# Chapter 1: Mastery and Discovery
**Months 1-3: Foundations**
The first three months were brutal in their repetition. Every morning, Cael would wake with the sunrise, eat a meager breakfast of foraged food, and begin his training. The clearing near the stream became his laboratory, his testing ground, his proving arena.
Screen formations came first. The basic circular arrangement he'd discovered on day one was merely the beginning. Cael spent hours each day manifesting screens in different configurations, testing their effectiveness.
The Linear Array—seven screens in a straight line, perfect for concentrated forward assault. He would send bolts of energy through each screen in sequence, watching as they combined into a single, more powerful blast.
The Sphere Defense—twelve screens arranged in a complete sphere around him. Exhausting to maintain, but it provided three-hundred-sixty-degree awareness and defensive capability. He couldn't hold it for more than thirty seconds at first, but that time gradually increased.
The Offset Grid—screens positioned at varying distances and angles, allowing for crossfire patterns. This became one of his favorites for its tactical flexibility.
"It's all about energy distribution," he muttered one afternoon, sweat dripping down his face as he maintained six screens simultaneously. "Too much focus on one, and the others destabilize. Balance is key."
His magic reserves grew steadily. What had exhausted him in an hour on the first day now took three hours, then five. His body adapted as well, growing lean and toned from the constant physical exertion of moving between positions, setting up formations, and maintaining his training regimen.
**Months 4-6: Combat Applications**
Once the basics of screen manipulation were solid, Cael turned his attention to weaponizing his magic. The simple energy bolts evolved into something more refined.
He developed different attack types. Quick, weak bursts for suppression fire—dozens of small impacts that could overwhelm a target. Charged shots that took several seconds to gather power but could punch through thick tree trunks. Sustained beams that drained his magic rapidly but could cut through stone.
"Archive Barrage," he said one day, naming his first proper combat technique. Dozens of screens materialized in a circular formation above him, each one crackling with gathered energy. "Starlight Array."
The screens fired in sequence, each bolt streaking toward a target area he'd marked on the far side of the clearing. The ground erupted in a series of small explosions, dirt and debris flying everywhere. When the smoke cleared, the entire area had been torn apart.
Cael nodded in satisfaction, dismissing the screens. His magic was nearly depleted from that single attack, but it had been worth it to see the results.
He also worked on precision. A single screen, positioned perfectly, firing a concentrated bolt at a specific point. He practiced on smaller and smaller targets—a knot in a tree, a particular rock, a leaf hanging from a branch. His accuracy improved dramatically.
**Months 7-9: Manifestation**
The hardlight constructs were the most challenging aspect of Command Magic. Unlike the screens, which were essentially projections of magical energy, the constructs needed to be given form, function, and a semblance of autonomous operation.
His first success came in month seven. A roughly humanoid shape, barely four feet tall, with no distinguishing features. It could walk, but its movements were stiff and jerky. When Cael commanded it to pick up a stick, it tried but the construct's hand passed through the object.
"Not solid enough," he observed, making mental notes. "The hardlight needs more density, more structure."
He refined the process over the following weeks. The constructs became more solid, more defined. He gave them basic frameworks—walking, running, grasping objects, following simple commands.
By month eight, he had his first combat-capable unit. An Assault unit—roughly human-sized, with a basic humanoid form. Its right arm ended in a blade-like construct, its left in a gun-like projection. When he commanded it to attack a target, it moved with surprising efficiency, firing energy bolts and slashing at the marked tree.
"Command Network," Cael said, summoning three more assault units. "Aether Legion."
Four constructs stood before him, awaiting orders. He directed them through a series of combat drills—advancing, firing, retreating, flanking. They followed his commands with mechanical precision, though he could feel the drain on his magic. Maintaining four units was his current limit.
Month nine brought diversification. He created the framework for different unit types.
The Sniper unit—taller and leaner, with an extended barrel-like projection on one arm. It could fire powerful, long-range shots but was slower to move.
The Defender unit—broader and more heavily built, with large shield constructs on both arms. It could form defensive walls and protect other units.
The Saboteur unit—smaller and sleeker, designed for stealth rather than combat. It was harder to manifest, requiring more precise control, but it could move almost silently.
The Fighter unit—aerial constructs that resembled simplified aircraft. These were the most draining to create, as they required constant magical input to maintain flight.
Each unit type had its own framework, its own limitations. They could only operate within the parameters he'd set—they weren't truly intelligent, just sophisticated magical constructs following programmed instructions.
"Still," Cael said, watching his small army of varied units perform coordinated drills, "they'll be more than effective in actual combat."
