As one of the questions that would take the longest to answer due to the extensiveness of its topic, Luca was not thrilled about having to answer this first topic. Still, he knew that for his future and eventually that of Andor, he had to stick it out. "Beginning with the Five Natural Elements, each has a superior or adverse effect on its counterparts. When it comes to being stronger, Fire exceeds Wind, Wind exceeds Lightning, Lightning exceeds Earth, Earth exceeds Water, and Water exceeds Fire, creating the balance between the Five Natural Elements. However, so long as it is not with the natural counter, each element can empower the other three, such as Fire and Earth to create magma, or Earth and Water to create mud. This is the basis for the Five Natural Elements' balance."
As the former Fire Archmage gestured for him to continue, the boy did just that, "From the base elements, we move to the next tier in the order, the Twin Alignments of Light and Darkness. Due to their status as exceeding those of the base five, Light and Darkness can influence them in varying ways, the numbers of which cannot be measured. However, between the two, Light cannot exist without Darkness, just as the same is true of Darkness needing Light." While non-mages would debate this topic frequently, those influenced by magic understand the importance between the two, even if it is not to their liking. "Exceeding the Twin Alignments comes the Three Overlords of Space,
Time and Void. Strangely enough, unlike other elements, Space and Time do not counter each other. Rather, they form a cohesive union between them that, even at the pinnacle of magic, cannot be fully separated. Void is different, as it is considered to be the only element capable of interfering with this cohesion." At this point, Luca was really hoping for it to be over, "Standing next to the Three Overlords are the Natural Balance elements of Life and Death, which have only been seen to be influenced by Time or Space individually. At times, Life and Death have a vehement attitude towards one another, only to coexist calmly at others."
Grunting as he shifted in place, Luca finally reached the final section, "After all of these elements are the Five Uniques and the Sole Threat, which have varying degrees of influence. Holy or Divine is the only counter to the Demonic Element while being weaker than all other elements, with the exception of Poison, just as the Demonic is superior to all other elements save for Holy/Divine. Poison was found amidst the dangerous border between Life and Death, coming from living creatures possessing poisonous or venomous substances that could kill at their strongest, and has only ever been dispelled through the use of alchemy or Holy/Divine magic. Non-Elemental spells are hard to explain, as there are various kinds, while Secret magics are enigmas that can only be discovered by accident or passed down to a successor. What they are capable of is usually unknown, thus the name of Secret. Spirit is more unique than others due to it directly influencing the soul, an aspect that is dangerous to touch upon due to the potential risks and, at some levels, can even be considered taboo. The only known counter to Spirit is Spirit itself. Thus, the elements and their influences are concluded."
"Good, very good. A little long-winded, but accurate to a fault." Though she would not show it, Luca had, time and again, proven to understand several factors of magic that were highly advanced, topping the charts of any genius she'd ever encountered. "Next question, who was it who discovered, or at least defined each element?"
"That's too easy, ma'am. World Sage Nostradamus first defined 14 of the 18 elements at the beginning of the Sage Era, with only Secret, Void, Poison and Demonic being unknown. The categorizing for the elements was also created by the World Sage himself, making the explanations for each surprisingly simpler compared to them being unorganized. In order of those to be discovered later, the first was Secret, first found when Sage Nostradamus discovered an ancient burial ground that held a legacy that would pass down to those that the original owners deemed worthy, what would later become to be named as a Secret Legacy. After this came Poison, discovered by an unlucky alchemist who incorrectly refined poisonous ingredients, causing the Poison mana to be released en masse, killing him, somewhere around 1:466 Sage. Whoever the alchemist's identity was continues to be unclear, but the one who defined it as its own unique element was a member of the Deathknell Hall assassins group that specialized in poisons and only put clues together upon the accidental death of the alchemist. Sage Nostradamus categorized it among the Unique elements, which had then expanded to four: Secret, Poison, Non-Elemental and Holy/Divine."
Young Luca really wished he could have something to drink, but he soldiered on, knowing he was almost finished with his first exam, "Void was also discovered by accident during the Heroic Era when a genius mage thought to try and separate Time and Space in order to cause the demons to become crushed in the missing space between them. How he thought up this idea is also unclear, but he inadvertently discovered the Void element, which was that missing space between the original Two Overlords. As it was extremely complex, more so than Time and Space together, Sage Nostradamus originally intended to place void in its own category above Time and Space before deciding that, due to its special relationship with the two, it was best to expand the Two Overlords to Three."
Elizabeth Tudor found herself needing to stop her hands from instinctually applauding the boy, instead, she folded them on her lap, "An astute answer, young Luca. However, I'd like to tell you now that, before you reach Level 7, do not attempt to do anything with the Void element. Its existence is dangerous in and of itself, therefore it is not released to the public, just like Poison. Make sure you don't have any funny ideas about those two at all." After fiercely glaring at the boy until he agreed, she asked her final question, which thoroughly surprised Luca, though he knew he should have expected it earlier.
She asked, "What kind of dragons are you and your familiar?"