"Don't worry, I won't push you so hard that you'll die, but it's going to hurt nonetheless, since we're out of time. I've only ever gotten to train two Synners like this, and that was well over a hundred years ago. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do," he said, grinning even more wolfishly.
"First, I want to see how quickly you can cast an Exar spell," he said, pulling his own mana as he stepped back. "What?" I asked, but as soon as the words left my mouth, Pyle released his Exar spell, flinging me across the training ground. "Don't worry about your injuries; I'll heal them later. Now, try again," Pyle said, gesturing with his hands. "Try what again?" I asked, dusting myself off. "To counter my spell with your own Exar," he stated plaintively as he prepared another one.
What's the point of that? I wondered, doing my best to brace for the incoming blast.
I drew just enough mana to nullify most of its effects as I coated my body in mana, but it still felt like Celer had just kicked me in the gut. "Come at me," he said, spreading his arms widely in defiance. "So that's how it's going to be. Alright then," I grinned, finally understanding what he was trying to do.
About two hours passed, and I was covered in sweat and out of breath. Pyle, on the other hand, barely showed any signs of fatigue. "H-How is that even possible?" I asked, desperately catching my breath. "Do you remember what you were doing just before we interrupted you? I said you had the right idea, but not quite," he said, sighing slightly. "What the hell does that even mean?" I asked, wiping the sweat from my brow.
"Bernar, Anwill, and even the Master have said you could reach the second stage mid-combat. Why do you think that is?" Pyle asked. I thought momentarily, recalling the events they were present for. "It was because I was in a life-or-death situation, I suppose. I don't understand how I did it, but it just sort of… happened," I shrugged.
"Do you remember how you felt in those situations? What was your body going through? What sensations do you remember?" he asked. "I felt like my whole body was on fire, but that was just due to adrenaline, wasn't it?" I replied after a few moments.
"Almost, but not quite. In reality, the part of your consciousness you would normally send to the Ethereal became suppressed, meaning you subconsciously imbued your muscles and bones with mana and continued circulating it throughout your body instead of coating yourself in it," he replied with a nod.
"I did?" I asked, genuinely confused, looking down at my hands. "I said you had the right idea before but weren't quite there, yet. Try doing what you did initially, but instead of wrapping the outside of your body, try focusing the mana into your muscles and bones. Only do a little to start; we don't want you to tear your body apart from the inside, do we?" Pyle asked wryly.
My eyes opened wide in surprise, but I understood what he meant. "I'll do my best," I replied. "Try it now. I'll watch over you and make sure you don't implode," Pyle gave me a reassuring nod.
I closed my eyes and reached into the Ethereal, but as the tendrils began to wrap around my body, I focused my will, forcing it into me this time.
My consciousness returned to my body, and I could feel the mana coursing through my veins and muscles as a burst of mana kicked up dust around me. My eyes, now glowing, had a slight mana-leakage that caused a steam-like trail of golden mana to lick at my temples like the top of a small fire.
"H-holy shit!" I chuckled, flexing my hand. "You really got it on your first try? It seems Bernar was right to call you a monster," Pyle said, equally surprised with an inquisitive look.
Is he trying to figure out whether I'm human? I thought idly.
I looked at my hands and arms, then to him, noticing the mana flowing inside his body as well. "I can see your mana, too! Oh, even my voice is different!" I exclaimed. "Of course you can. Your entire body has been enhanced because you properly infused the mana into your muscles," he chuckled with a shrug.
"Your vision, your sense of smell; everything is heightened, though not to its maximum potential yet. I'm still surprised you got it on the first try. Normally, that would have taken a few weeks to figure out," Pyle said, still observing me carefully to ensure I wasn't overdoing it.
I began looking at my surroundings and noticed that the trees had veins of green mana, whereas the earth beneath my feet had veins of brown mana flowing through it. The sky had wisps of light green mana flowing through it. "I've seen these colors before. That sphere of mana we pull from in the Ethereal…" I trailed off.
"Precisely. The only difference is that in the Real, they are all separated into what that mana belongs to. However, they all coexist and intertwine in the Ethereal, which is one of the reasons why it comes in individual tendrils when we draw from it," he explained.
"Now, do me a favor, Thoma," he began.