A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

—The Black Manor—

"Focus, Yelena," Maude Aleric said in a firm voice, "You're letting your Mana run rampant."

"Sorry," Yelena said with a sigh.

"You channel Mana like someone who has too much of it. Like someone who can never run out," Maude said,

"But you can run out. You need to learn proper Mana management."

"I understand," Yelena said with a nod.

"Good," Maude said with a nod, "Now try again."

The two were in a Hall Maude Aleric had set aside within the Black Manor specifically to practice spell casting. A Hall that always served as a training ground for his Protégées which Yelena now was.

Besides the fact that Yelena doubted she could escape as inexperienced as she was with her now finite Mana reserves, there was also the fate of Triss and Stefan to worry about. While she workshopped ideas to help free the siblings, Yelena decided she might as well get better with her Magic.

With her eyes closed, Yelena began to form seals with her hands before she chanted a short spell to infuse her Mana into her formed seals all to create a spell circle that appeared and stayed floating about one foot away from her.

"Good so far," Maude said with a nod, "Next is the conjuring."

Yelena took a while to focus and then, out of the spell circle she created, a blade of Mana was formed and it floated out slowly waiting to be unleashed.

With a deep breath, Yelena opened her eyes to aim at a target on the far wall in front of her when she suddenly felt something tug at the pit of her stomach as the whole of her mana reserves flowed out and charged into the blade of mana.

The blade swelled as it absorbed all she had to give but was quickly becoming unstable.

Maude sighed and shook his head. He was behind her now and placed a hand on her back.

The Mana that Yelena could feel violently surging into her conjured Mana blade suddenly stopped and began to return to her body in a reversal so skilled, that only an accomplished Wizard like Maude Aleric could attempt.

When all of Yelena's Mana was back in her body, her conjured blade vanished and her spell circle fizzled out.

"I'm sorry," she said deciding to take the preemptive move to apologize for her failure.

"Your mind is preoccupied," Maude said shaking his head with an expression of disappointment,

"You can't excel in Magic if you don't devote yourself totally to it."

"Believe me, I'm trying my best," Yelena said with a frown.

Maude shook his head,

"I don't think you are," Maude said,

"The only other explanation for your lackluster Mana control would be years of never being worried about running out of Mana to the point where it became a habit."

Yelena pursued her lips but held her tongue.

It had become a habit.

Never having to worry about Mana had been her way for almost Four centuries and it was taking a lot of effort for her to unlearn that habit and yet, she knew she had to.

It had very little to do with impressing Maude and more to do with the consequences of a lack of proper Mana management. According to Maude, not knowing your limit and going past it could lead to a Witch having to supplement her lacking reserves with her life force instead.

"Life is Magical," Maude had said, "But once it's depleted, there's no recovery."

So Yelena had to learn.

They kept practicing for hours. Taking breaks in between for Maude to teach Yelena how to speed up Mana recovery. There was a lot of meditation and serenity involved. Yelena didn't originally care for it but she was won over by the soothing feeling of her body producing Mana faster and circulating it far more smoothly.

And then a knock sounded at the door. A gentle knock not meant to disturb the proceedings within the Hall but to announce a matter of possible importance.

With a wave of his hand, Maude pulled the door open, and in walked his Butler who bowed,

"My Lord," he said to Maude and then glanced at Yelena to acknowledge her as well,

"Miss."

"What is it?"

"Vyker Rion and his Squad have returned, My Lord," the Butler said,

"They have what you requested."

Maude smiled,

"Excellent," he said and then turned to Yelena,

"I'm afraid we must end today's lesson here. I have a matter to attend to."

Maude was on his way out of the Hall but then paused and looked back at Yelena,

"On second thoughts, you should come along."

Yelena raised a brow,

"Really?" She asked, "Why?"

She had only been learning from Maude for about two days and didn't think had that much of a place to join in whatever it was he had to attend to.

"Well, yes," Maude said, "The knowledge of Vyker Awakening is very primal to your being a Witch so you should come along. Especially since it involves those two thieves."

"Triss and Stefan?" Yelena asked as she stood to her feet.

Maude waved off the names like they meant nothing to him which they didn't.

"Yes, them," he said, "Come on."

Maude walked out of the hall then and Yelena's stomach twisted as she followed him. It dawned on her that she hadn't even had the time to do anything to help them.

'Should I have attacked Maude the moment he took me there?' She asked herself but of course, she knew that would have been foolish.

She was not magically capable enough to contend against him. Hell, she couldn't even properly harness her Mana without risking death.

Maude led Yelena down a flight of stairs that led almost as deep underground as the cells he had led her to just two days before. The cells where he had Triss and Stefan locked up.

Anyway, at the bottom of the stairs was a long corridor with all manner of symbols etched into the walls on either side. Yelena had never seen the symbols before and yet, she found herself understanding what they meant because they were written in Arcane scripts.

The symbols were words of power that told of a powerful history and 'painted' a picture of the importance of Vyker creation. Of how it was a staple in the legacy of every Witch or Wizard.

"You can understand them, can't you?" Maude asked.

"I can," Yelena said in a low voice.

Maude nodded satisfied,

"The legacy of those who came before me. The legacy of the Alerics.

My children turned away from it."

"You have Children?" Yelena asked surprised.

Maude had never mentioned it. Then again, she had only really known him for two days.

"I do and they found this (waves at the walls) 'repulsive'. They could never understand the importance, the gravity, of Vyker Creation. They can never understand how superior it makes people like you and me. It places us above the rest. Grants us the ability to create. To reshape otherwise unfulfilling lives."

At the end of the corridor was a large door whose ornate surface was carved with symbols that continued the history of the Awakening Ritual Yelena had read about on the walls on the way here.

Behind the door was a large room where Vykers stood awaiting Maude's arrival.

"My Lord," said one of the Vykers with a box in hand.

"Rion," Maude said before placing his hand on the box but only for a moment as he continued deeper into the room to stand right by the side of the large pentagram imprinted into the middle of the floor.

Maude drew in a deep breath and without taking his eyes off the symbols within the Pentagram, he ordered,

"Bring them."