"The air surrounds you, David. It is everywhere. It won't submit to you unless you call for it," Dectus suggested to him, watching him a couple of yards away.

Beads of sweat trickled down from his forehead to his now pinkened cheeks. David wiped his face and turned his gaze skyward. The sky shone in bright orange—a hint of sunrise. Today was another session of his training.

He had practiced different techniques in manipulating fire yesterday with Dectus. So far, he was getting promising results as they became no harder than doing a layup in an empty court. And now that the Magus wanted him to start calling out the wind, it could probably mean he had already mastered the ability.

Although he had been performing magic for an hour, he knew his unprecedented perspiration was not caused by physical exhaustion. It was just the pressure he felt under such scrutiny of the Magus that did not feel comforting. This kind of feeling was not new to David, and it made him realize more how much doubts he had with himself. Was it like the kind of apprehension he always carried in every basketball game? Or the constant mental distress from his parents' expectations? He had learned how to build his confidence throughout the years of playing for his school. But the anxieties didn't disappear just like that. They were always there, kept in the darkness of his own thoughts-waiting for his one move to disappointment.

He looked to his teacher and scratched his head. "Do I have to move my hands?"

"I told you it isn't necessary. Hand gestures or any bodily movements are just crutches," the Magus replied with hints of impatience in his baritone voice.

"I move my hand every time I summon heat," David reminded him.

Dectus pointed a full stretched arm at him. The air swiftly gathered around it and continued to flow toward the tip of his hand, making a small whirlwind in the end. Without a warning, the Magus released the garnered breeze toward David, slicing his eyes and ruffling his hair as it swarmed past his body.

"What was that for?" David asked, rubbing his eyes.

Dectus looked to his hand and back to David. "Almost every mage finds this aspect obliging which makes sense, considering that I am no exception. But to all my pupils, I always stay true to the fact that reinforcing powers does not compel anyone in undertaking any gesticulations."

The Magus regarded him pensively as he approached. "What's wrong, my boy? You look troubled. And I could feel your hesitation."

David broke eye contact with him and looked beyond the extensive field of the grassy terrain. Now, the sky glowed as the sun peeked behind the distant shadows of mountain ranges, breaching the horizon with vibrant colors. How many days did he have to spend here and learn all sorts of magic? What was the purpose? Sure, it was the coolest thing he had ever done, but he knew it wasn't what he really wanted.

"I just thought about the purpose of what we are doing," he shrugged, still peering into the distance.

"Normally, what stops a mage from reaching his full potential are the doubts he has with himself or when he becomes too distracted. You are still not clear with your role here because your main goal is to find a way home. I cannot fault you with that," the Magus expressed. There was a brief pause within a couple of seconds. When Dectus spoke again, his voice became soft and a little distant. "This is a perilous time, David. The emperor will stop at nothing to subdue this world into endless darkness with no hope left for the oppressed. We need someone who can represent the remaining hope of Atlantia. Someone that can make our cause possible."

Stealing his gaze back to his teacher, David asked, "What does that mean?"

"The Wisdom Tree has conveyed that your appearance may not just be an unfortunate happenstance at all. In the end, it suggested you seek the counsel of a renowned oracle."

David hesitated for a moment. "Does the oracle call himself Rufus?"

Dectus' eyebrows knitted. "How did you know?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't tell you all the truth about my meeting with the tree. When I asked about—" David's mouth refused to open as the bounding oath held it in place. "I'm sorry."

The Magus inclined his head and allowed a hand to rub his jaw. "That's all right. I'm confused. The dwelling of Rufus the Oracle is beyond my knowledge. Even then, the man should have perished ages ago. I don't have any idea that he still lingers up to this day until the Wisdom Tree says so."

"What if it's lying?" David suggested.

"No. The tree cannot utter lies. The message is sound and clear: Rufus is hiding somewhere."

David pumped his fist. "He must have knowledge on how to go home."

The Magus looked up to him. "If you do not want to pursue this training any further, I can settle your journey promptly. I have no knowledge where he is staying, but I can send you to other people I personally know to guide you."

"No," David said hurriedly with his raised voice louder than he had intended. He thought it might have arrived rudely to the Magus. "I-I mean, I want to learn more. I don't want to go alone with no protection."

"An astute precaution," the Magus acknowledged. "But we can call it a day for now if you already feel worn out."

"No, please. I'm not tired at all, and we are just starting."

