CHAPTER 113: CHAPTER 113: TESTING

Ellory once again raised her hand and answered confidently, and Owen praised her again while Axelius could only sigh and stare at the ceiling. At this point, it was clear that Ellory had not only caught up but was starting to pass him in theory. He wasn’t mad though—deep down, he was proud.

"She’s a genius," Axelius mumbled.

Owen floated down and whispered beside him, "And she’s only ten. You better study harder, genius inventor."

Axelius grinned and nodded. "Fine. Let’s see if she can beat me in the real thing once we start building."

Then few days later, Owen started writing on the board: "MAGICAL ENERGY STORAGE – THE KEY TO FREEDOM" in big letters that even Ellory could read from where she sat.

"This topic is important," Owen said, pointing at the board while tapping it. "If you want something to move, cast, or glow without needing you or a beast constantly giving mana—then you need to learn how to store energy."

Ellory nodded quickly and looked at Axelius. "That means we can make things run even when we’re not around, right?"

Owen smiled. "Exactly, little genius."

Then Owen turned to the side and drew a picture of a round crystal with lines circling it, then beside it he drew a small box with runes.

"Now, listen," Owen continued. "Mana can be stored in different things. The most common and safest is a crystal—not just any shiny one from the floor, but a processed and refined magic crystal. Some call it a managem or just a storage crystal."

He drew an arrow from the crystal to the small box and added a little note that said "power transfer."

"Another type is an enchanted item, like a ring or a tool that has runes inside it to hold mana. The more stable the rune, the better the item stores mana without breaking."

Axelius crossed his arms. "And what about this?" he pointed to the word mana battery that Owen had written earlier.

"That," Owen said while tapping the board, "is something you are going to make in the future. A mana battery is a container—not a real battery like in your old world, but an object created to absorb, store, and release mana slowly or in bursts. It can be a mix of crystal, enchanted metal, and smart runes."

Ellory raised her hand quickly, already excited. "How much can it store?"

"That," Owen replied, "depends on how pure the crystal is, how many mana channels you carve inside, and how strong the user’s mana is during charging. But listen carefully—this is where it gets tricky."

Owen drew a line under his next words: "MANA EFFICIENCY."

He turned to both of them and said, "If you put in ten mana and the battery can only hold seven, then you lose three. If it leaks or is badly made, you lose even more. So everything must be efficient. The goal is to store more and waste less."

Axelius frowned a bit and looked serious. "So you’re saying even if I pour mana into it, if the battery is bad, it’s just gonna leak or explode?"

Owen nodded. "Exactly. That’s why we’ll have to test materials first—some crystals crack easily, others explode if overfilled. Some metals block mana instead of guiding it. You’ll need to learn control."

Ellory tilted her head, curious. "Can we store different mana types? Like ice or fire?"

"Yes," Owen said, pleased with her thinking, "but that’s advanced. For now, you’ll start with neutral mana. Later we can teach how to store elemental mana, and even combine types safely."

Axelius stretched his arms and grinned. "This means I can start making tools that run on stored mana, right?"

"Yes," Owen answered, "but first you must pass the challenge of building a stable mana container. A small one. Something like a glowing mana lamp."

Ellory’s eyes sparkled. "A glowing lamp?! I wanna make one too!"

Owen pointed at the corner. "Good. There are ten crystals there. Pick two. We’ll test which one holds the most and leaks the least, We will build your first mana lamp."

Ellory sat next to a small metal base Owen had made earlier and placed a crystal in the center. "Is this one okay?" she asked, showing a clear blue crystal with a soft shine.

"Good choice," Owen nodded. "Now, let’s begin the first step: mana infusion."

Axelius picked his crystal too, a dark green one. "This one feels heavier," he said, examining it. "What if it’s too dense?"

"That’s the point of testing," Owen replied. "Too light and it might shatter. Too dense and it might reject mana. Focus your mana slowly. Imagine your mana as water. Don’t pour. Just drip it in."

Both Axelius and Ellory placed their hands on their crystals. The room grew quiet, filled only with the soft hum of magic in the air. Axelius’s crystal glowed for a second, then dimmed. He tried again. This time it hummed, but small cracks appeared on the surface.

"It cracked," he frowned.

"Too fast," Owen said, walking to him. "Your Aura is different from Mana and it’s too thick. Use smaller streams."

Ellory, on the other hand, had her blue crystal softly glowing, the light growing brighter. "It’s warm," she said. "I think it’s working."

Owen clapped softly. "Perfect pace. You’re not forcing it. That’s good."

Axelius groaned and tried again with a new crystal, this one yellow and lighter. He breathed deeply, then sent out thinner waves of mana. Slowly, the crystal lit up, steady and bright.

"Yes," Owen said, smiling. "Now we move to the next step: release. You’ll need a trigger rune."

He handed them each a small carved metal ring. "These are your switches. When touched, they will release the mana stored inside. But only if the connection is right."

Ellory gently placed her charged crystal into the slot on the metal base and placed the ring around it. She tapped it lightly, and the crystal began to glow—soft white light filled the space around her.

"It works!" she cheered.

Axelius finished setting his as well, tapped it, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then a weak glow appeared, but it flickered.

Owen tilted his head. "Still too unstable. Your crystal may not be the best match. Try a bigger one."

"Ugh," Axelius said, scratching his head. "So many things to test."

"That’s how progress works," Owen replied. "Trial and error. But now you know what type of crystal likes your Aura. You’ll get better."

Ellory hugged her glowing lamp with a proud smile. "Brother Axel, I want to make one for mother too!"

Axelius grinned. "Then let’s make a brighter one. A better one."