I persisted with the other three elements immediately after conquering the first. The next easiest would probably be gravity. 

I set down my sword in front of me, taking extra care by bestowing it on a cloth, and expanding my range of mana extending from a faint layer of mana around my skin, to a more wide ranged coverage that extended in a solid colour of red around, darkening the light surroundings and emanating a suffocating presence. Grass crumpled, flowers fell and wood cracked with hints of aging rapidly increasing in the domain of my extensive presence. 

The essence of gravity is a harder thing to grasp. For example, you can imagine and illustrate what each element would vaguely look like or be presented by. Be it a colour, an animal, a natural disaster or even a trick, something would still crop up in your mental. Opposing that, gravity is the main example. The only thing that comes to mind is establishing limits on a persons capabilities by using a relentless force that cannot be broken. Some try to imagine jumping and falling down, or quiet literally, just falling out of the sky. Some imagine it as a king tirelessly enslaving his citizens with an iron fist.  

All those who do so, naturally fail. Imprinting a bad image onto an element in itself isn't wrong nor bad, however the feelings of the user have to be attuned to the image, no matter how bad it may be, positively and welcomingly. Otherwise, the result will be an utter failure. It was a wall that I had come across in my previous life as well, but the experience that I lacked before no longer constrains me. This will be achieved within a single try. 

I began riling up the vehemence of my domain that explored the nearby area, the colours in it glimmering with it's blissful hues before being ruthlessly being devoured by the spreading scarlet with hints of jet-black accentuating certain shadows. An overwhelming setting had to be present for the grand materialization of my image for it to be incarnated into gravity. 

"Okay. Let's do this." I whispered after a light breath and settled both my fists resting in striking position just under my ribcage, clenched fists, and began condensing the field into small scarlet heavy gauntlets that would be the embodiment of gravity. The single image resting in my head was the old me.

The one who closed himself of on the battlefield, who dedicated it all to be the strongest, the one who lost his best friend and the one who had no one he loved and no one that loved him either. The one who still, laughed at me and reminded me that strength is all I need. Everything else is expendable. 

That was the image that was being pulled to the ground and crushed with incredible might, smashing it into dim light splatters floating aimlessly and resting on the flowers that would bloom from the puddle of blood. A puddle of death and the puddle of life. 

My gauntlets rested in the scarlet aura, glitching in furious rage that seemed to rise up in deeper colour depths before expending as light pulse waves, which climbed back up again from the start at the base of my wrists. 

"Alright, let's give this a shot." I muttered ever so lightly, sweat beads rushing down my forehead and dripping to the ground like a falling icicle would. 

I thrust my fist forward with great momentum, discarding the emanating aura that clung to my fist and projecting it out in great speed making contact with the tree and then vanishing, folding in on itself. 

"Hmm? Did I do something wrong?" I tilted my head to the side and approached the tree, hand outstretched. Fortunately before it reached, the tree collapsed in its being, the bark of the tree crunching and grinding and the roots withering up like a wet towel being rinsed. The effect widely spread out forming noticeable fissures in the ground, separating parts of the grass blanket wildly let grown. 

My eyes jumped from their usually calm glance to slightly startled, but fixed themselves back near immediately.

I sighed exhausted and settled on my figure, switching to mana sight. A noticeable expenditure in the mana around my body was visible as well as the increasing temperature my mana seemed to exert. My mana was gradually regaining its formidable power. It would take probably take me at least another two years before I reach the level I was, but reclaiming the elements is activating the cogs that hadn't yet been turning resulting in my mana traversing with more ease and efficiency. Added to the fact that reclaiming something I could already previously do, theoretically at least, meant that the acquisition and development of my mana would skyrocket in this one day. 

Mana very much relied on honing it, using it more effectively and keeping it constantly in practice. The capacity of mana you may store might not change, but your mastery of it can grow infinitely. This concludes in the creative potential for mana. Being able to control the blocks of life to create and adapt is all accessible through mana. The only thing that can be of detriment is a lack of effort and drying creativity. 

"Time to catch up for the time lost. My weakness born from complacency, will be crushed. No matter how I feel about falling into old habits."