Terrain Magic

Jace stepped out of the arena, unable to wipe the grin off his face. He wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Ethan standing just outside the portal, waiting for him.

"So do you just have a computer in your head that helps you learn stuff?" Ethan teased the moment he spotted him, already holding up a fist for a bump.

Jace returned it, laughing. "Are you guys telling me you don't have a little voice in your head that teaches you the perfect way to pick up new skills?"

"Nah, man, I rely on the fairy that whispers instructions into my ear," Astra replied with a deadpan tone, though the smile tugging at her lips gave her away.

"I prefer using the secret texts tattooed across my body," Orion added, chuckling.

The whole group was already fighting off laughter.

"I thought we all had the aliens telling us how to learn things…" Aurora said with mock confusion.

That was the final blow, with Aurora joining in on their silly game, no one in the group could hold it in any more. The whole group burst into laughter.

It took them a couple minutes to get their composure back.

"Seriously though," Ethan managed, wiping away a tear, "every time you have a proper duel, you pull out something new."

Jace just shrugged. "Well, yeah… I mean, there's no better way to test a new spell than in a duel."

"Most people don't do that in official duels," Astra pointed out, still grinning.

"Why not?" Jace said nonchalantly. "What better way to learn than during an actual fight?"

Astra shook her head, still grinning. "You're a menace, you know that?"

"Yeah," Jace replied with a nod. "But it's not my fault, I'm just a little crazy."

"At least we can all agree on that," Ethan said, prompting another round of chuckles from the group.

They began heading out, making their way back through the corridor that led to the stands. The air still buzzed with the lingering energy of the match, but the tension had lifted, their round was over.

"How long have you been working on that ice storm thing, anyway?" Ethan asked, glancing over at Jace.

"Not too long, honestly," Jace replied. "I noticed a few times that when I got really excited before a duel, I'd start affecting the area around me. So I started wondering if I could turn that into an actual spell."

"I wasn't sure how effective it would be in a real match," he continued, rubbing the back of his head, "but I'm glad it worked out."

"More than worked out," Selene said. "It was like you turned the whole arena into a weapon. The control was impeccable."

"Thanks," Jace grinned. "I think I can really refine it into a proper technique with more practice. The initial cast has a high mana cost, but at least the upkeep isn't too bad once it's running."

"Wait, you said your emotions gave you the clue to it, right?" Ethan asked, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"Yeah, that's right," Jace said, turning to look at him. "Why? Something on your mind?"

"Maybe. Did it feel like your heart was beating so fast it couldn't hold your mana anymore?" Ethan asked, tapping his chin. "Like… instead of leaking out and dissipating, the extra mana started affecting the environment?"

Jace froze. "That's way too specific. Especially since… yeah, that's exactly what it felt like. Are you saying you might be close to developing your own terrain magic?"

Ethan glanced upward, considering. "Maybe? I'm not totally sure."

Aurora suddenly stopped walking. "Wait… if Jace can make an Ice zone, and Ethan is developing a Lightning zone… does that mean it's possible for all of us?"

Her words froze the entire group.

They stared at her, wide eyed, as the implications sank in.

"This is just a guess…" Felix began, his mind working overtime, "but I think it might also have something to do with affinity. I'm pretty sure Ice is Jace's highest affinity, and Ethan has the strongest affinity with a single Element that I've ever seen."

"Interesting theory," Aurora added, her thoughts moving just as quickly. "If we can take advantage of that to develop our own terrain spells… it would massively increase our versatility."

"If more people haven't discovered it," Selene mused aloud, "then there's probably an affinity barrier you have to cross before being able to use it. It's likely something the higher classes can manage more consistently."

Orion, who had been quietly thinking the entire time, finally spoke. "That makes sense. I don't think I'll achieve it anytime soon, though… I've never felt more drawn to one Element over the others," he finished with a shrug.

"Interesting thought," Jace said, nodding. "I guess it's just one more thing for us to consider and practice." He shook his head lightly, a small smile on his face.

"Well, while you guys consider," Astra sighed, "I'm heading off to get some chocolate. I need that and a pastry or two to recover from all this smart talk."

"That's fair," Orion said. "I need something sugary too… definitely for tactical reasons and not just because I want it."

The rest of the group burst into laughter again as they turned the corner, conversation flowing freely as they fell back into their usual rhythm.

Another match successfully completed.