Chapter 444 Brainwave
Chapter 444 Brainwave
Grand Library, Saratoga Castle.
Located in a secluded corner of this vast library was one of the many study rooms available for the students to utilize. Of course, because of the large demand, one had to book the room in advance.
Adam was currently inside this study room, watching his three students with a solemn expression. He was currently seeing their progress in the assignment he had given them.
As the three students continued to count down from hundred, the enchanted gas lamp that hovered right below the ceiling bathed them in a warm and gentle glow.
The walls here were lined with tall wooden bookshelves, filled with ancient tomes and rolled parchment papers. Each shelf exuded an aura of scholarly chaos.
A large intricately carved oak table stood at the center of the room surrounded by four high-back chairs. Art, Eleniey, and Aiden occupied three of them, while Adam stood behind the last one.
After about ten minutes, the three young Magi opened their eyes. Their faces were serene and their pupils twinkled with brilliance.
"Well done." Adam nodded.
"Thank you, Professor!" The kids replied with bright smiles.
"You have met my expectations. Very good!" Adam sincerely praised. "The key to practicing mindfulness is having a mind as calm as the bottom of an ancient well."
Art suddenly thought of something and asked mischievously, "Hehe, professor, how did you know we were able to count from 100 to 0 thrice in a row? For all you know, we could have lied."
Eleniey and Aiden also looked toward Adam for an answer. This was a valid question, after all.
Unless Adam could read their mind, he wouldn't have had any way of knowing if they really counted down thrice in a row without getting distracted.
Adam's lips curled up into a smirk as he began his lecture, "You see, my foolish students, our brains produce subtle electrical impulses for particular activities we are involved in, and create specific states of consciousness."
The three kids hurriedly started jotting down notes on their grimoires. Seeing this, Adam slowed down a little, waiting for them to catch up.
"This is how we perceive energy beyond our primary senses," he concluded, "through the brainwave states which can be divided into five categories."
"What are the five brainwave states?" Eleniey asked curiously.
"Before I get to that, let me first teach you about what energy truly is," Adam replied. "Pay close attention."
The children solemnly nodded their heads, their quills ready to dance across the pages of the grimoires.
Adam recalled the memories of the experts he had absorbed. He compiled the most fundamental knowledge about the basics of magic and started imparting it to his students.
"Reality is composed entirely of energy. Magi have always known this truth. This isn't just an arcane perspective, but the very nature of the world.
"Everything that seems solid is merely energy vibrating at a slower rate. When we examine at a microscopic level, we find that solid matter is made of particles that are perpetually in motion."
Adam then grabbed a tome from the bookshelf and added, "Even this book I'm holding is just energy."
"Really?"
"How is that possible?"
"Isn't that book just… a book?"
The kids were amazed by this revelation, but they also had some lingering doubts. Although they had studied about energy and states of matter when they were preparing to be Magi, the knowledge that Adam imparted to them was novel.
Adam chuckled as he responded, "Everything we can touch, hear, see, taste, and smell is simply energy in different forms being perceived by our senses.
"However, energy isn't limited to what we can perceive by our senses. There's energy that exceeds our normal five senses—mana!"
The students' eyes lit up in realization. It was as if they were looking at magic from a whole new perspective, and this filled them with excitement and joy.
They hurriedly began writing down what Adam had said, afraid that they would forget it.
"And how do we perceive mana?" Adam continued. "By learning to alter our brainwave states." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He paused for a moment and smiled, "And by learning to alter our brainwave states we learn to alter our state of consciousness."
Aiden suddenly thought of something as his eyes lit up. "Professor, could it be that you were able to know that we counted down thrice in a row after reading our brainwave states?"
"More precisely, I was able to sense the energy being transmitted by your brain," Adam nodded. "After you finished the countdown, your brainwave states measured between 7.5 to 13 units approximately. This range is the tier 3 brainwave state."
Seeing that the kids had yet to finish writing down, he paused for a few seconds before explaining the five brainwave states.
"Tier 5 brainwave state has a range of 38 to 42 units and it is the fastest brainwave state. This state is highly active when one is feeling deep emotions of love or when one has reached a higher state of consciousness through enlightenment.
"Tier 4 brainwave state ranges between 12 to 28 and occurs while we're awake, alert, and concentrating on something.
"This is the most common brainwave state that we engage in as humans. Excitement, anxiety, decision-making, and critical thinking are associated with this tier."
Eleieny astutely noticed a term and couldn't help but ask, "Does that mean, different species have different brainwave state ranges?"
"Correct!" Adam nodded in approval. "For now, you should learn only about the knowledge pertaining to us humans. When you progress in your studies, I will teach you about the unit of frequeny for other species."
"Yes, Professor!" The students nodded enthusiastically before writing again.
"Tier 3 brainwave state, like I've already mentioned, occurs while we're relaxed, practicing mindfulness, visualizing, and even daydreaming.
"This brainwave state has acess to our subconcious mind and occurs when we're recieving information passively. It is the state of consiousness that is most associated with efficient spell-casting!"
The children exclaimed in surprise. Art couldn't help but blurt out, "You mean the state of conciousness that we arrived at after counting down from 100 to 0 thrice in a row, and that too without getting distract is the optimal state for spell-casting?!"
"Heh," Adam chuckled in amusement.
"Little brat, did you think practicing magic was so easy?"