[The plants do not have mana, so you must supply mana to them. The spirit within it does not have a strong will, so it does not know what to do with the mana you are giving it. For this reason, it will respond to the thoughts you send with the mana.]

Eirlathion lectured as he paced back and forth, lecturing Levin and Rolwen in his latest lesson in how to use plant magic. Most of this was repeat information, but he was a subscriber to the theory of repeating information ad-nauseum until his students finally got things right. Because the boys could still not use even the most basic techniques of the green word, he forced them to listen to it all again as though they were new students.

This theory has it’s merits. If they aren’t getting it right, it means they’re missing something, and there’s no real way for the teacher to be absolutely sure of exactly what part the student is missing. I just don’t know how he, or the boys, can keep sane with all this repeat information.

[These thoughts are carried on waves of spirit energy.] He continued on. [For fey like us, it means sacrificing a portion of the very spirit energy that sustains us, and we must carefully control the amount. In the case of you two though, you are humans, and with an abundance of spirit energy at that. You do not need to be concerned with such things. Mana is the thing that is scarce for you, but you will not be harmed by running short of mana. This means there is a far lesser need for caution for you. So long as you have taken in enough mana to pass along, you can even use a method as absurd as what Asaren does.]

[I understand you are learning the meditation she uses, but you have yet to reach the point of accessing that infinite stream of energy she describes. Until you do, you will need to interact closely with us in order to have access to the mana needed.]

[Umm…] I Rolwen spoke up to interrupt him. [That is about efficiency, right? I don’t think the druids are with a fey all the time, are they?]

[You are right] Eirlathion said with a slightly pleased lilt in his voice at this sign of one of his students paying attention to his lessons. [Someone just learning how to use the green word often wastes a lot of mana. This is not a problem for elven children. We will instinctively not use too much spirit energy, although children do often feel weak after making a first attempt. For mana, though, we have a constantly replenishing supply, unlike humans. Elves also have a strong innate connection to the green word not even possessed by fairies. Fairies must learn the green word, just the same as humans. They do have an easier time due to that same unlimited mana, though. This is the reason why there are so few humans who can use it despite how relatively simple this discipline of magic is.]

[So, it’s all about getting over that first hump, then.] Rolwen commented.

[Hump?]

[Ummm… uhhh… you know…] Rolwen stammered.

[It is an expression from the world we come from.] I commented from where I was watching on the side. [It compares dealing with a task to climbing a hill. It takes more effort when you are climbing, and then it is easy once you get over the top.]

[That would be accurate, I suppose.] He said with a thoughtful look on his face. [There are also things to make it easier to… climb that first ‘hump.’ For most, it is the lakira trees which have far more vibrant spirits than most other plants. Out here, we do not have any lakira trees. However, Asaren has supplied us with these.]

After saying those words, he reached down to a thick belt made from interwoven vines. After one touch from his hand, the vines uncoiled from his waste and climbed up his hand like a gauntlet, and then quickly became a long pole.

I had originally only created five of these living wood weapons. Since then, I had created two more, giving one each to mother and Eirlathion. I did not need to make one for Rimir, he already had one of his own.

[Living wood weapons like these are even easier to manipulate than lakira trees,] Eirlathion said. [The weapons Asaren makes are different from the rest of those out there. Normally, they too are made from the wood of a lakira tree. However, despite being made from the wood of normal plants, the weapons Asaren creates still have a strong affinity for mana. This is, perhaps, due to the large amount of mana she floods through them when they are created, changing the very nature of the wood.]

“Is this really anything new?” Levin grumbled in English.

Erlathion gave him an irritated look. He may not understand English, but the meaning had come through clear enough by the tone of Levin’s voice.

[Then, how about you both give it another try? You have had some practice in crafting spells. Somehow, you have done even better than Asaren in this area. I am certain you should not be far at all from learning to contact the weapons you hold.]

[Yes, master Eirlathion.] Rolwen said in a clear crisp voice as he stood on the spot.

Levin silently stood next to him, giving little more than a light groan as he followed Rolwen’s lead.

“It’s practical exercise time!” Rolwen said, enthusiastically. They each took off their wooden bracelets in turn and held them in both hands. Meanwhile, Eirlathion came over to me.

[Now, Asaren. Let us continue to work on spellcraft. Have you managed to figure out why it is you are having so much difficulty with this?] He asked.

[I… might have. Although I do not think you will like the answer.] I told him. [It is something I have tried to avoid, but… it might be that the magic methods you are attempting to teach are simply incompatible with the manner of meditation I practice. I have felt several times as though my spirit crystal was nearly complete, all just to feel it crumble and slip away into the river of energy I have running through my spirit.]

