Routine Machine (03)

"Okay, so here's what we're trying to achieve. You see this little beaut' right here?" As Chiyo's confident voice was heard by the closely observing Alban, he witnessed the very ground underneath her feet rip apart from the rest of the terrain. It didn't just stop at that however, as a swift wind was lifting the chunk of land afloat. The gale was a light green that constantly fluctuated, the winds shifting and readjusting themselves into a funnel. The winds did not move out of turn, not even daring to become violent. The simply carried the ground that Chiyo stood upon, the grin on her face showcasing how unchallenging it was for her to subdue two elements at once.

"This is what we're gonna try to accomplish today. This is known as a multicast...it's when you convince two elements to work together. Not all elements are so lovey-dovey, though. When combining opposing elements, you jut need to basically force the two to be friendly. We'll be trying opposing elements later, so could you be a dear and combine your fire and earth together?"

Alban didn't even bother to reply, eager to start. He first brought out the flame, noticing that his body was becoming warm, his blood speeding a bit faster through his veins. The wild aura that usually accompanied the situation was absent, however. Maybe it was because Alban wasn't really trying to hurt anything? Or maybe because he was consciously controlling the flame, trying to feel it's movements in depth. He had no idea that the ferocity was simply incorporating itself further into his being, seeping further into his very soul.

Next it was time for the earthen element. He called out to it in his mind, yet the chunks of ground lay silent in reply. Puzzled, Alban thought of a different way to approach the situation, the earth remaining unresponsive after a couple more repeated attempts. He brought the flame to his shoulder, putting himself into a meditative state as he tried to detect the problem.

"It's not so simple, is it?" Chiyo's voice descended softly into the canals of Alban's ears, the soft whisper carried down by the same wind that allowed the hard stone she was standing on to levitate. "When you call on an element, you notice that your body responds in kind, right? Think of it like a doorway. When someone is too tall or too wide, it's hard to get through doorways that are smaller than them, right? It's also hard for two people to enter at once...so just try and find a compromise between the two."

The voice continued with a somewhat clumsy analogy, but the sheer confidence that Chiyo conveyed was not lost on him. He took deep deep breaths, attempting to slow down his coursing insides yet keeping the heat. The vital fluids cooperated to their owner's call, moderating their speed and lessening their activity. Maybe a bit too much. Alban's body suddenly felt very sluggish and laggardly, sure of the fact that if his vitality was a bit lower he would've fallen asleep on the spot. He tried to coax the earthen fragments into responding once again.

A crystal heart roused with a hearty thumping, the ticker no longer beat pounding against Alban's chest once again. The laggard feeling in Alban's figure was quickly alleviated, the wild aura drawn out of it's assimilation, spurred by the stimulation that attracted it's attention. Alban's breathing quickened, overwhelming his senses. His eyes shot open while the earth dwelling in the black space in the center of his soul finally answered his call.

Sweating profusely, Alban's head ached so badly it was as if Nimral was beating him over the head with the meaty mitts he called hands. He grit his teeth and bore it, not able to control where the earth would appear due to the intense pain he was feeling. His nerves stretched taut while his fangs ground against each other, the sensation of the earth finally coming into view was soon to occur. He gripped onto that feeling, all in the hopes that it would make his life much easier in the future. How would he get stronger if he couldn't deal with this relatively trifling amount of pain?

An earthen spike extended outwards from his abdomen, the stirring sensation Alban always felt when something strange or important transpired inside of his body. The wild aura worked in tandem with it, further galvanizing the element Alban had called upon in an attempt to speed the development of both itself and it's owner. The two may be distinct, being completely separate for now, but it wouldn't be long until the wild aura and Alban became one. His body felt it and relished it, the stirring becoming slightly pleasant to Alban in the process.

And there it was. A simple stalactite that spiked outwards from the boy who gradually resembled a human less and less. His appearance was still retained, but the bearing typical of a civilized young man became mostly negligible. The fire that accommodated Alban's unhurriedness in commanding it became excited, flowing down to the spike and wrapping around it.

Chiyo was impressed that he didn't even scream. Although she lacked eyes, that didn't mean she couldn't really see. She saw just like other people, the only condition being that she had to use mana to attain something similar to eyesight. She saw the boy's face contort and his veins protrude for a good while, lasting until his frame slumping a bit in relaxation.

She had went through something a bit similar when she was exploring the world of magic for the first time as well. It may not have been as visceral or violent as what Alban had just went through, but she could sympathize all the same. A younger Chiyo was left doubled over for weeks, but she was proud in the fact that she succeeded. All that was left for her pupil was to try and remember those sensations...it would make the endeavors that were bound to follow much easier.

"You can still go on, right?" The kind and concerned murmur sought for Alban's ears once again. The young man in question nodded, observing the spike that spanned the entirety of his lower torso. He poked the hard stone, wanting to continue further but not knowing what he should try next. He was definitely sure that this didn't count as multicasting, as the earth took a bit to long to follow his flames.

"You're not finished then. It'll take a bit more of that for you to successfully multicast. I'm sure you realized this already, but the multi kinda sorta means that your elements must be drawn out at the same time. You can give up whenever you feel like it'll be too much, I understand."

Her utterances fell on deaf ears, the boy they were aimed at now engrossed in repeating the ordeal he just experienced again and again. He recalled the flames and earth in cycles, the earth becoming swifter in it's responses. All through the night Alban pursued the goal of multicasting, as he sat beneath the reddened skies of Nightmare. He would succeed by tomorrow, he was sure of it. Chiyo quietly laid down and slept on her floating piece of land, awaiting her pupil's triumph.