Titans - March of Progress

“I hope you know what you just did son” Clyde asked of Sain in an amused tone. The old man’s wrinkles seemed to take on a life of their own and they showed the man’s amusement in a hundred different ways.

“I made a mistake and didn’t use any magic to maintain the flame and as you would say, it blew up in my face” Sain answered, a rather sheepish look on his face.

“Not that my boy, although you made that mistake you also managed to extract and control the energy with only your mind, a feat that only a handful of others your age can claim to do. And even then, experienced casters can only do that for the most basic of spells. So, try again” ordered Clyde before handing Sain another crystal.

“Oh yes, that. Um I have been practicing a lot recently," Sain replied sheepishly, which was sort of true. Fighting and practicing are the same thing, right? Sain thought to himself before he placed the crystal in the candle's flame and muttered the bonding spell.

“Well, practice makes perfect. I see you haven’t got it completely, as you still have to use incantations for the bonding spell. Keep it up and one day you may surpass me” Clyde said with a smile, causing Sain to feel his heart jump a beat at the compliment.

Refocusing, it only took a few moments before Sain had bonded another crystal, so he moved into the center of the room and made another attempt to draw on the magic in the crystal. Repeating his previous actions, Sain guided some energy from his own repository to maintain the fireballs form this time, forming a clear image in his mind, forcing his intent to trap the energy into a ball of fire in his hand.

Once again, Sain ended up with a fireball floating above his left palm, but this time it maintained its form and flickered, casting light and shadow throughout the room. With his success however, came a sense of uncertainty about what to do with the fireball. He cast a gaze at Clyde seeking guidance, but noticed that the old man was distracted, staring intently at the bundled-up item he had brought down with him.

“Sir, what do I do now?” Sain asked of his master, uncertainty and nervousness heavy in his voice.

Snapping out of his distracted state, Clyde moved his attention back to Sain.

“Well get rid of it you twit. Throw it on the floor. There is a reason this storeroom is empty” he snapped irritably, flapping his hand at the concrete floor as if Sain should have known to do so.

Feeling a bit foolish, Sain threw the fireball with a dramatic motion at the concrete floor a few feet away from him, and watched the fireball puff out of existence as it hit the cold floor. There was a single flash of orange light and a small black scorch mark appeared on the concrete’s surface. Little more than a mark really. Clyde sighed and looked at the mark before just shaking his head. Sain just bit his lip. I hope there wasn’t anything else Clyde was expecting me to do. Like a hidden test or something? After a moment though, Clyde turned his attention back to the youth and smiled slightly.

“I want you to try it a few more times just to make sure you can do it. I do not want any mistakes later when it could prove fatal” came his words, spoken in a light, rather quiet tone. Sain nodded grimly, his lips tight and repeated his earlier steps, first bonding new crystals, then drawing the energy, maintaining it with his own power and then throwing it to the floor.

After another six times Clyde stopped Sain, satisfied that the youth was doing it well enough. Clyde then shuffled over to the box Sain had carried down and brought out another four candles, placing them all on the shelf next to the burnt-out stub of the previous candle. He then retrieved three more sets of tongs from his bag and gestured at two stools in the corner. Sain quickly went to grab them and when he returned, found all the candles lit and two pairs of tongs waiting for him. Clyde sat down on a stool, letting out a low gasp. He was an old man after all and standing for long periods of time couldn’t be easy on his joints. Getting comfortable, Clyde gestured for Sain to join him.

“It will be easier for us both if we have somewhere to sit. Especially on my old legs” he stated, smiling softly as Sain sat down and looked at Clyde expectantly.

“So now we are both going to bond about a dozen shards each as it will save us from having to stop and start all the time” he added as he picked up a pair of tongs in each hand, then a crystal shard in each pair. He placed them in the candle flames and started murmuring the bonding spell. Sain quickly following suit and mimicking the old man.

Unable to talk during the bonding process, Sain contemplated his lesson, thinking about the applications that their experiment could be used for if it succeeded. Transferring energy between crystals could greatly benefit society. Crystals were often damaged in accidents or disasters. They had been known to leak energy or explode completely if they were broken as Clyde had implied earlier. So instead of disposing of the entire crystal in a quick and safe manner, if the energy could be transferred it could prevent a lot of future problems. It could also mean funding for Clyde and a lot of money for all involved. If this succeeded, Sain could be looking at a very bright future.

After the two of them finished their work, they had a quick rest after which Clyde took a piece of paper from his vest. Sain peeked at it as Clyde looked it over, and he saw written on it a bunch of squiggly lines in some strange language he didn’t know.

Seeing Sain looking at the writing, Clyde just chuckled and turned the paper to face Sain, so he could see it better.

“I don’t know if I have told you this, but these are my prepared incantations in the old tongue, which is commonly known as the sorcerer’s language” Clyde said and placed the paper on the table for Sain to look at even more. Clyde just tapped a few lines on the paper.

“It is a language that is only taught in a handful of magical universities and caster towers. Usually elite or noble students try and embellish their abilities with words that normal people would find strange or exotic. But as magic does not react to any one language, I find it rather pointless. Still, I learned it at a young age, so unfortunately my understanding of magic is tied to this language" Clyde said and Sain nodded, taking in the knowledge eagerly.

