Arcane Innovator

"...We shall go out today. It is time for you to learn how to cast a spell." Lily said nonchalantly.

"Huh?" I froze for a moment and simply stared at her. 'Wait, what did she just say...?'

I was almost losing faith by this point that we would ever move to any practice lessons, but then she just went and said something like this out of the blue...

But I was not one to squander a chance like that, so I quickly gathered my composure. "Ehm..." I cleared my throat as I tried to mask my growing excitement.

"Okay, then let's go to the garden. I already found a perfect place where we won't be disturbed..." I said with a smile.

Lily simply nodded and followed me as we went to a secluded spot at the edge of my property. I then made a final check to see if we were truly alone, and seeing that we were, I happily nodded and looked at Lily with expectant eyes.

She signaled to me that I should pay attention and then simply raised her hand in the air. "Flamis Aeternus, luvinthor valar aesir, velthyndor Pyrris minora!" Lily chanted loudly. Her essence flared for a moment before a small flame manifested itself on top of her palm.

'Wow, that's cool!' I thought as I watched Lily in awe, letting my nerdy side take over for a short moment. I, of course, wouldn't have any problems replicating what she just did even without the chant, but that wasn't the same thing.

For the first time, I was able to watch a real mage cast a spell with an incantation while she was dressed in a robe, carrying a staff, and everything else. Nothing screamed fantasy to me more than this.

Lily then turned to me and said, "...Your turn."

"Oh, right! Ehm... How was the incantation again?" I smiled awkwardly as I scratched the back of my head.

Lily released a sigh before repeating the chant to me over and over until I was able to chant it perfectly without any mistakes.

When I was ready to give it a try for real, I closed my eyes, focusing intently. I slowly pronounced each word, trying to give it my "intent" or whatever it was. Right after I did it, I felt some strange force sucking a small portion of my essence out of me.

At the next moment, the same small flame appeared on the top of my palm, although I felt it burned a little bit brighter than Lily's. As the realization that I was able to do it on the first try without any errors dawned on me, I couldn't help but smile with almost palpable excitement.

Lily, meanwhile, observed me carefully, and after she saw that I managed to cast the spell on the first attempt, she looked at me with a slight surprise before slowly nodding with what seemed like satisfaction.

Then she placed her finger on her cheek and seemed to be thinking about something for a bit before saying we would try the other elements as well. For the next hour or so, she taught me incantations for the beginner spells from all the basic elements.

I repeated what Lily was doing, and after a while of trying to remember the incantations, I was able to cast all of them without much trouble at all. As these were just simple spells like creating a light breeze and making a sphere of water, I didn't put much thought into them.

However, when we were done, Lily was left staring at me in what seemed like utter bewilderment. She looked at me with wide eyes while she muttered under her breath, "...That's impossible."

"Huh? What's impossible?" I asked her curiously.

Lily blinked a few times before realizing she had said her thoughts aloud. She then quickly gathered her composure while assuming her usual deadpan expression.

"...Nothing; don't worry about it. You just seem to have great talent, that's all."

I kept looking at her with a silent question on my face, so after a while, she relented and explained further.

"...Normally a person has an affinity for a single element, at best two. But you seem to have an affinity for all the basic elements." Lily said thoughtfully.

"...This indicates that you must have an affinity for one of the advanced elements instead." She added after a while.

'Oh, crap...' I thought nervously. I suspected there must be some kind of affinity system, as some elements were easier to control than others.

So far, I haven't had too much trouble controlling all of them with enough practice, so I never imagined it would turn out to be something extraordinary...

But then I stopped as I realized something. "Wait, but you were able to cast all those spells too. Does this mean that you too have an affinity for all the elements?" I asked Lily

"...I never said you can't cast spells without an affinity. However, casting a spell from an element you have no affinity with will take a lot more effort and concentration."

"...That is why novices like you wouldn't be able to cast a spell on their first try without an affinity to said element."

'Ah, now it all makes sense,' I thought.

However, it also means I still don't know my real affinity. Lily just wrongly assumed I was a total beginner, but I have plenty of experience with all the elements, so it could simply be the result of my previous practice.

Lily then continued with her explanation. "...As learning spells of higher tiers get progressively harder and takes a long time, all mages chose one main element they would study. Usually, the one they have the highest affinity for, as having an affinity makes mastering said element much easier."

"Wait, so I have to choose a single element to focus on? What if I want to use all of them?" I asked Lily.

I was panicking internally, as I didn't think I would be placed in front of such a grave decision out of the blue, and I didn't know yet what element would be the best one for me.

Lily looked at me like I was stupid. "...What's the point of wasting your precious time trying to learn elements without an affinity when any novice with one would be able to overtake you without any trouble?"

'Hmm, that's kind of true...' From Lily's words, I gathered that there seems to be a huge emphasis on specialization. While it is true that being a jack of all trades but master of none is kind of lame, I still didn't want to let go of the idea of mastering all the elements just yet...

"You also mentioned something about advanced elements just now, but you never mentioned them before during our lessons. What are those?"

"...Oh, you weren't supposed to know about them yet. But I guess I will tell you now..." Lily said with a sigh.

She then proceeded to give me a lengthy explanation of the various elements. Apart from the basic ones, which are the Air, Water, Fire, and Earth, there are also another four, the so-called advanced elements.

First of them is the element of Light, which is apparently a very versatile element as you can use it as both protection from malignant forces and also as a form of attack. Furthermore, its wielders can harness the power of the sun, making them much stronger during the day but weaker at night.

Next is the element of Life. It's mainly used as a form of healing magic, but it can also make plants grow faster, so it's very useful in agriculture.

Then there was the element of Darkness. Lily warned me that I shouldn't dabble in it too much, as using it was generally frowned upon by the majority of people. Mainly since it was a preferred element of criminals and assassins as it allowed its users to move unseen in the dark.

It was also the polar opposite of the element of Light, making its users stronger during the night but weaker in the daylight.

And lastly, there was the element of Death. Lily didn't say much about it, only that its practice was outright banned in most places due to its vile nature.

To learn any of the advanced elements, you apparently need extensive knowledge before even trying to practice them. This was also the main reason Lily didn't mention them to me previously.

The affinity for those elements is also extremely rare, and they are difficult to master, so novices like me aren't supposed to try casting them or even know about them in the first place.

"And how do I find out which element I have the strongest affinity for?" I asked another burning question I had after Lily finished her explanation.

"...There are special artifacts that can do that, similar to the one that measures your talent. Most schools of magic have it."

'Great! So I guess I will find out once I enroll at the Grand Tower. Until then, I will continue using all the elements as I have until now.' I thought.

With that, my first practical lesson with Lily has come to an end, and we have returned to the mansion.

I walked absentmindedly as my head was still full of thoughts about all the different elements, and I wondered which one of them I had the strongest affinity for and which one I should focus on...