Chapter 608: A Talk On True Elemental Mana. |
What was true elemental mana?
According to Mom, it was the purest form of an element, reminiscent of the primordial mana that existed at the beginning of this world. Where did this information come from? From the lesser fae and elementals, of course, for their race was the first sentient beings. Sadly, none of those who lived during that time were alive nowadays, for even the six Elemental Emperors were relatively “young,” despite being the “oldest” known fae in the world.
Since the fae, before the elves and fairies came into being, passed down their stories, histories, and lessons verbally, a lot of the history was lost to time until elven scholars became competent enough to gather snippets of these into books and scrolls. Unfortunately for these historians, and even people like the astrologists, the appearance of the Origin Gods killed off a lot of interest in this past. THEIR descent was the start of a new past, present, and future.
Fortunately, I wasn’t that into history that I would grieve this fact. What was important to me was that true elemental mana was my goal and that I could obtain the ice and holy versions of it.
“My lecture will be different from what you’ve experienced today, Your Grace. Due to my circumstances as the heir of Sacred Nest, I have a duty to explain and teach you why our nest is so fascinated by the former Holy Elemental Primarch’s remains. Why my father took such an interest in it, to the point that he was pushing for you to have Sanzaphon ‘cleanse’ the restrictions on the catalyst. And why we earnestly wish to train you,” Uriahn began as we sat down at a table. He had already prepared the fireplace and some tea for me to warm up since my body’s control had returned to me.
“Well, it’s obvious, no? You’re only in it for the true holy mana inside [Providence’s Will],” I replied as I allowed my holy catalyst to float around me as if it were a living elemental. “I don’t have a reason not to share it, even if one of my empress-mothers is vehemently against giving any support to Sacred Nest… not to mention that we do have a deal, right?”
He nodded. “I already sent a wyvern to inform my father. He should have sent me a reply by now, but I presume he must be discussing the subject with the nest’s elders and senators. The same must be happening with Dragon Ruler Alextraxus, correct?”
I nodded.
Although I wasn’t exactly sure what Taim’s entire plan was, I still trusted him enough to go with it, which meant sending Sacred Nest to help Kahalameet and to have Frozen Nest prepare the fortification to survive Quasdrakeen’s attack. War was coming due to the gleeful excitement of a vengeful daughter, just ‘cause Mom and I had to kill her dad for threatening the lives of an entire city. We needed all the help we could get.
“Good. Our nest has an alliance, so we have to work together to fulfill your wishes.” Uriahn then picked up some of the wooden tablets he had placed on the table, handing me one of them to read.
True ice: Unable to be melted unless the true ice mana is contaminated with other types of mana. Overpowers any spell that is below ‘advanced magic Lv. 5’ spell.
“Can you elaborate on the last sentence for true ice, please?” I asked with a raised brow.
He nodded. “The information I wrote down comes from books I read when I visited Aleistunum. It comes straight from one of the restricted libraries.”
“I’ve never visited the magical capital, so you have to elaborate on that, too.”
“Aleistunum is a meritocracy that focuses on magical achievements—an ‘arcanocracy.’ You should know, since I heard you registered with the mages’ guild. While their largest library is publicly available, more sensitive and valuable information is locked behind the various libraries of the different factions within the country. You must, at least, be an arcanist to join these factions,” he explained. “The one I visited belonged to the church of Istari.”
“Isn’t the entire country dedicated to him? He founded it, after all.”
“The church itself is a hoarder of information. The position of the archerudite promotes teaching and sharing information,” he responded, leaving me still confused. “Both factions are aspects of Istari’s domain of knowledge, where the former restricts information to only those worthy of it, while the latter emphasizes the joy of learning everything. Aleistunum believes in a balance, as too much information can be a poison to the mind, while too little is a recipe for stagnation.”
That explains the difference. So, in a way, there is a separation of state and church.
He continued, “The church is responsible for storing some of God Istari’s more esoteric and wild writings. Furthermore, historic scriptures and books require a proper education to fully understand. To them, every bit of information must be archived, but not everything should be shared. One of them is God Istari’s recounting of what happened between the Origin Gods and our previous elemental primarchs.”
So it probably talks about their fall from heaven.
