The morning mist clung to the grass as the training field behind Master Rivel’s estate buzzed with tension. Birds fluttered across the cloudy sky, and Kagami stood barefoot on the packed dirt, feeling the subtle hum of mana beneath his feet—a sensation that was slowly becoming familiar.

  It had been only a few days since he began formal training in ancient spellwork with Master Rivel, and yet, Kagami’s progress had been nothing short of astonishing.

  With a crackle of energy, the aged mage’s staff struck the ground, drawing his focus.

  “You are a fast learner, boy,” Rivel said, her arms folded over her long navy robe embroidered with golden sigils. “But don’t let that go to your head.”

  Kagami smirked, his bck hair damp from early sweat. “Is this another compliment hiding in a threat, Master Rivel?”

  Rivel snorted. “Call it what you like. The Terrakinesis Basicum and Fulgur Sparkus I taught you—those are only the basics. If you truly want them to become your magic, you need to do more than copy the forms.”

  “I figured as much,” Kagami said, his eyes narrowing with resolve.

  “Good. Because now I want to spar.”

  Kagami blinked. “Spar? Against you?”

  Rivel raised one brow and pnted her staff firmly in the dirt. “You need pressure. And I need to see how well your body moves when casting magic. But there’s one condition—” her lips curled into a mischievous smirk “—no chakra. No jutsu. I want to see you fight like a real mage this time.”

  Kagami grinned. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  Rivel shrugged. “I’m old. I take pleasure where I can find it.”

  They took ten paces from each other, and a subtle wind passed between them as the field fell silent.

  “Begin!” Rivel barked.

  Kagami didn’t hesitate. His hands weaved quickly into an incantation, words ancient and guttural rolling off his tongue.

  “Terra: Arx Aegis!”

  Stone surged from beneath his feet, forming a wide-angled wall that encased his body just in time as Rivel fired a bolt of lightning.

  “Fulmina: Arc Tempestas!” she chanted, and thunder cracked as a tri-forked bolt twisted through the air.

  Kagami dove out from behind his wall, his right hand glowing with mana.

  “Fulgur: Voltus Dart!”

  A nce of electricity shot from his palm, skimming the edge of Rivel’s warding spell and singeing the edge of her cloak.

  “Better,” she called, already preparing another chant. “But you're hesitating. Your stances are still rooted in chakra movement!”

  Kagami gritted his teeth. She was right. His mana casting still bore the reflexive hand seals of his old life.

  “Terra: Gravis Bind!”

  He smmed his palm to the ground and tried something different—focusing on intent, not technique. The earth rumbled, and thick roots of stone exploded beneath Rivel’s feet.

  “Hmm!” Rivel clicked her tongue, leaping aside with ease and responding in kind. “Fulmina: Echo Pulse!”

  Boom—electricity roared through the ground. Kagami winced, mana dispersing into static as the spell collided with his body, not damaging but definitely disruptive.

  He rolled, panted, and raised his hand again.

  No chakra. No jutsu. Just pure magic.

  His heart thumped. The taste of combat, even in training, made his blood sing.

  Then came the moment—Kagami raised both hands and instinctively shaped the earth with his will.

  “Terra: Seism Crucible!”

  Pilrs burst around him like a cage, then colpsed forward toward Rivel. She barely dodged, ughing as the ground continued to quake.

  “Now that—” she panted “—was a spell of your own making.”

  Kagami fell to his knees, winded but smiling.

  Rivel approached, staff tapping gently. “You’re still rough. But you’re learning. The more you stop thinking like a shinobi and more like a mage, the stronger your magic will become.”

  He nodded. “I’ll keep working. I want my magic to be more than just a tool—I want it to have meaning, like my jutsu did.”

  Rivel stared at him thoughtfully for a moment.

  “You may be young, but your eyes… you carry too many battles in them.” She turned, her tone softening. “Rest. Eat. Then tomorrow, we’ll begin exploring elemental fusion—see if you can survive my way of combining power.”

  Kagami smirked as he stood. “I’ll make my own magic style one day. And I promise, it won’t lose to anyone—not chakra, not mana, not even both combined.”

  “Spoken like a real madman,” Rivel muttered.

  Or perhaps… a real mage.

  ---