The Next Day
"Yesterday, I didn't get the chance to try mana absorption because I had to suckle on Mila's teats," Arth muttered, a little embarrassed. "But today... today I'll give it a shot. Grandpa's gone to meet the Dragon King, so the coast is clear."
Indeed, his previous attempt had been completely derailed. Mila had taken her responsibility to feed him quite seriously—as she should—making sure he didn't starve. After he was full of warm milk, she had cuddled and pampered him like a fragile doll. Not that he hated it... but it was definitely not conducive to mana training.
By the time she was done fussing over him, night had fallen, and he never got a moment of solitude. There was always someone hovering around, watching, cooing, checking in on the 'adorable little baby'. So, the opportunity slipped away.
Today, however, things were slightly different—though only slightly. His grandfather had extended his visit to the Dragon King by another day and had instructed everyone else to look after Arth in his absence. That meant people would still be around... but maybe, just maybe, he could sneak in some time to work on himself like yesterday.
"Alright... let's begin!" he said with a small grin.
He opened the book, quickly skimming through the pages to double-check the details of the mana absorption technique. He didn't want to make any mistakes this time.
"Like an open vessel... let the rain of mana be poured into my body," he chanted softly, quoting the line from the book.
Taking a deep breath, Arth sat down and assumed the lotus position, crossing his legs, arms resting on his knees. He closed his eyes and started controlling his breathing—slow, steady inhales and gentle exhales in a calm, rhythmic pattern.
His thoughts began to quiet.
Since he had already sensed mana before, it didn't take long this time either. Within a minute, he could once again feel the subtle presence of mana in the air around him. It came to him naturally, like drinking water or breathing air.
'Relax and be open…' he reminded himself, allowing his mind to settle further.
He was surrounded by soft orbs—balls of mana—floating gently in the space around him. Yesterday, he hadn't realized it, but now he noticed a new detail: he could actually sense the density of each mana orb.
Some were light and faint—barely there—while others were thick, saturated, heavy with power.
So he focused harder.
He concentrated on the sensations around him, yet kept his mind as still and peaceful as possible. But despite his efforts, nothing happened. The mana didn't flow into him the way the book had described. It just lingered, unmoving, drifting around him like lazy fireflies.
An hour passed...
Still nothing. Not even a twitch in the energy surrounding him.
Another hour crawled by...
Two full hours of silence. The mana still floated idly, as if ignoring his existence.
And then—just as he was beginning to lose hope—another hour ticked by... and something changed.
One of the faintest, shallowest mana orbs moved. Just a little. Just enough to make a difference.
'Yes! This is it!' Arth's patience, which had been hanging by a thread, suddenly surged sky-high with excitement. His body remained still, but inside, he was buzzing.
The tiny shift in that one mana orb was enough to electrify him. After hours of sitting still like a statue, even a flicker of progress felt like a victory.
The smallest success—but it meant everything.
Arth's heart raced like an eager pup finally let off the leash.
Well, he was starting to get a little frustrated. Despite his hours of intense focus and effort—despite doing everything by the book and presenting himself as the perfect vessel—nothing had really happened. The mana refused to respond.
But then, with just that one small movement, something clicked inside him. He had caught the gist of it—something subtle, something unspoken in the book's instructions.
'Let my body go loose…' he thought to himself.
He allowed the tension to drain from his muscles, letting go of the stiff, upright posture he had maintained for so long. Instead of keeping his back straight and rigid, he shifted into a more natural, relaxed position—still sitting, but slightly hunched, more comfortable.
It wasn't just about inner calm, he realized. The book had emphasized relaxing the mind, but true receptiveness seemed to require physical relaxation as well. The moment he eased into this state—both body and mind at peace—the effects became instantly noticeable.
The mana orbs around him, previously idle and still, began to drift slowly toward him.
Very slowly.
But that was fine.
The book had mentioned this stage: at first, the mana moves at a crawl. But once the first bit of mana enters your body—once your internal mana storage is awakened—you begin to absorb it more easily. Like a vacuum, you start pulling it in, faster and faster, until your storage is full.
This part of the process was tedious, yes. Boring, even. But it was necessary. These were the fundamentals. Without them, no one could amount to anything in this world—a world built upon the foundation of magic.
Half an hour passed.
Gradually, the floating spheres of mana—dense and light alike—began gathering closer to him. As they neared, he felt a subtle warmth spreading around him, like a gentle embrace. Even though mana was said to be an inanimate energy, he couldn't help but feel it had some strange, living quality—like curious animals cautiously approaching a new friend.
'Finally! Let's gooo!' he thought, barely able to contain his excitement.
One of the smaller orbs floated close and gently touched his skin. A second later, it passed through and entered his body.
He braced himself for the sting the book had warned about. But... nothing. No pain. No discomfort. In fact, it was the complete opposite.
The sensation was strangely soothing—a gentle, calming warmth that spread through his chest like warm tea on a cold morning.
He could feel it traveling, guided by some instinctual current, moving slowly but surely toward a place deep inside him.
His mana storage which was his heart.
And when it finally reached it…
*****
I might have stretched this...