Jason opened the door to the room, throwing his backpack on the floor before flopping onto the mattress. Sighing as he stared at the ceiling, he said:
"Dude, go to sleep. Your day must have been as tough as mine, how do you still have so much energy? Has your nuclear energy not run out yet?"
"Actually, that's the problem I was trying to solve."
"What do you mean?"
Walking over to Theo, Jason sat on the edge of the desk. Taking care not to damage any of Theo's papers.
"Ether is a particle that only exists outside the ozone layer, meaning in space. I'd have to go there to have a reserve of ether, unlike you guys who use mana. Just by breathing, you can regenerate your core. But I can't... However, it was impossible to go to space and not die. I had to find a way around it..."
"It would be so much easier if you could change your core's energy; everyone would choose mana," he complained, going back to bed. "Goodnight. And make sure you sleep at least two hours tonight."
'Change the energy...' Theo thought, staring at the papers on his desk.
There, he stayed all night, testing just how much of a genius he really was. Diving deep into theories about magic and energy, about science and equivalent exchange. By the next morning, he would definitely have a backache, but to him, it would be worth it. Spell circles, astronomical equations, and hundreds of unanswered questions. Theo definitely used all his capacity and effort to try to find a solution. Until, after a lost night, he came up with a theory based on Jason's simple and layman phrase.
☽✪☾
Theo threw a stack of dozens of papers on Paul's desk. The mentor, smoking a cigarette, began analyzing the papers, reviewing the calculations and finding no flaws. Tossing the cigarette into the ashtray and exhaling smoke, he was surprised.
"He created a way to convert mana into ether?" Amiah asked.
"Yes. Amiah, the kid, managed to create a theory about value transformation in one night. I was told he was good at math, but this surprised me."
"In short: by calculating that for every meter of a spell, he uses 5% of his core's energy... In three hours, he managed to reduce that 5% to 0.1% consumption. The kid did this by injecting mana into his own system and then swapping one-third of the mana for one-third of ether..."
"Yes. But I think there are some issues with it."
"There are many. What will he do with the remaining mana fragments? Since he doesn't manipulate that energy, it's impossible to expel it using his attribute. The mana might try to overpower the ether and collapse his core, and he'll end up dying suddenly."
"Any ideas to help him?"
"Only with an amplifier. I'll contact his father and ask him to order an amplifier from his godmother in the Fulmenbour Order. I'll have to take them there, any problem?" Paul shook his head. "Great. How are they doing today?"
"Well... The five of them are in the gym training. The three boys stayed to practice physical stuff, and the girls are working on spells..."
"Take me to them."
☽✪☾
"1... 2... 3..." Antony counted, watching Theo and Ivan hold their own body weight with their fists. "4... 5..."
Ivan failed. His arms gave out, wobbling like a loose rope, before he fell to the ground. Rubbing his wrists, he looked at Theo and muttered:
"Did you train this?"
"No. I'm just used to my own weight," Theo gave up. "You're a psychopath," he said, looking at Antony.
"30... 31... 32... 33... 34... 35..."
"He's going to be there all day. Here."
Ivan threw a wooden sword to Theo, then grabbed a wooden spear from a shelf.
"You said you're a hybrid, so let's see how you do."
"I thought you were just a caster," Theo commented as he got up from the floor.
"I'm learning a bit about weapon combat..."
The two positioned themselves, standing still and staring each other down. Both took a deep breath before charging at each other. Ivan lunged forward with a precise thrust, forcing Theo to dodge. The moment Theo moved, Ivan swiftly recovered his spear and aimed a quick kick at Theo's left arm.
However, Theo reacted by grabbing Ivan's leg, lifting it and destabilizing his opponent, who slipped and momentarily lost balance. Ending the training, Theo raised his sword, pointing it firmly at Ivan's forehead, and released a concentrated gust of wind, demonstrating total control in that instant.
"Oops..." Theo joked.
"Yeah, weapons aren't for me," Ivan said, tossing Theo's sword aside.
