CHAPTER 32: I’M GIFTED

The Queen turned toward Piper, her voice firm with expectation. "Show him the foundation. He must first learn how to feel mana within himself before he can hope to shape it. Begin with the basics, Piper. I will observe."

Piper bowed her head slightly, though her usual sharpness lingered in her tone. "As you command, Your Grace." She then gestured for Ian to step forward into the center of the yard. "Stand still, my lord. Relax your body but do not let your mind wander. Mana is everywhere. It flows through the air, the earth, and the living. To use it, you must first feel it inside yourself. Close your eyes."

Ian looked at her suspiciously. "Close my eyes? What am I supposed to feel, a breeze?"

Piper frowned but kept her composure. "Not a breeze. Mana is a current, subtle but constant. Imagine it as a river flowing inside your chest. Focus on your breath, slow and steady. The river will reveal itself."

Ian sighed, muttering under his breath, "A river in my chest. Fantastic." Still, he shut his eyes and tried. A few moments passed in silence except for the faint rustling of trees in the yard. His brow furrowed, his lips tightening. "I don’t feel anything. Just me standing here like an idiot."

Chloe stepped closer, her gentle voice cutting into the tension. "Do not rush it, my lord. When I first started, I felt nothing as well. It is not something forced, but discovered. Think less of trying and more of listening."

Ian cracked one eye open and looked at her. "Listening to what exactly? Because all I hear is Piper judging me with her silence."

Piper’s arms crossed immediately. "You are mocking what you do not understand. Magic is discipline. If you cannot quiet your tongue, you will never quiet your spirit enough to feel mana."

Ian sighed again and shut his eyes once more. "Fine. Quiet spirit. River in my chest. Listening. Got it." He stood still, breathing deeply, trying to pretend he was meditating. After a long minute, he opened his eyes again and threw up his hands. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You’re sure this isn’t just placebo training?"

The Queen’s gaze sharpened, her words cutting in like steel. "This is no trick, my lord. You carry power beyond measure. If you cannot sense it, then the fault lies not in the method but in your refusal to take it seriously."

Ian turned to her, his frustration bubbling over. "I’m trying! I’m really trying, but there’s nothing there. You all keep talking like it’s supposed to be obvious, like flipping a switch. But I don’t feel a river. I don’t feel a current. I just feel like a fool standing here."

Piper’s tone softened slightly, though her expression remained hard. "Then stop trying to force it. Close your eyes and breathe. Do not chase it. Let it come to you."

Ian hesitated but obeyed again, shutting his eyes. He muttered under his breath, "Let it come to me. Yeah, sure. Easy for you to say when you’ve been doing this your whole life." His breathing steadied, but his shoulders were tense. After another attempt, he groaned and opened his eyes again. "Still nothing. I don’t get it."

Chloe smiled encouragingly. "Perhaps you are overthinking. Magic is not always logic. Sometimes it is feeling. Think of something that stirs your heart, something that gives you strength. Focus on that, and let the current rise from within."

Ian frowned. "Something that stirs me, huh?" He scratched his head, then laughed dryly. "All I can think about is how badly I want to get back home. Does that count?"

The Queen’s eyes narrowed, but she did not interrupt. Piper, however, answered flatly. "If that longing is strong enough to move you, then perhaps it may be a start. But longing alone is not strength. You must find resolve."

Ian shook his head in disbelief. "Resolve. Mana. Rivers in my chest. You people speak in riddles. No offense, but how do kids even learn this stuff?"

Chloe laughed lightly despite the tension, but Piper snapped, "Children learn it faster than you because they do not drown themselves in stubbornness."

Ian gave her a look. "Stubbornness? That’s rich coming from someone who hasn’t cracked a smile since I met her."

The Queen raised her hand, silencing them both. "Enough, this is not a matter of willpower alone. It is balance. If you cannot reach mana today, then you will tomorrow, or the next day. But you must keep trying. You do not have the luxury of giving up."

