Nirvana (2)

"Godmother?" Aryna inquired. "Wasn't it you who…"

"Lumen~" Luanne exclaimed, jumping towards Theo and hugging him.

The chief scientist of Fulmenbour, Luanne Darkmoon. Her surname was given due to battles, where Luanne seemed more powerful under the moonlight, yet at the same time, she was a sweet and loving woman, but cold-blooded when necessary.

Even though she was a scientist in Fulmenbour, Luanne was also one of the main lieutenants of Romerian. It was during one of her missions that she met and became best friends with Ethan Lawrence, Theo's father.

"Ten years…" Luanne said, with a tone full of longing and happiness. "I seem like a child." Wiping a tear from her right eye, she noticed Aryna by her side. "Hi!"

"Hi… Vendor."

"Vendor?" Theo murmured.

"Wait. I can explain." Luanne sat on the edge of Theo's bed. "Well, I saw you entering the artifact store. I also noticed you're from the special class of Wispells. So I thought: Who else is from the special class of that academy? Simple! My godson, Theo."

"Hmm…" Aryna grumbled, crossing her arms.

"You were confused. Even more so when… Forgive me. But I read your mind and discovered you wanted to gift someone for the success of your mission."

Aryna was incredulous but remained silent. After all, mind-reading without consent is still a form of privacy invasion and should be treated as a crime. However, since Luanne seemed trustworthy, the girl decided to just keep listening.

"I watched you for a while and found out you wanted to gift my dear Theo. So, I posed as a vendor and convinced you to buy the necklace. That necklace, which I made myself to carry Theo's amplifier, so I would give it to him anyway."

"I spent my money on something he would get anyway?" Aryna asked, frustrated.

"Well… But for couples, it's worth it, right?"

"Couples?" Theo commented calmly. Aryna, on the other hand, choked on her own saliva.

"What? You're not? Her thoughts about you were so confused that…" A reality shock hit Luanne. Metaphorically, a lightning bolt struck her back, eliciting only a "Heavens!" as a reaction. "Forgive me!" she apologized to Aryna.

"Luanne," Amiah called. "Can you start talking about what's important? With every word you utter, I have more reasons to give you a life sentence…"

"Forgive me."

"Yes, I forgive you," Aryna nodded, still embarrassed.

"Great! Yes, let's get to the point. Aryna, where is the necklace?"

Aryna handed the box on a desk to Luanne. The scientist, in turn, took a small crystal fragment from a pouch: a perfectly circular amethyst.

"Amethyst?"

"Yes. Amethysts help keep the Chakra disks in balance. Besides, the amplifier only works with this stone. I cast a small binding and storage spell, so it should be enough to balance your energy. Amiah sent me your calculations, Theo. I knew you were good at math, but not that good."

"My theory of consuming and releasing?" Theo asked. "Yes, I'm calling it that."

"Exactly. I analyzed, reviewed, and noticed the flaw: it's impossible for a person to perform that more than three times. The mana would overflow, your ether, etc. You already knew that risk. However, thanks to your theory, I managed to reach a conclusion for it. The amethyst's balance will also help you with that. Whenever you consume mana to density into ether, the mana will be transported to the crystal and converted into elemental energy. In turn, you'll be able to spend that energy on your spells instead of using ether."

"That's genius…" Aryna commented.

"Isn't it?! It's a theory I created based on Theo's theory, and that Vice-Chief Christopher concluded. However, there's a flaw."

"What is it?" Amiah inquired.

"Theo will need, at the very least, essence at stage one to perform this equivalent exchange…"

"Essence?" Aryna questioned. "What are you talking about?"

"Auras," Amiah retorted. "The Nirvana process is very lengthy. Will he have time for that?"

"Well… as soon as he puts on the necklace, the process will begin."

"What are you talking about?" Theo asked, completely breaking Amiah's train of thought.

"Essences or auras are the personification of a deviant's energy, such that it can only be seen by someone who has gone through the Nirvana process. It was first mentioned in the book 'The Lotus of the Enlightened.' The book itself talks about a man who came from Midgard and, tired of so much suffering in the world, wandered the earth seeking knowledge. This same man meditated on his own existence for five years. After that, he became a new being who had freed himself from all pleasures and desires that could negatively affect him."

"Yes, the book seemed like fiction until it was actually tested," Luanne interrupted. "The deviants tried to go through this process, which, as easy as it seems, is more complicated than physical training. Few reach the level of enlightenment, but those who do become new people. Whether in strength or personality. Your age is perfect for this. Since adolescence is the time when feelings and thoughts start to get confusing, the Nirvana process will help you with that…"

"However, it's lengthy. I myself took seven years to complete it perfectly."

"He doesn't need to reach perfect enlightenment. Just stage one. Only the aura is necessary for the amplifier to work. As for the rest, if Theo continues the cycle of self-knowledge at a comfortable pace, it can last as long as needed."

"Self-knowledge… If it were like Theo Lawrence, it would be easy. But it's not. I'm not that teenager. The problem is that I'm Liam Mason…" he thought. "Can I even do it?"

"Of course, this is the first alternative I found in a short time. Since I was informed of this at the last minute, I had three days to form the thought and create the project," Luanne said. "If you don't feel comfortable with it, I can take a bit longer and find another solution…"

"What could go wrong with meditating?" Aryna questioned.

"Enlightenment can both illuminate and darken…" Theo replied.

"He's right. At the same time that he can return as a pure person, if he reaches a negative conclusion about himself… he might become the opposite," Amiah informed.

"Is this the weight of worrying about someone's life?" Aryna wondered, feeling a pang in her chest.

She had never experienced someone's death before, and even though she was neither noble nor peasant, death was not something she was familiar with. Therefore, the reason people cried or felt sad over a celebrity's death was a joke to her. But not now. At that moment, she was gradually witnessing what it truly feels like to fear losing someone even remotely close.

"I'll do it," Theo affirmed. "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But it's the only viable way out. I don't see any reason to waste more time on this when there's a chance here. How long will I be out?"

"Two days, maybe. But relax. For you, it'll pass like a…" Luanne snapped her fingers. "…your body won't feel thirst or hunger. You'll just black out and wake up, of course, for you. The world will remain the same."

"That's obvious…"

"I understand. Give me the necklace, please."

"Take care, and come visit me as soon as you recover," Luanne said, handing over the necklace. "Thays is serving as my assistant, so she'll be happy to see you, too."

"Say 'Hi' to her."

"Of course." Luanne lowered her head to Theo's forehead to give him a kiss. "Take care, dear."

As she pressed the amethyst against Theo's solar plexus, the boy suddenly fainted without showing any signs of life other than breathing.

"Is that it?" Aryna asked, startled.

"Yes. He's already in the process."

Holding Theo's hand, Luanne felt a cold and damp air in the area. Interested and curious, the lieutenant turned her godson's hand to look at his palm more closely. And there it was again: the green arrow-shaped mark. This time, it was lime green—different from the last time when it was dark green.

"Elemental resonance?!" Luanne thought, startled, observing the mark.

Meanwhile, in Theo's mental plane…

"Who are you?" Theo asked, wide-eyed and fists clenched, staring at a silhouette amidst general chaos.