Chương 26: Insulation and Nami's Hope
The process of learning was always easier when there was a visual representation available. This was true in most cases, especially those in the world of academics. Textbooks had pictures in them, students found studying easier using mind maps, and professors would often use slides displaying charts and diagrams or any sort of visual cues to help them present a subject. Basically, human brains were hardwired to absorb information faster and retain it longer when images were used as the principal tool.
Seeing something was simply more impactful than hearing or reading about it. People preferred to be shown than be told.
This was exactly the case with Max. He was able to sort of imagine what Brody had explained about when he was describing the process of performing Levitation. However, it was one thing imagining it; actually seeing it with his own eyes was an entirely different thing.
Max had the initiative to turn on his mana view when he noticed Brody's feet floating almost a meter above the floor. He wanted to know how the man's mana waves moved. And of course, this trick greatly paid off soon after.
Even before the teacher had begun his explanation, Max already figured out what he was supposed to do. He already impressed the image of Brody's mana movement in his mind, and all he had to do was replicate it.
It sounded rather simple, yet practicing it turned out to be slightly trickier than it looked. Max, as were many other people—mage or non-mage—who had a Talent in kinetic magic, were only used to directing his kinetic mana outward. Having to make his own body the target of the energy caused his brain to freak out.
If he had to describe the process, it was like trying to write a word on your own belly—every letter had to be backward.
Still, being able to see how his own mana moved greatly aided him. His brain received an additional factor in the form of visuals to associate with the sensation of mana flowing into his hand. With these two sensory inputs combined, he managed to flick a railway lever in his brain, altering the direction of the kinetic energy his mana produced.
Thus, in less than five minutes, he not only succeeded in the little hand-flipping task given by Brody, but he also had begun familiarizing himself with redirecting his kinetic mana. He would still sometimes have a brainfart, causing his focus to slip and his mind to accidentally flick the lever back. But it was natural; he of course needed time to really get used to this lever-flicking process.
After thanking his teacher for praising him, Max took the chance to observe the mana flow around Brody's chest. He found it fascinating that Insulation was able to totally mask the presence of the man's Mana Regulator. It truly looked and felt as if Brody were a non-mage. The amount of mana waves surrounding his heart was about the same as that which was seen on a Talented non-mage.
Max glanced at the currently resting Mutya—who for some reason had a despairing look in her eyes while absorbing mana from a mana stone. He figured it was the best time to ask Brody about Insulation, since he had been curious as to how it worked and why it could be harmful to those who hadn't finished forming their first ring.
"Oh, Insulation?" the teacher asked. Initially, he was going to tell Max that he would explain all about it later, after he was done teaching Dean. However, the boy in question suddenly came up to them with a look of great curiosity. He obviously wanted to know what Insulation was, too.
Brody was helpless against such a look. And considering the fact that Max had unexpectedly yielded a result much sooner than he had expected, the man figured he had a bit of time to spare and began his lecture about Insulation.
"First, you have to understand what an Insulation does, what its role is compared to our Regulator," Brody said, putting one hand in his coat's pocket while his other hand gestured around. "Mana Regulator differs from Mana Insulation in a way that the former plays a role to 'calm down' the mana traffic as well as providing a storage for condensed mana around a Mage's Heart, whereas the latter is supposed to greatly limit it."
Apparently, the way it worked was surprisingly similar to Max's Void Barrier skill. One had to cut off the connection between mana within their Mana Regulator and the one outside of it, creating a spherical layer void of mana.
Mana had the natural property to be attracted to life, therefore when it detected a void where the source of life—the heart—was seemingly absent, it tended to avoid it. Even when someone tried to attack a mage's Mana Regulator through close contact, the attacking mana would somehow be repulsed by the void, a.k.a Insulation.
One might ask, so how the hell did mages cultivate or perform techniques if their Mana Regulator was closed off in such a manner?
Well, Insulation didn't actually completely conceal a Mana Regulator, otherwise the mage would just look like a Talentless person, since mana wasn't seen going in and out of their chest. Insulation was always equipped with a single 'tube' that served as the only path for mana to flow out. This was why mages didn't have difficulty performing skills while maintaining their Insulation.
However, mages would cancel their Insulation periodically to let their heart and Regulator 'breathe', or whenever they needed to cultivate. Relying on the tube to cultivate was akin to quenching one's thirst with drops of water. It was far from enough. This was the reason why they always required privacy when cultivating.
As to why Insulation could be harmful to a new mage, it was simply because a Mage's Heart was inherently different from a normal human's heart. It had gone through the process of evolution, where it became not only more attuned to mana, but also regarded mana as a part of it. While a normal human's heart was able to function just fine in an environment devoid of mana, a Mage's Heart would slowly wither without a regular sustenance known as mana.
The period where a mage hadn't completely formed their first ring was the most fragile. If one applied Insulation at this stage, the newly-evolved heart that worked hard to attract mana would essentially be 'ignored', since the mana flowing in would be limited by the Insulation. It would be fine after the ring was completed, since the amount of mana stored was already sufficient to sustain the heart. But prior to that, Insulation was a no go.
