The inside of Rashadon mansion smelt like potpourri and felt like a warm summer’s breeze. Despite the lack of decorations, the wide hallways presented a majesty in and of themselves. Staff strolled in and out, attending to their tasks, and occasionally a guest or business partner of the Mitra family walked past us. It was strange to have a staff member take my school jacket off my shoulders for me. Stranger still was the assorted grapes held out by other people that had been prepared for Gold and Agni.

The two birds abandoned us immediately.

"If you thought my dad was interested in your relationship with Gold, be prepared for a barrage of questions from my grandpa.” Amanda hummed happily, ignoring the multitude of servants. “He's been wanting to meet Gold since I first let slip that he existed.”

To her these events were just another everyday occurrence. But they were new to me. And to Roxxy as well.

“I didn't realise your family was so big.” Roxxy’s eyes were wide. “It feels like I’m visiting my mum’s place.”

She swept aside her blonde hair as she narrowly avoided bumping into a member of the staff hurrying with papers in their hand. She was the heir to her own household, but she had always been based in Koshima with her father.

Unlike Koshima nobles, Amanda’s family network spanned entire cities.

Room after room passed by until Amanda opened a gilded door, revealing rows of bookshelves. Her own personal library. By the time we’d arrived there was already food and drinks waiting for us.

A staff member was waiting to report to Amanda.

“The cultivation room will be available within the hour.” He said.

Amanda nodded and dismissed him. He left without complaint and Roxxy shot me a thumbs up. We needed the cultivation room to work on whatever she wanted to do. I couldn't wait.

Attuning to the water element was one of my major goals.

Amanda grabbed a book from one of the shelves and sat on the sofa, her eyes skimming the pages as she spoke. “Why did you want to use the cultivation room? You know it's fire attuned, right?”

“Roxxy asked for it.” I shrugged.

“It's part of my awesome training plan.” Roxxy nodded at my words. “My mum used to talk about using opposite elements when she was teaching me to attune with communication. We're going to try and cross the final barrier to attunement by swamping you with fire mana.”

Amanda and I looked at each other, and I could see the confusion in her eyes.

“We have no idea what you're talking about.” I told Roxxy, keeping my tone gentle.

She just beamed and held out her hand, forming a ball of water in it. Then she placed it in front of her and we watched it float.

"It's true that fire and water are opposites of one another, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing for your training.” Roxxy spoke slowly, making sure I kept my full attention on her. “Mana has emotions too. When it feels scared, or overwhelmed, it looks for friends just like everyone else.”

She poked at the ball and shifted and changed until it looked like a transparent flame. Then she moved the flame-carving next to her and formed a new ball, filled with water.

Fire and water, two opposite elements.

“Normally if you want to learn one, you should have a buffer element before learning the other. You’re earth attuned, so if you wanted to attune to wind, you'd have to attune to fire or water first.” Roxxy spoke slowly. “This is because elements of opposite natures attack each other. It's not visible most times, but when that power is clashing inside of us, it can tear our bodies apart.”

I followed her explanation carefully. Roxxy placed the two elemental carvings next to each other, and even though they were both made of water she forced them to tremble on contact.

"The voice and emotions of the mana amplify when they're in a hostile environment. Surrounded by fire mana, the water calls out to us as an ally to help it.” She dispersed the flame-carving and the water disappeared. “It's not a noticeable difference. But if you're close to attuning I think this can give you that final push from talking to mana, to being its friend.”

Amanda and I stare at Roxxy.

"You’re really good at this.” I finally spoke.

Attuning to an element meant that it considered you an ally and would come to your aid in times of need. If the water mana was calling out to me for help, then it was willing to communicate fully, and place its trust in me.

It would bear its soul to me, and I would be waiting to respond.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I'm great.” Roxxy’s tone was breezy, but she couldn't hide the grin forming on her lips. “That’s why I wanted to use a fire cultivation room.”

Her words were convincing, but a single doubt lingered in my mind.

"Are you sure this is the way to do things?" I asked.

It wasn't that I didn't want to improve quickly, but mana was supposed to trust me. Earning that trust through trickery and lies by scaring it into submission wasn't a solid foundation for friendship. There was a difference between the magicians that wanted to control mana, and those that cooperated with it knowing that their ally would never betray them.

