"Forget about it. We've got more important matters," I said, striding forward down the corridor.
"I'm not a slacker like you! I can't just skip classes for no reason," Ariel shot back.
"Right. Let's lay down a few rules," I said. "First — you never tell anyone what I teach you. Absolutely no one. Every piece of advice and every lesson I give you is a secret you'll keep forever. Understood?"
"Fine, but what's the point of this?"
"Second rule. You always do exactly what I say. I won't chase after you or force you into anything. I'll tell you how it must be done, and the rest is on you."
Ariel opened her mouth to object, but I went on.
"And that's why we're going to the arena right now and starting training. And third: if I ever sense that you're not doing what I say, or lying about it — I'll end our contract on the spot. I'm not here to raise you, only to teach you."
"Fine, fine, but let's meet after class at the arena, at sixteen. Then we'll train."
"Do you realize I told you just ten seconds ago to do what I say?"
"Is it that hard for you to wait? I haven't done anything to you, and you're already treating me so harshly. That's actually insulting, you know?" she said with irritation, turning away. "At sixteen, don't forget," she declared, and marched proudly off to class.
I already regret this.
I think it goes without saying that the academy's luxury revealed itself everywhere — not only inside, but outside too. On its grounds there were three separate football fields, two for basketball, and three more for tennis. And that was just for ordinary sports. For magic practice, there were countless arenas and training grounds: separate dueling stages, shooting ranges for precision, vast fields filled with obstacles and cover for team battles — everything students might need to hone their skills.
Exactly at sixteen I stood across from Ariel on one of those round arenas. No one else was around: everyone had either gone about their business or was busy in clubs. Besides, this arena was far enough from the main buildings that no one could see us.
"Now, show me all the spells you know," I said.
Ariel looked uncertain and uneasy — a sharp contrast to her earlier attitude. Frowning, she gathered mana around her body and released a small, shaky ball of fire that flew a few meters before dissolving into the air.
"Was that your full strength?" I asked, noticing how heavily she was breathing.
"No, I just need to warm up. I'm better at Ra after some physical exercises."
"No, that's enough. Next."
"But I didn't even manage to do that one properly—"
"I don't care. Next."
"When I trained with my tutor at the palace, we practiced each spell for several minutes until I got it right. You can't just switch spells like that! Everyone knows that."
"Oh..." I sighed and stepped in front of her, raising my palm upward. Then I activated Ta with my left hand and made a shallow cut on my right palm.
"What are you doing?" Ariel asked.
"Quiet. Just watch."
First, I activated Ta, and my hand became much stronger, although, unfortunately, it wasn't visible to the eye. Then I cast the healing spell Sa, and the wound on my palm closed instantly. After that — Vi, and a small explosion burst from my hand, sparkling in multicolored patterns on a grayish-white background. Then I lit a flame with Ra. Next I raised a barrier around my hand, and it shone briefly with faint golden threads before vanishing again — barriers are only visible at the moment of activation. Finally, a tiny spark of lightning crackled in my palm — the spell Ivi.
I did all of this one after another in just about five seconds.
"This is how you should be able to cast," I said. "Switching spells whenever and however you like."
Ariel stared at my hand with jealous amazement.
"Incredible. Even court magicians can't always switch spells that fast. How do you do it?"
"What do you know about spells? And why is it easier for different mages to learn different ones?"
"Because that's how it works," she replied in an obvious tone. "Everyone has different talents. Some are better at sports, some at science. It's the same with magic."
"That's not the whole truth. When I began studying sorcery, I quickly realized that your ability to use certain spells depends on two things: mana reserves and the mage's mindset. Mana reserves are determined in childhood, and can be expanded to a certain extent through training. But mindset can change at any time. That's the beauty of magic. With the right mindset, you can cast any spell."
"And what does that mean?"
"Let's start with Ta. Hit my palm with full strength."
She looked doubtful, but still activated Ta and struck my hand.
"Right now you barely used any mana in your punch," I said. "Something is blocking you. If we remove that block, you'll hit so hard you'll be breaking stone walls like paper."
"Fine. What should I do?"
"Hm, I don't know for sure myself. I mastered this spell almost instantly. The problem with talented people like me is that sometimes we overcome obstacles so easily we don't even notice how we did it."
"Do you even hear yourself? Honestly, I doubt you really understand how magic works," she said gloomily, turning her head aside.
I ignored her remark.
"I have an idea. First, describe your day to me. From the very morning. I need to know what drives you, step by step."
"Why? You sound like some kind of stalker."
"Eh. Looks like you're not motivated enough," I said thoughtfully. "First of all..." And with those words I struck her in the stomach so hard she lifted off the ground on my fist, let out a cry, and groaned in pain.
"Are you insane?! Cough... cough..." she wheezed, collapsing to the ground.
"Look at me. Never belittle me in conversation. If a teacher is belittled — the student won't listen. And I have only a month to turn you into someone capable," I said, then healed the bruise on her stomach so the pain vanished instantly.
"Disgusting bastard... how dare he! He should be hanged..." Ariel thought, clenching her teeth.
"Idiot. Couldn't you have said that more gently?"
