Chapter 228

Arran looked at the adept in astonishment . Each spell he knew had taken him months to learn properly, and now she expected him to learn twelve of them in a single day?

It wasn’t just impossible; it was madness .

Anthea smiled in amusement at his bewildered expression . “The spells I’m talking of aren’t like the ones you know,” she explained . “They’re Forms — basic elements you can combine to create more complex spells . Observe . “

She held up her hand, and Arran could Sense that she was gathering Fire Essence . A moment later, a bright-red ball of Fire appeared above her hand .

“Condense . ” As she spoke the word, the ball of Fire grew smaller and brighter, its color changing into an intense yellow that bordered on white .

“Soar . ” The ball of fire instantly flew from her hand, moving toward the wall at an incredible speed .

“Ram . ” She spoke the final word right as the ball of fire forcefully crashed into the wall, where it left a blackened scorch mark .

Arran watched the display in fascination . Each of the separate Forms was simple, barely qualified to be called a spell . Yet together, they formed a complete spell, if not a particularly powerful one .

“It’s like using sword techniques in a combination,” he said, suddenly wondering why nobody had ever taught him this before . “And you can use this to create whatever spells you want?”

The thought of it astounded him . The spells he had learned so far could only be mastered as a whole, and the only way to learn one was to learn it all at once .

By comparison, this method seemed far easier . The Forms themselves seemed simple enough, and if creating new spells was just a matter of combining them, then learning magic would be far easier than he had anticipated .

“As long as you know the proper Forms, there isn’t a spell you can’t cast,” Anthea replied, visibly pleased with Arran’s excitement . “Though I have to warn you — there are many Forms, and learning to combine them correctly will require a great deal of practice . “

The warning did not deter Arran in the slightest . Even if there were thousands of Forms, if they were all as simple as this, learning all of them would still be quicker than mastering even a single normal spell .

“You’re going to teach me twelve of these Forms today?”

“That’s my intention,” Anthea replied . “Let’s started with the first, Condense . You already know how to condense Essence for simple techniques like fireballs, but the Form is slightly different . Watch closely…”

She spent the next quarter-hour explaining and demonstrating the Form, with Arran watching intently as she detailed its specifics .

He soon realized that the Form wasn’t as simple as he had initially believed . While it resembled the basic technique of condensing Essence, it was far more precise, each time using an exact series of steps to create the same weave of Essence .

After Anthea’s demonstrations, it took Arran nearly an hour to grasp the Form . That was slower than he had wanted, but it paled compared to learning a real spell . And if his teacher was right, he would be able to use it in numerous combinations .

“That’s good enough,” she finally said . “Mastering it will require a great deal of practice, but for the moment, we’ll move on to the next Form — Soar . “

It took Arran another hour to learn the Soar Form . Like Condense, it was simple but highly specific, clearly intended to achieve the exact same result each time .

“Consistency is the foundation of working with Forms,” Anthea explained . “To combine them, the individual elements have to be exactly right . “

Arran nodded in understanding . In some ways, it reminded him of sword styles, which allowed well-practiced techniques to be forged into powerful combinations .

“Next, let’s move on to the Ram Form,” Anthea continued . “You can use it to imbue a combination with a final wave of power, right before it hits a target . Like this…”

She explained the Form in detail, and it took Arran another half hour to learn it .

When he thought he knew it well enough, he asked, “The Forms you’ve taught me so far, can I try combining them?”

“Of course,” Anthea replied with a pleased nod . “It will take you some tries to get the combinations right, but you should be able to handle it . “

Eagerly, Arran set to work .

Focusing his mind, he gathered a moderate amount of Fire Essence in his hand, forcing it to Condense when there was enough of it . The result was a fist-sized orange fireball, still fully within his control .

Satisfied with the effort, he then made it Soar toward the wall — only to see it instantly dissipate in mid-air .

“Try again,” Anthea said . “And this time, focus on performing both Forms exactly as I taught you . Even the slightest imperfection will cause the combination to fail . “

Several dozens of failed attempts later, Arran succeeded in creating his first combination — an orange fireball that hit the wall with all the power of a warm breeze, not even leaving a scorch mark behind .

“Add the Ram Form,” Anthea said . “That will lend some power to the attack . “

Arran began to practice once more, and nearly an hour later, he finally achieved success in combining the three Forms he knew into a single attack .

