Chapter Seven - Burn, Learn, Repeat

Chapter Seven

I started the day hoping for some basic slow training from my new mentor Grace the "Fire Witch" as she called herself but was quickly shoved into the heat of it. Mentor is a weird term as she is only one year older than I am (which makes my heart jump a little). It was hard to shake the anxiety from my dream last night, but I tried my best to put it to the back of my mind.

Grace started by explaining how Aether worked in layman's terms so we could understand, "Aether connects everyone in the world, it can be found in trace amounts in most people and even some tough-level monsters too. Think of Aether as though it's your life force! When both of you used your abilities against the Orc invasion, how did you feel afterward?"

“It felt like something had wrung me dry from the inside out. My limbs weren’t just weak; they felt hollow, like my bones had been scooped out and filled with lead. My vision had dimmed at the edges, and my breathing was shallow. Basically, everything felt like jelly.”

"Jelly? What is tha- never mind. That was your Aether Soul being used up, most low-level mages can handle doing two to three spells before their soul is used up. I was lucky to be born

with a large soul, so I can use more spells than the average person. Astral Veins can use a pretty much infinite amount of low-level spells. Obviously the higher the spell level the harder it is on your Aether Soul, being a higher rank lets you complete more difficult spells.”

“What rank are you?” I asked. She shuffled a bit, obviously uncomfortable with the attention.

“Veilbreaker, which is the third rank, so I’d say I am pretty adept.” Grace called out.

"Makes sense." Drew eagerly piped in. He was obviously excited to use his affinities.

"So, how do we start?" I questioned.

"There are three steps in Aether channeling and magic use: Visualization, Chant, and Release. First, I want you two to practice visualization." She talked while leading us into a small empty field towards the edge of Verdiem. "Visualization just means picturing the magic as it flows through your body towards the release point!"

"Simple enough," I smirked, but of course, this was only my pride attempting to impress her. In reality, I had zero idea as to what she was talking about.

We stopped at the center of the field. Around us, grass stretched about one hundred meters. Beyond the grass, there were houses, and we could hear the slight chattering of towns folk going through their daily routine.

“Alright, lets get started.” Grace took a step forward, she held up her hand, and began a chant. Her fingertips glowing—a shimmering red-orange glow that flickered like embers of a dying fire.

Drew had already taken a yoga stance, his body trembling with excitement.

"You look like an idiot," I joked. I took a similar stance and attempted to visualize my magic Aether. I tensed and trembled, but nothing was happening. Nice.

“Visualize your element,” Grace continued. “If you’re at the Dormant Veil rank or the first rank, which you are, you won’t see Aether yet. But you might feel it.” She raised her hand, and small veins of molten light crawled up her forearm, tracing fiery paths beneath her skin.

“Wait, why do you glow?” Drew asked, clearly fascinated.

“Because I’m at Veilbreaker – Bright Vein. At this stage, Aether moves visibly through the body before release. You’ll get there… if you don’t blow yourself up first.”

‘Very funny.” I deadpanned.

“Try and visualize whatever element you wish to channel. Drew, picture a flame curling in your palm. Leo, imagine a gust of wind flowing through your veins, spiraling to your fingertips.”

Nothing happened.

I focused harder, clenching my jaw. Nothing. It was like trying to grab fog, there for a second, then slipping through my hands. My arms trembled, my fingers twitching involuntarily, but all I felt was a dull warmth.

My muscles tensed once again. Drew let out grumbles and mumbles as he spent all his energy trying to light a flame.

Okay, Leo. Imagine air swirling around the center of your body.

A slight tingle shot down my spine. Was something happening? I continued to imagine the wind swirling around deep in the pit of my stomach.

I closed my eyes, continuing to visualize. Attempting to move the wind towards my right hand, but right when the tips of my imaginary wind started to move from my center, they spiraled out of control and dissipated. I let out a sigh; attempting to control and form my Aether soul into magic was hard. I sat down taking a deep breath, trying to regain any strength I could.

How the heck can Grace do this so easily?

