TRAINING EXERCISE ONE: SPARRING
"Combat is the fastest way to force mana circulation," Myra explained, moving to the training mats. "When your body is under stress, it naturally tries to pull more power. We’re going to use that."
She gestured for him to join her.
"Basic sparring. No weapons. Just hand-to-hand. Try to hit ."
Lucian stepped onto the mat, falling into a guard stance.
Okay. I can do this. She’s just—
Myra moved.
One second she was standing casually. The next, she was behind him, arms wrapped around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides.
"Too slow," she breathed in his ear.
Lucian tried to break free—
She shifted her weight, and suddenly he was on the mat, her straddling his waist, hands pinning his wrists above his head.
Oh for fuck’s sake.
"Rule one," Myra said, looking down at him with that infuriating smile. "Never hesitate. The mont you think, you’ve already lost."
She was warm. Too warm. Pressed against him in a way that was definitely not professional.
"Can you let up now?"
"Can you make let you up?"
He tried. Genuinely tried.
But she was S-rank. He was a cursed teenager with barely any mana.
It was embarrassing how easily she held him down.
"That’s what I thought." She didn’t move. "You’re physically weak, Lucian. Your body hasn’t been trained properly since your curse. We need to fix that."
"By sitting on ?"
"By teaching you to fight from disadvantaged positions." Her grip on his wrists tightened slightly. "Most of your future battles, you’ll be outmatched. So you need to learn how to win when you’re pinned. Trapped. Overpowered."
She leaned down, face inches from his.
"Feel your mana. Right now. While you’re under pressure."
Lucian tried to focus.
Tried to ignore the fact that she was right there, looking at him like—
"Focus, Lucian."
He closed his eyes.
Reached for the small pool of mana in his core.
It was there. Weak. Barely a flicker.
"Good. Now pull. Force it to circulate. Use your panic. Your frustration. Your embarrassnt."
Oh I have plenty of all three right now.
He pulled.
The mana moved.
Sluggish. Resistant.
But it moved.
"More. Co on, sweetheart. Show what you’ve got."
He pulled harder—
Sothing cracked.
Not painfully. Just... shifted.
Like a door that had been stuck suddenly opening an inch.
Energy flooded through him.
His eyes snapped open.
Myra grinned. "There it is. First breakthrough. Congratulations."
She released his wrists and stood, offering him a hand.
Lucian took it, getting to his feet.
His body felt... different. Lighter. Stronger.
[PROGRESS UPDATE]
Mana Capacity: 12/100 → 15/100
Small improvent, but real.
"That’s it?" He stared at the notification. "Three points?"
"That’s three points you didn’t have ten minutes ago," Myra countered. "And we’re just getting started."
TRAINING EXERCISE TWO: MANA TRANSFER
"Sit." Myra pointed to the mat.
Lucian sat, cross-legged.
She sat behind him, legs on either side of his, arms coming around to rest on his stomach.
Oh no.
"This technique is called Mana Threading," she explained, her breath warm against his neck. "It’s an old thod. Mostly forgotten because it requires minimal mana to execute. Perfect for you."
"Does it require you to be... this close?"
"Absolutely." He could hear the smirk in her voice. "I need to guide your mana flow directly. That ans skin contact. Lots of it."
Her hands pressed flat against his stomach.
Golden light blood between her palms and his skin.
"Feel that? That’s my mana. I’m going to push it into you, then guide it through your channels. You need to morize the pattern. The flow."
Energy poured into him.
It felt like liquid fire running through his veins.
"Don’t fight it," Myra murmured. "Let it flow. Follow the path I’m creating."
Her hands moved.
Up his chest. Along his shoulders. Down his arms.
Tracing the mana channels with physical touch, her magic following the sa path inside him.
It was intimate in a way that had nothing to do with attraction and everything to do with the sheer vulnerability of letting soone manipulate your internal energy.
"Good. You’re a natural at this." Her hands returned to his stomach, then slid lower. "Now, the core channels run through your lower abdon. This part is... sensitive."
Of course it is.
Her hands pressed just below his navel.
The energy flow shifted.
Deeper. More intense.
Lucian’s breathing quickened involuntarily.
"Relax," Myra said, but there was amusent in her tone. "If you can’t handle this, you’ll never master the technique."
I’m trying. She’s just— her hands are literally—
"Focus, Lucian."
He focused.
Followed the mana flow.
Through his stomach. Around his core. Back up through his chest.
A circuit.
A pattern.
"There." Myra’s hands stilled. "Now you try. Without my guidance."
She pulled back slightly—though her arms stayed around him.
Lucian took a breath.
Reached for his mana.
And tried to recreate the pattern she’d shown him.
It was... harder than expected.
The flow wanted to scatter. Disperse.
But he kept pulling it back. Forcing it into the circuit.
Around and around.
Like threading a needle with shaking hands.
"Don’t force it. Guide it. Mana responds to intent, not brute strength."
He adjusted.
Less force. More direction.
The flow smoothed out.
Beca natural.
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED]
"Mana Threading" (Basic)
You can now create stable mana circuits with minimal energy. This allows for efficient spell casting despite low capacity.
Mana Capacity: 15/100 → 20/100
Lucian’s eyes widened.
It worked. I can actually feel the difference.
"Well done!" Myra’s arms tightened around him in what might have been a hug. "See? You’re much better at this than you thought."
"Thanks. Can you let go now?"
"Nope. We have one more exercise."
Of course we do.
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