"—what? He doesn't have a core element?—"
"—how's that possible? He's the teacher's son after all—"
"—I guess it's true when they say, no mage could conquer the core element for another one—"
"—what a pity. No one should suffer such a fate—"
The grand hall was flooding with audible whispers and gossip. The students treated the revelation as a reality check, knowing well that there isn't anyone, be it the highest class of mages or a sage for all of their care—there was no one above the nature itself.
The moment August made his ambivalence public everyone automatically understood how he managed to sense another spell or rather an extra element working with the ice spell, making the ice recover quickly to be able to withstand the next attack.
That was the reason that crystal blue ice was very hard to deal with. Even for everyone of them combined. It wasn't that the attack of students wasn't doing any harm to the spikes but the reason for it to withstand the impact was the faster recovery provided by additional spells cast by their teacher in the disguise of cold temperature.
August was able to sense another element in working due to his ambivalent nature. While he was able to sense that from the very beginning, he waited for a long time to find a way to deal with that.
Unlike other student mages, he doesn't remain protected from the echoes from other elements all the time therefore his perception of the elements was higher than the rest of them.
After contemplating for a long time while observing the other students trying to deal with the situation with different approaches — he finally found a way that, to his luck worked well.
The plan was to use the loophole in the additional spell against it. After watching for a long time he figured that the additional spell was at work continuously, so he had to confuse the damn element in play. So he struck the same spike of ice at the same time from two different locations. And when the spell was working on those two deep impact but invisible cracks, he struck the ice with a soft blow.
That, the spell didn't even bother to count as a blow. With that he was able to successfully bypass its recovery restrictions. The block of ice fell because of the two deep cracks it hadn't recovered properly when given a gentle push in the opposite direction.
August wanted two mages aside from himself to make this plan work. He was confident that Elias could pull it off and for another one he watched Nyra up to the point she managed to crack the ice spike.
Finally when he heard the ice crack, August was confident he could pass the trial. He did manage to pull that off however the situation got even more messy.
"What? Really now" Elias spoke again with that disrespectful speech of his, "are we supposed to believe your word?" Holding back a chuckle his tone grew sarcastic enough to taunt the boy in front, "I mean no offense man but how could we believe you are not making up this whole thing? To save your mother, that is."
Lady Sophia was about to say something, she was scared of what might happen next. As though mocking her openly, her worst nightmare came true, seconds after that.
"I figured you wouldn't believe me" August said trying to make his speech sound calm, "I shall give you the proof then."
The whole class got quiet again knowing well what might happen to August when he as an ambivalent would try to command the elements in nature to form a spell.
"No, you won't do that" the teacher said to her son, not showing any hint of that warm attitude. She had other expressions on her now, anger? disappointment?
No, it was ...fear.
Naturally she was afraid for her son to perform such a dangerous task. Unlike the other usual times, the effect of echoes happens to be maximum when the mage tries to form a spell. For an ambivalent mage to do such a thing could potentially be harmful, not only to himself but the others in his surroundings as well if he were to lose control of himself.
"I have to, mom" he replied giving away a warm smile, "I can't let anyone say that you aren't worthy of being a teacher."
August wasn't afraid about himself but for his dignified mother to bear such an allegation of cheating? Not to mention it was all his fault in the first place. He was the one who snuck into the trial class without telling her.
August knew better than anyone else how hard she'd worked to earn herself a respectable position like that even if it was in this small of a town.
He can't let her reputation be damaged.
With that, he raised both his arms with eyes closed and started to concentrate in order to form a spell. To command the elements around him. To create something out of nothing. And to perform ...magic.
Everyone took a step back but not lady Sophia, she tried to disrupt the process by which her son could potentially harm himself. She waved a hand making the spikes of ice around August crumble into dust.
It was a good way to disrupt any spell formation, the lesser elements tend to avoid the region where spells are being destroyed. Because that area falls under the elements engaged in creation and destruction.
And the other effective way to disrupt the formation of a spell was to disturb the caster mage. If one were to break the concentration of the caster, then the spell couldn't be formed naturally.
While these were the ideal cases of disruption for any normal spell and caster. The case in hand however was totally different. There weren't many sane ambivalent mages left so no one could say for sure whether the method would be effective or not.
Lady Sophia, her eyes widened with shock and fear. In a split second she cast the barrier around the rest of the students. Some watched with curiosity, some with horror and some had complicated expressions on their faces. But no one took their eyes off.
The process had started.
