"Let go to the place ahead." Lautan speak as it start to move toward a place at the north."
Zi Zen decide to follow as he have no other choice also. He dunno where is him or how to get back.
/After 5 minutes/
"We are here, let go in." Lautan say as go into a cave.
Zi Zen stop infront of a coral cave or should I say a cave but the entrance fill with coral. It beautiful. Going in, the cave is fill with all kind of coral. The most amazing thing is the coral doesn't look messy. Suddenly, he see him own hand. Then he realise his body have materialise. Zi Zen can't help but take a look at Kura.
"A turtle, not a tortoise" Zi Zen say in low volume.
"What, you got problem with me being a turtle? Kura reply .
"Take a sit" Say Lautan.
Zi Zen turn his head around and look at Lautan. It in humanoid shape. However, it body compose of various mixture of material. It leg part is made of sand with some seashell popping out. It torso are made of water with fish swiming inside. It arm and hand are like living coral. Beautiful, the colour are remarkable and it doesn't contrast with other colour. Finally, it head... What a let down.. An iceberg head floating. Look properly, it face look like me. What!!!
"Can I ask you something?" Zi Zen ask.
"Yes? Please speak" Lautan reply.
"Where should I sit?" Say Zi Zen as he look at the coral in front of him. He looking at a coral with weird shape but can't find a proper place to sit.
"Wait"
A coral rise from the wall and stop in front of Zi Zen. It then form a flat place to sit.
"Just sit, the coral is flexible and strong enough to withstand your weight"
'I though coral ain't suppose to do that.' Think Zi Zen in his heart then decide not to say it out. Zi Zen try to sit on one and surprisingly the coral feel like a sofa. Pretty comfy too. Look back that Kura also lay on a coral.
"I think you have countless question about this place. Don't be hasty, ask slowly. I will answer the best I can." Lautan say.
"Ok, if you say so then I won't hold back. First off, why your face look like me?" Zi Zen ask as he point at Lautan face.
"Aih, that the first thing you ask me? Well, to begin with. I just imitating you. You see I doesn't have a fixed shape. If Kura is the only one with me, then I will take on Kura shape. But since you are new here and your form is interesting. I decide to take your shape. But I can't fully imitate you, it just the shape I can do for now. However, the face part I take quite effort to do it. I feel if the face part is same. You will be more comfortable to speak with me like how I was with Kura. So how, the face? Do I do a great job on it?" Lautan happily answer .
"...., Errr. I can say you did a good job on it." I better not to comment on the face part so I don't hurt it feeling.
" Ok, my turn. Why are you shape like this. It so different than Kura or any living thing I ever see?"
Ehh, I though I will be only the one asking? Well, just answer it. "Well, I am what my fellow Earth call Human. It my species, like how Kura there, his species is turtle. So if you see another people like me. There are call human. I was shape like this because so many reason. But I can say it because we evolve from monkey. Before, I answer the part 'It so different than Kura or any living thing I ever see'. Can I ask what do you mean by this sentences?"
"Oh, you see. I am the sea of this world." Lautan reply
"..., What!.... I must misheard. Care to repeat?....Ahem, pardon me. May you repeat you answer just now" Zi Zen clear his throat and ask politely.
"Sure, I am the spirit of the sea in this world. The water that is in this world flow into a massive mass of water that cover most of the place in this world which I call it sea. I am the sea itself. To add on, while I am sea. I can see everything in me and I certainly doesn't see any living thing like you on me." Lautan reply.
'...Wow, a spirit of the sea.' Zi Zen think in his heart. Why am I not suprise with the fact the spirit of sea is in front of me? Maybe because I see too many thing that only fantasy can offer me in this few days. Now to think about it, that the reason why Lautan is in this form. It explain why it doesn't have fix form and just mimic other. If I the sea, I also dunno what form to take after. A sea animal, take a form of fish? Too small. Take a form of turtle, already did. Take form of something big, I don't think it fit in this cave. So at the end, the form is imitate me.
Now thinking back, no wonder it didn't see any living thing like me before. I can't imagine human living in water without the need to breath except it merman or mermaid. But from the sound of it, it doesn't exist.
"Err, Lautan. My species human doesn't live in water. We need air to breath, the in water we cannot breath. We live on land. But we depend on water to live. Surely you have saw some human living in the mainland beside the river." Zi Zen reply
"No, all water that flow to me did not see anyone like you before." Lautan say confidently.
"Eh, then what I see just now before I end up here?" Zi Zen ask.
" What do you mean?"
