The moment the door opened, I knew something was off. Not because of magic. Because of the people.
The room was massive–rows and rows of towering shelves, old wood, ancient books stacked like they had been there longer than most kingdoms. The air felt… heavy. Not like pressure. More like history pressing down on you. Blaze shifted slightly on my shoulder, tail tightening around my neck. "…yeah," he muttered quietly, "they don't like you."
I didn't need him to tell me that. The moment we stepped in, eyes turned.Cold ones. Curious ones. Some just… sharp.
"The child with dragon's malice…"
"You are not accepted here."
"Now let's see if the Valaerion made a mistake."
Yeah. Warm welcome. I didn't react. Not outwardly, at least. Elandor walked like none of it mattered. Oaklan didn't even glance at them. So I followed. Blaze, on the other hand, grinned. "…say the word," he whispered, "I can make them nervous."
"Don't," I muttered under my breath. We kept walking. Deeper. Past the main hall, through a narrower section, until the noise faded. Eventually, we reached a quieter area–almost isolated. Fewer shelves. More open space. Just us. Oaklan stopped. "This area is restricted," he said calmly. "We will not be disturbed here."
Good. Because I was already getting tired of the staring. He turned to face me. "Today marks the official start of your advanced training in magic."
I straightened a bit. Yeah. That sounded serious. Oaklan clasped his hands behind his back. "Maintaining a magic construct requires focus," he began. "That is why your training with Ravenshard was necessary… and why it came first." I didn't interrupt. "Forcing mana into shape is easy," he continued. "Maintaining that shape under pressure… while moving… while reacting… while fighting… is not."
…yeah. I felt that one. "You have improved," Oaklan added. "You can now sustain your constructs longer. Even under strain. Even during combat."
I nodded slightly. "…yeah. It doesn't collapse as fast anymore."
"That," he said, "is progression."
Simple. Straight to the point. Then I crossed my arms. "…so," I said, "can I ask something?" Oaklan nodded. "May I know what spatial magic does?"
There was a brief pause. Then–
"Basically," Oaklan said, "you can create a pocket dimension to store objects. Or establish a pathway between two points… what you would call a portal."
Blaze leaned forward slightly. "…I like that already."
Oaklan ignored him. "You may also observe distant locations," he continued. "Without physically being present."
Remote viewing. Got it. "If you recall," Oaklan added, "when you entered Valerión from human lands… Princess Elariel was the one who created the portal. Is that correct?"
I blinked once. "…yeah." And then– My brain kicked in. In my old world, bending space also means bending time itself with it… Well, at least in theory of course. But with spatial magic… maybe it's something I can test here, heh talk about having a cheat skill..
Oaklan continued. "Spatial magic is tied closely to elven nature," he said. "It responds to us… though in varying intensity."
I tilted my head. "…but I'm not an elf."
"And yet," Oaklan replied calmly, "the Valaerion chose you."
I blinked. "…why does that sound like an insult instead of a lesson?"
"No," Oaklan said. "But if anything, it proves one thing." I raised an eyebrow. "That it is not impossible for you to learn it."
…fair enough. Then I frowned slightly. "Remote viewing, huh…" I muttered. "Come to think of it… I never told you anything about how I entered Valerión." Oaklan didn't respond. Which meant he definitely knew something.
Blaze smirked. "…yeah, that guy's weird."
Then Oaklan stepped forward. "Watch carefully." He raised his hand. The air above it–shifted. Not visibly. But I felt it. Like something locking into place. "A spatial construct begins with an anchor," Oaklan said. "A fixed point in space." His fingers steadied. "That point must not move. Not physically. Not mentally. Your focus defines it."
I narrowed my eyes. "…so if I lose concentration, it collapses."
"Yes."
Makes sense. Then his other hand moved. "And when you establish a second anchor…" The space between his hands tightened. Not stretched. Not pulled. Just… tense. Like something invisible was being held together. "…you introduce tension."
I felt it. That pressure again. Stronger this time.
"The greater the distance between anchors," Oaklan continued, "the greater the strain."
The tension spiked. Then–It snapped back.
Gone. I exhaled slowly. "…so space doesn't like being messed with."
"It tolerates it," Oaklan corrected. "To a limit."
I smirked. Yeah. Figures. My mind was already running. Anchors = coordinates. Tension = distortion. "…so portals aren't movement," I muttered. "They're forced adjacency…"
Oaklan didn't interrupt. "…and storage isn't containment," I added, "it's folding space inward." A pause. Then–
"…correct."
