The morning sun filtered softly through the arched windows of the Walker estate, bathing the marble halls in golden light. Birds chirped faintly outside, but inside the training room, the air was tense, still, like a coiled string ready to snap.
Alex stepped in slowly, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. Though his body always ached from Vonn's brutal training session, there was a calm determination in his gaze.
Vonn was already waiting, seated cross-legged in the center of the hall. His eyes opened as alex approached, sharp and assessing. "You're getting used to the pain," the elder noted.
"Not like I have a damn choice," alex muttered under his breath, settling into a stance.
Vonn stood up in a smooth motion. "Good. Because it's time to escalate."
"Today we begin with mana augmentation. Controlling the energy within you, spreading it around your body through your mana veins, empowering it."
He pointed to a training ring etched into the stone floor. "Get in."
"Hold on, what is mana augmentation?" Alex asked feeling lost.
Elder Vonn sighed and shook his head.
A vein popped in Alex head.
"Mana has many uses aside from fueling your attacks, mana can also be used to strengthen the body giving it an extra boost overall, the process called mana augmentation" elder vonn explained.
"Surely you don't expect me to know how from that explanation or were you hoping to beat me senseless first" Alex exposed.
With a click of his tongue elder vonn continued " mana augmentation is achieved by releasing and spreading mana around the body evenly, infusing the body and reinforcing it at the same time."
He then pointed to a training ring etched into the stone floor. "Get in."
Alex stepped inside, heart beginning to pound.
"You won't be using techniques. You won't be using weapons. Just pure mana control and augmentation, remember what I told you".
With that, Vonn's foot tapped the floor, and a wave of pressure surged forward, wrapping around him like a crashing tide causing him to fall to his knees. It wasn't violent. It was worse— overwhelming.
"let it flow around your body," Vonn commanded.
Alex gritted his teeth. The mana inside his core stirred, thick, gaseous and pure. He reached in, drawing it up like a stream, spreading it across his body. It trembled, slipping through his control because of the pressure.
"Too slow," Vonn said. "faster more precise."
Alex focused, his forehead already beading with sweat. He tried again. This time the mana spread faster around his body with most of it actually filling his body with less dispersing, but only barely. He lost control as Vonn abruptly increased the pressure.
The old man walked in circles around him. "Mana isn't just power. It's intention. Flow. Pressure. Speed. Learn to breathe with it. Match its rhythm—or you'll never improve."
And so the morning passed in a blur of drills.
Releasing mana as streams around his body. Let it flow, then dissipate it. Then maintain a steady stream while moving. Over and over again.
When alex collapsed to his knees by noon, gasping for air, Vonn didn't even look winded.
But he gave a small nod.
"Better," the elder said. "Still trash. But better."
Alex chuckled weakly. "That unexpected, almost sounded like praise."
Vonn smirked. "Don't get used to it. Tomorrow, we make you fight with it."
Alex groaned and fell flat on the stone floor, breathing hard as he stared at the ceiling.
"This must be what it feels like to be exhausted to death. Lucky me,it's just Tuesday."
The next morning arrived far too quickly.
His limbs protested against him as he rolled out of bed, muscles sore from the unending cycle of training. The crystal embedded in his palm pulsed faintly as if mocking him, absorbing its steady trickle of mana while remaining completely inert. A week had passed since it had been pierced into him, and still, it showed no sign of transformation.
He flexed his fingers, watching how the stone almost looked like part of his flesh now. The faint traces of the purple-red runes had long since vanished inside, swallowed deep within. He still had no idea what effect the Primordial Energy would have on the weapon-to-be… but he suspected it would be far from ordinary.
By the time he arrived at the training hall, Vonn was already waiting, arms folded behind his back.
"You look half-dead," the elder said without looking at him.
"Says the old guy," I muttered, stepping forward.
Vonn ignored him and said. "You'll be using mana augment while In a fight. Let's see how long you last."
Alex barely had time to react before the elder was upon him.
"shit!!"
A swipe of wind. A palm strike aimed at my shoulder. stumbling back, alex instinctively coating his arms in a thin layer of compressed space. The block held—for a second.
Crack.
His feet skidded back from the impact, the sound of snapping mana resounding in his ears. But he didn't fall.
"Don't use it as a shield, empower your body with it and not to your arms alone. Guide it around your body," Vonn barked.
Alex adjusted his stance. He could feel the mana within his core rushing through his mana veins in response. He drew a bit of it into his legs and moved, faster than ever, vanishing and appearing to Vonn's left in a flash.
He struck with a punch to the rib.
Vonn deflected with ease, but raised an eyebrow. "You're learning."
He retaliated with a kick to my side. I winced and tried to step side away but it was a beat too late. The blow sent me tumbling, breath knocked out of my lungs.
Alex coughed, catching his breath, he got up again.
This time, Vonn came slower—almost like he was teaching through movement.
"Push your mana before you move. Let it follow your intent."
Alex moved forward again, but this time he listened, mana flowed from his core and augment his fist, guiding the force of his strike as he ducked and threw a punch upward. Vonn blocked it, but he didn't counterattack.
Instead, he gave a quiet nod.
"Yes… Like that. Shape it with thought. Fight with purpose."
The duel continued. Again and again. Sweat poured down from his skin. Legs trembling. But Alex didn't fall.
Mana streamed more efficiently around his body now—slightly steadier. Slightly more refined.
He felt it. mana bending to his will.
When the final blow came—a harsh backhand to his ribs—he hit the floor hard, groaning, but grinning all the same.
Vonn looked down at him, silent for a moment.
"You've still got a long way to go," he muttered, turning to walk away.
"But I'll admit…" He glanced back. "For a boy not even yet four—you have the combat prowess of an average adult.
My grin widened as I lay flat on the floor, letting his mana settle.
Excited at his rate of improvement.
---
The day passed fairly quickly as Alex lay still on the ground for a moment, catching his breath as the dust settled around him. Sweat dripped from his brow, and every inch of his body ached with fatigue and pain.
He pushed himself up, wincing as his ribs throbbed, and finally stood. The crystal in his palm pulsed faintly, almost as if responding to the residual flow of mana within me. His breathing steadied, and thoughts drifted to the sensation he had just experienced—how the mana had surged from the core, slipped into the limbs, wrapped around his muscles, and lent weight and re-enforce his strike.
It wasn't just raw power—it protection and durability.
He looked down at his hands, slowly curling his fingers into a fist.
"So this is… body augmentation," he murmured.
The term sounds so simple, but now he felt it—mana used not to cast spells or summon flashy abilities, but to amplify the body itself. Strength, speed, durability. Like forging armor within your blood and wearing it over your bones.
He could still feel faint traces of mana traveling along invisible pathways beneath his skin—his mana veins. He hasn't paid much attention to them thinking they were only used for cultivating but now he sees the importance they held. Today's lesson had opened his eyes. He had tasted the flow,and more importantly, learned to guide it.
"It's pretty much about hitting harder," Alex said quietly, "and lasting longer"
He took a step forward. knees still shook, but the understanding in his eyes was firmer than ever.
Wishing a joyful and blessed Eid Mubarak to all my readers! May your day be filled with love, peace, and countless happy moments."
🎉🎉