Chapter 21. First day of Training.
Gavin sat at the table as Erza opened the wooden chest he'd seen the day before. Inside were six small round crystal orbs. Each one smooth and polished. Each orb was a distinct color symbolizing their element. Red for fire, blue for water, green for air, brown for earth, white for light and black for darkness.
"Do you remember what do to?" Erza's voice called out as Gavin looked up at her. Tessa sat at the other side of the table, determination on her face.
"I think I'm good. Tessa?" Gavin's voice was quiet and focused as Erza pulled out each crystal orb and placed them on the wooden table.
Tessa nodded. "Just pour our mana into the crystal and see if it lights up right?" Her voice trembled slightly as she looked at Erza.
Erza inclined her head. "That's right. This is all up to you guys now."
Gavin reached out a hand slowly to pick up the red crystal and held it in his hands.
Alert, new quest received. Complete attunement with all six elemental magics. Rewards. New skill is unlocked. Instant level up. Veronica's soft voice filled Gavin's mind as a message popped up in his vision.
So, I get access to a new skill already by going through this training? That excited Gavin. He grinned as he focused on his inner mana flow. He felt it surging through his body. Instead of shifting like the last time he focused, he willed his mana to pour into the crystal in his hand.
Erza held her breath as she watched him. I have no idea what to expect. But I have a strong feeling he is going to go to the extreme, like he always does. Aria and Lyla sat nearby watching carefully as Gavin was the first one to try the test.
At first, nothing happened with the crystal. Gavin's brow furrowed as he tried to pour more mana into the small crystal orb. He had to resonate with some magic. Just when Gavin was about to give up and place the crystal orb down, it suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.
In the center of the orb was a clearly white rune mark. It shone bright against the red of the crystal. Gavin nearly dropped the orb in surprise and excitement as he opened his eyes and saw the symbol.
Erza leaned forward excitedly. "That's what you wanna see. That white symbol, or black when you test with the white orb." She grinned as Gavin placed the red orb back on the table.
Quest progress updated. Resonated with one out of six elements. Veronica updated the quest.
Gavin's mouth was dry with nerves as he reached for the blue orb. The orb of water. He held the small crystal in his hand and poured his mana into it, repeating the same steps from the red orb. After what felt like an eternity, the blue orb lit up, and a clear white rune was visible. Tessa shouted with excitement as she watched her best friend. "Water and fire? That's pretty cool!" She danced around on her seat, anxious for her turn to try the crystals.
Quest progress updated. Resonated with two out of six elements. Four remain.
Thanks Veronica, but I don't need an update every time I resonate with an element. Gavin responded. He appreciated the easy updates, but he didn't need one every time.
So one by one Gavin continued through the test. Each crystal orb lit up and the rune symbol displayed vividly for all to see. When Gavin placed the black orb back on the table another message popped up from the system.
Congratulations. Quest completed. Resonate with all six elemental magics. Rewards will now be distributed. Instant level up received.
User Gavin Johnson.
Royal bloodline were-wolf shifter.
Level three.
Health. One hundred twenty.
Mana. Forty.
Strength. Forteen.
Speed. Nineteen.
Agility. Twenty-four.
Stamina. Nineteen.
Charm. Five.
Intimidate. Five.
Five free points awarded for user to distribute.
Current skills.
Shape shift level one. User is able to shift into a were-wolf form at will. All physical stats are doubled during duration of shift. Higher levels will grant higher bonuses, as well as increase efficiency in mana use while shifted.
New skill unlocked. Elemental Manipulation. The user has successfully unlocked part of his royal bloodline heritage. The user is able to resonate with all six primal elemental types. Higher skill level will allow user to cast more advanced skills with less mana use.
Multiple messages bombarded Gavin at once as he finished the last orb. It was almost overwhelming as he tried to balance what was going on from the system with everyone's reactions to the results from the test.
Erza sat there, slat jawed as she watched him place the last orb back on the table. No way in seven's great hells is he able to…. How?! She wracked her brain as she tried to find anyone in history that she recognized as able to use all six elemental magics. "Holy shit." She breathed that out, unable to say anything else.
Aria and Lyla both were stunned as they walked over. "Did we just watch, what I think we just watched?" Aria's voice was a prayer of a whisper as she kept her eyes on Gavin's face. Lyla just nodded silently as she took a seat at the table next to Erza.
Tessa looked around in puzzlement. "Is that not supposed to happen?" Her voice was filled with confusion as she looked between their faces and the six orbs on the table.
Erza shook her head. "Not so much that it isn't supposed to happen, as more it NEVER happens." She emphasized the never in that as she leaned forward. "You never cease to amaze me, you know that right?" She looked at her boy in surprise and approval as he returned her gaze with a grin.
"I'm so good, sometimes I surprise myself." Gavin joked as he nudged Tessa. "Your turn."
Before Tessa could reach out and grab one of the orbs Aria stopped her. "Hold on. Are we just going to ignore the fact that you resonated with all six elements?" Her voice was full of shock and disbelief. No one in the last many centuries has been recorded as capable of using all six.
Erza let out a bitter laugh. "Believe it or not Aria. My boy resonated and tuned with all six. We all saw the crystal rune's light up." She defended Gavin. I still have no idea how that's possible, but the crystal doesn't lie.
Aria let out a huff of annoyance. "Fine. But after Tessa is done, we have to test him to see if he can use any of the magics." Aria shook her head in disbelief.
Gavin nodded thoughtfully as he considered one of the messages he received form the system. "Sounds good to me. I want to know what my limits are before trying to push things."
Erza inclined her head approvingly. "I think that's a smart idea." Erza took a deep breath before she turned to face Tessa. "Well, you saw how it's done. Your turn."