"If you say so. Now try it again. Calling the wind should not be harder than calling out for the heat. Both aspects work in the same fashion," Dectus explained. "When you understand your subject, you should be able to connect it with your power without any troubles."

"You mean I should understand the wind?"

Dectus shook his head lightly. "You are overthinking about it, boy. You have all the clues on the first day I trained you. You wield fire because you understand what heat feels like or what fire looks like. You don't just know it—you grasp the details even without thinking about it. It's a common sense. Just clear your mind and let it flow."

David reached into his power and made a quick hand movement, focusing his effort on the unseen subject. A gust of wind swept past the nearby trees, creating a sound much like a surf as the leaves ruffled.

David relished the feeling. Did he really have trouble doing it a few minutes ago? The action didn't take much effort to perform. He could literally do it all day. He looked to Dectus whose lips curved now into a smile.

"That's good. You just need to work on how you push. Remember how you had worn out so quickly yesterday? It's because you were distracted and maybe too excited with your newfound ability. Although understandable, your emotions could mask the things you really need to learn, and may actually make it harder for you to handle your power in the right circumstances."

"You didn't tell me."

"I want you to have some fun. And it's just a warning. Reinforcing one's power should be intuitive. There'll be a time when you can learn it all on your own. But I choose to share all the details as early as possible before sending you out," Dectus said. "Time is not on our side. You should learn quickly."

"Alright, so how do I push right?" David asked.

"I cannot show you. It's like explaining sounds to a deaf. But it is similar to how you command your body with your mind except, you are not really flexing any parts of it. Think of it like when you are posing a long jump, you will start to bend your knees as you anticipate how much force is needed to perform the act. It's really instinctive. You should be fine about it."

"I get what you mean."

David held out his palm and commanded his power. A moment later, a streak of flashes materialized in front of him until it grew in a brilliant amber of spherical flames. When the ball of fire became a little bigger than the size of a tennis ball, David released it. Halfway through the trajectory, David called the air and willed it not to divert its direction, but rather extinguish the flame with a forceful blow. The act was successful in which he couldn't help his mouth to release a chuckle. Dectus was right! Controlling your subject with your power was purely intuitive.

Dectus raised an eyebrow. "You learn so fast. Now I wonder if your ability exceeds beyond manipulating the elements, but I'm already convinced you will."

"You are elemental, right?" David asked.

"I sure am, but my ability surpasses more than maneuvering the elemental forces," Dectus answered. "I am more adept in the art of conjuring. That is my essencecraft."

"Essencecraft?"

"Gifted mageborn develop two or more talents in different disciplines. After cultivating their abilities, they usually discover one talent that comes out more efficiently than the others. Hence, their essencecraft."

"What is your essencecraft?"

Dectus smiled and looked over his shoulder. Following his teacher's eyes, David gasped. A teenage boy in a dark robe stood a couple of steps before them. His blonde hair was cut short in textured style while two brown eyebrows arched the deep-set eyes of emerald green. David couldn't believe it—the boy was his perfect doppelganger!

"W-what is that?" he stuttered.

"An illusion."

"Well, that is... incredible." David complimented as he watched his clone approach them. Soon, they stood face to face. He was so impressed while he examined all the fine details that Dectus had mimicked. Even the small scar below his cheek had been placed where he thought it should be. It was like he was looking in the mirror. Reaching out to touch it, his hand passed through the illusion, and his fake persona smirked. David cringed. Did he really look like that?

"You control it?" he asked.

The Magus nodded. "Our lineage has produced many skilled and celebrated conjurers back in the days up to this day."

"Then you must be powerful."

"Magus are not without their gifts. Such a title is not for mundane," the fake David replied.

David's face contorted with surprise. "It has my voice too?"

"And move too like a real person without a host. Many conjurers have trouble when creating unanchored seeming such as these." Dectus waved a hand, and another fake David appeared in a blink. "Voice and sound are the hardest parts to imitate. These aspects drive them crazy."

"But you are doing it effortlessly."

"The greatest consequence after the years of practice."

"This is way cooler than throwing fireballs."

Suddenly, the Magus became another copy of himself, officially creating the quadruplets.

"Now, this is getting weird."

"Not as weird as your power," one of his clones snickered.

"Or your presence here alone," the other one replied and gave a high-five with another illusion.

"Can you stop?" David asked.

The two illusions vanished, and Dectus looked like himself again.

"That was perfect! Can you make me look like another person too?"

