Elemental Genesis

Chapter 14: Learning Something New

Nuitari was reading Metamorphosis Through Elemental Magic in the study when he heard Zylle come in. Over the past two days he had lived in number 14 Zephyrus Court, he noticed that the door opening and Gran's sarcastic quips usually marked Zylle's return from work. She had managed to get her schedule changed, though it was not without a little difficulty. Her boss was upset that his best worker would not be able to put as many hours in as she used to. Mr. Kincaid did eventually relent since he knew Zylle to be reliable. Now she worked a normal seven to five workday. Some of her coworkers had been upset about this. It was probably because they now had to work harder.

But today was the day. Zylle promised him this morning before she left that they would start after dinner. While she was gone, he practiced metamorphosis with Gran. She wasn't kidding when she said it was hard. He had no trouble with the theory; it was doing it that was hard. First, he had to visualize the object that he planned to transform as the thing he wanted it to be. Then to change it, he had to tap into his elemental magic and use it to do the job. Problem: he had absolutely no experience reaching into that well of power. So, plainly put, he was stuck. At the end of fifty fruitless tries, he literally screamed out in frustration. In doing so, he managed to turn the apple into an orange. He was happy, but Gran had to burst his bubble by saying he did it wrong.

"What, pray tell, did I do wrong?" Yes, he was annoyed. "It's an orange now!"

Gran returned his sarcasm. "Then, lad, I'll tell thee. Or, rather, show thee." She took a knife from the knife block on the kitchen counter and with one swift cut, sliced the 'orange' in half. The inside of it was not that of the pulpy slices of an orange, but the smooth white of an apple. "You can't force it out using anger," she scolded. "Elemental magic is made up of two parts: you and the element itself. You need to control the part that is yourself and at the same time accept that you can't master it."

"That is both complicated and contradictory."

"Isn't everything? You'll get more practice with Zylle tonight."

"Then why I am I learning this now?"

Gran shrugged, "You'll have an idea of what to do later. If you get the main part of the process down now, you won't have as much trouble. That way you'll get to the important parts more quickly."

Nuitari thought about this. "That," he admitted, "makes sense."

"I know. Here have a brownie." She handed him a luscious chocolate square. "Chocolate cures everything."

In the end, he did manage to turn a carrot into a tomato, but it exhausted him greatly. Gran said it was a good start and gave him another brownie for his efforts. I have to try harder because those brownies are great! He decided to check out the library opposite the study on the second floor to pass the time until dinner, which was only in about an hour. He figured it would be a small modest one, but he was sadly mistaken. It was humongous: with books of all sizes, shapes, and ages. Apparently, someone in Zylle's family was a great lover of books since they bothered to charm the room to be larger than it would seem to be from the outside. Nuitari got the hang of the sorting system fairly quickly: each case was devoted to a specific topic. He was sidetracked while in the history section. A book 'coincidentally' fell off a shelf there. Seeing as the house wanted him to read it and would find some way of making him read it at any rate, he took it along with Metamorphosis Through Elemental Magic into the study. The book the house had chosen for him was Wizards and Elementals: The Schism by Cilla Atmeadows. Smart house. I didn't know it had good taste in books. He was confronted with an extensive table of contents as soon as he opened it. Nuitari decided to go to the end, where it cataloged the more recent of wizard-elemental interactions.

In modern times, contact with the organized wizarding community is very rare. Elementals have kept to themselves more and more over the years because of both tradition and the difference in philosophy. As wizards continue to immerse themselves with wand magic (for more information on the types of magic, refer to Ivan Volkasky's Divisions of Magic), the more elementals conceal themselves from them. Elementals, unlike wizards, are very involved in non-magical society. Elementals ten do intermarry with muggles and as a result, their technology is often used and modified. Wind elementals with water potential and some water elementals with slight control over wind can manipulate electricity and make their machines run more efficiently, for example. In many elemental households with elementals with power over electricity, muggle technology is a common site. The only case of an appliance that does not interact well with elemental tampering is the microwave. It is highly advised to leave this machine be. They have a habit of exploding.

