When they got back, Damien sent a longing glance at his bed before staggering past it and down the hallway into the training room, using the walls to keep himself standing before finally flopping to the hard ground with a relieved sigh. Sylph followed him in.
"You also going to train?" Damien asked, grabbing some Ether and bringing it within himself from his seated position.
"If you don't mind me using the room," Sylph said. "You did make it, after all."
"Go for it," Damien said. "I'm going to be using my Gravity Spheres, though. It might bother you."
"I'm used to training in hectic environments," Sylph replied, closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath.
Damien shrugged. He channeled the Ether, observing the motes of energy closely as they traveled up his arm. As the twirling energy emerged from his palm, turning into a Gravity Sphere, Damien saw a dull golden glow emitting from the orb. The longer he held the spell there, the brighter the escaping light grew, and the more the sphere faded.
Is that the Ether leaking out of my spell?
"Yes," Henry said, speaking up for the first time in several hours. Damien's concentration broke, and the spell melted away as the Ether escaped it with a crackle.
You're talking to me again? Have you made a decision?
"Not yet. I am considering it. For now, focus on your training. We can speak later tonight," Henry said.
Fine. Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong, then? Why is so much of my Ether escaping?
"Your understanding of the spell is too low, which is making it hard for you to focus on the correct things," Henry said. "If you want to improve the spell, you'll have to learn how it actually works."
Well? I'm listening.
"The first thing you need to understand is gravity," Henry said, letting out an annoyed huff that was entirely unnecessary as he didn't breathe. "Everything puts out a force that attracts everything else to it. The bigger the object is, the stronger the force."
That doesn't make sense. I thought gravity just pulled me down. Wouldn't that mean random objects should be moving toward me?
"I'm getting there," Henry said irritably. "The Mortal Plane is a planet. A big sphere that you all live on."
No shit. Everyone knows that.
"How am I supposed to know what elementary knowledge you do and don't have? Just shut up and listen," Henry snapped. Damien hid a smirk as Henry continued, "The Mortal Plane has a gravitational force that's so much higher than anything else in the area that your own force is basically worthless. It basically doesn't exist."
I guess that makes sense.
"Of course, it does. Now, the Gravity Sphere spell does two things. The first is that it creates a zone where the force of the Mortal Plane is temporarily negated," Henry said. "This is called anti-gravity. The second is that it creates its own gravitational pull, based off the amount of Ether you put into it."
Oh, wow. I thought it just…sucked things in.
"Which is why your spell was weaker. That's what it does, but not how it does it. I only get general ideas of what you're thinking, so I can't tell if you're messing it up if you're on the right track," Henry said. "The more you understand of how a spell works, the better it will serve your needs."
Well, I understand what you just said. Does that mean I've mastered it?
"Not in the slightest. I gave you the basic information on how it works, which I honestly should have told you before.
I mistakenly assumed you knew what gravity was. Now, you can cast the spell and get a stronger response from it, but mastery means you understand gravity perfectly," Henry said.
Damien got the suspicion he was pacing around inside his head.
"You would be able to tell me exactly how much force the planet was putting out, and how to calculate anything related to the forces from any object. I said they were essentially zero, but they're actually very small. That means they have a miniscule effect. Do you understand how that works?"
Damien cleared his throat.
Gotcha. Not mastered.
"Indeed," Henry said in a dry tone. "But, as I said, that's fine. You don't need to master it. You just need a decent understanding. Go give it a try, and not next to your roommate."
Damien nodded. He drew on the Ether again, this time picturing all the effects Henry had just spoken of. The ball of dark energy churned to life above his palm. It didn't look very different from normal.
He tossed it into the far corner of the room, as far away from both himself and Sylph as he could get it. As always, the orb of darkness expanded outward before rapidly collapsing in on itself.
Damien's ears popped. A sharp crack broke the silence as the air in the room vanished. Both he and Sylph were more than five feet away from the blast zone, but Damien was still yanked forward and nearly fell flat on his face.
Sylph scooted several feet across the ground but didn't budge from her seated position.
A moment later, the air rushed back into Damien's lungs. He stared at the wall in shock. Several pieces of the stone near the impact zone had been ripped clean from the walls.
"Much better," Henry said in a smug tone. "So much for not having a good way to fight that stone armor kid.
Imagine what this would do to his measly little defenses."
You didn't tell me it could do this.
"I figured you weren't a complete moron. It's gravity, not a static shock."
You know, that's fair enough.
Damien peered closer at the wall, inspecting the area where the spell had it. There was a small area where absolutely no damage had been done to the wall, but everywhere around it in around a one-foot radius had been cracked or damaged.
I think this is the impact zone. The spell doesn't damage anything directly in the center?
"Correct. The very center of it is a null zone. It's not a very large area, so it's not going to be much of a big deal," Henry said. "Check those stats of yours. See how much this helped."
Damien did as he was instructed.
Damien Vale Blackmist College Year One Major: Undecided Minor: Undecided Companion: [Null] Magical Strength: 4 Magical Control: .52 Magical Energy: 8.5 Physical Strength: .25 Endurance: .5 "Big increase in Magical Strength and a nudge in control," Damien said with a grin.
"Well done," Henry said. "Now, use that extra brain happy-juice to get some more practice done."
Damien nodded thoughtfully. He sat and formed another Gravity Sphere. He drew in a deep breath, bracing himself before chucking it again. There was another series of cracks as he further damaged the walls.
This time, Damien managed to resist most of the spell's power. It didn't seem as if it's radius had changed much, just its strength within the radius.