The first time I’d truly connected with my earth element was when I'd trusted it to help protect me from the Divine that watched my every move. I'd opened up my heart and mind to its embrace and protection.

My metal attunement had completed when I'd trusted the element to save my life from a man that had kidnapped me. Both times had been serious and immediate.

This method of slow meditation and communication over a period of months was new to me. Every day I tried to talk to water mana, slowly building up the element’s trust in me.

A hand gripped my own, breaking me out of my thoughts.

It was Roxxy’s.

“If water ever thought for even a second that you were an enemy to it, then you will never be accepted.” Her voice was soft, but firm. “There is no such thing as getting lucky and falling into attunement. Or cheating. That was what Unice tried to do. And my brother. You have spoken with the elements for months. I hear mana rejoice when you enter a room, and I see it glow as it crosses your hair. They know you would not trick them, and I know it too.”

She leaned back, taking away her hand, and leaving me to contemplate her words. There was no doubt in her tone, and no double meaning in her words. She genuinely meant what she said.

“You're right.” I smiled. “If water accepts me, then it accepts me. I can only do my best to show it who I am so that it can make its decision.”

“Good!” Roxxy cheered. “So, I hear you guys are kicking people down in the arena? I want to hear all about it before we get into that cultivation room.”

"Sure, but you guys know you can take a seat wherever you want, right?” Amanda looked at us both in amusement.

We'd been standing the entire time.

“Also, if you're starting to go up the rankings, you should start thinking of some new tactics. Your symbol block, can you hit anyone with it?” She asked.

I sat down across from her and then the sofa almost sent me flying as Roxxy hopped onto it like it was a bouncing castle. She let out a laugh at my expression and Amanda grinned.

"Maybe I'll give it a test drive against you two right now.” I brought the stone block out of my inventory, and it flew threateningly toward the girls.

Then I dropped it on top of them, lightly tapping each one on the head. Amanda swatted it away like a fly.

"This should be about two or three and a half times harder than a regular stone block.” I brought it back in front of me. “It'll crush my opponent if I throw it hard enough.”

With my other hand I motioned at my inventory and a tendril of silver peeked out of my pocket. Then it flew around the block, and they circled each other in the air.

"I can coat the block in a thin layer of ordinary rock to hide the symbols and smack people with it, but if it breaks then that's a lot of work wasted.”

Realistically the sole stone that I had right now was a prototype that was more valuable as a subject of study than a weapon.

“Once you have a few dozen of them in your inventory you can afford to throw them at people.” Amanda read between the lines.

“Exactly.” I nodded. “But professor Pernacles thinks I can use the symbols on this block to make it bigger. I just have to cut the completed symbols away and put them into a new stone.”

“We're not in the academy anymore. You can just call him the cranky old man.” Roxxy interjected.

“Maybe he'd be nicer if you stopped falling asleep in class.” I shot back with a teasing smile. “It's hard for him to give a lecture when your snores fill the air.”

"You take that back! I don't snore!” Roxxy said.

Before I could respond she sent a splash of water toward me and I moved my head out of the way, narrowly avoiding it. Then the water boomeranged and hit me in the back of the head. It didn't hurt, but it did splash me with cold water.

It felt really nice in the heat of the mansion.

"Okay, okay." I rubbed the back of my head. “You don't snore.”

“Good.” Roxxy brought the water back and weaved it between her fingers. “So, why don't you just cut the block up right now?”

"I will when I get back home. I don't have the tools for it here.” I motioned at the block. “I can separate it into a few pieces with my [Earth Manipulation] skill, but not so precisely that I won't risk damaging one of the completed sides by doing so. I'll have to cut through it the old-fashioned way.”

The physical carving of materials and symbols to fit different layouts and surfaces was an intricate process. I'd probably ask my dad to use his inscribing cube.

“That's why you can't carve symbols using your manipulation skill, right?” Amanda poked at the stone curiously.

"Exactly." I nodded.

I hadn't reached the skill level necessary to fine-tune lines into stone and earth. Any attempt would likely leave the lines too large or deep. Or worse, they'd simply carve up the entire rock and I'd have to stick it back together.

