Before we started working on my cultivation, I went back up and told my mother everything was okay, and I had met an ancient god-ghost that would teach me how to become magic.

She took it pretty well, considering…

“Become magic?” mother repeated.

“Eventually,” I said. “Mez says there are many stages to cultivation.”

She rubbed her forehead. “The ghost of an Ancestor is teaching you. Little gem, why does everything keep getting crazier and crazier with you? Your poor mother can’t keep up.”

“Sorry mom,” I said. “He's nice, though. And he knows so much about magic!”

“I can see why you're excited. Just promise you'll come back to me every evening.”

“Of course, mom.”

“And don't forget your father is waiting for us.”

“I know. I'll try to be quick.”

Mother sighed. “Somehow I doubt that.”

She knew me too well. I would stay as long as it took.

The basic idea of Arcane Body Art was simple. Take mana. Any mana from anywhere and use Mana Absorption on it. And then use that mana to replace your body with it. That last step was the tricky one. 

This worked in layers. The First Layer of Arcane Body Art would be but a small sheen of mana under the skin. But even this paper-thin membrane of mana being a fundamental part of you would change what you were. The first step to becoming magic itself.

But before I could start, Mez had a gift for me. With a flick of his hand, a small gemstone appeared to float before him. He gestured and it slid across the air to hover in front of me. I looked at the impossible beauty of the obviously magical bauble.

It was electric blue and within it, I could see a blue nebula that pulsed with the power of magic. The cloud of stardust contained within the gemstone had currents of blue lightning arcing across it. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. When I activated my Mana Sight to observe it further, I saw that there were countless minuscule mana structures within. They were so intricate that I could only see a fraction of it all with my current abilities.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Transmission,” Mez said. “Swallow it.”

I felt anxious about swallowing the strange bauble, but decided to trust my teacher.

What followed was difficult to describe. It felt like lightning striking my soul. Something inside me exploded into energy. It was warm and expansive and made my whole body tingle. Then everything went black and I lost consciousness.

I woke up to an insistent cascade of System notifications.

[Cultivation Technique Obtained: Arcane Body Art!]

Arcane Body Art — First Layer: 0%

[Achievement Obtained: Cultivation!]

For obtaining a cultivation technique, you gain a free Skill Slot.

“You are awake,” Mez said. “That is good. And you obtained a Skill Slot, which will be necessary. You will need a a specific Skill to use this cultivation art. Are you ready to begin?”

Boy, was I ever!

“I’m going to need a new Skill?”

“Yes, Mana Transmutation,” Mez said. “It is essential. Worry not, little magician, I will teach it to you.”

“Will I be able to cultivate immediately upon learning this Mana Transmutation?”

Mez waved a blue hand. “Perhaps. That depends on how well you can grasp the concept. You see, each advancement stage of the System has special qualities of its own. Skills have Perks, Classes have Abilities, and cultivation has Insights.”

“What are Insights?”

“An Insight is something that unlocks a capacity. In this case, you will need Insight into the nature of mana and the states it can take. You will need to understand. The mana requires a certain state to be compatible with the Arcane Body Art. You of course have a distinct advantage.”

“I do?”

“Oh yes… You have the Mythic Skill Mana Sight. I believe you have not truly even begun to grasp how profound that Skill is. Not even I can see mana, like you.”

“You can’t see it? But…”

“I can sense it of course,” Mez said. “I know it is there. I know it is real. I know it in the same way you know when your mother is sad. I sense it in the same way you can sense in the air that it will rain soon. My kin had the Skill Mana Attunement, or rather an evolution of that. This is the basic form. People in higher tiers will have this Skill as well.”

It was hard to believe that even this godlike being considered my Skill extraordinary. Maybe Mythic Skills were truly that amazing. I felt blessed. Whatever whim of a God or System had given me this chance at a new life with these amazing parents and amazing advantages and amazing luck of meeting Mez, I was grateful. Truly.

I set out to learn Mana Transmutation. It turned out I had already done the proto-version of this with Mana Absorption, which made sense because it was a prerequisite for learning the Arcane Body Art. Turning the particles into a liquid form that the body could be enhanced with was already a transmutation. But what Mez was trying to teach me was something deeper. He said I could gain this insight even at level one. But often when I asked him what to do next, he only shook his head in amusement and told me to do what I had done so successfully before: Just play and experience it.

So I did, and it was a delight.

During this time I learned that Mana Manipulation was the key baseline of every mana ability. In a sense transmutation and absorption and all that could be derivative, or at least cousins of the skill. I inquired about this.

“Cousins, yes,” Mez said. “Apt metaphor.”

“Why are they distinct Skills then?”

“Because cousins are different people, are they not? When your father fishes, is he wrestling or swimming?”

“Both,” I said.

“Naturally. And when a Hunter shoots with a bow, or tracks prey, or hides in ambush, are these not different skills?”

“They are, but they’re so different from each other.”

Mez laughed. “You are right, child. But you are living in illusion. Mana Manipulation and Mana Transmutation are equally different. Only, the distinction is more subtle. But you will cultivate magic and learn this.”