"That's really cool," Damien said quietly, picking up one of the fragmented pieces of stone and turning it over in his hand.
Henry didn't say anything, but Damien felt a vague sense of approval coming from his companion.
"It's about time," Henry said. "Go ahead and eat the herb you got from the store. You're pretty exhausted, so it'll do a lot of good in restoring some Ether to your hungry body."
Damien nodded and headed back to his bed to pull the glass vial out of his bag. He popped the stopper off and examined the dry leaf inside it.
So, what do I do?
"Just put it in your mouth," Henry replied. "It'll dissolve and release the Ether within it. It won't take much time at all."
Damien shrugged and followed Henry's instructions, tossing the leaf into his mouth. It tasted oddly spicy, with a strong hint of basil and what might have possibly been spinach. It melted within moments, sending a sharp jolt of energy down Damien's spine as a refreshing feeling flooded through his body.
That felt amazing. Did it work?
"Yes," Henry replied. "You won't see the effects yet, so there's no point checking your wristband. And don't think about getting another herb anytime soon. You need to use every bit of Ether you can before loading up on more herbs or you'll become dependent on them."
Damien nodded his understanding. He wandered back into the practice room, still enjoying the fading traces of the leaf's effects on his body. He froze when he stepped through the hallway.
Motes of dark energy had twirled around Sylph. They twisted around her body, pulsing in and out of existence.
Her lips were narrowed in extreme concentration, and a vein in her forehead bulged.
Is she okay? She doesn't look like she's feeling well.
"Constipated, maybe?" Henry suggested. Damien couldn't stop the small laugh from escaping his mouth, which only served to further the smug amusement radiating off the eldritch creature.
Don't you feel any shame? You're an eldritch monster from the Void, and you're making poop jokes. That's just… sad.
"Your fault. It's your damn human spark," Henry said.
They both went silent instantly.
What?
"Nothing."
You said something about my human spark. What's going on with it?
"Nothing. It was a slip of the tongue."
You're changing, aren't you? Just like how your soul changed me. You're becoming more like a human.
"Be silent!"
Damien's skin turned ice cold. A violent gale howled through the room, but he was the only one who felt it. If anything, that only served to prove Damien right.
That was rather irrational of you. I know you claim you made yourself as a way to speak with me, but I don't think It Who Heralds the End of All Light would give away such important information freely.
Henry growled. It was a hissing, crackling noise that struck a deep chord of fear within Damien. His eyes narrowed and he didn't budge.
"Enough," Henry said. "Not here. Not now."
Then when?
"Tonight," Henry said after several minutes. "We must be truly alone. Speak no further of this."
Damien hid his victorious grin. He glanced at Sylph to see if she'd paid much attention to his internal conversation, but her eyes were still squeezed shut.
Uh…back to my original question. Is she okay?
Sweat rolled down Sylph's forehead, which had paled by a noticeable degree. Henry didn't respond immediately.
"She's using a cultivation method," he finally said. "One that humans would probably consider brutal, but I can't tell more than that through your eyes. I need to see myself."
Damien examined Sylph's pained expression. Her hands were squeezed so tightly blood trickled between her fingers from where her nails had pierced her palms.
Do it. This doesn't look right.
Damien slid back within his mind, allowing Henry to seamlessly take control of his body. The companion wasted no time, flicking a finger and forming a floating eye in the air above Sylph. It opened and looked down at her.
A few moments later, the eye snapped shut and vanished. Henry released control of Damien's body.
"She's trying to force her core to evolve," Henry said emotionlessly. "She wants to increase her magical energy."
I can see why. That's what Delph was ragging on her about, right? That's why she can't cast many spells.
"Yes. Human bodies all have their own, unique limits. A cultivation method can help, but it won't change the core parts of you. Growth is not fast," Henry said. "Some are luckier than others. Like you."
So…will it work?
"Probably not," Henry said. "If we call you lucky, then she's cursed. I'm somewhat impressed she's gotten as far as she has. Her veins are so thin it's a miracle she can even channel Ether. Her core is also tiny. It's pathetic."
What happens if it doesn't work, then?
"Ninety percent she faints. She'll be out in bed for a day or two, but then she'll be fine. Five percent chance she shatters her core and can never use magic again. Five percent chance she bursts her veins with Ether and dies of internal bleeding within a few minutes."
What? We can't let that happen! Can't we do anything?
"Why should we? She'll probably be fine. If I do anything, there won't be a real way to hide who I am," Henry said. "She might not figure it out immediately, but it'll give her a big hint. It won't take much research for her to realize I'm not from the Plane of Darkness. Her own companion is from it, so she might connect the dots."
She could die, Henry!
"Humans die all the time. She made this decision not you! What gives you the right to interfere with her progress?"
Since when have you cared about rules?
"This isn't our problem, Damien."
I'm not going to sit here and watch my friend die! And she might as well die if she loses her ability to do magic.
"Ten percent chance," Henry reminded Damien. "And she isn't your friend. You've known her for less than a week."
You two are the closest things I've had to friends since I was thirteen. And even if we aren't friends, she doesn't deserve to die. I would have done the same thing if my magical energy was that low!
Henry didn't respond for several seconds. Sylph's face turned paler. A trickle of blood trailed from her left eye.
"That's not good," Henry observed.
Henry! Please!
"If she tries to reveal anything about me, we kill her," Henry said. "No questions. No complaints. I'm not going to lose my chance to roam the Mortal Plane because of this."
Deal.
"You're going to feel really stupid if it turns out she didn't need our help," Henry snarled.