The First to Touch Mana

Day One. 

Younes rose before dawn. 

The world felt… different. 

Mana moved like wind now—whispering around him, brushing his skin, dancing between his fingers. Ever since the system acknowledged him, he could feel the change, like gravity had shifted slightly and only he noticed. 

He opened his eyes slowly, exhaled, and stepped into the central courtyard. 

There, a group of instructors and advanced students were already waiting. 

Instructor Hafez stepped forward. "Your Trial begins in seventy-two hours. Until then, we'll train you beyond your limits." 

Younes nodded silently. 

"Three stations," Hafez said, raising three fingers. "Mind, body, and mana. Each led by an expert. You will rotate between them daily." 

From the group emerged three individuals Younes hadn't seen before. 

The first was a woman wrapped in black silks, her eyes sharp as blades. She bowed slightly. 

"I am Noura, Guardian of the Mind Station. I will show you how to resist illusions, fear, and confusion mana." 

The second was a giant man, shirtless, with a chest covered in scars. His arms looked like tree trunks. 

"Name's Baroud," he grunted. "Body Station. You'll cry, bleed, and beg to stop. But you'll come out unbreakable." 

The third was a calm, almost ethereal man, hovering an inch off the ground, his eyes glowing faintly with blue energy. 

"I am Elyas. I will guide your mana until it listens to your very breath." 

Younes swallowed. 

This won't be easy. 

Laila gave him a thumbs-up from the side. "Try not to die before your Trial." 

He smirked. "No promises." 

His first station: The Mind. 

Noura led him into a quiet hall underground, where the walls shimmered with runes and ancient scripts. As soon as the door closed behind them, silence reigned—complete, perfect, unnatural silence. 

She sat cross-legged on a floating cushion. 

"Sit," she ordered. 

Younes did. 

She didn't explain anything at first. She simply stared into his eyes. 

Suddenly, the world blurred. 

His heart clenched. 

He was in a forest… his childhood forest. 

But he was alone. 

He was ten again, searching for his brother who had gone missing that day. 

The day everything changed. 

"Zayd?" he called. 

No answer. 

"Zayd!!" 

Still silence. 

He ran, heart racing. 

But then… a whisper: You left him. You forgot him. He called your name until the end. 

Younes fell to his knees. 

"NO! That's not true!" 

Then—SNAP. 

He was back in the quiet room. 

Sweat poured from his forehead. 

Noura raised an eyebrow. "You lasted thirty seconds. Impressive for a beginner." 

Younes gasped. "What… was that?" 

"A memory. Twisted. Amplified. What you fear most will visit you again… and again… until you learn to anchor your mind." 

He clenched his fists. 

He would anchor it. 

He had to. 

Day Two. 

The Body. 

Baroud dragged Younes out of bed before sunrise and threw him into a freezing river. 

"Lesson one," he said, grinning. "Pain is your friend. It reminds you that you're alive." 

Younes had to swim five laps upstream, climb a cliff with only his bare hands, and balance on a narrow beam while being pelted with stones by other students. 

At first, he slipped. Fell. Cursed. 

But by the fourth hour, something inside him clicked. 

It wasn't strength. It was will. 

He pushed through aching muscles. Through bruised ribs. Through lungs that screamed for air. 

Baroud crossed his arms, grinning. "You're starting to look like a warrior." 

That night, Younes didn't even make it to his bed. He collapsed in the hallway and slept there until morning. 

Day Three. 

Mana. 

Elyas stood at the edge of the meditation lake, where water floated like mist and fish swam through the air. 

"Your mana is untrained," Elyas said. "Wild. Powerful. But it needs rhythm." 

Younes sat beside him. 

Elyas raised a finger, and a glowing orb of mana floated before them. 

"Control it." 

Younes tried. 

The orb shook. Vibrated. Burst into sparks. 

Again. 

And again. 

And again. 

Each time, Younes got closer. Until finally, on the 17th attempt, the orb hovered still between his palms. 

Elyas nodded. "You're beginning to listen." 

Younes smiled faintly. 

But then—another prompt: 

[System Alert: The Eye is preparing your first Trial.]

Time remaining: 12 hours.

New Ability Unlocked: Echo Reflection

Allows brief replay of an enemy's last move in your vision, granting counter opportunity (cooldown: 10s) 

His heart skipped a beat. 

A real ability?

And it came from the Eye system? 

He stared at his hands. 

Power. 

But also pressure. 

He had twelve hours left. 

Twelve hours before… whatever came next. 

That night, Younes returned to his quarters, where Laila was waiting with a warm bowl of stew and her spear leaning against the wall. 

"You're thinner," she said, frowning. "But your eyes are sharper." 

"Guess I've been upgraded," he chuckled weakly. 

They sat in silence for a while. 

Then Laila whispered, "I had a dream. The Eye wasn't watching just you. It was… looking through you. Like you were a door." 

Younes didn't answer at first. 

Then he nodded. 

"I think I'm a key," he said. "But I don't know what I'm supposed to unlock." 

Laila gripped her bowl tighter. 

"You'll find out tomorrow." 

Midnight. 

He stood alone in the northern garden of the academy. 

The sky was clear. 

Stars glimmered. 

And then… the Eye opened again. 

A single gold ring, staring down from the heavens, without emotion. 

A voice echoed in his mind: 

"Younes, First of Mana. Your time has come."

"Enter the Gate. Face your Trial. Emerge… or perish." 

A beam of light descended. 

And as Younes stepped into it, his vision shattered like glass. 

The Trial had begun.