So we started my training. With the snap of a finger, Mez filled the room with mana. Now, it didn’t flow out of his body. It just appeared and blanketed every corner of the sanctum. I couldn’t believe it. This person— or ghost— was a font of power unto himself. Just as a funny demonstration, he showed me how he could suck up all the mana back into him from the room in an instant. It was like flicking a lightswitch. First the room was full of mana, then the room was empty of mana. Mez had the power to decide whether I could even cast spells or not. 

“How is this even possible?” I asked in astonishment.

“You too can learn this. But this is a high art. I will not disclose what level of mastery is required, but I assure you it is quite high, little magician.”

With the abundant mana in the room, I was taught. Mez proved to be an excellent teacher. He had extensive knowledge of how mana worked. I was glad to realize I had learned much of what he was teaching intuitively. With his premium instruction and the rich mana, I learned the new Skill quickly.

[New Skill Obtained: Mana Transmutation (Epic)]

Description: Allows the user to alter the properties and state of mana through controlled transformation. Higher levels improve the precision, stability, and complexity of transmutations. 

[Mana Transmutation level 1!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Mana Flow]

Another Epic Skill? Sign me the hell up.

“This Skill will be the basis of your cultivation,” Mez said. “Your cultivation will strongly involve transmuting mana into different states to use it like an organ. It is not structured magic, it is intuitive. The Skill will work harmoniously with the method.”

I immediately delved into training the new Skill with Mez. He was the kind of teacher I liked. Less theory, more action!

Well, he did insist on giving me the basics first, but he was concise about it, which I appreciated.

With Mana Manipulation, I could move mana around and arrange it into different formations. But with Mana Transmutation, I could change the nature of mana itself.

I spent hours experimenting. I made the particles denser, then thinner, and tried changing the way they moved. Sometimes they immediately returned to their original state. Sometimes the changes lasted.

I could tell this Skill wasn’t only useful for cultivation, but it had huge implications for Spellcrafting as well. I would have to look into that later.

Mez watched me work and occasionally offered a suggestion.

I was having the time of my life. An ancient magical god-ghost was teaching me an Epic Skill and provided endless mana to experiment with.

What more could a magic-crazed baby ask for?

“You are a strange child,” Mez said on the third day of training. “Your level of prowess with such minimal instruction is remarkable. I do not know what mysteries caused your circumstances. Perhaps you were reborn because your mind was uniquely suited— no, I will not speculate…”

I gave Mez a look, but didn’t say anything. I had asked why myself after I was born, but nobody had answered. I had decided it didn’t really matter. I had a loving family and magic. That was all I needed to know. 

Whenever I grew tired, Mez would send a pulse of magic that would re-energize my mind and make me feel fresh as if woken from a good night’s sleep. Because he kept my energy topped up, I was leveling quite fast.

[Mana Transmutation level 2!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Mana Flow]

But sometimes we talked. Well, Mez would ask me questions, and I would answer. Mez seemed very sincere, but I couldn’t understand why he spoke so highly of me.

“…And your perk [Magical Insight] is equally telling. It is quite exclusive, even though born from an Uncommon Skill. I believe your Sage Perk somehow affected it. You are as gifted as you are hardworking.”

“High praise,” I said.

“It is no lie. I lament that you did not live during the height of our kin. You would have been revered.”

That made me a little self-conscious and I blushed. “Look, I don’t mind attention, but that’s not what I’m after. I really like it when my parents praise me. But if other people want to do it too, let them.”

Mez was surprisingly sad when he said: “They will adore you, but they will not comprehend you.”

“Okay that’s enough” I said and laughed. “I just want to learn magic.”

“That is indeed your greatest gift.”

There was a moment of silence between us. I think Mez wanted to talk a little more. So I indulged him.

“What happened to your kin? What was the Calamity?”

Mez gave me a sad smile. “Story for another time.”

“Sorry,” I said.

“Worry not of my emotions, little magician,” Mez said and smiled gently. “Now let us refocus. Your control of the mana is too tight. If you do not let the shape expand naturally, the transmutation will be incomplete. We will work on that.”

“Yes!” I said eagerly and settled into a meditative position.

[Mana Transmutation level 3!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Mana Flow]

Each night, I came back to mother. We hugged, I ate and drank, and we talked about our training. She had been practicing Mana Absorption on her own and was quite pleased with her progress.

“I held a superparticle inside me for almost a whole minute today,” she told me one evening.

“That's great, mom!”

“It's still nothing compared to what you can do.”

“You'll get better. I promise.”

She smiled and stroked my hair. “And what did you learn today, little gem?”

I told her about Mana Transmutation and the strange things Mez was teaching me. She listened carefully, even when I got carried away explaining the details. Eventually she tucked me into bed and held me close.

“Your father must be worried sick by now,” she whispered.

“I know.”

“But you won't get another chance like this, will you?”

“Probably not,” I admitted. “Will dad be okay?”

Mother smiled. “Dad… he will like that, I think. But no… knowing him, he will be a wreck. I wish we could send word somehow.”

“I don’t like that mom.”

“Your father is a big man, he will handle himself. He will be sad, but I know he won’t do anything stupid.”

“Still,” I said. “He must be very worried.”

“Are you powerful enough to get us out of here?”

“No,” I said. “I think I will need the cultivation art active. It’s at 0% right now.”

“What happens at 1%?”

“I don’t know, but Mez said the difference between one and zero will be huge.”