Cypher awoke much later with a massive headache and a sore body. He could barely see through a nearby window that the sun was setting in the distance. The pain in his ribs and other parts of his body was no more, along with the earlier feeling of tranquillity. However, a new sensation of discomfort and soreness radiated throughout his entire body with each heartbeat.
“Ah, good you’re awake. It’s about time,” began Elaine. “How are you feeling?” Through his grogginess and blurred vision, he managed to see that she was sitting not far away, reading a scroll and drinking some tea. Cypher sat up and rubbed his neck.
“Ugh… What the fuck do you think?” he replied.
“Oho! Look at you getting all bold and growing a pair after your near-death experience! Watch your tone with me Cypher. Or have you forgotten with whom you’re speaking?” she replied, a sarcastic tone of anger in her voice.
Cypher shook his head and nodded, “Uh, I’m feeling better I suppose. I’m not sure what happened, but something went damn wrong,” he replied. As his vision returned to normal, he could see that the look of worry on her face revealed that she was happy to see him alive.
Despite her false anger, he could tell that he had disrespected her, so he quickly apologized. “Forgive me, Elaine. It’s just that that whole thing took a lot out of me. I’ll be fine again soon.”
She smiled and took another sip of her tea before setting both her cup and the scroll she was reading down on the table between them. “Yes, that was one hell of a show. You managed to completely obliterate everything in the path of that discharge. It wouldn’t be far off to say that such a blast had been well within the levels of the upper tier of the third rank.”
Cypher was a bit shocked to hear that, but after thinking about it and remembering how that power felt, he nodded. It was clearly something far beyond him and it had almost killed him. His body just wasn’t ready for that kind of power yet.
“Sorry,” he replied, and Elaine shook her head.
“It’s alright, but I fuckin’ warned you that this was powerful shit you were messing with. The forces you were dealing with are highly volatile. Buut this failure isn’t all your own. I might have failed to mention some of the more crucial aspects of using the Duality shield, sooo… yeah, that’s my bad. Without the proper knowledge, it’s no wonder you almost killed yourself.”
“What? What crucial aspects?” he asked.
Elaine was quiet for a long moment and then said, “You reduced three of your ribs to dust, destroyed your spleen, right arm, left lung, and stomach. You also fractured your pelvis and spine in several places, along with cracking your skull damn near all the way open. It was only through sheer luck that I was able to heal you, and even that left me completely worn out. I doubt that I could have floated a pen across the fuckin’ room after I was done. But more importantly, and to my utter shame it was my fault that this happened.”
Elaine stood up and gave Cypher a deep bow. She held the pose for a few moments and he could swear that he saw a bit of moistness on her cheeks. “I am so sorry that I left out something so important. As your instructor, it’s my fuckin’ job to make sure that you have all the information you need and I didn’t supply you with that. From now on, if you’ll still have me, I’ll do better when I teach you. That much I promise! Can you ever forgive me?”
Cypher was shocked to hear Elaine saying something like that. Given her personality, it was completely bizarre and out of character. If she was willing to act like this, Cypher could only accept her apology and move forward. Besides, it wasn’t as though he really felt wronged by her.
He nodded, and she stood back up and smiled at him through watery eyes. She quickly turned away and wiped her tears. She cleared her throat, adjusted her robes, and then continued. “In this world, there are forces that we still don’t completely understand. But when it comes to this spell, there are three that you absolutely need to know about, and they’re known as the Circle, or more commonly, the Balance Arks.
“When the divines completed this world, they left behind various artifacts. The Ark of Ages, the Blood Ark, and the Rings of Gelbreen, just to name a few. However, the three that influence the world the most are the Circle. It is from these three Balance Arks that Zight is created and also that which allows us to use Magick.”
Elaine took a deep breath and continued once more, “The Ark of Luminessnce fuels the stars and generates life and energy in its common forms. The Ark of Shadows is what makes up the fabric that is the void between those stars, and it also governs the forces of death and destruction. However, the Ark of Nature is what instills the laws onto everything in creation. It fuels the elements, controls the seasons, and is the force that allows us to channel Zight through our bodies, along with a myriad of other tasks.
“When one uses the Duality Shield, they aren’t drawing upon their own power alone, a bulk of it comes from these Arks. The process to forge the barrier is actually a ritual to connect your centers of power to those great Arks. When active, the barrier is using up energy directly from the Balance Arks, and your mental energy is only used to maintain the connection to those sources of power.
“When you lost control, it was because you were on the verge of a breakthrough. Without realizing it, you tapped directly into the core of those powerful artifacts. That you are still alive is only due to luck, your quick thinking, and something I cannot explain. Eh… That said, however, you are also much different than I or other Conductors.
“Given the purity of the Null Element, it allowed you to form a much deeper and more profound connection to the Circle. This was something I hadn’t considered or even expected. It wasn’t something your father mentioned and given the nature of just knowing about the mere existence of the Circle, I didn’t think it relevant to inform you of it sooner.”
Cypher was amazed to hear this kind of information. The books in the library of his home had only alluded to the existence of these Balance Arks. They were shrouded in mystery and hardly talked about even in cryptic terms. Hearing about them now only made him want to learn more.
Elaine continued, “Knowing about the Circle in any great detail instantly creates a link between it and your mental space. Through that link, the Circle can increase a Conductor’s potency with Magick. It allows for a deeper understanding of nature and the forces that govern this universe and as a result, such knowledge is a closely guarded secret amongst more powerful Conductors. Most don’t even learn of the Circle’s existence before reaching the middle tier of the third rank.”
Elaine walked to the window and pressed a hand against the glass. “My point is, you almost died because of my oversight and you were out for three entire days. I never want to see you in that position again. From now on, we’ll do your training properly and with much more caution. Next time I’ll help you personally.”
