Chereads / Dreamweaver; Successor Of The Nightmare King / Chapter 72 - EPISODE 72: XCALIBUR AOP 2! UNION OF THE WORLDS! THE FOURTH SESSION: THE RINGS OF OLYMPUS PART III: THE ARCHER’S AFFINITIES PART I: THE RELATION BETWEEN PERSON AND AFFINITY

Chapter 72 - EPISODE 72: XCALIBUR AOP 2! UNION OF THE WORLDS! THE FOURTH SESSION: THE RINGS OF OLYMPUS PART III: THE ARCHER’S AFFINITIES PART I: THE RELATION BETWEEN PERSON AND AFFINITY

We finally exchanged Maps of our various Continents and Peristylia. We also finally activated the Pisces' Job System Of Alliance. Through this System, we could grant one another access to specific features, functionalities and Technologies of our various Peristylia even if we were not all from the same land.

By establishing these ties, the Pisces System now allowed us the ability to communicate with one another regardless of distance so we could find one another whenever it was necessary. This functionality could be blocked if we ever entered into an event where we'd need to compete with one another through special combat training and things of the like. After doing this, we each returned to our various Peristylia.

Once in their Peristylium, Keiran and Concordia rested for a day. The next day, they woke up very early.

"Up for some special training Concordia?" Keiran asked.

"Special Training?" Concordia asked curiously.

"Yup, I did promise to help you train. You said earlier on that you are stronger at channeling your Elemental Affinities through your sigils than using your Elemental Affinities directly so I intend to help you sharpen your understanding of the Elemental Balance. This should allow you to widen the range of application with regards to your Sigil" Keiran explained.

"Finally, I thought you had forgotten" Concordia sighed in relief.

"I'm pretty sure the Olympus Trial will be the equivalent of the Tower Of Trials we had to go through before becoming Dream Knights. It's best we make all the necessary preparations before crunch time arrives" Keiran said.

"So how do we begin?" Concordia asked.

"First, some basic theory. You've heard of the Elemental Balance haven't you?" Keiran asked.

Concordia nodded.

"It's the concept that describes the dominance of an element over another element as well as the interaction amongst the elements" Concordia stated.

"Well, the Law Of The Conservation Of Energy is one of the basic underlying Principles Of The Elemental Balance" Keiran said.

Concordia nodded.

"A second principle is the Law Of Affinities" Keiran explained.

"Every Dream Knight has an affinity for an element. These Affinities determine their Strengths and Weaknesses. Is that what you're getting at Keiran?" Concordia asked.

Keiran nodded.

"Exactly, it's similar to the concept the Chinese refer to as 'Chi' and the Japanese refer to as 'Ki'. An elemental affinity is unique. There are a limited number of Elements we're currently aware of. According to the Principle my Dad taught me, the Elemental Balance revolves around Nine Dominant Elements. Every Human has an affinity for one of the nine however no two humans apply their affinities in exactly the same way even if there is some resemblance between their applications" Keiran explained.

"That is true" Concordia nodded.

She was aware of this fact also.

"However, regardless of how vast the applications of an elemental affinity are, each element has what you can refer to as 'Predominant Characteristics' or 'Predominant Traits'. It is these traits that are factored into calculating which element exerts dominance over another. Because these traits are predominant, every user of a specific affinity has what we refer to as 'Tendencies' which describe how likely they are to pursue a particular course of action. People who are considered good judges of character have a great sense of this application even if they may be oblivious to the theoretical concept" Keiran explained.

"I see. So that's the reason for the saying 'when one can utilize an affinity different from their natural affinity, it implies a comprehension of people of that element's affinity right?'" Concordia asked.

Keiran nodded.

"This ability is especially prominent in Archers who have to factor in a lot of calculation into the placement of their shots. You've been utilizing this principle even without your conscious knowledge. That's why you're always so startled whenever you miss a shot" Keiran explained.

"Is this principle absolute?" Concordia asked.

Keiran smirked.

"You should ask yourself why the constellation of Sagittarius, the Archer is that of a centaur Concordia. The answer lies there. Humans that are driven purely by instinct are more predictable than those that fuse instinct with Wisdom because a Human who is capable of rejecting a tendency can break out of the limitations imposed by this principle. As such they're more capable of evading an Archer's Shots than one driven purely by Instinct. That's another connotation of the Sagittarius Constellation" Keiran said.

Concordia recalled the ridiculous manner in which I evaded her very first shot at me.

"When you put it that way, I really feel like punching San" Concordia said.

"You're one of the three most powerful Dream Knights our age. The normal tendency would be to avoid asking a less experienced person for help but if you hadn't, you might not have broken through your limitations as easily and you might have fallen into the Weaver Of Calamity's Trap. Tendencies are what most traps revolve around and that's why most hunts if not every hunt requires some form of bait" Keiran explained.

Concordia realized what Keiran was getting at.

"I see" she realized.

"That is why by understanding your own affinities, you can understand your Strengths, your Weaknesses and your Tendencies. This should help you determine which battles you should fight and which are debilitating to your affinities and equip you to avoid traps in a prudent manner" Keiran explained.