The Ascendant Wizard-Chapter 116 - The Next Steps Forward

The little study session didn't last long, just like Morena knew it wouldn't. Meditation wasn't something one could brute-force through a single afternoon, no matter how motivated someone was.

Still, watching the three of them try was... informative.

Not necessarily about meditation itself but about them; who they were and how she could better understand them. She needed to know their points, both good and bad, so she could make use of them.

Ren did exactly what she expected: he tried too hard, breathing so aggressively that it seemed more like he was preparing to blow out a candle than calm his mind. Every few seconds, he peeked one eye open as if afraid the elemental energy might sneak up behind him.

Elara sat with perfect posture, chin up, back straight, every muscle tense, completely contradicting the point of meditation. She refused to admit she had no idea how to relax.

Liri, unsurprisingly, was the only one who made visible progress. Morena didn't need to sense anything to see the change. The girl's breathing slowed, her shoulders dropped, and her expression softened; there was no dramatic shift, no glow or spark, but she settled into the process far more smoothly than the others.

Maybe even smoother than herself; it truly showed Morena the gap between her grade 2 talent and Liri's grade 5. It also allowed her to understand just how hard she had to work going forward.

After about forty minutes, the three opened their eyes again, each with varying degrees of disappointment or acceptance.

Ren rubbed his face.

"I still felt nothing..."

Elara exhaled, clearly frustrated.

"I refuse to believe I am worse than a commoner."

Liri flinched, but Morena didn't miss the quick apology that followed from Elara.

"I didn't mean it that way. I just... I should be good at this."

"It's fine..."

Liri whispered, though Morena wasn't sure she truly believed it.

Morena crossed her arms and spoke plainly.

"This will not happen in a day. Even sensing energy is hard for most people. You three should be less focused on comparing yourselves and more focused on consistency."

Ren straightened a little and paid very close attention to the words; he made sure to take note of it, but Morena knew he was helpless.

"You really think we'll get it eventually?"

"If you practice properly, yes."

Elara huffed under her breath but didn't argue.

Liri simply gave a small nod.

But before the conversation could continue further, they heard the faint ringing tone that buzzed from their badges, one Morena recognized from earlier.

Ren perked up.

"Oh, that means the next free class starts in half an hour."

Elara stood immediately, brushing off her skirt.

"Then let's go. Arriving early is a requirement. If we end up late, that old man will burn us alive."

Morena shook her head slightly; the girl clearly held some judgment after the man embarrassed her in class.

"That was a different teacher."

"Yes, but I assume all Wizards hate lateness."

Morena couldn't argue with that logic.

They gathered themselves and started walking toward the staircase, joining the flow of other new apprentices heading in the same direction. The Tower had become noticeably livelier, doors opening, voices drifting from down the hall, groups forming and breaking apart.

The fifth floor was crowded again by the time they arrived. But instead of the large lecture hall from earlier, this class was held in a slightly smaller room; still large, but with a more intimate layout. Desks were arranged in semicircles instead of rows, allowing students to see one another clearly.

Morena took note immediately.

This class would require interaction instead of simply listening.

While she didn't like that, there was nothing she could do about it.

They found seating in the central area, close enough to see, but not in the front row. Ren practically vibrated with excitement, and Elara crossed her legs neatly and eyed the room with a practiced calm.

Morena sat with her arms resting lightly on the desk, silent as she scanned the room. She could feel elemental energy lingering faintly in the walls, as if woven into the room itself.

Magic; even the Tower itself was made out of it. It made her wonder just how powerful the Wizard behind this Tower was, after all, every organization needed a Founder and a Leader.

Was this one any different?

But she heard no mention of them even once since entering.

After a few minutes, the door opened.

A woman stepped inside.

She was tall, straight-backed, and unlike the hunched old Artheon, she looked far from frail. Her dark hair was tied tightly behind her head, streaked with thin silver along the edges. She wore fitted robes dyed deep blue with threads of glistening silver sewn across the cuffs.

Her presence was sharp and even alluring; she could see the boys in the room shifting as they saw her beauty.

Morena knew instantly that she was someone who wouldn't tolerate nonsense; her very presence gave off a "no nonsense" type of person.

She reached the center of the room and spoke.

"Good afternoon, young apprentices."

Her voice was clear, steady, and strong. It seemed she used some sort of magic to amplify her voice because even though she did not speak loudly, everyone could hear her clearly.

"My name is Varra. I will be teaching today's session, which will cover one of the most important components of your early Wizard training."

She paused.

"Aptitude. And what it truly means."

Morena locked her attention; this was a topic she was very interested in. The AI had said she had no elemental affinity, but the test before said she had two.

She wanted to know why that was the case and what made it different.

Varra glanced over the room, taking her time, assessing each apprentice the way a predator assesses potential weaknesses.

