Rlyis, sensing Lassim’s enthusiasm, gave a warm smile as they settled back into the workshop after walking back over from the warehouse.
"Since your stay is now officially extended, we’ll need to accelerate your training," she said, pulling a set of new, thicker sheets from her desk drawer.
Each bore more intricate designs than any Lassim had worked on for the clock construct before. She slid them across the desk toward him. "These are sheets #5 and #6. By the time the mass production and shipments are completed, I’d like you to have a basic proficiency on both."
Lassim took a moment to study the arrays on the sheets, tracing the dense web of symbols and lines with his eyes. The patterns seemed to twist and coil into new configurations and there were more symbols that he didn’t recognize yet, each line interweaving with another, forming complicated shapes he could barely begin to grasp.
It would be a challenge, but one he welcomed. "Understood," he replied with determination.
The day passed quickly, and soon evening arrived, with the faint hum and whirring of the production line echoing from the warehouse next door still polluting the air.
Rylie and Eno had headed back to the residence earlier in the day, but he felt he could finish the rest of the studying if sheet #6 back in his room for the night.
He headed back, leaving the workshop, but as he opened the door to the residence, Rlyis called him into the dining area, where she and Eno were already waiting, a wide grins on their faces.
Lassim noticed a small, round cake in the center of the table, modestly decorated but clearly homemade. He blinked, surprised and slightly confused what the celebration was for.
Eno gestured to the seat beside him. "Sit down, Lassim. Tonight, we celebrate a milestone for you. This morning, your first completed array project—a lightning clock—was approved by two official Array Masters. This is a special moment in every array master’s training and one we hope you celebrate with whomever your students are in the future to carry on the tradition."
As Lassim sat, Rlyis handed him a small, silver coin inscribed with intricate engravings that gleamed under the candlelight.
He turned it over, noticing a symbol that looked like a stylized spark, surrounded by what appeared to be water-like currents and a web of array symbol lines around the edges—a design that somehow felt familiar.
"This is your apprentice token," Rlyis explained. "Every array master receives one after completing their first array project. It’s a symbol of knowledge and proof that you’ve begun the path to mastery. Consider this an acknowledgment of the hard work you’ve put in and a constant reminder that you’re one of us now."
Lassim held the coin, feeling its weight and the significance behind it. "Thank you," he said, the words barely conveying the gratitude welling inside him.
He’d never expected such an acknowledgment so soon, and the pride in Rlyis and Eno’s expressions made the moment feel all the more profound.
Before they indulged in a dinner currently still cooking on the nearby stove, the trio shared slices of his apprenticeship cake, with Eno and Rlyis recounting humorous stories of their own early mistakes with arrays—tales of their first creations and who their masters had been. This included the recounting of the many small explosions and accidental incinerations and subsequent angry scoldings by their masters that left Lassim laughing and feeling more at ease.
It was a rare moment of joy and happiness that made him feel like the choice to pick up this profession was even more ’correct’.
~~~
The following morning dawned bright, and Lassim was just settling in with the sheets #5 and #6 Rlyis had given him when a faint stir near the entrance of the workshop caught his attention.
A tall figure entered, dressed in robes of deep green that shimmered with an emerald sheen and hid their face and gender. They were clearly not from the Lightning Sect and every step they had taken after landing seemed to enliven the grass that was just outside the workshops open doorway.
"Good morning," they announced, their voice calm and somewhat hoarse. "I’m Tishar, a greensman with the Flowering Gardens Company. I was called here regarding some… unexpected damage to the tree line?"
Lassim felt a flush of embarrassment rise as Tishar’s gaze flicked to him that Tishar immediately made a connection to. They raised an eyebrow in pointed questioning.
Rlyis stepped forward, offering Tishar a respectful handshake, which Lassim then caught sight of an oddly orange and rough hand with only three fingers—a large thumb and a set of two wide fingers that seemed like their regular fingers had just fused into a greater set of fingers. "Yes, thank you for coming, Tishar. We had a minor incident the other night—a bit of overenthusiastic training, you might say."
Tishar’s eyes, a bright yellow, narrowed as they turned to Lassim. "Training, is it? Quite the spectacle for ’training.’ I’d almost thought a storm had rolled through the area when I saw the damage from above." They shook their head, their lips curving in a faint smirk. "Let’s head over and get it dealt with then."
The greensman strode to the edge of the damaged area not too far from the residence, pausing to study the line of trees that had been splintered, scorched and completely destroyed.
With a casual wave of their hand, a soft, green glow emanated from their fingertips, weaving through the air and enveloping the damaged trunks, landscape and branches.
Within moments, the trees began to mend, their branches knitting together, leaves unfurling as if spring had come in an instant. It was breathtaking, watching nature itself heal under Tishar’s influence. It reminded Lassim of his days traveling with Hallen and watching his Rohese family’s building company put together their gorgeous gardens.
"There we are," Tishar murmured, brushing their orange tri-fingered hands together with a satisfied look. "Try to avoid using the forest as target practice in the future, if you can." They shot Lassim a wry glance. "Even trees have their limits."
Lassim offered a respectful nod. "Understood. I apologize for the trouble."
