Chapter 11 - Etherean Combat(II)

"Attribute grafting? Wild magic? Does ⟪Ether Cycling⟫ intrude upon the domain of magic?"

From what Raven understood, true mages were more unique compared to innate mystic sorcerers. One key difference is the outward manifestation of ether. Another major element was their versatility. 

True mages possessed the gift of magic which allowed them to execute magic spells. Innate mystic sorcerers, on the other hand, apart from the manifestation of arcane sigils, could only affect their bodies— a form of internal transformation.

"Bear with me, okay?" Blaike said, "Innate wild magic is a method of magic that only occurs within the vessel, and most often, it can only be accessed via arcane sigil. It's really confusing to grasp, I understand."

"Anyway, ⟪Ether Cycling⟫ is concerned with the concept of revolution and refinement…"

Blaike went on to explain everything as clearly as possible to him.

The theory posited that the most common ether was foreign and impure and thus the manipulation of such impure variation of ether would lead to adverse effects rather than the opposite.

Hence, for prime optimization of ether, a sorcerer needs to convert foreign ether into a controlled and intrinsic form of ether called secondary ether. This process was called "refinement". And the method of refinement was known as "revolution" or "cycling". It was the circulation of ether inside the body.

Raven frowned and asked, "I get that. But where does the attribute grafting part come from?"

"Let me finish. Just watch me." Blaike raised a finger and formed a minor circulation within her arm.

In the next second, she carefully pressed the same fingertip against the ground. 

*Boom!*

An explosion occurred instantly.

"What?" Raven froze in shock as gusts of wind from the explosion blasted him away.

When he stood up, he looked at the ground and was once again astonished to the core. His poor heart couldn't handle this many surprises.

"How did you do it?"

The ground had a hole seven feet deep with bent stone shards around the edges. More surprisingly, the stone shards elongated and warped like molten plastic. It was very unnatural.

Blaike grinned, "Easy. ⟪Ether Cycling⟫ amplifies the destructive potential of secondary ether, and that is just the base attribute grafted."

"An additional cycle adds a compounded factor to the secondary ether. It increases the potential of secondary ether. After five cycles, imagine the destruction I could cause with just my finger. Why do you look surprised? This is just the basic stuff. The mad mages in the Academy theorized that a near-infinite revolution of secondary ether would create enough potential to destroy the world. I can assure you, you don't wanna ever be in their company, urgh."

"Is that even possible?" Raven knew it couldn't be that easy or the world would be in ruins right now.

Blaike sneered, "Heh, I will leave that to your imagination. You will begin advanced training tomorrow. In the meantime—"

She looked at him and scoffed, raising her hand cockily, "Come get your ass whooped."

A dark shade appeared on Raven's face. Sometimes, this young lady was downright cocky and hateful. It wasn't even certain if he was going to lose the spar.

"Oh? One successful attack and you don't have me in your eyes anymore. Fine. You are having a problem remembering, and I can help you with that. It's my sacred duty. So…come closer."

'As if I would,' sighed Raven. He blamed his luck for having a petty mentor.

Did she have to threaten him so vilely?

"Come closer. I won't bite. I promise. We are only sparring."

Raven skeptically stared at Blaike. He jolted not long after, shivering with a newfound realization.

He had almost fallen for her words. When had their spars ever ended lightly? Every night he would crawl into bed with numerous bumps on his skin. There was nothing light about that!

"Oh, come on. Why are you acting so girly? Alright, how about this? You get a day off if you win the spar. Easy peasy, right? In fact, I will fight with only one arm."

Raven frowned. Now, she was just insulting him. But…

This could work.

'It's just one arm. I can definitely do this.'

Feeling a rush of confidence, he approached her. "Okay."

A sly smile appeared on Blaike's face when she heard that, "Just what I wanted to hear."

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Two hours later.

"I can't take it anymore. Let's stop here." Blaike raised her hand and halted the spar.

If anyone was here, they would think she was giving up, but that was far from the case. She wasn't quitting because she couldn't take it anymore—she was quitting because it was too easy. It was like taking candy from a baby.

A depressed expression blossomed on Raven's face as he collapsed to the ground, panting like a hunted animal. The atmosphere said it all. No words needed. 

He gazed at the ceiling and sighed. 'I was too cocky. I let my recent success get to my head. This–'

As he remembered the sparring session, his body quivered and a wave of fear overwhelmed him. Raven was rarely ever fearful, but, in his eyes, Blaike was just as terrifying as a demon. He never doubted she was special even among innate sorcerers.

Throughout the spar, she was true to her words and fought with one hand. Oftentimes, she clashed against him with a mere finger. A mere finger! Yet, despite all that, he couldn't win a damn single bout. Every clash ended with his total decimation. 

'Her battle prowess is beyond comprehension!' This was a huge blow to Raven as Blaike never used ether cycling or channeling. In other words, she fought as a normy, albeit an enhanced normy, and still, he couldn't gain an advantage in all the bouts.

Raven always prized himself as an intellectual type. He was extremely proud of being able to kill Light Dorin against all odds. So, this brought him down to a new level of humility. Especially when he considered his ❰Seventh Sense❱ which was borderline cheating.

"Don't beat yourself up. This was inevitable," Blaike appeared beside him and lent him a hand for him to stand.

"As you might have noticed, I am a bit of a freak. You would need a couple of years to even come close to me." Blaike smiled, "Hah, to think about it, you are really audacious. Just a few days of training and you are already dreaming of matching me. I didn't become this formidable overnight. I underwent training that many failed to survive. I–I…forget about it." 

"I'm sorry."

Raven nodded as he realized his fault. It was too arrogant to instantly compare himself with Blaike. Every path demanded thousands of arduous trials and tribulations. He would get to her level one day, but it was not anytime soon. 

Blaike's smile widened when she noticed Raven's thoughts. She was happy to have corrected his detrimental thoughts. "I fancy your intent though. The desire. The drive. Keep it burning bright. That's what separates us from the regulars."

"Us?"

"Geniuses. Or did you think you were ordinary? Once you experienced preternatural awakening, your path was already set, kiddo."

Raven thought about it deeply. He was still new to the supernatural so he had no idea how other kids fared compared to him. Was their awakening as complicated and confusing as his?

"How strong were you when you were my age?"

"Hahaha, you really want to know?"

"Yes." 

Raven was never a social person, but beneath his cold facade, hid a profound spirit of competitiveness. However, this wasn't about pride. Raven wanted to use someone else as a reference on his supernatural path.

"Oh, I got you beat there, bro. I killed two initiates the moment I awakened. After a year of preparation, I dominated the initiate-level geniuses from the noble families and I had no mentor throughout. It was only possible through self-discovery. Afterwards… well, trust me, you don't wanna hear about my other trophies."

Raven smiled wryly. He quickly understood the path he wanted to take. A genius—he desired to belong to this special category. Only people like that could fulfill their dreams.

Before he could ask more, Blaike's phone rang and she moved away to pick up the call. 

She came back five minutes later with a frown on her face.

"That was the old man. He's not coming home today. Something came up. I have to leave," she quickly said. 

"Ok." Raven always knew the old man was weird. He was a man of many mysteries, but Raven respected him well enough to not pry in his business. Still, he wondered what held up the old man. 

Before she left, Blaike warned, "It's been dangerous lately. Make sure to watch your back on your way home. Ahh, I have to get you an arcpad anytime soon."

Raven was all alone in the abandoned building. He wryly smiled as he mused, "I wonder what's wrong."