Chapter 18: New Skills
Ellis, now alone in the room, awkwardly sat cross-legged in his small body. He had already decided to observe Silas's reactions more carefully the next time he fondled her breasts. The last thing he wanted was to force himself on her, after all.
With a deep breath, he calmed his thoughts and began his training. He focused first on sensing the blue sparks inside his body, and then the dimmer sparks scattered throughout the room around him.
Slowly, he began to move the mana inside his body. His actions were careful and deliberate, always aware of his limits. Though his mental strength had recovered somewhat during these six months, it was still not strong enough to push too far. One wrong move could exhaust him too soon, sending him into unconsciousness.
He took it slow, circulating the blue sparks, moving them inside his body once, twice, then three times. Then finally, he shifted his attention to those outside of his body. He didn't try to pull, push, or move them just yet; instead, he simply interacted with them.
It was far more difficult to control mana outside his body than within, after all.
As he approached his limits, he finally tried to nudge the sparks... just slightly.
He was careful with his actions once again, as the purpose of this training was to get accustomed to handling mana—not to achieve something grand. If it were just about moving mana carelessly, he could have done that much more easily.
But this was training... training to be more precise, and to eventually be able to handle a larger amount of mana, effortlessly.
... Was he walking the right path? Was there an easier training method out there?
He didn't know, as there was no one to teach him... but he didn't care either way. What he was doing was bound to be useful, one way or another.
And, as he had already said... he didn't mind taking some detours!