The only notable time during the twentieth century where there have been major wizard-elemental relations were during the Phantom Wars of the late 1930s and most of the 1940s. Dark Lord Adlar Grindelwald became extremely interested in elemental magic after he discovered his younger brother, a very weak wizard, to have an affinity towards earth. After much experimentation, Grindelwald created a type of crystal that gave the possessor complete control of their element. Using this, he tempted many elementals to join his side in the war to dominate Europe. He then began to deploy his recruited elementals against those who opposed him.

Out of the twenty-five clans of Grey Tower, six remained to stand against Grindelwald. These were the Eikou-Taiyou Unicorns, the Rekka-Ki Chimeras, the Seijaku-Shinrin Tigers, the Kiri-Kaminari Falcons, the Arashi-Tenku Dragons, and the Sekai-Kage Wolves. The clans usually took in those from Phantom-loyal clans who did not agree with Grindelwald's views. The six clans often intercepted Phantom elementals before they could attack Aurors or wizarding settlements. It was extremely hard to keep up secrecy due to the fact that natural disasters are obviously very hard to ignore. This is why a majority of Shining elementals (those who opposed the Phantoms) learned some mind magic, enough to erase memories. The most adept of the mind magic employers were the Sekai-Kage, as it was highly useful in their field of expertise.

After the wars, elementals retreated back into the shadows. A few elementals did marry wizards and witches, but there weren't that many. The difference in magic was often too great. The most notable of these wizard-elemental marriages are those of Conrad Ravencroft (Green Dragon of the Arashi-Tenku), Derek Montague-Hillary (Red Chimera of the Rekka-Ki), and Lais Flanders (Green Chimera of the Rekka-Ki). Those wizards or witches who do marry an elemental are sworn to secrecy. And so, a majority of wizards continue to live their lives without even knowing of the existence of elementals...

It was extremely helpful and now it strongly occurred to him that he was lucky to have seen all that he had already seen of these hermit-like people. Obviously, elementals did not think highly of wizarding society, judging from the text and what Gran had said (or hadn't) on the subject. Nuitari wasn't too eager to go back to the wizarding world, but was keyed up learn elemental magic. Unlike wand magic, there seemed to be very few limits.

So when dinner was done, he was out of his seat before the plates were cleared. Zylle lead him down to the basement. As soon as she opened the door, the lights downstairs flickered on. Zylle must be able to control electricity. At his curious glance, she explained. "I did that. Wind elementals can use electricity if they have water potential. I used both wind and water in combination."

"I read about it in a book before. I thought you had a block against water."

"I can't use it because of that block, but I have the potential of a fourth class in water. So even if I can't really employ it, I can still use it indirectly."

"We're finally starting?" Yes, please say yes.

"Yep, kiddo. We're starting your training now." He jumped up into the air, whooping for joy. He heard Gran laughing in the kitchen. Zylle smirked. "I see that you are more than happy to start."

"I can't wait."

The basement had hardwood floors. On the walls hung various weapons, most being swords with wicked edges. Zylle caught him looking. "The basement is usually used for training. Those swords on the walls are practice blades."

"Practice blades? Those seem too sharp to just be 'practice blades'."

She smiled evilly. "Trust me, they'll shatter once you hit them with one of our weapons. Now we need to begin. Ready"

"Ready."

They stood facing each other in the middle of the room. Nuitari tensed himself. Zylle started her lecture. "First, you need to tap into the power itself. Elemental magic is made up of two parts. We control one part: we are part of the element and can manipulate it. The other part is nature itself: chaotic and sentient in its own way. In order to use the power, an elemental needs to find his or her balance between these two forces."

"Ever thought of being a teacher? You explained it much better than Gran did."

She laughed. "Mum has a habit of over-simplifying."

"Makes good brownies though."

"Getting back on topic," Zylle said seriously. "Calm yourself - relax! Now think of your element. Think of wind and how it connects to you. Close your eyes if you have to."

Nuitari complied. Wind...rushing. Free. No boundaries. No people judging who you are. Happiness. He could even feel the air around him.