She noticed my interruption in concentration and walked over to me. “You’re both Dormant Veil – Faint Glow. The Aether’s there, but it’s like trying to light a torch with wet wood. Keep going.”

“What is faint glow? Or bright vein?” I asked, giving my body a break.

Grace dusted off her hands, exhaling like she had just been waiting for me to ask.

“Good question. Those are the sub progressive stages within each rank of Aether Soul development. Think of them like checkpoints in your growth.”

She tapped her fingers against her palm, thinking. “Okay, let’s break it down.”

“Faint Glow” she pointed at me first. “That’s where you are right now. At this stage, you’re barely able to tap into Aether. You can feel it, maybe even push it around inside you, but it’s unstable an-.”

"May Chaos grant me a fraction of its power, Fire Ball," Drew screamed, still looking like an idiot in his makeshift yoga pose.

"Wait, Dre--." Grace's sentence was cut short. Aether snapped around Drew—jagged cracks of red light dancing in his fingertips. Then—BOOM.

The fireball erupted, not in a clean arc, but like a broken slingshot, twisting midair before lurching straight toward my face.

I barely ducked. The searing heat sizzled past my ear, leaving the scent of burnt hair behind. Behind me, a patch of grass ignited instantly.

Grace groaned. “Congratulations, Drew. You’re officially at the Radiant Light sub progression of Dormant Veil, which means you can cast but have no control. You somehow must’ve had a stronger Soul than Leo already.”

"Hey! I swear you did that on purpose," I screamed while pumping my fists in his direction. Drew learned fast; he was able to pick things up at incredible speed. We had just started learning the basics of magic, and he was already firing small balls of flame at my face.

"Where did you learn that chant though?” Grace side-eyed him. Drew stumbled and fell to his knee panting. It was apparent he had over-exerted himself. Grace rushed to his side, grabbing him by the shoulder to prop him up.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"When we first saw you, you used that spell to blast a group of Orcs away. Although yours was significantly bigger and stronger than mine." he sighed with his hands on his knees.

"Well, as impressive as that is, you have completely drained your Aether. So, let's head back for the day. It was a good start. I'm impressed, Drew." she smiled. Drew gave a sickly thumbs up and blushed. Hearing her compliment Drew gave me a small pit in my stomach.

Grace continued about the sub progressions as we walked.

“As I was saying. Faint Glow is the initial sub progression to each rank, Spells tend to react …unpredictably if you are in the Dormant Veil rank” She side-eyed Drew, who smirked proudly despite singeing the tips of my hair earlier.

“But this is when you have the lowest control and smallest Aether Soul for whichever rank you are in. Your control is shaky, and you are using too much Aether for spells as your Aether Soul isn’t refined nor efficient enough yet.” She took a breath.

“Next is Bright Vein, when you reach this, your body and Aether soul has gotten used to the flow of Aether. Your spells start working consistently, and are more efficient, and you are not burning though your Soul like a complete amateur. You can feel the Aether moving though you more fluidly.”

She gestured at herself. “This is where most skilled mages spend their time. I’ve refined my Aether enough that I can fight for hours without draining myself too badly, and I can even direct Aether to my arms for reinforcement. It’s like training stamina—your body learns how to handle more over time.”

“This is the last step up before you rank up. At Radiant Light, your body has fully adapted to your current rank. Your Aether control is at the best it can be for whatever rank you are at. Basically, your soul is at its maximum capacity for this stage, and your casting is fluid.”

I blinked. “Wait, so if I hit Radiant Light…does that mean I’m at my peak?”

“Yes and no,” Grace said tilting her head. “You’re at the peak of your current rank, but not the peak of your potential. Once you refine your Aether Soul to its limit, you’ll feel the pull toward the next rank. That’s when you either break through… or hit a wall. Plenty of people get stuck here, no matter what rank they are.”

I crossed my arms, thinking. “So it’s like Faint Glow is crawling, Bright Vein is walking, and Radiant light is running at full speed—but only within one rank?”