Ian looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers slowly. His voice was quieter now, almost resigned. "Yeah. I guess I don’t." He glanced at Piper again. "Alright. One more time. But if I keel over trying to find this so-called river, you’re explaining it to my ghost."

Piper’s stern face softened ever so slightly, though she quickly masked it again. "Focus, my lord. Do not joke. Close your eyes. Breathe. And listen."

Ian obeyed, though his muttering did not stop. "Breathe and listen. Fine. Here we go again..."

_______

He sat cross-legged in the middle of the yard, his eyes closed, his palms resting on his knees as Piper had instructed. His face was scrunched in concentration. For hours he had been at it, muttering and sighing, sometimes even cursing under his breath when nothing happened. Chloe had tried to encourage him with a few soft words, while Piper remained ever stern, her arms folded as she stood a few paces away. The Queen had left them to train on their own, though her warning still hung in Ian’s mind.

At one point Ian opened one eye and looked at Chloe. "I swear, if there really is some kind of magical river inside me, then it’s been in hiding all day. I feel like I’ve been catfished."

Chloe chuckled gently. "It is there, my lord. Mana is life itself. You are alive, are you not? Then you have mana. You only need to find the rhythm of it."

Piper added sharply, "You complain too much. That is why you fail. Stop thinking of rivers and switch your mind off. Simply breathe."

Ian groaned but closed his eyes again. "Fine. Breathing. I’m practically a professional at that." He drew a deep breath, let it out slowly, and tried again to still his restless thoughts.

Minutes turned into long stretches of silence. For once, Ian stopped cracking jokes. He let his shoulders fall, his mind wandering not to home or to Tessa but to something deeper, something that tugged at him without warning. His grandmother’s smile. The way she used to tell him stories by the fireplace when he was younger. The necklace she had pressed into his hand with such insistence. He remembered her eyes, always watching him as though she knew he carried more than he could understand.

His breath steadied further, his body loosening. And then, faintly, he felt it. A warmth....no, a current. It stirred at the center of his chest, slow but unmistakable, like a spark carried by wind. His lips parted slightly in surprise. He leaned into the sensation, and the warmth grew, spreading into his arms, his fingers, his very skin. It was not fire and it was not lightning, but it was alive.

Ian’s eyes snapped open and he broke into a grin so wide it startled even himself. "Ha! I felt it! I swear, I felt it just now. Like...like a pulse, running through me!" He jumped to his feet, laughing out loud in relief. "You see? I told you I could do it. Took me a lifetime, but I actually did it!"

Chloe clasped her hands together, her face lighting up with genuine joy. "You did it, my lord! I knew you would. I knew it would come to you if you just kept trying. Congratulations!"

Ian turned toward her and gave a small bow, exaggerating his tone. "Thank you, my number one fan. You were right all along, Chloe. Team encouragement for the win."

She laughed softly and nodded, "It makes me happy to see you succeed."

Piper, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes, though a flicker of surprise betrayed her calm. "So you finally managed to touch it. About time. Do not mistake this tiny step for mastery. Feeling mana is the beginning, nothing more."

Ian waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, don’t ruin the moment, Piper. I’ve been at this for hours. Let me bask for at least five minutes, will you?"

Piper huffed but did not argue further. Chloe beamed, clapping lightly, "Still, it is worth celebrating. It means he can learn. He’s gifted."

Ian smirked, pointing a playful finger at Piper. "Hear that? She said gift. You hear that? I’m gifted."

Piper’s lips pressed together. "We will see how long that confidence lasts once you attempt to shape that mana."

Ian grinned wider. "Oh, I’m ready for that. Bring it on. This river in my chest has been unlocked, and now it’s time for the flood."

Chloe laughed again, delighted at his enthusiasm, while Piper simply shook her head at his antics. But beneath her stoic expression, even she could not deny that what had just happened was nothing short of remarkable.