He would just circulate his mana uselessly.
"It doesn't matter. If what occurred in the camp happens again, at least I should be able to control the process of transformation. Also, thanks to you, now I know how to teach Tista true magic if the necessity ever arises."
"Be careful, Scourge. A great power can be a curse for such a gentle soul."
"Tsk!" Lith scoffed. "As much as I love my sister, she needs to grow up. Gentle or not, one can't remain a cub their whole life. There is a time when one has to learn how to use his fangs to bring the hurt."
"I could not have said it better." Ryman laughed.
Before going back to the academy, Lith forged him a dimensional ring to avoid being forced to see Ryman undress every time he took his Skoll form.
Later that week, Gurid Renkin was found dead in his bed, and Nana certified him to have died of a natural cause.
- "A huge blast of dark magic naturally causes the heart to stop, hence it's a natural cause." – She inwardly added having recognized the effects of her beloved spell Ekidu Ruha(*). But that's another story.
Back at the White Griffon, Lith was surprised to find that all of his Professors were willing to teach him privately until the academies officially started operating again. Of course, there was a sour note.
Unlike his peers, Professor Rudd didn't like his new task. By royal decree, he had to teach dimensional magic to Lith by actually giving him pointers and explanations, violating everything Rudd believed in.
Ignoring a royal decree was an act of treason though and Rudd treasured his possessions and head more than he hated commoners.
"You already know the initial steps." Rudd snarled each word like someone was taking them out of his mouth with a clamp.
"First comes materializing a core made of earth magic, amplified by air and stabilised by water. The trick here is balance." Lith nodded, while Rudd executed a short spell that conjured a small ball of light.
"Then comes creating an entry and exit point. To stabilise them water magic must flow from one to another, like they are two ends of the same limb. The key is finesse." The ball of light dissipated. Rudd performed another spell that created two small black spheres.
"Third, you need to stretch and enlarge them by giving them the same amount of mana at the same time. The key is timing." Lith nodded again, this was the step he was stuck at.
"Last, you must connect them. To do it, you need the two cores to become one again, their energies must flow one toward the other and meet exactly halfway through. The key here is patience."
"That's it?" Lith was flabbergasted.
"You had educational spells all this time and yet you had us needlessly bang our heads? Why you didn't teach us those in the first place?"
"Because every idiot can learn dimensional magic that way!" Rudd lied through his teeth. He had taught those spells in the past, for a price, and the success rate of his students had never changed.
"Dimensional magic is too powerful for anyone to handle. Power without wisdom is the greatest madness!" Lith would have rebuked, but Professor Rudd had unknowingly quoted Ryman, with whom Lith agreed.
"If it wasn't for the orders of a certain someone, I would have never wasted my time like this. So instead of flapping your gums, get to work!"
Lith inwardly scoffed. He couldn't wait to get rid of that old coot.
Professor Rudd sat down on his chair, waiting for the little runt to beg for pointers. Rudd knew he would be forced to help him, but that didn't mean he would make it easy for Lith.
The minutes passed and Lith kept practicing relentlessly. Rudd was about to get up to stretch his legs a bit, when a perfect Warp Gate opened in front of his incredulous eyes.
Thanks to all the practice in controlling the flow of magic under the effects of Small World, Lith's magic sensitivity had improved tremendously, and so did his control over the mana's finest movements.
"Not bad for a commoner. Right Professor?"