The light dimmed slightly as Aiden pulled his hand away, the soft golden glow fading from Kai's shoulder.
"Good as new," he said, brushing his palms together.
Kai rotated his arm a few times, testing it. "You know what? That actually worked. My shoulder feels… tingly, but not shattered."
Ethan stepped closer, eyes focused. "Okay. My turn. I need to learn that."
"You're not bleeding," Aiden said dryly.
"Not yet," Ethan replied. "But if today has taught me anything, I should probably get ahead of the curve."
Kai snorted, sitting up. "Alright, sit down. Class is officially in session."
Aiden looked at Ethan. "Healing magic—especially the light-based kind—isn't about force. It's about... stability. Emotional calm. Focus. That's what channels the light properly."
Ethan frowned. "You're saying I need to be emotionally stable to use it?"
Kai clapped him on the back. "So basically, you're doomed."
"Thanks," Ethan deadpanned.
Aiden ignored them. "Start with your breathing. Slow, even. You need to visualize the wound, even if it's not there. Understand it. Picture it closing, not just physically—but the pain, too."
"Light magic responds to intent," Aiden continued. "Will it to mend. That's the trick."
Ethan nodded. He sat down, placing his hand gently on his own leg—more for practice than any real injury. He let his mana thread through his core, down his arm, just like before.
But this time, he changed the intent.
Not aggression. Not impact. But… care.
He took a breath. Then whispered the words he'd memorized just by watching.
"From calm light and woven threads,
mend the break where pain still treads."
At first, nothing.
Then—a soft flicker. Gold, like the first crack of dawn through mist, shimmered beneath his hand.
The warmth was delicate. Steady.
Not powerful. Not dramatic.
But real.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"It worked," he said, voice low.
Kai leaned over. "I'm not gonna lie, I thought you were about to fry yourself."
Ethan smirked. "Me too."
[Skill Acquired: Healing]
Channel light-aligned mana to accelerate minor physical recovery. Effectiveness depends on control and clarity of intent.
Ethan sat there for a long second, watching the glowing letters blink and fade from his vision. The warmth in his palm faded gently, but the weight of the moment lingered.
That's six now.
The list wasn't long, but every entry felt earned. No more stumbling into spells by accident. No more hoping it would just click. He was learning. Finally.
Before he could even fully appreciate the moment, Kai clapped a hand on his shoulder with a grin. "Alright, magic medic—now it's my turn to teach you something."
Ethan blinked. "You're gonna teach me something?"
"Hey, you think I can only crash into walls and make jokes?" Kai puffed up his chest. "You saw that jump earlier. That was pure art. And yes, pain. But also art."
Ethan smirked. "That was art? Looked more like a performance titled Gravity Wins Again."
"Laugh all you want," Kai said. "But the reason I flew like that was because I was using Mana Reinforcement. The technique I'm about to show you." He wagged a finger. "So pay attention."
Aiden stepped back with a sigh and crossed his arms. "If he explodes, I'm not healing him again."
"No promises," Kai said, already pacing a few feet away. "Okay, so. Reinforcement magic. It's pretty much what it sounds like—gathering mana into part of your body to enhance its strength, defense, or speed. Arms, legs, even your core."
Ethan nodded slowly. "Sounds simple."
"It's not," Kai said quickly. "You do it wrong, and you either waste all your mana or nearly launch yourself through a reinforced wall like yours truly."
He raised one hand, holding it out with the palm upward. "The trick is density. You don't just pour mana in. You pack it. You let it flow through, then hold it in place—tight, compressed."
He closed his eyes and let his mana thread downward. Around his forearm, faint wisps of red-gold energy began to swirl.
Ethan watched closely. This wasn't like fireball or spell-casting. It wasn't an incantation or a sigil. It was internal—a forging of power inside the body.
Kai opened one eye. "See that shimmer? That's controlled reinforcement. It's subtle—but my arm right now? I could probably punch through a solid plank."
"Which means," Aiden muttered, "you'll immediately try to punch something."
"Absolutely."
Kai let the energy fade, then stepped back. "Now you try."
Ethan rolled his shoulders, breathing evenly.
