Great Lord Taple looked deeply at Akata for a while before silently shaking his head. He wasn’t shaking his head out of disappointment but out of satisfaction and approval. He let out a hearty laugh that was filled with eagerness. “Well then, I can say that I didn’t expect for your resolve to be that strong. How could I possibly go against such a resolute feeling that you have. Let us begin then! I’ll teach you all that I know about magic then. Come come let’s get started right now shall we?” Great Lord Taple’s mood was increasing as he spoke to Akata on and on.

Akata turned his head in the direction of Great Lord Taple with wide and dim eyes. He was ecstatic that Great Lord Taple was going to support his decision to the fullest and wasn’t going to try and discourage him at all. Akata bowed down and said, “Thank you Great Lord Taple for your concern and care. I will remember this always.” He said earnestly.

“Mn. Good. No more wasting time now let’s get started. There is much to learn.” Great Lord Taple nodded his head and started to teach about magic immediately. “Magic and runes, on a basic level, are essentially the same thing. They both use the energy of Heaven and Earth in order to influence the area around them. Whether that be changing the landscape, creating an elemental change, or even using it for cooking, Magic and runes all can do this.

Runes have been used since the beginning of time to do these things while magic was created by mortals to copy the effect of runes. So it can be seen that magic is a much newer way to influence the area around you. It can also be said to be easier to use. However, even though it is newer and also easier to use, it can be said to be on the same level of power as runes and sometimes even more powerful.

The way magic and runes are enacted can be seen as a huge difference as well. Runes use a set amount of energy in order to be performed, while magic can use any amount to perform the same spell. This is also a reason why magic is much easier to perform. The greater amount of energy you pour into the magic spell the more power that spell will have. This is why some magic spell can have much more power than runic spells.

Mortals are basic creatures, meaning that they like things with simplicity. That is how I have come to view them. And because of their basic nature, they have become much more powerful in a much more easier way. They saw runes as complicated way to wield the elements of Heaven and Earth, so they created magic. They simplified the application of runes in order to wield the elements easier and produce greater power. This can be seen as terrifying and outright defying intelligence. No other race has thought to do this, but the mortals, they thought of this.

Their intellect is why they are the most powerful race in the world. Runes use a symbol in order to guide the energy of Heaven and Earth and perform a spell. But instead of doing that, mortals thought to wield the energy of Heaven and Earth directly. Magic, uses the energy in our bodies to affect the world around us and pick out the elements to use. They thought that since our bodies were born into the world of Heaven and Earth that our innate energy also came from there. Since that was the case then we should be able to affect the energy of Heaven and Earth using our own bodily energies.

And do you know what that energy is called today? Our immortal energy! The energy that comes from our cultivation bases is what can affect the world around us. The mortals thought about all of this and created magic. The skill that could rival runes. Mortals truly are magnificent creatures indeed. Ahh, you are definitely lucky to be one.” Great Lord Taple looked at Akata with a hint of envy and awe.

Akata couldn’t see the look in Great Lord Taple’s face, but if he did he would find it similar to his own face. Akata sat there listening to Great Lord Taple with amazement and wonder. He wondered who were the supreme mortal beings in the past that thought like this. He was amazed that mortals were so strong. He was… proud to be a mortal!

In his short few years of life this was his first time truly being proud of being who he was. He had a new sense of glory right now and felt as if nothing on the planet could topple his position of being a mortal. Mortals of the past created something that actually rivalled the ancient ways! How many other races could say that they did something as astounding as that? None! His pride right now was beginning to grow at an exponential rate. It wasn’t until Great Lord Taple spoke again that he calmed himself down.

“Now now I’m rambling on too much. Let me get to the true point about magic. And that is how to use it. Magic directly uses the energy of Heaven and Earth to control the elements and use them. In order to do this you must use your cultivation base power to connect with the energy of Heaven and Earth and influence the elements. Now, to influence the elements, you have to become accustomed to it and gain a deeper knowledge regarding it. Meaning, you have to gain enlightenment. The more enlightenment you have towards a certain element the more power you can bring out of it and the easier it is to use.

