A day had passed since Kuroa's first lesson.
Now—
It was time for the second.
__
Tundra landed in the same spot as before.
For a moment, he didn't see Kuroa anywhere.
Then—
She appeared out of thin air.
Tundra flinched slightly, caught off guard.
"…How did you teleport?"
For a brief moment, a thought crossed his mind.
Maybe magic could solve his inability to teleport.
Kuroa chuckled softly.
This was the first time she had seen him genuinely surprised.
"It's an extremely advanced application of magic," she explained.
"Even for talented individuals, it takes around a decade to achieve."
Tundra's brief excitement vanished just as quickly.
He wasn't arrogant enough to assume he had natural talent for magic.
"…I see."
He paused before asking,
"Still… how does it work? I'd like to know what I'm working toward."
Kuroa thought back to the structure of the spell.
"Well," she began, "first you need proficiency in all three types of magic."
"Then you must learn how to combine them into a single, stable spell."
"And finally, you need precise control over what attributes the spell changes."
She gave a small shrug.
"That last part is easier. I can guide you when you reach that point."
Tundra nodded.
"So… not anytime soon."
"Got it."
He shifted slightly.
"Now, about today's lesson."
Kuroa nodded.
"I've prepared three approaches—one for each type of magic."
"All I need to know is which one you'd like to start with."
Tundra thought for a moment.
Then made his choice.
"I'd like to learn enchantment."
Transmutation could wait.
Kuroa nodded, recalling the plan she had prepared.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Then let's begin."
"The first thing you need to learn is how to purify your mana."
She raised both hands.
Two spheres of mana formed above her palms.
"One of these is raw mana," she explained.
"The other is purified."
"Purifying mana makes it slightly weaker… but it allows it to interact with objects far more easily."
Tundra focused, sensing the difference.
Both felt calm—
But one felt… empty.
Detached.
Apathetic.
He pointed at it.
"That one is purified, right?"
Kuroa smiled.
"Correct."
"Now, to purify your mana, you need to filter it through a 'net' made of your own mana."
She paused briefly.
"I know that sounds strange."
"But enchantment often is."
"You create a firm, fine structure of mana—like threads—and let softer mana pass through it."
"In doing so, you strip away its nature."
Tundra stared at her for a moment.
Then slowly raised his hand.
He coated it in mana.
From that, he formed thin, rigid strands wrapping around his hand.
Then he tried to push mana through them.
"Like this?"
One of the strands snapped instantly.
Kuroa almost laughed.
It was a very common beginner mistake.
"Close," she said.
"But you need to separate the two."
"Will them to be different."
She didn't fully explain.
But it was enough of a hint.
Tundra stared at her blankly.
Then tried again.
This time, he forced a distinction between the strands and the flowing mana.
But as the mana passed through—
It burst outward, destroying the structure.
Kuroa blinked in surprise.
His mana resisted being altered.
…That was not ideal for enchantment.
Tundra sighed.
Then tried again.
This time, he did something different.
He made the flowing mana allow itself to be cut.
Instead of resisting.
And—
It worked.
The mana passed through the strands, its nature breaking apart.
Kuroa exhaled quietly.
He was talented.
Even if the process was harder for him than usual.
"Good," she said.
"Now, even though the nature is removed, there are still traces left that allow you to control it."
Tundra nodded.
He gathered the purified mana into a small sphere.
Kuroa smiled.
"Good."
"Now, take an object from your surroundings."
"For example…"
She reached down and picked up a blade of grass.
Tundra did the same.
Though in his hand, the blade looked almost insignificant.
Kuroa continued.
"The most basic form of enchantment is applying your will to an object to change its properties."
"To do that, you must match the object's mana."
Tundra nodded.
He pulled a tiny portion of purified mana from his sphere.
Then carefully coated the blade of grass.
He focused.
Willing it to become harder.
Kuroa watched closely.
She wasn't surprised when he succeeded.
It was a basic application.
"Good," she said.
"What did you change?"
"I increased its hardness."
Kuroa nodded.
"That's correct."
She leaned slightly closer.
"But grass isn't ideal for that."
"When stiffened, it becomes brittle."
"And you don't yet have the experience to reinforce it beyond that."
She tapped the blade lightly.
It crumbled instantly.
"See?"
Tundra nodded.
"So certain materials are better suited for certain enhancements?"
Kuroa smiled.
She had been smiling a lot more lately.
"Exactly."
"And even if you overcome those limitations…"
"It still won't perform as well as a material naturally suited for that property."
She gestured toward the ground.
"Compare grass to stone, for example."
Tundra nodded again.
"That makes sense."
He looked at her.
"So what's next?"
Kuroa paused.
Thinking.
Then shook her head.
"For now… nothing new."
"Practice this until it becomes natural."
Tundra nodded.
Without hesitation, he reached down and picked up a rock.
Then began practicing enchantment.