Does one of you know why only they can control mana while we can't?
Of course, none of you do and, even if you had an inkling of the truth, your tiny heads would twist it into falsehood. You're the worst disciples I have had to teach so far!
*cough*
You might be confused about my outburst. And that is why you're one of the worst classes of young mages since the founding of this academy! You see, the first part of my lesson was a lie. There is a way for a human to have direct control over the mana without relying on fluxes.
And since nobody pointed it out, I can only assume that none of you know what an arcanist really is and, by extension, why a flux can control mana.
Arcanist, such as I, have found a way to harmonize directly with mana. Forming the very same relationship it has with the fluxes.
To answer my previous question, since none of you can. Fluxes can interact with mana because of their lack of physical body, while their spiritual body is constantly tempered by the ambient mana. By inserting our will in their spiritual body, we can force them to create a spell.
Our physical body prevents this mana tempering process on our soul and, by doing so, stops us from forming spells on our own. We are disconnected from mana.
Now, let's test your head one last time to see if you can all still be saved.
How can an arcanist attune themselves with mana despite still having a physical body?
- Extract from an academic lesson on Flux, part 2, by Nerius III.
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The part of the mana river the spirit had thrown itself into was, in fact, an unusually calm section. The current was fast, but not like the raging torrent that quickly appeared to batter the swimming spirit from every side. The lone shining orb crashed into walls, roots, and crystals many times in its travel, shattering and destroying the feeble obstacles while bouncing off the hard ones.
The spirits eventually reached an intersection. If before, the river was a raging bull, it was now akin to a furious dragon. It wasn't chaos, it was hell, and for the first time, the spirit felt dread as mana continued to batter its body wildly.
"I need to escape." was its last thought before crashing into a glowing golden root in the middle of the intersection. A mixed feeling of nausea and tiredness invaded its mind before everything went black.
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"Mastar gone... Mastar far, too far." A worried Molly was pacing back and forth inside her chamber. Engrossed in her primal instincts, she didn't notice when her master went missing. When she finally snapped out of it and couldn't feel her master close, despair threatened to take over her budding mind and twisted her newfound intelligence into savage madness.
Did it abandon her? Why? Why did it leave her alone? Was she a bad girl? Did she disappoint the master? But those thoughts were quickly dismissed; she could feel it, the link between her and the master was still strong. Her master was far, really far away, but not out of reach.
"Mastar must have discovered new things and forgot all about telling Molly! Mastar loves new things too much. Wait for me mastar, I'm coming, we're coming." Said the resolute insect before assembling her family and tasking them with the new, simple project. Dig, expand and reproduce, all for the master.
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"Damn my stupid self, never ever will I do that again. Urgh, it hurts. I bet it's close to how Molly felt the first time I blew her up." The spirit woke up after an undetermined amount of time, feeling sluggish with a cloudy mind. It took a moment to collect its thoughts and recall what happened.
Looking around, it became apparent that the spirit was still inside the turbulent river, albeit in a bubble of calm surrounding the aforementioned glowing bundle of roots. The sight outside the tangling bits was something to behold.
Sparkling crystals with ever-changing shapes protrude from the silver and golden-colored cave walls. The walls were also home to lots of roots dancing along with the erratic rhythm of the crossing rivers. And finally, a seemingly peaceful ethereal jellyfish slowly swam amidst the torrent of mana without a care in the world before zapping away in a flash of emerald green. All encompassed in the moving blue hue of the turbulent mana, like an aurora borealis.
The world was weird and vast, and the spirit grew ever curious, but now wasn't the time for research and questions.
"I really need to escape, but where? How? Humm, upward is the only viable solution, isn't it? There should be an opening for the plant to grow. I just hope it's not too far."
The first time the spirit tried to dig up, it was too careless, and the ambient mana nearly exploded because of its shaken will and of the chaotic nature of the river. The second time, it slowly but surely, dug toward safety by extending a solidified tendril to displace the soil.
An hour of digging later, the spirit reached the 'foot' of the owner of the golden roots. A towering golden mushroom-like tree inside a high but narrow cave. The cavern was covered in purplish moss with some smaller mushrooms sprinkled here and there.
While not as eye-catching as the river underneath, the spirit liked it very much. The feeling of security, coziness, and peacefulness was all it needed right now.
"This place is quite good. It will do well as my new, temporary home. Too bad I don't have Molly at hand, there is a lot that needs to be done, and I'm alone out here." Mused the spirit after plugging the small hall it had dug earlier.
Unbeknown to the spirit, a bunch of glowing red eyes was staring warily at it, lurking in the darkness of the cave. The beasts were readying themself for when the intruder began to move.