Alphonse and I entered my mother's resting chambers, a very large and elaborate room. The scent-filled fragrance of roses and delicious nectar made me smile in pleasure as I walked in.
There she was, Anabelle, laid on her bed in her sleeping state. She was so beautiful, and for the first time… she seemed fragile. Almost like a sleeping beauty.
"Get me some Sage, Quidan Potions, Red Lotus, Tiagong, and Fyr. They should all be labeled in the Green House." Alphonse ordered the servants within the room.
The two of them instantly nodded, rushing out to fetch the ingredients he mentioned.
"Using mana to help her won't help in this instance since mana is the problem. All we can do is feed her medicine so her body stabilizes on its own. Any insertion of foreign mana will only make things worse…" Alphonse whispered, as though speaking to himself while analyzing everything.
I just kept looking at him the whole time, not knowing what to say. The way he took charge of the situation, plus the maturity he displayed. I could chalk everything down to experience.
My eyes, however, suddenly darted back to the injury he had, which made me a little worried. He was also in a bad shape.
"B-but, Alphonse… are you in any shape to do anything? Your shoulder is-" I spoke out in concern.
Alphonse's eyes lit up as he looked at the bloodied shoulder he had. He most likely got the injury from the sharp sparks of lightning running wild after he saved me.
'So, he prioritized speed over defense in order to rescue me, leaving himself wide open…'
I felt even more guilty now. Perhaps it was too much to have asked him to give me my final lesson at the time.
However, to my surprise, Alphonse didn't express any concern about his injury. He placed his hand on his shoulder, and a green light hummed around it. The spreading blood ceased and the wound he had closed instantly.
"H-healing Magic!" I beamed.
How could I have forgotten… Alphonse was a seasoned mage. Of course, he knew how to use it!
"I forgot about that injury for a second there, thanks for reminding me." He said, shrugging it off as if the blood he shed was nothing.
For him to have discarded such a blow as nothing, just what kind of man was Alphonse?!
"I-I see…" My lips curled awkwardly as I let out a short laugh.
Alphonse used magic to create a bowl and grinder, using earth magic to mold the simple objects. He also prepared water, heated it with fire magic and steam began to form.
The servants appeared and brought the ingredients, making him thank them as soon as he saw the items he requested.
I watched from the side as he chopped down the lotus, burnt the sage, and prepared the other herbs in specialized ways. The Quidan Potion was added to the boiling water, turning everything into powder.
'A-amazing… so this is modern medicine…' I beamed in surprise.
Back in my day, once a person experienced Mana Shock, they were given time to rest so that their body would naturally restore itself. There was no medicine to speed up the process.
"This is incredible…" I smiled, watching Alphonse's precision in combining the ingredients.
At this point, the medicine was ready, having the form of a thick pink liquid. The red lotus must have contributed greatly to its color.
"I suppose this is the first time you've seen anyone make medicine, uh?" Alphonse said, upon noticing my smile.
I nodded eagerly.
"Well, this is usually the job of a doctor or alchemist, but since I learned some while studying magic, I know a little about medicines in relation to it.
"A-ah, I see…" I blurted out, utterly amazed.
Alphonse proceeded to my mother's bed, using wind magic to carry the liquid and give her the right dosage in tiny droplets so it would be easy for her to swallow. In a few seconds, he completed the dosage, leaving a good deal within the bowl.
"I'll tell you the dosage you'll constantly give to her before I leave. So, even after I'm gone she'll be on this medication and In a few days, she'll be perfectly normal." Alphonse said, looking at me as well as the other servants.
"T-thank you, Alphonse." I beamed
The servants also thanked him profusely bowing their heads in respect.
"That's alright then. Now that the worst has passed, you should all go and rest." He smiled kindly.
"B-but our Madame is still-" One of the maids voiced out in protest.
"That's fine. It's nothing, really. You can call in a new batch of servants to replace your post, so you can go freshen up."
Realizing that they couldn't argue with Alphonse, the two servants nodded and excused themselves.
"Jared, you should also rest. You must have exerted yourself a great deal after using that spell…" Alphonse said, looking at me with concern.
I understood his perspective. I was only a little child with a white Mana Core. Not only had I spammed a bunch of spells with different elemental attributes, but I also created such a destructive phenomenon. It was only natural that I would be exhausted. However…
"I'm not really tired, Alphonse… I'm fine. Really." I replied.
Alphonse seemed to distrust my words, so he narrowed his eyes to observe me closely. His eyes widened in surprise, meaning he noticed that I wasn't in any poor shape.
"H-how is this… wow, amazing. Once again, you've flustered me, Jared." Alphonse grinned.
'Hehe, I aim to please.'
Using three Mana Cores had its benefits, one of which is mana management. I can save up a lot of mana by using the cores to charge one another. Also, while I use a core for magic, the other core absorbs the mana particles within me. Since I can somewhat control the flow of mana in my body after years of practice, I can fill up my mana Cores easier than others.
