Solar Mage

Chapter 80: Pure Mana Circle

I sit still on my warm bed, staring blankly at the boring bedsheets under me, in the cold lifeless silence under the light of an unfamiliar dawn.

Now I just have to wait for William to get me my herbs.

I try whistling, but I forget that I've never learned to whisper before, only a terribly pitched sound, similar to that of a demonic shriek coming from my vocal cords.

I don't want to risk draining my future potential by forming a circle with this sickly body. Even if I could, it would not be worth it, making a normal circle when I could make one out of pure mana. Normally, only Archmages have pure mana circles, after they have aged many years. Even then, only their 8th one, that made them an Archmage, is one made of pure mana. That's what was believed to be the only way to form one, which is why the gap of strength between an 8th stage, and a 7th stage is so large. A Pure Mana Circle is something that only mages can have, it allows the holder of it a higher mana output at a time, but it also increases the rate at which mana regenerates.

But that's only what the public believes. After reading a copy of one of the many radical theories that were outlawed by the Pyro Church's history of conservative leaders, I realized something, and began experimenting. One of the great pioneers of magic in the dark age, after the records of the Mythical Age was lost, Ternamin Eslan, said that since pure mana, which deviates to form all the different attributes of mana, is the source of all magic, then one must have all attributes of magic, in order to form a pure mana circle, also saying that when one becomes an Archmage, they get access to all elements of magic.

Of course this is all wrong, and he was killed by the Church for it, but reading it got me thinking, what are all the factors that contribute to forming a pure mana circle?

After spending ten days calculating that problem, the calculations entirely taking place inside my mind, as there were no papers to write on, or pens to write with, I had finally arrived at my answer. But unfortunately for me, I was not in a favorable situation. I had only found that book of theories, two years into the Grand Library, after reading through a quarter of the books in it, but due to the uneasiness I felt, I rushed my training, and had already been a 7th circle, Grand Wizard for months at that point, with no way to fix my mistakes. The day I figured out the answer, I formed my first Pure Mana circle, and reached the stage of an Archmage. Later, when I formed my 9th circle, I was finally able to prove my theory, when it was also a circle made of pure mana.

Calculating the solution and requirements for making a Pure Mana circle

Yet, even with two pure mana circles, it was not enough to match up with Arcanus' 11 circles. I'm very perplexed by him, and space magic. Maybe that's why Terminus told me I had no affinity for space magic. When Arcanus was about to finish me off, he opened his mind realm, where eleven colorless rings sprang from his manaheart. I'm not sure if the color of space affinity magic is just white, or if every single one of his mana circles were made of Pura Mana.

Arcanus is a very large abnormality, every single one of my theories would be true, had it not been for him, regardless of what the topic of the theory is, if Arcanus is brought up, and used in the equation, the result would make no sense. He was stated to have transcended the 9th circle, into the 10th circle before he had reached the age of 50. Yet, he was able to reach another realm, never even thought to have been possible, even after exhausting his talent, reaching the 10th circle before he had reached the lifespan of a manaless peasant living in poverty. I had reached the 9th circle before him in my previous life, at the age of 23, while he managed to reach it at the age of 25. But that was only after I had read all of the thousands of training manuals and magic theories, written by all the greatest minds in their respective fields! He managed to reach the 9th circle with just his single mind, without any help!

His entire being is unexplainable, he breaks the laws of reality without even needing to try, and his talent... is immeasurable. Even with a second life, and knowing everything about my opponent, I am not confident that I can beat him in ten years. Even if I was given a hundred, I would say my chances of winning are less than two percent. Am I really the chosen one that Luke Wolkan prophesied?

I just feel like a regular person, deluded by all the people who think too highly of me.

I stretch my hand out at the sun, letting its red light peek through the crevices between my fingers.

Regardless of all that uncertainty, I am no longer put down by those thoughts. Being ignorant to these things would be nice, but I do not wish for it. It will be nigh-impossible to beat Arcanus, but despite how much this goes against my beliefs, I will make that event possible. If there's anything I won't do, it's to waste this opportunity you've given your life for me to have, Pyro.

I bring my fingers to a close, blocking off the sunlight, before I release the muscles I use to hold my arm up.

I need to put my hand down before someone sees me doing something so cringy.

It slowly falls from its vertical stance, but quickly accelerates back into the bed, while I keep the muscles in my face relaxed.

As I sit in silence, turning off my brain to take a break from the thoughts, I suddenly open my mouth, trying once again, to whistle. But this time, no matter how long or how much I try to exhale, not a sound comes out. I eventually shut my mouth, keeping a straight faced mask on, while hiding the embarrassment I felt for myself, retreating in utter defeat. After recovering and temporarily removing the emotion of embarrassment from my mind, I return to my boredom.

Yeah, this is going to be really boring. William better get my ingredients soon. I wonder if I can start producing my own mana again if I have two pure mana circles, or if it was only the case for my 8th and 9th circles–

My body suddenly springs up from my rest.

I just had a great idea! I can just go find the herbs myself!