With a final nod, Tishar turned back toward Rlyis, who stamped their mission sheet with her seal before they departed, leaving the area looking as pristine as if it had never been touched.
Lassim couldn’t help but marvel at the greensman’s skill, though he still felt a lingering sense of embarrassment from the destruction he’d caused.
As they finished watching Tishar’s quick departure after receiving the stamped sheet, they returned to the workshop.
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Eno and Rlyis began speaking in low voices, discussing something in tones too quiet for Lassim to overhear. He focused on his sheets, tracing the complex lines of the next set of arrays while their conversation became more intense.
From the occasional glance they cast his way, he sensed they were talking about something regarding him. His curiosity was piqued, but he didn’t bother to distract himself so he focused on immersing in the task at hand.
After a while when Lassim took a moment to get some water to drink, Rlyis called over to him, "Lassim, could you take a break from the arrays for a moment? Show us that fused mana of yours, if you could please."
Lassim set down his cup and stepped over, raising a hand and summoning a small, swirling orb of his fused energy.
Instantly, the divine mana’s combined currents of water, lightning, and space surged into being, coalescing into a faint, swirling wave within his palm. A single, tiny void-lightning fish appeared, darting around the wave with erratic, almost playful movements.
Eno leaned closer, studying the fish with a critical eye. "It’s fascinating. They don’t behave like any form of elemental energy I’ve seen. The way they dart in and out of the wave—it’s as if they have their own will."
Lassim frowned, watching the fish as they continued their peculiar dance within the wave. "I… I’m not sure I fully understand it myself. They just appear when I summon my mana, almost like they’re part of the energy itself, but I’m not the one creating them at all. They just seem to exist in this new mana."
Rlyis’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "What if there’s something we’re missing—a key to understanding how these… fish interact with your mana? Maybe we need to look beyond what we know about elements since this is a brand new phenomenon." She exchanged a glance with Eno, an idea forming between them.
"Lassim," she continued, "Have your elemental companions said anything about this? It might be worth seeing if they have any insight. Elementals have unique perceptions of energy and might recognize or know something we’re not seeing."
Lassim’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Mari and Zaphy—they might be able to help. They’ve been quiet lately after the fusion of the mana, but I’m sure at least one of them might have an idea."
He closed his eyes, reaching inward to his heart world where his elemental companions resided. With a mental nudge, he summoned them both, feeling a surge of warmth and anticipation as their energies answered.
In a flash of shimmering blue and sparking lightning, Marinelle and Zaphyrella materialized before them.
Mari’s royal dragon koi form shimmered like water, her scales gleaming with an otherworldly beauty. Zaphy, on the other hand, fluttered her wings, a proud spark in her sharp eyes as she took in the workshop. They floated and stood next to Lassim as they regarded Rlyis and Eno.
Rlyis and Eno watched the elementals with fascinated expressions, clearly impressed. "So, these are your companions," Rlyis murmured, giving a respectful nod to each of them. "It’s an honor to meet you both."
Mari inclined her head gracefully, her voice soft yet clear in Lassim’s mind as she spoke. "Greetings, Rlyis, Eno."
Zaphy, on the other hand, tilted her head, examining Eno with a mischievous glint. "So, you’re the ones who keep my brother busy. The glowy symbols seem fun!"
Lassim chuckled, glancing apologetically at Rlyis and Eno, who seemed both amused and intrigued. "I was hoping you might be able to help us," he said, addressing Mari and Zaphy. "We’re trying to understand the strange behavior of these… fish that appear within my fused mana."
Mari’s eyes glowed faintly as she studied the small, swirling wave Lassim held in his palm. She seemed to examine the tiny fish within, her gaze contemplative. "Ah," she murmured after a moment, her tone thoughtful. "I can sense it, they are manifestations of intent, created from the harmony within your mana."
Lassim frowned, trying to grasp her words. "Manifestations of intent?"
Mari nodded, her eyes meeting his. "Yes. In other words, they are the physical representation of the balance within you and your own will. Your mana carries a resonance, a purpose, and these fish embody that purpose in a form that can act independently, as though they’re alive based on what resonates within your actual intent to cause damage by."
Zaphy, meanwhile, had been watching the fish with a more playful interest. She tilted her head, chirping with excitement as one of the fish darted close to her. "I think they like me," she announced, attempting to poke one with her beak.
Rlyis smiled, her eyes sparkling with new understanding. "If I’m following this correctly, then these fish aren’t just energy—they’re more like… well, constructs in their own right, ones that are created instinctively by Lassim’s fused mana."
Eno looked intrigued. "Which means they’re functioning on a level of awareness or intent that doesn’t typically exist within elemental constructs. If we could find a way to harness or replicate that…"
Lassim caught a glimpse of the eager gleam in Eno’s eyes and realized where this was leading. "You’re thinking of applying this to the construct project in the basement, aren’t you?"
Eno exchanged a glance with Rlyis, both of them smiling. "Exactly," Rlyis confirmed. "If we can understand how your mana produces these ’fish,’ we might be able to incorporate a similar awareness into our own constructs, allowing them to function more autonomously. That would absolutely bridge the gap between the Peak Spirit Transcendent stage and initial Spirit Mystic stage to create our Semi-Spirit Mystic stage construct."