I paused and exhaled. “No, we can move on. I think I understand the basics of magic and mana.” Meanwhile, my mind tried to absorb his words. I understood the idea of starting out with something you're good at, but I didn't understand how one could branch out with mana. I felt no mana other than fire, but then, I didn't know what to look for or how to go about it. I had to experience it firsthand. I guessed I was going to be here awhile.
“That's good, my boy,” he said. “Magic can be broken down into three main categories: spells, incantations, and summonings, but there are many more.” Stradus grinned at me. I let out a quiet sigh, but he didn’t notice.
“Remember, all these things can be great or small, and you must tap into a mana or energy of some sort.” He waved his hand. “We’ll get into that later. As you've already learned, some spells don't have to be spoken to be used. However, spells have to at least be pictured in the mind and latched onto the mana or energy. The stronger the spell, the more things you’ll have to do to raise sufficient power. Like making a sacrifice of some sort, using a potion, doing some physical action, and so on. Do you understand?”
“I think so.”
“Don't worry. I promise you'll know this by heart when we've completed your training. Next are incantations. Incantations involve words. You'll have to pronounce precisely the exact words you're going to need and, as always, tap into the mana or energy you'll need. Some incantations can be said right now in the common tongue we’re speaking. They're rather weak, but they still work. The stronger incantations have to be said in the ancient language and, like spells, may involve a potion or sacrifice to be used at the proper moment. Next are summonings.” He opened his mouth, then paused to look at me. I guess he could finally see how lost I was. “I'm sorry if I'm moving too fast, but I’d like to get through the basics as soon as possible. You'll understand as soon as you start practicing.” The wizard ran his fingers through his white hair. “I just don't know how long I’ll be here, Hellsfire.”
Something struck me. How old was Stradus? He talked about Renak and Shala as if he had known them. By the gods, that was nearly a millennium ago. I thought of asking him how he was able to live so long, because I was curious as to how a person could extend his life. I decided against it. I should learn the basics before trying that, and he would probably just tell me that I should focus on the current lesson. And I could only imagine how much my headache would grow from listening to how to do something so powerful. There was so much I could learn from this ancient wizard.
“Even the most basic summoning is quite difficult and complex,” Stradus said. “They all require a ritual of some sort. Rituals will require you to do any or all of the things I'm about to tell you. You either have to dress a certain way, tap into a specific mana, have a set number of people present, make a sacrifice, use tools, draw symbols, perform them at the right time and place, and so on. The reason you would want to perform a summoning is that you may need the power it can grant to perform something very great. For example, you can summon a powerful creature, be able to keep the weather in place like I do on this mountain, or even create a powerful barrier.”
I leaned forward. “You mean like the Great Barrier? The barrier that separates Northern and Southern Shala?”
“Yes.”
“Someone was able to create that through a summoning? How was that even possible?”
“It was very complex, and it wasn't one person that did it. One day I'll explain what I know about it to you, but now is not the time.” His blue eyes deepened in color, as if remembering that tragic time of a land torn in two.
“I understand.”
“I don't think you do, but you will. What I told you are the basics of magic; everything is built upon that. There’s much more, like prophecies, veils, the Netherrealm, and the intricacies of alchemists and visions and a million other things, but I'm not going to get into those now.”
My mouth gaped open, dry air pouring in. How much more could there be? A lot, it seemed. I rubbed my temples. No wonder wizards lived for a long time. They had to, just to learn everything their masters told them.
“The three categories I told you about aren't set in stone,” the wizard said. “Summonings, incantations, and spells are usually interwoven. When you're doing one of the three, you're often involving two or all of them. For example, you can do a spell and recite some kind of incantation to strengthen it. A summoning will always involve all three when you're performing the ritual. Do you understand what I've just told you about summonings?”