I headed toward the garden of the Arbutus Palace, the heavy leather of the library books in my hand. As I rounded the corner of the gazebo, I saw her— My mother was back in her favorite spot, elegantly sipping tea.

"Ty! Are you missing your mother already?" she asked the moment she noticed me. She stood up, her silk dress rustling as she approached with a playful glint in her amber eyes.

She spotted the books in my hand and gasped. "Ooo... does little Ty want his mother to read bedtime stories for him?" 

Before I could retreat, she was pulling my cheeks, her smile radiant.

I just stayed quiet and showed her the Books.

"hmm... Magic books, huh..." See looked at me "You know the first step of magic or even some martial or weapon arts is to sense Mana, right ?"

"I have already sensed it" I replied. My mother is also a mage.

Although, I don't know how strong she is or What are her affinities. I could get her to teach me magic but books are more comfortable to me.

"Is that so ?" she did not seem surprised as if she already knew or expected it.

"Then the next step should be to see what kind of attribute you have, You have magic veins, That much was already tested when you were born but what affinity you have can only be determined when you start using magic" She explained.

"Aren't there magic crystal to determine that ?" I asked. In the game 'Magic Academy Saga'(MAS), you just touched an orb and it changed colors coresponding to your element.

"A common misconception," she explained, walking toward a flower bed.

"Magic crystals only react to the residue on a mage’s mana. They check for existing elemental traces. If a fire mage also possesses a hidden affinity for earth but has never cast an earth spell, the crystal will only glow red for fire."

"So the crystal shows what you use, not what you are capable of using?" I clarified.

"Correct. The Only way to know is By trying to use the most basic spell of each Element" She said.

I did not know it. it's a new info.

In this world There are a total Twelve Elements. Yes, Twelve Elements. Important things must be said twice.

Those are Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Nature or wood, Light, Dark, Space, Time, Spirit, Neutral.

Fire, Water, Wind and Earth are called Basic elements. These are the pillars. Almost every mage has a minor connection to at least one of these, as they represent the physical building blocks of the planet.

Lightning, Nature or wood and Light are called Advanced elements. These require a higher degree of mana purity and a more complex visualization. They are often seen as "evolved" forms of the basics.

Space and Time are called Cosmic elements. These are perhaps the rarest and most dangerous. Of thts just in terms of element, In terms of spells ? Reality is a bit different. They deal with the fabric of reality itself.

Dark Element has several other sub elements like Necromancy, Hemomancy, Curses or Debuff, Shadow Magic etc.

Spirit magic allows A mage to make a contract with the Elemental Spirit, with whom they have affinity for And allows them to borrow the power of that spirit

And finally Neutral or Null Attribute. Any magic that can be used universally , and doesn't need or fall under other elements is Neutral Magic. example is Gravity, Psychokinesis etc. Anyone with magic vein can use this.

"In that case, Can I use the basic spells of each element ?" I asked for her permission.

"of course, Go ahead" She said and snapped her finger. I could sense Mana, Gathering at her finger tips and then spread throughout the entire garden.

I didn't just hear the sound; I felt it. My mana sensitivity, heightened by my recent meditation, picked up a sudden, violent surge of energy gathering at her fingertips. It rippled outward like a pebble thrown into a still pond, washing over the flowers and the stone paths.

'A Barrier Maybe ?' I thought, watching the air shimmer almost imperceptibly at the edge of the garden.

"Could You feel what I did ?" Mother asked.

"Um.. A barrier ?" I replied

"Correct. It will keep the... pests away, and it will protect the garden in case something like a tree catching fire happens. The fact that you could sense my mana signature to that degree already is impressive, Ty. You have remarkable sensitivity." she said

The current Mother Feels more like a Teacher. and Pests ? She couldn't mean Spies from the queens, right ?

"okay, Let's start with fire" I dragged a wooden target practice board into the center of the lawn and took my stance.

I pointed my palm toward the target And closed my eyes to imagine fire.

"Don't" My mother who was watching from sidelines, Said in a strict tone.

Her voice was sharp, a verbal slap that stopped me mid-motion. I looked back, confused.

"Do not close your eyes. I know it makes it easier to imagine but in case, you get used to it, it will cause trouble later. It's just fire, something you see everyday, you can imagine it even with your eyes open"

"alright" I kept my eyes open and started imagining.

'Fire, Ignite, Ignition, Campfire, Burn' I thought about every random thing related to fire.

And then Flame sparks started dancing around my hand and suddenly...

"Wha... Ah!!" My Hand got caught in fire.

I was Startled. I started screaming.

The sight of my own limb being swallowed by fire triggered a primal, biological terror. I started screaming, flailing my arm in a desperate, useless attempt to "shake off" the flames.

"calm down!" Suddenly, Mother came to my side. She didn't look panicked. She grabbed my burning wrist with a firm grip, and the fire vanished instantly, snuffed out like a candle in a vacuum.

"Huh... ah... huh..." I collapsed onto my knees, my chest heaving as I sucked in the garden air. My heart was hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Once I calmed down, Mother said " This is a mistake most first time mages make. Does your hand Hurt ?"

I looked at her through the haze of my haggard state, then slowly turned my hand over. There was no charring. No blisters. Not even a burned hair.

'come to think about, Although i was screaming, It was just a reflex. In reality, It only felt a bit warm and not hot. I just freaked out suddenly seeing my own hand in fire because Fire equals to Damage'

"The fire was created from your mana. It can't harm its own creator" she said.

I looked at her with Resentment in my Eyes "You knew... You knew This would Happen!"

She Stayed silent for a bit and then answered "Yes, Although I was not sure. I knew There was a chance of This Happening. Fire is the most temperamental of the basics. It reacts to the caster's excitement"

"Then why... Why did you Not warn me Beforehand ?!" I asked her.