It was my first day of training my internal mana. Barcus gave me a time and place to meet him, and I’d done as asked. When I arrived, though, everyone else, minus Tart and Jessie, were already in the midst of training. To me, it felt like I’d misunderstood something.

  “Am I late?” I asked.

  “Not at all,” said Barcus. He was getting in some practice swings with Garreth. The dull sword clanged and echoed throughout the field.

  Bydon was shirtless off in the distance, effortlessly chopping down trees with the giant sword he carried.

  Nigel completed a few push-ups and then sprung to his feet. Smiling, he walked in my direction. “Totally are.”

  “It’s a change from dealing with Jessie,” I joked.

  “She’s still asleep, by the way,” mentioned Barcus with a smile.

  Nigel leaned over to my ear. “That’s where he stayed last night. With her.”

  “What is their deal?” I whispered back.

  Nigel shrugged. “Whatever it is, I don’t want it.”

  I couldn’t agree more.

  “Let’s get started. Today will be boring and talky, so I asked you to come later. We’ll get in full swing starting tomorrow,” explained Barcus. He wiped his forehead with the edge of his shirt and waved me over. “Just bear with me.”

  “Then Garreth and I can go practice over there,” said Nigel, gesturing far away from Barcus and me.

  “Not a chance,” said Barcus with a knowing smile. “My words might reinspire your swordplay. Besides, what’s the most important thing to practice?”

  “The basics,” droned Nigel.

  “Absolutely. Sit.”

  Frowning, Nigel plopped down onto the ground in front of Barcus. Assuming I needed to do the same, I copied him and sat in the grass to Nigel’s left. Barcus nodded at our actions and began to speak.

  “You’ve got all your rings in record time. That formally makes you a Weaver, and that’s great. It saves time,” said Barcus. “External mana is powerful because of its creativity and unpredictability. Jessie probably already mentioned that, but if she didn’t, there you go. In contrast, internal mana is powerful because of the techniques associated with the fighting style you focus on. We’ll start with swords, but you can use any weapon as you age. Whatever’s comfortable. The logic behind the styles stays the same regardless of the weapon you use.”

  I was small, so I favored a short sword that was light and edged on both sides. It usually stayed in my codex until I needed it, much like everyone else. Some people kept daggers on them in case they were ambushed, but most people didn’t bother. It only took a few seconds to pull a weapon out of a codex. Plus, it created a certain element of surprise in combat not knowing what your opponent was proficient with.

  “Okay!” Barcus clapped his hands together and smiled at me. “Do you know the three styles?”

  “Yes. The Warring style, Chaos style, and Heavenly style. The Warring style is derived from air and is focused on speed and quick battles, making it highly offensive. The Chaos style is derived from earth and enhances the defense the user. Finally, the Heavenly style is derived from water and is defensive and offensive, used for creating openings or using people’s blows against them.”

  “V-Very good,” stuttered Barcus. “Well—”

  “The Chaos style does better against the Heavenly style, the Heavenly style does better against the Warring style, and the Warring style does better against the Chaos style. However, the actual abilities of the user are most important,” I spat out quickly, regurgitating what I read in the book on mana Jessie gave me. “Fire is not associated with a fighting style. Channeling fire mana internally like the other three elements simply discharges raw mana outward, creating a knockout or paralyzing effect on opponents depending on their mana levels.”

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  “Yes, fire doesn’t have an associated fighting style.” Barcus clapped his hands together, stopping me. “But I’ll show you how it works, and we’ll move on. Best you know now, given the color of your eyes.”

  Nigel flinched. Garreth braced himself. Bydon barely looked over his shoulder.

  Barcus focused. His eyes, marks, and bands glowed a brilliant violet color, signifying his use of mana.

  Suddenly, I felt an annoying tingle behind my eyes. Garreth visibly winced and swayed as his hand covered his mouth. Nigel, on the other hand, fell to his knees. Drool slipped past his lips as he threatened to teeter forward and hit the ground.

  The annoying feeling suddenly stopped.

  “And I only have violet eyes,” explained Barcus. “Did you even feel anything?” he asked me.

  “I felt a tingle for a second, but it didn’t really bother me,” I admitted. “More annoying than anything, honestly.”

