared.
And Elowen straightened slightly at the center of the room.
"That will be all for today," she said, her voice calm yet conclusive, signaling the end of the lecture.
A faint murmur began to rise—
Then stopped.
Because her gaze had shifted toward the back.
"Student Damon," she said, her tone unchanged, "come with me… there is something I need to speak with you about."
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then the classroom stirred. Eyes turned.
Murmurs spread almost instantly.
"Did he cause trouble again…?"
"Is he finally getting expelled…?"
"Not again…"
Damon did not react to any of it.
He stood up calmly, his expression unreadable as he stepped out from his seat and began walking toward the front, his pace steady as the whispers followed him.
As he passed by Mira, he could feel it—
Her trembling gaze lingering on him.
But he did not stop.
Without a word, he walked past her and followed Elowen out of the classroom, his thoughts settling into quiet clarity.
It must be about the session…