“Do you know how to create a mage-core?” Ayas asked her after they left the meeting, the elf’s head looking down at her.

“Sadly no, otherwise I’d have tried to form one already.” Ves'ra answered.

“You're in luck then, you need to know how to form one if you want to create a sphere. You also need to form your core for that, a mage without simply lacks the required mana.” She explained, walking in one of the many branching hallways.

“So I’ll have to form a core before we start?” She asked.

“Yes, but if you're as talented as Estrum said then you’ll face no problem.”

“So, how do I go about creating a core?” Ves'ra asked.

“What do you know about cores?” Ayas asked.

“They increase my total energy and make casting spells easier.”

“That's certainly true, even if very rudimentary. You don't actually create a core in one go, the mana needed for that is inconceivable. No, every core starts with a seed. You have to concentrate as much of your mana as you can control in one single spot. If you have enough then a core-seed will come into being, the first physical representation of your mana-veins in your body. It will only be able contain about half as much mana as you used to create it, but that's already enough to cast most spells without expelling your mana.” She explained as they arrived in front of an ornate door.

“So I just have to concentrate my energy? I'm already doing that.” Ves'ra said.

“What?”

“Do you know how it feels when you're about to evolve? I didn't know, so I did something against it and bound my energy into a rope.” Ves'ra explained, just as they stepped into the middle of the room.

“That's interesting, and would explain your abnormal evolution.” Ayas pondered as she injected energy into the enchantment around them. They appeared in a room devoid of anything but a long, metal pole in its middle. A teleport anchor Ves'ra realized. ‘Abnormal’ evolution, well, she had already thought about that, she clearly was a lot more powerful than the chieftain. She followed Ayas through the enchanter's guild, climbing one stair after another.

Soon enough they reached to uppermost floor, and Ves'ra noticed an increase in the beauty of the hallways, the marble was a little bit more polished. It didn't take long until they reached her private office, a nice cozy room not unlike Estrum’s.

“Welcome to my office. This is where I worked before the others forced me to be guildmaster, and the room I want to spent as much of my time as possible.” Ayas mourned. Ves'ra decided she would ignore what she just heard and focus on something else instead.

“So, what do we do now?”

“You will attempt to form your core-seed, and I will observe you. Forming a seed isn't really dangerous, but it never hurts to be careful.” She said, waving Ves'ra over to an expensive couch. After they sat down Ves'ra asked again. “So I just have to compress my energy as much as possible?”

“Yes, it will solidify by itself.” Ayas said, taking out a strange pair of glasses before sitting down next to her. “These will allow me to watch the movement of mana in your body, if you are fine with me using them.”

“Sure. Hit me when I don't seem to do anything for quite some time.” Ves'ra said, securing herself against another vision. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the energy that permeated her body. All external stimuli faded, allowing her to feel all energy held within her body. There was something else, something huge compared to her. It cowed her, seemly wanting to crush her in a huge wealth of experience and knowledge. NO! No! No!

A sharp pain on her shoulder snapped her out of the meditation. Ves'ra breathed in and out, slowly calming down. She looked in a concerned face.

“Are you ok? You need to be relaxed to form a core.”

“I'm fine now, I just need a minute, thanks.” Ves'ra answered. Ayas nodded, obviously not understanding why Ves'ra was as panicked as she had been.

Ves'ra closed her eyes again, ignoring the huge presence next to her. That had happened every single time she tried to meditate, but now that she had someone to snap her out of the panic Ves'ra found it much easier to control herself.

She focused on the energy permeating her body. Without focusing on the memories it was a lot easier, so Ves'ra set to work, concentrating on the cavity in the middle of her heart. She could feel all of her energy-veins coming together in its middle making the perfect spot to form a core.

She took control over all bound energy, leaving the unbound energy to continue flowing through her body. She slowly filled the cavity in her heart with energy, marvelling the amount of energy she could control inside of her own body. Once the cavity was filled with slowly rotating ropes of energy Ves'ra took manual control over them, coiling them tightly in the middle of her heart, compressing with all her power.

Why did she do that?

Because Ayas told her.

But crystals were able to take much more energy than anything else! She should take manual control over the process, and form the ropes in a crystal matrix before compressing them.

That did sound reasonable. Ves'ra stopped the pressure before the core had a chance to form. Once done she formed the energy into a crystal matrix, compressing it once again.

She should have her energy disconnect from her veins, there was a reason her energy circulated through her body.

Ves'ra completely stopped her control over her energy, watching as it integrated into her own veins again. She was correct. This time Ves'ra took control over all veins entering her heart, forming the crystal matrix again, but this time each vein naturally entered and left the core.

Ves'ra started compressing her energy again, feeling as it fought against leaving its natural pathways.

She shouldn't compress it as fast as possible, slowly compressing would leave her body time to naturally reinforce the structure, making for a much more potent seed.

Ves'ra naturally relaxed her control, slowly compressing her energy. She could feel it, how nearly all energy entering her core was used to fortify it against the compression.

Too fast!

Ves'ra was too fast, she could see that less and less energy left her core. She relaxed her compression a little bit, waiting for energy in- and outtake to stabilize before continuing. She was in a daze, compressing the core a little more each time, and waiting for it to stabilize again.

Ves'ra continued, heedless to the passage of time as she compressed her energy into a seed worthy of a mage. After more than one hundred compressions she stopped, her energy didn't want to compress any more.

She was finished.

Ves'ra continued observing the energy as it sat there. Now that she was only holding it in place, no longer compressing it she felt it change, solidifying from the middle, the point where every single vein crossed. The core did not harm her veins in any way, instead they seemed more physical, her energy rushed through them faster then ever.

The core solidified faster and faster, until the seed was fully formed. Once it was she didn't leave meditation immediately, instead observing the way her energy behaved. Ves'ra was pleased with herself, the energy moved faster, much faster then it did before, sped up by her crystal core as it was. She could observe her unbound energy leaving the veins and filling the core, forming a huge reservoir of energy ready to do her bidding.

Ves'ra opened her eyes, only to look into the awestruck face of the elf next to her.

“What did you do?” She breathed out, disbelief on her face.

“I formed a core like you told me.” Ves'ra answered.

“No, you formed one at first, what you have is no normal core!” Ayas said forcefully, excitement on her face. “I've never seen anything like this, how did you even manage to do that? Mana doesn't stay in form like that!”

“I controlled it.”

“Why did you do it, how did you get the idea?” Ayas asked in fascination.

“I formed the core like you told me, but then I thought: ‘Crystals are able to hold more energy than anything else, why not form one?” WAIT! How did she know that?

“How do you know that?” Ayas asked.

“I don't know.” Ves'ra asked. But she did. The strange memories that wanted to take over must be responsible, the person did seem very knowledgeable. Perhaps she had been a little fast in ignoring it, she could feel the connection to the energy in her core even now.

“Well, that doesn't matter, we have to test your seed! I've never seen something like it.” Ayas cried, forgetting her manners in front of a new magical discovery. Ves'ra could understand that, it was a trait they shared.

“No.” She denied. “You promised to teach me something first.”

“Yeah, yeah, no problems.” The elf said, obviously distracted as she mumbled. “We will need a new core mage to compare her too, and something to measure their total mana, yes, yes. This is so fascinating!”

Ves'ra shook her head, before blasting the elf with a gust of wind. Ayas looked around, confused to be taken out of her planning.

“I want to learn how to use my core too, but you have to teach me about crystal spheres first!” She stated.

“Yes, let's get started right now. Edeis will need time to form her core, yes, perfect. We can start now.”

“Let's.”