"We're even. I'm sure I wouldn't beat you in a spell fight."
Theo extended his hand to Ivan, who accepted the gesture and pulled himself up. The two turned upon hearing an energy explosion. They looked over and saw Rebecca and Aryna collapsed on the ground. Theo ran to help Aryna, while Antony stopped his exercise to assist Rebecca.
"What happened?" Theo asked Aryna.
"She reflected my spell with double the force by accident. Then she tried to isolate it, and everything collapsed."
"That's usually what happens when two spells try to negate each other," Paul said, walking up to the students. Amiah followed close behind. The students looked at Amiah with curiosity. "Kids, I want you to meet your other mentor: Amiah Neidr."
Amiah let out a muffled laugh as he looked at Theo.
"The kid's a male copy of his mother. Must have only inherited his father's strength."
Helping Aryna up and noticing she could stand on her own, Theo walked over to Amiah. The two stared at each other: Amiah analyzed Theo's posture, while Theo felt both threatened and imposing in the other's presence.
"Neidr means serpents, right? You're the Amiah from the southern kingdom of the great empire?"
"The one and only, in the flesh."
"You're the tamer of the mythological serpent Apophis... You trained my father, right?"
"Yes. I helped Ethan Caesar control his bond back in his Vagus days."
"I came here just to meet you. My father said you could help me with my energy..."
"That's exactly why I'm here. Paul showed me your calculations, and I'm impressed. However, there are several drawbacks to your theory."
"Yeah, I know. But I have no idea how to work around them..."
"Don't worry. We're going to Fulmenbour to help solve all your problems."
"Fulmenbour? You mean we're going to the alchemists' order in the trade region?" Aryna asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Exactly. Be ready in thirty minutes."
The two girls ran off happily to their rooms, forgetting the pain from moments ago. Ivan and Antony walked normally, chatting with Paul.
"So, blondie," Amiah called. "How's Edward doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I started training him before I came to be a mentor at Vagus. How's his mastery of the technique coming along?"
"Ah! You mean Ignis' ignition?" Amiah nodded. "Well... once he hit my dad with an attack, and it left a scar on his leg that still burns to this day."
A muffled laugh escaped Amiah's lips.
"A human making the strongest fire attribute deviant feel pain from his own fire? Hilarious. Go get ready, we're leaving soon."
Theo gave a two-fingered salute.
☽✪☾
"Do they think we're going to stay in another country for a year?..." Paul thought, watching the two girls come with a suitcase and backpack each. Aryna and Rebecca carried two suitcases and a backpack, unlike the boys who only had a small backpack.
"Why are you bringing so little?" Aryna asked the boys.
"First law of Vagus: be content with little," Antony retorted.
"Stupid law. I need everything in here."
"Vanity and lust are two deadly sins..."
"Ah... by Hestia. I forgot you believe in Yahweh."
"Better than believing in Zeus," Antony muttered.
"Okay, let's stop here," Ivan said, stepping between the two and pushing them aside. "Theo, which carriage are you taking?"
"The boys will ride in the back, and the girls in the front," Amiah informed. "Let's go, get in now. It's a five-hour trip to the Fulmenbour Order."
"Be content with little... Is this little?" Theo thought, entering the carriage before everyone else.
Right at the entrance, a refined round wooden table separated the two golden seats. A golden lamp on the ceiling illuminated the entire compartment. The air was scented, and there wasn't a speck of dust.
"Thank the Windsor royal family, your little friend's family," Paul said, entering with Theo.
Theo glanced outside and looked for Antony, who was throwing rocks at Aryna, and she was retaliating.
"Yeah... forget it."
Hours passed, just before dusk, when the carriages suddenly came to a halt. Antony, who was dozing off, ended up falling from the seat to the floor. Ivan, on the other hand, shifted slightly in his seat, while Theo, anticipating the unexpected, was already prepared. A few seconds earlier, he had seen Amiah heading toward the coachman.
"Come on, sleeping beauties," Amiah shouted, loud enough for the other carriage to hear. "I have a mission for you."