Jason opened the bedroom door, tossed his backpack onto the floor before throwing himself onto the mattress. Sighing as he stared at the ceiling, he said:
"Man, go to sleep. Your day must've been just as exhausting as mine. How do you still have so much energy? Hasn't your nuclear power run out yet?"
"Actually, that's the problem I was trying to solve."
"What do you mean?"
Walking over to Theo, Jason sat on the edge of the desk, taking care not to damage any of Theo's papers.
"Ether is a particle that only exists beyond the ozone layer, meaning in space. I'd have to go there to build up an Ether reserve, unlike you people who use mana. Just by breathing, you can regenerate your core. I can't... However, going into space without dying is impossible. I had to find a way around that..."
"It'd be so much easier if you could change your core's energy; everyone would choose mana," he complained, returning to his bed. "Good night. And try to sleep at least two hours today."
'Change the energy...' Theo thought, staring at the papers on his desk.
There he remained throughout the night, testing the limits of whether he truly was a genius. Immersing himself in theories about magic and energies, science and equivalent exchange. The next morning, his back would certainly ache, but for him it would be worth it. Spell circles, astronomical equations, and hundreds of unanswered questions. Theo certainly used every ounce of his ability and effort to find a solution. Until, after a sleepless night, he arrived at a theory based on Jason's simple and naïve phrase.
☽✪☾
Theo dropped a stack of dozens of pages onto Paul's desk. The mentor, smoking a cigarette, began analyzing the papers, reviewing the calculations and finding no flaws. Tossing the cigarette into the ashtray and exhaling the smoke, he was astonished.
"He created a way to convert mana into Ether?" Amiah asked.
"Yes. Amiah, the boy managed to create a theory on value transformation in a single night. They told me he was good with exact sciences, but this surprised me."
"In summary: calculating that for every meter of spellcasting he uses 5% of his core's energy... in three hours, he managed to reduce that 5% down to a 0.1% expenditure. The kid did it by injecting mana into his own system and then converting one-third of the mana's value into one-third of Ether..."
"Yes. But I think there are some problems with that."
"There are many. What is he going to do with the remaining mana fragments? Since he can't manipulate that energy, it's impossible to expel it using his attribute. The mana may attempt to overpower the Ether and collapse his core. He'll end up dying suddenly."
"Any idea how to help him?"
"Only with an amplifier. I'll contact his father and ask him to order an amplifier from his godmother in the Fulmenbour Order. I'll have to take them there. Any objections?" Paul nodded that he had none. "Excellent. How are they doing today?"
"Well... the five of them are in the gym training. The three boys stayed to work on physical conditioning, while the girls practiced spells..."
"Take me to them."
☽✪☾
"1... 2... 3..." Antony counted while watching Theo and Ivan support their body weight on their fists. "4... 5..."
Ivan failed. His arms gave out, shaking like a tightrope before he fell to the ground. Massaging his fists, he looked at Theo and grumbled:
"You trained this before?"
"No. I'm just used to my own weight." Theo gave up. "You're a psychopath," he said while looking at Antony.
"30... 31... 32... 33... 34... 35..."
"He's going to stay there all day. Here."
Ivan tossed a wooden sword to Theo, then picked up a wooden spear from a rack.
"You said you're a hybrid, so let's see how you do."
"I thought you were just a caster," Theo commented while getting up from the floor.
"I'm learning a bit about weapon combat..."
The two took their positions, standing still and staring eye to eye. Both took a deep breath before charging at each other. Ivan advanced quickly with a precise thrust, forcing Theo to dodge. The exact moment Theo moved, Ivan recovered his spear with agility and launched a swift kick toward his opponent's left arm.
However, Theo reacted by grabbing Ivan's leg, throwing it upward and destabilizing his opponent, who slipped into a brief loss of balance. Ending the spar, Theo raised his sword, pointing it firmly at Ivan's forehead, and released a concentrated gust of wind, demonstrating complete control in that instant.
"Oops..." Theo joked.
"Yeah, weapons aren't for me," Ivan said, tossing Theo's sword aside.
"We're even. I'm sure I wouldn't beat you in a spell fight."
