The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 80: Where I want to be. (Part 1)

Chapter 80: Where I want to be.

Ardent Friend:

"Ardent, how are you feeling?" Ratansi asked me from his seat opposite me in the carriage. We were still on our way back to Crysis city. I had wanted to leave on my own but in the end I couldn't. My body had gone through too much and needed to rest. Now however, I felt rest was something I didn't deserve.

"Anxious and frustrated," I replied tiredly. "How could I not be? Maybe they can't hurt her, but there's far worse in this world than being hurt."

The older elf's eyes tinged with empathy, "We'll be there soon. You should get more sleep."

"I'm done with sleep." Since I had felt the Rift Walkers return, the moment I closed my eyes I saw that future. Worse, the nightmares showed all my efforts in vain and my daughter lying on the ground with lifeless eyes.

"Potions can only do so much Ardent," Ratansi spoke quietly. "Shall we try to meditate instead?"

"I...," I wasn't sure I could do that and simply shook my head.

"Leaving you in your thoughts won't do you any good."

"Then what should I do?" I asked exasperated.

The older elf smiled, "Let me teach you. It's been a long while since we had a face-to-face lesson. Though the virtual world was interesting, it wasn't me in person perse."

"I think that'll help." I needed to focus on something else productive.

"Then let's begin," Ratansi rubbed his hands together. "You've studied my techniques a fair bit but when it comes down to it, we vary significantly. What can you currently do?"

"I've been able to convert mana into Aura and vice versa as well as solidify mana. That technique you used against Kazu before though, I've thought about it, but it alludes me. How did you create a lens that powerful with Aura and make it interact with mana?"

He let out a confident chuckle, "Everything only came into place after I created my own Mana Heart. My techniques have always centred around Aura and mana as two different entities. To combine them, I strip them down to their bare essence, mixing them together heterogeneously. They are mixed but apart. Zen's technique combines the two at a base level, imprinting your Aura to mana."

"Yes, I understand that much but there's a reason people don't create weapons made of Aura. It's much more efficient to use a real one."

"True but there are situations where it can much more useful."

"Like as a lens," I began to understand his point of view.

"Now that my mana has been imprinted with my Aura, there are things I can do that failed before."

"I see," I nodded. The problem with creating a weapon out of Aura was that it rejected mana. With Ratansi's technique to further manipulate mana, you could enchant it with Aura itself. It had limitless potential. "Still, that's easier said than done. I don't think I have the capacity to make a lens like you did."

"True, however when has that stopped you?" he smirked. "Let's start small. Take my hands. I'll teach by showing you firsthand. And Ardent, I don't believe I need to tell you but-."

"It'll hurt, I know," I had already trained with him before in the virtual world. Learning from him in the real world, I was prepared for it to be more than just uncomfortable.