Vir looked around. Even with Prana Vision in its dormant state, he could still see faint browns and whites around him. Sensing prana had never once posed a problem for him after the Godshollow. And though he called it Prana Vision, it wasn’t like he needed his eyes open to see all that. He could simply sense the various affinities, which was what enabled him to look into his own body’s pathways. He couldn’t imagine Maiya would have a tough time with it, given her magical aptitude.
“How exactly do you sense prana?” Maiya asked.
“Sit down. Cross your legs. Close your eyes.”
Tanya likely waited for Maiya to comply, then continued. “Now, breathe deeply, and empty your mind of any thoughts.”
Vir joined in. He sat up, waiting long enough to confirm he could still hear her, then closed his eyes, attempting to follow Tanya’s instructions.
“Now, once in this state, you must feel the prana circulating around you, in the air. It is not a feeling that can be described. But you will know it when it works.”
Interesting, Vir reflected. It sounded like mejai could sense prana, just perhaps not with the clarity that he could.
“That’s… kinda vague,” Maiya complained. “Got anything more I can work with?”
“Do not fool yourself, child. Even the most talented Praniks take months to develop this awareness. For most, it takes the better part of a year. Each morning and evening, you will sit and meditate, forcing yourself to attune to your surroundings.”
“A year?” Maiya shouted. “That’s way too long!”
“Then strive to excel,” Tanya said. “Fear not, I shall aid you. I will pre-charge an Ice Affinity orb and set it in front you. Try to sense the prana coming from the orb.” Even with his dormant Prana Vision, Vir could sense the orb. The ball of transparent prana glowed like a sun to his senses. Just how powerful was the spell within it?
“Once you are able to sense prana, the next step is to take hold of it.”
Vir’s heart sped up, and it wasn’t on account of the hot sun. This was the missing piece he needed. He already knew how to sense prana, he just needed guidance on how to control it.
“This is done via sheer willpower. With enough strength of will, a mejai can bend the prana in the air, wrestling it under their control.”
“Uh… any specifics?” Maiya asked. Vir echoed her sentiment. Everything Tanya had said thus far was incredibly vague. Was she doing it on purpose as part of the lesson? Or did she just not know? Vir sincerely hoped it was the former.
“Each mejai must discover prana for themselves. I can only guide you. You must be the one to find it. For now, focus on sensing prana.”
“Wait,” Maiya said. “If you have to use your will to control prana, how do magic testing orbs work? I can activate those just fine, can’t I?”
“Aptitude orbs provide their own ‘will’ to test your innate capacity. They are specifically designed to test those who’ve yet to master prana control, after all. Regular orbs do not function this way.”
“Hmm. You said magic hurts, though,” Maiya said. “How exactly does it hurt? What should I expect?”
“In order to wield orbs, one must offer their limbs to the gods. If the gods deem you worthy, it will hurt. There is always a cost to power. But pain is a small price to pay for access to the spells that mejai wield.”
Riyan had said a similar thing—that magic was a blessing of the gods. He’d also made it clear that despite his lack of faith, he managed to wield magic just fine. Vir wondered what it all meant. Nothing he’d encountered thus far seemed even remotely tied to the gods or religion.
“What does it feel like?” Maiya asked, anxiously. “The pain, I mean…”
Maiya never did well with pain. This revelation must have shocked her more than it did Vir. “First, the veins in your arm and hand become more visible. Your arm will turn purple incrementally. There is a tingling sensation at first, then aching pain that grows stronger and stronger. Eventually, your limb becomes numb. But no one maintains magic long enough to experience those effects. You would saturate well before then.”
“Saturate?”
“Prana oversaturation,” Tanya explained. “It happens when too much prana builds up within your body, preventing you from casting magic for some hours. It is a message from the gods, warning us not to abuse our privilege.”
This saturation concept was new to Vir, though he couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed by all of this. He was hoping for a set of steps he could reproduce, or concepts he could unravel. Instead, Tanya spouted only vague descriptions and meaningless superstition. He could only imagine how frustrating it must be for Maiya, who couldn’t even see prana.
Tanya continued. “It will be years before you get to this stage, so I will just summarize the rest. Once a Pranik can sense and control prana, they undertake a series of mental strengthening exercises. A strong mind can muster more willpower, which in turn allows them to channel prana more effectively.”
“Sounds rough,” Maiya said.
“Indeed. Some believe that children with traumatic pasts tend to become excellent mejai for this reason. The final step is to actually channel prana into an orb. This is a skill in and of itself, requiring an understanding of the orb’s inscriptions and an accurate awareness of the rate at which prana needs to be channeled. What’s more, orbs crafted by different Thaumaturges all have their own unique prana flow idiosyncrasies that must be learned to wield them effectively.”
C’mon Maiya, ask her what’s unique about them!
“What kinds of idiosyncrasies?” Maiya asked, prompting Vir to pump his fist. Nice going, Maiya!
“Some orbs require a trickle of prana to start, expanding into a river. Others require a more forceful approach, or the prana will simply dissipate. And of course, your compatibility with a particular affinity makes a world of difference as well.”
“What exactly is an affinity, though? And when will I know what affinities I have?” Maiya asked.
“So many questions with you! Affinities determine the rate and ease with which you can charge orbs of that particular element. There are six affinities in this world: Wind, Water, Lightning, Ice, Fire, and Life. Every magical orb in existence belongs to one of these six elements.”
Vir felt like he’d just been hit by an armored Ash’va. Six affinities! He knew that wasn’t true. Every shred of his being wanted to shout down from above and ask her why she was lying to Maiya.
“There is no test that determines which affinity you possess. Only after you are able to sense and conduct prana will we know which affinities you have, by trial and error.”
“What about—” Maiya began, but Tanya cut her off.
“Enough questions! Now, sit and meditate, quietly.”
Maiya grumbled, but reluctantly accepted.
Vir was only half-listening. The entire conversation had lost its sheen, and there would be nothing further to gain by snooping. Vir slowly got up and made his way back inside. His mind replayed Tanya’s words. Six affinities. Was she lying or did she simply not know? But she’d trained with the Altani!
If they weren’t aware of Shadow, Earth, and ‘Black’, did that mean all of humanity was wrong?
Or was he simply wrong about his theories? He began to concede that it might be his mistake after all.
The entire world couldn’t possibly be wrong… could they?