  “This is the only power where skill or creativity doesn’t matter. Channel fire mana internally, and your aura naturally pushes out. I have a lower mana threshold than you, so my power didn’t have an effect. If I did it to Bydon, he’d notice, but it wouldn’t hinder him since our mana capacities are the same. Garreth has green eyes, so he’s a step below me. You saw him. He looked like he was going to be sick. Everyone lower than him would pass out if I held it for long enough. Right, Nigel?”

  “It felt like a butter knife was fishing for sand in my brain,” grumbled Nigel as he massaged his temples.

  “There you go.” Barcus turned back to me and smiled. “People much weaker would pass out instantly. You could put all of us, including Bydon, to sleep in a second if you pushed out your mana for a bit. If you did it for a long time, you’d probably kill people. Be careful. I know you’ll try it, but don’t do it around others, okay?”

  “I understand,” I said.

  I basically had a counter for every life-or-death fight. If things looked desperate, all I needed to do was channel fire mana internally, and everyone around me would pass out or die. Jessie admitted she only knew of three other people with white eyes in the world. Those were the only people that tactic wouldn’t work on. Besides against them, I’d always have a safety net to rely on when needed.

  “Great!” Barcus smiled. “Moving on, each style has a threshold you need to surpass in order to earn a title. You’ll start as an Initiate in whatever style you’re taught. From there, you can become an Expert, Master, Sovereign, Ascendant, and Eidolon. It’s the same titles across all three.”

  I nodded, indicating I understood Barcus’s words. He nodded back and moved on.

  “Bydon is a Master in the Chaos style. Garreth and I are Experts in the Warring styling, and I am also an Expert in the Heavenly style,” said Barcus. “Since there are two people here to teach the Warring style, and Nigel is also learning it, that is what we’ll teach you first.”

  “Very well,” I acknowledged with bravado. “I am looking forward to it!” I thumped my chest with vigor.

  “That’s what I like to hear!” shouted Barcus. He looked genuinely happy. “Then, first things first, we’ll need to get you used to using internal mana. The main difference is, instead of pushing your mana out, you circulate it inside yourself of within an object.”

  “While mixing it with an element?”

  “Exactly. It’ll be a little tricky now that you’ve earned your rings for external purposes, but don’t worry! There is a tried-and-true method passed down through the generations that’ll help you out. I’ll teach it to you now.” He dramatically cast his hand out. “Close your eyes. Think about pooling air mana in your stomach and keeping it there. That’s the first step, so just relax. This is only practice.”

  I offered a short nod. “Okay.” My eyes closed, and I renewed the feeling of air within me.

  The sensation naturally traveled through my body, looking for an escape. Clenching my jaw, I tried to contain it, but it kept bashing within my veins. It felt like they were growing wider, waiting to burst.

  Suddenly, I felt a massive kick to my stomach.

  My eyes opened. All the energy within me focused on where I got kicked. I was sent flying. My back hit the grass. I skid for a second before coming to a complete stop.

  “Did it hurt?” asked Barcus. His foot was partially in the air. He placed it down.

  “Of course it…no?” I realized as I spoke.

  The air mana now circulated within my stomach. It felt different from before. Rather than the air moving through my body, my body felt like air. A basin of mana tainted with air sat in my core, and that basin felt like it was tacitly connected to every single muscle group inside me.

  “Just so you know, it’s not normal to get it on your first try,” said Barcus. “I knew you would, given how you handled your lessons with Jessie, but still.”

  “I got kicked twenty-three times,” grumbled Nigel.

  “There, there.” Garreth sarcastically patted Nigel’s head. “She’ll take care of you once she surpasses yah.”

  “You’ve got the feeling?” asked Barcus of me, ignoring his brother and teammate.

  I nodded.

  “You can recreate it at will?”

  I tried, succeeded, then nodded again.

  “Good!” Barcus pointed at my legs. “Now comes the fun part. You must keep the mana in your stomach and blend it smoothly and consistently into your legs.”

  Barcus blurred.

  I looked around, surprised.

  A tap on my shoulder sent me spinning. I flew around, turning behind me to see Barcus leaning down playfully.

  I barely saw him move. It’s like what Nigel did when we fought, but so much faster.

  The benefits of being able to do such a thing flooded into my mind. I couldn’t help but grin.