Valorant:
"Interesting..."

Attu:
"What happened? Is everything alright?"

Valorant:
"Yes, everything’s fine, it’s just that... you can use blue fire."

Attu:
"What does that mean?"

Valorant:
"In this world, four types of fire have been identified so far. 'Eternal fire,' which is regular fire; 'green fire' — the fire I used to kill the demon 'Baskervill'; 'black fire' — the one that destroys life; and 'blue fire' — the fire that can take any shape."

Attu:
"What do you mean by that?"

Valorant:
"It means you can use fire magic. Not just any, but blue fire magic."

Attu:
"What special properties does blue fire have?"

Valorant:
"I told you, you can give it shape. Not complex shapes, but simpler ones."

Attu:
"What do we do now?"

Valorant:
"Now we’ll start training with your fire from tomorrow. Now go to sleep!"

Attu was happy because he had the ability for fire magic. He went into the hut and was happy for a while about his magical ability.

In the morning, the sun rose.
Valorant came back with a bucket of water, splashed it on Attu’s face, and said:
"Get up, are you just going to lie there? It’s time for the morning training! Get up!"

Attu:
"I’m getting up now."

Valorant went outside. He stood there waiting for Attu to come out. The old man was also happy about it because he hadn’t given this kind of lesson to anyone in a long time. Attu came out. His condition was much better, and the wounds on his body had healed. Attu couldn’t understand how he had healed so quickly within two days.

Valorant:
"Your condition seems much better."

Attu:
"Yes, everything is fine. Did you use some kind of magic?"

Valorant took a black stone from his pocket and showed it to Attu. The stone began to shine with a green light.
Attu:
"Wow... Can you use green fire?! What is its power?"

Valorant:
"Yes, my fire is green fire. This fire can settle inside an enemy and burn them from within, or it can heal."

Attu:
"Burning from within sounds less appealing than healing."

Valorant:
"And also, it works much better against poison, especially against demon toxins. When the dogs of Baskervill bit you, they poisoned you. I used this fire to help you recover. To remove the poison and heal you."

Attu:
"Yes, that makes sense. That’s why I healed quickly and was able to stand up in two days."

Valorant:
"Yes, that’s why you are alive. Today is your first lesson. I will explain the basics of fire magic, and then we will start the lesson."

According to Master Valorant, all elestars who fight with fire magic are taught in one combat style. It is called "Fiery Wrath." It has seven levels:

Level 1: Fiery Mana.

Level 2: Fiery Hands.

Level 3: Wrathful Eyes.

Level 4: Amplification.

He said he would explain the other levels when I reached level 4. Moreover, Master Valorant explained that it is called "Fiery Wrath" because fire magic can be fueled by wrath. At the same time, he mentioned that wrath can consume elestars and put them into a "Berserk" mode, leading to their destruction. He emphasized that regardless of what level one is at, it is possible to fall into this mode. Therefore, I must first learn to control my anger, avoid getting enraged, and manage my mana. Thus, the first day's training began. My first task was to maintain a calm state to regulate my mana. For this, we practiced meditation every day. To be honest, I didn’t quite understand what meditation was.Our main task was to sit quietly and calmly in a serene place. To help me maintain my composure, my teacher would sometimes shout unexpectedly during meditation, like “Aaaaaaaa…” or “Stand uuuuuuuuu…” At other times, he would curse using words like “Donkey!” or something else. I tried to be patient and avoid losing my temper, making sure not to show it.

Master Valorant said this was quite common in the Water Kingdom in the East. Meditation helps to calm the mind and conserve mana. Meditation helped me a lot in finding peace and tranquility within me. I spent the first two weeks practicing meditation daily. As a result of the meditations, I began to feel the mana in my body. During moments of strong concentration, I even saw my own and my teacher's mana. However, maintaining this concentration proved to be quite challenging.

When it was time for my next training session, Master Valorant remarked,
"Today we’ll add something new to your training."

Attu, surprised, asked,
"What are we adding now?"

Master Valorant replied,
"As always, you'll keep your mana concentration, and I…" — picking up a stick in his hand — "will hit you."

Attu:
"What kind of nonsense is this? Are you joking?"

Valorant looked at him seriously and said,
"We're starting the lesson. If you can maintain your mana concentration evenly, I’ll hit you once and then check your concentration again. If it stays the same as before, I won’t hit you again. Do you understand?"

Attu:
"What if I can’t hold my concentration?"

Valorant:
"The answer is simple: as long as your concentration is off, you’ll keep getting whacked. Now, let’s begin the training!"

With that, our next training session commenced. During our first session, we meditated and began to focus on mana. After some time passed, unexpectedly, a stick flew toward my head at lightning speed and hit me. When it struck, it felt like the sun flashed before my eyes for a second, and I lost consciousness for about fifteen seconds. When I opened my eyes, my teacher was standing over me, trying to bring me back to reality by kicking me with his foot. I came to.

Master Valorant:
"Are you back to yourself? If so, continue your concentration." With that, he walked away.

To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed my teacher standing nearby; I didn’t think he would be so sensitive to mana. I now felt a throbbing headache. It hurt a lot.

Valorant:
"Start concentrating!" I heard his voice shout.
Attu:
"Okaaaaaaaaay!" I shouted back.
Valorant:
"Don’t shout at me!" he yelled in frustration.
Attu:
"Okaaaaaaaaay!" I shouted again.
Valorant:
"Shut your mouth!" he barked again.

