Chapter 103

The next day, Arran was all but recovered from the journey . Between his Body Refinement techniques and a good night’s sleep, all that remained of the ordeal was a vague feeling of weariness, which he took to be an after-effect of Snowcloud’s potion .

That the potion had any after-effects at all came as a surprise — with his Essence-strengthened body, even most light injuries normally healed in a matter of hours . That the potion’s harm lasted beyond that was worrying, and he resolved not to use it again unless he had no other choice .

Snowcloud was already sitting at the cave’s entrance, and as he sat down in front of her, she gave him an appraising look .

“You recovered quickly,” she said . “Are you ready to begin?”

“Ready and impatient,” he replied .

She responded with a smile . “Let’s get started then . The first thing I will have to do is teach you a decent Body Refinement technique . “

“I already have several Body Refinement techniques,” Arran said .

“The techniques used in the Empire aren’t good enough,” Snowcloud replied . “You need something that allows you to use every bit of Essence you have available . “

Although Arran thought the technique Darkfire had taught him would suffice, he nodded quietly — he would not object to learning something even better .

Yet as Snowcloud began to explain her technique, Arran immediately thought it sounded familiar . A few moments more, he realized that she was describing the technique Darkfire had already taught some months earlier .

“I know this technique,” Arran interrupted Snowcloud’s explanation . “I learned it several months ago . “

Hearing his words, she looked up in surprise . “Are you sure? This is a Shadowflame technique that’s not usually shared with outsiders . If someone taught it to you…” She frowned, seeming unhappy with the idea .

“I’m sure,” Arran said .

She gave him a studious look, and for a moment, Arran worried there might be trouble . But then, she shrugged .

“I suppose the technique is hardly a secret,” she said . “And knowing it will save you a few weeks of training . Alright, we’ll move on . “

She reached for her void bag, and after a quick search, she took out what looked to be a marble-sized sized piece of crystal, which she handed to Arran .

“What is it?” Arran asked .

He looked at the small crystal in his hand with some curiosity . It was completely clear, and although it could easily be mistaken for a simple piece of glass, he could vaguely feel some power emanating from it — although he could not tell exactly what kind of power .

“It’s an Essence Crystal,” Snowcloud said . “It’s made of Purified Essence . “

“Purified Essence? What’s that?”

“It’s what remains when you purify Essence by cleansing it of all specific properties and attributes,” she said . “Like distilling alcohol from wine, or extracting the sap from yellow flax . “

Arran nodded, although he wasn’t exactly sure how either of those things worked . Right now, he was more interested in what the Purified Essence would do than in how it was created .

“What does it do?” he asked .

“Use it, and you’ll find out,” Snowcloud answered . “After that, I can explain more . “

“Then how do I use it?” Arran asked .

“Hold it in your hand, then take control of the Essence within the crystal and draw it into yourself . Once you’ve done that, you can circulate it using the Body Refinement technique .

Arran immediately set to work, holding the crystal while trying to take control of the Essence from which it was made .

This proved to be more difficult than he had expected, and just gaining some control over the Essence took him the better part of an hour . Although it didn’t resist his control, exactly, he could tell that the Essence wasn’t his own .

When he finally succeeded in controlling the Essence within the crystal, drawing it into himself was easy, and he managed to do so on his first try . After that, he immediately began to circulate the Essence within his body using Darkfire’s Body Refinement technique .

At once, he could tell that this was different from using Natural Essence or Essence drawn from Realms . Although the Purified Essence wasn’t more potent, something about it felt different — gentler, in a way .

If circulating Natural Essence was like drinking ale, circulating Purified Essence was like drinking water . It was nourishing but indistinct, and as Arran absorbed it into his body, he could feel no apparent effects .

Less than half an hour later, Arran had finished taking in the last of the Purified Essence . Yet to his disappointment, he felt no real changes whatsoever .

“Now what?” he asked, at a loss . He had done what Snowcloud said, but as far as he could tell, nothing had happened .

“Try using a spell,” she said patiently .

Arran did as she told him, creating a Windblade and sending it at a tree in the distance . Immediately, he was surprised at the effect — although the difference wasn’t too large, he could tell that the Windblade was easier to control . Progress that would normally have taken weeks of practice now seemed to have come to him instantly .

He frowned as he considered it, and realized it made no sense . Body Refinement techniques were supposed to strengthen the body, yet now, his control of Essence had increased .

“How is that possible?” he asked, bewildered . “I used a Body Refinement technique, but it increased my control of Essence . What happened?”

“That is the first step on the True Path,” Snowcloud replied with a smile . “Your body and your control of Essence are fundamentally linked, and by infusing your body with Purified Essence, you can strengthen your magical power . “

“But isn’t controlling Essence done with the mind?” Arran asked, still confused .

She shook her head . “The body and mind are one,” she said . “And to use magic, you need to be attuned to the magical Realms from which you draw Essence, but also to the natural world you try to manipulate . “

“But I’ve been practicing Body Refinement for years using Natural Essence . Why didn’t that have the same effect?”

“Natural Essence belongs to the natural world,” she replied . “Infusing your body with Natural Essence strengthens it, but it does little to help you control Essence from other Realms — it can even make it more difficult, by weakening your attunement to the Essence you draw from your Realms . “

“But I’ve also used Body Refinement with Essence from other Realms,” Arran said, recalling his time at Lord Jiang’s estate . “And that didn’t have this kind of effect, either . “

“It probably did have an effect, but one too small to notice,” Snowcloud said . “Infusing your body with Essence from other Realms strengthens your link to them, but at the cost of weakening your link to the natural world . “

“So Natural Essence strengthens your link to the natural world but weakens your link to the magical Realms, while Essence from Realms does the exact opposite?”

“Exactly,” Snowcloud replied . “And the only way to grow truly powerful is to be strong in both — because magic requires controlling Essence within the natural world . “

Arran nodded, beginning to understand how it worked .

“That is the reason common Academy mages are weak,” Snowcloud continued . “Just using magic infuses their bodies with Essence, although more slowly than if they used a refinement technique . But as their affinity to Essence strengthens, their affinity to the natural world weakens, and the result is that each step forward sets them back nearly as much . “

“But what about Purified Essence?” Arran asked . “Why does it have so strong an effect?”

“Purified Essence is bound to neither the natural world nor the magical Realms,” Snowcloud said . “It directly strengthens your affinity to Essence itself, and that allows you to strengthen your control of Essence . “

“Is Purified Essence the only way to grow strong, then?”

Snowcloud shook her head . “You can grow more powerful by carefully balancing your affinity to both the natural world and your Realms, but that’s a slow and difficult process . Following the True Path and using Essence Crystals is much easier and faster . “

Arran nodded thoughtfully, and he could not help but grin as he thought learning the True Path would be far easier than he had expected .

“Do you have any more Essence Crystals?” he asked, eager to make good use of what seemed like a powerful shortcut .

“I do, but not enough to share freely,” Snowcloud replied . “I need them myself as well . And besides, you need to learn how to create them . ”