"I saw something like me when I was the water when flowing down the river from the mountain. However, they are much more smaller in size. I think they are as tall as an apple."
"Oh, they. They are a type of living thing call them self Forest Sanguiner. They are way tiny than you are."
"Can I know more about them?"
"What about you tell more about you, then I will tell more about them."
"..Fine. Fair enough. I am a human. Born on Earth. Obviously not from this world. Due to some unforeseen accident, I end up separate from.my family member who look like me. If you see in the lake, a black metal moving object was the cause for all this. And somehow I need to rely on it to get back and reunion with my family. Ah, ya. Did you see anyone like me in this world?"
"I already say this is the first time I meet someone like you."
"Oh, if you really see anyone like me. Please inform me. I will like to take a look at them."
"Sure"
"On more thing, did you see any animal that all white in colour except the feet?"
"Wait. Kura, I remember you found something that fit the description he say just now."
"Ya, Master Lautan. He currently laying in my cave and my children is looking after it. However, I dunno what it eat so I place various food beside him."
"Oh that good."
"What a relieve. Could you continue on the Forest Sanguiner?"
"They are small so they live in hollow tree or inside fallen tree. Due to being small and the tree are big, in one tree. Many forest caretaker live together as a tribes. Some also prefer to live on branches or build their home hanging or stick to one side of the tree. Normally, if the tree have fruit. They tend not to stay under it. And choose tree with shades. Some also live wandering from one village to another. That what I observe." Lautan explain as best as it can.
"Thank, there is one more question. Seeing you as the spirit of sea. You must be master of water element. And your control over it must be perfect. Can you guide me on this?" Zi Zen ask without holding back.
"Guide you? What can I get from this. I believe in equal exchange."
'I know from the question and the way you answer it just now.' "For the payment, I don't have anything with me now except my knowledge from earth with I learn from school. I am complete confident on the knowledge as it was scientific proven by our scientics from my world through various trials and experiments." Zi Zen say
"Oh yeah, I heard from your conversation with Kura just now. Your knowledge should benefit me greatly. This is a fair exchange between us." Lautan reply.
Then, Zi Zen and Lautan start exchanging the idea and view on the knowledge they know. Lautan advice on magic and Zi Zen advice on scientific view. This go on and on for some time.
"Huh, I thirsty. Anything to drink?" Zi Zen feel his throat is dry.
Both Lautan and Kura looking at me.
"What? Something I said?"
"We are in a realm. Only our conscious is here. I don't think soul can feel thirsty." Kura answer
"Conscious, you mean my conscious come over here?"
"Ya, I think it just your perception that you feel thristy. However, I can make something for you." Lautan say as it move it hand a bit then a bubble of water appear in front of Zi Zen with some seaweed inside.
"...." I not surprise with the water suddenly appear due to the existing of magic but what with the seaweed in it?
"Surprise? You are currently in my conscious territory, you can do anything you want in here. Including trapping your enemy and toy with them." Lautan say
"!" Zi Zen put itself in full alert
"Relax, if I mean harm. I already did it when you enter and won't bother explaining to you." Lautan chuckle.
''...True" Zi Zen take the bubble and try to poke a hole in the bubble. It pass through. Zi Zentry to control the bubble to flow the water into his mouth but no effect.
"Try control the bubble water by putting some of your own water. Then use the method we discuss just now." Lautan say
" Oh sure." Zi Zen use magic to make some water droplet and it mix with the bubble. Inside the droplet of water try to establish control by capturing a territory. After capture the territory, the water inside will be under Zi Zen control now. This process is continue until the bubble is fully under Zi Zen control.
At first, this is not possible unless you spent a lot of mana to convert opponent spell like this bubble into your own. Basically, it like spending your mana to clash with opponent mana and try to force convert the magic into yours. This is how spirit of same element do in mock battle. However, after gaining understanding of the particle from molecular level until atomic level. Lautan gain enlightenment on how to fully control enemy spell without spending many mana as previous battle. It basically by using the atom principle, it make use of atom to establish territory and slowly capture a small area at one time. Not only this is unnotice by your opponent until it too late. This due to you still sent mana to clash with the opponent as cover to mask your territory capture. You can also know your progress of capture and the territory you capture is permanent unless your opponent spent mana to forcily convert the area. And that also only effect the outer layer, for the inner layer. Your opponent basically have to spent even more mana convert the inner layer.
Basically to summaries the whole thing. On one side, capture territory. On the other, spent mana to force convert the spell.
I call this water manipulation.