We stared at the expanse of Fire for a while.
"Concordia, think you can scan past the openings in the Ceiling to see how it connects to the field with the Lake?" I asked.
"Sure" Concordia said and generated a field of dust.
"Looks like you're beginning to get the hang of your Earth Affinity. Your raw elemental control has improved" Keiran congratulated Concordia.
"Thanks. Hopefully, eventually, I won't even need to use dust and will rely solely on Wind like my Mom does" Concordia said as she sent the dust into the Ceiling.
She scanned the Ceiling and eventually, her dust arrived in the part of the Ceiling where the droplets of Water had rendered the lenses foggy.
"Yup, the two Ceilings are definitely connected. The Ice we used to contain the Vapour in the Ceiling has melted away. The only thing preventing the lenses from activating the Solar Death Ray Formation is the fog. However, now that we've released the blinds that were concealing the Light Sources, there's generally a high temperature in the Ceiling. The Fog won't last long" Concordia explained the situation.
"That's just perfect" I said with a smirk.
"Keep an eye on the Lake Field. Inform us when the Solar Death Ray Formation is activated" Mitsuki said.
We waited patiently. As we waited, we began to notice the surrounding air get more and more humid. Even the Walls and Ceilings of the Field Of Enchanted Fire began to gather more and more droplets of Water.
"Whoa…is it just me or is it getting more and more humid in here?" Arlene wondered.
"It's not just you. It appears while we were evaporating the Lake Water in the previous Hall, the Vapour was being transferred to this Hall through the Ceiling" Saito said.
"I don't think that's it. If that were the case, Concordia would have seen this Field as she scanned the Ceiling in the previous Hall. The fact that she didn't see this Field earlier implies that there was some sort of Wall or barrier sealing up the path through the Ceiling in the previous Hall that led to this Hall. That barrier must have dropped once we opened the door below the Lake" Arlene explained.
"I see" Keiran realized.
"So it hasn't really been very long since the Vapour in the previous Hall began to flow into this one. In a sense, that's a blessing. I was actually beginning to wonder what would happen once all the Water evaporated by the Solar Death Ray Formation condensed and caused a rise in the level of the Lake" I said.
Everyone froze.
"I don't think we need to worry about that. The door leading to the previous Field must be airtight or we'd have noticed substantial amounts of Water in this Field. The fact that we didn't and this place was dry proves that the door leading to this Field is strong enough to isolate the Lake from this Field" Arlene explained.
"The Solar Death Rays have reactivated!" Concordia alerted us.
We began to notice the field become foggier and foggier as time progressed. Keiran sneezed.
"Suddenly, I'm beginning to feel chilly" he said.
"What are you saying? It's hot in here" I said.
"Says the one who is not sweating" Keiran said.
I turned to look at the others.
"Keiran's right, it is beginning to get slightly colder" Ciella said.
"You're wrong" Ariel said seriously.
"What do you mean Ariel?" Saito asked.
"It hasn't gotten any colder. The Vapour from the Lake Field is being redirected to this Fiery Field. In a sense, the Field is mimicking the changes occurring in our bodies, especially the bodies of those of us without an affinity for Flame. It's our Biological Cooling Systems acting up" Ariel said.
"Biological Cooling Systems? What do you mean Ariel?" I asked.
Ariel sighed.
"Ever wondered why we sweat more during Hot Seasons than we do during Cold Seasons?" Ariel asked.
"Aside from the changes in Temperature?" I asked.
"Haven't you ever noticed that even after performing the same amount of Work in the Cold Season that one does during the Hot Season, one sweats more in the Hot Season than in the Cold?" Ariel asked.
"Now that you mention it…that's true" Arlene realized.
"Didn't you notice that when we stepped into this Field, most of us except for San began to sweat? Keiran has an affinity for Flame but since it's not his dominant affinity, even he was sweating" Ariel pointed out.
"What does that have to do with why San doesn't feel the change in temperature while we do?" Saito asked.
"Well during the Hot Season, the skin of Living Creatures relaxes causing the pores to expand. This increases the rate of Water Loss in our bodies. It's just like how the Solar Death Rays reactivated after the Ice sealing the roof melted away thus causing the Vapour from the Lake Field to flow into this Field. On the other hand, during the Cold Season, the Skin contracts, causing our pores to diminish in size thus reducing the rate of Water Loss from the body. It's just like when the Ceiling in the previous Field was frozen, the Vapour contained in it remained trapped in the Ceiling" Ariel explained.
"What has that got to do with our Biological Cooling Systems?" Saito asked.
"Well, when one is exposed to prolonged Heat, the body initially loses a lot of Water through sweat. However, something unique occurs in the body to preserve the little Water contained within it. The released sweat attached to the skin cools and in so doing cools the skin causing the pores to diminish in size thus reducing the rate of Water Loss" Ariel explained.
"I see…so even the body has a set of appropriate responses for each situation" I realized.
"Exactly" Ariel said.
"Following that logic, we don't have to do much here, reducing the level of the Lake was enough" Arlene realized.
"Yeah…the air is getting more and more humid" Keiran said.
As the humidity continued to rise, the drops of Water collecting on the Ceiling began to drop on the Flames. The Flames gradually began to diminish in size.
"Using the Solar Death Rays created a chain effect. The Vapour from the Lake that made it to this Hall have altered the arid climate to a humid one. It's beginning to affect the level of the Flames. See, the Flames are diminishing in size" Concordia pointed out.
"It's just like the Biological Cooling System Ariel spoke about" I noted.
"Appropriate responses…could that be what my Dream meant?" I recalled my Dream of the boy standing before the tremendous Gate.