Reincarnated as a Genius Mage

"Trust me kid. It's normal not to feel anything on your first day of practice. If anyone could sense their entire body in just few minutes, then everyone would become a mage.

Take me for example— it took nine months. Your father? It took him five months. Both George Flameworth and Sin Morderego that are considered geniuses, it took them five months. It takes time."

He's still a bit groggy from waking up, he yawns and scratches his eyes as he talks to me.

"Alright. That's enough for the day, go back home. And remember, every day after your class two teachings, come to this training ground. And I want you to keep focusing on feeling yourself first. Report any significant progress to me once we meet. Goodbye, Young Master Charles."

He stands up, adjusts his black uniform, and without giving me another glance– walks out.

I head back to my room too.

***

I'm lying down on my bed; my brain swirling with woven and unwoven thoughts.

This.. this isn't easy at all. I just want to learn magic– to see my wife. But now I have to hear and feel my body cells.. how absurd does that sound? It's biologically impossible to say the least.

"This isn't how Harry learned magic in Hogwarts."

On my bed, I roll side ways– left and right, non-stop. It slithers in; frustration, quiet and.. unwelcome.

"Isn't there a way to learn this thing faster? Like some kind of short cut? There has to be! After all, every long thing has a shortcut."

I nod my head– agreeing with my words, and the sweet feeling of satisfaction rests in my heart, accepting my wisdom.

But wait...

In an instant, I jerk up from my bed.

"I've felt this mana of a thing before, haven't I?"

I start walking, slowly– to and fro around the room as I ponder. An old habit.

"Yes.. I have. I'm sure of it.. somewhat. But when was it?"

My hands caress my smooth chin, my legs moving slowly.

"Aha!"

I slam my folded fist on my palm. An excited smile present on my face.

"Yes! I do remember! I used to feel this so called mana back when I was.. back when this body was still a toddler! The times when Jennette lifted me with her magic!

But that sensation... Wasn't it mana? Or was it not? I mean... Hmm. I'm not sure.."

My head droops, my eyes shut close and I begin to search my brain, trying to remember the time.. the time I felt mana.

Suddenly, it comes to me.. after searching, I remember something...

"The firebird! No– Phoenix I mean, when it transferred the flames of eternity to me. I forgot I had that.

But that fire that burnt my soul itself.. I'm sure of it— it's the mana from the flame of eternity."

My hands still tenderly carress my jaw as I ponder. It's reflexive.. I always forget I no longer have a goatee.

"If I remember exactly how the mana felt at that time, won't my brain register that feeling, and subsequently, alert me if I feel mana?"

I nod, "yes, yes. After all, mana is everywhere, it might even be touching my skin right now but I have no idea how it feels."

A soft exhale leaves my nose and mouth.

"All I have to do is remember how it felt. Then I can start feeling it, and after that, I can start learning mana breathing."

Good plan.

Sparing no time, I sit on the cold and hard ceramic-tiled floor. In a lotus position of course, can't have blood flowing through my pathway.

I shut my eyes, taking deep breaths. And my mind wanders, every thought in my head blurs.

In my mind, I see a bright light. And as my mind's eye peers into that bright light– I see it; it's a vision. A vision of the past– the moment I was transfused with the flame of eternity.

Every hair on my body stands erect, and goosebumps flood my skin as I peer deeper into the light.

That flame– the very act of trying to remember how it felt to be burned by it causes an electric tingle to blitz around my body, causing me to flinch.

***

My eyes are still closed. And it's been a while since I started meditating. I am certain it's nighttime.

I can hear the cries of the crickets, and the intense light of the sun has faded from my eyes.

I'm supposed to be resting– oh yes, I know I am, but...

How can I rest when I feel this way?

A soothing, calm and gentle breeze penetrates through my room window.

It blows, carressing my body– fueling the peace that I feel.

My body welcomes the touch of the breeze; my shoulders relax and my tense muscles soften into this moment.

My heart.. it's thumping, louder and louder– it doesn't stop.

In my arteries, in my veins– I feel it.. I feel the blood flow. It's smooth, rushing through every vein and artery like a tidal wave.

The blood flows to my tissues. Some flow from my tissues back to my heart.

There's a particular artery, different from the rest, this arter– ah... It's the pulmonary artery, the blood flushes through them– approaching my lungs.

There's something else I feel now. This feeling.. I don't know how to explain it. I know its shape, its touch, its smell. No, it's not a thing– they're abundant in me.. they're the things my tissues are made up of– cells

The white blood cells, the red blood cells. Even the molecules of oxygen flowing through my blood. I feel them all.

With my eyes closed– I can accurately describe how everything I feel in my body looks like.

"Ah.."

The microbes in the air that touch my skin– they prick my skin like tiny needles, but they don't feel painful. The sensation of their touch is almost non-existent.

The atoms and molecules of oxygen and every other chemical elements that make up the air I breathe– they dance on my skin, tickle my nose and slide through to my lungs.

This is it. Finally; this is the feeling he talked about. It feels... Natural. It feels like it's part of everything, but it also feels foreign.

It's everywhere. It's even in my body, weak but pure– it flows through my mana pathway.

It's mana. This thing called mana... It's– I didn't feel it during the transfusion of the Flame of Eternity. What I felt from those flames was.. heat, that heat, I.. I don't know what it is, but it's not... It's not mana.

The mana that I remembered; it was from the times when Jennette played with me.

"Hoooo."

I exhale, my tense chest soften and my eyes open.

Fwoosh!

The flowing air from outside the window twirls around me.

My hair dangles, blocking my eyesight as the air twirls like a much less violent tornado around me, gathering pieces of papers as it twirls.

The twirling air dissolves, leaving the pieces of paper to fall to the ground.

"So this is what it feels like."

Steadily, I stand up from the ground.

The window– I look outside through it.

It's silent. The only sound echoing in the air is that of crickets, and barking dogs in the far distance.

The cleaved moon is up, showering its majestic light down on the world.

In the air– white, non-elemental mana float around.

Would I be able to touch it?

I outstretch my hand.. aiming to touch it.

But my hand passes through it– like it's a hologram.

But I know how it feels on my skin now. It's empty– like a bland, spiceless bowl of soup that doesn't even have salt.

A soft smile plays on my lips.

On the air– I clench my fist.

"Five months my ass."

I turn my head to look at my body.

The cluster of darkness is still lingering...

But apart from the darkness, I can see something else now, and I can feel it.

It's different from everyone else's.

It's revolving around me. An interlaced cluster formed from red, blue, yellow and green light.

It must be because of my quad affinity to all four elements.

The cluster is bright, but not so bright that I can't ignore it and continue my daily activities.

"Well, that's enough for today. I need to sleep. And tomorrow... I'll learn how to gather mana in my mana pathway."

I head to my bed... to sleep.