A deep breath in, and a deep breath out. It was taken in as Salem laid in the hot desert sand. He had come back to visit his old home for some reason. It was hard to describe. He just felt comfortable here. It was also the first time in forever he had traveled alone again.

The Fae sat in the lotus position and tried to focus his mind. He found out as a mage the more he was able to focus the easier his spell casting would be. The fae had a strong desire to get stronger as best that he could. The small guy did not have much in the way of body structure, so he wanted to sharpen his mind instead. The soft wind whistled around him as the sand covered his body, the soft burble of the river nearby could be heard as long as he focused his senses.

Salem sat down for five minutes before standing up to stretch. He started to channel mana. It was really a small exercise that some mages could do to see where they stand in terms of magic control. Salem was not far behind his peers in terms of raw magical talent. Completing the exercise did not show him anything he did not already know. He needed to work on application more.

The Fae walked to the small stream. He had discovered his affinity for nature and water based magic some time ago. The stream was the perfect place for him to try. The fae held his right hand out and tried to get a feel for the stream. How it flowed around, the speed, and how it twisted. He wanted to feel the very nature of the water that was in front and around him. It was only him around. He should have been able to easily accomplish it.

The stream started to burble loudly, Salem was unsure of himself but he felt he was doing it. It was hard to describe the emotion. His body felt like it expanded out of him to feel the world around him. He was no longer himself but was one with the force of life around him. Till he was not. Salem only felt that way for a moment but someone believed he was better at magic. He tried running the magic training exercise and could feel himself work faster. The moment he started to cast spells.

Deciding it was time to train his body, the Fae stripped himself of his clothes, and lowered his body into the water. They said swimming was exercise, it helped that it was something he enjoyed doing. His body flapped in the water, moving with the current, but not straying from his clothes. The feel of the water helped recover some of his fatigue.

The water felt like he was home. He could feel the vitality of the world around him. It felt peaceful in a beautiful way. Was this the kind of magic he wanted to use in his life? Salem was starting to feel like the realizations he was having came together. A part of the reason that he was unable to cast before was because he lacked a specific goal. When it was realized magic would just be letting go and achieving that goal.

Salem got out of the water. He sat on the sandy side not far from his clothes to focus on what he realized. He needed to consolidate his foundation, he needed to keep up with his progress. The Fae could almost feel himself actualizing what needed to be done. The amount of progress he was making was staggering in his book. Training like this in the city would not have yielded nearly the same amount of results.

Then he fell asleep. Salem was not the best when it came to physical stuff. The water made him feel safe and great. It was good for his muscles and stamina. It was just his body was too weak to last. He was feeling tired already. A short nap in the sand was all he needed. It was the lap of the water on his toes that woke him up more.

He got fully dressed and sat at the edge of the water. He looked at it going down the way, watched as it flowed and got to where it needed to go. Salem could not figure out what was wrong with him. He was not flowing like water. Internally he felt that there was a block somewhere. It was keeping him from reaching his potential. Salem just needed to realize what it was in order to stop holding himself back.

A flash of inspiration hit. Salem looked at the water and could feel something in his spirit break. His mind started to focus on the concept of flowing. Like water he started to move his feet. The Fae focused on his feet as he was moving. One step in front of the other. He was trying to make sure his movements were syncing up to what he felt. The flow of water was never ending, it always moved, what could never be still as it tried to travel. Even the most minute of opening water was a flowing substance.

The first step in the pattern he tried weaving was difficult. It was hard to understand where water started the journey to start flowing like a river. He was trying various waves for him to weave the mana into his legs. Like a flowing path of water he believed that was the way to start the journey. He failed. The magic failed to initialize and for a moment he felt a backflow in his mana.

The backflow of his mana gave him an idea. Instead of trying to start it at his feet. He started it in his heart. It could be considered the ocean of his body, the origin point of all water on a planet so to speak. He listened to the rhythm of his heart. Like the push and pull of the waves on a beach shore, or the gentle lapping of it in a body of water. He focused on how the blood in his body flowed all around him. Like the water of the world the blood in the body flowed. It was too and from his heart to the rest of his body, like how water traveled all around the world and never stayed still as well.

Salem tried to concentrate again. This time a faint glimmer of a magic circle could be seen underneath his body. It was as if the magic was trying to actualize but did not have the full support to become a real then. The feeling was there but like everything else he did when it came to magic, it was just not flowing. It was an exasperating thought. A part of him even vaguely recalled that about a hundred years ago this was not a problem for him. He was even able to fight full demons to a standstill. Now it was like he could barely function in the body that he was given.

Was the body that he was currently unable to use magic. If that was the case then it was nothing wrong with him per say, just the vessel. He shook his head at the thought. The body was able to do something in the way of magic as he had been able to do minor water things. If it lacked any affinity even that would not be enough to accomplish things.

Getting back to focusing on the task at hand. Salem called to his heart. He focused his mana and this time he had moderate success. The way his mana was able to flow made it easy on him. He took a step in this state and promptly tripped. The Fae had a big grin on his face. He felt like he made a big breakthrough. The only thing he had to do was work on the application of what he had just done.

[569/1,000 learning A rank Flowing Steps]

Salem got the mana flowing in his blood properly. Then he tried to take a step. He noticed his speed had increased. He had successfully used a magic spell. Salem was actually feeling pretty proud of the particular accomplishment. Heavens knows how long it had taken him to reach this point before.

