Freed stood with his hands clasped behind his back, surveying me with a sharp, discerning gaze. "I assume you already have a general idea of what spiritual spells are," he began, his tone calm yet authoritative. "But tell me—do you know that spiritual energy exists in different states?"
"States?" I echoed, frowning in confusion. "Isn't that just... gas?"
A small smirk curled on Freed's lips. He made an X with his fingers, signaling my mistake. "Wrong," he said, his voice tinged with amusement. "Spiritual energy actually manifests in three different states: gas, liquid, and solid."
I blinked; skepticism etched across my face. "I've never seen anyone release spiritual energy in a liquid or solid form," I countered, trying to make sense of it.
"That's because almost everyone's spiritual energy stays in its gaseous form," Freed replied smoothly, his smug expression starting to irritate me. "But just because it appears gaseous doesn't mean that's its only form."
I folded my arms, my patience wearing thin. "Then can you please explain it properly?"
Freed chuckled, a low, teasing laugh. "Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Like I said, all spiritual energy starts out gaseous. But knowing what underlying state your energy is inclined toward—whether it's liquid or solid—is crucial. It determines how easily you'll master specific types of spells. Each person's energy has a dual nature: gaseous and liquid, gaseous and solid, or sometimes, just gaseous. And then there are rare cases..." He paused for effect, lifting his right hand. A shimmering haze of spiritual energy gathered in his palm, shifting effortlessly between mist, water, and crystal-like shards. "Like me. My energy transitions between gas, liquid, and solid. It gives me the flexibility to perform any type of spell."
I stared, both fascinated and envious. "So, you're saying," I ventured, piecing it together, "that because spells are categorized—Defense, Support, De-buff, Sealing, Attack—we need to understand the state of our spiritual energy to know which spell classes we'll excel in?"
Freed's eyes gleamed with approval. "Exactly. Now you're catching on. Defense and Sealing spells? Best for those with gaseous and liquid energy. Support and De-buff? That's for people with purely gaseous energy. Attack and Defense? Gaseous and solid. And, well... you can guess what someone like me can handle."
I couldn't help but lean forward, eager to move to the next step. "So how do I figure out my spiritual state?"
"Simple," Freed said, stepping back. "Raise your hand and concentrate your spiritual energy into your palm."
Nodding, I inhaled deeply, raising my right hand. I focused, drawing the flow of energy up from within me, visualizing it pooling in my palm. Slowly, the familiar wisps of gaseous spiritual energy began to swirl into view, faint and ethereal.
"You're doing fine so far," Freed observed. "Now, here's the tricky part—try to shift its state. Push it into liquid form, and if you manage that, move it further into a solid. Or do it in reverse. If you can transform it into both, I'll know exactly how to train you. If not..." His eyes gleamed with a hint of warning. "Well, you know what that means."
I kept my focus, his words echoing in my mind. "Imagine a stream of water," Freed added quietly, "then try to harden it into a solid ball."
Visualizing a flowing stream, I willed the swirling gas to condense. Slowly, it thickened, shifting into a liquid sphere that hovered, trembling, above my palm. Excitement surged through me—I pressed further, imagining the liquid tightening, hardening into a solid orb. And just like that, my energy crystallized into a gleaming ball of spiritual force.
A triumphant grin spread across my face. "Looks like I'm just like you," I said, glancing at Freed.
Freed's eyes widened, impressed despite himself. "Interesting," he mused aloud. "I guess I'll have to teach you all the spell classes now." He sighed dramatically, rubbing his temples. "Why do you always have to make my life harder?" He shot me a mock glare. "Even Shizu wasn't this much of a headache."
"Headache?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes.
Freed smirked, pretending to think. "Or maybe... she was worse." He sighed again; this time genuinely tired. "I'll dump most of the grunt work on Diana and Roger," he decided out loud. "Alright, let's get started." He clapped his hands together, a mischievous spark in his eye.
"Yes, sir," I replied dryly, not at all reassured. "But before we begin—what's the difference between spiritual spells and Secret Art?"
Freed shook his head, his expression hardening. "That's a whole different league. Nothing a rookie like you should worry about until you've mastered spiritual spells. Let's focus on what's in front of us."
And so, my real training began. My days blurred into a relentless rhythm: school during the day, spell training at night. Though Freed set the initial course, it was Diana who took the reins, pushing me the hardest. Roger was always there too, his calm yet firm guidance invaluable. Freed, on the other hand, stayed mostly on the sidelines, content to let Diana handle his responsibilities—much to her chagrin.
Shizu, curiously, became more of a shadow. Her appearances at the café grew sporadic; when she did show up, it was usually to spar with Roger. I watched them occasionally, fascinated by their skill, but Shizu and I never exchanged words. It almost felt like she was intentionally avoiding me. Still, that didn't stop her from shooting smug, mocking looks my way whenever I botched a spell—an annoying habit I grew used to.
Time flew, and before I knew it, a week and a half had passed. I put grinding for Value Points on hold, focusing entirely on mastering spells. While I made progress, others around me caught up too. Nana and Toto were the two I knew had reached Level 1, and others were working hard to close the gap.
Through it all, I learned about my peers' spiritual states: Shizu was gaseous and solid, Diana was gas and gas, and Roger, like Shizu, was gaseous and solid. I kept training relentlessly, and by the end of that week and a half, I had mastered 50 different spells across various classes—a milestone that shocked even me. Freed couldn't resist bragging that he'd achieved the same in just two weeks, touting himself as a genius teacher, which only stoked Diana's frustration. Meanwhile, Shizu, who had only managed 20 spells in her specialization, did her best to avoid my teasing looks.
Looking back, those early days of training shaped everything that came next. But at the time, all I could think about was pushing further—learning more, growing stronger in other to achieve my goal.