It was Charlotte. They had been so busy talking, they had completely forgotten about her.
"Charlotte! Why didn't you say anything before! Of course you can use the bathroom. You don't need to ask," Marie said.
"Thank you!" Charlotte said, rushing away with a look of relief on her face.
Five minutes later, Charlotte was back and the group was now all seated around the table.
"Alright, before we begin. I see that an introduction has been skipped so Lucas, this is Charlotte, she's a friend of mine here to assist in your studying. She's shy, so don't tease her too much and Charlotte, this is Lucas, a delinquent here to turn his life around" Marie said.
"Nice to meet you," Charlotte and Lucas said, shaking each other's hands.
"Was your cousin not coming?" Lydia asked Marie.
"Nah, she has her own plans," Marie said, shaking her head.
"Alright then. Since she's not coming and everyone knows everyone, let's get down to business," Lydia said.
"So, first question: Is there a way to make a healing spell stronger without burning through too much mana?" Marie asked.
"I've read about that," Lucas said. "You focus on the edges of the wound first, not the center. Heal outward, a little at a time. It uses less mana, and the wound closes faster once your spell surrounds it."
Then it was Lucas's turn.
"How do you cast fire and water together without them canceling each other out?" he asked.
"Keep them apart until the very end," Lydia replied. "Imagine two streams twining around each other, but never touching until you release the spell. That's when they merge and amplify instead of fighting."
"By the way, why is magic on the test if we aren't allowed to learn it until after the midterms?" Lucas asked.
"I don't know," Lydia said, shrugging.
Charlotte leaned forward, her finger tracing a line in her notes.
"Actually, it's because they want you to understand the theory before you try anything practical. Over the decades they've had way too many first-years accidentally set things on fire."
"That makes sense," Marie said with a laugh. "Remember what happened in Practical Applications last year? That third-year student tried to show off and ended up freezing half the classroom."
"I heard about that," Lucas said. "It took them three hours to thaw everything out."
Lydia cleared her throat. "Can we focus? We have the Elemental Theory section to cover, and that's at least twenty pages of material."
"Right, sorry," Marie said. "Okay, next question. What's the difference between channeling and casting?"
Charlotte's hand shot up as if they were in class, then she lowered it sheepishly.
"Channeling is when you draw magic through yourself continuously, like keeping a stream flowing. Casting is when you gather the magic first and then release it all at once."
"Exactly," Lydia confirmed. "And which one uses more mana over time?"
"Channeling," Marie answered. "Because you're constantly maintaining the flow. Casting is more efficient if you only need one burst of magic."
Lucas scribbled notes in the margin of his textbook. "So for something like a sustained barrier, you'd want to channel. But for an attack spell, you'd cast."
"Unless you need multiple attacks quickly," Celeste added. "Then you'd pre-cast several spells and hold them ready. That's what they call spell-stacking."
Lydia nodded.
"Good. Now, what about mana regeneration? How does it work?"
The table fell silent.
"Nobody knows? Marie, as a second year, I'm a bit disappointed in you." Lydia said.
"Hey! It's not like I'm a dictionary. I forget things sometimes." Marie said.
"I know it regenerates faster when you're resting," Lucas said.
He knew from the game that a high heart rate was best for Mana circulation but detrimental to Mana regeneration.
This was why although there were many ways that boosted mana circulation, it wasn't until the Dragon Core that there was a way that didn't basically remove the ability to regenerate mana.
This was because all of them were drugs that boosted adrenaline and didn't fundamentally change the way Mana operated in the body unlike the Dragon Core.
It was one of many reasons why he highly desired it.
"That's partially correct," Lydia said.
"But there's more to it. Mana regeneration is tied to your breathing and your heartbeat. The calmer you are, the faster it regenerates. That's why meditation is so important for mages. It's not just about concentration, it's also about maintaining a steady flow of mana through your body."
"Is that why battle mages train with those breathing exercises?" Lucas said.
"Exactly. In combat, your heart rate spikes, which actually slows your mana regeneration. Trained mages can control their breathing even in stressful situations, which gives them an edge." Lydia said. "This will definitely be on the test, by the way."
Lucas groaned. "Of course it will."
"Does anyone know about spell resonance? Can you explain it clearly." Lucas asked.
"Oh, I can explain that one," Charlotte said.
She pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and started sketching a diagram.
"So, spell resonance happens when two or more mages cast compatible spells near each other. The spells.... harmonize. They feed off each other's energy and become stronger."
"But only if the spells are compatible, right?" Lucas asked.
"Right. If you try to resonate incompatible spells, they'll interfere with each other instead. That's called dissonance, and it can actually cause both spells to fail."
Charlotte drew two overlapping circles.
"Think of it like musical notes. Some notes sound good together, some don't."
Lucas studied the diagram. "So how do you know which spells are compatible?"
"That's where the Elemental Affinity Chart comes in," Lydia said, pulling out a laminated reference sheet from her bag.
"Fire and air are compatible. Water and earth are compatible. Fire and water are obviously not. There are some special cases, but that's the basic framework."
The group spent the next fifteen minutes reviewing the Affinity Chart and helping Lucas understand it.
Marie made flashcards on the spot, writing questions for him to practice on torn pieces of notebook paper.
Charlotte created a color-coded system for him to remember which elements worked together.
"Okay, here's a tough one," Lydia said. "What happens if a mage runs completely out of mana?"
"They pass out?" Lucas guessed.
"Not exactly," Lydia replied. "They experience mana exhaustion, which feels like being physically drained. Dizzy, weak, sometimes nauseous. If they try to cast after that, they start burning their own life force instead of mana."
Celeste was shocked. "That sounds dangerous."
"It is. That's why every mage is taught to recognize the warning signs of low mana. It's one of the first things they'll test us on in practical applications." Lydia glanced at the clock on the wall.
"We've been at this for almost two hours. Should we take a break?"
"Yes, please," Lucas said, stretching his arms above his head. "My brain is fried but I actually learned something. Thanks, Lydia"
"Don't thank me yet. We still have the entire History of Magical Theory section to cover, and that's the longest chapter."
"Can we at least have snacks for that part?" Marie said.
"I brought cookies, though I don't know if we can eat them here." Charlotte said, producing a container from her bag.
"Of course we can. The librarian is too busy reading smut novels to care." Marie sai, reaching for a cookie.
"You're absolutely right ," Lucas said as he reached to grab one as well.