"I think you covered it early on, um, in a basic manner. You said that the average magic user with the barest training would use whatever sounds or words that they were comfortable with. Um, to manipulate any magical energy that they came into contact with. But for those trained in magic, a person’s use of magic is tied to their sole understanding of the word" Sain said and looked to Clyde, a brow raised as if to query if the statement was correct. His master just offered a slight chuckle.

"There you go. I did teach you; my memory fails me in my old age. But still, that is why you more or less grunt or mutter incomprehensibly when you cast. You have created your own sort of magical language without realizing it. So, if you master the ability to cast completely wordlessly, you will be something to be reckoned with" Clyde stated and just waved a hand. The latter words of Clyde's however formed a question in Sain's mind, and he pursed his lips a moment in confusion.

“Sir, if casting with just minds is possible, do we really need a spell to transfer the energy? Can’t we just put it into the other crystal with just our thoughts or even the existing bonding spell?” Sain asked, trying to be helpful, lifting a hand to scratch at the underside of his chin.

Absolutely dumbfounded, Clyde just stared at the youth for a moment and shook his head in what Sain gathered as disappointment. He quickly deflated even as Clyde made to answer.

“I thought the stupid questions were done. That is the type of thing I would expect an idiot to ask, not an apprentice of mine” Clyde stated, ignoring Sain’s hurt look.

“I thought I just explained the importance of language to cast for common folk. Only a few can cast complicated spells wordlessly. Secondly, the bonding spell is used for a raw element, not elemental energy. Thirdly, of course we can just put the energy in another crystal, but it’s not going to just conveniently stay there is it? No, we need an enchantment that will keep it in the new vessel, and that’s the root of the matter, that is what I am trying to create. We just went over this. Magic lies in a person’s understanding of language. If I say, ‘Lock in the energy’, my association of the words is to trap the energy in something. That is the bonding spell. But my association of that phrase is tied exclusively to that of bonding raw energy. Not elemental energy. So, a variation is needed” came the long-winded reply and educational answer from Sain's master.

Sain turned his eyes down and scowled. Of course, Clyde was right. Sain should have thought about this, and it reflected badly on him, so feeling a fool Sain mumbled an apology. Clyde cut off the youth’s apology with a cut of his hand, smacking him in the knee.

“Do not apologize boy, we learn more from our mistakes and failures than from our accomplishments and successes. Just think before you ask another question like that in the future. You might already know the answer” Clyde muttered irritably, not pleased from having to answer a stupid question. The old man then exhaled in a long sigh and made to stand up. Urging Sain to his feet Clyde handed him two crystal shards. One was a fire shard, the other an un-bonded shard. Once Sain took them, the old man stepped away from the table and lifted his piece of paper with the various incantations to his spectacled eyes and spoke out.

“So, Sain, what you are going to do now is simple in theory but may prove more difficult in practice. I want you to draw on the energy from the fire shard and force it into the empty one. I will have my hands on you to make contact with the energy you control, and I will go through the various enchantments that I have prepared until one works. And if they don’t, then I will simply improvise. If at any time I feel that your control of the energy is slipping, I will provide it with an avenue of escape and disperse it. I also want you to step away from me and drop the crystal if at any time you feel uncomfortable. This is a delicate process that can quickly go awry” Clyde droned out in a stern and long-winded manner.

Clyde just stared at Sain then, waiting for some sort of acknowledgement, however Sain furrowed his brow at Clyde, not really understanding why Clyde needed to put his hands on him. The confusion on his face was clearly there as Clyde stared at him and then just sighed in exasperation.

"You don't understand me, do you? Am I speaking in stupid today?" Clyde asked in his usual irritated manner throwing his hands up in the air a moment, and Sain could see the old man's frustration building in that gesture.

"Oh um, I understand most of it sir. Just, why would you need to have contact with me?" Sain asked, clearly confused by that one aspect of what they were doing. Clyde just sighed again, and rather dramatically. Sain just felt his stomach twist, like he had been gut punched.

"Ok, clearly I have not broached that part of elementary casting. That is my fault" Clyde conceded and huffed.

"Basically, when multiple casters wish to work together on a single spell, they often join hands or touch an exposed area of skin. With complicated spells one person controls the flow of magic between them whilst the other guides it to its purpose. This paired casting as it is called, creates a spell many times stronger than what it would have been had they done it alone" Clyde said and frowned, again appearing unhappy at having to explain it.

"It does, however, have its risks as it involves opening up one’s flow of magic to another and any bad intentions can leave one person gasping for breath on the ground. So that being said, I assure you I have no bad intentions. You will control the flow of magic, while I guide it to its purpose with the incantation. Are you comfortable with this?" Clyde asked, looking at Sain rather intently. And Sain looked back, detecting what he thought to be a hint of guilt in the old man's gaze. That softened his heart a little.

"I understand that now. Um, sure I am fine with it. So, let's start" Sain said and nodded sharply. Clyde just smiled and reached out to grasp the youth's shoulder, and Sain focused his mind's eye on his core, before moving his mind's eye to his shoulder, and sensing Clyde's own magical energy, pulsating through the hand upon him as Clyde opened his magic to the youth.

It felt warm, and powerful, and Sain saw it like a raging inferno compared to his own small candle flicker of a core. Just how powerful was Clyde? The amount of energy he held was enormous, and overpowering. All thoughts disappeared though as Clyde began a rhythmic chanting as he started to try the prepared incantations, and Sain hurried to start the manipulation of magic between the two.