“I wasn’t allowed to read his ‘dairies,’ but information on true elemental mana was found there. As such, the comparisons are a bit more archaic or vague than how we would do it now,” he elaborated. “By ‘advanced magic Lv. 5,’ the author means people who have reached an archmage-level of magic. Minimum, you must have gained an affinity for an element. Realistically, you just need a lot of mana that aligns with an element to ‘dilute’ the true ice mana.”
“Ahhh, just write it like that. Tasianna, Shay, Beth, and I already understood the only way to get rid of true ice is to simply pour our mana into it until it becomes ‘normal’ ice.”
“As I said, I wrote it exactly how I remembered it from that book. I did a lot of research on it since Sacred Nest has always tried to have a descendant awaken true holy mana.” He sighed, looking like he was reminiscing. “Anyways, that method is how true elemental mana ‘died out.’ Historians speculate that the six foundational elements diluted each other as they fused to form the four composite elements. That created true ice, magma, mud, and lightning, but as a result, also created the normal elemental mana we know today. It was through the elemental kings and emperors that true elemental mana never truly went extinct.”
I nodded and continued reading.
True lightning: Ignores mana connections, allowing it to bypass defensive barriers, natural occurrences, and even the mana resistance of various living beings. Its effects are ineffective against earth and mud.
True mud: No offensive effect. Giver of all life. The mud this mana creates allows the cultivation of plants, insects, and fungi. Water allows life to exist, but mud allows it to thrive. True mud mana is easily diffused into the soil and everything living inside it.
True magma/lava/volcano: Can melt everything, allowing even the most heat-resistant minerals to be turned into something useful. Elementalists who enter a contract with the Magma Elemental King undergo a melting process. Death is inevitable. You must have a mana body to use this mana. True ice and true magma nullify each other.
“You didn’t write anything about the respective kings of the composite elements,” I commented.
He shrugged. “Neither did the author. I presume that each of the elemental kings secluded themselves after what happened to the elemental emperors. The Ice Elemental King remained in the coldest region of the world, so I presume the others did something similar.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Magma Elemental King was currently living inside the planet’s magma core. Lightning and mud were a bit more difficult to guess, but maybe it was better that we didn’t know anything about them for now. Tasianna would eventually chase after them for her book, though.
Here we go, the basic six elements… True water: Water represents the flow of mana, suggesting that neutral mana, the ‘true’ form of mana, moves like invisible water. It moves through the air like water, but that does make me question what exists beyond our heaven. The astrologers suggest an endless darkness—
I looked up, frowning a bit, only to see Uriahn nodding as if he already knew I would make this reaction. Meaning, what was written here wasn’t just some ramble, but part of my lesson.
… so does that mean that mana doesn’t exist there? Then how does our moon change color? The Origin Gods’ existence suggests that mana exists in their world as well, so how was ‘Edjurian energy’ different from ours? How is demonic energy different from Peolyncian mana? Well… maybe it was because mana acts like water. It is essential for life. Maybe mana exists everywhere, but people in other worlds call it by a different name? There is much to learn, but one thing is clear: true water mana absorbs and steals mana, like a tidal wave dragging along houses and trees. True lightning can bypass mana barriers, but true mana will simply erode and break them down.
“You really have a good memory, unless you wrote this?” I asked in a joking manner, prompting Uriahn to giggle.
“Would you see me in a better light if I had?” he replied with his own joke, prompting me to cringe and shake my head, trying to keep up a smile. “Haha… and no, it’s the former. The book went into a lot of hypotheses and guesses. What I wrote down are summaries, and anything I believe is interesting to the subject. Arcane studies aren’t just about creating better spells; it’s about understanding how Peolynca works.”
The more I listened to him, the more Uriahn seemed like a more positive and energetic version of Taim. Both sounded like scholars.
Anyway, let’s continue. Hmm, true fire: Can burn even without additional fire to fuel it, remaining alight as long as the surrounding mana doesn’t dilute the true fire mana. Can even burn underwater. True ice may freeze true fire, but true fire will continue burning from within the ice. Similar to true lightning and true ice, true fire ignores fire resistances.
“Huh, so that is what Quasdrakeen meant by true fire mana. Sounds a bit similar to how my [Hellblade Dragon],” I murmured.