Tessa nodded, suddenly very nervous about her test. She reached out and grabbed the first crystal, the red one. She closed her eyes and followed Erza's earlier instruction. She felt her inner mana flow and concentrated on the way it moved through her body. She pushed it from her hands and into the small red crystal.
After a few minutes, nothing happened. She grumbled as she placed the crystal down. She repeated the process with each one. She jumped for joy, fist thrown into the air with the black crystal orb held in her hand. "Ha! I can use magic!" She cried out with glee.
Gavin grinned excitedly as he watched her. "Yeah, but I can use more." He teased her playfully as he dodged a punch she threw at him.
Tessa glared at him. "Do not take this away from me. Just because you have some freaky connection with magic don't mean you can be a braggart."
Gavin held his hands up in surrender. "Touchy subject. I was only trying to tease." He apologized to her as she narrowed her eyes at him and huffed.
"Now what?" Tessa turned to face Erza, who had a soft smile on her face.
"Now that you both have tested with the crystals, we can begin teaching you the basics of how to connect with an element and conjure or manifest it." Erza stood up and began packing the crystals back into their wooden chest. "The concept is nearly identical, regardless of which element you have to work with."
Gavin nodded as he listened in. Erza turned and gestured for Gavin and Tessa to follow. "Sit." She commanded them and pointed to the logs in the clearing. Both did as they were instructed and turned to face Erza.
Erza stood in front of them both. "You both now can recognize and connect with your inner mana flow. That was the point in testing with the crystal orbs." She stretched out her hands and a small orb of fire manifested in the palms of her hands.
"Once you are familiar with that sensation. You conjure an image in your mind. For me, I picture how I want to use fire magic. I pictured a small orb of fire dancing in the palms of my hands." She moved her hands back and forth; the fire orb stayed in place as she moved.
"I used my mana flow to give life to the element. To the creation of the orb. Once created it takes on a life of its own, getting its fuel from the oxygen around or the material it is thrown against." Erza continued as she tossed one of her orbs of fire at the firepit. It exploded with a loud bang as the remaining unburned pieces of wood ignited.
"Then all that is left is to visualize what you want that spell to do. Right now I imagined throwing it against the campfire and igniting whatever was left unburnt from last night. Then I acted as such and threw out my hand, pushing the fireball out with my mana and it acted accordingly." Erza closed her other hand, snuffling the flames in her palm.
Gavin frowned as he considered that. "That sounds like it would take too long to use in a battle or fight where seconds mean victory or defeat."
Aria walked over and nodded. "Once you get used to it, the process is almost instantaneous. You get so in the habit of doing it all at once that you don't even realize it." A gentle breeze picked up around the clearing that ruffled their hair. "For me, I picture a small light breeze that blows through the area, infuse my magic with the will and intent. Then boom. Now there's a soft breeze around us." She grinned in satisfaction as she watched the faces of Gavin and Tessa.
"So the intent matters as much as the amount of magic you put into it?" Gavin pondered as he opened the palm of his hand. He focused on his mana and decided to try something simple. An orb of fire like Erza.
He closed his eyes and felt his mana flowing through his body. He visualized an orb of fire that rested in the palm of his hand. He imagined the heat of the flames as it danced against his skin. He opened his eyes to see a small orb of fire. It wasn't as large as Erza's. But it was a start.
He grinned as he looked at the others. "Ha! I did it!" He jumped for joy off the stump, and in doing so the orb of fire died out in his hands.
Erza busted up laughing at his overly placed enthusiasm. "You have to keep your concentration on the spell, or it will fade out like that one just did."
Gavin groaned and felt his ears heat up from embarrassment. "I knew that." His solemn response made a sly smile appear on Tessa's face.
She closed her eyes and tried to come up with a way to test the magic of darkness. What could she honestly do with darkness? I can't just summon a ball of elemental energy like a fireball, but with darkness, can I? She frowned as she concentrated. She opened the palm of her hand as she felt her mana flow stir inside her.
She closed the palm of her hand as another thought came to mind. She looked around and noticed everyone's shadows. I wonder… She concentrated on her mana and imagined herself falling through her own shadow.
A bead of sweat trickled down her neck as she held onto that image vividly in her mind. She felt her mana flow responding to her will as her body became weightless yet felt like it was falling at the same time. When she opened her eyes all she could see around her was a dark abyss.
"Tessa?" She heard Gavin call out in alarm as she seemed to vanish from the stump. She tilted her head to look up and was surprised at what she saw.
Her entire perspective changed. She was looking at the world as if she was under it. Hidden inside the shadows on the ground. She could see through different points of view depending on which shadow she looked through. Oh, this is so cool! She grinned as if she had a new thought.
But as her concentration shifted, so too did the image of the spell. The effect fizzed out as she felt herself flying through the darkness and appeared back where she originally started, sitting on the log.
Gavin jumped off his stump when Tessa suddenly appeared there again. "Woah, what did you do?" His voice was filled with apprehension.
"I pictured myself jumping into my own shadow, and suddenly I was in a dark abyss. But I could see through the shadows, like I was looking up at the world." Tessa's explanation was interesting to all of them.
"Darkness magic is extremely rare. I've never met someone that can use it." Erza commented.
Gavin grinned triumphantly. "Then what say we get to practicing?"
While the others discussed the magic and how to test Gavin in all six elements. He opened his system to look at his stats. He still had the five free points from the instant level up. Last time he put them into his intimidate. I think I'll go a different route this time. He decided to put the five points into his stamina. It would do me no good to have this strength and power if I tire out too quickly.
Stamina increased by five points. Stamina is now at twenty-four points. Veronica's soothing voice spoke in his mind as she allocated the points for him. Bit by bit, he was growing stronger.