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Chapter 13: Elements and Spells
Ryan stood in the middle of his room, various colored elemental orbs floating around him, his blue eyes glowing faintly.
Fire, wind, lightning, and ice elements revolved around him. He had obviously lied to his sister when he told her he couldn't cast complex elemental spells.
But what exactly were spells?
For Ryan, converting mana into elemental magic was easy. But casting actual elemental spells was the real challenge.
The orbs disappeared from around him as Ryan raised his hand, converting mana into fire. He focused on the training dummy across the room and shot a fire arrow toward it.
Boom!
The head of the dummy exploded with a loud bang.
Ryan glanced briefly at the fallen dummy before walking toward the door, his white hair fluttering slightly in the breeze that followed him.
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Meanwhile, Alice's Dilemma
In her room, Alice sat by the window, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve as she stared outside. Her thoughts were a mess. Earlier, Ryan had told her he could help her sense mana. He had been so calm, so sure of himself when he offered.
Alice wasn't sure what to think.
She sighed and looked down at her hands. She had been trying to sense mana for so long, and each failure made her feel smaller. Watching Ryan and her brothers, who had all mastered mana control, only made it worse. Why was it so easy for them? And now Ryan was offering to help her?
It made her feel strange—like she was weak for needing his help. But was she?
The logical part of her knew she wasn't. Everyone needed help sometimes. But still, something held her back. Maybe it was pride. Maybe it was fear—fear of trying and failing again. What if even Ryan couldn't help her? What if she was just... different? What if she wasn't meant to sense mana at all?
Alice closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window. She had told Ryan she needed time to think, and she was grateful he didn't push her. He had left her alone to make her decision. But now, sitting here, all she could think about was whether or not she should let him help.
Part of her wanted to say yes. Ryan wasn't like her brothers. He treated her like she was capable, and she liked that. But at the same time, trusting someone with something this important… it was hard.
I'll think about it, Alice told herself. I just need more time.
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Back in Ryan's Room
Ryan paced the room, lost in thought after his training session. Spells were structured magic—shaped according to the user's will. Fireballs, wind blades—these were examples of spells, where a mage could control the speed and amount of mana used, depending on their control.
In theory, mastering all elements was possible, but in practice, it was nearly impossible for several reasons.
First, you couldn't use two elements at the same time. Unless, of course, your control reached the level of a Grand Mage. Even then, most Grand Mages could only manage two elements simultaneously.
The second limitation was time. It took tremendous effort to master even one element. Most noble children spent their early years mastering basic spells until they were fifteen. Afterward, they were sent to academies, mage towers, or knight orders to specialize in their strongest element.
The third limitation was switching between different elemental spells. It wasn't instant. The body's mana veins needed time to adjust to a new element.
Finally, there was the mana pool. Even Grand Mages had a limit to their mana. However, with enough mastery over a single element, a mage could drastically reduce mana expenditure for that element.
When children first sensed mana and created their mana pool, they were introduced to the elements. Then they learned control and spell casting. Introducing elemental spells early helped determine which element they were most talented in.
Ryan was an exception to these rules. His sensitivity to mana was so high that his control abilities were beyond insane for his age. He could use all elements simultaneously—something unheard of—because, unlike others, he didn't rely on mana veins. Ryan formed his mana pool without the need for veins to guide mana; his control was simply that advanced.
Ryan's body wasn't normal either. He discovered that if he activated his runes, he could use mana more efficiently . His already high sensitivity and control would reach a level where he could control laws like space and time themselves.
But his problem was his mana pool—it was too small. And, due to his hazy memories, he was unable to fully utilize his controlling abilities or runes; if he had those memories, he might have been able to solve the mana pool problem using runes. So, despite his capacity to handle multiple elements at once, he still needed to master one element at a time. In real combat, mastery of a single element would often determine the outcome.
And there was still that crazy malice, but her mana pool was significantly larger than his, and she could now control the runes to some extent.
"Well, at least she has more limitations, so perhaps we could reach an agreement; let's focus on one thing at a time." Ryan muttered as he made his way towards the library.
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Deep in the dark forest, far from the peaceful palace halls, Malice stood in the center of a clearing, her eyes closed in concentration. Around her, the trees seemed to bend slightly, as if affected by the pulsing energy radiating from her body.
She had felt it—a shift in the balance of power. Several years ago, someone or something began to affect the runes in the ancient palace. But She couldn't put her finger on it.
She opened her eyes, her pupils glowing a faint red as she raised her hands, letting the mana flow through her veins. It was intoxicating, the raw, untamed power she had gathered over the last few years. Her control had grown exponentially, but she knew it wasn't enough.
Not yet.
The runes still eluded her, and that frustrated her more than anything. She had tried everything—studied every text, tested every spell—but there was something missing. Something that kept her from fully unlocking their potential.
Who was affecting them?
Malice clenched her fists, her lips curling into a slight smile. Whoever it was, they would not stand in her way for long. She had come too far, gained too much power to let anyone else interfere with her plans.
"I'll find out what's going on," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the darkness. "And when I do, I'll take what's mine."
The shadows around her seemed to shift and swirl as her mana pulsed again, this time stronger than before. The power was building, and soon, she knew, she would be unstoppable.
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