Taking the time to ignore the amount of mana he was using. He wanted to work on the magic. Like the flow that was in his heart and increasing his speed. Salem wanted the way to walk to incorporate that as well. If he included the water based attributes in his movement, maybe it would be easier to cast. That was the thought process that he was going with. Like grease on a shiny floor, Salem was starting to slide. His flow was going well and he found himself able to build up speed. The more he practiced the more steps he was able to take without messing up. Salem was really starting to emulate the flow of water in his own movement.

Hands on his knees he needed a breather. The fae did not sweat like this before. Another unfortunate side effect from the human body. Now he was able to get the steps properly going in a straight line. He believed it to be a decent start. Till looking at the river he saw that it did not go straight. Like the blood in the body it twisted, turned, and even double backed as needed. Salem had to make sure that his steps were not as linear as well.

Cracking his back he went back to it. He started to step forward, this time he tried to twist some of his movements. The first attempt felt too slow in his opinion. The movement was choppy and did not have the flow that he wanted in his movements. On the other hand, his second attempt at the moment was too fast, it had a flow that he could not keep up with. Like the first time he tried he simply tripped over his own ankle and went down, like a sac of sand. The fae was glad no one was around to watch his training.

After making sure his ankle was okay, he got back to it. Salem started slower but increased his speed in increments. The more he got used to it the better he was able to make his movements. He was even able to turn and move with the same flow. His steps were like water and he believed himself proficient enough to have learned his first practical spell.

[1004/1000 Flowing Steps have been learned]

Salem laid back down near the water. He took the time to wipe his body as he contemplated his magic. The fact that he had his first practical spell told him that his magic had improved. At least the magic he was able to channel in his current body. The time before he felt like he was pretty blocked up. He had only felt himself open up one gateway channel inside of himself.

When he was cleaned up from his sweat. Salem contemplated what he should be able to do next. If he could flow like water when he moved. He should be able to fight like water. Flowing his hits together. Maybe he could be able to increase the damage output that he could do. Salem was not the biggest fan of fighting but being able to do it better. Gave him a higher chance of returning from the field alive. The other alternative was to go back into a coma. If Salem was more of a fighter he probably could have still been the oasis he was before.

WC: 180/1,000

Salem got into the lotus position. He breathed inwards focusing on the flow of his mana. If he was using his heart and blood, as the base for his speed. This time he would focus on his muscles. It was harder to focus on muscles, but he could feel his body's life functions with his magic. Nature was just a part of life. By feeling the various systems inside of him he became able to manipulate them to an extent.

The Fae stood up and tried to move. The muscles in his body started to feel extreme pain. He believed he increased the explosive output that was available in his muscle mass. He did not count for the experiences and balancing for the rest of the body. It was kind of the same sensation as when he started empowering his blood. It was all about balance and the flow.

Taking a moment out to heal up while he thought. Salem decided that he would make sure to train it more till he could get it done. Speed and Strength would allow him to knock his enemies unconscious with relevant ease. He got the speed portion down. He just needed to get the strength behind it. It was the king pin and most important part of the spell.


WC: 397/1,000

The next time Salem tried to use his new and improved strength spell he was able to hold it a little bit longer. The downside was the fact that the muscle stain on his body was even worse. Salem naturally had a weak constitution. At times it made it hard to do some of the very basics of things. The fae was not sure if it was a side effect of the merge or the way his body naturally became. It could very well be the reason why he was not able to use magic as freely as he was able to do so before.

Salem tried to use the power in his body, a little bit after recovery. This time he tried doing it for a short burst of strength. His goal was to put as little stress on his body as possible. If it was a success it would be easier for him to replicate it.

The first time he tried the short burst it was a success. After multiple attempts at the experiment he was able to get the technique down to a science. The issue was when he should apply the short burst of strength. If it was not timed too early he would lose the energy out and would still have a weak punch. Too late and the strength would be there when he punched, the issue would arise with the recoil that would hit his body. That was not something he could sustain in the long run. When he thought more carefully about it. Was water something that just hit hard and often.

It was a lot of training Salem was completing on his own. It was weird in a way that he was steadily growing alone. Compared to the things that people did for him before. He had a lot that was going for him in this way. Even if he was sweating it out and having a lot of issues with it. His body started to get rid of some impurities and he felt his ability to handle and manipulate mana improved as he worked on it. Salem was sure it was only a matter of time till he became able to use this spell. Salem could almost swear that he was able to feel the mana of the earth even more. It was only a matter of time till he regained his prior ability.

Looking at a tree was when more inspiration hit. It would be easier to time if he started to flow his mana in his muscles at a low frequency. Then let it build when he made contact with the enemy, he could rush it out on contact. Increasing his strength a couple of folds when he was able to hit something. Not to mention he was able to flow it along with his speed increasing spell. It was a mixture of gentle strength and flexibility. It highlighted the way of water and increased the overall flexibility of his fighting style.

Salem was feeling pretty good about himself. When he was practicing the spell to hit different points of the tree. He noticed a magic circle. It meant that he had actually learned a second spell that could be considered practical magic. Before he was simply fooling around in the dark to learn magic. Now he was a lot better at understanding his mana flow and the mana flow of the world outside of him. It was the fact that he was working to do all this alone in the wilderness that allowed him to learn it. Simply returning to his roots made learning magic leagues easier than it would have been if he tried learning it from other people.

WC: 1,019/1,000
Inner Flow Fighting Spell learned
[Exit]

OOC Note: The last Spell for this amount Dew Tailor I am paying in Jewels instead.