Reincarnated as a Phoenix

Chapter 12 - Training

"Ikarus, focus"

"I'm tryinggg"

"If you don't focus, I'll make sure to give you another intense punishment"

"LOOK! I'm doing it now! Calm yo-self woman!"

In an empty part of the forest, the mage has been getting me to inject magic into a pinecone. I'm currently holding the cone in my human form focusing heavily on it.

That punishment she threatens is no joke, the few she's given me are horrible, hated every second of it. You know what she made me do as the punishment? She made me sit, facing a tree, for an entire hour!? Yes, an entire hour, not allowed to face away or even talk, it's like I'm a kid who's been put on the naughty step. It was humiliating, all that for a stupid breast joke.

I do sometimes think about leaving but I know she would just summon a net if I do that and probably reset the time. Stupid mage, no idea how it's considered intense though, just extremely boring.

It's maybe been a few weeks or a month since I've started learning magic and the sword and just like usual with my impatient self, everything is annoying.

To sum up what magic is, it's extremely frustrating. See, all my knowledge on magic comes from novels and mangas, the magic in this world doesn't use anything like that. The system doesn't help with it, saying a spell out loud does nothing and I know it's not the same but cultivation isn't really a thing either. Actually, it might be I don't have a clue if it exists.

As stupid as it sounds, trying to move magic around is a similar feeling to constipation, I know it's gross and dumb but it's the only thing I think I can compare it to. Don't look at me like that, I'm not disgusting!

Going back on topic, the pinecone I'm holding doesn't move or make a sound once I put some magic in it but the mage for some reason can detect there is some inside though.

"Since you're able to do that, let's advance onto the next stage"

"Oh God, how hard is this going to be?"

This last month has basically just been injecting magicka into various things without causing a massive fire like with what happened in the net, the next stage is going to be horrible I bet.

"*Hmph*... Very difficult, you'll very much enjoy the after effects though, Ikarus"

Did she just hmph and cross her arms at me? I can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not with what she said, this woman is oddly terrifying.

"What I want you to do next is focus all your magic inside your head, find the spot directly in the centre of your brain"

"That's impossible! It fights way too much to get back where it started!"

She is asking for a miracle, trying to move all of it will be exhausting as well.

"I did say it would be hard, do that and you'll master magic"

"..."

She's definitely just taking crap and teasing me. If that was her trying to encourage me, she definitely failed that speech check.

"I would also recommend you sit down cross legged and close your eyes for this, it's not a pleasurable experience"

"Fine fine, I'll do it, just be quiet, your voice is irritating"

Ignoring the death glare that was sent in my direction, I sit down and do as she says. Once I'm in my dark space inside my head, I get ready. That sounds weird, the dark space inside my head.

'Damn it Ikarus, focus!'

I start trying to move the fire burning deep inside me up into my head, the problem is, I have to move it all one go otherwise it will end up back to the beginning, this really sucks.