When he began reading the "Fluid Arcana" manual, Phaistos suddenly realized the immense gift the mechanical voice had given him by offering the fundamental knowledge of "Dawn Vigil."
Indeed, as he skimmed through the book, Phaistos realized that learning magic was not as easy. When he received the meditation technique from the mechanical voice, he had also learned the use of knowledge.
But here, Phaistos was plunged into the unknown. First, he had to learn and understand the knowledge contained in the book. Only then could he start training. Fortunately for him, the terms used in the "Fluid Arcana" technique were more or less similar to those used in the "Dawn Vigil" technique.
"I assume that the basic principles of the different elements are common. The essential element will always be knowing if the person has the right spiritual affinities."
Nevertheless, although Phaistos understood the process, he preferred to read the entire manual. This caution came from his life as a fisherman. Indeed, he knew that an insignificant element in the change of behavior of the fauna or flora could signal a storm. He always preferred to stack the odds in his favor.
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[149 : 00 : 00]
Reading the book took him about six hours in total. This situation seemed surreal when looking at the book from the outside. The book seemed very thin, but by a process he couldn't understand, the book actually contained several thousand pages.
Fortunately for him, many pages were entirely occupied by energy flow diagrams.
This reading, which might have seemed useless to many, allowed him to deepen his knowledge of the fundamentals of magic. He couldn't say that he mastered the basics of magic, but his knowledge had expanded. The most important points concerned how he could accelerate his cultivation.
"This means that if I get closer to an elemental source, I can enhance my cultivation." Reading through the various notes he had made on his reading, Phaistos approached the fountain and made an unexpected move by diving into it.
The reason he did this was that he thought that by immersing himself in the water, he could more easily feel the aqueous energy.
He began to think: "According to the manual, with my understanding of the water element, I should be able to train a bit longer than I could with the light element. However, the difference shouldn't be significant."
During his reflection, Phaistos assumed the position recommended by the breathing technique. To properly assume the position, the practitioner had to place his hands in a cup shape, as if holding water. His palms were turned upward, fingers slightly curved, forming a receptacle.
When he closed his eyes, Phaistos began to open his senses outward to commune with the water elements. However, the first thing he saw was a chaotic sight. He could see the light and water elements trying to battle for space close to Phaistos. At the sight of this phenomenon, Phaistos stopped his practice, which had barely begun.
"So this is the event of spiritual convergence mentioned in the manual. I need to concentrate on filtering only the water element; otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous." This phenomenon was not unknown to Phaistos, as it was normal to experience this when one had multiple spiritual affinities. He had also opened the "Dawn Vigil" manual to compare his knowledge with what was written in the book, and this phenomenon was also present.
Spiritual convergence was a problem that concerned low-grade apprentices because it was related to their magical control. Thanks to the manual, Phaistos had understood that there were certain data that did not appear in his status. Magical control was one of them. To put it simply, magical control was the ability of an apprentice or magician to properly weave their own magical power as well as the magical power in nature.
Some were born with a certain talent in this area, but the book explained that with enough training, this ability would inevitably increase. The link between magical control and spiritual convergence was that an apprentice magician often did not have the ability to efficiently manage these multiple affinities. This meant that he ended up absorbing two types of magical affinities at the same time while his body was not yet ready for it. This resulted in chaos in the body, which could range from a simple nosebleed to death. The severity of the consequences was related to the exposure time and the subject's natural talent.
"Fortunately, I only have two spiritual affinities, because for every new meditation manual I would have acquired, the phenomenon could have gotten worse." thought Phaistos.
"I wonder if my talent in this area could appear on the data screen." Phaistos asked aloud.
[Request denied. For me to analyze your talent in this area, I need to see you undergo the event of spiritual convergence. At your level, it's the only way I can observe your control over the energies.]
"This response does not reassure me at all." Phaistos hoped at least not to have too poor a talent in this area, but he ultimately could not know. This made him panic. It took him several minutes to regain his composure.
"It seems that this is the only way I have to advance. It goes without saying that I do not want to lose my life in an unknown place, away from all populations." thinking this, Phaistos resumed his meditation position.
Phaistos took a deep breath and concentrated, determined to accomplish this crucial step. He was aware that he was forced to overcome this ordeal, although the uncertainty about his magical control skills worried him.
Adjusting his meditation position, he let the water currents surround him, trying to filter the potential disruptors. A few moments passed, then suddenly, an intense pain seized him. A wave of light energy tried to infiltrate, clashing violently with the aqueous energy he was trying to control. Phaistos felt his strength abandon him, his senses wavered.
"Damn... It seems I'm bad at this..." he murmured, just as he thought he was about to faint. A dull pain stopped him. He felt his eardrums burst under the impact of the clashing energies. After his ears, he began to bleed from his eyes, nose, and even some of his veins burst. And it was only after all this pain that he finally fainted.
He sank into unconsciousness for what seemed like an eternity. When he finally opened his eyes, he was at the surface of the water, and his body felt like it weighed a ton. A dull pain throbbed in his temples. The fountain, which seemed to have come straight from a divine paradise, had been transformed into a macabre spectacle. The water was a murky red, and the tiles of the fountain bore the marks of the consequences of his unconsciousness. Yet, he could no longer find the slightest trace of injury on his body.
[Complete analysis... Your state of unconsciousness lasted for one hour.]
Phaistos slowly got up, massaging his head, which seemed like it could explode at any moment due to the pain it caused him. He had failed, and he knew it.
[Your talent in magical control is mediocre, on a scale from F- to SSS+, your talent is rated E. I think you can congratulate yourself for not being the worst possible.] mocked the voice before resuming its speech.
[As you noticed, you bear no sequelae from your idiocy. We have healed you as a one-time aid for your first error. Keep in mind that this will be the last time. I will now finish healing you.]
Phaistos was enveloped in a warmth that was both gentle and burning, and he gradually felt his strength return, despite the burden imposed by his failure. The mechanical voice continued: [Learn this: without sufficient knowledge of magical control, it will be impossible to advance. It is necessary to work harder, meditate more, and exercise increased mastery over the energies you manipulate.]
Phaistos breathed deeply before standing up fully. "I understand. I will not be discouraged by this defeat. I will continue my training and improvement."
Phaistos resumed his meditation position, determined to overcome this ordeal, even if it took him days, weeks, or months. He knew that each failure brought him a little closer to the mastery he so desired.
[148: 00: 00]
Seeing the counter in the sky, Phaistos said: "I hope it will only take a few days because that's all I have." Oddly enough, it just made him smile softly. He found it normal for a task to be accompanied by its share of pressure. In such a situation, an intangible aura lingered over his body.
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Back in this sterile room adorned with glowing screens, a macabre scene unfolded. Indeed, on a number of screens, dozens of bloodied bodies or people screaming in agony could be seen. These people were the result of their weak talent in the art of magical control.
If Phaistos saw what was happening on these screens, he would not believe the content. Indeed, normally, the voice was supposed to heal them at this stage, but it did nothing.
"It's incredible that nothing happened to this group of young people from the same planet. Well, if we forget the slight help I gave to one of them." said Aldric, laughing.
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