Lightning cracked, and wind battered the room in a cacophony of deafening noises. In its center lay the charred remains of once sturdy metallic training devices as the last one bathed in a sea of chaos.
A few meters away, Adam whistled at the devastation his new mana technique had sawed in a short week.
Tenderness filled his eyes as he gazed at the grimoire's violet cover and intricately drawn whirlwind.
He had learned a lot, not only about thunder fusion spells but also about his capabilities.
With his mana affinity, converting spells into techniques became smoother than ever.
Despite his already high proficiency after assimilating the tier-less mage's hands spell, he now stood on an entirely different level.
With a simple test, he felt how the mana moved and coordinated in a sumptuous dance to spark the intended effects.
With this feeling, he could then bypass the need for the chant and manipulate the energy by himself to get the same result. Of course, these improvements didn't eliminate the need to train. Instead, it made the process towards mastery faster and more enjoyable.
'I believe my enhanced intuition helped, too,' he thought, watching the wall's engravings flare to life with radiant intensities.
The next moment, the out-of-control mana stormed towards them as if attracted by a magnet before vanishing to nourish the building.
Relaxed as a comfortable silence engulfed the room and he leaned against the cold wall, he continued on his line of thoughts. Even without complete understanding, he speculated that intuition helped him link similar patterns together and, thus, understand the spell's underlying principle.
A satisfied smile escaped his lips. The heightened intuition didn't only annoy him around dangerous individuals but could be used on a wider range of subjects.
His thoughts sorted, and his determination to raise it renewed, he left the room to return the grimoire.
On his brief trip, he reviewed the two techniques he grasped. The first was an area of effect damage, something he needed for his explorations. Of course, he could bombard enemies with pure elemental might as he did against the Moonsilver Strikers. But the mana cost was too high, making the method unsuitable for his feeble mana circuits.
Therefore, tweaking optimised existing spells to reduce consumption somewhat solved the problem... even if it remained, making him curse.
Anyway, the technique he developed was straightforward and condensed the effects into a smaller area, limiting consumption while keeping the potency.
The second spell he analysed... Well, it was more theories Vivian wrote before becoming an archmage.
However, he had seen their effects during their meeting. It was a potential way to increase physical might. Since he inhabited a puppet, he ignored anything muscle-related to focus on passive improvements.
By using lightning to enhance neural connections, it could dramatically decrease reaction time.
Despite the initial success, he believed he would need more time to master the trick.
A deep sigh escaped his lips as room one's smooth door cracked open.
Instantly, Shepard's twisted lips and impatient pacing greeted his eyes.
"You are twenty seconds late! Quick! Return the grimoire!"
Without waiting for his answer, the dean's hand turned to smoke. Shocked by the urgent tone and action, a shudder rocked his frame as the swirling hand snatched the grimoire like an ethereal talon.
Reeling in the movement's terrifying swiftness, his eyes trembled as he watched Shepard inspect, then cradle the book like a baby.
After a moment to recover, he glared at him.
"It's just a book. Can't you make a copy if you value it this much?"
Shepard's eyes narrowed into slits at the comment.
"What do you know? The cover, every page, even the ink. They all come from terrifying beasts. Its author's mana and comprehension imbue each word. Even if you copy a grimoire, its value won't reach a hundredth of the original."
Reverence dancing in his eyes, the arcanist arranged the grimoire to its rightful place in his private library. With a gleeful grin stretching his lips, he returned.
"For fairness' sake, I tweaked the Golden ticket rules. Inside of one ticket by summoned you bring back, it'll be one for two."
'Tsk. I knew it. This scrooge doesn't want to lend his books.'
Frustrated and rolling his eyes, he turned and waved his hand.
"Good luck with the enrollment ceremony. I'll leave now."
His disappointed voice resounded as his leather boots met the soft corridor carpet.
Ever since he witnessed how fast Shepard accepted Elisabeth's offer, a knot of resentment lodged itself in his heart. He did his best to forget about it. Yet, the sting remained.
Without waiting for an answer and with a deep sigh, he moved to the College's Gate. Maybe a year away from everyone he knew would help untie his tangled trust.
On his way, he bid Julius and Alina goodbye. The tender hug they shared sent a wave of warmth into his chest as he recovered his smile.
His mood restored, and after promising his family not to flare at the slightest disagreement, he stepped out of the skyscraper.
The warm wind of September ruffled his hat, and the chirping of birds filled his ears. With determined steps, he passed by the verdant gardens Thurin spent time to rebuild. Accompanied by the fresh scent of nature, he reached the towering construct five minutes later.
Yet, upon seeing the spectacle waiting for him, a choked sob escaped his lips.
"Thank you for saving us!"
"Don't cause problems in my country!"
The summoned, Shepard, and the teachers waited for him. He even spotted Arun, Asha, and the rest of the team, who returned in advance to bid him goodbye.
Their warm yells resounded in the air, making his emotions overflow and his frame tremble.
Lowering his hat over his face to hide them, he walked towards the construct.
Then, taking a deep breath to fix his cracking voice, he yelled.
"I'll be back before you can miss me. Take care of yourselves, everyone!"
With a final wave, he lowered his head and stepped into the dense mana veil surrounding the Gate. It shimmered, then swallowed him whole, leaving only his lingering voice behind.