Chapter 4374: Wide Chasm (Part 2)

"Make it implode, and it will collapse space on itself, generating such a powerful gravitational pull that it can fuel any gravity spell." Tezka said.

"Never forget that gravity and dimensional magic are two sides of the same coin, just like every element has its counterpart. They embody a natural force but one that, unlike the other ’coins’, is not present in the world energy around us.

"It’s up to the mage, or in our case, to the dimensional mage, to purify, melt, and mix the other elements to mint our own coin!" Tezka handed the dimensional crystal to Friya, letting her study it with the breathing technique she had learned from Faluel, Lifestream.

She witnessed the raw, savage splendor of the elements. She felt their wild strength fighting to break free of the bridles of Tezka’s will.

’This isn’t just an elemental crystal.’ Friya thought. ’I’m holding the primordial forces that shaped the universe and ignited the stars in the palm of my hand. I should be terrified, yet my heart is pounding with excitement.’

There was something primal in the purple gemstone that reached deep into Friya’s very core. Something that called out to her and sang to her to reach it. Yet despite recognizing the melody, Friya failed to understand a single word of the song.

"You’re supposed to pass it to Faluel, kid." Tezka’s voice brought Friya back to reality. "Before you ask, the answer is no. You can’t keep it."

She looked around, wondering how long she had stared into the crystal and if it would ever stare back at her again.

"I’m sorry." Friya did as instructed, reluctantly parting from the purple gemstone as if it were her child.

The Hydra experienced something similar to her Harbinger, but less deep and intimate. If it was because Faluel had become a dimensional mage only of late or because of a gap in talent between them, it was impossible to tell.

"This is..." The Hydra’s current limits didn’t prevent her from understanding the magnitude of the revelation that Tezka had offered her.

She was speechless, and so she remained for several minutes as she lost herself into the gemstone’s depths.

"Amazing." Faluel found that single word sorely lacking, but she doubted she could properly convey how she felt even if she spent her lifetime putting it into words. "You truly deserve the title of Magus, Elder Tezka."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, kid." Tezka smiled. "Nor will it make your exercises easier, but thanks."

He pulled his hand back, and the dimensional crystal went back to being white in a heartbeat.

"Did you keep it stable by proximity?" Friya asked. "Can you really exert your will even from a distance?

"I think the answer to your question is obvious, kid." The Suneater replied. "Yes, I can, but the range is very short. Barely a meter, and that only if I put my full focus into it."

"Still, that’s incredible." Faluel stared at the pristine gemstone as if it had betrayed her. "Any elemental crystal I craft loses its power the moment it’s off my hands."

"It’s only a matter of practice." Tezka dismissed the issue with a wave of his hand. "Take your crystals. The demonstration is over, and it’s time I put you to work."

Faluel nodded and conjured three chairs and two desks with earth magic. The Suneater’s chair was bigger and taller, reflecting his status.

"I’m going to follow the Dragon bloodline teaching method and teach you only the basics." He said after sitting down. "I expect you to give your all and not ask me questions until you’ve run out of ideas. Any objections?"

"None." Faluel said. "It’s what I would have asked you to do anyway."

"Why the Dragon bloodline teaching method?" Friya asked.

"Because in my experience it’s the most effective one, kid. Credit where credit is due." He replied. "Earlier you asked me how you are supposed to enhance the elements without isolating them, and the answer is quite simple.

"Focus on the world energy inside the crystal like you always do and seek for one element. Any element will do. Then, enhance it, but only until detecting it requires no effort. Do not suppress the other elements nor paint the world energy with a single color.

"If done correctly, the disturbance will cause the other elements to stir and reveal themselves. Harness and enhance a second element until it matches the first. Repeat the process until all six elements are under your control.

"Only then will you enhance them all at the same time and with the same amount of energy. This is what happens when you succeed." He showed them the prismatic crystal again.

"This is what happens when you fail, instead." The white crystal became turbid grey for a few seconds before reverting into white. "Don’t try to hold together a collapsing building. Once the balance is lost, let it crumble and start over."

"That’s it?" Faluel asked.

"That’s it." Tezka echoed with a wolfish smile. "It’s just that ’simple’. I’ll explain the second step to you as soon as you complete the first."

Friya exchanged a confused look with Faluel, even wondering how she could have not thought about it on her own.

’I expected something more difficult.’ The Hydra thought. ’This is no different from crafting six different elemental crystals with a few extra steps. It’s not- Fuck!’

After decades of practice, finding the fire element was easy and so was enhancing it. Knowing when to stop, however, was an entirely different matter. Too much and Faluel would get a fire crystal without even noticing.

Too little and she’d lose her grasp on the fire element while fishing for the water element.

Friya had much less experience and more problems. After she sensed and enhanced the air element, the rest of the world energy would start to stir just as Tezka had warned her it would.

She had to tighten her grip on the air element while resisting the external pressure and panning the world energy for a glimpse of another element.

It was as simple as sitting on a boat in the middle of a storm while holding a heel in her right hand and trying to catch another that swam just below the surface of the waves with her left.

By the end of the first day, the two women were exhausted, and they didn’t even get to manifest the turbid gray once. Faluel managed to harness three different elements, while Friya got hold of a second element only half an hour before the end of the lesson.

"Time sure flies when you have fun." Tezka said as he slowly opened his eyes and stood up. "Remember what you’ve learned today and how holding the elements without isolating them feels. We’ll take it from here tomorrow."

"Yes, Master/Elder Tezka." The two women said in unison.

The Suneater had allowed them to not use honorifics, but the exercise had forced them to realize how wide the chasm that separated them from Tezka was. It wasn’t just a matter of raw power as they had always believed, but also of skill and insight.

Faluel felt so silly and ignorant compared to the Suneater that addressing him directly would have meant disrespecting everything he had achieved and she was striving for.

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