In fact, there was a theory that even for those with all four layers in place, it would still be much better not to have Insulation at all.
In a perfect world, an Insulation would be considered unhealthy, since regardless of how much was stored within the Regulator, a Mage's Heart naturally 'wanted' mana, and vice versa. Limiting the connection between the two could incur damaging repercussions in the long term. Alas, this was not a perfect world. If a hostile mage detected your presence, it would spell trouble.
"So, that's basically all I know about Insulation," Brody ended his lecture. It was pretty informative, and Max was happy that the man was proficient at explaining things thoroughly while making them easy to digest.
Max then glanced at Dean. With no Insulation protecting his Regulator, Max was able to see the erratic mana waves that gathered into a lump around his heart. There was also a rough outlining of a ring. It was barely there, but Max was still able to make it out, somewhat.
Seeing Max silently staring at his chest, Dean waved his hand in front of the taller boy's face. "Dude, you okay?"
Max was still lost in thought regarding Insulation, so when his Iris suddenly notified him of a new transcription, he almost jumped. Slightly annoyed, he typed something as a response. [Hey, how old are you exactly?]
Dean wasn't expecting such a question, so he stuttered as he answered, "Fif-fifteen."
[I'm eighteen.]
"...okay?"
[Just so you know.]
"...cool."
Nami, who had been watching and listening to everything that had transpired in the training room, conveyed her laughter to Max. 'What are you trying to insinuate by that?'
Max ignored her comment and went on to practice the self-targeted kinetic energy movement again. Or at least, that was what he intended to do, before getting sidetracked as he noticed Brody beginning Dean's lesson.
Brody was seen raising his hand, all fingers folded except his index finger, which pointed up. Suddenly, the tip of that finger lit up on fire. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight, as anyone could do that with the help of a heat mana stone. Brody wasn't using that, though.
He then unfurled his thumb, whose tip also immediately produced a small fire. This was followed by his middle finger, ring finger, and finally his pinky. Each of the five fingertips now had a tiny fire flaming on it.
And then, Brody proceeded to pinch all of them together above his palm, combining the fires into a single flame. His next action looked as if he was releasing the flame from his fingers as they all retracted, causing the flame to float a few centimeters above his hand.
Max's audio sensor was able to pick up on the man's words.
"I could actually just create a simple fireball without going through that unnecessary process. All I gotta do is condense heat energy, which I'm sure every other heat mana user and their mother can easily do.
"But I wanted to show you an example of a fine control over fire. For us fire mages, it is imperative that we possess such control. Do you know why?"
It didn't take long for Dean to deliver an answer. "Because fire is like, destructive or something?"
"Exactly. That's not to say other mana types can't be as destructive. After all, humans can always come up with a million ways to destroy lives and things, regardless of what we have at hand. However, fire is simply destructive by nature, even without humans intending for it to be so. That is why—"
Max's easily-distracted mind was still reading Brody's speech transcription when suddenly, he felt a finger poking his shoulder. He instantly knew who it was. He looked to the side and down—Mutya was probably a good twenty centimeters shorter than him. He raised a brow as if asking what she wanted from him.
"Can you…" the girl was seen struggling to speak. It was as if the words refused to come out of her mouth. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Can you perhaps, give me a few tips? I don't want to end today's session without making a single progress."
It was safe to say that Max was perplexed. Hadn't she been sending him death glares? What might have possessed this competitive girl to ask him for help?
In truth, Mutya was the one who had been surprised first. She had seen Max asking Brody about Insulation, and how his expression shifted when he was intently listening to the teacher—or rather, reading his speech.
The boredom and tinge of laziness he usually wore on his face instantly evaporated, replaced by a profound look. He was genuinely processing all of that new information and storing it in his memory. It turned out that Max could become serious when he wanted to. And it was clear, after she saw him about to practice once again, that he was serious on making improvements. Even though most of the time he might not look it.
That was when Mutya began to question her initial prejudice of the guy. Maybe she shouldn't have formed such an extreme judgment of him after just a brief observation. She was aware she had this bad habit, and that was why she was willing to reevaluate him, even so far as asking for his help.
She still considered him her rival, though. That fact may never change.
[Okay. Though honestly, Brody has quite hit the nail when he said you should focus on your mind. It's tricky, you know. You just need to stay calm and gently nudge the kinetic mana, and not push it too hard.]
Without Max's knowledge, Nami had a big smile on her face. She hadn't known him for long, yet she knew very well how much he avoided social interactions. In fact, before becoming a mage, Debra and Lukas had been his only friends for years.
He simply was terrible at building relationships, owing to the fact that he couldn't find it in himself to form any meaning in having many friends. Or any meaning in everything else life offered, for that matter. Or even in life itself.
But she was hopeful that having Mutya and Dean as peers would eventually help fill his unmotivated, hollow heart.
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