Grace nodded. “Exactly.”

We had only been at the field for about an hour, but I felt utterly drained. I couldn't shake the feeling of inadequacy.

The problem was I didn't know what any sort of wind magic looked like. I couldn't copy Grace as Drew had. I tried to get some info on wind magic, but it wasn’t her affinity, so she was unable to show me. I was exhausted. We got back to our rooms in the tavern, and Drew said goodbye, barely able to keep his eyes open. I started to walk towards the door that led to my room.

"Leo, wait." Grace's voice was quiet. I redirected my eyes so that they met hers. She shifted uncomfortably. Why did she always act like this when we chatted? Whenever I saw her interact with someone else, she was so confident. That intimidated me sometimes.

"I know you were asking about wind magic earlier. Unfortunately, like I said, the only spells I have any practice with are fire spells. But I brought you this, so I hope this helps you."

Grace averted her gaze and outstretched her hands; she held a book bound by leather straps. The edges were lined with gold trim, and a rose-colored gem gleamed in the center. It read...

'Nym's Fundamentals of Magic.'

I grabbed the book and began to thank her.

"Goodnight!" she squealed and raced off, leaving the book in my hands.

I climbed into my bed, physically exhausted. My whole body wanted to sleep, but I couldn't. I needed to get stronger and faster. I opened the golden-trimmed book and opened the table of contents, just like she said, I could read it.

Nym's Table of Contents:

1-21: Fire Fundamentals

22-41: Water Creation Basics

41-56: Wind Attacks for Beginners

56-70: Earth Building Basics

70-80: Combination Magic Fundamentals: Special Edition Extra

80-84: Lightning Magic Fundamentals

There was so much knowledge in this book that I needed to study. But I also needed to grow my Aether Soul to as large as Grace’s or maybe even more, although Grace mentioned that people’s souls were pretty much determined at birth. I flipped to the Wind section that was outlined in the book. I am curious as to how this 'Nym' knows so much about magic. I opened the wind magic section...

"Wind Attacks for Beginners"

"Like the other three major elements, Wind magic requires a lot of focus and understanding to use but is rather easy. If you find yourself with an affinity with Wind magic, it is a good place to start by deepening your connection to your Aether Soul. Wind and Earth magics take slightly more Aether to achieve. I recommend the user to start by imagining a small wind rotating around the inside of the user. As power grows, start the visualization process and grow the wind till it spreads throughout your body.”

"Beginning Wind Chants"

"Wind Arrow: Spirits of the Wind, grant me your bow. Wind Arrow!"

"Wind Slice: Spirits of the Wind, cut my enemies. Wind Slice!"

"The next Wind attack is more advanced; use at your own caution. "

"Small Tornado: Lady of the Wind, heed my call! Tornado!"

I shifted the leather-bound book in my hands.

Wow these chants sound incredibly stupid.

I flipped through the pages, scanning past elemental fundamentals and spell chants, until a new section caught my eye.

“Refining the Aether Soul: The First Step for True Mages”

Huh. That sounded important. I adjusted my position on the bed and kept reading.

“Aether is not a static force. It flows, breaethes, and grows like the roots of a tree. The size of one’s Aether Soul is often thought to be fixed at birth, but that is only partially true. Just as the body can be trained to endure greater strain, so too can the Aether Soul be refined, expanded, tempered, and fortified. This is the first step towards true mastery.”

“There are multiple ways to refine the Aether Soul, each with its own risks and benefits, some slow and stable, while others push the limits, with dire consequences for failure.

“For beginners, the most reliable and safest method is Aether Absorption—the process of pulling Aether from the environment into one’s core. This strengthens the connection between Aether and the soul, gradually expanding one’s reserves. It is slow but steady, and over time, will increase the amount of Aether one can hold and manipulate."

"To begin this process, one must enter a meditative state and focus on drawing in the ambient Aether around them. This requires patience and control, as too much at once can lead to over-saturation, which, while not immediately harmful, can cause dizziness, fatigue, or—if truly overdone—temporary Aether Flow disruption. The key is to absorb in controlled increments, allowing the Aether Soul to naturally adjust.”

