Memoirs of A Second Life

Vast Potential

For the past three years, Father had been training me in the Dance of Blades and Eskrima, day in, day out. I've become quite accustomed to the use of swords and blunt weapons, but I'm quite fond with the use of tonfas above all else.

Every afternoon, I would have to practice my martial skills on a dummy that my mother fashioned out of hay bales, cotton, ropes, and straws. Every time I made enough damage to it, the practice dummy would revert back to its original state.

At first, it caught me off-guard, but after a day of abusing the inanimate object with my strikes, I got used to seeing it recover.

 Aside from practicing how to fight with weapons and hand to hand combat, my mother, Esfir, has been training me in the art of spellcasting.

She even gave me a book of simple spells that I can practice on my own. And as I read through it, I figured out the fundamentals of casting magic. It borrows the four elements theory that Plato proposed. There are six fundamental elements in this world. Fire, earth, wind, and water are the four elements. Additionally, the true elements are light and dark. These two elements are said to have existed since the dawn of time, and only a handful of people in this world were capable of harnessing those elements.

Mother was well versed in the use of water, wind, and earth magic, while father only knows how to use fire. The simple healing spell he used was a derivative of fire elements, but he said that it wasn't quite as effective as the other elements in terms of healing.

According to this book, "The Four Elements" written by Lazuli Granblue, there are four ways to use magic. The first, and most basic, was to use offensive spells. Second, magic could be used defensively for protection or healing. Third would be hex and trap magics. The last and rarest of all was bodily enhancement. Many mages and sorcerers live throughout their lives never learning how to cast the fourth form of magic.

In the vast lands of Ragna, a town west of Liberio's capital, there was a large plain with no trees, and not much creatures abound. There, mother would teach me how to cast spells.

However, all the spells written within this book were not as potent as the one my mother had shown me. The first spell she showed me was a simple one. She pointed her index finger forward and shouted, "Rajada!"

A turbulent gust of wind formed before her fingers and shot across the field like a bullet. Blades of grass flung upwards in the trajectory of her spell, and when it reached a certain point, the air imploded. The place where the air imploded created a relatively large hole. All the greeneries that once stood there had been uprooted, and the ground was thrown into disarray.

I ran towards the hollow spot, bewildered by what just happened. I looked at Esfir, and said, "Wow, Mother! That was incredible!"

She shook her head and chuckled. "It's not that impressive. There are far more powerful spells in my arsenal, but I can't show them to you yet. For now, I'd like to see you learn that basic spell. It's your turn, my love."

Esfir helped me correct my posture. My left hand was pointed forward along with my index finger. She told me to focus on a target and imagine how I perceived her spell earlier. Then, I took a deep breath, and I could feel something surging inside me.

My heart was racing, and my temples were pulsating. With every breath I take in, the more energy I feel inside. And slowly, I closed my eyes and remembered how she cast the spell.

"Rajada!" I shouted with all my might.

Unbeknownst to me, mana was forming at the tip of my finger. It launched the second I shouted the spell's name, and it was just as swift, if not faster than my mother's rajada.

To my surprise, my spell accidentally hit a large boulder nearby, and it shattered upon collision.

When I turned to look at Esfir, she was covering her mouth in shock.

"You're incredible, Altair!" she exclaimed.

I... really did that?

I stared at my hands in the bewilderment of a child, and felt ecstatic. That was magic, wasn't it?

Mother glanced at the shards of rock in the distance and slowly raised her arm while coiling her hand into a fist.

"Forma," she whispered.

 Before my very eyes, the boulder returned to its original state.

It was then that something dawned on me. "Why do you have to say the names of the spells to cast them?" I asked her.

Esfir pondered for a moment and looked at me with curiosity. "I'm surprised that that's your question, but it is a good one," she said.

"We say the names of the spell like a conditioned command. It reminds our brains of what the spell looks like, how to cast it, and how much mana our body needs to expend to cast the spell," she explained. Then, she pounded her right fist over her left palm, and continued, "In reality, what matters is the imagery we build in our head. The foundation of the spell is what we want it to be, how much mana it requires to form the spell, and a level of concentration that you need to have to cast it."

Upon listening to her explanation, I imagined a light forming around my body. I could feel a surge of mana coursing through my very veins, and a warmth light coated me. I could hear a faint buzzing in my ear while I closed my eyes and focused on the imagery that I wanted.