Blaze blinked. "…I have no idea what you just said."
"Don't worry," I replied. "I barely do either." Then I tilted my head. "…what happens if you push it too far?"
Oaklan's gaze sharpened slightly. "For example?" I shrugged. "…compressing distance beyond what should be possible." Silence. Then–
"The structure destabilizes," he said. "If your anchors cannot sustain the strain… the Loom corrects itself."
"…violently?"
"Yes."
I grinned slightly. Yeah. Rubber band logic.
Just… way more dangerous. I leaned back.
"…so space isn't something you move through…" Oaklan stayed silent. I finished it anyway. "…it's something you define." A beat.
"…correct." Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"And that," he added, "is precisely why you must be careful."
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You are not treating this as magic."
Ah. There it is. I scratched my cheek. "…and that's a problem?"
Oaklan didn't hesitate. "Yes."
A grin slipped out anyway. Yeah…That sounded like a problem. For everyone else. I let the silence sit for a second. "…hey," I said, scratching the back of my head slightly, "can I ask one more thing?"
Oaklan didn't move. "What is it?" I shifted my weight a bit. "Back in Valerión… their scholars did something like that remote viewing thing," I said. "But it wasn't real-time."
Oaklan's gaze sharpened just slightly. "…go on."
"It showed events from three days before we even got there," I continued. "Like… it already happened, but they were watching it anyway." A brief pause.
"I see," Oaklan said calmly. "What about it?"
I looked straight at him. "…can you teach me that?"
Blaze perked up immediately. "Oh, now that sounds fun."
Oaklan didn't even react to him. "Not yet," he said. Yeah. Figures.
"You must begin with the fundamentals," he continued. "And you must be able to maintain them."
I clicked my tongue quietly."…right." Of course it wasn't going to be that easy.. Well, that sucks… I leaned back slightly, folding my arms again as my thoughts started running. But if it can view the past… even just a few days… then maybe…My eyes narrowed a bit. Just maybe… I can use it to figure out what they keep talking about when it comes to this "dragon's malice." Because clearly, That wasn't just a random label. Whatever the reason is. It happened years ago.
Which meant, this isn't going to be easy. I exhaled slowly. But if I can get the anchors right… and if my mana holds… Yeah. It might be possible. Still… basics first. I scratched my cheek again. I could just abuse my copy skill and skip the process… but where's the fun in that? And more importantly, I can't let them know I have that skill. Not here and not now. Not with people already looking at me like I'm a problem. Information like that… yeah. That's the kind that causes trouble if it leaks. So yeah. I'll keep that to myself. For now.
Oaklan stepped forward again. "Focus," he said. Right. Back to reality. He raised his hand once more. The air shifted again–That same feeling. That lock. "A single anchor," he said. "No more."
I nodded. "…got it." I closed my eyes for a second. Then opened them again. Alright. Coordinate. Fix it. Don't let it move. I raised my hand slowly, mimicking his motion. The air in front of me–…nothing. Yeah. Of course. I frowned slightly. Focus. Not mana first. Position. I adjusted. Imagined a point. Not distance. Not direction. Just–A place.
Something clicked. Barely. The air in front of my fingertip–tightened. Just a little. "…huh."
Blaze leaned in. "Oh, you did something."
I didn't answer. Because I felt it. That faint… resistance. Like something was being pinned down.
"…don't move," Oaklan said calmly.
Yeah. I wasn't planning to. I held it..Focused.
Locked. For a second, Two, Then–It slipped.
The pressure vanished instantly. Like it was never there. "…damn." I lowered my hand.
But Oaklan didn't look disappointed. If anything–"…though brief," he said, "that was a proper anchor."
I blinked. "…seriously?"
"For a first attempt," he continued, "that is commendable."
Huh. Didn't expect that.
"Your control has improved," Oaklan added. "Your training with Ravenshard is evident."
I exhaled slightly. "…guess getting beaten up repeatedly has its benefits."
Elandor, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. "He's right," he said. "You've improved a lot."
I glanced at him. "…wow. You actually said something positive."
"Don't get used to it."
"…yeah, there it is." Blaze snickered. I rolled my shoulder once, flexing my fingers. Alright. So that's step one. Anchors.
End of chapter.