Zylle interrupted his thoughts. "I think you're doing pretty well for a first-timer. Floating is very advanced."

He opened his eyes and looked down to see where she was standing, an amused grin on her face. Hold it. Why is she down there?! He glanced both up and down. He was only three inches away from the ceiling beams. His feet were hovering in mid-air, nothing between or beneath them. Unfortunately, he lost his control because of his shock and fell hard to the ground.

"See? It isn't that hard."

"Ow..."

"It's a good thing you just floated. For a second, I thought you were going to transport yourself somewhere else using a whirlwind."

"Have I done that?"

"You have done it before, but I think you were reacting to something. You also could have done what I did when I first began tapping into the wind."

"What did you do?"

"Created a tornado."

"A tornado?"

"Yes. Most people do something resembling a natural occurrence when they start out. Some start fires; others cause their houses to flood. Hans claims he caused his entire house to split in two because he caused an earthquake."

"You seem to do it instantly. Why did it take me so long?"

"Simple, you just started. It's not like you're going to just get it in a snap. Give or take about three or four days and you should be doing it without even thinking. You seem to have a skill with flying, so let's work on that."

<><><>

After a fierce two hours, Nuitari had mastered reaching into and using his wind magic without as much concentration as before. He was still slow, but it was better than before. A half an hour after that, he got down the basics of flying. The trick was to use the wind to push yourself off the ground, push you in the right direction, and make yourself light. Zylle said that many wind elementals had trouble with flying, as they had to do all this while keeping an eye on where they were going. Her father, a high level wind elemental himself, was said to have a lot of trouble flying. So he was very ecstatic that he could do something that a lot of people couldn't. He was soon zooming around the room having the time of his life.

That is, until Zylle started to catapult things at him. Many of those said thrown objects were the practice blades. "What the hell?!" He barely missed being impaled from the side by a dagger with a gold hilt.

Zylle flicked her hand. A broadsword came hurtling at him fast from the other side, followed by a Japanese sword from behind. He moved to the side to avoid the first one and did a mid-air flip to avoid the latter, both just in time. "Come on! Do you mind tell me why you are doing this?!"

She scowled. "Wind elementals rely a lot on speed, both on the ground and in the air! You have to be fast! Use the wind part of you and speed yourself up! If you can manage to dodge these quickly while flying, then you'll have no problem on the ground!"

Nuitari could only look at her dumbfounded before he got sent sprawling to the floor. Gingerly rubbing his head in pain, he noticed a staff floating in midair. Apparently, that was the object that beamed him from behind. "Let me guess," he said sarcastically. "Elementals have a habit of using dangerous weapons and have never heard of throwing a pillow?"

"Yes and no. We enjoy pillow fights as much as the next person."

"Swell."

"Take a break, kid," she said as she helped him up. "Now, how long have you been there?"

Nuitari was going to ask what she was talking about when a cold feminine voice answered back, "Long enough. I see the rumors are true then."

At the top of the stairs stood a woman, leaning against the railing. She was quite good-looking with styled chestnut hair, but her blue eyes were icy and she had an amazing sneer on her face. She walked down to where they were effortlessly even though she was wearing very high-heeled sandals. He stepped back a little as she narrowed her glacial eyes at him, peering through gold-rimmed spectacles sitting at the tip of her nose. She nodded for some reason. "He's got ability, I'll give him that. If he can effectively use it remains to be seen."

Okay, I'm confused. Who is this lady? Why is she so...ice-like? Ice. Crap, this must be her. Zylle prodded the woman to continue, "I know I'll regret asking, but what do you think about the whole situation?"

She didn't answer. She just opened her hand, where shining clear crystals sparkled at him. His instincts were screaming at him to get away and fast. Uh oh. Trouble. The lady smirked while Zylle looked on with an exasperated expression. She blew the ice crystals at him.

I think it's best I listen to my unconscious mind here. He jumped back twice, using his wind magic to speed himself up like Zylle instructed. When he landed, Nuitari's eyes grew wide. Sticking out of the floor were huge icicles, jagged and wickedly sharp. "Okay," he said lightly. "I now see what you mean about speed and dodging."

