As they arrived at the plaza, Alex directed Marc to where the Hunters' Association was, then walked straight to the library.
"Today's the last day of my pass, so I'll squeeze it as much as possible," Alex thought. He had paid one gold for two days and spent half the afternoon catching up with Marc, which left him with only half of his last free afternoon before starting work.
Once in the library, the first thing he did was reach for books about the theory of wind, and with a notebook in hand, he started reading.
"The two main causes of large-scale atmospheric circulation are the differential heating between the equator and the poles, and the rotation of the planet, which is called Martin's Effect."
Alex began reading and immediately started taking notes. The book seemed quite advanced, so he scribbled down "Martin's Effect." After thinking for a moment, he simply closed the book.
The content was too advanced, so he placed it back and scanned the library for something simpler.
After he did, he opened a new book, which presented a more straightforward explanation of wind.
"Wind is basically air that moves from one place to another. It's made up of tiny particles in constant motion, and when the sun heats Solmyra, it doesn't heat every part equally. This creates two types of air: warm and cold. Warm air tends to rise, while cold air sinks. The movement of air to fill the gap is what we call wind."
Alex wrote down in his notebook:
"Wind = moving air caused by differences in temperature and pressure."
This time, Alex understood the concept of wind better. He knew that it wasn't very useful right now, since while studying the books on magic theory yesterday, he learned that knowing the theory of the elements only helps a mage when creating their own magic.
The best way to increase one's understanding of an element is to actively train with it—experimenting, feeling, and observing the changes it brings to the world.
Alex wanted to study theory for two reasons:
Because he wanted to try to create his own magic, and mostly because he wanted to improve Windslicer and, in the future, Watershield.
Because it was the only thing to study besides magic theory that made his spent money worth it.
So, he went and grabbed a basic water theory book and repeated the process.
While he was studying water, the receptionist approached Alex and said:
"Sir, a young man is looking for you at reception."
"Okay, thank you," Alex replied.
He placed the books back on the shelves and walked toward the reception area.
There, he found Marc waiting for him.
"Hey, I'm ready. Let's go.""Okay," Alex replied.
Both of them headed toward the magic shop, where Marc was to choose his second element.
He chose Earth as his second element, and for his martial art, he picked Stoneskin—a basic yet highly useful skill.
After that, they returned to Susan's house—well, it was Alex's house too now, though both boys still found it awkward to call it that.
Upon reaching the house, Marc went toward the riverside to train his new element, while Alex stepped inside to help Susan in the kitchen.
Entering the house, Alex greeted Eve, who was coloring in a book in the living room, then proceeded to the kitchen.
"Hi, Susan," he said."Oh, hello, Alex," she replied. After a brief pause, she turned to him and added,"You know, even if it's not official, I'm still your mom. So how about calling me Mom instead of by my name?"
Susan looked at him with an expectant gaze.
"S-sorry… still feels weird. Perhaps another day…"
Being suddenly asked that, Alex froze for a moment. Indeed, Susan was his mother now, even if not officially, but he still needed time to adapt before calling her "Mom" without it feeling awkward or forced.
"Tsk," Susan clicked her tongue.
They started cooking, and after that, the four of them had dinner.
As they went to sleep, Alex began to wonder whether, after copying the skill, his dreams would change.
He still didn't know why he dreamt what he did—but perhaps one day, he would figure it out.
The next morning, Alex woke up after dreaming about the same thing.
"Perhaps the skill wasn't the main issue with the dream but an added benefit," he thought.
He would need to focus on other aspects of the dream carefully.
After helping Susan make breakfast and eating it, Alex and Marc headed into the jungle, while Susan took Eve to school.
Marc's job now was to clear the outskirts of the jungle of dangerous animals or monsters that could threaten people. He also began practicing skinning animals, so he could sell their hides and other valuable parts. Alex accompanied him to gather plants for sale at the alchemy shop—that would be his main source of income. He also took some of the animals' meat home to help reduce grocery expenses.
They hunted some wild boars—the same kind that had given Alex a hard time when he was alone. Now, with Marc's Stoneskin and Alex's Windslicer, they easily hunted the monsters. Stopping occasionally to gather plants or recover mana, they had little difficulty at all.
Time passed, and the afternoon came.
Today was Alex's first day at work, and he was a tad nervous.
Walking into the alchemy shop, he called for his boss.
"Octavius?""Yes, coming," said the old man, emerging from the back of the shop."Ah, Alex, I've been waiting for you. Come on in."
Alex stepped inside, and Octavius began explaining his job with a bit of haste—he was busy and didn't have time to waste.
"Under the counter, we have the potions. Here at the back, we have the plants we're willing to sell. All the prices are on this sheet here. We do not negotiate prices. They either take it, or they can simply fuck off."
The old man's demeanor suddenly turned frightening the moment he started talking about money.