Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

445  Reciprocity

"B-But, when I was casting spells before, I'm sure I wasn't in the state of consciousness you're talking about," stated Aiden incredulously.

"Me too, Professor!" Eleiney chimed in. "So that means spells can be cast without being in the tier 3 brainwave state?"

"Oh, yes they certainly can." Adam nodded matter-of-factly. "However, those spells will pale in comparison to the spells you cast when you are in the tier 3 brainwave state.

"But that's going to be so hard…" Art's shoulders slouched. He was already looking for excuses to take the easy way out.

Adam's expression turned solemn. "Do you wish to be mediocre Magi for the rest of your lives?"

The three kids hurriedly shook their heads. Eleiney meekly said, "My dream is to be a Mana Vortex Magus."

"Hah!" Adam scoffed. "Being my student, how can you aim to become only a Rank 3 Magus?"

Aiden's eyes widened. "Y-You mean, we can cross the threshold of the Mana Vortex Rank and reach for the Mana Core?!" Even he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Adam's lips curled up into a wide grin. "If you follow my teachings and wholeheartedly learn not only the analytical study of magic but also the philosophical study of magic, you are destined to soar through the skies!"

"Professor, what is the philosophical study of magic?" Aiden asked curiously.

BAM!

Adam lightly smacked him on the forehead. "My foolish student, you wish to fly before you can crawl, it looks like I must beat some more sense into you."

"N-No!" Aiden frantically waved his hands. "You were talking about the brainwave states. Please continue!"

"Hmm, that's right." Adam nodded.

"Tier 2 brainwave state ranges between 4 to 7 units and usually occurs before and after sleep. It is associated with light sleep, deep mindfulness, deep dreaming, and high levels of inner awareness. In tier 2, we become completely unaware of the external world.

"Finally, tier 1 brainwave state, which ranges from 1 to 3 units, occurs during periods of deep dreamless sleep."

He paused for a few moments before adding, "Healing and regenerating are associated with this state of consciousness, which is why you will often hear people say that deep sleep can be deeply healing."

Seeing his students vigorously write down the lecture notes, Adam faintly smiled, "I know all this information might be overwhelming for you, but you must thoroughly understand the principles behind it."

These three were his first-ever students. Adam felt like it was his duty to guide them down the right path so they could become splendid Magi in the future.

For that very reason, he didn't hesitate even for a moment before teaching them about the knowledge that was exclusively taught to the experts who hailed from highly magically advanced civilizations.

"This is the essence of the Mana Foundation Rank," Adam began, "without a solid foundation, the structure you build will never reach the clouds."

"We understand, Professor." The students nodded. They could feel the genuine care in their teacher's voice, and couldn't help but feel fortunate to be under his tutelage.

"For the next part, you don't have to write it down. Just listening is fine," said Adam.

Art, Eleiney, and Aiden nodded before keeping away thier grimoires. Then they looked at Adam with expectation.

"Through countless trials and errors done by our arcane forefathers, we have learned that tier 3 and tier 2 brainwave states are associated with spell-casting abilities. But what is the main difference between these two?"

"In tier 3, one can still function. While in tier 2, one is beginning to fall asleep and lose awareness of the external world," Eleniey replied.

"Good." Adam nodded. "To be an efficient spell-caster, you need to be able to reach a clear state somewhere between tier 3 and tier 2 without falling asleep."

"But that is easier said than done…" Art grumbled.

Adam couldn't help but chuckle seeing the kid's disappointed face. "Indeed, but the path of a Magus has never been easy to begin with."

The three kids solemnly nodded.

"For your next assignment, I want you to be able to enter the range between tier 3 to tier 2 brainwave state. It should become second nature to you," said Adam.

"I know it's difficult, that is why you can take as long as you want to complete this assignment."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "But keep in mind, I will be very disappointed in you if you take more than a month to reach your goal."

The children were flabbergasted, thinking to themselves, Is there a deadline for the assignment or not?

"Alright then, that will be all for today's class," Adam smiled. Suddenly, he thought of something and decided to speak to the students about it. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"You three have only just embarked on the path of a Magus, so there's something I wish for you to follow."

"What is it, Professor?" Aiden asked curiously.

"It is a maxim that all great Magi abide by," Adam stated with a mysterious smile.

Inwardly, he added, All great Magi in the greater universe, that is.

The children's eyes sparkled with wonder. "All great Magi abide by it? What is it?"

"When I say 'abide by,' I want you to think of it as more of a guideline than a rule," Adam began.

He paused for a moment before speaking in a tone that seemed to contain profound wisdom, "The Law of Reciprocity, also known as the Law of Triples, states that whatever you do by magic, for good or ill will, will be repaid to you threefold."

Eleniey was astonished. "Professor, is there really such a thing?!"

Adam was silent for a while, thinking to himself, In the memories of the experts that I've absorbed, I've seen young Magi being taught this maxim for the sole purpose of instilling the belief that magic shouldn't be used to commit evil deeds.

However, based on my understanding of the Way, there is a possibility that this law holds certain truths to it. Alas, I can't be completely certain…

He looked at his three students and replied, "It is true if you believe it to be true. On the contrary, if you think it isn't, then it becomes wishful thinking."

Adam's lips formed a gentle smile and he stated, "But as my students, I would like for you to follow this maxim. After all, who knows?

"Perhaps the universe is 'karmic' and it rewards you or punishes you depending on how you practice magic. If that is really the case…

"Then it doesn't hurt to be a virtuous Magus, does it?"

Every day we learn something new about magic. Thank you for reading!

Esenel