Eden closed his eyes and felt the effects. The sensation was completely different from the mana potion.

This felt warm.

It was something very, very confusing to Eden. He was the type of person that liked to see things in ways that could be described. It was grounding. The ability to clearly communicate with others, and to entirely understand himself.

That was unravelling. As with neither the mana potion nor this potion, he could find proper words to describe it. It was... soothing? Like being wrapped in a blanket on a cold night. The pain in his arm immediately began to fade, replaced by a gentle tingling sensation.

Eden watched in fascination as the wound on his forearm closed. The skin knitted itself back together, leaving nothing but dried blood as evidence that he’d been injured at all.

"That’s incredible." Eden breathed. "It healed up before my very eyes! How is that even possible...? It doesn’t even hurt anymore."

"Health potions are essential for survival." Lumi said. "In combat, you’ll take damage. Being able to heal quickly can mean the difference between life and death."

Eden wiped the dried blood off his arm, marveling at the unblemished skin beneath. "How do they work? These potions are... beyond what I knew. I knew they existed, of course, but I never used one myself. They were too expensive when you could just wait a few hours to be alright after any minor injury."

"All potions are just a matter of alchemy." Lumi replied. "It’s an entire field of study. It’s all things regarding combining magical and mundane ingredients in specific ways to create effects."

"Say, Master," Eden began to ask. "Is this just like the mana potion? In the sense that this only really works to well because I’m not too strong yet?"

"Indeed." Lumi nodded. "You learn well."

Eden faintly blushed under the praise. "I’m just trying to pay more attention now."

"Good work." Lumi praised, and further explained. "As you’ve observed, as you get stronger, you will require stronger potions, as the effects of weak potions will be diluted. Let me explain the different ranks of potions..."

...

Eden digested the information, attempting to note down everything he was being told. "I’m not going to be able to remember this all on the spot."

"That’s alright." Lumi reassured. "This will all come with time. The important part is the basics of magic."

"Right." Eden nodded along with his masters instructions.

"Another thing to note," Lumi continued. "Is that although you will need to be well-stocked on both types of potions, you will need much stronger mana potions than you need health potions."

"That makes... sense?" Eden replied, a bit confusedly. "I mean if we’re magicians, and we use mana..." He trailed off. "Please explain."

"Let’s compare a warrior and a magician." Lumi began explaining. "Compared to a magician, a warrior has a much stronger body, with tons of vitality. Therefore, if they are heavily wounded, they will need a stronger potion to heal compared to a magician at similar strength."

"I see." Eden nodded. "And I assume that likewise, as a magician has much more mana, they need a stronger potion to restore?"

Lumi nodded. "You catch on quick. And while health and mana potions are the most important essentials, do remember that there are countless other types. There could be poisons to throw at an enemy. Potions that make you stronger forever. Others that boost you for a short time. Anything you can imagine, it probably exists in one form or another."

"I’m understanding." Eden replied. "It sounds incredibly useful. Do most magicians learn this?"

Lumi shook his head. "It’s just a trade skill. Whether one is a magician, bowman, or anything doesn’t matter. It’s a rare skill, and for good reason. It’s an endless skill with no end in sight, you could dedicate your entire life to it and still have more to learn."

"That makes sense." Eden replied. "You said it’s like a trade. Does that mean it’s something also worth learning at a basic level, even if you don’t dedicate your life to it? Similar to how many people know a bit about carpentry to help around the house. Am I right, or saying nonsense?"

Lumi gave him a smile. "You are right. Good work. I knew you would have magical talent, but you have a good head on your shoulders, too."

Eden smiled. "Thank you!"

Lumi continued. "It’s a nice bonus to learn how to make health and mana potions. Those the easiest to make, and the most important. But that’s for the future. Right now, focus on mastering basic magic first. You can’t learn everything at once."

Eden nodded, understanding the wisdom in that. He was already trying to absorb so much information. Adding another entire discipline on top of everything else would be overwhelming.

Sol had finally fully calmed down, settling back into Eden’s lap. Though the phoenix still occasionally glanced at Lumi with faint suspicion.

"Alright." Lumi said. "Now that you’ve experienced both types of potions and your mana is restored, we can move on to actual spellcasting. Now that you’ve practiced expelling mana extensively, we can try channeling mana into your wand."

Eden picked up his wand carefully. When he did so, through the bonding amulet, he could still faintly sense Sol.

"Now," Lumi said, "channel mana into the wand. Let it flow from your body into the wood. Slowly and carefully."

Eden focused. He felt the mana inside himself, then guided it toward his hand, into the wand.

The wood grew warm in his grip.

"Keep it steady." Lumi coached. "You don’t need to do anything with the mana, just keep it there. If you feel anything go wrong, expel the mana like we practiced."

"Understood." Eden replied. He maintained the flow, keeping it as even as possible. It was easier than he thought. Soon enough, he had the wand saturated with mana.

"Good." Lumi said after several minutes. "Now stop the flow and pull the mana back."

Eden did so, cutting off the channel. He looked to his master. "Time to practice?"

Lumi nodded.