It wasn’t a particularly impressive display . It took half a minute just to create the combination, and it struck the wall with a force far weaker than even a normal initiate’s fireballs would have .

Yet Anthea observed his efforts with clear excitement . “You’re talented,” she said in a cheerful voice . “Most people take days to create their first real combination . “

Arran felt some excitement as well . Although the result was too weak to be of any practical use, having a result at all in just half a day of training was nothing short of astonishing .

With a normal spell, it would have taken weeks just to reach this point, and then months more to do anything useful . If the Forms already yielded such results after a few hours, Arran could barely even imagine what he could achieve in a few months of training .

The whole thing seemed almost too good to be true .

He repeated the feat nearly two dozen times, keen to confirm that his success hadn’t been a mere fluke . Yet the result held, and though the combination was still slow and weak, he could tell that he was on the right path .

Finally, Anthea motioned for him to stop . “That’s enough for now,” she said . “You’ve earned a break . Let’s get some food in town, and we’ll continue after that . “

Arran happily agreed . Despite the motivation that came with rapid progress, practicing magic was exhausting — far more so than sword training .

They left the training hall, then headed toward the town at the center of the House of Flames . Or rather, the city . Because Arran soon discovered that unlike the House of Swords, the House of Flames held a proper city, and a sizable one at that .

The streets were lined with stores, shops, and restaurants, crowds of crimson-robed mages slowly walking past them . There weren’t nearly as many people as in the capital, but with every person here being at least a reasonably talented mage, there could be little doubt that the House of Flames was a tremendously powerful force .

“It’s like a city of mages,” he said ponderously, curiously looking around as they walked .

“We’re the second-largest House in the Valley,” Anthea said, some pride in her voice . “Before the truce, the House of Flames was the Valley’s main fighting force . But you already knew that, of course . “

“I didn’t,” Arran replied . “I’m from the Fourth Valley . I only arrived here a year ago . “

“The Fourth Valley?” Anthea’s tone held more than a little surprise . “Then you’ve actually experienced real battle? Against mages?”

“I have,” he confirmed .

Naturally, the brief reply wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy her curiosity, and Arran found himself spending the next half hour answering questions about the things he had encountered in the borderlands .

He answered what questions he could, making sure not to reveal anything she should not know . Aside from the borderlands, Anthea was most interested in the magical methods used in the other Valleys . Here, Arran had no need to feign ignorance . As an initiate, he had little experience with the Valleys’ different approaches to magic .

Somewhere in between asking questions, Anthea found them a small restaurant that served surprisingly tasty grilled meat and vegetables . From the Essence Arran could Sense being used in the kitchens, he surmised that the cooking here wasn’t done by any natural means .

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Arran ate with gusto, emptying three full plates in short order . The morning’s training had been strenuous, and he now eagerly replenished his lost energy . In between bites, he answered Anthea’s questions, though his thoughts were focused more on food than on magic .

Yet as he picked the final scraps from his third plate, a voice sounded behind him .

“Caught another one, have you?”

Arran turned to the person who had spoken, and saw that it was a middle-aged man whose angular face bore a severe expression .

“Master Linos . ” Anthea greeted the man politely, but more than a hint of hostility could be seen in her eyes .

“It’s bad enough that you’re wasting your own talent on a dead-end path,” the man continued . “But do you need to lead others astray, as well?” He turned to Arran . “What she has failed to tell you is that these Forms of hers are useless . Nobody can use them — not as anything more than feeble tricks . “

“Elder Nikias could—” Anthea began .

“Elder Nikias died half a century before you were even born,” the man interrupted her . “And nobody since has mastered the method he created . Not your master, not you, and certainly not the initiates whose time and talents you’ve wasted with this futile pursuit . The method died with its creator, and it’s time you accept that . “

Anthea gave the man a hateful stare, but she did not respond, and he turned to Arran .

“You’re the initiate who bested one of our novices this morning, correct? Come visit me once you realize the truth . I can provide you with proper training — talent like yours should not go to waste . “

Without a second look at Anthea, the man turned around and left the restaurant .

“That vile…” Anthea muttered in anger as she stared at the departing Master’s back .

Arran, however, found himself filled with concern . Ignoring the risk of further upsetting Anthea, he asked, “What he said, is it true?”

“It’s not!” she said sharply . Yet after a brief moment of hesitation, she continued, “At least, not exactly . ” She shook her head . “Let’s return to the training halls . I’ll explain it to you on the way back . ”