Anthony's grin was predatory, his eyes gleaming with an almost manic light. Adrian, caught between a healthy dose of fear and a tidal wave of excitement, found himself giving a single, decisive nod.
***
It was still early, but the old man had prepared a sumptuous meal and invited Adrian to share it. He barely had time to swallow his last bite of lunch before the old mage was dragging him out of his chair.
"No time to waste, brat! The sun doesn't wait for aspiring mages, and neither do I!" Anthony's impatience was a force of nature, but it was met with Adrian's own burning enthusiasm. It was a perfect match: a teacher desperate to instruct, and a student starving to learn.
They stood by the shimmering Aqua Lake, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and something else… something electric.
"Magic," Anthony began, his voice dropping from a shout to a low, reverent tone, "is the soul of this world. It is the river that carves the canyon and the fire that births the star. The Canaan Continent is drowning in magical elements, and we, mages, are the ones with the power to command them!"
His eyes blazed with passion. He didn't just lecture; he performed, painting a picture of cosmic power and untold possibilities. For Adrian, a gamer who had spent countless hours living in fantasy worlds, this wasn't a lesson. For the first time since waking up in this world, Adrian didn't feel lost.
He felt chosen.
"To command the elements, you must first feel them," Anthony declared, his tone shifting to that of a drill sergeant. "Meditation is the key that unlocks the door. Most fumbling apprentices take months, even years, to feel their first spark. Now, sit. Close your eyes. And listen to the world's heartbeat."
Meditation. Adrian's heart hammered in his chest. This was it. The first real step.
He sat cross-legged, shut his eyes, and plunged his consciousness inward. The world vanished. In its place, a breathtaking void bloomed, not of darkness, but of a million shimmering stars. Points of light—fiery red, deep blue, earthy green, and ethereal silver—danced around him. They felt… familiar. Welcoming. Like old friends he was only just remembering.
He reached out with his mind, and the elements didn't just approach. They surged. Too many and too fast. For a split second, Adrian felt like he was drowning in light.
"By the seven hells!"
Anthony's shriek ripped Adrian from his trance. He opened his eyes to see the old mage practically vibrating with shock, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
"What in the blazes was that?!" Anthony sputtered, pointing a trembling finger at him. "You… you just… that was instant!"
Anthony looked like his entire worldview had just been shattered. He'd spent a lifetime believing that the path to magic was a grueling climb, yet this boy had just teleported to the summit. The long, patronizing speech he'd prepared for Adrian's inevitable failure died in his throat.
Adrian blinked, still feeling the phantom touch of the dancing elements. "I think I felt them," he said, the understatement of the century.
Anthony's eye twitched. "Felt them? You were having a full-blown party with them! But don't get cocky! Meditation is just the first step!" he snapped, his voice a hilarious mix of fury and awe.
Adrian couldn't help himself. "Teacher, how long did it take you to meditate for the first time?"
The old mage's face turned a brilliant shade of red, as if he'd swallowed a lit torch. He coughed, puffed out his chest, and abruptly changed the subject. "Ahem! Enough! You've passed. Barely. Next, elemental combination!"
He launched into a rapid-fire explanation of how to weave the elements together, a complex dance of intent and control. But to his growing horror and delight, Adrian needed no instruction. The moment Anthony described a combination, Adrian could already feel how the elements wanted to fit together. It wasn't logic; it was instinct. A water spell wasn't a formula to be recited, but a song he already knew the words to.
Within minutes, a perfect sphere of shimmering water materialized in Adrian's palm, pulsing with gentle light.
Anthony went completely numb. He stared at the water orb, then at Adrian, a complex storm of emotions warring on his face. He'd dreamed of a genius disciple, but this… this was a monster. A beautiful, terrifying monster. He felt a hysterical laugh bubbling up. He was going to be the envy of every mage on the continent.
"Teacher?" Adrian asked, waving a hand in front of Anthony's face. The old man was just standing there, grinning like a madman.
"Hmph!" Anthony snapped back to reality, quickly morphing his features into a stern mask. "Passable. Don't think this means anything." He refused to praise the boy, terrified that a single compliment might inflate his ego and ruin this heaven-sent talent.
He fixed Adrian with a glare so sharp it felt like a blade pressed to his throat.
"Listen to me, brat. Talent like yours isn't a blessing." His voice had gone quiet—too quiet. "It's bait."
The air around them seemed to tighten.
"The world does not celebrate monsters. It hunts them. I have seen prodigies who believed their gift made them untouchable." His jaw clenched. "I have buried them."
Each word fell heavy, resonating with the cold authority of someone who had watched legends crumble into dust.
"To rely on talent is to build your throne on sand during a rising tide. For a while, you'll stand above everyone else. You'll feel invincible." His eyes darkened. "And then the tide comes."
He stepped closer.
"You might become powerful. You might even become feared." His finger jabbed into his own chest. "But if you think raw genius is enough, you will die before you ever understand what true magic is."
His gaze burned.
"And a disciple of mine will not die as a half-formed legend."
The words hit Adrian with surprising force. This wasn't just a grumpy old man; this was a true master, offering him a glimpse of a higher peak. "I understand, Teacher," he said, a genuine warmth spreading through his chest.
"Good." Satisfied, Anthony produced a thin, leather-bound booklet. "These are a few low-level incantations. Your only task for the next three days is to master them. Do not disappoint me."
Handing over the booklet felt like passing on a sacred trust. For a mage, their incantations were their legacy.
Adrian accepted it with reverence, the worn leather feeling like a priceless treasure. As Anthony walked away, leaving him to his studies, Adrian immediately sat down, his mind buzzing.
He closed his eyes, plunging back into the starry sea of his consciousness.
The elements greeted him like an honor guard, their light brighter, more vibrant than before. He was about to begin practicing the incantations when he noticed it. An intruder in his mental space. A foreign object that had been there all along, hiding in plain sight.
It was a book. A massive, golden tome, bound in celestial light and covered in intricate, shifting runes. It pulsed with a power so immense, so ancient, that it made the entire world of magic outside feel like a flickering candle in a hurricane.
The elements in his mind trembled around it.
Not in reverence.
In submission.
Adrian's mental breath caught. A single, impossible thought crystallized in his mind.
There was no mistaking that blinding golden light, that hexagram symbol on its cover.
It's here. It came with me.
The [Book of Eternity]!