บท 25: Original Magic

"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!