Mana Threading. Start there. He pressed his palm against his chest again, feeling the threads weave outward—smooth and steady.
This time, he guided the flow to his legs, just like Kai had.
He could feel it—thin rivers of mana tightening through his thighs, calves, into his feet. But it wasn't dense. Not yet.
"Now compress it," Kai said. "Like you're trying to stuff a storm into a bottle."
Ethan focused. The mana trembled slightly under pressure.
He flinched.
The thread wobbled—nearly broke.
But he pulled it back, used his threading technique to re-center the flow, held it tight—
And suddenly his legs felt like they were humming with invisible force.
A weight settled over him. Controlled. Contained.
"Holy crap," he muttered.
Kai grinned. "You feel it, right? Like you could leap a mile?"
"More like I'm standing on coiled springs," Ethan said.
[Skill Acquired: Mana Reinforce]
Infuse mana into limbs to enhance strength, durability, or agility. Efficiency tied to flow control.
The ping rang in his mind, familiar now but still thrilling.
"Two new spells in a day," Aiden said, walking back over. "Not bad."
Kai cracked his knuckles. "Only took a little wall trauma and a brilliant teacher. You're welcome."
Ethan laughed under his breath. "Alright, alright. Consider me impressed."
The three of them went a few more rounds. Practicing reinforcing different limbs, trying out short movements. Kai tried to throw a punch with reinforcement active and nearly tripped. Aiden used it while walking on air using Anchoring Step and looked like a glowing monk out of a fantasy scroll.
Ethan used it to jump, planting one foot on a floating stone platform and bounding to another, nearly weightless with how cleanly the mana moved through him.
It wasn't perfect. The control wasn't always even. But the feeling—the possibility—made every stumble worth it.
And then, once again—
SCREEEEEECH.
All three of them groaned in unison.
"Again?" Kai said. "This school's obsession with dramatic bells needs therapy."
Ethan dropped to his knees, catching his breath. "That's the one that means really stop, right?"
"Yeah," Aiden confirmed, already heading to grab his jacket. "Back to dorms. No more spells. Or broken bones."
Kai pulled Ethan to his feet with a groan. "Fine. But tomorrow, we try combining reinforcement and spellcasting. I wanna shoot fireballs while punching things."
"That's how you lose eyebrows," Ethan muttered.
Their dorm was blessedly quiet.
The hallway lights were dimmed to evening blue. Their suite door let out a soft chime as it opened. Inside, the living space was neat—mostly because they hadn't been around long enough to ruin it.
Kai flopped face-first onto his bed, groaning into a pillow. "My legs feel like they fought a mountain."
"Maybe don't overcharge your muscles next time," Aiden said from the bathroom.
Ethan pulled off his boots and sat on the edge of his bed, arms draped over his knees.
His body ached, but not in a bad way. His mana reserves were low, his head buzzed with too many thoughts—but he felt accomplished.
He'd learned. He'd grown.
He'd laughed.
And that... was new.
Kai's voice broke the quiet. "Hey."
Ethan looked over. "Yeah?"
Kai rolled onto his back, one arm flung over his face. "Thanks."
"For?"
"For not being a stuck-up jerk today. For teaching me something. I've been here for over a week and no one's ever actually shared anything like that with me."
Ethan blinked, surprised. "I… didn't expect that."
"Well," Kai added, peeking from under his arm, "don't let it go to your head or anything."
Aiden stepped out of the bathroom, towel slung over his shoulder. "It's true, though. You've been different today. More like... a person. Less like a noble with a superiority complex."
Ethan chuckled. "Yeah. I'm still figuring it all out."
A pause. Then:
"I don't think I want to be the guy people used to whisper about. I think I want to be... better."
Kai mumbled from his bed. "That's soft as hell. But kinda nice."
The three of them sank into silence again. The kind that came not from awkwardness, but from peace.
Eventually, Ethan lay back, arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
And for the first time since waking up in this world, he felt like... maybe he belonged here.
As the soft hum of the dorm's enchantments lulled them into stillness, their breathing evened.
One by one, they drifted off to sleep.