Aisrin spent the next several months following his routine. He was relieved that he could use his magic and feel mana again, but it came with a price. If he used too much mana he would feel the same excruciating pain from when the mark was first placed on his body. It would last hours at times.
But Aisrin still chose to push on with the risks.
"As well as you're holding out, I think at least a few days of rest would benefit you much better. I think what's happening here is that when your mana is at full capacity it keeps the mark open... Uh, how do I explain it. It's like a gate. When theres too much force on the gate, it stays open, but when that force weakens it begins to close until it can completely shut.
When it shuts, it's like the mark reactivates until the force reopens it. Hmm, yes, that makes more sense." Trilla explained her theory.
"Even so, I need to become much stronger, in ways that no other person ever has. Right now I'm just blasting out magic attacks and magic swordsman techniques without restraint. It's not getting me anywhere, but even if just gradually, I'm sure I'll level up enough to face a whole kingdom or two." Aisrin answered.
"Hmm, rather than using what you already know, wouldn't it be more effective to learn more, and level those up?" Trilla logically countered.
"Yes, it would. But how would I learn something new if I'm stuck here?" Aisrin inquired.
"What magic affinities do you have?" Trilla continued.
"All elemental, a couple enhancement, dark magic, and a few psychic." Aisrin told her.
"Why not try combining different affinities together? I've always wondered if it would work." Trilla commented.
"That's too dangerous. My magic instructor told me before when I asked, that the success rate is less than a percent. The failure can also range from a minor coma to death." Aisrin replied while shaking his head.
"Nothing ventured nothing gained. You said you needed to be stronger in ways no person ever could. If the success rate is so low, and you surpass it, wouldn't that make you stronger than most people?" Trilla continued with her philosophy.
"Hah, you just want a side research. Am I just your personal test dummy?" Aisrin sighed.
"Of course! So hurry yo and do it! It might even give me more insight on the slave marks!" Trilla answered without hesitation or remorse.
"Hah, yes master." Aisrin sighed dejectedly.
***
Aisrin stood in the courtyard, sweating from fear and anxiety. As much as he wanted to become stronger, he also did6nt want to end his second life so suddenly.
'Since when do we just pussy out?'
Aisrin remembered the incident in which he was abducted. James death, the false testimony and genuine fear from Mina and Gwen. He remembered the face of the one responsible for all his suffering, the bitch princess. And he thought of his siblings, whom he wanted to see again.
"I wonder how they're doing? I bet Hari is pretty capable now. Adue is probably learning magic or something just to show it off to me. Hahaha, I really want see them again... Alright then! I'll make sure I have something to Shadow off as well!" Aisrin snapped out of his funk and decided to go forth with the experiment.
He held his hands out and ignited fire in his right and shadows in his left. Two completely different properties, neither similar to the other in anyway.
"Go hard or go home!" Aisrin shouted and slammed his hands together. The clashing attributes began forcing themselves apart, causing massive strain on Aisrins muscles. He began to burn mana at a massively high rate, dropping by the thousands.
He continued to force it until his low mana sent him into pain and he was forced to stop... or so he tried, but the magic wouldn't dispelled and began gathering g mana from the surrounding area, rapidly getting out of control. Between the pain from the mark and the pain from the out of control magic, Aisrin was being forced into a mind breaking corner. He strained further until the magic began to converge on each other.
The rapidly gathering mana had forced the gate open and the pain from the mark began to fade, giving Aisrin just a little more clarity. He pushed further until he finally clasped his hands together and a resonate boom blasted him into a wall.
The magic had dispelled, and he retained a portion of the forced gathering of mana in his body. Trilla had been standing and watching, taking notes all the while until Aisrin flew into a wall. Only then did she run to his side.
"Did it work?" Was the first and only question she asked.
"Really? Not; 'Are you okay?' Hah, I'm not sure, but I'm not unconcious or dead, so, let's take a look." Aisrin sighed. He stood up and held his hand out. He tried to summon a black flame, but nothing appeared. Aisrin dropped his hand and sighed. He looked at his skills and scrolled through them, until he found something. A side category under Mage. Aisrin cringed and lifted his hand once more.
"Shadow Flame!" Aisrin grimaced. It was so cringey. A black flame shot from his hand like a bolt and hit the opposite wall, were ot just burned without dying out.
"Oh!" Trilla gasped, a sparkle in her eyes.
"Well, looks like it's a success. Guess I'll keep at it then." Aisrin stated as he fired of shots. He did so until the mark activated.
***
Aisrin successfully created all his elements with the shadow attribute, creating a side magic called Shadow Elemental Magic. He nearly died every ti.e, but a new title was formed , 'Combination Mage' giving the success rate a 40% boost and lowering the risk of death to only 20% and unconsciousness to 30%. Trilla had also finally met her goal and released the slave mark. Trilla was so overcome with joy she fainted.
Mostly from the amount of mana required, and the use of blood having been a essential part of the process. It had to be done with the blood of a newborn silver fox, which took a year to find one. She only stumbled across this theory in an old tome written by the person thought to have created the slave mark.
This tome was not easy to come across. She had to swindle the keeper with her body multiple times until he finally let her peek at it, under the claims that she wanted to further strengthen the slave mark and take away their individuality further, making them more obedient. An amateur con artist in the least. But that story is too lengthy to detail out, and far too boring.
Apparently a newborn silver fox contains a massive amount of mana in their blood, that theoretically can produce magic scrolls of city destructive proportions. Silver foxes also only produce offspring once every decade. So the likely hood of finding one was slim to none. But for the sake of her research, Trilla spent tons of Platinum tablets, a currency much higher than gold, just to obtain one. She also had to figure out the proper symbols that would release the mark, and a whole vial of blood had to be used to be successful. A newborn only holds two vials of blood at most, and both were used.