Zylle smiled at him beatifically. "Good. You will have to forgive her because unfortunately she's like that. Night, this is Professor Lavinia Coulter. Vinny, this is Nuitari. We call him 'Night' for short."

He nodded respectfully towards the most feared woman in all of Grey Tower. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Coulter." Do not show fear. She's measuring you up by scowling and sneering at you. Don't show fear but at the same time don't show disrespect...how in Annuvin do I know this? Who cares? Don't show fear. Don't show fear. He repeated this mantra over and over in his head.

"Manners, that's rare," the Blue Dragon snapped. "I assume you received your name from Mirabelle? Silly girl, just like her mother. 'Night' is better and I assume you got that from Mirai."

"How did you know, Professor?" When he asked this, he tried to make sure he didn't sound neither childish nor afraid. He hoped he succeeded.

"She called me about you," Professor Coulter tersely replied. She turned to Zylle. "He'll do well with you since his abilities seem to be very close to yours. You'll be teaching him the Windcaller Jin technique, I suppose? Not the usual, overused Tornado's Tempest?"

"Of course I am! There's no sense in not teaching him it. Besides, the Tornado's Tempest technique is as you said: overused and overrated. I think my family's technique would be better." Zylle looked insulted that the professor even asked that question.

Professor Coulter ignored this and then asked, "Good, I hate that method. It's boring. But do you think he can handle the Windcaller Jin? He looks pretty weak and that kind of technique requires a lot of strength and skill."

She thinks I'm weak! He was offended at this remark. Then he looked down at his skinny frame, thin arms, and legs. Okay, she has a point. He then caught her eye and met her glare for glare. "I can try, can't I?"

To his surprise, she smiled at him. "Well, then you had better try. I hate quitters. And I think I like you." With that she left with a puff of cold air and some snow. It melted very quickly though.

"What was she talking about?"

"I told you before that you'd learn combat, right?" She waited for his nod. "There are different styles and techniques that you can learn. Most wind elementals learn the Tornado's Tempest style of fighting. I don't. I use a combination of my father's technique and a bit of my mother's to have the Windcaller Jin. That's what you will be learning. She was concerned that you might take the usual style instead of doing something different and since you look pretty weak, she figured you might not be able to handle learning it."

"I resent the weak statement."

"It does have a basis in fact. You can't deny that."

"True." She has me there. "She said she liked me?"

"Personally, Night, I have no idea what to think about that. She rarely likes anyone at the first impression, typically thinking the worst of everyone. I've known her since I was seven, and it took me fourteen years to get her not leer at me every time I entered the same room. And that was five years after our open enmity was called to a truce. Before that, she always did that same attack on me. I think it's called 'Shards of Winter'."

"Should I be honored or scared?"

"Scared. Very scared."

<><><>

"I can't believe you still have not found him," spat Pheta. "How hard can it be to find someone like him?"

"Voldemort trembled. "I'm sorry, lady. But no matter what we do, we still cannot find him."

"Try harder. He isn't that far, I can still feel the link made by the death curse."

"Right, my lady. Any other orders?"

"Yes, I will be gone for the next few days. Do some muggle terrorizing if you wish, but locating the boy is our first priority. Also keep an eye on Severus Snape."

"Lady, I assure you that Severus Snape is loyal to our cause, much like his father was."

"Don't question me, fool. His father was indeed a dedicated servant, but that does not make the son the same. His father took after his great-grandfather: weak, easily manipulated, and power-hungry. He, however, takes after his grandparents. Therein lies the difference."

"So you think he is a spy?"

"It is a possibility. Watch him. Remember Voldemort: never trust a wolf." Pheta's image vanished from the seeing pool.

Voldemort left the chamber and shouted, "WORMTAIL!"

The rat animagus stumbled nervously to his master's side in moments. "You summoned me, my lord?" His stuttering nearly made his words incomprehensible.

"Keep an eye on Snape and report back to me if you find out anything suspicious."

"Yes, master." Wormtail transformed and scurried away.

Neither noticed a pair of eyes watching their every move. A pair of eyes with hourglass pupils...