Chương 21: Chapter 20 – Problem to Solve

"Now the glyph for 'containment'," Daniel ordered. The spell matrix forming in Kai's mind shifted slightly to accommodate the addition, then settled into a stable equilibrium.

"Done," he mumbled through deep concentration.

"Now activate it." Kai pushed fire-aspected mana into the mental construct. There was a familiar pull behind his forehead, and he felt some of his mana drain away. ~ MP: 4/5 A fly landed on his nose. The matrix dissolved.

"Damnit."

"Again," Daniel said calmly.

"Focus." Receptor. Charge. Containment. Forming the spell took Kai slightly more than a minute. Hopelessly impractical in combat. The spell shattered. ~ MP: 3/5"Sh– Argh." Kai didn't wait for his father's command to try again. This time, it worked. The blade took on an orange glow as he suffused it with magic. The matrix powered down and dissolved again, but the glow remained. At least for a few seconds, after which it suddenly dimmed while Kai was still in awe of his own work.

"The spell is unstable, but that doesn't matter. You'll get a much more optimised version with the Spellblade class. It's cast through the system, so it only takes a second or so, and lasts ten minutes or more." A weak consolation, but Kai reluctantly accepted it. ~ Available Classes (Tier II): ~~ Swordfighter (30 SP)"It's still not there."

"You can give it a few more tries later. For now, I want to try something else," Daniel said.

"Keep that visual in mind. Now, do you remember how it felt to use sorcery?" Kai perked up.

"I do. It's… a little bit like the Energy thing."

"Energy thing…? Ah. Somatic Energy conversion."

"Uh."

"Most people just call it conversion, or 'burning Energy', though that one is inacc–""I get it, thanks. It feels a bit like that. A source of heat within my body."

"Try to access it." Kai closed his eyes and gave it his best shot. But after minutes of fruitless search, he had to admit failure.

"I can't find it. Only the Energy is there."

"That's good," Daniel replied to his surprise.

"If it had been effortless, you would already be deeply consumed by your Concept." Kai blinked twice before he could stop himself. Stupid habit.

"I'm not sure how to get anywhere, though."

"Hmm. Draw a sharper distinction between Energy and sorcery. One is a resource, the other is not." How the hell am I supposed to visualize that? Again, Kai searched his inner world, and again, he had no success. He swallowed his frustration and asked for more guidance.

"How do I draw that distinction?" The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Energy is just sitting there, waiting for you to spend it, no matter the circumstances. At least for me, sorcery wants a problem to solve." Kai's eyebrows rose.

"So, if I… frame something as a problem…" His father smiled. Actually smiled, widely. A shudder ran through Kai's shoulders. There was an intensity in the air – no, the world itself – that felt… unnatural. Alright, sword, you are a problem, Kai thought to himself. It is a problem that you are not on fire right now. The sword remained a regular sword, decidedly not on fire. The intensity lessened, then dissolved. Kai looked up at his father, whose expression had become thoughtful, the smile gone.

"Perhaps this was not the right approach. What if–" His heart began to race. Oh, don't you dare. I need this. Heat. Fire bubbling in his chest, devouring frustration and doubts like cinder. It raced down his arm, a stream of sparks coating the cold metal in his hand. They settled onto the blade's surface, then ignited. The orange glow from before was nowhere to be seen. Instead, actual flames danced around the edge, beating in tune with Kai's heart.

He could feel the heat coming from them, but knew instinctively that they would not hurt him. Then, he looked up at his father. Daniel was staring at the blade, genuine shock written on his face. He blinked a few times, then the smile returned, and with it some of the intensity from before.

"Excellent. Truly. I can't believe– That is incredible." Then his expression became somber.

"I see why the System gave you that class first. But please, promise me something." Kai couldn't muster a reply, so he simply nodded.

"Don't go all the way. Become a high-tier Wizard. Keep wielding the sword. Sorcery is a part of you, but you must not let it become all you are."

"O–okay," Kai swallowed heavily. Daniel nodded, satisfied. The severe atmosphere lifted, and Kai tentatively waved his burning sword through the air. It produced a deep, satisfying 'swoosh', just the way he had imagined it.

"Let's figure out what it does," Daniel suggested, and the young Sorcerer enthusiastically agreed. = = = = = Laura reclined on her side of the bed and took a performatively deep breath.

"So, honey. Why exactly is our son covered in bandages again?" Daniel avoided her eyes.

"I told you already. Spell practice."

"And I didn't press because the kids were around."

"... We experimented with his sorcery."

"I had already concluded that much. But I distinctly remember you saying that sorcery is dangerous, destructive, and leads to irreversible changes in one's soul." Now it was Daniel's turn to take a deep breath, though his was less performative and more frustrated.

"He subconsciously activated it during the last fight. He needs to learn how to control it."

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

"What would you have done with that knowledge?" he asked, genuinely perplexed.

"It would have only worried you, and gotten you upset because you can't do anything about it." Only decades of experience in handling Daniel kept Laura from exploding into rage and fury. She briefly closed her eyes, letting the emotions flow– There was an oak. Rhododendron. Blackcurrant. What…? The surprise of feeling her garden all the way from the bedroom was enough to shake her out of her still-growing anger. She spent a few seconds breathing in sync with the sleeping plants and organized her thoughts.

She opened her eyes again and looked at her husband.

"It is my right as a mother to be worried. If my son's soul is compromised, I want to know, regardless of whether or not I can do anything about it." Daniel blinked in that particular way of his that was sometimes cute and sometimes utterly infuriating. I have to spell it out, don't I?

"What I'm saying is: Keep me informed about anything dangerous happening to or with our children. I don't need minute accountings of their battles, but I want to hear about every consequential long-term problem they have. Even if there is no material benefit," she sighed. Daniel didn't understand her reasoning. She knew he probably never would. Still–"I will," he promised. And that was why, despite the many difficult moments they had, she still loved him.

"Good. So, what exactly happened to him? You two were very evasive."

"... His spell caused a chaotic reaction. He was pulled through a tear in space and rematerialized in the middle of the privet hedge."

"On second thought, never mind," she groaned.

"Keep it to the long-term stuff."