Louis nodded. "If I concentrate, I can see them," he replied. "Why? Aren't I supposed to be able to?"
Hardrial stared at him for a full minute before he reacted.
He was in shock.
Some things could surprise him, and this was one of them.
"Very few people in the world can see it with the naked eye, without delving into understanding the Theorem and reaching a certain level. That's why the advancement of magic has been so difficult over the years," he said.
"Besides," he continued, "No Armamentalist has ever been able to see it, because it's not easy for us to delve into the Theorem, since we don't have as close a relationship with magic as arcane mages do."
He stood up and approached Louis.
"If you can really see it, it will make your learning easier. You will even be able to advance greatly. Just keep in mind that you are unusual and therefore cannot reveal this to outsiders. Look at the young lady next to you and you will understand."
Louis looked curiously into Laura's eyes.
Those beautiful heterochromatic eyes also looked back at him with interest.
Suddenly, when Louis focused on her eyes, he saw a huge number of threads twisting and forming strange patterns next to them.
They were everywhere and seemed to form a chaotic singularity.
The rest of the barely perceptible threads were running naturally, just like the threads he had seen on the mountain. But when they approached these eyes, they became slightly chaotic and began to form curious patterns.
"The threads twist next to her eyes. Is that a special condition?"
Hardrial finally confirmed that Louis was serious, so he smiled.
"It's called magical heterochromia. She is one of the only people in this world capable of being on two Destined Paths at once. She is a magician and also an armamentalist. It's just that her magic... we haven't yet figured out how to create it."
Louis nodded slightly.
Hardrial spoke again: "But even she, who has special eyes in every sense, cannot see what you see. She may never be able to see them either. That is why you are so valuable." He finally turned around and went to the blackboard.
"If you can already see them, there's not much more to say. Let's start class today. I'll be relying on your abilities, so pay attention." Hardrial began writing several things on the board after erasing the drawings.
"We study firearms as a catalyst, that is, as a tool. But you would do well to treat them as your brother. Firearms were created about 200 or 300 years ago, which makes it difficult for those who have to go down this path. Luckily, I have been studying this type of magic for 50 years, and my research has borne much fruit."
After writing several things on the blackboard, he turned around and took out a strange cartridge with special bullets.
"This is my creation. In the history of Armamentalists, this is the third time it has appeared. For magicians, this would be a grimoire. But a special one, for us. Capable of making Armamentalist magic cumulative and transmissible." As he spoke, he removed the magazine from his revolver and replaced it with the new one.
Then he stepped back a little, aimed at the blackboard, and fired a bullet.
BAM*
The gunshot's harsh sound seemed to be created by a weapon ready to destroy. But when it hit the blackboard, the bullet seemed to expand to each side of it, and a bunch of magical patterns (runes of power) appeared throughout the room.
"This Armamentalist Grimoire can transmit a total of 72 different runes. The 72 simplest ones that exist," he said. "I will proceed to teach you about them. We will focus on these three."
Among all the power runes that had materialized, Hardrial chose the first three—the simplest ones.
"I'll start by saying this..." He spoke.
"Armamentalists don't usually worry about Passive Energy, but mana. Passive energy is our most powerful fuel, if we have any physical abilities. But mana is our magic. And magic doesn't require a specialized skill: only knowledge. Therefore, our mana must always be high." Hardrial looked at Louis.
"When you level up, try to distribute your free points wisely and leave a significant portion for Intelligence. Remember: mana is the most powerful force that will accompany us as weapon mages."
Louis nodded. He was beginning to understand. If he were a mage, he would naturally need mana.
Passive Energy shots use a lot of energy, so they are not feasible for long, intense fights. But what if he could also fire shots with mana?
They might be less powerful, but whenever he could do it, it would significantly improve his ability and make more sense for the Path of an Armamentalist.
Hardrial, being a good teacher, soon began to explain many things.
From the use of magic for firearms to how to create power runes.
This was more complicated than it seemed, even though it was very simple to explain.
After all, if the power runes come from the Arkanometric Fabrics, you just have to learn how to study these fabrics. Understand how to do it on a sheet and learn the patterns the Passive Energy gives you.
In this magical world, almost everything is given by this energy, but do you have the ability to understand and decipher it? And then create it?
It wasn't just a matter of learning the patterns by heart; you had to know how to write them down and activate them. Being a magician is complicated.
And even more so if you're a magician with fast and powerful shooting abilities.
The class flew by, Louis eager to learn. A first class full of revelations was enough to immerse him fully in this magical world and begin to discover its secrets.
Right now, he didn't know what excited him more: learning magic or leveling up? Perhaps both equally, but learning magic held a special place in his fantasy-loving heart.
On the other hand, Laura already knew all this, but she still stayed close to hear it again.
When it was late afternoon, the teacher dismissed them, mentioning that it would be a week full of theory before he began teaching them the practical aspects.