"This is an amazing ability. We'll be able to coordinate silently and exchange even complex information in the blink of an eye if necessary." Lith and Solus succeeded first thanks to their years of experience with mind links.
By the time the lesson ended, they had become able to share images and battle plans through Spirit Magic.
"I don't get it. If this is basically first magic, why do I feel so tired?" Much to anyone's surprise, Quylla had succeeded second but had only learned how to transmit her thoughts.
"Because Spirit Magic needs a constant stream of pure mana and to imbue it with willpower." Solus replied. "Using it for so long drains both your core and mental focus."
"Master Faluel, how come did Quylla have an easier time than me?" Having used Spirit Magic for years and yet finish third wound Tista's pride.
"Because she can see her own tendril. On top of that, the brightness and thickness of the tendril are directly proportional to the amount of mana she employs which allows her to finely adjust the output. Also, the visual aid helped her to learn faster."
"Should I use my wand as well, then?" Phloria asked.
"No. If you use it in battle, having an invisible means of communication is an advantage that Quylla will lack. Also, you aren't allowed to use Life Vision either. During a stealth mission, glowing eyes would betray your nature as a mage.
"Now get out of my hair. You need to rest or our afternoon lesson will last minutes at best." Once again, Faluel kicked them out of her lair with a moment's notice, forcing them to move into Lith's tower.
"How was your training session, Nalrond?" Friya had Solus conjure a couch all for herself, to lie down and stretch her legs.
She wasn't used to sitting for so long anymore and her ass was begging for relief. Friya loved how the tower could grant her every wish while Lith took care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
"Horrible." Nalrond had bloodshot eyes and a terrible migraine that forced him to clench his temples. "Faluel kept whispering in my head, making me feel hot and then cold. Starving and then thirsty.
"To add insult to injury, resisting her influence left me with a headache that not even light magic can cure."
Saying those words in a room full of healers was a bad move. Soon everyone gave him a check-up and the constant touching of his head only made Nalrond's pain get worse.
"How is that possible?" Quylla asked.
"Beats me. Faluel just said that I had to think about it, but my head hurts so much that my eyes water. I can still almost hear her voice in my head and it takes most of my focus to resist her suggestions."
"It might be an effect of mana poisoning." Solus said. "Try using Fusion Magic. If I'm right, along with the elemental energy, it will circulate your mana as well and cleanse Faluel's will."
The moment Nalrond activated light fusion, he could feel his headache lessening and Faluel's voice fading. He then circulated all the elements until the effects of mana poisoning disappeared.
"Thanks, Solus. You were right. The only problem is that now I'm even more tired than before." He asked Solus to turn his armchair into a couch as well, falling asleep the moment his head touched the pillows and waking up only once lunch was ready.
After they finished eating, everyone went to sleep after taking a shower to get rid of the sweat and clear their head.
"Gods, I love this place." Friya said before leaving the tower after Faluel recalled them to her lair. "The high-density world energy allows us to quickly recover our mana and the beds are so soft that it's like sleeping on a cloud."
"Yeah, you do nothing but sleep and eat, leaving all the chores to me and Lith." Solus pouted. "You guys are the worst harem ever."
Everyone laughed at her joke, except Nalrond who blushed.
'Should I do something to repay her for my room and everything Solus is doing for me? Most importantly, how do I know she doesn't peek while I'm taking a bath? The girls might not care, but for me it's embarrassing.' He thought.
Solus was too happy finally having someone to share her life with to notice his discomfort.
'Now that Lith has finally opened up to his friends, Nalrond is the grumpiest of the group. The girls, instead, seem to get along with me. I can't wait to spend some time all together doing something that is not training.' She thought.
"Wow, we're barely halfway through the day and you all look like crap." Faluel gave the non-Awakened of the group a round of Invigoration. "Clench your teeth and hold tight, because there won't be chatting now, only hard work.
"Your afternoon task is to use what you learned this morning to communicate with each other. Keep using the method I showed you earlier and don't make direct contact unless you want a splitting headache.
"Solus, you train with Quylla. Lith with Phloria, Tista and Friya with me. Nalrond…"
"More torture?" He whined.
"That or you can practice shapeshifting on your own. Your choice." Faluel shrugged.
The Rezar groaned and accepted another session of mind manipulation. This time, however, as soon as he felt Faluel's influence becoming too strong, Nalrond would use Fusion Magic to counter her.
"Very good! You found out one of the weaknesses of this technique all by yourself. Try to use Fusion Magic as little as you can, so to train your willpower and fool your opponent into believing they have succeeded influencing you." Faluel said.
"Actually, it was Solus's idea." Nalrond said while resisting the impulse to scratch the itch Faluel caused on his back.
"Very bad, then. Solus, I'm not letting you practice with Lith because you all must learn how to fend for yourself. If you keep giving away answers, you hinder the growth of your companions.
"Don't let them get used to relying on your brain and force them to use theirs. Guys, when I give you a task, you're forbidden to ask others for help. No matter how many companions you have, on the battlefield, you can rely only on yourself.
"Otherwise you'll become all weak-ass like Quylla. No offense." Faluel said.
"None taken." Quylla lied through her teeth as the truth behind those words hurt her deeply.
'I never learned how to fight because I assumed that I wouldn't need to. Faluel is right, I'm too reliant on others for my survival.' She thought.
Meanwhile, Lith and Phloria needed Life Vision to spot each other's mana strand. Adjusting Spirit Magic's output took them but a few minutes thanks to the visual aid.
'Can you hear me?' Lith asked.
'Yes, but your voice is barely a whisper. Try to speak louder.' Phloria's reply sounded messy as if she was talking through a gag.
'This feels so strange. I had Scarlett and Faluel in my head in the past, but they forced their way in while this time it's like I'm letting someone in.' He thought while focusing his feelings inside the mana.
'It feels weird to me, too. Did you really spend years with Solus's voice in your head like this?' Phloria had a hard time sorting what thoughts she wanted to share from those she wanted to keep hidden.
