“When are we going to practice magic again, Kal?” Ellie bemoaned as she, Kal, Arix, and Zander strolled home from school.

  “Well, how are the self-led lessons going? Able to form any basic spells yet?”

  “Kinda…” Ellie said. “I got some frost to form yesterday.”

  “Yeah, a little frost isn’t going to cut it, sorry.”

  “I can’t even do that,” Arix slumped.

  Kal’s gaze fell warily on Arix.

  He might not be possessed anymore, but having a corrupted core can’t be good.

  Kal could still see all of Arix’s core details, but he doubted anyone else could. That wasn’t how cores worked… usually, at least not without a proper ritual. It wasn’t even just his demonic core. He couldn’t even see Bougie and Wort’s cores the way he could Arix’s. There was something about the exorcism that had linked them.

  If they want to practice magic, that’s a pretty good excuse to return to the burrow. I can use it as an opportunity to inspect Arix’s core further.

  “Waste of time, I say,” Zander said. “You all need to spend more time practicing the blade and less on dorky things like magic.”

  “Oh, shut it, mob-head. No one cares about your way of the blade nonsense.”

  “Kal does. Tell her, Kal. Tell her all about the blade.”

  “Stop picking fights with Zander, Ellie. I’ll help you practice your magic, okay?”

  “You heard him,” Zander glared across at Ellie.

  “I’ll stop, but only for Kal,” Ellie wagged her tongue back.

  “Whatever, I’ve got bigger things to worry about. Have fun playing magic; I’ve got knightly things to do.”

  “Later, nerd—I mean—knight,” Ellie waved.

  “You watch that girl, Kal. She’s bad news,” Zander said as he broke away from the group. “Very, very bad news.”

  “Stupid mophead.”

  ***

  “Stop looking at the geckos, Ellie; I think you’re making them uncomfortable.”

  “I’m not,” Ellie said, peering out the corner of one eye.

  “You think I can’t see that you’ve got one eye open? You’re supposed to be meditating.”

  “Fine,” Ellie sighed and closed her eyes. “So, why did they decide to just stick around?”

  “Like I said,” Kal repeated his explanation. “Bougie and Wort were tricked by the monster that possessed Arix. Just leave them be. They’re useful and not causing any problems.”

  “For now,” she shot back.

  “It’s okay now, Bougie. The weird one isn’t looking anymore.”

  “What a creeper,” Bougie said.

  “Hey, I’m not a creep!”

  “Meditate,” Kal reminded.

  “Fine!”

  “My mother isn’t going to be happy about me getting my pants all dirty,” Arix said, shuffling on the damp, dirt floor.

  “Well, this is all we have. And I don’t want my father to see me training you two anymore. He’s always got something to say about it,” Kal said.

  “You think we’re gonna be able to cast basic spells soon, Kal?” Ellie asked.

  He mightn’t have known when, but Kal didn’t doubt Ellie would awaken her core at some point. She had always had good mana potential. Arix, on the other hand…

  “Maybe. It will be hard with your available mana, but if you keep training a select spell, you might be able to increase your efficiency enough to cast it. However, all training and meditation will get you closer to reaching Stage 2. That’s when you become a real mage.”

  “You were casting spells at Stage 1.”

  “Yeah, well, not everyone has as much mana as me,” Kal said.

  “I just want to cast something cool,” Ellie groaned. “I was kinda hoping it would happen before we graduated this year.”

  “Well, clear your mind and stop looking at the geckos.”

  Kal had to admit it wasn’t just Ellie and Arix having those thoughts. He himself wanted to cast second circle spells before graduation.

  He had started practicing a second circle spell called Minor Clone. Kal had managed to cast the spell a few times, but it drained the entirety of his mana, and half the time, he didn’t even manage to finish the spell.

  The spell was an attempt to round out his skill set more. Minor Clone was the weakest spell in the Clone series and essentially couldn’t do anything besides walk and run. It was, however, a great distraction. But that was fine for Kal’s interests.

  He felt that his offense and defense were good enough for now; what he needed was an ace or a trick card that he could use to get the edge on an opponent.

