It’s been many months since Ellie has begun her training with Zero, she has learned and mastered many of the elements from the black box; fire, water, air, and earth.
In the training room it is dark and not a spec of light can be seen. From the darkness Zero’s voice comes through, “Now focus and breath.”
Ellie closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, and searches her thoughts.
Zero’s voice comes through again, “Good, now imagine it, the light, in your hands. Imagine what it looks like, what it feels like, how it moves.”
Ellie took in another deep breath. She held her fist in front of herself. Her fist stood there in midair clapped tightly. Again she inhales. In her mind the small light was bright and warm and it moved as if it was a mist. Ellie focused harder and as she did the tiny little light began to brighten and glow. The once mist like movement became straight rays. Once more she drew in air into her lungs. Ellie opened her eyes the sight in front of her was blinding. The light that she created was strong and large.
“Good, now that you have created light,” Zero said, “bend it to your will.”
Ellie nodded before carefully pinching the rays of light and bending, twisting, and stretching them to her liking. The end result of the careful alterations was a rose with a ribbon wrapping around it.
Zero smiles, “Nice work, do you think you can change the color?”
Ellie looks to her mentor. “I would have to change the amount of energy of the light slightly right?” Zero nods lightly to her pupil. “Very well, I can try.”
Ellie shut her eyes once again to imagine the shaped light. She opened her eyes to and bright red rose. Ellie begun to smile but it quickly vanished as the rose dissipates. Zero gently settles her hand on her disciple’s light blonde hair.
“It’s okay Ellie,” she said, “You just need some more practice.” She smiles slightly. “Now come on we should rest. We can work on the color tomorrow.”
Ellie glares at the still dwindling rose then clutches it in her fist as she whispers, “I will become stronger. I have to, in order to protect Loki.”
The next day they sit again in darkness. Nothing can be seen, they could hear. They could hear their voices, their breaths, their heartbeats. Ellie could hear Zero’s heartbeat, it was slow and clam and Ellie’s was the same. Their hearts were one.
“Like yesterday,” Zero begins, “start manifesting the light.”
Ellie nodded and started focusing on the image of the light. Within seconds the blinding light came to be.
“Alright now alter it.”
Ellie took the rays bent and twisted them back in the rose from the day before.
“Okay now you are going to have to focus harder than you ever have before.”
Ellie gently closed her eyes.
“First you need to clear your mind. Think of nothing but my voice and light.”
Ellie inhaled the cold air deeply, clearing her mind leaving only the rose and Zero’s voice.
“Good, now dive in to light on an atomic level. Analysis it, understand how it works. Then manipulate it.” Zero paused for a moment before speaking again. “Have reached the atomic level?”
Ellie took in a deep before nodding. Far into her mind see stands among the firefly like particles of light.
“Good, now in order to adjust the coloration of the light you need to alter the amount of energy the particles have. To do that you will need to imagine the energy being released or absorbed by the particles.”
Ellie looks at the imagination of the particles flying around her. She takes within her palm to study. Looking deep within the fire fly particle she could see the energy moving around like cloudy smoke in a crystal ball. She takes a breath, inhaling the cold crisp air before envisioning the energy growing with in the particle, making the particle red. Ellie looks up to the rest of the fire flies turn red. Ellie opens her eyes to see the rose to be a bright red. Smile came to Ellie’s face and it stayed, the rose not only kept the color but it form.
“Excellent,” the master told her pupil. “I’m proud of you.”
Ellie looked at her teacher with and even greater smile than from before. “I’m glad that I was able to do it, it seemed so hard for me.” She looks down at the roses light in her palm, “I don’t know why, everything else I was able to get so easily.” She looks back to Zero, “Why do you think that is?”
Zero snapped her fingers and all the candles in the room became ignited. Ellie closes her hand to dissipate the light.
“Honestly,” Zero began, “the answer is simple.”
Ellie is puzzled, she just couldn’t see how that is was so easy.
“You see” Zero begun again, “light is not you element.”
“So one of the other elements that I have mastered is my element?” Ellie asked.
“No.”
“Then what is?”
“Your element is the opposite from the one that you have the hardest time with.”
“So, its darkness,” Ellie asked in hopes that she was right.
Zero grinned, “That is one its many names, but you will know as void.”
“But isn’t void nothingness?” Ellie questioned once more.
“Yes, but void magic is not nothingness, its anything you want it to be.” Ellie still held her confused expiration. “You see void is only a name, not the meaning. Void magic is one that you bend to your bidding and it can do more than any other element. But sadly not many people can control let alone master it.”
“So void it my element correct?” Ellie asked.
Zero nodded.
“And how is that determined?”
“Usually by blood line, but for you a different situation. Since we do share a body you got your powers from me, thus you have the element as me, void.”
Ellie nodded to her enlightenment. “So why didn’t you teach me void magic first if it would be the easiest for and it is my element?”
“Again simple,” Zero stood up off the floor, “if I were to teach you your element first you would easily learn it and have a problem with the others, especially your opposite. You would be so concern with void you would never be able to master any of the others.”
Ellie got up and stood close to Zero. “When will I be able to start learning void magic?”
Zero glanced down at her young student, “Soon, but first we need to work on light and at the rate you’re going the time will be coming shortly.”
They both grinned at each other in silence before speaking. “Now,” Zero clasped her hands together, “we have more training to do. Since you can conjure, manipulate, and alter light can you use it to fight?”
The young Ellie gave a slight smirk, “I can try.”
