"What the...?"
Sol's concentration shattered as an unexpected presence echoed through the dojo, leaving him stunned. In his bewilderment, an intense surge of energy erupted, cascading in all directions and causing the delicate doors to detach from their frames while weapon racks crashed to the ground.
Siegfried stood still, his eyes widened and his smile got bigger by the second.
"Sol! You're an irregular! But how odd... I'm not even sure if that was a creation, you were controlling raw mana, quite frankly I've never seen or heard of that before." He said scratching his head.
He thought for a bit.
"Is this why she choose you?" He mumbled under his breath.
Sol was still looking around at the damage he caused, then turned to Siegfried.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to..."
Siegfried snapped out from his daze.
"Huh, oh? Don't worry about it lad! I repair this dojo every month at the least, the damage is no surprise." He laughed then gave him a smile.
"Maybe I can teach you a few things before you go after all. What you just did, was not a creation, it was mana itself."
He seemed to be getting more excited by the second.
"I've never seen this before, it's amazing! You see Sol, every creation has a counter. Wind is weak against earth, fire weak against water, light and darkness weak against each other, and so forth. Mana however, is the essence of all creation...it's the foundation!"
Sol looked at him intrigued.
"Does that mean mana has no counter?"
The old man nodded.
"Indeed! Though I'm not certain you'll have any strengths over other creations, you could just be neural to them all." He said with his hand on his chin.
"On top of that, we don't know if this makes you an irregular or if you're able to somehow control the mana around you. So whether or not your creations are weakened is uncertain."
Amidst the debris of shattered wood and torn doors scattered throughout the dojo, he sat down in the center.
"We'll switch our training method to mediation."
Siegfried closed his eyes and waited in silence until he opened one and peaked at Sol who was still standing up.
"Sit down lad!"
Sol stumbled and followed his lead.
"Sorry, I thought you were going to give me a demonstration."
The old man shook his head.
"How would I give you a demonstration on meditation? You need to feel it for yourself...kids these days."
***
As Sol immersed himself in meditation, time began to slip away unnoticed. Hours flew by, and the sun had long since dipped below the horizon, surrendering the city to the gentle embrace of moonlit glow.
"Well, let's call it a night." Siegfried said as he stood up to stretch.
"We can continue in the morning on how to use your mana as a weapon, though keep in mind that's uncharted territory for me. I also don't know anyone who would be able to teach you that" he said with a sigh.
Navigating the challenges of being a spatial user had already posed significant difficulties for Sol in his search for a suitable teacher. Now, an additional hurdle presented itself: finding someone capable of instructing him in the art of mana control. While the basic principles of utilizing mana for creation were widely accessible, harnessing mana as a weapon was unheard of.
Sol headed to his room in deep thought.
'A teacher, do I even need one?'
Under the guidance of Siegfried, Sol had received an invaluable lesson on maneuvering the currents of mana. Hopefully, this prevents any unforeseen outbursts of mana potentially destroying more of the property.
Driven by an insatiable desire to master the control of his creations, Sol ventured outside once again, choosing the courtyard as his training ground. Here, surrounded by nature's beauty, he aimed to refine his abilities.
Bathed in the ethereal glow of the moonlit sky, Sol stood motionless, feeling no urge to sit down. Memories of that pure, raw energy flooded his mind, reigniting his connection to the mana surrounding him. With an almost seamless harmony, the mana responded eagerly to his beckoning, embracing his call without hesitation.
Emerald particles surged from all directions, dancing through the air with elegance while orbiting their sun, Sol. Illuminating the once dark courtyard, their radiant glow breathed life into the surroundings, casting a vibrant and enchanting aura.
He extended his right hand and thought back to when Siegfried morphed a rock into a sword.
'I don't know how he did it, but maybe it's not as hard as I think. Let's see...'
As if responding to his calling, the mana obediently swirled around Sol's outstretched hand, enveloping it in a pure, comforting warmth. Its hues danced between a delicate blend of white and a subtle hint of emerald, their colors gracefully shifting and intertwining with each other.
As an intriguing presence took shape, Sol's instincts kicked in, compelling him to tightly grasp the forming object and draw it towards his side. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a resplendent white sword, pulsating with a vibrant green radiance. The sword exuded an aura of power and purpose, its ethereal glow resonating harmonizes with him.
'Beautiful...' he thought instantly.
'Is it supposed to be this easy?'
Of course, Sol didn't know what was normal or abnormal. But did he need to question that? As long as he had the results, that's all that matters.
Swinging around the sword made of mana, he smiled then thought of something else.
The sword broke apart the same way it materialized and started to construct again in his hands.
'Now this, I'm familiar with.'
In his hand, a simple looking bow rested. It looked exactly like the one he had in school.
'Now an arrow'
The mana did just that, in his other hand an arrow formed. As it did, he took a stance and pulled back the string, aiming at a nearby tree.