  Ellie snapped her eyes closed again.

  “Focusing on your training is the only way you’re going to reach your goals,” Kal reminded her.

  Arix began to hum a lullaby.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Arix? I’m trying to focus here.”

  “It’s how I focus. My mom used to sing this to me.”

  “Well, focus silently like a normal person.”

  “Come on, Ellie. You need to learn to focus on blocking out distractions. This isn’t like awakening your core. Gaining the level of control over your mana that you’ll need to cast spells requires a natural bond that shouldn’t be broken as easily as someone humming beside you.”

  “If you say so,” Ellie growled.

  She certainly doesn't look relaxed.

  Kal's eyes widened as mana swirled in her palm, forming a tiny, icy whirlwind.

  “Ellie,” he mouthed.

  “Aww, it's just too hard,” Ellie groaned, slamming her hands against the ground and dispelling the whirlwind.

  “You did it.”

  “Huh?” Arix’s lids fluttered open.

  “You did it, Ellie,” Kal shot forward, grabbing her shoulders and shaking. “You actually did it. You formed a basic spell.”

  “I did?” Ellie cocked her head, mouth slightly ajar.

  “Yes,” Kal nodded, eyes wide and fixed on hers.

  “Seriously? I knew I could do it. I knew I could cast a stupid spell. Take that, you big, dumb mophead and your stupid sword,” Ellie yelled, jumping up and spinning as she flung fists through the air. “I actually cast a spell.”

  “Well, kinda. You formed a basic spell, but you kinda dispelled it prematurely.”

  “Let me try again,” Ellie held out her hand.

  “Wait up. Take a moment to rest. You just drained your mana core. You won’t be able to cast anything for a while. But don’t worry, a drained mana core is the best time to train your meditation further.”

  “You know what, Kal?”

  “What?”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “I think I’m starting to hate you,” Ellie growled.

  “It’s all part of the process,” Kal chuckled. “Trust me, this is how you’ll learn magic.”

  “Fine, but you better be right,” Ellie said, dropping back down, closing her eyes, and exhaled. “But I’m blaming you if this doesn’t work, Kal.”

  Oh, nice! I was starting to get worried I wouldn’t unlock any more of these things.

  Hours later…

  “Look at it go,” Ellie beamed at the icy whirlwind spun from her hand, dying out as it hit the burrow’s wall.

  “Wow, amazing,” Arix said. “You can actually use magic, Ellie.”

  “Why do you sound surprised?”

  “Interesting. My basic spell casting never took a form quite like that,” Kal mused. “This must be related to your Divine Core. I’m going to have to do more research into this.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s freaking cool,” Ellie cheered.

  ***

  Ellie's little icy whirlwind wasn’t particularly interesting in and of itself. It was the fact that he couldn’t do it that intrigued Kal.

  Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, his mana wouldn’t obey his wishes, and it refused to form as Ellie had made it.

  When this failed, Kal researched Divine spells. While the word divine connotes religion, Divine Core spells were very much magic, as were the other three core archetypes available to humans. The same went for Demonic magic and likely any other archetypes that were out there, he guessed.

  In fact, it seemed that the reason it was named Divine had more to do with the kind of spells it governed. Kal thought it would be more aptly named Life Core since the spells ranged from helping plants grow to healing and strengthening the body.

  Soothe was one of the most basic Divine spells, and based on what Kal read, it was commonly taught to young Divine casters.

  It was a simple healing spell, though its effects were minor. However, it was quite effective at reducing pain and burns.

  Kal hadn’t wanted to try learning another first-circle spell, but he wanted to confirm his theory, so he spent several days trying to learn Soothe.

  His intent had never been to perfect the spell, but he figured that his available mana was enough that even if he only had basic know-how of the spell, he’d be able to cast it. But he couldn’t.

  No matter how hard Kal tried, he couldn’t form even the foundations of the spell.

  So, I guess this confirms my theory. Demonic cores can’t cast Divine spells. I suppose it makes sense. Not only that, but basic spells are somehow defined by your core type. I wonder why this wasn’t explained in the books.

