I slept like a rock that night. Kauan had to wake me up in the morning. The elves began their day very early, with the first rays of light at dawn. Breakfast was much simpler than the feast from the night before, but still far superior to the bland rations served by the army.
Once again, I regretted not sharing that delicious meal with my comrades. To honor their memories, I was determined to exhaust all the system's resources and become stronger. The first step was learning to control my mana and putting an end to this temporary weakness.
Right after breakfast, I said goodbye to Kauan and followed Tayná to the place where she would teach the children. Unlike the previous day, now that I was technically one of them, the children approached me. They were all curious and had plenty of questions to ask.
Tayná didn't seem too happy with my disruptive presence in her class. So I tried my best to answer all the questions as quickly as possible and not disrupt the lesson too much. The kids in that class had already moved past the mana control lessons. They were learning their first spells.
At the beginning of the class, I just watched. Of course, without understanding a thing. I must confess, it was embarrassing not to grasp what those little children understood so easily. Even though I didn't understand, I could tell how good Tayná was as a teacher. And beautiful...
—Alert: User is violating the directive "Do not look with desire at the women of the village"— the system warned me, though apparently too late. Tayná already seemed uncomfortable with the way I looked at her. I need to fix this behavior as soon as possible.
After she finished explaining the day's lesson and helping the children with their first attempts at casting the new spells, Tayná left them to practice on their own and came to start my training.
"Shall we begin your lesson, Sir Maculelê?" she asked quite formally, avoiding eye contact.
I felt bad. She was visibly uncomfortable around me.
"Yes, of course... Ah, you don't need to call me 'sir'. I don't think I'm that much older than you, right? Just Maculelê is fine."
"As you prefer," she replied, still avoiding my gaze.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, she continued:
"The first step to controlling your mana flow is to be able to perceive the mana flowing through your body in detail. You can start by sitting in a comfortable position."
She instructed me, and I sat on the ground in a meditative posture.
"Excuse me, I'll sit behind you and circulate my mana through your body. That way, it'll be easier for you to perceive the flow of mana."
She sat behind me, just as she had warned, and placed her hands on my back. Meditating in that situation wasn't exactly easy.
"I usually only use this technique when the children have trouble learning," she explained, and I felt even more embarrassed being compared to them.
"But in your case, I think it's unavoidable. Your mana flow is far more chaotic than a child's. You'd have a lot of trouble learning without help."
I felt a little relieved. My situation was unique; I had no reason to be ashamed, right? When she began circulating mana through my body, it was hard to hide the feeling of pleasure. Thankfully, she stopped immediately.
"System, I need your help," I said mentally. "Can you project a memory of the battlefield where my companions died onto a screen for me?"
"Of course, user. I can execute this task."
"And only I will see it, right?"
"Yes. Generating external projections visible to others is currently impossible. The user lacks the Light Magic attributes required."
Staring at my dead comrades to avoid... well, you know what, may seem extreme. But believe me, it was really necessary.
After a few seconds, she tried again. I still felt a certain excitement, but the image projected by the system did the trick.
"Focus and try to feel the mana flow," she said. "The first step is to sense the location of your core. Try to feel the region of your body that resists my mana the most."
I did as instructed and focused. I could feel the difference between her mana and mine. With more concentration, I felt how my body resisted foreign mana. Soon, I identified the point of greatest resistance.
"It's around my belly, but closer to the spine. As if it's protected between the stomach and the back muscles."
"Excellent. Now focus on your own mana flow, emanating from your core."
I obeyed. A light pulsing, like a second heartbeat.
"Can you perceive how your mana's pulsation is irregular?" Tayná noticed my progress before I even spoke.
"Yes," I replied. The arrhythmia was clear.
"Your next task is to correct this rhythm. Most people sync it with their heartbeat, but it's not a rule. You just need a defined rhythm. Some warriors align it with their breathing, which helps incorporate magic into combat techniques."
My instincts told me I should follow the second path. As a swordsman, my breathing was fundamental.
"You'll need to focus on your core and on the chosen rhythm. This step is crucial; we'll only move on once your flow is adjusted."
"Since this requires concentration, it's better to train away from the children. Starting tomorrow, you don't need to come to class. Ask Kauan for a quiet place to meditate. I'll come check on your progress."
She said goodbye, and I went to find Kauan, but I couldn't shake the guilt of making her feel uncomfortable.
I left determined to make things right and repair our relationship.