'Also, If I had used SPELLCRAFT, mana wouldn't have even been an issue…'
Alphonse seems pretty neat imo
"That Lightning attack… it wasn't anything a young magic-user should be able to use. Even Yellow Core users can't produce such an effect. Yet, with a white Core, you did it… and you're not even exhausted… fascinating…" Alphonse muttered, rubbing his chin as he spoke.
'Pfft, the old man was playing coy. Who knew there was this side to him?' I mused.
He was speaking in circles, but I knew what Alphonse was getting to.
"Do you want to know how I did it?" I asked with a sly grin.
"W-what are you-?!" He burst out, trying to hide his curiosity by masking it with annoyance.
He couldn't fool me, though.
'I might be a child now, but I was once an old man too. You can't use your tricks on me!'
Plus, I was a very curious fellow in my past life, and I still am, so I used many methods to extract information from people back then. Many of the means that I used were crafty strategies and acting. Compared to me, Alphonse's attempt to hide his motive was at the level of a noob.
'Never underestimate the power of shamelessness!'
"I can tell you, though. It's not a big deal for me. I simply used Basic Magic Spells and combined them in a way that produced that result."
Alphonse was stunned, but he composed himself. If I was to tell him something so important, he would have to become the student. After all, he said it himself. He no longer considered me his pupil, but a fellow Magic-User.
"Please, tell me more…" Alphonse asked with a resolute face.
'Why not?'
Of course, I didn't tell him about the fact that I had three Mana Cores, or any of my well-guarded secrets.
The only thing I did was explain the concept of lightning, and how it was achievable through the right combinations. Though it helped that I had three Mana Cores, since I was able to complete the process much faster, anyone could recreate such a phenomenon if given enough time.
"A-Amazing!" Alphonse kept beaming as I spoke.
However, the more I explained it, the more I couldn't understand the hole in my theory. It should have been perfect, yet it went out of control.
'Am I missing something?' I had thought to myself.
Well, if that was the case, I simply had to dig deeper. There was no way I would settle for anything less than perfection!
And so, with this resolve, I went to my room and got enough rest, preparing for the spectacular show I would be seeing this night.
To pass the time, I practiced a little and went over some of the things I had learned, while also writing down the process of making the Mana Shock medicine.
'It could come in useful…' I thought to myself.
Before I knew it, night fell, and it was time for my appointment with Alphonse.
I left my room and went to the destroyed courtyard, anticipating the show.
Apparently, Alphonse was more excited since I met him there already waiting for me.
"Oh, you're here. Just in time." Alphonse grinned upon noticing my presence.
"Good evening. It's nice to see you're keeping your promise." I smiled at the wry old man.
"Look at this brat. What do you take me for?" Alphonse laughed.
I also joined in the merry laughter, grateful that the little awkwardness of the past had vanished entirely.
"Well, since we don't have much time, we might as well get started now."
I nodded, moving close to him.
We were standing at the center of the crater my berserk spell had caused, making me wonder what Alphonse had in mind.
"Remember what I told you this afternoon? I doubt there's any Basic Magic that I can teach you at your level." Alphonse began.
'I knew it would come to this…' My mind trailed.
I had far surpassed any Basic Magic regiment he could think of. Plus, he also couldn't teach me more advanced magic since I didn't have enough mana capacity to handle them. At this point, he was at an impasse.
"Your growth rate is phenomenal, so I thought of something different entirely…"
Upon hearing this, my eyes widened as I looked at his face.
"… Why don't I bypass all the levels you need to reach and go to the very pinnacle of Magic? The highest level Mage can achieve, since that is the place you desire to stand." Alphonse smiled at me.
He must have sensed my impatience and eagerness. To have come up with something like this… my ex-tutor, Alphonse, was simply amazing!
'Pinnacle of magic… this is…'
I instantly forgot about all the worries and anxiety that enveloped me. If he was talking about what I thought he was, then I was about to see something truly amazing!
"It's too much for someone at your level, and we don't even have enough time for you to learn it. As you know, our period of training is officially over. Finally, it is something exclusive to me alone, so this isn't what anyone else can perform. However…"
'So it's exactly what I'm thinking about! Perfect!' My mind rang.
This was even more than I expected. It was the highest level of magic a mage could achieve. It signaled the maturity and growth of a Magic-User, as well as their resourcefulness. The combination of both mana capacity and research… Original Magic!
"… If it's you, Jared, then surely you'll be able to learn something from my little demonstration!" Alphonse smiled.
'Of course. At my level, it would be impossible to make my own Original Magic, plus, I couldn't imitate his since the magic he would show me was something he had developed from scratch!'
However… the point of this demonstration was something else entirely.
'To see Original Magic up close, and to learn how it is made… something like that will boost my knowledge of Magic Principles even more and allow me to see how far this world has progressed compared to the past!'
"Now then, let us begin…" Alphonse smiled.
"Watch and listen closely, Jared. I'll only show this to you once, so burn it into your memory. I hope it will help in your own research and the creation of your Original Magic."
'You don't have to tell me twice, old man!' I stared in absolute concentration.
My true, final lesson was about to begin!
Alphonse reveals his trump card to Jared. Will this strengthen their bond even more and cause a growth in the young lad?
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GOT IT