For now tools were necessary. It was possible that would change, but it would likely take a lot more practice and leveling.

I shook away the thought.

"On the bright side, if I carve the symbols small enough, I can make spears with extra durability. Maybe I'll even add a symbol to make them sharper.” I said. "I'm hoping I get to test them in one of the duels.”

My plans didn't only involve stone spears. The silver flying through the air responded to my thoughts and formed a spear that flew to my hand. I examined it carefully. Wahyu had been teaching me how to carve symbols into silver. It was a difficult process because my [Metal Manipulation] was even less refined than my earth. If I made a mistake, I could rub it out, but anything else was off the table.

Eventually I wanted to create regents out of my silver spears.

“Speaking of duels.” I turned to Amanda. “Are you sure you'll be able to rank up in time?”

Her family was used to fighting, and I had no doubt after our sparring sessions that she was strong. But unlike me, Amanda hadn't wanted the attention. She and her family had been through a lot the past few months.

“Exclusive rights to explore the holy land earlier than the rest of our year level is too good to pass up.” Amanda smiled, flipping a page of her book. “I’ve already received a mountain of challenges for fights. I just wasn't accepting them until now. Besides, I won't be alone."

I raised an eyebrow at her words and saw Roxxy beaming. The water magician spread out her hands and a ball of water formed in them, changing shape so that it formed a sword. And then a fish.

“We registered as a duo for challenges this morning.” Roxxy declared proudly. "Together we’re team Amanda-Rox!”

"We didn't agree on that name.” Amanda objected.

“—Unlike you two, I've been steadily rising up the rankings since the start of the year.” Roxxy ignored Amanda. “But since Amanda doesn't have time to fight the sheer amount of people challenging her, we're going to tag team them and get through double the challenges in half the time.”

"That's a smart play." I smiled.

If Roxxy and Amanda both got into the top ten, then it would mean almost the entire group would be allowed to enter the holy land early. William was already a guaranteed entry. And Gerial was a year above us. The only one left out would be Ouros.

Maybe if we asked, we could get him a spot as part of our group.

"Well, I guess that sets up what we're going to be doing for the next month.” Roxxy sat back, her energy spent.

“If we're just relaxing, why not try your attunement training now?” Amanda asked. “You said you need a high fire mana environment, but this whole mansion is filled with it.”

“Huh.” Roxxy looked at her pensively and then turned toward me. “Do you think it'll work?”

A small pang of excitement fluttered over my heart.

“I've been at the cusp of breaking through for weeks.” I placed a hand against my chest. “One good push. I feel it'll work.”

“Okay.” Roxxy raised her hands. “Let's give it a try. From here on out, make sure you don't miss a thing I say.”

Her tone turned serious, and I found myself straightening my back as her words hit my ear. Despite her carefree nature, there were times when Roxxy demanded absolute attention. Now was one of those times.

"We don't need the cultivation room to start, but we do need fire.” She said to Amanda.

Amanda obliged, flames shooting out of her fingers and filling the air in streams. Their light hit every book and shelf inside, but I could feel her subduing the heat to keep her collection safe.

That was okay, all Roxxy needed was the mana.

Water gathered around Roxxy and from the centre of her hands the fish that she'd formed out of water swam through the air toward me. It passed by the stone block, and then the silver tendril, until it was in front of my eyes.

I put both the stone and silver back into my inventory. There was no room for distractions when I was training.

“Close your eyes.” Roxxy said. I followed her instructions, and the world disappeared around me. “This isn't going to be quick, so don't try to rush things. Attunement isn’t forced. It is earned through peace, quiet, and meditation. Open your heart and soul, and the water will respond in kind.”

With my [Mana Sense] and [Mana Affinity] skills active, the world around me was replaced by a series of lights. Mana. It clung to the walls and floated in the air. It transposed over the physical world and overlapped with all that existed.

In front of me, the fish had transformed into a pool of blue light.

Beyond it, I could feel a pulse of power emanating across the air. Roxxy. Her magic guided me and calmed my heart. As a water-element magician I could sense her attunement. Only a few months ago it would have been impossible, but with practice and time she had become easy to recognise.

This was the benefit brought by training with fellow magicians.