  There wasn’t much point in delving too deeply into the thought. Ultimately, basic magic was basic for a reason. And while summoning pure elements had their uses, it was best not to rely too heavily on them. Besides, there were better ways to go about elemental magic if you really wanted to use it.

  ***

  Kal didn’t care too much about graduation drawing near, but the examination year was something entirely different.

  He barely went to school after Principal Dore had allowed him to cut classes, and graduation wasn’t required for Mage Academy.

  Every moment he got alone, he trained in the den. Practicing either his Minor Clone spell or forming twirling balls of concentrated wind magic at different locations across his body and then releasing the energy.

  Minor Clone couldn’t do much. He couldn’t see from its eyes, nor could it do any task that was even a little complicated. However, it could sleep in his bed and fool Yandi into believing he was home when he was out at the burrow training.

  Unfortunately, his little wind trick wasn’t proving as useful. It was extremely unpredictable and exhaustive on his mana supplies. At most, he could cast the spell once or twice between needing to rest, and since it was a movement spell, that really wasn’t good since he would need to reserve enough mana for offensive spells as well.

  Furthermore, the explosive bursts often sent him flying uncontrollably through the air. He could counter-burst to slow or stop himself if he had enough mana remaining, but that meant enough more mana to use the spell effectively.

  Spells were almost like constellations—maps designed to focus mana in a practiced way that reduced waste and maximize effectiveness. Meditating on the spells he did know, Kal studied the mapping of both Magic Bullet and Mana Whip.

  He chose Magic Bullet because it was similar in that it quickly shot out a powerful burst of magical energy, and Mana Whip because of its focus on control.

  Kal had read many books about the theory of spell crafting, and he knew that it was extremely difficult, and most mages couldn’t even sense why or how mapped mana points affected the spells they were used to create. But not Kal. To him, it felt intuitive, and without even mastering his spells, he sensed the ebb and flow that made them useful.

  Of course, it wasn’t just efficiency. You had no know how and why a certain mapping would create the desired spell effect. However, Kal already knew that. He was already using the spell in a basic form. Mapping was just a means to make it efficient enough to actually use effectively.

  As he thought about spell crafting, Magical beings entered his thoughts. Not just demons fell into this category, but all creatures born with cores like his own. That has to be why I can sense the flow of mana so easily.

  Taking inspiration from the two spells, Kal remapped them so that the bursts of power along the control points were smaller. There were also points that dictated how the mana was formed, which Kal simplified. It wasn’t the same as basic casting, but it was akin to pure bursts of mana that would shoot out before forming something like the Magic Bullets.

  Okay, let’s give this a try.

  Sprinting across the burrow’s muddy floor, Kal jumped and engaged Mana Step—the impromptu name he had given his spell—whipping his head back as the spell’s moment sent him flying forward. Inches from the far wall, he barely managed to shoot another Mana Step, slowing him enough to crash against the wall gently.

  Falling to the ground, Kal bounced back to his feet. “It worked,” he cheered, wiping dirt from his face.

  “What was that, Bossman?” Wort said, shuffling toward him.

  “You okay?” Bougie followed a step behind.

  “I’m fine. Just testing out a new spell,” Kal said, propping himself up against the wall as he recovered.

  “Wow, Bossman is creating his own spells. Told you he was a proper fiend.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Bougie rolled his eyes.

  “Please stop calling me a fiend. Someone is going to hear you one day.”

  “Right, sorry, Bossman,” Wort nodded apologetically.

  Since the spell followed Arcane mapping principles, it had formed in the Arcane archetype, Kal realized as he inspected it with his mind’s eye.

  Mana's consumption was pretty good. If I can master using this spell, it’ll be a great addition to my arsenal.

  As much potential as his little spell had, it made Kal wonder about his core. Each of the human cores had spells that fell within their domain, and there was no question that mages should focus first and foremost on spells within their dominant domain.

  “Hey, Wort.”

  “Yes, Bossman?”

  “Do you know any demonic spells?”