I set the book down, staring blankly at the ceiling as I processed what I had just read. Nym made it sound easy, just breathe in magic air and become a wizard, right? No big deal. But something told me pulling mystical energy from thin air wouldn’t be quite as simple as Nym made it out to be.

Still, what did I have to lose? Well, besides blowing myself up or something equally embarrassing. I could already imagine Drew coming into my room to find half a Leo.

I set the book down gently and adjusted myself into what I imagined a mage-like meditative position might look like. Legs crossed, palms upward, eyes closed. I probably looked ridiculous, but thankfully no one was here to witness this humiliation.

Okay, Leo. Deep breaths, you’re just pulling in the world’s magic energy, totally normal.

I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. For a moment, nothing happened. The room was quiet, the sounds of tavern life muffled through the walls. It was just me, my thoughts, and a whole lot of nothing.

Come on, Aether. Work with me here.

I tried again, focusing inward and reaching outward simultaneously, which made about as much sense as it sounds. Just as I was beginning to feel foolish, a tiny sensation stirred in my chest. A faint tingling, like a feather brushing softly against my heart.

My breath caught. Was I imagining it? I pushed again, gently this time, visualizing invisible threads of glowing air drifting towards my core.

There—it came again, stronger now, warm and comforting, spreading gently from my chest outward like the slow bloom of heat after stepping inside on a winter day.

Suddenly I felt dizzy. The warmth surged forward, a little too eagerly, rushing into me like water flooding a cracked damn. My chest tightened, and I jerked forward, coughing as the rush of energy dissipated almost as fast as it had arrived.

“Okay,” I gasped aloud, shaking my head clear. “Maybe smaller increments next time, Leo.”

I heard a knock on the door. I dropped the book on the bed and walked up to the door. There stood Grace with a smile on her face, and a tray with bread and roasted hodag.

"Leo, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you and Drew some food. Make sure to read the book I gave you; it will help you understand our training more. We will meet at the same time tomorrow, don't be late," I quickly thanked Grace and returned to my studies, slightly distracted by the thought that she was taking such good care of us for no reason. I hope we didn’t blow all her money. As soon as I had a chance, I would pay her back.

I laid the food on the bed and flipped back through the pages to the wind magic.

Finally, I felt confident enough to move on to the following parts of magic use: the chants and release.

"Spirits of the Wind, grant me your bow. Wind Arrow," I called out, probably louder than I should have. I extended my right arm in the most wizard-like fashion I could. The air that swirled around the center of my body shot toward my arm. Nothing. I shifted my stance and tried again. Nothing. I forced myself to try once more, “…Wind Arrow."

A gust of wind formed an arrow at the center of my palm and in quick succession shoot through the wall, leaving a hole the size of my finger right beside the headboard of my bed.

Oops.

"WHAT'S ALL THE RACKET!" Hen screamed, the owner of the tavern. Jumping up, I frantically moved the bed slightly over, just enough to cover the now painfully obvious hole in the wall.

"Nothing! I just fell off of the bed," I yelled back at him. That was a terrible excuse. What am I? Five?

"Damned kids, any damage comes out of your pocket!" He yelled back. Man, this guy only had one gear. Angry.

I climbed into my bed, completely drained. I had done it! Next time I will try and make it stronger while also attempting to keep the property damage to a minimum. It was barely dark outside, but I quickly fell asleep.

*******

My mind entered its deep sleep. The whirling of the darkness as it shifted into a dream left me anxious. Once again, I was thrust to the top of the obsidian mountain.

The blonde muscular man stared up towards the throne. His mumbling is still barely out of earshot. The dream dragged on for what felt like an eternity. I slowly pushed myself closer to try and make out what the figure was saying. It felt like I was fighting against a hurricane, but finally I was able to discern a few words. What I heard next shook me to my core. The man was mumbling the exact same words to himself over and over.

"I'll kill you for what you did. Leo."