Stephanie only wished Professor Hund was a little more competent, at least then she wouldn't have to be wasting the hundred points he had given her, learning something she would have otherwise learned in class.
The Library seemed to be completely empty apart from a librarian who Stephanie thought had to be an NPC—the Librarian just seemed so unreal—and Stephanie herself.
"Finally," she breathed as she found the book she was searching for.
If someone had told Stephanie that a day would come when she would visit a library without being forced, she would have rolled her eyes and probably laughed. But now as she held the leather-bound book in her hands, she couldn't help but frown.
Books reminded her of her mother. Someone she shouldn't be thinking about unless she wanted to cry in no time.
Whenever she thought of her mother, she thought of fire. Its colored flames devouring anything in its path with unbelievable hunger. Insatiable. Impossible.
Whenever she thought of her mother, she remembered her father. And then all she would be able to feel is a deep rooted anger and hate. Hate for the man who had abandoned her and her mother. The very hate that threatened to make her abandon life as it currently was.
Then when things got really bad, she would think about the very last words her mother had uttered.
'...remember Stephanie, no matter what happens, you have to be the best. Always be number one.'
Clutching the book to her chest, and staring at her black combat boots, Stephanie made her way to a section of the library that would keep her hidden.
She bumped into someone,
As she raised her head and recognized who she had bumped into, Stephanie couldn't help but feel angry. Not at the person but herself. Not at the very person who threatened her mother's last words, but at her weak self for making it happen.
Without as much as a word of apology whatsoever, she clambered away, constantly repeating to herself.
"I would be number one. I'd always be number one."
Nessa couldn't do anything but watch as Stephanie walked away shaking her head and holding a book like it was a lifeline. She had been idly walking to the bookshelves when she bumped into Stephanie.
Nessa partly blamed herself. She hadn't been looking where she was going; instead she silently wondered why Professor Avery had been so reluctant to help her.
She constantly replayed what the professor had said.
'I can't help you, at least not directly, not yet.'
But still, the more Nessa thought about it, the more she felt like grey hairs were replacing the black locks on her head.
Thinking is bad, she reminded herself as she made her way to the bookshelves. After moments of browsing, Nessa finally picked out a brown leather bound book and returned the way she had just come to a section of the library she thought no one would go to.
Surprise became evident on her face the moment she saw Stephanie there too. She bit back a curse and went farther down the aisle sitting a few paces behind Stephanie.
Nessa spent what must have been hours reading the book. With satisfaction, she finally closed it. She finally understood. All Professor Hund had said was right, albeit ill explained.
Nessa breathed deeply as she tried to sort through her thoughts. What she had just read in the book. She finally understood why it was easy for her to cast darkness magic. It was because her Ki flowed in the same pattern as darkness itself.
Everything in the world has Ki and everything is made up of a combination of the six elements. Each element in its own nature has its own Ki pattern, just like mages have their own Ki pattern.
The reason why it was easy for Nessa to cast darkness magic was because her Ki flowed in a pattern that
resembled the pattern of darkness.
But that didn't mean that she needed to change her Ki pattern to cast a different element. It merely meant that she needed to adjust her flow-rate.
If she wanted to manipulate that very element in nature however, although she needs to adjust her flow rate, she would also have to take control of the element's own Ki.
What Nessa still didn't understand was what it meant to take control of the element's own Ki. Plus, if magic could be this simplified, why had Professor Hund insisted that certain elements are more easily manipulated in nature, than cast?
Not willing to rest until she knew everything, Nessa stood and made her way back to the bookshelves. This time she picked at least three books that she thought would help her.
Moments later as she walked towards her seat, she locked eyes with Stephanie. Behind her eyes, Nessa could see notthing but fury and extreme determination.
'Gosh,' Nessa thought, 'Now I understand what it means for your fundamental element to be fire.'
Unwilling to waste any more time, she made her way to her seat. Her butt had barely touched the leather seat, when she opened the first book and started reading. It didn't take long before she discarded it and branded it useless, at least for now. The book kept talking about how it was easier to weave high end spells for group A elements than group B elements—not what Nessa was searching for.
A moment later another book was opened in front of her, and faster than the previous one, she discarded the book tagging it beyond useless.
The third book however, was a lot more useful. After five minutes of reading, Nessa already understood why it was easier to manipulate group B elements than cast them.
It is simply because, the elements' Ki are easier to manipulate than even an individual's own Ki unless the individual had a pattern similar to that element. Whereas it was the exact opposite for group A elements.
Nessa thought back to the time Professor Hund had turned out all the candles in the classroom. Although she couldn't notice it then, now she could have sworn that she saw beads of sweat on Professor Hund's face.
Fire was a group A element, meaning it was easier for the Professor to manipulate his Ki (like making a fireball) than to manipulate the fire Ki (which was how he had turned off the candles.)
Nessa smiled as understanding shone on every portion of her face. If what she had discovered was true, it meant that even easier than making a dark energy ball, she should be able to manipulate darkness itself. All she needed to know was how exactly, she needed to manipulate darkness Ki.
Nessa made multiple attempts to try changing the form of shadows, but she could have as well been trying to light the night sky with a candle. Seemingly not satisfied, Nessa picked up the second book again, to see if there would be tips on how to control the world's Ki.
Just as she was about to begin reading, a hand appeared over the book. Nessa traced the hand up its arm, until her eyes landed on its owner's face.
Stephanie looked even more alert than she normally did. When she spoke, the words poured like several oceans on a beach. With so much authority.
Nessa was tempted to say yes to what Stephanie had just demanded. The words still rang clear in her mind
"I challenge you to a duel?"