I believe this weekend should be Xialing's fifth birthday....I...I've been so busy with training and diving into my studies that I can't believe how much time has flown by. In my everyday struggle of repeating the same thing over and over again, I had missed my birthday and now it's almost time for my sister's birthday...I wonder if they did anything on Shang and My birthday. It would be the first year our family celebrates anything without me or mother there. I-I really want to give Xialing a little something for her birthday in case she doesn't receive anything this year but no. I can't do that just yet. No one is to know that I am still alive. Not yet. Now is not the time for me to be homesick. I must continue my training or else coming here would have been a waste of tim-"Ned!"
My attention is brought back to reality as Master Kaecilius' voice calls out to me. Well we're currently not in the real world right now but you get the gist. I turn my attention towards the incoming ball of fire that's aiming for my head. I quickly reform my shield just in time to dissipate most of the spell before getting blown back a couple dozen feet from the remainder that broke through. I tried to readjust my body while in the air so that I can land on my feet but unfortunately I'm just not athletic enough to do such a task. Instead, my body crashes into the white ethereal ground as it tumbles and rolls for a few moments before I could find footing to stop myself and get up. Now in the real world I would have broken several bones and be paralyzed in some ways but this. This is not the real world. I look up towards my Master and summon a magic circle. I aim the spell at my feet as I bend slightly towards the direction I want to launch my body. I unleashed the gale of Watoom that was trembling under the binds of my hands, causing me to fly through the air at a very dangerous speed.
Waiting for me at the end of my trajectory was Master Kaecilius, he had formed a shield to receive my impact while also creating a whip to punish any mistakes or openings I may create. With a smirk, I cup my hands together as I try to form two spells in close proximity to each other. In one hand is a magic circle containing a 'Bolt of Balthakk' while in the other is another circle containing a 'Maelstrom of Madness'. "KA MEH! HA MEH!" The closer I got to Master Kaecilius, the stronger and more energy I would overcharge in my two independent spells. By combining the two elemental traits together I can create a very deadly and dangerous beam of condensed storm that will eat through anything, and that's just with those two spells at their basic levels. This one is the overcharged version of it.
"Oh you're going to try this little trick agai-" Master Kaecilius tried to belittle my attack as he had seen this combination of mine on a few occasions when we would practice in the past. However he stops his words mid sentence to shift his stance from being ready to counter my move, to being on the full defense and protecting himself as he could sense the gradual increase of energy being infused. My body soon lands within just slightly out of arm's reach away as I push the two spells together and unleash it towards him. "HAAAA!!!" The two conflicting magic circles rotate within each other as the destructive power of each spell multiplies into an extreme degree. Even though the beam of this spell is extremely bright and hot and chaotic, it still seems to be unable to penetrate through the golden yellow shield of my master.
CR-CRACK!
A very satisfying noise echoes through the empty white field as cracks begin to web out across the magic shield. I keep pushing more power into the beam as the satisfying feeling of finally pulling one over Master Kaecilius spreads through my body. After always getting my ass handed to him whenever we would fight one on one, I finally got to land a punch that felt good. Even if we aren't in the real world at the very least I got the chance to land a hi-FUCK! My moment of internalized celebration was short lived as I felt a warm sensation landing on my back.
WACK!
My body is once more launched into the air as I receive a strong kick from my master. I try to turn my body towards my assailant so I can at least return one more spell but soon everything starts to fade out as we're pulled from the 'Fields of Morpheus'
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I suddenly jump up from my mattress as I try to block any sudden attacks that might hit me. "Ahhh!!" I roar out in a half panic and half intimidating scream so I can embrace any sudden spikes of pain I would receive. But to my surprise it was just Master Kaecilius and me in the dojo room. He's already in the process of cleaning up his mattress with his back turned to me. He slightly tilts his head towards me as a smile creeps on his face. "Do you know why I always land a sucker punch on you after every session in the 'Fields of Morpheus'? It is to build the connection between your mind and your body even more." He stands up and tucks his mattress in between his side and arm as he walks over to the end of the room to put it away. I do the same and put away my mattress so that the next time someone else uses this room, they don't think a pig was just in here.
"So Master Kaecilius, we have been training in the 'Fields of Morpheus' for a while now. Why did you recommend we do this in the first place? I already practice in my dreams yet even now I still can't use magic in the real world." I follow him out of the room as we both head towards the courtyard to join the rest of the school for dinner. "Do you remember when we first tried to approach the path of Chi manipulation with you?" I nod at him as we both joined the queue. "Yeah you mean when I passed out from all the pain and vomiting?" He reveals a simple smile before continuing. "See you might have not known about this but it was because you lost consciousness that led to us training you in the dream realm. When you first fell asleep in front of me, I felt a peculiar energy that radiated off of you. At first I thought it must've been the residual effects that were left behind from me circulating my energy through your system. However as we trained more and more, the radiation would grow stronger and stronger every time you passed out during training." We grabbed a simple bowl of soup before heading out to find a table.
"Okay but what does my extraordinary ability to fall asleep have anything to do with my current training." We sat down a table near the gathering of the masters. "Well Ned, that's we're things get interesting. Over the pass few months of you becoming my desciple I had gotten the chance to observe your way of thinking and how you approach the many paths of the mystic arts. In the handful of times I had gotten to see you faint or pass out from your trainings; your body would, without fail, begin to release faint but powerful waves of energy that only a master could be aware of. When I had brought up this matter to the Ancient One, she had instructed me to try and unionized your mind and body. It seems like that extraordinary mind of yours is not in harmony with the rest of your unique and bizarre body composition."
"Wait what do you mean bizarre body composition? I feel just fine. What's so different between me and everyone else?" I gently blow on my soup before taking a small sip to test the temperature of my meal. "Well for starters, you recover way too fast. Normally a regular person requires a couple of hours worth of them to recover from a normal day. Sometimes several hours if a person is training their body or mind. But you Ned. As long as your consciousness enters REM sleep, your body will start to repair itself at an incredible rate as well as release burst of energy to call for magic." My master pauses for a moment as he begins to eat his meal too.
"Never had I ever heard of a person who can't perform magic, not even a speck of it but is able to almost create a spell while their body sleeps..." The development of news nearly brought me to tears as I set my spoon down to digest the information.
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Holy fuck I'm in a shonon anime.
"Is that why...is that why we've been practicing in the dream realm? You want me to get comfortable with casting spells in my dreams in hopes of one day I can recreate them in real life?" I finally respond after what felt like enough time for my soup to cool down. "It was the combination of your physic, sleeping habits and your nightly routine that inspired me to try training you in the 'Fields of Morpheus'. Without those discoveries I don't think we would have been able to make this much progress on the time that we did." My master takes a sip of his drink before continuing. "Looking back on the first day that I had met you. I can say for certain that it was the right choice to bring you here to Kamar-Taj. Now even though you have yet to be able to cast your first spell, your ability to study and understand the mystic arts is already second to none in the current age of mystics. And for that I am truly proud to be to your master." I gave him a smile and a slight nod as I continue to eat my soup-FUCK IT'S TOO COLD NOW. I furrow my brows slightly as I quickly finish my dinner so I can start my free time a little sooner than later.