When they got back to the school, while the boys were making dinner, Gale and Sofia just stayed side by side in silence, Gale trying and failing to avoid looking at her. She did not want to make things awkward between them, but she was now unsure if they were just becoming good friends or… there was something else. She really did not know what to do.
After a few minutes of this, Sofia was about to say something when the boys announced that dinner was ready. They both went to help setting the table, and just talked and had fun with them. Gale decided to put these thoughts aside, and focus on being friends with her fellow students, and trying to learn as much as she could. She did get nervous about the night, though, since they would be sleeping alone on the same room together…
The days started going by and settling into a routine for Gale. Sofia acted simply as a closer friend now, and Gale felt content with that, although a bit disappointed even if she tried not to admit it. She assumed that that was all their moment at the mountain meant. She was now closer with the rest of students, being now able to have friendly conversations with them and even joke a bit sometimes.
On the training side, she was finally starting the classes for infusing magical aura into items, and further down the line, how to actually infuse elemental magical energy. Professor Aberyth told her that now that she could more or less move her aura around, she needed to try to concentrate it into her fist. He warned her, though, that she just needed to increase the density of it there, if she really tried to focus all her magical energy in something small, it could very well explode, her hand included. To him, he added then, it needed to look like a darker shade of aura, so he would be watching from time to time.
With that ominous warning, she began her training. It was surprisingly hard to do, since now there was not a clear picture of the modification she needed to do, but at the same time much less exhausting than what she had been doing these days, given the reduced amount of aura she needed to control. Despite needing Professor Aberyth a couple of times to tell her that she looked like she was trying to create a boulder of aura, she managed on Tuesday afternoon to make a concentrated sphere roughly 60cm in diameter surrounding her fist, which Professor Aberyth deemed sufficient. The next exercise would need to wait until the next day.
Wednesday morning, he told Gale to recreate the sphere, which she did easily (although it looked a bit wobbly). He told her to wait there, since he needed to bring some supplies. After a couple of minutes, he returned with a big bag full of blankets.
“Since you are interested in focusing on combat training, this next exercise will prove really useful to you”, Professor Aberyth started. “What you will do now, is to hit the bag following a series of simple training physical repetitions. The twist is, you need to maintain the focus of the magical aura while doing so. If you are able to master this exercise, fighting while infusing yourself and/or your weapons will feel as natural as breathing for you”, he finished.
Gale really felt she was finally getting somewhere with this exercise. Still, she knew it would take time, given the wobbliness of her focused magical energy right now. Taking a deep breath, she started the repetitions. In this case, she needed to do three series of two right-handed punches followed by a single left-handed punch (on a series of one-two-three), and a single series of high-mid-low kicks with each leg. All the while concentrating her magical energy on her right hand.
On the first hour she noticed the really hard points in the exercise, noting that it actually seemed more complete that she expected. When changing her fist for the final punch in the series, her mind unconsciously tried to focus energy on that hand, and she needed to suppress that, easier said than done. Then, when going for the kicks, keeping her hand focused while the movement was on a completely different part of the body was really complicated, as if she was trying to split her mind in two. And of course, if she focused on her magical energy there was no way to properly perform the series of three different kicks. This was going to take a while.
From the next day on, she continued her training in the courtyard, with her fellow students. She could not avoid looking a Sofia from time to time, admiring how much she had actually improved with her water whip spell. She was now able to grab things with it, even if it still seemed unsteady. Whenever she caught Gale staring, she waved back smiling, which she returned with a blush. A few days after she had started her training, to Gale’s dismay, she learned that she had been the only one to do this specific exercise, and so the rest of students were quite interested in watching her from time to time.
A week and a half after starting, she was finally able to successfully complete the exercise, 3 out of 4 times at least. Professor Aberyth confirmed that she was more or less doing it right, and that she should move it to the list of training exercise to do from time to time not to lose practice, like keeping her aura contained to herself. Finally, she was going to start creating wind magic.
The night before starting she could barely sleep at all, she was really looking forward to this training. After breakfast, Professor Aberyth and Gale sat down together in the main room, facing each other.
“Gale, this will be a very important step in your training”, he began. “I know you are dying to do this, but you of all people will need to exercise a lot of caution. We will go slow, I will be monitoring you”. She just nodded, waiting for the training to begin.
“Start by concentrating magical aura in your fist. Like that, perfect. Now, we will start with your main natural affinity, wind element. It will come naturally to you, don’t worry. We want to apply a wind aura over your fist, increasing its power. Now, you need a clear image of what you want, this is an extremely important part of any spell. Lose it, and you cannot create or control it. Keep this in mind. Now, how does it look like? What does it do? Say it out loud”
“I..”, Gale began, closing her eyes and trying to imagine. “The wind forms like a… chaotic current around my fist? And it makes my punches more powerful, the wind increases the push of the punch”.
“Ok, Gale, then”, Professor Aberyth went on. “You have the magical energy concentrated in your fist, you have a clear picture of what you want to create, and we both know you are subconsciously familiar with the feeling of wind aura. You just need to will it! Concentrate! Chase the feeling! You can do it!”
Gale closed her eyes, trying to keep a clear image of the aura she wanted to create while remembering the feeling of wind magic. She focused hard, and when she opened her eyes, a sphere of translucent currents of teal energy was covering her fist, with a magic circle surrounding her wrist like a bracelet. She had done it! She really had! She was really happy, which made her lose focus and the magic disappeared. She sat down really fast and tried again, this time just staring at it as if hypnotized. She could finally say she knew how to use magic.
Professor Aberyth, on his part, was not sure what to say. Her way of creating this magic was… strange. First, when she was focusing hard, clenching her eyes, he kind of noticed a trace of red color inside the teal of the wind circle, similar to herself, which disappeared soon after. And second, her magic circle was actually unstable, he had never seen something like that. The writing inside the innermost circle kept changing, but the magic did not dissipate. Could it be that its changing fluidly with her mind? This girl…
“Ok, Gale, I feel your might want to try it in action, right?”, Professor Aberyth said in a mocking tone, already knowing the answer. “Wait here, dissipate the magic, I’ll call the rest to witness this. It’s your first magical attack after all”
Gale was starting to feel a bit nervous as everyone poured into the room, and sat down on the side. Professor Aberyth was also carrying her bag of blankets, and put it in front of her.
“Now, Gale, punch this!”, he said with enthusiasm, actually interested in what this strange changing magic circle was capable of. He secretly hoped she did not overdo it, but it had seemed stable enough to his magical vision.
Gale stood in front of the bag, and drew her arm back. Closing her eyes, she called once again for her magic, coating her fist. She then made a fast punch to the bag.
BAAAAAAAAAM!
The bag was sent flying towards the wall of the classroom, torn and with the blankets inside flying everywhere. Gale was amazed with the power that punch had carried, and it was only her first spell. Holy shit!
“WHAT!?” “FUCK!” “SO COOOL!” “HOLY SHIT!”, the spectators commented at the same time, all flabbergasted by her show of power. Gale even believed she had heard Professor Aberyth among them, who was looking at what was left of the bag on the far end of the room.
“Well, that was… something”, Professor Aberyth said after taking in the scene that had just taken place. “I have an idea, since you need more practical training, and someone else does too for her new technique… Gale, Sofia, tomorrow after lunch you will have a duel!”
“WHAT!?”, Gale and Sofia responded at the same time. She was not ready at all! What if one of these punches connected to Sofia… But Sofia was already making peace with the idea, and looked at Gale with a challenging look in her eyes. Looks like this is happening, then...
