My body began sweating in buckets as it became difficult to try and mold the mana that isn't mine—unnatural, foreign, unyielding. Every attempt felt like forcing mismatched gears to turn.
But then it hit me.
Why am I only relying on this natural mana?
"There you go."
Ysinia muttered from a distance.
I infused my own mana into the natural mana I'd gathered. What was once a frustrating, uphill battle now flowed like instinct—the carving process became effortless.
Remember the shape. Project that rough structure—not someone else's. Don't imitate what you're not. Calmly and slowly, stretch its end and sharpen the tip.
It became stable. What once was just swirling particles of mana on my palms took the shape of a pure-blue arrow emitting particles around it.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
For once, I'm wielding something I thought was unattainable, making me grin in the process.
This is what I'm capable of right now.
I glanced over Ysinia wondering what she's gonna say but it seems that she didn't have to.
All she gave me was a nod—a signal to fire it.
Firing it felt like loosing an arrow from a bow—an instinct buried deep in muscle memory, maybe from war drills or reflex training. My hands moved before I could even think.
As soon I let go—
The mana arrow was flung towards the tree from afar leaving a trail of blue glitter.
Even though it didn't explode—it sliced through the first trunk cleanly, a quiet hiss trailing behind. By the time it reached the second tree, it simply shimmered and vanished.
Even though my breath was ragged, I was amazed for the first time.
To see and to perform something like that.
I looked at my trembling palms, still unable to comprehend that fact that it came from these very hands.
I clenched my fists but not in anger—rather in exhiliration.
Unfortunately, the high didn't last. A sudden jolt of pain shot through my muscles, dropping me to one knee.
It seems that the mana inside me wasn't liking that kind of job.
Although I didn't feel pessimistic this time, I just felt this is an actual step and progress just like last time when I broke my first limiter.
Ysinia stepped forward before crouching beside me.
"Hmmm... I see. Just as I thought, Friend is an idiot."
Her silver eyes looked at me as if they were seeing something else compared to the naked eye.
But what the hell was that? I did everything almost perfectly there—even if it wasn't destructive like hers.
"Look here you—"
She cut me off by placing her index finger between my lips.
"You're straining over something that should be simple. Which means..."
Ysinia's deadpan gaze narrowed.
"You've never even played around with mana before—not even a little. You forced your body to jump straight into something too advanced."
She crossed her arms and added flatly.
"It's like someone who's never exercised suddenly trying to lift a boulder. You skipped warm-ups, skipped stretches—and now your body's punishing you for it. You're lucky you didn't vomit."
I'll admit, I might've been way too narrow sighted to even try that one.
"... What do you mean by vo— urghk."
I felt a bit dizzy all of a sudden, I think I'm going to throw up rainbows... or my soul. Maybe both.
Somehow reminding me that I used to drink swamp water out of desperation and couldn't help but completely vomit everything.
Sleeping after that wasn't fun either. Finley made fun of me the most that time.
"Oh, there it is. Punishment for idiots."
Ysinia exclaimed, sighing like a disappointed mother as she rested her cheek over her palm.
God curse this emotionless glutton.
While I nearly vomited my guts all over the ground, she just sat there watching my misery while eating her pastries.
After resting for a while and throwing up to my heart's content, another training must be done to adjust my body to mana properly.
Ysinia brushed off the crumbs off her skirt and looked at me lazily as if she were just addressing a child who eats dirt for breakfast. Albeit she still has icing near her mouth.
"Getting your body used to mana isn't simple, Friend."
She flicked my shoulder, it didn't hurt that much but it stung for a bit.
"This body of yours is like a sponge that's never touched water and you tried to fill it with boiling mana like it's nothing."
She paused for a moment to tap my chest lightly before adding.
"It's the same as pouring hot tea into a cold glass. The sudden change breaks it."
Ysinia opened her palms and made a pop sound with her mouth after.
"If you don't ease your body into mana slowly—warm it up, let it breathe then woosh I have don't a friend anymore."
