BXBX NOVEL Chapter 93 Abnormal
The old man sighed aloud.
"Your request is no small one Xzavier. Not because the task of explaining the concept of magic is an arduous task itself, but a small matter regarding your utter lack of mana makes this very difficult."
Xzavier drank every word in. After all, this was what he had been hoping for. He heard all that the old man had said, but he didn't really get the last part.
"Mana?" he asked, out of genuine curiosity.
The old man shook his head. It was like explaining magic to a four year old.
"Okay, I think we might have to start at the very beginning…"
He stood up, and with his long robes flowing behind him like a bridal train, he began to pace up and down in a manner that was typical of most lecturers or teachers.
"First off, you need to understand the nature of magic itself. Much like every other natural concept magic has its essence. Lightning flashes in the sky during a thunderstorm, it is a natural phenomenon, but the essence of lighting isn't rain or thunder, it is electricity! In its rawest and purest form!
"Just like electricity, magic also has its own essence, it is what we mages refer to as mana. This is the life source of magic in every mage or practitioner. It is the enabler of magic. Where there is no mana, there is no magic. Simple."
Xzavier appreciated analogies, and so far, the old man's explanation of magic and mana using lightning and electricity had been spot on.
"Magic must be triggered using mana in the body, but one must do the work to release it, else it would simply remain dormant and basically useless.
"To release magic, one must recite well worded incantations and make certain gestures. These words of power cooperate with the physiology of the hand movements to produce the required results."
Laddie saw Xzavier's eyes light up at this revelation, and the old man became worried that he was making it look too simple. So, he snapped his fingers in Xzavier's dreamy face, calling him back to reality.
"Snap out of it young man! There is still much ground to cover before you can even dream of getting to that level!"
Satisfied that he had brought him back to earth again, the old man proceeded to explain in more detail, the basics of practicing magic.
"At the very least, before one can begin, mana needs to harnessed. And it can only be gathered through meditation. This isn't an established fact. It varies from one individual to another. But the major determining factor is the individual's talent."
Xzavier listened with rapt attention. Not a single word dropped from the old man's mouth that Xzavier didn't pick up on. "Meditation, mana, magic…"
He arranged them neatly in his head as he recited them again and again until they had become a part of his mind. He lifted his head up and found the old man looking at him.
"Are you ready to begin the first stage?"
Xzavier took a deep breath. This was a full circle moment for him. He had started out as a soldier, then for a while, he was a hunter (and not the kind that hunted animals). And now, he was on the verge of being a mage. This fine track of uncertainties which he had been trudging on had been a roller coaster.
So, it was with a confident mind that Xzavier answered the old mage;
"Yes. I am ready."
The old man wasted no time on sentiments or drama.
"Good. Now let's get to it."
At first, Laddie hadn't been on board with the whole thing, but as they progressed down the line, his teacher-instincts merged with his admiration for Xzavier, and gave birth to a silent voice that was secretly rooting for Xzavier to succeed.
He led Xzavier down to a mat spread out in a separate corner of the office. This was a serene space that faced the wall and was completely devoid of any thing that could be potentially distracting. At the old man's command, Xzavier sat down cross-legged and placed both his hands on their corresponding knees, with both palms open.
From behind him, like a master training his subject, Laddie stood behind Xzavier. From a little distance off, lulling the younger man into a meditative state with his slurry words.
"Close your eyes Xzavier…"
He did.
"Now, slowly bring your body under the total subjection of your will by regulating your breathing…."
Xzavier obeyed as best as he could.
"Breathe in…"
Xzavier inhaled.
"Breathe out…"
He exhaled.
Xzavier repeated the breathing pattern until, slowly, he began to feel a the separation happening. Maintaining a serious degree of focus, Xzavier blocked out every distractions, including thoughts, feelings and doubts. With his will morphed into a massive impenetrable iron curtain, he kept everything thing else at bay, and allowed his mind to fall into a kind of trance.
.
The deeper Xzavier went, the weirder it felt. It felt like he was losing control of his physical body, and at the same, he felt a remarkable degree of freedom, and complete control over his own mind. All in a way that he had never felt before.
For a minute or two, Xzavier felt detached from the world and its materialistic allure. Like a bird, he soared through the crevices of the deep, navigating the deep reaches of his subconscious. Like an anchor, Xzavier felt like a slender silver cord kept him rooted, preventing him from floating away like piece of paper.
All of a sudden, Xzavier felt the annoying pestering of another consciousness. He felt it pulling at him from his own borders. He resisted it firmly at first. But slowly, the disturbance began to take the form of a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Xzavier willed himself to listen, and suddenly, it began to get louder and louder until he could no longer ignore it.
"Xzavier! Xzavier!! Xzavier!!!"
Like a swimmer rising up from the depth of a pool after being at the bottom for a while, Xzavier rose to the surface and finally opened his eyes to acknowledge the presence that was interrupting his dive.
Xzavier took one look at the old man staring at him wide eyed, and the peace and tranquility which he had found almost evaporated like water before a devouring flame. He looked at the old mage questioningly;
"Yes?"
As Xzavier spoke, though he didn't know why, he felt like the insides of his mouth hadn't been opened for hours. It was a feeling that was akin to the kind he usually got whenever he woke up from a deep sleep. This bothered him slightly, but he pushed his worries to the curb and focused on reining in his anger at the old man that was building up by the second.
"What do you mean by 'yes?' you've been under for nearly two hours!"
A look of disbelief darkened Xzavier's already burning eyes.
"Impossible…" he mumbled. "It's only been a few minutes!"
But the strong unyielding look on Laddie's face suggested otherwise. Xzavier couldn't believe it. And yet, when he glanced at the giant grandfather clock, the truth struck him in the face with the ferocity of a professional boxer's high handed punch.
Xzavier's mind was normally quick to adjust, but this time, it took him a while to wrap his head around what was going on. He hadn't even doing magic, and yet, the impossible had happened to him without him even realizing it. It had literally felt like a five minute ordeal, but somehow, with the chilling stealth of a thief in the night, time had stolen past him, robbing him of almost tow whole hours of his life!
Xzavier was astounded! He had so many questions. What exactly had he been doing all through that period? If he had been attacked, would his physical body had been able to react? Had he been able to gather any of that mana stuff that Laddie had been hammering on about?
Xzavier's logical mind, having been fragmented by this very incredible experience, was in shambles. He knew that magic was real, but he never figured that he himself could ever be subject to the extraordinary. Xzavier was in awe, but deep down, he sensed that this was merely the beginning of one of the many wonderful things that were to come. This was the path that he had chosen. And so far, so shockingly good.
Xzavier might have been astounded, but the only other person that beat him to it was Laddie.
"What in heaven's name…!"
He couldn't even bring himself to complete his train of thought. In all his years of experience in teaching and instructing, despite having taught numerous students, Laddie had never for once come across such an anomaly! And to think that this had been the work of a mere muggle was breathtaking. So many things were just out of place with this.