Zeke stifled a yawn as he made his way across the academy grounds. It had been a late night. But instead of working on his Mana practice as he had planned, he had spent all afternoon helping out in the smithy.

The rest of the evening, up until he dragged his tired body to bed, had been spent repeating today’s lessons to Markus. Zeke didn’t regret the time he spent teaching his friend, but he still feared falling behind. Additionally, the late night, coupled with his long way to school, meant that he actually spent a short amount of time sleeping.

Whatever, he would just have to make up for it with effort. Hard work had never been a problem for him, and it would surely not stop him now. Before stepping into the classroom, Zeke slapped his cheeks — hard. Blood immediately rushed to his face, and the lingering sting of the slap focused his addled mind completely. His eyes shone with restored clarity as he entered the classroom.

Once again, some of his peers had beaten him here. This didn’t come as a surprise, considering the fact that their dorms were only a short distance away. Even so, Zeke was surprised by the dark circles he saw under their eyes. Not one of them looked like they had gotten the proper amount of sleep. Clearly, he had underestimated their resolve.

The official start of the class was still a while off, so he would use this time to practice. In yesterday’s class, he had learned to hold the ambient Mana in his core. Now, it was time to figure out how to attune it to his affinity. Gertrude’s instructions had been vague at best, leaving him without much to go on. Still, he wasn’t discouraged, as this would be the same for the others as well.

However, before he could make any significant progress, his practice was interrupted by the tolling of the bell. Zeke opened his eyes, just in time to see Gertrude enter the room. Their teacher had once again arrived on the last ring.

“Good. I see all of you made it here in time. And it looks like you continued your practice from yesterday,” she said, eyeing the tired faces all around. “Is there anyone who still can’t hold their Mana?”

Zeke looked around, astonished by the fact that not a single hand rose. Despite the thick circles, there was an obvious pride shining in many eyes. While he had been helping out in the smithy, his peers had used their time to catch up. No matter, he would widen the gap again today.

“Well done,” Gertrude praised. “This means we are right on schedule. Your goal for today is to learn how to attune Mana. Raise your hand if you need help, otherwise, get going.”

Zeke immediately closed his eyes. He would need to leverage his higher affinity and superior work ethic into a sizeable lead if he wanted to be able to compete with his peers. In his current situation, he wouldn’t be able to practice much after school. This was the only way he would be able to compete.

"Focus," he whispered. "You can do this."

He concentrated solely on his breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slowly and rhythmically, he inhaled and exhaled, visualizing his mana following the ebb and flow of his breath. Maybe the problem was that he didn’t have enough Mana in his core. With every breath, he tried to fill it with more and more Mana. However, this didn’t lead anywhere.

For a time, Zeke went through one idea after the other. First, he tried to visualize his core as being made of Blood — to no result. Then, he tried commanding his Mana to change through the force of his will — which also proved fruitless. Next, he attempted to mimic his heartbeat — again, to no result. After roughly an hour of constant experimentation, he eventually ran out of ideas. Why wasn’t anything working?

Frustrated, Zeke once again reviewed the words of his teacher. What was it that she had said toward the end? It was like using a new muscle? If that was an accurate description of the process, it would explain why his ideas had not worked at all. Maybe the Core was much less esoteric than he assumed. If it was part of his body, why complicate the matter unnecessarily?

He had learned how to use his Core to ‘breathe’ in conjunction with his lungs. This meant he could control it to a certain extent. Now, he just needed to learn how to make it attune Mana. The problem was that he had no idea how to do that. Well, everybody started somewhere, right? It was time to find out what he could do.

As Zeke delved into his experiments, he initially felt like a toddler, getting to know his own body for the first time. But as time passed, his confidence steadily grew. With each new discovery and every step forward, he sensed himself inching closer to his ultimate goal. Before long, he had learned to consciously attract Mana independent from his breath, a significant step for his experiments.

Eager for another breakthrough, he absorbed the ambient Mana tirelessly, filling his Core to its limit, before releasing it again. This attempt felt like the thousandth one, but unlike any before, something finally clicked. In one moment, his core held a bland, unattuned force, and the next, it was transformed.

Blood Mana!