This time, Attu didn’t say anything. Valorant’s voice also fell silent. Attu began to focus on his mana once more. A minute passed, and he didn’t stop concentrating. Five minutes elapsed, but Attu grew tired from concentrating so much on his mana and finally stopped. After focusing for so long, he felt exhausted and barely managed to stand on his feet. He had no strength left to walk, and at that moment, he remembered the stick and began to look around for it. Nothing was flying toward him from anywhere. Happy that there was no stick, he took a step forward, but just then, he heard Valorant's voice coming from above in the forest.

Attu looked in the direction of the voice, and as he was getting closer, he caught sight of the stick just a few meters away. He managed to say, "Damn it!" The stick hit Attu squarely in the center of his forehead, and once again, he lost consciousness. This time, he was out for five hours. While he lay there in a daze, Attu dreamed. In his dream, sticks were swirling around him, dancing to hit him. Terrified, Attu woke up shouting. Coming to his senses, he looked around and realized night had fallen. He found himself by the campfire in front of a cabin. Valorant was preparing food over the campfire.

Valorant:
"Are you awake now?"
Attu:
"Yes," he replied, trying to get up from where he was lying, but his head hurt. He grasped his head with his hand.
Valorant:
"Is your head hurting? Sorry, I went a bit overboard. I’ll be more careful next time."

Attu:
"What did you do?"
Valorant:
"What do you mean?"
Attu:
"I mean, how did you throw the stick without even seeing it?"
Valorant:
"Ah, I sensed your mana. That’s how I was able to throw it."
Attu:
"How exactly did you sense it?"
Valorant:
"By observing the changes in your mana. When you're concentrating, it either stops spreading or decreases in intensity. When I told you to meditate, you needed to reduce the spreading of your mana and utilize it for yourself. By concentrating, you process that mana through your body repeatedly, making it stronger and giving it a much more potent effect when used. That’s why meditation and concentration are necessary."
Attu:
"Yes, now I understand."
Valorant:
"Fire is one of the five primary elements in this world. Therefore, you need to approach it differently. If you don’t wrap your body in fiery mana, it will simply ignite and turn to ash."

Hearing this, Attu's eyes widened, and he asked,
"It will catch fire?"
Valorant:
"Yes, it will catch fire. The other primary elements also have similar dangers. It is because of these dangers that Elestars became powerful mages. The first Emperor was also an Elestar."
Attu:
"The first Emperor? Isn’t that a fairy tale?"
Valorant:
"Yes, most people think so. But it’s not. The first Emperor actually existed. He lived about a hundred thousand years ago."
Attu:
"A hundred thousand years?"
Valorant:
"At that time, the Elven Kingdom didn’t even exist. That’s why there is so little information about the first Emperor."
Attu:
"The Elven Kingdom?"

Valorant:
"You don’t even know that? Which era are you living in if you don’t know about the Elves?"
Attu:
"I’ve only heard of them in the tales of my parents."
Valorant:
"Where is your village?" he asked in surprise.
Attu:
"It’s about a day and a half’s walk west from here."
Valorant:
"I hadn’t heard there was a village in that direction. Do you know where the city is?"
Attu:
"Yes, it was a two-day journey along the road from the village."
Valorant:
"Got it! Your village is very close to the border and hidden in the forest, which is probably why you don’t know much."
Attu:
"If possible, please tell me everything!"
Valorant:
"Okay! I’ll tell you. Whenever we have free time, I’ll share. What do you want to hear about?"
Attu:
"Tell me more about the first Emperor!"
Valorant:
"Alright, listen! As I mentioned, the first Emperor lived a hundred thousand years ago. He was the most powerful mage of his time, specifically an Elestar. There were mages before him, but none as powerful. He founded the states named after the five elements: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water, and united them into one empire. At the same time, on the other side, where humans had not yet set foot, the Demons were building their kingdom. The Demon King started a war. As a result, the Emperor led his forces and emerged victorious in the battle. The first Demon King was killed, but his descendants survived. Demons live as long as Elves, but no Demon can live more than two thousand five hundred years. In contrast, Elves can live for ten thousand years. Have you seen them? Elves have long, sharp-pointed ears. Have you ever touched them?!"
Attu:
"Wait, you were telling me about war. Where did the Elves come from? You said their kingdom hadn’t been built yet!"
Valorant:
"Yes, sorry, I got sidetracked. What was I saying?"

Attu:
"About the Demon King..."
Valorant:
"I remember! The Demon King died, but his children survived. Meanwhile, the First Emperor suddenly passed away."
Attu:
"What happened to him?"
Valorant:
"What could have happened? Humans’ greed was to blame for that."
Attu:
"What? What other kinds of greed?"
Valorant:
"Sometimes, humans can be worse and more greedy than demons. People’s greed caused a great empire to fall. After the Emperor's death, the empire was split into five states. Fortunately, the children of the Demon King were not that strong. No matter which state they attacked, they couldn’t conquer any of them. However, the next generations began to grow stronger. This led to the emergence of other states and the downfall of some of them in the future. Remember this, Attu!" Just then, a snoring sound was heard beside him. When he looked over, he saw that Attu had already fallen asleep.

Valorant wanted to wake Attu up. However, seeing him in such a deep sleep, he didn’t want to disturb him. He covered him with a blanket and sat by the fire, saying:
"I guess you had a tough day. Rest well!" He then continued to gaze into the fire