With the matter of the Minus being handled by Alvin and those with more authority in the world, Cypher was a bit more at ease. Of course, he still had his own problems to worry about.
Elaine’s grueling training went on for three whole weeks, and in that time, Cypher only got better and better at holding out against her. At first, he would find himself exhausted after only a few hours and when they broke for the evening, he could barely move.
However, after the second week, he found he was able to last all day and well into the night, only giving out right near the end. Elaine had been harsh the entire time, not pulling any punches. She had healing items to spare, but since she specialized in restorative spells, she didn’t really need them.
She would always heal any previous wounds Cypher received and give him a few minutes before hopping right back into the action. Every few days, their fighting would be halted, and Elaine would viciously attack his mind instead. However, unlike his body, his mental energy would run out much faster.
It was not uncommon for him to pass out several times during their mental struggles, only for Elaine to revive him a few minutes later. She was even using items that helped the generation of mental energy. But, during that third week, his mind finally reached the same level of endurance as his body.
It was during the last day of the third week after Elaine had verified that he was truly able to maintain himself against her, that she had ended their fighting in the middle of an attack. Cypher drew back, expecting some kind of sneak attack, but one never came.
Instead, Elaine sat down in the middle of the field and took a long drink from a waterskin. Cypher did the same and after several minutes of silence, she spoke up. “Do you know why I’ve pushed you so hard this last month?”
Cypher nodded and smiled, “It was because you wanted to make my body and mind stronger. That much was obvious from the start,” he replied. Elaine spat and smacked his forehead.
“No. I mean, yes. Eh, fuck it, kinda. But that wasn’t my only reason. You needed to be strong as hell if you wanted to learn this technique, but as you were it would have just killed you. No point in trying to teach you something that’ll kill you, right? So, I’ve been trying to enhance your stamina in both body and mind. I can’t wait for you to reach the third rank. I mean, I could, but I won’t. It would take too long.”
“Your father went through training just like this, however, he had his own father to help him. Since you didn’t have that luxury, I decided to do it in his stead. I made him a promise all those years ago and I plan to keep it. It’s the least I could do after what he did for me.”
Cypher nodded and understood. She had promised his father that she would pass on this knowledge and he was grateful to be getting it. This technique must be something special if she was willing to push him this hard.
Elaine continued, “What I am about to teach you is an extremely rare and powerful spell. According to your father, it is possible for anyone to learn to use it. However, for Null users, it’s easier to master and far more powerful due to the purity of your Zight and mental energy. Where it would take others decades to both ascend to the third rank and learn the spell itself, Null affinities can learn it in a fraction of the time.”
“Furthermore, you aren’t limited by the rank three requirements. Your Zight is already pure enough that it doesn’t need to be refined, and your Orrium and Zight reserves are much larger. This spell is highly effective in a tight situation, and it is not to be used as an offensive counter-attack so remember that. It is the highest grade barrier that one can produce.”
Cypher drooped a little. “A barrier? I thought this was some kind of powerful attack spell! I get that defense is important, but what good is the ultimate barrier if someone can just wait for you to run out of energy and then attack?” Cypher asked.
Elaine flashed a smug smile and continued, “Cheeky little shit, aren’t you? Eh, well normally you’d be correct, however! This barrier won’t simply exhaust your power and fade away like lesser barrier magicks. It uses a set amount of Zight to form, but once it has completed its shape, it only relies on mental energy to remain active, and even that expenditure is minuscule.
“Tell me, what do you know of the elements?” asked Elaine. Cypher then listed off everything he knew about the four primary elements and even touched a bit on light and darkness. Elaine nodded, pleased with his explanation, and continued again.
“You’ve learned well, that makes what I have to say next even easier to explain. You, I, and every other Conductor are used to the primary elements, Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. Almost every spell we cast relies on these elements and we are most familiar with them. However, the higher elements, Light and Darkness, are far more crucial than most realize.”
“How so?” asked Cypher.
“Light and darkness are the foundation of the other four. Fire and Earth both fall under the power of light. Fire not only generates light itself, but also provides warmth, and is often associated with life. Earth absorbs light and from it, plants can grow and life can spread. Water and wind, however, fall under the power of Darkness.
“Water can put out the fire, bring death and destruction, and with enough of it, one can hinder all light from passing through. The Wind is unseen, swift, and like the Darkness, it can encompass everything unnoticed. The air you’re breathing now is a perfect example of that. These are all very basic comparisons, but you get a general idea of what I mean.”
Cypher nodded and it made enough sense that he wouldn’t question it too harshly. Though he did spot some flaws. Elaine continued though before he could think too much about it, and it didn’t seem like she was going to go more into the details of what she meant.
“Now, I ask you, what is your Null made of?” asked Elaine
“Well, I favor the Fire element, so one would think Fire. But somehow I don’t think that’s the case. I’m going to go with nothing. Or to put it a better way, my Null isn’t made of fire, nor any of the other elements. It is actually the lack of an element expressed in its purest form. That’s why I can manipulate the other elements so freely and nullify the spells of other Conductors,” replied Cypher, after a few moments of silent thought.
Elaine smiled at that answer and nodded her head, “I see, you have done a lot of introspection and study to come to an answer like that. It’s well thought out and makes sense well done. Still, as nice an answer as that was you’re still wrong.”
“What? Why?” asked Cypher.
“Because you little shit, Null isn’t the lack of an Element, it’s the combination of all of them!”
