TBATE - Strings of Fate

7 - Exploration

--CYNTHIA--

After testing Tess, I started with my lesson. The first lesson was mainly geared towards helping me understand her abilities and fighting style so that I could create a curriculum for her. Over the course of lesson, I found myself more and more astounded by her abilities. Tess was a prodigy, but it was clear she wasn't a genius. She was dedicated and focused during lessons, and she learned relatively quickly, but her power relative to others her age mostly came from her 5-year head start and her uniquely powerful beast will.

The powers contained by her beast will were legendary. Either one of the abilities it granted would give an enormous edge to any mage, but to be able to use both abilities, it was almost like she was blessed by a deity.

Her acquire phase allowed her to stop time. She couldn't cast spells during this time, but it allowed her to reposition herself quickly when necessary, and she could still make a lethal strike with her sword. This ability seemed to be more suited for an augmenter than a conjurer, but her close-range fighting style allowed her to make use of it. Although using it took a massive toll out of her, and she couldn't use it for long, it was still an incredibly useful ability.

While her acquire phase was useful, her integrate phase was peerless. When she activated it, her grey hair shone white, her vibrant green eyes glowed an even more vibrant purple, and her fair white skin was perfectly accented by complex, golden runes that ran up her arms and across her body.

This physical transformation was nothing in front of the powers this form held, however. Her perception, control, and affinity towards the elements were all enhanced. She could use elements no other elf could and had keen insight into the motions of mana since she could literally see it move. It was a perfect ability that improved every aspect of a conjurer.

On top of this, the knowledge she gained through this insight stayed after she was done, turning her into one of the fastest learners I had ever met. This only applied when it came to mana manipulation, though. Her learning speed outside of mana was fast, but not at a genius level.

Despite having a very versatile set of abilities, she tended to only use a few types of spells. I made a note to teach her to use more diverse sets of spells. On top of this, she had only ever trained with a small pool of people. I was sure she had fought no fire users, and likely few beasts. She reacted quickly to my wind barrier, but her quick reaction was likely due to her experience fighting other elven wind conjurers. Fighting against a more diverse set of enemies would help her prepare for the future and would help her think of more ways to use spells.

I continued to take notes throughout the entire lesson, and many hours later, we were finally finished. I mulled over what I had learned while I got ready to leave.

"That is all I want from you today. I need to prepare lesson material, so let's meet again in two days for your next lesson. This room is yours, so feel free to use it to train yourself when you find time."

After seeing her nod in understanding, I turned around and left, seeing Avier follow. He had been present the entire time, observing Tess alongside me and making helpful comments here and there. I was surprised by the role he took in today's lesson; Normally, he would have never cared enough to help tutor a child. Even if asked, he would refuse.

When we got back to my office, I couldn't hold the question in any longer. Sitting down and facing Avier, who was standing on my desk, I asked, "What do you think about Tess?"

"She is an immature young girl, as is normal for her age. Her bond and her power, on the other hand, are truly remarkable. Keep her close. Teach her as much as you can. She will be crucial to this continent's success in the coming war."