  “Demon spells? Ahh, of course I do? You do realize I’m a fiendling, right?”

  “Can you teach me them?”

  “I guess so,” Wort looked perplexed. The last thing he likely expected was for someone with a real fiend’s core to ask him, a lowly fiendling, to teach them magic.

  “That would be great,” Kal grinned.

  ***

  “Why are you looking so smug today, kid?”

  “Me? I dunno what you’re talking about,” Kal shrugged as he walked into the training dojo.

  “Yeah, right,” Yogi drew his training sword. “Your smartass attitude is bad enough as it is normally, but that shit eater grin plastered on your face is really pissing me off.”

  ‘Is it?” Kal cracked his neck as he grabbed his sword.

  “Okay, you asked for it. Today’s gonna be an educational day for you,” Yogi said, stepping back behind the white line that split the dojo.

  The other kids went silent, watching as Yogi squared up.

  “I’m going to be your training partner. It’s about time I showed you a thing or two about what it means to be a swordsman.”

  There’s no way I’d stand a chance against Yogi normally, but lets see how he handles my new spell.

  Kal had already used the basic form of his spell once against Zander, but now, with its vastly improved efficiency, he could use his Mana Step properly.

  His sword training was coming along nicely and was well above average for his age, but in a pure swordfight, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Zander, let alone an experienced fighter like Yogi.

  A few yards separated the two. They waited for another student to wave his hand, signaling the start of the sparring session, and Yogi lunged forward, his dulled training blade shooting out at incredible speed.

  They had sparred before, but it seemed Kal’s smirk had really pissed Yogi off; because he had never seen the guard lieutenant move this fast.

  Rolling back on his heels, Kal attempted to move out of range while blocking, but he was nowhere near quick enough to keep up.

  Engaging Mana Step, Kal shot backward and out of range in a flash. But his eyes widened in shock a second later as Yogi’s strikes swung through the air in a rhythm fashion that gave not a second of reprieve as they formed a relentless combination.

  “Every attack should be a combo, kid!” Yogi roared as his blade twisted from one direction to another in fluid motions.

  Another burst of mana sent Kal flying out of range again and sailing into the wall at his back. However, the relief was only brief as the skilled swordsman closed the distance.

  “Think I don't know that?” Kal said, immediately shooting himself to the right, dodging a quick thrust.

  “Your magic makes you cocky!” Yogi twirled with his thrust, barely missing Kal by an inch as he swung around.

  Not good, draining through mana quick.

  “Getting tired, kid?” Yogi taunted, swinging from left to right.

  Gotta finish this now!

  Bouncing back, Kal shot himself up as Yogi thrust low and shot the last of his mana into another Mana Step mid-air, sending him hurling back down toward Yogi, clearing his head by barely an inch.

  There!

  Kal swung, slapping Yogi’s back with his blunt sword.

  What? Kal pupils dilated as the stubborn brute ignored his strike and pivoted around, slamming his sword into Kal’s chest, sending him to the ground in a coughing fit.

  “I win, brat,” Yogi growled. “

  “You cheated. I hit first,” Kal groaned. “You should have yielded.”

  “Yeah, and this was a swordfight, or did you forget? You know, I’m pretty sure using magic in a sword duel is also considered cheating.”

  “I could've used offensive magic,” Kal coughed.

  ‘Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Next time, don't cheat. If you want to practice your magic, find a mage to train with. I only agreed to help you improve your swordsmanship.”

  “Sorry,” Kal caught his breath. “I should have said something. I just wanted to see how combining magic into my sword fighting would work.”

  Yogi studied Kal for an awkward moment. “Fine. You can do that bouncing around stuff, but nothing else.”

  “Wait, really?” Kal pulled himself up.

  “Yeah, I suppose. Maybe I was a little harsh. If you're going to incorporate those spells into your sword fighting, then I suppose it makes sense to train them.”

  “Thanks. Would’ve been nice to say that before you hit me, though.”

  “Yeah, well, you pulled that shit out without asking me. Besides, I needed to teach you a lesson for that stupid smirk you walked in here wearing.”