He then swept his hand, and without another word, ushered them onward.
"Lesson Two; Mana Control. Today, you will use your pure intent to shape water. Not by channeling a preset spell, but by molding nature with your own energy."
Without delay, Tashi led them to a shallow basin nearby, filled with clear, cool water. "Form a sphere of water solely by will. Use no incantation, only your resolve."
"But how do we do that?" Kaelen asked, puzzled by Tashi's instruction.
"What do you feel when you use any skill" Tashi asked the boys
"I feel a warm sensation coursing throughout my body" Jered replied
"Correct," with a nod Tashi continued "that is your own mana working inside your body now what you need to do is to recollect those feelings again and use that to try to manipulate the water in front of you".
Kaelen dipped his hand into the basin, his brow furrowing as he focused on an image of a perfect, flowing sphere. Slowly, he felt the liquid responding to an unseen tug. With trembling determination, he raised his hand. The water quivered, rose, and after a few heartbeats of concentration it formed a small orb of liquid light hovering above his palm.
Kaelen had succeeded in his first try showing his innate talent. But Jered wasn't able to form his own sphere of water molded by sheer concentration and will power.
Jered, though still recovering physically, marveled. "I… if only I could do that," he murmured, voice laced with both admiration and envy.
Tashi's eyes sparkled with approval. "Perfect. You, too, must learn to harness the elements in your own way. Control your mana as though it were a part of you. In battle, you will not have time for elaborate spells. Speed, precision, and raw emotion will be your most potent tools."
"Why can't I do it, if this idiot can" Jered thought. While placing his finger on his forehead he looks at the water basin again with intense gaze, his eyes almost popping out.
But nothing happened. And as Kaelen took a peek at what Jered was doing
"Yo! what are you doing?"
"What else I'm trying to control the water" Jered replied.
"What are you a psychic?, you are doing it all wrong" Kaelen was amused by his companion and he corrected him.
"Use the mana in your body and control it with your will, not just staring at it".
Jered replied coolly "I'm just trying out a new method".
He did not admit his mistake but deep inside he was flushed red with embarrassment
"How could I not realise that.. ah… so embarrassing"
They practiced for what felt like hours lifting water, molding it, letting it cascade back into the basin, and then trying again. Between bouts of concentrated silence and bursts of frustrated laughter, the morning slipped by.
As the sun climbed higher, beads of sweat glistened on both boys' foreheads. Kaelen's arms ached from the effort, and Jered's still-recovering body protested every movement. Yet in those moments, something intangible had been forged, a mutual understanding of what it meant to truly wield power in Eldraus.
Finally, Tashi clapped his hands. "Enough for today. Remember this, in the chaos of battle, when death hovers near and every second counts, you must act not with rote incantations, but with pure intent and conviction."
He studied their tired faces. "Tomorrow you will be doing the same thing and it will not stop there. You have to learn to control not just water but everything that can be manipulated.
Jered managed a wry smile and asked "Will there ever be a combat class".
"No, not until the end of this semester" Tashi replied without second thoughts.
Kaelen only laughed softly, the sound bittersweet with pain and exhilaration. "I think I'd rather face chaos now than be stuck with endless lectures."
Tashi's gaze softened for a moment as he watched the two boys. "In Eldraus, no man can survive with just sheer brute strength alone. There are countless monsters with higher intelligence, not just brainless monsters. Today, you took your first steps."
Later that night, as the training courtyard fell silent and the academy's corridors echoed with distant footsteps, Kaelen lay awake in his small room.
His body ached from the morning's exertions, but still he was still training determined to become stronger than ever, the feeling of hopelessness when they were overpowered by the monsters has cut deep in his memories and he never wants to experience it again.
Kaelen was practicing mana manipulation with water again ,first he turned the water into ball shape then he made it square,.he tried turning it into several other shapes then lastly he stopped playing with it as it turned into the shape of the skipper, then he punched the water skipper making the room floor wet. His hatred towards it was evident.
"Ahh damn it, I shouldn't have done that" Kaelen regretted his actions. And after wiping the floor dry he went to his bed ready to sleep.
He closed his eyes. And murmured to himself "I'll never let anyone get hurt because of me again" and after a few second pause he continued "I'll be the strongest".
Kaelen fell asleep with a smile as he dreams of what he wants to become later in life.