Nathan stood at the edge of the training grounds, as he stared at the woman before him. Jynn. Unlike Garrick, who was muscular and full of strength, Jynn radiated an entirely different aura. Hee was lean, composed, and his presence carried an air of wisdom that felt just as overwhelming as Garrick's brute force.
"Hmph. I guess you're stronger," Jynn said, his piercing golden eyes studying him. "Stronger than most. But strength alone is a crutch. Without magic, you're still a brute swinging your fists."
Nathan smirked. "Worked fine against the dragon."
Jynn sighed, flicking his wrist. A single strand of light manifested at her fingertips. With a casual motion, she flicked it toward him.
Nathan had fought monsters, endured Garrick's hellish training, and even faced death more times than he could count. But this?
The moment the thread of light touched his skin, his entire body locked up. He was unable to move. A force that ignored his muscles, his reflexes, and wrapped around his soul.
Jynn stepped closer, placing a hand on his chest. "Strength is what you rely on," she whispered. "But against true power, it means nothing."
Then he released him. Nathan stumbled back, gasping as control of his body returned. He clenched his fists. This was different. Strength couldn't overcome something like that.
Jynn smiled. "Now you understand."
The First Lesson: Understanding
Jynn led him to a quiet field beyond the training grounds, where the air itself felt… different. Lighter. Almost humming with energy.
"Everything is made with Nova," she said, kneeling and pressing her palm to the ground. "It is the foundation of all magic, the force that creates reality."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You mean like mana?"
Jynn scoffed. "Mana is crude. Nova is divine."
She lifted her hand, and from her palm, bright balls of light appeared, floating into the air like small toy balls.
"Nova is not just a resource. It is power itself. It flows through the world, through you, through me. To wield it is to understand it."
Nathan frowned. "And how exactly do I use it?"
Jynn stood, stepping back. "Try to feel it."
He sighed. Had done this with mana stones, but in an environment, this is completely different. This sounded a lot like the garbage nonsense Garrick used to say. But fine.
Nathan closed his eyes. Focused.
At first, there was nothing. Just the steady rise and fall of his breath, the faint rustling of the wind. But then—something. A presence, lingering just beneath the surface of reality. A current, flowing all around him.
He reached for it.
The moment he did, something lashed back.
A searing pain shot through his veins, like fire surging through his body. His eyes snapped open, and he stumbled back, gasping.
Jynn shook her head. "Too forceful. Nova isn't something you grab. It's something you harmonize with."
Nathan gritted his teeth. This was going to be harder than he thought.
The Struggle
Days passed. Nathan trained relentlessly under Jynn's guidance, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wield Nova properly.
"Stop forcing it."
"I'm not forcing it!"
Jynn tilted her head. "Really? Then why does it feel like you're trying to punch the air into submission?"
Nathan groaned. "Because that's how I do things. If I hit a wall, I break it."
Jynn sighed. "And what happens when the wall is infinite?"
That shut him up.
For the first time since arriving in this world, brute strength wasn't the answer.
One night, as he sat alone under the stars, frustration burned inside him. He had defeated a dragon. He had shattered stone with his fists. And yet, here he was, struggling to grasp something considered the basics.
Jynn's words echoed in his mind. Nova isn't something you grab. It's something you harmonize with.
He closed his eyes again.
This time, he didn't try to seize it. Didn't try to control it.
He simply listened.
And then, he felt it.
Not as a force to be wielded, but as a presence. A rhythm. A thread connecting everything.
When he reached out this time, it didn't resist.
It welcomed him.
Nathan opened his eyes. His hands trembled—not from weakness, but from power.
A single thread of Nova floated between his fingers.
He had done it.
The First Spell
The next morning, Jynn immediately noticed the change in him.
"You felt it, didn't you?"
Nathan nodded.
Jynn smiled. "Good. Now, let's see if you can use it."
He stepped back, raising a hand. A glowing sigil formed in the air, energy swirling around it.
"Form a tool," she instructed. "Shape the Nova into something usable."
Nathan took a deep breath. He reached inside, pulling at the thread he had connected with the night before. It responded.
A flicker of light formed in his palm. Then another. The threads began to weave together, forming a shape. A simple orb of energy hovered above his hand.
Jynn nodded. "Now release it."
Nathan thrust his hand forward. The orb shot out, slamming into the ground with an explosion of force.
Jynn raised an eyebrow. "Not bad for a beginner."
Nathan grinned.
He was just getting started.
[To be continued...]