No matter how skilled of a mage their teacher was everyone knew even she couldn't do anything about this matter. But she refused to give up. She couldn't let her only son hurt himself after all.
August concentrated on himself, then after he perceived the strength of his innate mana in his body he continued to look for an element to command. Any one that could respond. August did not have much experience in forming a spell apart from the theoretical knowledge that was.
There was only once in his lifetime, he tried to form a spell. But he couldn't remember anything of that day. Did he manage to form a spell? Or did he fail? All he could remember was waking up in his body covered with burns and bruises. After that started a very difficult time in his life. He got to know that he didn't have a core element and is something people call ambivalent.
But due to continued support from his family, he never let disappointment overwhelm himself. He had hope. A hope that someday he would find his identity, somewhere to belong to, the element that suits him, the element of his core.
The air around him grew deeper, more dense. August felt heavy. He felt as though something was calling for him. Various things around him gathered, even though they were invisible, somehow August was able to feel them. Their cries, their will to be of use, their cooperation, their resistance ... everything.
In that short amount of time not only the lesser ones but the elements of greater influence reached out to him. The hall was suddenly struck with strong winds. The temperature rose and fell simultaneously. The very nature seems to contradict itself.
Elements could be felt, not only by the boy trying to cast a spell but even by the ones having anchored to mana by a core element. They felt a pull, hard to resist if it weren't for the core element they had. Many greater elements try to assert their dominance on the lesser ones. In order to influence the mana of the boy trying to cast them.
The spell formation was a two way process. While the mages could influence the elements using their innate mana it was also true for the other way around. Simply put, it was a battle of will between the caster and those invisible forces known as Echoes of elements. Which normal mages could easily avoid with the help of the core element.
August's expressions grew denser as he felt the strain of echoes put on him. It was like a weight of great influence. Like a hard rock to break. Like an ocean to swollow. Simply put, it was very difficult for a child mage like him to handle.
The good part however was by letting different elements try to influence his mana one by one he could find his core element in the process. But the risk was too high. Under the influence of strain of the echoes he could very well go insane and worse, he could die on the spot.
Sophia, despite facing resistance continued to walk towards her son. She thought of creating a barrier around him as well, till the effects of echoes he was facing started to fade. As it turned out however, even she wasn't powerful enough to nullify the resistance put up by the greater elements around her son.
August, his hands trembled as the fire tried to claim himself as its own. The flames around him grew higher and higher, bathing the atmosphere in flesh melting temperature. Then the ice came, Sophia felt the pull in her core element too. As the ice tried to assert influence on his mana making August and all around him feel the bone chilling cold.
The floor began to freeze, spikes of ice protruding from beneath like shards of sharp glass ready to cut anything or anyone in its path. Sophia took a step back avoiding a life threatening blow from her core element.
August shivered, as his skin began to freeze under the influence of frost around.
Then came the wind, making its presence seen with powerful air to easily throw anyone off or sharp enough to sever anything. Blood flowed like dust from his skin from within the cuts and bruises.
August was barely holding now. His frail body looked more pale by the minute.
The strain put on by three greater elements was more than enough to make anyone lose their sanity. However the boy under the strain seemed to possess much greater mental resistance. He didn't go insane or die on the spot but it was obvious he couldn't possibly keep that up for very long.
He would surely be dead if even a lesser element tried to influence him now.
August was at his limits. His blood vessels were throbbing with pain. His brain was about to explode. His body was about to give up. He didn't have the energy to say or even hear anything. He didn't know what was happening outside of his consciousness.
August decided to put his life at risk because he had a hope that his core element would surely find him today but it seems as though he failed.
Now, he knows well the body of his will not last long. He knew he might very well die on the spot if he tried to stretch this a little longer. He was about to give up when he was reminded that ambivalence is a curse.
August gathered his consciousness to try for another moment. The voices of surrounding elements were growing louder by the minute in his head. He could feel that these weren't the regular lesser elements he used to hear all the time.
Well, hear would be the wrong word. It was more like he somehow felt the others were there. And that's all.
August gritted his teeth, he was ready to try even if it was for just a second. Even if it means he would go insane, even he would lose his mind. Even he would die here and now today. What was there for him anyways?
From a corner of his eye however he saw his mother. Her face was covered with never ending tears. Her ruby eyes were turning blood red. He saw her cry, he saw her not being able to do anything. For the first time in his life, he saw an expression on her face which seemed alien to her warm personality
...helplessness.
'when did I become so ...selfish?'
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