Lassim’s mind lingered on the details of Eno’s demonstration, the methodical way he had balanced the metals in the alloy to offset each other’s weaknesses and prevent resistance.
Watching him blend thundersteel and shadow iron had been the spark to an idea, one that seemed to expand every time he replayed the process in his mind.
If metals with such differing properties could be made to blend seamlessly, what was to say the same couldn’t be achieved with elements?
Rlyis gave Lassim one last look, her approval not lessened by her firm tone. "Take what you learned today and think it over tonight," she said.
"Understanding materials is just as critical as mastering the rune language of arrays. We’re done here for now, but don’t let what you’ve learned settle too quickly in your mind. We’ll see how the metals have cooled and bonded in their settling in the morning. Please make sure you get through the parchment sheet #4’s problems as well."
Lassim nodded and bid them both a good night and left the workshop to head back to the residence ahead of them, but his mind stayed on the construct and the possibilities their lessons had stirred.
He returned to his room, turning on and setting the glowstone lamp that rested on its wooden grain to the dimmest setting. Pulling his non-enchant satchel onto the desk, he laid out the notebook he’d stored his previous notes in, intending to take notes on the alloy creation process he’d witnessed earlier.
Thundersteel and shadow iron—each one possessed unique properties, but in combining them, Eno had unlocked a greater potential. The blend was stable enough to conduct mana without overheating, durable yet flexible, all because of the careful balance between each metal’s strengths and weaknesses.
With a soft exhale, Lassim let his mana flow lightly along his fingertips, watching the faint glow of lightning mana pulse in time with his heartbeat.
This idea of blending elements together took root, branching and expanding with each passing thought. His [Hydroburst] technique was his best attempt so far at fusing water and lightning mana, but even then, he hadn’t been fully satisfied.
The metal alloys comparison had made him realize a key aspect of his mana that he hadn’t thought of before. Inside his body, as the elements left his inner heart world and powered his cultivation and battle arts, the two elements had been separate. The channeled lightning and water within his mana pathways acted as two twin entities that swirled and worked together when needed but they were still two different elements. There was a natural difference and separation between the two despite being a pair.
He had never thought that there could even be a possible difference between keeping them any other way as this was how the pathways formed and Mari and Zaphy assisted their rotation through his body and Halberd.
The closest he got to combining them was his best attack, the [Hydroburst] technique, which still kept them separated as the core was lightning and pressured water mana surrounded it like a sheath.
Yet, was it possible to truly blend the two as one like a metal alloy? It hadn’t crossed his mind, not because he was innately stupid or anything, but why would he ever need to merge them in any other way than they currently were? Plus, he was the very first person ever to have more than a single element. What would the benefit be and was this something even possible? They were separate elements after all.
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Now, though, he felt a shift in his understanding. Eno’s manipulation of metals had shown him a possibility; the possibility of finding points of alignment between materials with different qualities and innate abilities to combine into something better.
"It must be possible…surely, right?" He muttered to himself.
If he approached his elements with that same mindset, maybe he could make progress in the combination of elements that had been chaotic during the formation of the initial halberd copy creation foundation of the [Raindown Lances].
Unable to resist the pull of his thoughts, Lassim rose from his desk, summoned his halberd, and slipped into an empty area just off the path that connected the buildings within the moonlit courtyard.
He found a quiet corner away from the residence building, sitting down and setting his weapon across his lap as he steadied his breathing and extended his awareness to his mana pathways.
He could feel the steady, grounding flow of his water mana as it circulated, and beside it, the frenetic, surging current of his lightning energy matching its pace. The two energies moved side by side, equal and complementary yet inherently separate.
This time, he took a different approach. Rather than trying to force them into harmony, he envisioned them as the molding of metals, starting from their natural states and seeking a place where their properties aligned.
He started by channeling a steady trickle of water mana, letting it find its rhythm, its flow natural and unhurried. Then, he slowly layered lightning mana on top, careful to match its rhythm to that of the water, adjusting his control whenever he sensed resistance.
The initial alignment was tenuous, as though the elements were never meant to be combined, but he adjusted, pressing them closer in the same way Eno had guided metals into alignment.
