Chapter 28
Schopengaard is going to great lengths to make sure Eliza stays put, putting her and Ralphonse under house arrest in her teacher's apartment with little to no prior warning. Ralphonse took it in greater side than Eliza, who channels her frustrations and concerns into her helios.
The orb quickly grows in size. Eliza clenches up, willing the orb to stop, and then to rescind. It stops on the dot, but the shrinking takes a little more time and effort. Each trial goes about the same.
"Lose the uncertainty. Tell yourself, that orb will vanish when you want it to." Ralphonse says, entering the room.
Eliza makes it a mantra in her mind: the orb will shrink, the orb will shrink, observing it dwindle until it is near invisible, and pop out of existence. It's coming just a little bit easier.
"I told you before that will is guided by desire and force of personality, but it's still channeled through the mind. When you become fearful you can't control it, that's the will interpreting that you can't control it, and it will act against your wishes." Ralphonse says.
Magic, she is coming to understand, is an intelectual, mathematical mastery. You must fully control the form and methods to become great at it. Helios requires a mastery of the self.
"You've figured out by now, helios isn't like elven magic. Now, clear your mind, summon that orb again, and do so knowing it is under your control. Manipulate it."
"Yes, professor."
Facing her palm upwards, she formed the helios into a sphere that rapidly expanded, nearly touching the walls. Biting her lower lip, she brings it to a stop, and rescind into a tiny dot within a matter of seconds.
"I, did it."
"A good first step, but I can sense a severe drop in your helios." Ralphonse says.
"I used up, too much?" Eliza asks.
Eliza leans back in her seat with a groan.
"Controlling one self may be the hardest skill to ever aquire, but it is the most useful one. You have full control of your actions. You cannot entirely control your emotions, but you can channel and understand them." Ralphonse says.
"Right."
"That means not mistaking guilt for progress. Your willinness to train in your skills is not making up for your mistakes. It is nothing more than preparing yourself for future encounters." Ralphonse says.
Prima,it never ends, does it?
"Its as much my fault as yours. I wanted to give you the same chance at sanctuary I had. From others, and from knowing what you are. Beating myself up about this won't change anything. Instead of worrying about redemption, think about what you plan to do in the future." Ralphonse says.
"You mean a job?" Eliza asks.
"I mean here. You think Apopis will be the last? We are known commodities now. Half-celestials are a valueable prize. I'll have to leave at the end of the quarter." Ralphonse says.
"Absolutely not!" Eliza says.
"It is my decision. Come to your own, soon." Ralphonse says.
A dim flash goess off through the apartment.
"The food's ready." Ralphonse says.
___
"We're not actually starting from the bottom. We're taking a carriage too, heading for the nearest slope."
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The Blightspawn Noble
Fantasy"The Blightspawn Noble" takes place in a world where adventures and heroes journeys are seemingly a thing of the past, a nostalgia every person secretly dreams of within the confines of a modern, civilized world. Where magic has become commercial, a...