Theo extended his hand to Ivan, who accepted it and pulled himself up. The two turned when they heard an explosion of energy. Looking to the side, they saw Rebecca and Aryna lying on the ground. Theo ran to help Aryna, while Antony stopped his exercise to assist Rebecca.
"What happened?" Theo asked Aryna.
"She reflected my spell at twice the strength by accident. Then she tried to isolate it and everything collapsed."
"That's generally what happens when two spells try to negate each other," Paul said as he approached the students. Right behind him was Amiah. The students looked at Amiah with uncertainty. "Kids, I'd like you to meet your other mentor: Amiah Neidr."
Amiah let out a subdued smile while looking at Theo.
"The kid's a male copy of his mother. Must've inherited only his father's strength."
Helping Aryna stand up and noticing she could remain upright on her own, Theo walked over to Amiah. The two stared at one another: Amiah analyzed Theo's posture, while Theo felt both threatened and impressed by the other's presence.
"Neidr means serpents, right? Are you the Amiah from the southern kingdom of the Grand Empire?" Theo asked.
"The very same, in flesh and blood."
"You're the tamer of the mythical serpent Apophis... you trained my father, right?"
"Yes. I helped Ethan Caesar control his bond back during his Vagus days."
"I came here specifically to find you. My father said you could help me with my energy..."
"That's exactly why I'm here. Paul showed me your calculations, and I'm impressed. However, there are several drawbacks to your theory."
"Yeah, I know. But I have no idea how to work around them..."
"Don't worry. We're going to Fulmenbour to help solve all of your problems."
"Fulmenbour? You mean we're going to the alchemists' order in the trade region?" Aryna asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Exactly. Be ready in thirty minutes."
The two girls ran toward their rooms in excitement, forgetting the pain from moments before. Ivan and Antony walked normally, chatting with Paul.
"So, blondie," Amiah called out. "How's Edward doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I started training him before I became a mentor in Vagus. How's his mastery of that technique progressing?"
"Oh! You're talking about Ignis Ignition?" Amiah nodded. "Well... one time he hit my father with an attack, and it left a scar on his leg that still burns to this day."
A muffled laugh escaped Amiah's mouth.
"A human making the strongest Deviant of the fire attribute feel pain from fire itself? That's hilarious. Go get ready, we're leaving soon."
Theo acknowledged him with a two-finger salute.
☽✪☾
'Do they think we're going to spend a year in another country?...' Paul thought as he watched the two girls arrive carrying one suitcase and one backpack each. Aryna and Rebecca brought two suitcases and a backpack, unlike the boys, who only carried small backpacks.
"Why are you bringing so little?" Aryna asked the boys.
"First law of Vagus: be content with little," Antony replied.
"That's a stupid law. I need everything that's in here."
"Vanity and lust are two deadly sins..."
"Oh... by Hestia. I forgot you believe in Yahweh."
"Better than believing in Zeus," Antony grumbled.
"Okay, let's stop right there," Ivan said, stepping between the two and shoving them aside. "Theo, which carriage are you taking?"
"The boys are in the back carriage and the girls in the front one," Amiah informed them. "Come on, get in already. It's a five-hour trip to the Fulmenbour Order."
'Be content with little... This is little?' Theo thought as he entered the carriage before everyone else.
Right at the entrance, a refined round wooden table separated two golden seats. A golden lantern hanging from the ceiling illuminated the entire compartment. The air was scented, and there wasn't even a trace of dust.
"Thank the Windsor royal family of your little friend," Paul said as he entered alongside Theo.
Theo glanced outside and looked for Antony, who was currently throwing stones at Aryna while she threw them back.
"Yeah... never mind."
Hours passed. Shortly before sunset, the carriages suddenly came to a halt. Antony, who had been dozing, ended up falling from the seat onto the floor. Ivan merely shifted slightly in his seat, while Theo, having anticipated the interruption, was already prepared. A few seconds earlier, he had seen Amiah heading toward the coachman.
"Come on, sleeping beauties!" Amiah shouted loudly enough for the other carriage to hear. "I've got a mission for you."