Over the following days, I continued dedicating part of my time to studying the ancient mage's book. The further I progressed in its reading, the more I realized that many of the concepts presented there were far beyond what was normally taught to mages in that world.
The abbreviated incantations had already proven their usefulness.
Wordless magic was also beginning to show results.
But there was one particular section that still sparked my curiosity.
The use of imagination to create new magical structures.
According to the author of the book, most mages spent their entire lives merely reproducing spells that already existed.
They learned ready-made formulas.
Memorized incantations.
Repeated techniques created by other people.
However, few truly understood the essence of magic.
Few attempted to create something new.
The old mage claimed that mana was far more flexible than most people imagined.
It could take countless forms.
Be shaped in different ways.
Adapt itself to the will of the one using it.
As long as the mage understood exactly what they wished to create.
I was sitting near the residence's veranda while rereading that passage for the third time.
A gentle breeze stirred the pages of the book.
Beside me was a small table with several notes I had written over the past few days.
The more I analyzed those theories, the more fascinating everything seemed.
"Reading that again?"
I looked up.
Elara was approaching, carrying a cup of tea.
I smiled.
"I am."
She sat down beside me.
"You're becoming obsessed with that book."
"Maybe."
She laughed.
"I'm not even going to deny it."
I closed the book for a moment.
"Actually, I was thinking about testing something."
"More experiments?"
"Exactly."
Elara already seemed to expect that answer.
"I can imagine."
I explained the passage I had just read.
The idea of creating new magical structures using only imagination.
Without relying on ready-made formulas.
Without copying existing spells.
Elara listened attentively.
When I finished, she remained thoughtful for a few seconds.
"That sounds extremely difficult."
"I think so too."
"But considering everything we've already seen in that book, it probably works."
"That's exactly what I thought."
A short while later, Lyannis appeared.
Liriel arrived soon after.
As always happened whenever the subject involved magic, both of them immediately became interested.
I explained once again what I intended to test.
Liriel seemed particularly curious.
"So you want to create a new spell?"
"Not exactly."
"No?"
"First I want to find out whether the theory is correct."
She nodded.
That made sense.
Before trying to create something complex, I needed to prove that the concept worked.
We headed to an open area near the residence.
The place had already become my personal testing ground.
There was plenty of space to experiment without causing problems.
After arriving, I closed my eyes.
I began by gathering mana.
This time I didn't try to reproduce a known spell.
Nor did I use any words.
My objective was different.
I imagined a sphere.
Then I imagined fire filling its interior.
Up to that point, it was simple.
But then I began modifying the structure mentally.
I visualized additional layers.
Streams of energy rotating inside the sphere.
Particles of mana continuously circulating.
I tried to imagine every detail of the construction.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
I remained focused.
The mana responded slowly.
Then a small crimson sphere appeared before me.
I opened my eyes.
The sphere remained floating.
It was different from any ordinary fireball.
Its shape seemed more stable.
More compact.
More controlled.
"Interesting."
Liriel was watching attentively.
So was Elara.
Lyannis analyzed every detail.
I maintained the spell for several seconds.
Then I dismissed it.
It was still too early to draw conclusions.
But something had clearly changed.
I spent the rest of the morning conducting new tests.
Some failed completely.
Others produced unexpected results.
One attempt created a sphere that exploded earlier than expected.
Another generated an absurd amount of smoke.
A third simply disappeared without producing any effect.
Despite the failures, I was enjoying myself.
It had been a long time since I had learned something so different.
During lunch, we continued discussing the book's theories.
Even Liriel's assistant joined the conversation.
She seemed genuinely impressed by the ancient mage's knowledge.
"It's hard to believe someone wrote all this eight hundred years ago."
"I think so too."
Liriel agreed.
"Even among the gods, there are few scholars capable of understanding mana at this level."
That said a great deal.
If even Liriel acknowledged that man's talent, then he truly must have been extraordinary.
After the meal, we returned to our experiments.
This time I decided to try something more daring.
One of the book's theories suggested that different elements could be combined in controlled ways.
Normally, that was extremely difficult.
Most mages learned to use one or two primary elements.
Mixing them required extensive training.
Even so, the author claimed that imagination could serve as a bridge between different magical structures.
I wanted to find out if that was true.
I began gathering mana once more.
First I visualized the fire element.
Then the earth element.
I kept both separate within my mind.
Next, I tried bringing them together slowly.
The sensation was strange.
For a few moments, it felt as though the two structures were trying to repel each other.
I continued insisting.
Carefully controlling the flow of mana.
Gradually, the two elements began interacting.
A small formation appeared before me.
It wasn't fire.
Nor was it earth.
It was something different.
An incandescent mass surrounded by mineral fragments.
It resembled molten rock.
I observed it carefully.
Elara's eyes widened slightly.
Lyannis looked surprised.
Even Liriel showed interest.
"You did it."
"I think I did."
I maintained the spell for a few seconds.
Then I launched it toward an empty area in the distance.
The impact produced a moderate explosion.
Earth and fire spread simultaneously.
The result was clearly different from any magic I normally used.
I stared at the crater that had appeared.
My heart raced a little.
It really worked.
The theory was correct.
It was possible to create new structures through imagination.
I spent the rest of the afternoon repeating similar experiments.
Some combinations worked.
Others did not.
Even so, each attempt taught me something new.
At one point, Elara decided to participate directly in the tests.
Then it was Lyannis's turn.
Liriel also showed interest.
Soon all of us were exchanging ideas.
Comparing results.
Analyzing theories.
Correcting mistakes.
The atmosphere was surprisingly enjoyable.
Even Scarlett and Rai'kanna showed up at one point.
The two of them watched part of the experiments.
When they saw one of the explosions, they immediately became interested.
"That looks useful."
Scarlett smiled.
"Especially the explosion part."
Rai'kanna nodded.
"I liked that part too."
I couldn't help laughing.
It was exactly the kind of comment I expected from them.
As the sun began approaching the horizon, we carried out one final attempt.
This time I decided to combine four different elements.
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
I knew it would be extremely difficult.
Perhaps impossible.
Even so, I wanted to try.
I closed my eyes.
I guided the mana slowly.
I visualized each element.
I mentally constructed their structures.
Then I began bringing them together.
The process was much more complicated than any previous attempt.
Several times, I thought I would lose control.
But I continued.
Maintaining my concentration.
Adjusting every detail.
Finally, a new formation appeared before me.
It was small.
Unstable.
But it existed.
A sphere composed of multiple elemental layers.
I stared at it in silence.
Everyone around me did the same.
No one spoke for several seconds.
We simply watched.
Then I carefully dispelled the spell.
It was still too early to use it in combat.
There was still much to learn.
But simply managing to create it was already remarkable.
Liriel was the first to break the silence.
"You just created something new."
I looked at my hands.
Perhaps she was right.
Perhaps this was only the first step.
But even so, it was an important one.
When we finally returned to the residence that night, my mind was still full of ideas.
New possibilities.
New experiments.
New combinations.
The more I learned about magic, the more I realized there was still an entire universe of knowledge waiting to be discovered.
And thanks to the legacy left behind by a mage who had lived centuries ago, I was beginning to see that universe in a completely different way.