"What do you hear?” Roxxy asked.

I focused on the mana in front of me. Normally, it was easy to hear the thoughts of the mana around me. But now there was interference.

Amanda's mansion was filled with fire mana.

Burn. Warm. Heat. Swim.

Trying to separate the thoughts of the water mana from the fire mana around me was difficult. It felt like I was wading through a swamp.

Suddenly, something called out to me. It was a lone voice calling out within a void of shouting. I followed it, and one by one I separated the threads of concepts that were flowing into my mind. Soon there was only one left.

Swim, flow, welcome.

I repeated the words to Roxxy. Her magic wavered as I spoke, and I saw her weaving the mana through the air.

“Awesome.” She responded.

Then she pushed the water over my hair and let it drop onto me.

I sputtered and Roxxy laughed. When I opened my eyes, I saw Amanda holding back a grin beside her.

"If you could manipulate water, that wouldn't have happened.” Roxxy’s eyes followed the drops of water flowing down my forehead. “Did it work?”

I wasn't sure if it had, but she didn't need an immediate answer. She wanted me to figure it out first.

My eyes closed once again, and I focused on what I'd just done. The fire mana around me was as loud as always. But it hadn't called out to me.

The water mana had.

She was right. I’d been able to sense the emotions behind the water mana. They had called out to me, instead of me searching for them. It was a simple difference, but on the path of attunement it was the difference between night and day.

“I can hear the water mana clearer.” I frowned. “Even though there's so much fire. You were right about the opposite elements.”

“Heck yeah.” Roxxy punched the air. “I knew it would work.”

Amanda and I stared at her, but she kept on celebrating. A few moments later she calmed down and sank into the sofa, forming another fish made out of water in front of her. It swam through the air around me, and I let it bounce on top of my head.

“The mana knows what it's doing.” Roxxy said, her demeanour turning calm once more. “They’re extending you an invitation. Whether it takes a minute, or a day. You just have to accept it.” She clapped her hands together. “Let's do it again.”

The conversation died down as I began my training. Amanda conjured flames that danced across the room. Each and every one of them radiated happiness and playfulness as they tried to get my attention.

Between the flames swam fish made of water. In my mind’s eye they were blue jewels inside an ocean of red. I'd drifted off into meditation, slowly focusing my attention on the world around me as we grew comfortable with the silence.

Of course, the world was never truly silent. Within the realm of mana whispers touched my mind, speaking in concepts and emotions.

A minute passed.

Play, strike, consume.

An hour passed. Roxxy slowly brought more and more water out of her inventory.

Hot, joy, crackle.

Four hours passed. We were too deep in meditation. We didn't notice the staff member offering to take us to the cultivation room.

Cool, float, eat.

Adding to the whispers was a tendril of water Roxxy was manipulating around my arms. The water was a limb, moving with her thoughts and reacting as she would. It would never hurt me, and the mana inside beckoned for me to communicate with it.

So, I did.

My fingers spread out and quickly crashed together in a silent clap. The water flowed as Roxxy read my intentions, the liquid gathering in the middle of my palms and flowing gracefully into a new shape.

It was a spear, simple yet effective at finishing enemies quickly. I’d chosen a familiar shape and sent that out to the mana as my request. Roxxy had then heard the voice of the mana repeating what I'd said and changed the water to form the spear. I wasn't sure why I had gravitated toward the usage of spears as my main attack. It was possible to form other objects and weapons, but also tougher. Spears came instinctually to me and I felt at ease using them.

My fingers clasped the water spear gently, allowing its liquid skin to run over them and flow like a river. It felt both solid and fragile.

Poke. Fun. Flood. Progress.

Listening to the water mana was like trying to grasp a fish out of a pond. Its thoughts swam out of reach, and I mostly caught echoes of what it had been thinking, rather than what it currently was thinking.

Still, I tried to catch them.

Like eels the mana slipped from my grasp. So, I tried harder. My mind tried to wrap around their words and pull them toward me. But it didn't work. Each passing moment they grew further and further away from me.

This was wrong.

I took a deep breath and stepped back mentally. There was no way to force the mana to attune to me. When I'd communicated with the earth and metal, I'd treated them as an equal, and a partner. They weren't a prize that could be caught.

