Chapter 40 - Reflections
Added 2023-05-16 20:44:56 +0000 UTCI can’t believe that explosion only used eight percent of my mana. Isn’t that just blatant cheating?
Science plus magic equals cheating. Message received.
Molding + 1
Shaping + 2
Gas Manipulation + 5
A ripple in space coalesced into Lenton. The old man looked down at Jiran imperiously while his gray hair swayed in the wind.
“Feeling better now that you’ve butchered something?” He asked sarcastically.
“What? No, that’s not it at all.” Jiran protested while knowing in his heart Lenton was right.
Lenton sighed and rolled his eyes.
“It’s not as abnormal as you would think, Jiran. Often ascenders find themselves needing to release pent-up aggression.
“However, it is important you understand the long-term implications of the changes that have begun to develop within you,” Lenton held up a finger for silence as he collected his thoughts.
“As you ascend, the call to slaughter will only grow stronger. Those who fail to counter it will inevitably turn wild,. Becoming no better than monsters, a danger to everything they once held dear.
“The best defense against such a bleak future is to surround yourself with people you love. Barring that, find things outside of growing more powerful that motivate you. Start a garden, teach, or paint.
“Learn to split your time between growth and enjoyment or one will consume you wholly. Ultimately, ascenders are creatures of great passion, do not let it consume you.”
And the red density will only make that worse for me. Fantastic.
Lenton cleared his throat, bringing Jiran out of his thoughts.
“I do not recommend you ascend to tier three until you have a firm grasp on your mental state.”
Jiran’s eyes widened in surprise.
Does he know I could tier up already? How could he possibly know that?
“Of course I can tell!” Lenton shouted.
“I might be nearly middle-aged but these eyes still see just fine,” Lenton crossed his arms, the stern look on his face dared Jiran to object to his statement.
Okay, Grandpa. Whatever you say. As if eyes can see other people’s density and mana. Or can they?
A ratcheting bellow echoed its way up the beach as more shrelks drew near. Lenton casually glanced in their direction before looking back at Jiran.
“You’ve done enough here. The hive has been reduced in numbers enough that it won’t be strong enough to reach the next settlement. Unless you want to stay and kill more of them,” Lenton said questioningly.
“No, not at all. I’m good on killing for a while.”
With no warning, Jiran found himself standing back in their temporary camp as if he never left and the entire experience at the beach had been an illusion. Predictably, Lenton was nowhere in sight.
No flipping feeling followed by me landing on my head? Wait, does that mean they’ve been doing that on purpose every time?!
Whatever, I’ve got better things to do than complain about their training methods.
Cube, Niya, gas shaping, or go reset my timer?
Cube! Definitely cube. Only five more levels for shaping to gain another subskill! I’ll head out to the plains tomorrow morning.
Niya and Samris were back at it again. Jiran watched as Niya leaped the short distance between her and Samris, spear thrusting toward his chest. The man barely seemed to move before Niya flew backward and crashed into the ground with a groan.
Jiran chuckled before turning toward his tent and the cube.
He started by playing around with images of wind Shapings until he had one that wouldn't immediately blow the cube out of his hands.
Jiran found himself instinctively wanting to create the most optimal and mana-efficient shapings. The cube helped him slowly curb those tendencies as he cycled through each element. Eventually, he designed shapings from the ground up that were perfectly suited to what his evolved coating could handle.
He noticed that the strength of his shaping also affected the cube’s movements. The stronger the shaping, the faster the mechanisms activated and moved.
When he was ready, Jiran once more partitioned his mind to hold two images simultaneously. He activated both water and wind. His mind held the duality of a tornado and a crashing tsunami.
What would happen if I combine them?
Jiran pictured a hurricane with fierce winds churning up massive waves in the ocean. The cube tried to account for both elements at once but the mechanisms failed to move correctly, becoming tangled and failing to fully unfold.
Okay, so I need to activate the elements one at a time, in a specific sequence, while also modulating the strength so sometimes the parts move quickly and other times slowly. If I get anything wrong they tangle up and I have to start over.
What the heck, this thing is so complex!
Jiran keenly felt the magical energies as they danced across his fingertips and raced through his body to fulfill his will. Goosebumps ran up his arms and a wide grin spread across his face as the reality of his situation dawned on him.
I’m using magic to open a freaking magic puzzle box! My life is so cool.
He practically shook with excitement as he dove into his next experiment.
Jiran started by subjecting the cube to a low, manageable heat. The red mechanisms slowly unfurled but were soon blocked by their blue brethren. His other hand rapidly cooled as icy mist coalesced around it, freeing the red pieces as the blue ones moved out of their way.
He then drew in a deep meditative breath, his brain working so hard to hold three images that he felt his head growing warm. His exhale churned the air around the cube. His fire was enhanced by the additional oxygen. The increased heat destabilized his icy mist and the construct warbled unsteadily before its parts retracted back into their original shape.
So close! I didn’t expect the elements to interact so strongly with each other.
A sharp headache sprouted behind his eyes and he blew a raspberry while falling onto his back to think.
How can I reduce the interactivity between the elements? Flicking them on and off like lightswitches would be impossible, that requires several times more focus than just holding them steady. Combinations don’t work.
The cube takes about three seconds to start reforming after an element vanishes, can I use that time gap somehow? What if I pass heat over one spot, then replace it with ice, then wind, and finally water before starting the rotation over again.
But the entire cube needs to unwind at the same time.
So, the elements need to be in motion around the cube. Wait, doesn't that solve several problems at once? If the elements are in motion, they can maintain their distance from one another and use the cube as a wall to block the more violent reactions. Ice and fire on opposite sides with wind and water filling the gaps.
How the heck am I supposed to do that though?