"Aptitude."

She continued.

"Is often misunderstood. You think it determines your future, but that is incorrect."

Several students exchanged confused looks.

Morena leaned slightly forward.

Varra raised a finger.

"Aptitude determines your starting point and one course you may take."

She paced slowly across the front of the room, her steps unhurried.

"Some of you were born with high aptitude and some with low. Some have middling potential. What matters is how efficiently you use what you have."

She stopped walking.

"Let me make this clear. Even a talent level of five will become meaningless if you lack discipline. A talent level of three can surpass it with enough foundation."

Morena didn't show a reaction externally, but internally, she noted the woman's emphasis.

This Tower wasn't interested in prodigies alone.

They wanted those who pushed past their limits.

Varra continued.

"Today, we will discuss how aptitude interacts with your Matrix development and mana control. You will also be given the Tower's guidelines on early progression benchmarks. You are expected to follow them, unless you wish to be removed from our ranks."

A few students noticeably stiffened at the word "removed."

Varra didn't pause.

"First, let us review the differences between low, mid, and high-level aptitude."

She raised her hand.

Three small crystals floated upward from her palm; one dull, one faintly glowing, one bright as a candle flame.

"These represent your rates of mana absorption and your ability to attract a specific element."

The dull one sputtered weakly.

"This is a low affinity. When you have a low affinity for something, it usually takes time to attract and absorb that element and use the magic related to it."

The mid-glow crystal pulsed steadily.

"This is a more mid-level affinity. It's faster, you would often be able to cast spells of your elemental affinity at lower mana cost, and at higher speeds. Even learning spells of your affinity is quicker."

Finally, the bright crystal glowed like soft firelight.

"And this is a higher-level affinity. It's very rare, the brighter it is, the better; these people naturally attract their elements, they feel it in their blood, their bones. A mere breath could pull it in."

Morena's eye narrowed as she heard her explanation. A high and a mid; but hers was even higher than she told the man.

Varra's eyes flicked toward the girl for only a second, just long enough to acknowledge her, but she didn't say a word.

Then she closed her hand, and the crystals dissipated.

"Your goal is not to envy one another's path. Your goal is to push past your own limitations, because while having an affinity for a specific path makes learning it easier, it does not mean you can't learn others."

She gestured at the desks.

"Open your notebooks. We begin now."

Morena took out parchment as Varra began explaining the structure of Matrix layers, compression ratios, and the natural limitations of strengthening the mind too quickly.

She even went on to explain that while Wizards had affinities, not everyone had good ones. Some affinities were so bad that they practically didn't make a difference.

That was why learning a school of magic, even if you didn't have an affinity for it, was normal. But she recommended following your affinity if it was mid or higher.

Beyond that, the types of magic schools were another thing she mentioned, and she listed a lot. Not just Elemental Schools like Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, but also odd schools like Mental Arts, Dark Arts, White Arts, Illusionary Arts, Necromancy, Puppetry, and so on.

Some schools included other school magic in it, but some were also hyper-focused. In truth, she explained that due to the nature of Wizards, often being stubborn to work with each other and stuck in their pursuit of knowledge, they just go off and do their own thing.

Which was why so many different schools existed, but they all had some base elements tied to them.

The information was clearer than Artheon's explanations, more structured, more refined, but also blunt in its warnings.

Overexertion could lead to ruptured mental pathways.

Compressing the Matrix too early could cause mental instability.

Absorbing too much elemental energy before resonance was achieved could kill an apprentice outright.

Morena took mental note of each warning. She would not discard safety for progress, not until she fully understood the limits of her new method.

After nearly an hour of instruction, Varra finally stopped speaking.

"That is the end of today's introductory segment. Before you go, I will give you all an assignment for tomorrow's class."

The room collectively groaned internally, though no one dared to show it.

Varra smiled faintly.

"Relax. It is simple."

Her eyes swept the room.

"I want each of you to successfully sense elemental energy at least once before the next class with me. Which is in 1 week. If you cannot sense it, you will not be able to build a Matrix, and if you cannot build a Matrix, you have no place in this Tower."

She clasped her hands behind her back.

"You have until then. Dismissed."

Without waiting for questions, she walked out, letting the door close behind her.

Silence held the room.

Then Ren collapsed forward onto his desk.

"We are going to die."

Elara groaned softly.

"A week...? Is she insane?"

Liri looked terrified.

But Morena stood calmly.

This challenge wasn't an issue for her.

She had already felt elemental energy before anyone else in that room. Already learned to manipulate it slightly and had already taken a risky method and survived its first cycle.

She looked at the three beside her.

"It is not impossible. We will work together again later."

Liri swallowed and whispered.

"Thank you..." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Morena only turned toward the hallway and walked out; she wanted to visit the library and see the price.