"Of course. You saw me do it to myself. I would anchor the illusion to yourself. Then, it will move when you move or smile when you smile. Another aspect I can manage is creating a long-lasting seeming and even a permanent one."

"You do?!" David asked incredulously. "You can make people look different forever?"

"It usually takes time and effort to achieve. Plus, the illusion may unravel if I perish. A couple of my trusted servants are masked with illusions occasionally. I change them according to varying purposes they are assigned."

"Neri?"

"He's one."

"It's a he?" David whistled.

"He assumes many appearances."

"Cool. Do you think I can do illusions too?"

"That's part of my hypothesis, although I strongly suspect you do. What about a trial?"

"Sure. Tell me what to do."

"Creating illusions works like an active imagining. Since you now have a head start, you may learn how to manifest a simple seeming in no time. Start by picturing stuff in your head and try to imagine them outside your mind."

David imagined a duplicate of Dectus standing in front of him, then he tried to visualize it like he was seeing the illusion with his own eyes. Nothing appeared.

"It's hard," he sighed.

"I saw a flicker. You might have missed it because it was too brief."

"What does it mean?"

"It means you have potential," Dectus said. "And I could sense you are trying to engage an ambitious attempt at the first try. That's not going to work, but it also proves you may be capable."

"I was trying to copy what you did," David admitted.

"That says it all. Don't start with an unanchored illusion when you attempt to imitate a person. It requires time to accomplish such a feat." He bent a little to level his body with him and spoke in a low voice as if conspiring something. It earned a line between David's eyebrows. "So David, do you still remember the Ifric word used to summon fire?"

"Yeah."

"I want to demonstrate another useful word I just recalled."

"Alright. You want me to learn it too?"

"Yes. I want you to listen carefully and maintain the knowledge after I lose it. Understood?"

"Okay."

Dectus surveyed the area briefly before pointing a finger a few strides away. He spoke a brief phrase in Ifric, and a pebble, the size of a hockey puck rolled a step in length before leaping into his hand.

David looked up to the Magus. "You spoke directly to the stone."

"Observant. Now your turn." Dectus tossed the small stone away, enough for David to see.

He extended a hand and focused on the pebble as he uttered the command. He could almost taste the power in the word. The stone flew straight into his hand without ever rolling.

"Excellent. You are now getting used to it," Dectus said. "Come. I want to show you something else," he invited and started to walk.

Intrigued, David followed him to the nearest tree with low branches. Dectus crouched to pick up a fallen twig and handed it to him. David held the small, dry, and thin piece of the tree branch.

"Light it," the Magus suggested.

"Huh?"

"I mean with fire. Start with the tip so you won't get burned."

David focused his attention to the tip of the stick as he had done on the candlewick on his first try. He spoke the command, and thin smoke started to issue from its end followed by red flames.

"Good. Now blow out the flame and drop it on the ground."

David complied.

"Try it again. But now focus on the entirety of the stick."

David knelt close beside the twig, trying to internalize its shape and texture. He focused his will on it, but instead of narrowing his concentration down to a point, he tried to mentally aim the whole object. He spoke the word and put a lot of effort into it. The twig suddenly burst into hot flames, making David laugh in satisfaction. It was like the fire came from within and continued to burn as he looked up to his teacher.

"Excellent," the Magus exclaimed. "But you're still putting in more effort than necessary. You need to conserve your strength, David. Don't be too eager. Are you still up for the last demonstration?"

"I feel a little tired after the twig. But I am totally fine for another."

Dectus put a hand on one of the low branches. "This one will feel different and difficult. I want to see how well you do against this tree branch. Start to push gently."

"Just this one?" David asked.

"Just this part."

David issued the command. He willed the heat to gather on the whole limb, starting from the boundary between the trunk and to the endpoint of the branch. The subject felt indefinably slippery. He could feel his sweats starting to build up beads on his face. He spoke the word again, mustering all his concentration to the entire branch. Nothing happened but a faint ache inside his head. Redoubling his effort, David tried once more. And after a prolonged, frustrating moment, his focus had completely unraveled. He found himself short of breath and dampened by perspiration.

Soon, David couldn't take it anymore as strong nausea overwhelmed him, and he vomited. He felt an arm on his back before losing his balance. The blurred figure of Dectus leaned over him as the world continued to twirl before him. His headaches became unendurable almost like a blow inside his head. He could feel his consciousness slipping away as his eyes grew heavy. He tried to fight it, but his mind was already too far adrift. Not long, the darkness swallowed him.