"Don't tell ke I did another suicide stunt back there?"
I asked her while still a bit nauseated and all I got was a side-eye and the shrug that screams "Duh".
"Then why on earth didn't you stop me!?"
"You seemed to be enjoying it, I don't want to ruin on my Friend's parade. At least he'll die happy."
I wonder if I'll meet my end by her hands.
"Do you have any more of those bean things? I haven't brought mine."
I groaned, the dizziness till wearing me down yet hoping that the beans might alleviate everything since this is mana related.
Instead of beans, a head chop came to strike the top of my head again.
"Ack!"
"You keep exceeding my expectations, Friend. I thought you were just a simple idiot but it seems you have an idiot with brain damage instead."
She exclaimed raising an eyebrow me like I offended a higher order or something.
That was uncalled for!
But how can she consistently call me her friend while insulting me?
"The bean doesn't help in this situation. All it will do is worsen the damage."
Ysinia flicked my forehead again expressing great disappointment in me for even thinking of a shortcut.
"You might even end up clumping your veins then it'll explode. Then you can kiss attempting advance magic goodbye."
"Are there anything in this path you took that won't kill me?"
I exclaimed wondering just what kind of hell did she experience first-hand to think of this near death scenarios as normal. Because I think her common sense is beyond fixing.
She shook her head answering no more.
Ysinia let out a long sigh, stretching her arms over her head before flopping onto the grass like a cat.
"Get up already."
She ordered like a commander somehow thinking that doing the opposite of what she's telling me to do will make me do so.
With a sigh and a few more moments of rest, I managed to force myself up into a somewhat stable position.
Though my legs felt like overcooked noodles to the point that I'm considering Voswick's training regime seriously.
Strangely enough, I don't hate or despise this pain as much as I used to back then. I feel somewhat satisfied?
But seeing the skies almost darkening, I think it's time for us to go back.
"I'll keep trying to get used to playing with this magic but I guess we're done for today?"
I asked stretching my back like an old man.
But Ysinia glanced at me before raising two fingers in a peace sign while eating another pastry with the other hand.
"Two days."
I thought I misheard her or something but she doubled down.
"Two days."
No, no, no. Even for a devil incarnate like her, this is too much.
"You asked me when we're going home right?"
I nodded reluctantly fearing what she might answer and for once with my time spent with her, I was damn right.
Damn right to fear her.
"We're not."
A thumbs up and forced mechanical smile was all I needed to know that I've set my life for eternal doom.
"We'll be camping here. Training until the next aptitude benchmark."
I'm speechless at this point, I want to question this child's logic but what's the point of even doing it? Aptitude benchmark, what the hell is even that?
She lazily gestured over the pile of brushes nearby before rolling around the grass.
"That'll be your bed, I don't like sharing mine."
I nearly choked. Placing my palm over my face as I don't think my senile mind could survive any longer.
"I reallg want ro get stronger but if you want to camp in the wilderness out nowhere, shouldn't we be at least prepared in advance?"
Squeezing the temples of my forehead, Ysinia responded in a confused manner looking at me with a smug aura around her.
"Didn't you want to get stronger fast. so you could beat Willis?"
I groaned into my hands. I should've died drinking that water from the swamp.
How much more of my life does this woman even plan to change? She's raising me like a mini version of her instead.
But something occurred to me.
"If we're camping here, how else are we supposed to replenish your pastries? You seem like you're running out fast."
Ysinia paused then immediately answered in a different tone.
"Friend, maybe you're right. Maybe we should prepare in advance so you can train better."
"YOU CAN'T JUST GO OUT DRAGGING ME HERE WITHOUT A PLAN!"
...
Far from we bickered—something wlse moved in the forest seeming to notice our trails and scent.
A pair of nostrils flared up as the hulking figure sniffed on the path we took, with heavy breathing and fierce furious red eyes.
It growled silently, standing upright to watch as the moon finally rise up in the dark starry skies. It had found its prey.