"Before we proceed with physical training, you must first form your mana core. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and focus on the ambient energy that surrounds you. Feel its subtle vibrations, its gentle hum. As you inhale, draw the energy into your body, and as you exhale, envision it flowing towards the center of your chest. Concentrate on accumulating the energy there, letting it build and coalesce into a core of pure potential."
Ash sat cross-legged, his eyes closed in concentration. The air around him seemed to vibrate with anticipation as he attempted to absorb the ambient energy. After a few moments of silence and nothing happening, he opened one eye, frustration etched on his face. "Nothing's happening," he said, his voice laced with disappointment.
Korthok's voice cracked through the air like a whip. "Focus!" he snapped, his eyes blazing with intensity. "Try to sense the energy around you. Feel it coursing through every molecule, every particle. Absorb it as naturally as you breathe. Think of it as drawing in the very air itself, letting it fill your lungs and then your core. Sense it, feel it, absorb it." His words were a command, a demand for Ash to dive deeper into the meditation.
Ash's was filled uncertainty, but he nodded resolutely and followed Korthok's instructions. He sat down, eyes closed, and focused on the energy around him. At first, his mind wandered, but as he breathed in, he began to sense the subtle flow of the ambient energy. Unknowingly, he started to accumulate it, drawing it towards the center of his chest.
As the energy accumulated, a soft green glow began to emanate from Ash's body. The aura flowing gently, the color giving of a sense of earthy power. The green hue deepened, illuminating the surrounding air with an ethereal light. Ash remained oblivious to the transformation, his focus solely on the energy flowing within him. The green aura was a manifestation of his growing connection to the natural world, a sign that his mana core was beginning to take shape..
"Ah, it feels like warm air is entering my body," Ash thought, his eyes still closed in concentration. "It's kind of... pleasant." A gentle smile spread across his face, his expression softening with the sensation. "The center of my chest is heating up," he continued, his voice filled with wonder. "I can feel all the energy centering there, like it's building up to something." His breathing slowed, and his body relaxed, allowing the energy to flow freely. The green aura surrounding him becane larger, as if responding to his growing connection to the mana core.
Suddenly, all the energy radiating from Ash's body vanished. The air, which had been flowing with energy, fell still. Slowly, Ash opened his eyes, a faint glimmer of triumph flickering within them."I… I think I did it," he murmured, placing a hand against his chest. "All the energy I can feel it. It's condensed into a ball right at the center of me."
A smile tugged at his Korthok's lips. "Good. You've formed your core. Right now, it's empty, but with meditation, you'll be able to fill it. And through physical training, you can expand it allowing you to store even more mana. Anyway, it's time to begin your training," his gaze sweeping over the group. "I hope you're ready, because every chance we get along the way, I'll be pushing you to your limits. You're going to learn everything I have to teach whether you like it or not."
~~~
And so, the training began. For an entire month, day and night, the boys pushed their bodies to the brink of exhaustion, straining every muscle beneath Korthok's relentless.For food the needed to hunt for water the had to go fetch it, each time camp was set while others when others might have rested, they continued sweat and determination shaping them more than sleep ever could.
Yet their journey was not only hardship. Along the winding paths and through the wild lands, the boys encountered creatures and plants unlike anything they had ever imagined. Every discovery every glimmering scale, every blossom that shimmered under the moonlight seemed as though it had leapt straight from the pages of a storybook. The world was vast, strange, and beautiful, and with every step, they walked deeper towards their destination.
On the day of their arrival, the boys set up camp to rest and eat. The air buzzed with anticipation as they shared eager whispers, their minds brimming with visions of the magical things in the land of pixies.
"Alright, boys," Korthok declared, his voice carrying a note of authority and excitement, "the pixie border is close. Once we finish here, we'll be there in no time."
Axel's heart raced." I'm really going to learn magic… real magic. Void magic, too. That sounds so cool," he thought, nearly bouncing with impatience.
"Hey, Axel, look at this!" his brother called.
Snapped from his daydream, Axel turned and froze. Emerging from the underbrush was a creature that looked like a monkey, but not one of any kind he had ever seen. Its fur shimmered grey under the fading light, two tails swayed behind it, and it had not two but four twitching ears
The monkey crept forward, its movements slow and deliberate, as if testing the boys' awareness. It drew closer, step by cautious step until in a sudden burst of speed it lunged straight for Ash's food.
"Hey! That monkey stole my meat!" Ash shouted, leaping to his feet, outrage written across his face.
Korthok, however, remained utterly unfazed. He leaned back with an almost lazy calm, his eyes glinting with amusement. "If you want it back, then go get it," he said, his tone steady and relaxed. "I haven't been training you for nothing."
~~~~
The monkey darted through the trees, nimble as a shadow, springing from branch to branch with startling ease. Leaves scattered in its wake as it laughed to itself. "Hehehe, that was too easy. Humans really are dumb, huh? This should be far enough no way he can catch me now."
It perched smugly on a high branch, chest puffed out in triumph.
"Why did you do that, Mister Monkey? If you had asked, I would've given it to you."
The voice came from right beside him.
The monkey froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. Ash was there,right.There Standing on the same branch as if he'd appeared from nowhere.
"Wh–what the?!" In a panic, the monkey hurled itself off the branch, crashing into the undergrowth below before tearing off through the woods."Oh shit, what the hell was that? How did he catch up to me?" Desperation clawed at its thoughts. I guess I'll have to try harder to lose him.
It skidded behind a thick tree trunk, breath ragged, then shimmered and shrank, its form twisting until only a dull stag beetle remained, clinging innocently to the bark near the ground.
Moments later, Ash came strolling past, glancing left and right. "Where did he go? I could've sworn I saw him run this way…"
The beetle twitched, relief surging through the monkey's mind. See I knew it. Humans are stupid. He doesn't even know I can shape-shift. Hahaha"
"I can hear you, you know."
Ash crouched down, peering directly at the beetle. His eyes gleamed with quiet certainty.
Cold sweat prickled the monkey's body, even in its insect form." I-is he… talking to me? No way. No way he knows it's me…"