He gave me an assessing glare.

He sighed.

[I suppose you would know this best. You know this meditation you use better than anyone in this world, and I have seen you putting in significant effort to the order style magic I have been teaching.]

[This is just what I suspect,] I said. [I do intend to keep putting in efforts in case I am incorrect.]

[No.] He said. [I believe it is very likely you are correct. I have long suspected this same thing. It is only because you have continued to work at it that I did not wish to discourage you.]

[Wait!] Levin suddenly spoke up. [Then, why is it we were able to learn those spells?]

[Maybe we just haven’t gotten to a high enough level yet. We just got earth, water, and fire. It might not be until we get to void that we start loosing the ability to use order-style spells.] Rolwen observed.

[Wait! Does that mean we’re going to…]

[Get back to focusing on those weapons!] Eirlathion barked at them.

Both of them cringed and turned back toward the bracelets in their hands.

Eirlathion sighed.

[Even if you will loose the order-style magic you have learned, it has still served as valuable training for you in handling mana. The effort was not wasted.]

The boys made no more than a grunt to acknowledge Eirlathion’s brief lecture.

I watched as they continued to focus on the wooden bracelets while I reminisced about the past three years.

Sarana, one of the younger women among the Hidan, had been working along with Eirlathion to teach us the ways of order-type magic. A form of magic that imitates the magical effects of the spirits by crystalizing your own spirit energy.

That crystalizing part has proven to be an impossible hurdle for me to cross. I have managed the process a few times, but every single time my spirit crystal would dissolve shortly after I ceased to pay attention to the act of maintaining it. There was one time I had gone days focused on maintaining a single crystal. Lacking the need for sleep, it posed no problem for me to simply keep my focus day in and day out. However, eventually my mind grew tired, and my focus slipped. Several days of effort were destroyed in mere seconds.

It would seem the constant river of energy I channel through my soul will literally dissolve those weak spirit crystals as though they were nothing more than fallen leaves that had drifted into a stream.

This did not mean magic was off limits to me though. It merely meant that I could not use the imitation versions of it. It was very clear I could still use bloodline magic, as was the case with the green word.

I had already instinctively acquired the base form of the green word the boys were training in now. It is a basic level spell that Eirlathion had called “contact.”

Every bloodline magic has it’s basic starter form. This starter form then serves as the foundation from which all of the more advanced magic is built upon.

The same is also true of the 4 elemental magic, which apparently is also in my bloodline via my demonic side.

For earth, the basic spell is “territory,” which infuses a certain amount of the surrounding earth with your own mana and alters it’s nature to your will. Thus far, I have learned to use my earth magic to strengthen the earth under my feet, and increase the local gravity by up to around three times normal. Even that, though, has proven immensely useful. I am told a strong use of the territory spell is one of the most effective defenses against other earth magic users as only one person is able to hold control of a given territory at a time.

For fire, the basic spell is “perception.” It expands your awareness into the materials around you, and helps you to get an awareness of how heat and combustion works on them.

I have yet to figure out how to make any flames with it, but it is the best thing for raising my own metabolism. I have been using it to strengthen myself.

Wind and water both have the same basic spell, only having it applied to their own respective elements. The spell is “unity.” It is similar, in a way, to the plant magic spell “contact,” only it works with the air and the water. Fairies take it to the extreme with their “fairy wind” spell, which allows them to move as though they are actually as light as air and being blown about by the wind as fast as the air itself moves.

I cannot even approach absurd magic of that sort.

Of course, this is only in the basics. I have something of a lop-sided development in this way, but I do have three significantly advanced spells from my kata.

The earth kata gives me gravity nullification, cancelling gravity for a single target for half a second. With perfect timing, it is just the thing to throw off a warrior.

The water kata sends the very concept of a wave through any medium I choose. The air medium version is the only one I have ever used on a live target, but the effect was devastating to the target’s equilibrium.

The fire kata gives heat nullification, instantly freezing my target.

Those are the ones I have at the Ninjutsu level of my meditation. My wind and void katas are still at the taijutsu level.

The taijustsu tier wind kata sends out the air as a bullet. The taijutsu tier void kata disrupts an observer’s ability to connect me or my physical details with any meaningful facts in their memory, effectively giving them face blindness when they are looking at me. They will recognize that I’m a person in front of them, but that’s about it. Even people who know me personally will take me for a stranger when I’m using the effects of the void kata.

“Hey! Uhh…” [I think I just did it!] Rolwen shouted out in glee, holding the short wooden rod that used to be a circular bracelet.

[Alright.] I said. [Eirlathion. How about you work with Levin for a while. I will take Rolwen from here now that he has learned the first basics.]