Something in the universe, a higher power than that of the pantheon, suddenly took notice of this small action and what was about to unfold. This power existed everywhere and all through this disc of a universe with its millions of worlds and borders being invaded by that vile, red Abyss. Its attention went entirely unnoticed by Lassim, as who could rightfully notice such an entity’s attention when he is an ant by comparison.
Yet, it watched with a surprised and gleeful joy as it suddenly made a decision to alter its own rules.
In that moment, the pantheon of Gods on their thrones felt an earthquake shake the laws of the heavens, like the plucking of a tense lyre’s string that suddenly snapped and broke mid strum. Yet, just as quickly as it arrived, just as quickly it returned to normal leaving the pantheon to gather and discuss what just changed and happened.
Lassim’s effort was rewarded or rather, the rules changed thanks to his idea. As the two energies met in a delicate balance, a connection just barely holding, yet unmistakable, occurred.
His heartbeat quickened at the sense of progress, however fragile, and he allowed the blended energies to settle within his hands.
The combined flow felt smoother, and where before the elements had avoided each other, now they almost seemed to support the other in a magical way, a faint resonance between them hinting at something greater.
Encouraged, Lassim extended his control further, forming the energies into a small orb that hovered above his palm. It crackled softly, water and lightning swirling in a fusion together. It felt volatile still with room for improvement for how it should probably be blended together, but there was an undeniable fusion present between the bonds. The blue and violet colors were trying to merge and become something else but he couldn’t quite make it out due to how tiny the bond was between them.
For a few brief moments, he held the orb steady, marveling at the power within it—how it felt both stronger and more refined than anything he’d produced with [Hydroburst] alone.
But as his concentration wavered during his admiration, the balance slipped.
With a sharp hiss, the energies separated, the lightning flashing out in a burst that left his fingers tingling. The water dispersed with a faint pop, splashing harmlessly, but soaking him from the mid-chest down.
Though his experiment had ended abruptly, he couldn’t help but grin.
"Perhaps this is exactly what I need. If I can combine Lightning and Water, what if I add in space as well? Ah, let’s not get ahead of myself though. Let’s go step by step. Mari, Zaphy, do you think you two could recreate that yourselves too?"
"[It felt really weird brother, like I could feel sister Mari’s emotions somehow. Normally I only feel yours, but I feel closer to her now.]" Zaphy gave an enthusiastic but somewhat perplexed chirp reply.
"[Lassim, I think you need to take a look in here.]" Mari added with a somewhat urgent tone.
Lassim’s attention focused towards his inner heart world and what he saw was something very familiar, the same tunnel bond that he felt widening and shortening with Mari and Zaphy but this one was in the wrong place. It etherically connected Marinelle and Zaphyrella together!
"[Well, that’s new.]" Lassim commented with a puzzled mind, "[I wonder if this is normal. Does it feel the same as the bond with me?]"
"[Indeed. It suddenly appeared when you fused the initial bond between our elements. It feels fragile, like our first bond with you, but it strengthens every second.]" Marinelle gave her assessment.
Lassim thought for a few moments, studying the bond and watching it become more opaque and sturdy as the seconds passed, "[Well, maybe this is just a perk to us advancing our mastery over this new combination. It’s not like anyone can tell us otherwise though, so just let me know if anything else changes as we keep practicing it. Perhaps there’s a benefit like how my mastery over both of your elements is shared with me through the bond.]
Lassim returned his focus to the outside and as he returned to his room, he began to form a plan for future attempts, noting the specific points where the fusion had felt smoothest and where it had resisted.
Tomorrow, he would continue observing Eno and Rlyis as they worked with the metals and alloys and arrays, watching for any hints that could refine his control.
He still had to finish the parchment sheet #4’s problems that she wanted completed and memorized, so he wanted to work on that before dawn arrived.
The path ahead suddenly felt incredibly clear, the possibilities ahead sparking his mind with ideas he would pursue with all the tenacity he had.
When he finally slept, he dreamed of lightning flashing freely like fish through waves of water, merging and strengthening each other in a seamless flow with a looming darkness that covered the sky. That darkness seemed to suck in and cause swirling shards, like glass, to tear through space and the gigantic swirling waves. Yet, the combined lightning-water continued to flow freely and remain unhindered by the chaotic glass shards that tore holes into the fabric of space where the storm passed.
Sadly, when he awoke, he would forget all about this dream...