"No. Now let me explain what's wrong," I said, offering her my hand. She refused, standing up on her own. "I heard from the courtiers that as a child you could cast any lower-style spells and even higher-style Aita. What changed since then?" I asked as I led her into the shade.
"I don't know. For a while I was doing great with my master. The first few months everything came easily. Then I moved to a summer estate for some time, so our lessons stopped for about a week."
"Why only a week?"
"Because he moved in with us, of course. Later I returned to the palace and continued training, but for some reason my progress slowed."
"Which spells did you stop being able to cast?"
"All at once, except for the explosion spell. I could still use it for a while, but eventually even that required serious effort. It happened gradually. I only realized I wasn't making progress after about a year. Even though everyone praised me, I felt something was wrong and asked my teacher. But he kept saying that for my age I was still progressing wonderfully, and that such leaps in growth don't happen often."
"I see. The problem is that you've been lying to yourself this whole time. Somewhere during your training, something shifted. I think you grew arrogant about your achievements, especially at the summer estate, where there were probably noble children around. Your pride stalled your growth, and you began deceiving yourself that you were already the best."
"That's not true at all. I wasn't arrogant, I wouldn't say I bragged to anyone, or anything like that."
"Pride doesn't have to show itself in boasting. You simply decided that you'd done enough. That you didn't need to grow further."
"I never thought that! I was just a kid, I didn't think about such things. And now I already know I'm behind, but my abilities don't come back."
"The point isn't what you know. It's that you don't want to discover anything new. When did you notice your lack of progress? Two weeks ago? You should've realized it years ago."
"Well... yes. I'd been noticing it for quite some time."
"When I defeated Arthur, you claimed it wasn't your fault. When I caught you blackmailing me, you only clenched your teeth in spite. And after that you still tried to blackmail me again — that I should do something for you and 'maybe' you'd help me in return. Your behavior is full of interconnected blocks, but the first one we must break is vision. The will to see the truth. Not just when it hits you over the head, but the desire to seek it yourself."
Ariel sat gloomily, silent.
"You can stay angry or resent me all you want. I don't care. But repeat this to yourself: I want to see the truth, and I will adapt to any change. Get up and try it."
"Try what?"
"Repeat that phrase," I said. If it were anyone else, she might not have listened. But my constant calm, steady tone seemed to either earn her trust — or force her to obey. "Believe it or not, right now I'm on your side. I trusted you when I decided to share my knowledge. Now you trust me."
"Ugh, fine. What do I have to repeat?"
"I want to see the truth, and I will adapt to any change. Something like that. And it's important — if you don't like that phrase, you can change it however you want. The key is to repeat it. Now go to that stone and hit it a hundred times. One repetition — one strike, and so on."
"A hundred?!"
"Yes, go on. I'll be sitting here in the shade."
"I can't wait for the day I finally get to beat you up," she muttered carefully, wary of another punch.
"Now that's the spirit — positive thinking. Go on, I don't want to sit here till evening."
---
Approaching the large carved stone block, Ariel hesitated.
"What does he think he's doing? He has no right to treat me like that, even if he's taken it upon himself to teach me." She recalled the moment he struck her. "I'll never deal with him again. He really is insane! That look of his, the way he talks... Whatever. How am I supposed to do this? Should I even listen to his advice? Well, since I've already started, I might as well try. What was it he said...?"
She took her stance, readying for a strike. The block was nearly three meters tall, designed specifically for practicing the Ta spell. Ariel threw her first punch. It wasn't very strong — she could tell immediately she hadn't managed to channel much mana into it. Then she continued hitting, lost in thought.
"What was it he said again? I want to change, I want to become better. Of course I do. I'm not going to spend a whole month training with him. I'll learn what I need on my own. Why would I need anyone else? My teachers only ever told me I was doing well, but in the end I fell behind everyone. I need to change my approach. I can decide for myself what's right and what's wrong. What did I feel back when I was little? Back then it was all so simple. Every spell felt new and exciting. I couldn't wait to master more and more of them. Maybe that's the reason? Yes! I just got stuck in other matters and stopped enjoying magic for its own sake. I'm class president, I do charity work, I take part in receptions... and with all that, I started treating magic like a tool. But it should be something to enjoy. Any pursuit should bring at least some joy. I'd stopped focusing on it completely, as if I'd already learned everything I needed. But magic is the opposite — you have to feel it, be curious about it. Yes, that's it!"
She struck again — this time, the blow left a small mark on the stone.
"I did it!" she exclaimed. She smiled, then focused once more and struck again, leaving a bigger mark. "Amazing! Finally!" She spun around and ran up to me.
"It worked! Did you see that?!" she said, breathing heavily after the exercise.
"Excellent. Let's go cleanse your first corruption," I said, rising from the bench.
"Although what you said about adaptation wasn't really necessary..." She wanted to call it nonsense, but remembered the last punch. "The problem was completely different. I had lost interest in magic itself because I was too occupied with academy duties and state affairs. Now everything will go smoothly. I can already feel I'll be able to recall other spells. Magic is like art or poetry — you can't create a beautiful verse or composition by force. You have to enjoy it. Perfect, it's all so simple! I actually remembered the very feeling I had as a child!"
"Wonderful, wonderful. Then follow me. Time for real practice."
"On corruptions?"