I myself have a bit of enlightenment regarding the Inner Element of Fire. But even still, that doesn’t mean that I can put it into use. To do that I have to create an ability of some kind that can use fire and apply my fire to it. But doing so is extremely hard to do and therefore not many can do this. You would need an extremely deep insight regarding an element in order to create an ability to use. Luckily, the mortals back then were powerful figures and created many techniques that could be used. Some of them profound and powerful, others were weaker and allowed for many to train in it. I actually have some techniques that I came across and have even trained in some. Here take a look.”

Great Lord Taple waved his hand and a space ripple appeared above it. Soon a small stack of books appeared within his hand. Some of the books were thick and others were really thin. But each one had a faint profoundness emanating off of them. He handed it over to Akata but then stopped. An awkward look appearing on his face. “Oooh.”

Akata still sat there the same as he had been but his eye twitched a bit. ‘Take a look? But I can’t see anything, how am I supposed to take a look at the techniques? Don’t tell me he is playing with me?’ Akata’s eyebrows scrunched up together as thought about this.

‘Oh crap! I forgot that he can’t see a thing. How could I forget about something so relevant as this. I must have gotten caught up in the moment of teaching that I totally forgot about his condition. Ugh. I got to think of something fast and figure out a way to teach him some techniques even though he can’t see.’ Many thoughts were running through Great Lord Taple’s mind. He was rapidly thinking of a way to teach his new blind student.

‘I can’t think of anything that can help him!’ He thought. “If only you had divine sense or something of the like.” Great Lord Taple said aloud towards Akata.

Akata raised his head up and said, “I have nature sense, will that work?” He asked in a rather confuses manner. He didn’t know how divine sense could work and since nature sense was pretty much the same, he didn’t know how that would work either.

“Ah! You do? Perfect it will work just the same. Instead of showing you the manuals of the techniques, I’ll perform the techniques and have you sense the minute details within them through your nature sense. Although it is a rough way to teach you, it should still work with you. The only problem is I can’t use all of these techniques because some of them I have no talent for.” Great Lord Taple sighed and shook his head.

After a moment he raised it up and looked at Akata. “Are you ready? Send out your nature sense then and I’ll perform some of the techniques that I know.” He waited until Akata was ready and then he began to grow a yellow ball of fire in his hand.

Akata could sense the fire’s warmth and could feel that it was different from normal fire. Through his nature sense he could see the exact shape of the fire. With his nature sense Akata could detect all the things around him. Although he couldn’t actually see them he could feel the existence of everything, whether they were living or not. This was the nature part of nature sense, it could feel the existence of everything that was born or came from within nature.

‘Why didn’t I think to use this before? Although I still can’t see anything it feels as though I’m apart of nature itself when I use my nature sense now. Almost like I am constantly meditating.’ Akata felt a sense of ease rush over him. His anxiety of being blind had eased greatly, but it still hadn’t fully diminished. Even still, most of his worries were gone. The only problem was the fact that he couldn’t constantly have his nature sense out since it was so draining.

‘I have to find a way to have my nature sense become strong enough that I can let it last forever. That way being blind won’t be bad at all.’ Akata was truly at bliss right now. He continued to look over the yellow fire within Great Lord Taple’s hand and discovered many secrets regarding it.

If one had just looked at it, it would seem as if it were just normal fire, just a bit yellow. But through his nature sense, Akata found out that it wasn’t so simple at all. He sensed the change in the energy of Heaven and Earth around the fire and could tell that the energy had a sort of mixed relationship regarding the fire. At times the energy wouldn’t go near the fire other times it would bolster it. Clearly, magic had a mixed relationship with the energy of Heaven and Earth.

Akata couldn’t help but be amazed once again by mortals of the past. They created something that defied the laws of Heaven yet, still made it possible for Heaven to support them. It was truly a strange and awe-inspiring notion.