Jiran raised his hand and spread his fingers. He created a flame the size of his pinky nail on the tip of one finger. Like stretching an unfamiliar muscle, he pulled on the mana that was leaving his skin to power the effect.
His eyes shot open in wonder as he dragged the output of mana down his finger and across his palm. The tiny flickering flame followed its fuel source like a well-trained dog.
Jiran raised his other hand and touched the tip of his middle fingers and thumbs together forming a circle just large enough to encapsulate the cube.
His flame sprung to life once more. He steadily marched the little ember up one hand and down the other in a complete circle.
After a thousand rotations, the mana flowed smoothly in a circular motion from hand to hand as naturally as breathing.
He added ice next on the opposite side of his fire. The two elements chased each other around the cube, each threatening to extinguish the other.
He felt his brain resist the complex control of two moving elements at once but he pushed through the pain, determined to succeed. Another hour passed and brought with it two densoon waves which he used to restore his dwindling mana.
He failed constantly. Yet each failure brought him closer to the perfect synchronization of moving mana and thought. While each success brought with it a spike of agony that shot through his brain.
Long after the suns had set, through bloodshot eyes, Jiran finally reached a perfect equilibrium between the two shapings.
The opposing elements danced around the cube-like two comets circling each other on their voyage through the cosmos, bound together by gravity's cruel whims, never allowed to touch.
A point in time stretched into an infinity and he felt his consciousness swell and grow.
A connection with something greater formed. Jiran felt as if he was deep under the ocean and a great whale brushed past him, sending his body spinning through the depths.
For just a moment, the presence looked directly at him. An eye so large it blotted out the universe gazed down at an insignificant bug and pierced through him, searching.
Something in his brain shifted like an unnoticed nail was suddenly hammered in with a single, strong stroke. He collapsed in a heap as a raging headache bloomed between his temples.
He clutched his skull in agony while moans and curses escaped his lips.
The pressure continued to ratchet higher, causing his eyes to water. Then, with an audible click, his brain spasmed and the bliss of unconsciousness took him.
Olive
Olive woke up to the sound of her stomach grumbling. She rolled to a sitting position and rubbed her sore shoulder where a loose rock had been assaulting her throughout the night. She found the offending stone and hurled it through the bars of her cage.
The sound of the rock hitting the blue metal woke Cameron and Dommell. The two boys sat up as their stomachs rumbled in unison, causing all three to sadly smile at each other.
Dommell’s black hair which was usually immaculately cared for was a complete mess. The smudges of dirt on his face and a speckle of dried blood added to his air of misery and resentment.
“I can’t believe they didn’t feed us at all yesterday. How long are they going to starve us? What’s the point?” He complained.
“They want us weak. Unable to resist or flee,” Cameron offered.
Olive nodded her agreement even as a smoldering fire began to burn in her gut.
I’ll not give up so easily. I swore to myself that I would never be so weak again and I meant it. I don’t care if I’m hungry and have no mana in this cage. I’m not going to miss another day, I’ve wasted far too much time already.
With determination filling her eyes, Olive stood up and dusted herself off before assuming the first stance of the shaplatka. Master Bandaer had assured her countless times it was the optimal form for increasing her strength.
She transitioned woodenly through the first few movements, her muscles immediately protesting the abuse before her form smoothed as she warmed up. By the end of the first rotation through the stances, her body was suffused with a pleasant feeling of exertion.
That feels much better than all the negativity within this Mother forsaken cage.
Olive continued to push her muscles and herself, reveling in the knowledge she was taking the first step of many along the new course of her life. A tinkling sound from outside the cage distracted her and she looked in its direction to find two villagers.
One of them was pointing at her while they both laughed. The sound in her ears turned from musical bells to the braying of dogs as she watched their malicious smiles grow wider when they saw her looking their way.
Like they won some competition, the two women preened as they sauntered out of the village square.
“No better than livestock! When my Father comes to rescue us I’ll make sure those two are whipped,” Dommell seethed.
“Dommell! You will do no such thing,” Olive’s voice was hard as iron.
“They clearly don’t know any better. They probably believe that we would do no better by them than that cretin if we were outside of this cage. Who knows how long these people have been under his rule. You must not blame them without knowing their circumstances.”
She leveled the best imitation of her birth mother's strongest glare at him until he relented with a nod. Satisfied, she resumed her previous stance, excited to continue.
“Why don’t you join me? It will make you feel better to do something positive with your time.”
“No thanks,” Dommell rejected her instantly.
She looked at Cameron but he shook his head as well which rustled his dirty, blond hair. His blue eyes shone with the same fierceness as hers when he spoke.
“I’ll save my strength in case you need it. Besides, I’m too tall to stand up in here.”
Olive pushed herself until she could take no more and collapsed in a sweaty heap near her cousin.
If I can’t train my body any longer, then I’ll train my mind. Ms. Doperel taught me the perfect images for each of the elements.
“Perfections only suitor is practice,” She heard her third mother's chiding words as if the strict woman was standing beside her.
Hours passed by in silent meditation. Just as First Father was bidding Madra a good night, one of their captors brought them each a small bowl of watered-down soup.
The man moved with a deadly grace and speed that she instantly associated with the fourth tier.
It’s not just Markhiss we have to be wary of.
No matter, I will persevere!
He sneered at them as he roughly shoved their bowls through a small gap in the cage. Olive watched in equal parts disgust and contempt as some of the precious liquid spilled onto the ground where it was immediately absorbed by the loose dirt.
Despite the disgusting flavor, she greedily drank the liquid. Having never gone an entire day without something to drink, her throat was beyond parched.
She fell asleep on the rough ground while fantasizing about delicious treats and barrels full of crystal-clear water.
The next day, she quickly discovered that being captured had not been the worst day of her life.
No. This day was far worse.