**Months 10-11: Integration and Refinement**
The final months of training focused on combining everything he'd learned. Screens and constructs working together. Different attack patterns flowing seamlessly from one to another. Building up his magical reserves until he could maintain combat operations for extended periods.
He developed the Tactical Overlay—a large holographic map that he could project, showing terrain and marking positions. When combined with his constructs, it allowed him to coordinate them like a real military commander.
The Long Range Cannon technique came together after weeks of experimentation. Multiple screens layered together, channeling energy through each one in sequence, building power until the final release. He called it "Divine Caliber," and the first successful test carved a trench thirty feet long and two feet deep into the earth.
"Too much charge time," he noted critically. "Useful for stationary targets or sieges, but impractical in mobile combat."
He also worked on his personal combat skills. Command Magic was powerful, but if an enemy got past his screens and constructs, he needed to be able to defend himself. He practiced hand-to-hand combat against his own constructs, learning to dodge, block, and counter-attack. He wouldn't win any brawls against dedicated close-combat fighters, but he wouldn't be helpless either.
**Month 12: Reconnaissance**
As his training year drew to a close, Cael turned his attention to the outside world. The dirt road he'd found months ago led somewhere, and it was time to find out where.
He refined his Saboteur units specifically for reconnaissance. Smaller, harder to detect, with enhanced visual sensors that could feed information back to his screens. He called them Recon units—a specialized variant designed purely for intelligence gathering.
One morning, Cael sent his first Recon unit down the road toward civilization. He sat in his clearing, eyes closed in concentration, watching through the unit's perception as it traveled.
The forest gave way to farmland after an hour's travel. Fields of crops, well-maintained. Then houses—small at first, then larger as the unit approached what was clearly a town. It was mid-sized, with a main street, various shops, what looked like a guild hall, and a town square.
Cael observed for hours, his Recon unit moving through the town carefully. The people seemed ordinary—merchants, farmers, families going about their daily lives. He noticed the guild emblem on the hall—not Fairy Tail, but some local guild he didn't recognize.
Over the following weeks, he sent multiple Recon units into the town, gathering information. He learned the town was called Riverside, named for the large river that ran along its eastern edge. It was a trading hub, with merchants coming and going regularly. The guild there handled mostly low-level jobs—pest control, escort missions, basic magical services.
Cael also observed the magic users. Most had straightforward abilities—elemental magic, enhancement magic, simple telekinesis. Nothing extraordinary, but it gave him a baseline for what was considered normal in this world.
He noticed patterns in how the guild operated. Job requests were posted on a board, wizards would take them, complete them, and return for payment. Simple, efficient. He filed that information away.
His Recon units became more sophisticated as he refined their programming. They could now record visual and audio data, which he could review later on his screens. He built up a comprehensive map of Riverside and the surrounding area.
It was during one of these reconnaissance missions, late in the twelfth month, that his Recon unit detected something unusual.
Cael was in his clearing, reviewing data on his screens, when the alert came through. His Recon unit had picked up magical energy signatures—multiple ones, and they were fluctuating rapidly. Combat.
He immediately shifted his full attention to the unit's feed. The view showed a section of forest between Riverside and another town to the east. Three figures were visible—young, probably teenagers.
They were surrounded by six others—rough-looking individuals in dark clothing, with malicious grins. Dark wizards, Cael realized with cold certainty. And the three guild members were clearly outmatched.
He watched as one of the dark wizards launched an attack—some kind of shadow magic that lashed out like whips. One of the guild members, a girl with blue hair, threw up a defensive spell, but it was weakening.
Cael stood up in his clearing, his red eyes sharp and focused. He had trained for a year. He had mastered Command Magic to a level he was satisfied with. And now, he was watching people who needed help.
The decision came easily. He had avoided civilization to train, but his training was complete. And he had never been the type to stand by when he could make a difference.
"Time to put theory into practice," he said quietly.
He began moving through the forest at a steady run, heading toward Riverside and the fight beyond. As he moved, he manifested multiple screens around him, already calculating trajectories and attack patterns.
His Recon unit continued feeding him information. The blue-haired girl was struggling. Her two companions—a young man with black hair in a plant shaped design? and a another one with orange hair—were trying to fight back, but they were clearly inexperienced.
Cael's expression remained calm, but his mind was racing through tactical options. Six enemies. Three potential allies. Unknown magic types. Distance approximately two miles.
He picked up speed, his body moving with the efficiency of a year's worth of physical training. Screens materialized and vanished around him as he ran, testing formations, preparing attack patterns.
In the distance, through his Recon unit's feed, he could see the dark wizards closing in for what looked like a finishing blow.
"Not today," Cael said softly, red eyes gleaming with determination.
The unknown wizard with Command Magic was about to make his entrance into this world's stage.
And he was ready.