Kaelith stood quietly in the clearing, the morning mist still clinging to the grass.
Gabriel arrived just before sunrise, carrying no weapons or tools, only a calm, unreadable face. His steps were slow, deliberate, and heavy with thought.
He stopped a few feet away from Kaelith and looked at him for a while before speaking.
"You're early."
"I'm a diligent student," Kaelith replied, his voice flat.
Gabriel nodded as if he was right. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a thick piece of chalk. He knelt and began drawing a wide circle into the earth, muttering something low under his breath as his hand moved along the forest floor. Strange symbols formed around the edge, glowing faintly.
"This isn't a trap," he said as he stood. "It's a teaching circle. The safest place to learn the most dangerous things. Not that we are going to do anything dangerous today… we are going to learn basic things for now."
"Step inside the rune."
Kaelith stepped into it, his eyes observing the intrigue drawing on the ground. In his past life he had learned magic in the demonic way, now being reborn… he was learning the righteous mage's method. It looked different and strange to him. He had always hated their way of magic, but right now he had no choice but to learn in their way.
Blue wall of magic with floating words circled around him.
Gabriel waited until he was settled, then he began with his teaching.
"You know how to disrupt magic. That much is clear. But you don't understand what you're touching."
"How do I understand it then? Kaelith asks, his hands behind his back. His brows furrowed as he stared at the floating words, arranging and scattering again. His brows frowned. He has read almost all the books in the library but he has not found one that teaches him everything he needs to know.
Gabriel walked around the magic blue translucent wall, his eyes observing Kaelith.
"There are three foundations of magic," he began. "Essence. Structure. Sacrifice."
Kaelith blinked but said nothing.
Gabriel gestured to the ground. "Essence is raw mana… it is the invisible life energy or magical power that flows through the world, and through living beings, the power inside you. Everyone has it, but most can't control it. Mages learn to shape it."
He pointed at the runes surrounding the circle. "Structure is how you contain it. Spells, runes, formations, these hold magic together. Without structure, essence burns everything it touches. A backlash."
"And sacrifice?" Kaelith asked quietly.
Gabriel's expression darkened slightly.
"Every spell has a price," he said. "You either give something willingly, and that includes energy, time, memory… or magic takes something from you. Blood. Sanity. Life. That's the part most mages ignore… until they lose everything. Magic is give and take, a balance created by nature."
Kaelith tilted his head. "So what happens when you use distortion?"
"How do you know about that power? I don't remember telling you that." He frowned.
Kaelith resisted the urge to click his tongue at him. "I heard it from you… while you were muttering the words to you." He wasn't lying. He had heard him because of his heightened sense. Although he had always known about his power.
Gabriel stared at him for a moment. "Well. Distortion doesn't follow the same rules as the normal laws of magic. I haven't fully understood the power yet."
He moved closer, lowering his voice.
"But distortion magic touches the structure of reality itself. It bends the spell until it collapses. But that means you're touching the raw threads. If you pull too hard, reality pulls back."
Kaelith gave a small nod, almost bored. "I've felt the pull before."
Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "Good. That means you're not entirely reckless, seeing that you are still standing here."
He stepped back and drew another shape, this time a triangle within a circle, surrounded by smaller runes.
"There are seven stages of magic," Gabriel began, his voice calm but firm. "Each one changes how a mage interacts with the world."
He raised a hand and held up one finger.
"Stage One, the Initiate."
"They are beginners. People who've just learned to touch mana. They can use basic spells but are limited to one element. Fire, wind, earth… nothing more. They rely on spell books and chants. Their magic is clumsy, slow, and often unstable."
Kaelith blinked slowly, totally unimpressed, because he had already learned the basis of magic. All he was interested in was his power, which was a mystery to him. But he could let him know that he already knew about this. 'I guess I'll have to suffer through the boring lessons.'
Gabriel held up a second finger.
"Stage Two, The Channeler."
"At this point, the mage no longer needs books. Their will is strong enough to bend their chosen element directly. A water mage can pull droplets from the air. A wind mage can blow back an arrow mid-flight. It's no longer about memorizing spells, it's more about instinct and control."
He moved to a third finger.
"Stage Three, the Ascendant."
"This is where things change, this is the stage where the environment responds to your presence. A fire mage can radiate heat with less effort. A shadow mage might dim the lights in a room without meaning to. This is the stage where magic becomes part of you. A stage where you gain a magic mark, an emblem or symbol that appears somewhere on your body. That mark links you to your element."
Kaelith's gaze lingered on Gabriel's hand, watching as he raised a fourth finger.
"Stage Four, the High Mage."
"Only a few reach this point. High Mages can fuse different elements, manipulate raw essence, and form unique spells from scratch. They can bend the battlefield with a few gestures. These are the ones who lead wars, who shape academies and towers. And they are mostly advisors to the throne."
He paused.
"And it's the stage where magic starts asking for something more in return. Your health, your magic and energy. Sometimes your emotions. Power never comes free. Most mages are limited to this stage, as they are unable to break through to the next."
Kaelith's lips parted slightly, as if filing that fact away.
Gabriel continued.
"Stage Five, the Archmage."
Now his tone grew more serious.
"Archmages are rare… very rare, like I said before most mages stop at stage four. The mage in the stage can seal entire cities with a single spell. They can trigger earthquakes, summon storms, or freeze a river mid-flow. Their spells don't just involve casting spells, they shape reality. And they are the reason kingdoms rise… or fall. If an Empire has more Archmage than its neighbouring Empire, they have a better chance to win in a battle. That is why Eldenria is the head of all the Empires, and that is because it has produced more powerful mages compared to the others. Most people regard the Archmage as a god-tier mage."
Kaelith's eyes sharpened. So that was the game behind the power. So the other Empires are pretending to be peaceful and satisfied with Eldenria leading, but that is because they don't have enough strong force yet.
Something told him the other Empires were only waiting for the perfect moment to strike.