The Aura Ascendant: A Knight's Unbroken Path

On the next day, the group of slaves, including Hayden, was brought to the learning chamber.

At first, Hayden thought that he would just be learning the same brainwashing information about the Phyrexia Kingdom and how they should be loyal and follow the orders of their masters.

However, as soon as Hayden entered, he felt that something was different. In the cold, windowless chamber that was only lit by the blue glow of mana crystals, Hayden noticed a new figure.

As he sat together with the other slaves on stone benches, he faintly noticed that the collar's effect weakened. This normally happens when they are trying to teach them some new knowledge.

At the front of the room was a new Magician who seemed to be a Second-Circle Mage.

"So you're the batch from Austere Kingdom… You all look good. I'm Mage Killian and you must remember it."

He then paused for a moment to observe everyone's faces before continuing.

"You are about to study and learn how magic works. However, you are not here to learn how you can use magic…" He said.

"You are here to understand it—so you do not embarrass your future masters with your ignorance."

Hayden kept his expression blank, but his Ocularis Lens was already recording every word…

As soon as Killian started his lesson, Hayden almost couldn't contain his excitement. This was what he needed!

Although he already had some analysis reports from the Lens about how the Mana or Spells worked, it was still a lot better to learn from the experts.

Killian started as he showed a sphere of Mana to everyone.

"Mana is the lifeblood of magic. It exists in all things—in the air you breathe, in the earth beneath you, even in your own flesh. But only those born with the gift can sense and shape it."

The sphere of mana then split into three distinct streams… They were all blue in Hayden's eyes, and it seemed that only those with gifts could actually see through their difference.

"This is the Ambient Mana. The raw, unfiltered energy that permeated the world."

"This is the Internal Mana. This is the energy within a mage's own body and cultivated through training."

"This is the Artificial Mana. They are harvested from crystals or enchanted objects. Depending on the source, they could be better or worse than your own Mana."

After differentiating them, he gave them a moment to absorb the new information, about he continued.

"Your masters will primarily use their internal mana," Killian said. "It is the most stable, the most responsive. But when they exhaust themselves, they may draw from ambient sources—or worse, from you."

Hayden frowned a bit as he confirmed that Mana still somewhat exists within his body… Perhaps, it was just too low that he couldn't access it without the 'gift'…

'Or maybe he's just trying to scare us? No… We're already slaves, there shouldn't be a need to scare us like that.

Seeing that the slaves weren't reacting to that statement, he couldn't help but smile since it meant that the conditioning of them was actually doing better than they expected.

"Yes. A desperate mage can drain the life from a living being to fuel their spells. It is... messy. But effective."

His Lens analyzed this immediately and gave a report.

[ Potential weakness—mage overreliance on external sources leaves openings. ]

'That's good to know…'

After some more explanations about Mana and Magic, Killian decided to teach them about Spellcasting.

He snapped his fingers and a tiny flame burst to life above his thumb.

"Spellcasting is a three-step process. First is that Mana Channeling or drawing energy into the body. Then, Spell Formation. It's the shaping process that converts the energy into a structured effect. Lastly, the Release Process or unleashing the spell into the world."

He then paused for a moment to confirm that they were all drawn to his magic before he continued.

"I won't dive too much into this, but you have to know that the Spell Formation is the dangerous part, and you have to always protect your Master during that process. At first, Magicians can be very slow on that part, and if something interrupts them, it could cause a backlash, and you will be blamed for it."

Just like that, the flame twisted, becoming a miniature dragon that circled his wrist before dissipating.

Knowing that no one would dare to ask a question, he continued to explain…

"The appearance, speed, and power of a spell depend on two factors: the mage's Mental Energy Control and their Mana Circles.

'It's here…' Hayden finally felt excited since he really wanted to know more about the Mana Circles.

"All true mages strive to form their First Circle—a permanent circle of mana within their hearts. This is not metaphorical. It is a physical transformation of the soul. As slaves, you have to ensure that your masters wouldn't recklessly cast Spells that their circles or mental energy couldn't handle."

'How do we even know that?' Hayden complained in his mind but didn't speak. At this point, he believed that any mistakes of the person they were serving would certainly be the slaves' fault.

Soon, Killian showed a prepared board showing how the Mana Circle and Spell Mastery worked. It seemed to be a guide that they had been using for their slaves to learn.

They noted how the spellcasting could change from zero circle to third and beyond.

[ Pre-Circle Mage ( Apprentice ) – Capable of minor spells ( Sparks, Gusts, Faint illusions, Mana barrier ).

Limitations:

Slow casting – Requires full concentration, often with verbal incantations.

Unstable effects – Spells frequently fizzle or backfire under stress.

No sustained magic – Even a basic light spell lasts only minutes before flickering out.

Mana exhaustion is common. Overuse of Spells leads to headaches, nosebleeds, or unconsciousness. ]

Hayden's eyes lit up as soon as he saw this.

This was surely what he was looking for! The limitations of each level of the Magicians!

With this information, he would be able to handle magicians a lot better!