Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Bernard and Zeph were currently standing in the middle of a wooded area next to a crystal clear stream. They had arrived in the woods an hour ago and headed straight for the training area. Bernard said that Alex would take care of the campground and all they needed to do this month was focus on Zeph's training. The boy was glad he wouldn't have to deal with putting up tents and the annoyance of setting up camp. He did, however, have thoughts of s'mores drifting in and out of his mind.

After Bernard parked his truck in a clearing, he led Zeph deeper into the woods until they found this place. It was a scenic area that looked like it was plucked straight out of a movie, a beautiful flowing stream next to a grove in the shape of a large circle. It was too perfect to be natural. When he asked his grandpa about it, Zeph was told that it was common for these kinds of areas to be created by other mages. They were made to serve as training grounds for future generations. This just so happened to be a training ground made by Bernard's grandfather. Then Bernard told Zeph something surprising. The forests near the city were often used by the nobility to train their younger generation. This gave them experience, cleared the surrounding lands of monsters, and fulfilled their duty to protect the populace. So, it was only right that Bernard took his new grandson here. Generations of Malston children learned to control their power in this very part of the forest.

Zeph accepted that he was now part of a noble family pretty calmly. After all, being a noble was not as cool as being a secret agent in Zeph's mind. He did get a little worried when he remembered that monsters were in this forest, but Bernard assured him that he had a barrier in place and not to worry. They would, however, go hunt some monsters once Zeph got a few spells under his belt. This both excited and scared the young man.

Bernard walked over to the stream and waved his arm at the shore. Zeph watched in awe as water flowed out of the stream and towards Bernard. His grandpa started moving his hands, making small gestures. The water started to change shape. Very soon, an ice sculpture in the figure of a person was made.

"This will be your target dummy," Bernard said. The first spell I want you to learn is a basic energy ball. Take your magic, focus it in your hands, and shoot it, and blow up the target dummy."

Zeph was getting excited, this was going to be the first time he was going to use an honest to god spell. He remembered the instructions for the spell that Bernard had given him. Feeling the flow of magic in his body, he started to gather it toward his right palm. It was pretty easy since he had been practicing how to feel magic for the last couple of days. After following the spell's formula that he had learned, Zeph started shaping the magic in his palm into a ball. Bernard watched approvingly as a silver ball of light with a blue hue started forming on Zeph's outstretched hand. His palm facing the target dummy, Zeph let out a small shout, "Hah!" An energy ball as big as his hand shot out with the speed of an arrow and hit the target dummy right in the c.h.e.s.t. Zeph watched waiting for the dummy to get destroyed, but only heard a slight thump followed by a small explosion. The ice sculpture was barely damaged.

"What!?" The boy was shocked. He retraced the steps he took, there weren't any mistakes. Unable to figure out what went wrong, he looked at his grandfather.

"Wonderful," Bernard said. "I'm surprised you were able to get this far on your first try."

"What do you mean wonderful? It didn't work," Zeph complained.

"Remember the children you saw in town playing bolt?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, that's as far as many people get when it comes to shooting magic."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Zeph sighed.

"It's your first time using magic to cast a spell. If it was that easy, the whole country would be full of mages. Remember, the instructions state that practice is necessary."

"I just thought I needed practice making sure the spell formula was followed correctly," Zeph admitted.

"That's only partly true. There are three things that spell work, a spell formula, magic power, and control. You have plenty of magic in you. You just need to work on power and control," Bernard stated.

"More control, haven't I been practicing control for the last few days?" Zeph replied.

"Yes, only a few days." Bernard calmly replied.

"I thought I had enough control, after all, I made that kitten didn't I?"

"There's more to controlling magic than just changing the way it's shaped and the direction it moves. Besides, that doesn't count. The aether did all the heavy lifting for you." Bernard then rubbed his chin trying to think of what to say next. "When you form a spell, you use your control over magic to make it take shape. The amount of magic power you use is also important. If you try to control more power than you can handle, the spell either doesn't work or is flawed," Bernard explained. "You have the potential to be a powerful mage, but right now your control is weak. Your high affinity for magic gives you a large magic capacity, so you don't have to worry about that part. However, you have only started converting mana to magic inside your body recently. This means you only have a very basic understanding of how to control magic. For example, that energy ball you created had enough power to destroy the target dummy, but you didn't form the spell properly."

"I don't quite get it. I followed the formula; shouldn't the spell form properly when I do that?" Zeph stated.

"Spell formulas don't tell you exactly how much magic to use. You created a ball of magic like the spell instructed, but that ball wasn't balanced correctly. Part of your magic is used to create explosive energy, and the other part is used contain that energy in the form of a sphere. You need to create a container just strong enough to contain that explosive energy, but weak enough to break when it hits something. Your last attempt had too much power in the container. Let me give you an example." Bernard held out his palm and a white light formed in its center. "This is the same amount of magic you used in your last spell. Notice how it's the same size and shape. I've created the container with just enough power to keep it from exploding. If it were to touch anything other than me, it would do considerable damage." Bernard shot the ball straight at the target dummy. Zeph heard a large 'Boom!' and felt the wind from the blast. The target dummy shattered, scattering ice everywhere. "See?"