It hadn’t been a complicated feat, in fact, it was almost embarrassingly simple, leaving Zeke wondering why it took him so long to figure this out. If he had to describe the feeling, he'd liken it to searching for the source of rain while forgetting to look up at the sky. It was exactly as Gertrude had described it. Now, that he knew how, it was as easy as turning one’s hand.

In his elation, he lost control over his newly attuned Blood Mana, letting it stream out of his core and seeping into his body.

“Nggghhhhnn.”

Despite bracing himself, Zeke couldn’t quite stifle a moan. The feeling of Blood Mana flooding his body was unlike anything he had ever experienced. His tight forearms, still sore from yesterday’s work at the forge, relaxed. The blisters on his hands stopped hurting, and the tiredness that had plagued him all morning relented ever so slightly.

Zeke was so shocked that his eyes shot open. It was then that he realized that everyone was staring at him. Of course, they were! What did he expect after moaning in the middle of class. However, contrary to his expectations, their eyes weren’t mocking, but envious.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

His attention was directed towards the front of the class, where Gertrude was slowly clapping her hands. “Excellent, boy,” she said. “You are the first to succeed.”

It was then that Zeke remembered what he had just done. A proud smile emerged on his face, as he took in the envious gazes from all around.

“Can you do it again?” their teacher asked.

“I’ll try.”

It only took him a few attempts until he managed a second time. And soon after, he was attuning his Mana consistently. And every time, the Blood Mana would flood his body and revitalize him. No matter how often he experienced it, the feeling was just as refreshing as the first time.

"Great job," praised Gertrude, prompting Zeke to open his eyes.

She checked a small round device she'd pulled from her pocket before addressing the entire class. "But before we take a break for lunch, there are a few more things to go over. As you may have noticed from his earlier reaction," she said, gesturing towards Zeke, "attuned Mana has quite a stimulating effect on the body."

Zeke’s cheeks reddened as he was reminded of his unintentional moan. Fortunately, most of the class was too engrossed in the teacher's words to pay him much attention.

"Do any of you have an inkling as to why that might be?" she inquired, but silence prevailed for a considerable time. "What about you?" she asked Zeke directly. "You must have some insights after experiencing it firsthand."

He pondered the experience for a moment before shaking his head. "I don’t understand the workings behind it, but I can describe how it felt. When the Blood Mana spread through my body, it was like stepping into a warm bath after a chilly day. My muscles relaxed, and it felt incredibly pleasant. Unlike a bath, though, it heightened my alertness instead of making me drowsy."

Gertrude nodded. “That makes sense. From what I’ve been told, that analogy is quite fitting.”

What was going on? Wasn’t she a Mage as well? Zeke had seen her cast Magic only the day prior. Then, why would she say it like that?

His confusion must have shown, as Gertrude began to explain. “Not all Mana has the same effect on the body. Out of every type, the body affinities, which Blood Magic is a part of, nurture the body the most.”

“What do you mean by ‘nurture the body’?”

“Let me show you.”

A sly spark danced in her eyes, leaving Zeke regretting his question even before she moved closer. He watched, eyes wide with apprehension, as a rough stone spike materialized from her clenched fist. "Extend your arm and prepare yourself."

Zeke cautiously presented his arm, hoping against hope that he had misunderstood her intentions. But those hopes crumbled as Gertrude thrust her conjured weapon into his forearm. Suppressing a scream took every ounce of his willpower.

Amidst the pain, he shot her a glare, but if his look phased her at all, it didn’t show. Her voice remained as composed as ever as she issued her next command. "Now, channel your Mana just as you did before."

Zeke took a deep breath and centered his thoughts. Lashing out wouldn't help. He had to trust his teacher. However, the pain made it challenging to concentrate. It took several attempts, but when he finally succeeded, relief washed over him. He also noticed that most of his Blood Mana seemed to flow towards the wound on his arm.

After a few more rounds, Gertrude's voice reached him once more. "Prepare yourself."

Another surge of pain engulfed him, and he could hear the faint splatter of his blood hitting the desk as Gertrude removed her weapon from his arm. Zeke fought to stay composed, focusing on one breath at a time. Initially, it was a struggle to maintain his mental composure amidst the pulsating agony, but with each passing breath, it became slightly more manageable.