My brown hair was fluttering about, and there was a slightly strong gust of wind circling around me. I opened my eyes and stared at my hands, and then at Esfir.

Her eyes were widened in shock, and it looked like she was at a loss for words.

I clenched my fists and I swear, I could feel myself becoming stronger. It was an odd feeling, but it didn't feel bad. Then, I imagined myself dashing towards the boulder I just crushed and within the blink of an eye, I was there.

I was caught off-guard at first, but I swung my fist against the boulder. Upon impact, the boulder cracked, and slowly fell apart.

Just as I was in awe of what I had done, my vision became blurry. I looked at my mother and saw her running towards me. Suddenly, I lost consciousness.

I had no idea what happened after that, but when I woke up, I was in bed, and Lianna was taking care of me.

It seems that I overexerted myself. I don't even know what the hell happened earlier.

"Young master, you're finally awake!" Lianna exclaimed.

"Hey, Lianna. What... happened?"

"Your mother brought you home yesterday. She said that you passed out during training. You've been out cold since last afternoon," she said worriedly.

Just then, we heard a knock on the door. It was my father, Azlan. "You awake yet, Altair?" he said nonchalantly.

I nodded at him, and he gestured me to get up and follow him. We then went downstairs and found my mother speaking to what looked like female mage. She was donning a white cloak, and holding a large wooden staff. At the head of the staff was a red crystal ball.

Yep. That's definitely a mage.

"Is this your son?" asked the mage.

Esfir nodded at the mage and then gestured me to come closer.

I reached my hand out and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Altair van Astrea."

The mage shook my hand and replied, "The honor is mine, young master. From today on, I, Teofila Ludica shall be your magic tutor."

I looked at my mother, confused by the situation. She noticed that I was flummoxed, so she explained, "Altair, from what I've seen yesterday, I may be able to teach you the use of the basic elements, but I won't be able to draw out your vast potential. In my ten years of teaching at the academy, I've never even met anyone who is capable of using light magic."

Esfir paused to glance at Teofila. "Well, aside from Teo here," she added.

"I am hardly an expert, but I shall do what I can to teach you how to properly use your powers, young master," Teofila remarked while smiling at me. Then, I realized that her eyes gleamed golden.

It was strange to see such brightly colored eyes for the first time, but I must say, they were strangely enchanting. Teofila's shoulder-length black hair perfectly framed her petite face.

Mother mentioned that Teofila was the same age as she was, but Teofila was hardly a head taller than I.

Today, Teofila and I went back to the field mother and I trained in yesterday. Teofila spun her staff around and slammed it to the ground shortly afterwards. "Forma," she whispered.

Gradually, a large square of rock formations sprang forth from the ground, similar to an arena. It was 200 meters long, and 50 meters wide based on my assumption.

Could Teofila be stronger than my mother?

"From here on out, you are my student, and we shall address each other as such. I shall call you by your first name, and you will address me as 'Master', got it?" Teofila said to me as she walked to the middle of the arena.

I looked at her and nodded. "Yes, Master Teo!"

"Alright, Altair! Show me what you've got!" she commanded.

I should probably not use the spell I used yesterday that made me pass out. Frankly, I don't even know if I can replicate it. But maybe... I can use the same method as a rajada?

I pictured a ball of light, fashioned in the same way as a rajada. Mana in the form of light condensed at the tip of my finger, and I looked straight into Master Teo's eyes. She nodded at me, implying that I shouldn't hold back.

But before I released it, a turbulent gust coated the ball of light that was now at the tip of my finger. "Rajada de Luz!" I commanded.

For a moment, I could see that Master Teo was surprised, but she firmly held her staff in front of her. At the point of impact, a near invisible barrier halted my attack. It looked like there was a light barrier protecting my master, and it didn't take long for her to dispel my magic.

But when it did disappear, I noticed beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Impressive," she remarked.

"It seems that Esfir has already taught you how to use fusion magic," she added.

"Fusion magic?" I asked, sounding ignorant yet again.

Master Teo was surprised by the way I reacted, and she gathered that I had not been taught before. "I see," she said knowingly.

"What you demonstrated just now is a form of fusion magic, albeit a bit too crude for my taste..." Master Teo said while trailing off. "But I must admit, Esfir is right. Your potential is unimaginable. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that you can surpass both of us someday!"