[Note: Read up to Chapter - 168 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Since Ronald's all raring to go, let's start with the Fireball Technique first!"
Aris glanced at the red-haired lad, whose eyes were practically sparkling, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.
He led them over to the elemental energy gathering array.
"Now, with the power of this magic circle, you'll be able to sense the relevant elemental energy more quickly and release your spells faster. It's really quite simple—I reckon you'll pick up the essentials in no time!"
He arranged everyone within the circle, ready for their first attempt, and began explaining the steps in detail.
"First, you need to communicate with the fire element itself. Then, you use magic to draw that energy together. Finally, when the fire energy reaches a certain level, it undergoes a kind of qualitative fission and forms a proper fireball."
"Like this…" Aris stretched out his hand and conjured a blazing fireball once more, letting it hover above his palm.
"Do you understand?"
The young witches and wizards glanced at each other, then nodded as though they'd finally cottoned on.
"I think I get it…" Hermione murmured, shutting her eyes as she focused on the fire energy within the magic circle.
With the circle's blessing, the elemental energy around her grew unusually lively. Still, she had to carefully sift through the jumble of forces, plucking out the fire element alone before guiding it with her magic.
Seconds ticked by.
One by one, the others closed their eyes in concentration. Even Ronald, thanks to Ars's pointed reminder, managed to grasp the knack of summoning a fireball.
The entire training ground soon fell into silence.
Only a handful of younger wizards, all from different families, remained fidgeting about, struggling like mad to "catch bugs" in the elemental world. Well, if you think of elemental energy as tiny insects, the comparison wasn't half bad.
"Focus your mind," came the instruction, firm and steady. "Completely merge yourself with the fire element. You'll feel it—as if the energy were just another limb. Sensitive, obedient… and dead keen to serve you."
Off to the side, though Cho hadn't the slightest knack for the fire element, she shut her eyes quietly all the same.
Just moments before, she'd sneaked a glance at Harry and Ronald and nearly burst out laughing.
Their faces looked absolutely ridiculous!
She'd never in her life seen a wizard try to cast a spell while looking like they were battling constipation.
As if their whole bodies were straining for dear life!
The sight alone was enough to make her choke back a giggle.
After what felt like ages, Ronald let out a heavy sigh and cracked his eyes open. His face was beetroot red, dripping with frustration, as he looked at Ars with a pitiful expression.
"No good… I can't gather that energy at all…" he grumbled.
"Ars, can't there be some proper spell for this? Something like the Levitation Charm—simple and straightforward?"
By now the others had opened their eyes as well, and it was plain as day that none of them had managed it either.
Even Hermione had failed to conjure a proper fireball, never mind Luna—who'd only just started dabbling in elemental energy.
"A spell?" Aris gave the lot of them a look and frowned slightly.
He honestly hadn't expected a simple fireball spell to give them this much grief.
He'd managed it in one go, hadn't he?
And back then, no one had been around to show him the ropes—he'd had to puzzle out every step on his own.
It's only a fireball spell, for Merlin's sake… is it really that hard?
"I just thought… magic always needs a spell, doesn't it?" Harry piped up, unable to hold his tongue.
In their minds, every bit of magic required some kind of chant. Even silent casting meant chanting the words up here—quietly in the noggin.
But when Aris had taught them the fireball, he hadn't mentioned a single word of spellwork.
A niggling thought began to creep into the young wizards' heads—had Aris simply forgotten?
"Alright, alright… let me think. A spell, you say?"
Aris looked at their expectant faces, turned away with a helpless sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose, and began to think hard.
Normally, the Fireball ought to have a spell tied to it—something to help the caster focus and guide the elemental energy more sharply, much like the incantations in the current magical system.
But the thing was, the elemental magic system had been developed by Aris himself. When he'd first cobbled together the fireball technique, he hadn't given spells a second thought. His mental strength was plenty—he had no need for chants or muttering.
Now though, being asked to come up with one on the spot felt like a right hassle.
At that moment, a thought struck him—those childish incantations from fantasy novels he'd once read.
If the whole point of a spell was simply to sharpen focus, to help the mind latch onto the fire element more clearly…
…did it really matter what the words were?
With that in mind, he raised his hand, emptied his thoughts, and deliberately loosened the tight control his mental strength held over his magic.
Then, slowly and with great pomp, he intoned:
"Great fire elemental spirit, heed my call—burst into flame and gather into a blazing fireball!"
A ball of fire flared above Aris' palm once more, a wave of scorching heat rippling out at once.
"Right then… apart from helping me focus a smidge, this spell's bloody useless," Aris muttered under his breath, just loud enough for himself.
After all, the fireball hadn't popped up because of the chant. It was his mental strength doing the heavy lifting—controlling the magic, guiding the elemental energy. The words themselves were little more than window dressing.
Still, he had to admit, chanting while working the energy did make it easier to concentrate. Not much, but better than nothing, eh?
Clearing his throat with a light cough, he turned smartly back to the group of wide-eyed young wizards.
"Did you lot hear that clearly? That's the Fireball spell!"
"This… that whole mouthful's the spell?" Harry and Ronald gawped at each other, completely gobsmacked.
Even Hermione and Cho shot Aris a look, their expressions sceptical and more than a little odd.
If you had to rattle off such a long-winded chant every time you wanted to toss a fireball in a scrap, the enemy's attack would've landed ages ago!
If that's the case, then what's the point of learning this spell at all—other than to show off a bit, eh?
"The purpose of a spell," Aris explained, "is simply to help you focus and guide the elemental energy. If your attention's sharp enough and your mental strength strong enough, you can conjure a fireball in an instant. Spell or no spell—it makes no real difference."
He spread his hands, speaking earnestly. "It's the same as the Levitation Charm. With strong enough control, you can cast it silently—no words needed. Same principle here!"
"But you lot aren't anywhere near that level yet!" he added sharply.
"So, for now—just chant the spell properly and stop faffing about!"
With that, Aris waved a hand at the young wizards and barked, "Well, don't just stand about—get on with it!"
"I've got it!" Ronald's eyes lit up once more before he shut them tight in concentration.
"So that's how it works…" Harry nodded, as if some grand revelation had just dawned on him.
"Is this really… alright?" Hermione muttered under her breath, but still closed her eyes and gave it a go.
Soon enough, the training ground was filled with the sound of clumsy chanting.
"Great fire elemental spirit, heed my call and burst into flames…"
"Great fire elemental spirit, heed my call and burst into flames…"
Hearing the lot of them mumbling away, Aris nearly doubled over laughing, but managed to keep a straight face. Stroking his chin, he strolled toward the edge of the grounds.
Brilliant—another lively day ahead.
Right then, let's all give it our best, shall we, middle–school lot!
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Drop Power Stonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 168 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]