True wind: True wind mana is actually the simplest of the true elemental mana, for it is a far-improved [Aerokinesis]! Yet, despite its simplicity, true wind mana in the hands of a capable wind mage allows you to turn wind into solid metal, as lethal as a deluge of water, and the ability to cool and warm whatever it touches. More importantly, it shows no real weakness to any of the other true elements, making it the perfect element to nullify the effects of the other true elements even if it isn’t the most effective for all.
True earth: The Earth Elemental Emperor was known to move the land, reconstructing our continents to their liking to create mountains, lakes, and ravines. They absorb mana and life to create and renew, just as its emperor created the dwarves through dirt and rocks. If water can move everywhere and take it away, then earth stands steadfast to act as a wall against water to prevent the world from drowning. A true earth mana mage would, most likely, be the most dangerous person in the world aside from a true magma mana mage. Tremble, oh world, for the danger the Earth Elemental Primarch possesses, but weep tears of joy that Goddess Crustacia rules our world with gentle laughter.
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True dark: Soulmancy, creation of a world of shadow, and the nihility of existence… true dark mana and the Dark Elemental Emperor might be the most mysterious of all, for there had never been a living true dark mana mage. In my long lifespan, I have never met, heard, or witnessed a true dark mage. I already understand why: the Dark Elemental Primarch was reclusive, even for a god. They ruled over the cycle of reincarnation, and it is clear they never wished to grant somebody else that power. Yet that mystery has probably drawn so many dark mages into the deep dark.
“… You really are good at remembering things,” I said, causing Uriahn to smile bitterly. He then stood up and went to get his party bracelet.
“Princess Hestia, may I remind you that the note-taking function of the party bracelets isn’t a recent invention? Not to mention, I belong to one of the richest clans in Sacred Nest, so I can afford the most modern bracelets. As I said, I did my research, and that means taking notes.”
“… Oh.” I lowered my head, feeling a blush heating up my face. I wanted to groan so badly.
Let’s just focus. Last one. True holy: Holy and dark mana are two sides of a coin, and this is represented by how we have a world of light and a world of shadows. Dark mana has control over souls, while holy mana has control over life itself. The shadows may capture light and warmth, but they cannot create it. In the presence of true holy mana, no shadows will be cast by it, preventing any growth of the shadow world. This is the niche for true holy mana: miracles of lifeweaving. Wounds that normal potions and healing magic cannot heal can be healed with true holy mana. Organ and limb regrowth are normal. There is a reason why Goddess Aurena was the first to become one of the six elemental primarchs—she liberally used true holy mana to gain followers, unlike the previous primarch, and as such gained extremely loyal blessed who then became the core of her subordinate gods. Praise be HER, for without HER, we would have lost Istari when he was foolish enough to learn his third true mana.
I put down the tablet. “Third?”
Uriahn nodded. “True mana mages are rare because the primary way to learn it before the Origin Gods’ descent was through a contract with an elemental king or emperor. Elementals do not create spells. They weave their mana to create magical results, inspiring faemancers to create spells. Yet these spells are hard to learn and remember, and even if you can cast them, you might face complications like the elemental mana harming you. You should have learned it today.”
“Hikari had trouble mastering [Fimbulvetr Wall], yes. Our fingers kept freezing.”
“Now imagine that happening back then without the Divine System’s intervention. You can survive in this world as long as your health remains above zero, but back then, a bad [Arcane Fever] situation could instantly lead to death. People would fall from the shock of having their limbs blown up!” Uriahn said with a finger snap. “That was the most likely ending for somebody wishing to learn true elemental mana through spells. The only probable method was to gain the gift to cast it from an elemental.”
“Like Thalaxarus.”
“Yes. You should understand that your mother gaining the ability to cast true ice mana is already an extremely rare occurrence. Kargryxmor, despite his power, never gained true fire man, yet was strong enough to defeat Thalaxarus and slay him. Possessing true elemental mana does not mean your victory is assured. It is simply a powerful tool,” he emphasized, prompting Kramps to tell me to listen to him properly.
That old man was too easy to please with some compliments…
Uriahn continued, “I am here not to teach you how to obtain true holy mana, but to help you earn the skill [Photokinesis]—light manipulation. While you do that, [Providence’s Will] will help you with your true holy mana and share it with me. I will help you control it, as I was taught as a holy dragon. Although your talent as a holy dragon allowed you to master your holy spells, I presume Goddess Aurena never taught you how to manipulate light itself, yes?”
