6 – Opening the Inner Eye

Jonny eyed the Abbess with suspicion. He still remembered that original test back at his parents’ castle. It was painful enough that even after four years, he could still feel it fresh in his mind. Even that time he had to go to the hospital after forgetting his cup during sparring couldn’t compare. He would rather not go through that again if he could avoid it.

On the other hand, what if that had only happened because he was a baby? After all, it had been four years since then, and he had trained his body extensively. Maybe it would hurt less this time. Or maybe, it wouldn’t happen at all. This library area didn’t look like the same kind of ritual chamber as where he had been originally tested.

He was cautiously optimistic as he nodded along to the Abbess’ question, causing her to smile and go into an explanation on how mana worked.

“Mana is all around us,” she said, spreading her arms. In the air, in the ground, in the furniture. It’s even in you and me! But most people can’t control it. Most people can’t even see it! You need to open a special inner eye before you can see mana, and once you do that, you’ll be able to start controlling it.”

Jonny nodded slowly. That sort of made sense. It sounded kind of like that zen meditation bullshit from Earth that maybe wasn’t actually as bullshit as he thought it was.

I had a girlfriend who was into that stuff once… I shoulda paid more attention when she tried tellin’ me about it.

“There are a few ways to open your inner eye. The first human mages had to spend hours in meditation every day before they could sense mana.” Jonny must have made a face at that, because the Abbess laughed before continuing. “But we’ve discovered some other ways to do it that take a little less time. One of the common ways is potions and medicinal concoctions. These can get expensive, but the right potion or medicinal herbs can open your inner eye immediately without any difficulty.”

“Am I gonna get one’a those?” asked Jonny.

“No, unfortunately, that’s not in our budget,” said the Abbess with an amused smile. “We’re going to use the second easiest method, which is having a more experienced mage induce mana in your body so you can sense it more easily. I have been doing this for years, so I will be the one performing the deed, and Sisters Margaret, Margaret, and Lucy will be nearby to help if it’s needed.”

“So you’re gonna put that mana stuff in my body?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Jonny wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. That sounded like exactly what they had done before, and that hurt. But as much as he didn’t want to go through that again, it was too alluring to protest. He might have resolved himself to get strong without magic, but if he could have magic and be strong, why wouldn’t he?

“Alright,” he said. “I’m ready.”

“Not just yet,” said Helen, raising a finger. “There are a few more things we need to go over first. For example, do you know what natural mana capacity is?”

Jonny shook his head.

“Everyone has a limit to how much mana their body can process at once. Go over this limit, and it can really hurt. That means that this method can be very painful if I induce more mana than your body can handle. So, when we start, we have to be careful, and if it starts to hurt, you need to let us know immediately. If you don’t you could get hurt.”

Jonny nodded.

“Now, when I begin inducing the mana, you need to close your eyes and focus inward. The mana will flow into your body, and out through your meridians. I need you to try to feel it moving, and focus on it. If you focus hard enough, your inner eye will start to open, and you’ll be able to properly feel your mana.

“You probably won’t be able to get all the way there the first time. It can takes months for children to fully open their inner eyes, so don’t get disappointed if you don’t get it right immediately. But once you do get it, you can start joining the classes with the older kids where you learn how to use your mana!

“Now, do you have any questions before we begin?”

“What if I have no mana capacity?”

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