Breathing in his eyes narrowed, then as he released his breath he extended his finger. The arrow shot forward with precision, wedging itself into the tree.
'I still got it' He smiled.
Since childhood, Sol possessed a talent for archery, honing his skills over the years. However, it was during his high school years that he began actively participating in competitive archery. His abilities garnered attention, leading to a scholarship offer for university. However Sol temporarily paused his participation in events, devoting more time into studies, so it was nice to see he was still good with it.
He gave a mental thought and the bow and arrow started to vanish.
'Are there no backlashes?'
Not feeling any, he tried more things like creating a spear, claws, shield, or basic geometry like a thin wall. He didn't do this all at once, just in case something would happen to him, like suddenly collapsing. Well, that's what magic was typically like in those books he read when he was small.
'This is amazing!'
Sol practiced only a bit more before heading back inside to sleep. The next morning was roughly the same routine. A knock on the door, walking to the dojo and greeting Siegfried, and practicing the "quick" way of learning how to use creations.
Only this time, things were different.
Siegfried's eyes widened as he saw Sol manifest a sword of pure white energy, shimmering with an eternal emerald hue. He grabbed the hilt with two hands and swiped up in a quick manner.
A couple of pieces of hair fell from Siegfried's head as he stepped back.
"Impressive Sol! Now where did you learn that?" He said while launching a counter.
Being unfamiliar with the art of the sword, it flew out from his hands. Only to be replaced with a dagger. With a twist, he gained momentum and extended his arms in hopes of finally getting the old man.
He wasn't worried about injuries because he knew one of the maids could heal. So he really attempted to attack.
However, he still lacked experience.
Siegfried saw past his movements and quickly stepped forward while he was turning his body, then grabbed his arm and used Sol's momentum to throw him over his shoulder.
The dojo had no mats, the ground was solid wood so the throw hurt. Or maybe Siegfried just threw him with enough force for the air to be taken out from his lungs.
"Aruh!"
Silence was brief in the air until Siegfried straightened up. He walked over to a small tea table with a hand on his back and poured himself some tea.
"I'm getting too old for this. Before we even continue, tell me how you learn what you just did?"
Sol still on the ground kept his eyes closed, still trying to regulate his breathing.
"Last night I decided to try what you did, I made some weapons. I've been meaning to ask, is it easy to do stuff like this?"
Siegfried blinked a couple of times before replying.
"Easy? Ha!"
He took a sip of tea and let out a relaxed sigh.
"If people did what you just did in that short of a time, we wouldn't need teachers! You're a genius, but no surprise of course. All my apprentices have been geniuses of some sort after all." He said with proud confidence.
Sol finally sat up and gave Siegfried an intrigued look. Forgetting about the whole Sol is a genius thing. He's never been excellent in any category in school, so him being called a genius made him scoff.
"I've been wondering, where are your students? Them being geniuses and all must mean they're big shots by now."
For the first time since meeting Siegfried, he saw an emotion he had never seen in him yet.
"Oh...they're no longer here." He replied as he looked outside with a melancholy stare.
That answer wasn't enough for Sol, he wanted to know more. Though if Siegfried really didn't want to talk about it then he would oblige.
"What do you mean by that? If you don't mind."
Siegfried sighed, not taking his eyes off the view of the city.
"You see Sol, being one of the protectors of Dragonwood and having close connections with one of the most prestigious academies in the mythical world, I have responsibilities. I train bright minds to become a devastating force...then they're sent to the rift."
Instead of talking, Sol remained quiet, continuing to listen.
"The rift technically made the mythical world, most of these creatures and beasts you see in this world don't come from Earth, believe it or not they come from an entirely different planet, and the gateway, well it's the rift. It appeared in the modern world, causing chaos around the globe in just a matter of days upon tearing itself into reality. But fortunately, we were somewhat prepared. The most powerful mages banded together thanks to a foreseer and created a separate dimension to seal away the rift along with its inhabitants away. The mythical world is that exact seal. But of course, that wasn't the end. We found out the rift got significantly bigger when left unattended. Eventually, it'll find its way back to the modern world, so we found a way to stop its growth. It's quite simple..."
Judging by the look on his face however, it was far from simple.
"In order to stop its cancerous growth we need to stop the spread from the core, inside the rift. Hundreds of promising minds are selected to fulfill this task. All 7 continents must send their soldiers to the rift every 6 months, and if one does not meet their quota the whole region is punished by the mage society. Dragonwood is no exception to this law, all our selections come from the academy, while I train and send a recruit myself."
He looked at Sol and tried to lighten the mood.
"Oh but don't worry! You're far away from being enlisted, you're too weak and not officially under my wing. You also don't have any background information in the mage society since you come from the modern world, and-"
Sol cleared his throat.
"Okay I get it..."