"That was cool." Zeph watched in awe. "So how should I increase my control?"

"You've developed your sixth sense for magic, correct?" Bernard asked.

"Yeah."

"Well use it. I think you've only kept it active when you are meditating. You need to keep it active all the time, like your other senses. It will help. When you can feel exactly how much magic you use and where you're using it, you will be able to test the limits of how much you can control. Practice on increasing this limit. Once you're used to sensing your limits, we'll move to controlling the magic in your body."

"In my body?" Zeph asked.

"Of course, how else would you raise your magic capacity? Your body can only control so much magic. By increasing magical control, you can increase how much magic you can store."

"Oh, I get it, but why wasn't this information in any of the gems I used? They only had the information on basic magic control, and spell formulas. There wasn't anything about complex control over magic, so I thought all you needed was a complete formula."

"That's because spellcasting for the first time can be dangerous. If someone practiced it without supervision, they may end up killing themselves."

"That dangerous?" Zeph asked slightly startled.

"Yes, it is. In case you try to forcefully use more power than you can control, the power will run rampant. This usually results in an explosion or something equally dangerous. Remember, you haven't really started testing the limits of your magic control yet."

Zeph was relieved he hadn't tried experimenting with spellcasting on his own. "You're right. I've only been moving it and shaping it."

"That's exactly why we're practicing the energy ball spell. You are now practicing how to shape magic, change its properties, and shoot it. All while trying to cram as much magic into the spell as possible. This will help you increase your magic control and test your limits. I'll be right here to offset any accident you may have."

"Okay, I understand," Zeph said.

"Good, go ahead and try the spell again, but this time make sure your sixth sense is active," Bernard instructed as he created another ice sculpture target dummy.

Zeph nodded at his grandfather. He followed the steps for the energy ball spell again. This time, instead of shooting the spell as soon as the energy ball formed in his palm, he started focusing on how the magic was distributed. His sixth sense had been active from the start, and he was able to feel how strong the container was compared to the explosion. He struggled to put more power into the explosion bit by bit. Suddenly, he felt something strange with his magic sense. Before he could react, Bernard had appeared next to him and encased his spell with a barrier. A small explosion occurred between their palms.

"Did you feel anything before you lost control of your spell?" Bernard asked.

"Yes, but It's hard to describe," Zeph answered.

"Good, noticing that feeling is an important step. That sensation was your control breaking. When you practice from now on, try looking for that sensation. Eventually, your sensitivity will increase and you'll be able to notice when you start losing control. This way your magic sense will become stronger. Hopefully, by the end of the week, you'll be able to tell when your control is slipping and make the correct adjustments."

"So, I have to improve my magic control and my magic sense at the same time? Isn't that too much."

"Not at all, this is just the beginning. Are you starting to see why there aren't that many mages now?"

"Yeah, this is mentally exhausting."

"Well, you should know you're doing quite well. Next time, don't add magic power to the explosion, weaken the container instead. We'll start again when you are ready."

"Duh!" Zeph smacked himself in the forehead. It would be easier and probably safer to do that than keep pumping more magic into the spell.

Zeph took a deep breath and performed the spell again and again. It was getting easier every time, and Bernard was there every time he lost control. Bernard noticed that Zeph was casting the spell quicker with each try and smiled at the progress. He didn't tell Zeph that this spell might be considered a beginner spell, but it was a high-end beginner spell. His school would be using this spell as the final exam for the school year. The old man knew the boy had enough control to perform most beginner spells without worry, so he decided to give the child a proper challenge.

While Bernard was watching, Zeph was getting better and better and adding or removing magic in small increments. He was getting real close to getting the right balance, but then he felt that his magic control would break. He tried regaining control, but he still couldn't react in time. Once again Bernard created a spherical barrier around the energy ball and shielded his grandson from a tiny explosion.

"Did you feel that sensation of losing control again?" Bernard asked.

"Yeah, and I felt the slight build up right before it happened this time. I just didn't react fast enough."

"Good, good. That means your sixth sense is already growing stronger. Take a few minutes and rest your mind, think on what sensations your sixth sense felt when you were using the spell. Bernard instructed.

"Okay," Zeph said while sitting in a meditative pose.

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Meanwhile, the three servants of the Malston family were almost finished setting up camp. It looked more like a small village with yurts instead of tents. "The grass in the camp area was thickened by Eli, acting as a carpet. A large barrier provided by Alex encircled the camp and kept insects away, and Bianca was inside a newly constructed gazebo using a barbecue grill to make lunch. She was using fire magic, flame broiling some hamburger patties. Eli watched her cook, making sure she wouldn't sneak in any weird seasoning. When he spotted sugar on the counter beside the salt, he stealthily hid it with magic when she wasn't looking.

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