My emotions shifted, and I calmed my heart. The air was filled with joy and happiness, waiting for me to reach out and join it. Each drop that dripped against my skin was a being of unfathomable power, and also a friend.

So, I reached out.

And then, I saw her.

Roxxy lit up like a beacon, releasing waves of water mana that reverberated around the room. For a moment I felt Amanda falter, the flames dying down. But I didn't open my eyes.

Instead, I followed my instincts. My focus grew wider to accommodate the new source of water mana, and I saw Roxxy taking up the entire room. There was no limit to her magic. It flowed from within her like an ocean and raged across the air like seas beset by a storm. From within, I heard voices.

Great. Almost. There. Play. Follow. Andross.

Second after second passed as I breathed deeply in and out. My attention wasn't only on the water mana. I could sense Roxxy’s attunement. And her intentions. Each thought she sent out to the water was sent to me, and I saw how she communicated with it.

Her words resonated with the water mana around me, and I felt the difference between herself and I.

I’d been trying to grab the words spoken by the mana around me. Her thoughts were swimming alongside them. I couldn't tell where Roxxy’s thoughts began, and the water mana’s ended. They were one in the same.

And because of that, I could hear exactly what she was saying to the mana.

Andross. Follow. Cooperate. Collaborate.

She took my hand, even though we had no hands. And I allowed her to guide my mind. My thoughts opened up to her, and my emotions spilled out for the world to see.

At that moment, I was as vulnerable as I had been in my crib, alone and in a foreign world. My heart was as fragile as the time I'd confronted the Divine watching me, trying to tell my dad it existed.

I trusted her with everything. I trusted the mana with everything.

And it trusted me back.

In the realm of water there was no need to fight. Or shout. We swam in harmony with our allies. Our thoughts moved together, at the same pace and speed. When I slowed, they slowed. When they slowed, I slowed. A magician was more than flashy spells. They were a being intimately connected to magic. Magic was a part of them they could never live without. A friend and ally. A family member.

We were two sides of the same coin. There was nothing we would hide from each other.

The water element was not something to be grasped and contained. It was free and playful. It flowed through my veins, giving life to me. Giving life to everyone. I could see it now, clear as day. Water was where everything began, but it didn't use that fact to divide us, or judge us.

It simply accepted us as we were.

One of us.

The thought reverberated across my mind and I allowed it to ripple into my soul. Each mote of mana around me poured their intentions and feelings into my being, and I let them. A surge of emotion crossed through my heart. It was mine. It was theirs. It was ours.

Fear. Joy. Reflection. Balance. Interest. Love. Calm.

A single drop of pure passion dripped into the swirling tides of concepts the water mana sent into me.

Then they fell silent.

What had been a cascade slowed to a dribble. The water hadn't retreated. Nor had it disappeared. It was still there, communicating with me. It had found a place to rest within me. I followed its path through my body and mind, and in moments I entered a familiar blank space. It was my mind, and inside it I could control the world as I pleased. But I wasn't here for that.

I looked up toward the furthest reaches of my mind and spotted two familiar symbols. Each one represented a different element.

Earth and metal.

Now, however, there was another.

Power rippled through the air and waves of new magic clashed with the earth and metal, but it didn't try to overwhelm them. Tides of power rose and fell as the symbols tried to find a compromise in their existence. Each note of power tried to find its place, amplifying in strength as they found themselves challenged. All three symbols were more active than they had ever been.

The repurcussions were already hitting my body. My chest tightened, and my head pounded. Sweat poured out of my skin and I felt a hand gripping my body to stop it from collapsing.

Still, I watched, and waited. I had no fear in my heart. There was an order to how each element had to be attuned. If the elements had been different, then the balance could have broken, and crippled me. But I had done everything correctly. For months I'd communicated with water mana every day, trying to gain its trust. And I had given it my trust. The magic wouldn't harm me. After all, it was my friend.

Soon, all three fell into a peaceful harmony.

I floated toward it, examining every line and section with my eyes. I'd seen the symbol countless times before while studying the elements.

Water.

“Would you look at that?”

Roxxy’s joyful voice fluttered into my ears and I opened my eyes.

“We didn't even need the cultivation room.”