I nodded. “It is all instinct and feel. As a sunfang dragon, the information probably came naturally to me, and that is how I’ve learned how to manipulate solar energy into beams, blasts, and also to empower my body with it. Though scientifically, light isn’t just solar energy.”
“Fire, lightning, and the glow of our magic circles; there are many light sources that do not have any bearing on the solar power of our sun. Though, as you possess knowledge from Earth, I presume you won’t have too much trouble with my training. Let me ask, though: you do know that light isn’t something similar to the air, right?”
“Is that what you believe?” I tilted my head. “Here is a question: why does true wind mana turn ‘solid?’ You wrote the notes, so you must have asked that, right?”
“It is because of mana. Similar to how mana can control earth to harden.”
I shook my head. “Not entirely true, but I do have to add that the existence of mana does throw a wrench in my knowledge of science. As long as the air in this world is similar to that of my world, then I can explain it properly. To put it simply, air is actually made up of countless small atoms. Uuuh, think of them as very, very, very small sand grains, or particles. Do you get what I mean?”
“Breathable, invisible to the eye, sand grains. I cannot imagine it, but do go on.”
“Right, thanks for keeping an open mind about this. I can’t give you a crash course on chemistry, but these atoms form into gases. Invisible-to-the-eye ones, and that is what we breathe in. And just like the air, light is also made out of super-small particles. There is so much to explain, but I’m really not an expert in the subject to give you a proper answer to all of them. All my knowledge came from my parallel minds sorting through my days in school and researching things, after all.”
“That’s okay, though, because light being made of ‘super-small particles’ was exactly what I wanted to hear from you. It’s strange… I had a bit of a déjà vu when you explained what the air consisted of, because that is the same reaction people had when I explained light to them. As you mentioned, with your solar power, to dragons who learn [Photokinesis] through birth or evolution, it just clicks in our heads.”
I snapped my fingers to simulate that effect. “It takes a bit to get used to it, but it feels natural, right? It also happened to me when I first learned how to breathe fire. Or how I got used to killing despite being a pacifist back on Earth. It’s the same thing as how we dragons know instinctively how dragonkin pheromones work. The Divine System supported me in casting my first spell, but I knew how to move my mana through my body even at birth. The information was imprinted into our heads.”
“Mhmm, and the same applies to [Photokinesis]. Essentially, the first step to obtain the skill is simple—use your mana and try to feel these particles.”
“May I cheat?”
Uriahn tilted his body, causing me to chuckle as I finished my tea before standing up. Gesturing for him to come out, we left his home as I stretched my hands.
“Though first, I presume you must be curious about [Fimbulvetr Wall], right?” I asked with a smirk, prompting Uriahn to raise a brow. Seeing this, I tapped my core. “You know how it works with Hikari and me. When we change who is in control of our body, we also change our biology. My body switches from a fire dragon’s to that of a silver dragon, which changes our elemental alignment as well. From fire to ice. In the process, every fire-related skill, ability, and spell changes as well. Aren’t you curious what happens to a true ice spell?”
The holy dragon’s eyes widened as he let out an interested moan, slowly nodding as he placed a hand on his chin. I nodded and snapped, conjuring [Fimbulvetr Wall]’s magic circle before pouring mana into it. Despite seeing it cyan-colored this afternoon, the spell was glowing bright red right now, confirming the reversal effect had happened, even if [Fire Ice Fusion Core] didn’t mention it explicitly.
At the same time, I also noticed that the magic circle was draining more mana than the amount I used during my training. It seemed like everything in the description was working in reverse, including the 50% mana cost.
Fire Ice Fusion Core: A unique skill made with the influence of [Split Soul Autonomy] and [Ruby Star]’s [Solar Core], requiring both skills, or their advanced or derivative form, to activate. Acting as an emergency cooling process by transforming nutrients and minerals within a solar dragon’s core to create an ice-aligned state, this skill temporarily transforms all fire-related skills, Abilities, spells, and other mana-reliant empowerment effects into ice as long as the skill is maintained with solar energy. Under the influence of the Nordoramsul lineage, it awakens or further empowers the abilities and metabolism of a Nordoramsul dragon, enabling advanced mineral diffusion and synthesis. While this skill is in effect, all ice-aligned usage will cost 50% more mana, but will apply all sub-effects of their original fire-aligned state
