It took me three days to figure out how to freely shape the water I’d created with mana.

  Once the water mana was created, I had to quickly end the feeling of water in my body, revert it to raw mana, control that raw mana, and wrap it around the water I created before it lost its connection to my body. If I just slammed mana into it carelessly, the water shattered before it could take form. Instead, I needed to catch the water, as if suspended in air, and contain it.

  It was easier said than done.

  In front of Jessie, in the middle of the afternoon, I finally held a perfect ball of water in my palm.

  Shit, that took so long. How stupid am I? I’m just glad Jessie didn’t give up on me, or—

  “Wow! You’re a prodigy,” uttered Jessie as she watched me hold a perfectly round ball of water in my hand. “Usually, it takes longer.”

  “How much longer?”

  “A month or so. It took me three weeks. I used to feel proud about that, but what does that matter now?” Jessie frowned. “It doesn’t feel good to teach a prodigy, you know. Dammit. All I can think about is how much better you’ll be than me at my age. I’m going to tell myself it’s because you’re a devil, and you have white eyes.” She sighed. “Yeah. Slightly better now.”

  Oh. Never mind. Am I amazing? Or is this kind of thing just intuitive for me? Huh. Not sure.

  We were in the same place as our first lesson. Jessie gave me plenty of vague advice, but I could tell from her teaching style that she wanted me to figure things out independently.

  “Now that you’ve created a shape with mana, it shouldn’t burst when you put power into it,” said Jessie. “Think of it like your element is wearing armor. Just funnel an appropriate amount of strength into it and aim somewhere.”

  Effortlessly, I did just that. I pointed my hand at a nearby tree, forced mana into my hand like I did the first time I tried manipulating mana, and many times after, and fired.

  The ball soared from my hand significantly faster than I could ever have hoped to throw it. There was a sickening ‘thwack’ noise as it bashed against the bark. The wood sunk inward slightly, but the tree didn’t break, nor was the injury noticeable without squinting.

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  I frown. “That sucked.”

  “What did you expect? You’re a weak little brat,” said Jessie.

  “My eyes are white.”

  “So? I have violet eyes, and I can confidently say I’d kick your ass in a fight. Eye color doesn’t signify power. It’s more like you have a whole cart full of supplies to work with while I’m carrying a backpack,” explained Jessie. “Yes, you’ve got white eyes, and yes, you’re going to get stronger faster than everyone else, but it doesn’t happen all at once. A fast horse doesn’t run the first day it’s born. You need time and practice.”

  “And what? I’ll be able to throw more water balls at trees?”

  Jessie frowned at my insinuation. “External mana is about creativity and form. All you did was create a ball of water, Yen. It produced as much power as it was going to.” She stood, brushed dirt from her butt, and turned to face the tree I fired my mana at. “That’s why the manipulation and power stages are important. Watch.”

  Water immediately bubbled around Jessie’s hand. Without hesitation, she slashed out her palm. Water arced toward the tree. It hit the wood, branding it with a massive slash multiple inches deep.

  “Oh,” I uttered.

  “And for good measure.” Jessie made a ball of water in her hand. It was significantly smaller than the one I made. She lifted her palm and aimed it at the tree. It shot off like a firework, smashed into the bark, and splintered it. The tree fell over, groaning until its massive frame hit the ground. “Put more force into the third step, and the attack’s much stronger.” She glanced at me. “Understand?”

  Frowning, I embarrassingly nudged Jessie with my fist. “Sorry.”

  “Try to make the arc.”

  I copied Jessie and created a powered arc of water. I was successful on my first try and cut into a different tree. While my mark was significantly smaller than Jessie’s due to our difference in experience and mana usage capabilities, it still left a gash in the bark.

  “Earth wouldn’t do something like that if you arced it. The damage would be blunter and chip at the wood unless you really refined the edges,” explained Jessie while staring at the tree. “You could get the same effect with wind, but you’d need a lot more mana in order to control it to such a fine degree. And fire doesn’t have the same consistency as those elements, so it would just hit the tree and set it ablaze. You could melt through the tree if you fueled more power into your fire. Just think through what element you’re using and how it interacts with the world. They all operate in similar and different ways—the right tool for the right job and all that. But be creative. Always be creative. Creativity is the most important thing to a mage.”

  “R-Right,” I replied as my mentor rambled slightly. “Thank you.”

  “Anyone can pick up a sword and kill someone,” continued Jessie. She remained with her eyes set on the tree as if she was seeing some sort of prophecy in the wood. “You’re young, so it’s important you know how internal and external mana work in practice, but they are two diverging paths.” She finally looked at me. “One day, you’ll have to pick a side. Pick the right one.”