It felt like an eternity before he heard her voice again. "Take a look at your arm."

Zeke’s eyelids lifted slowly, bracing himself for the worst. However, as his gaze settled on his forearm, astonishment replaced fear. His skin looked completely untouched. No scar, scratch, or any other blemish marred his flesh. Experimentally, he flexed his muscles, but there was no discomfort. How was this even possible?

“Do you understand now?”

Zeke looked up to meet his teacher's gaze. Gertrude wore a satisfied smile, her amusement evident as she observed his reaction. In his stunned state, he even forgot his initial resentment and simply shook his head in disbelief.

“No,” he said honestly.

“Well, let me explain, then,” she said as she made her way back to the front of the class. “Every affinity has a particular effect on the body. Blood affinity, for example, has one of the strongest healing properties.”

His eyes widened. Wasn’t this.. amazing?

“Now listen up,” Gertrude said, her gaze turning serious. “I’ll now tell you the key to passing the first year. In fact, this is all you’ll need to know to become True Mages.” She swept her gaze over every member of the class, making sure they were listening.

“Think of your core like a muscle,” she said, flexing her bicep. “Every time you use it, it becomes stronger and bigger. Now, all you need to do in order to advance is train your muscles to become big enough. Easy, right?”

She nodded at a girl in the first row whose hand had immediately shot up.

“I don’t think that comparison holds up,” she said, pointing at Zeke. “Blood boy over there can train all day without getting tired, while most of us have to take a break every hour or so. How is that fair?”

Gertrude’s brows rose. “Did I say anything about this being fair?”

The girl’s mouth snapped shut with an audible click, causing an involuntary smile to emerge on Zeke’s face. That’s what she got for calling him ‘blood boy’. However, his good cheer faded the moment he heard the teacher’s next words.

“…and if anything, it is you and the rest of the class who have an unfair advantage, Miss Blitzling,” Gertrude said.

“How so?” the girl asked dubiously.

Gertrude pointed at her bicep again. “After your muscle has the appropriate size, you’ll be able to advance. Yet, that is not true for Zeke.” She pointed at her tricep next, and then at her forearm. “The poor boy will have to train three different muscles before he can advance. And not all of them will be as fast as his Blood affinity.”

It was then that the class collectively remembered that Zeke had three affinities. If her analogy held true, then it would take him three times the amount of effort to advance. Still, Zeke wasn’t discouraged. “Doesn’t that also mean that my core will be three times as strong?”

However, Gertrude immediately shook her head. “Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Those ‘muscles’ have next to no overlap. Your core will be slightly above average, 1.5 times at most.”

His face fell. “There has to be something I can do…”

Before the woman could answer, the ringing of the bell signaled the start of their lunch break. Gertrude looked at him for a moment longer but ultimately decided against saying anything more as she joined the students leaving the class.

*

The days flowed swiftly, blending into one another as Zeke juggled school, work, and his efforts to teach Markus. As the final lesson of the week drew to a close, Gertrude's prediction had become reality. Ezekiel had struggled to grasp the intricacies of all three of his affinities, with Mind and Space proving far more challenging than his Blood affinity.

He found himself at the tail end of his peers, the last student to conquer their task. The fastest among them had trailed behind his initial success by just a single day. While they had spent the week honing their Mana control, Zeke had been forced to focus on learning his other affinities.

With weary eyes, he waited for their imminent dismissal. This week had turned from an exciting journey to a dreadful chore. Zeke’s murderous schedule, paired with the fact that he only fell further and further behind each day had killed all his enjoyment. Now, he couldn’t wait for this to be finally over.

Beyond his shifting mood, something else had changed. The reluctant admiration that his classmates had initially extended to him had vanished into thin air. Amid their playful banter and laughter, Zeke had become an afterthought, a mere spectator. Nevertheless, this was still preferable to the derisive smirks and mocking glances they had cast his way once they realized the extent of his disadvantage.

“Listen up!” Gertrude yelled, silencing the class immediately. “The day after tomorrow, you’ll all start your regular classes — so you better prepare yourselves. Believe me when I tell you that this week was a light warmup compared to what will await you there…”

Her eyes met Zeke’s for a moment as she uttered two more words.

“Good luck.”