After leaving the clinic, Dan went where the director's office was.
When he got there, Dan went in after the guards let him in.
Dan stepped into the room, with walls full of old books and weird instruments that gave off a soft glow. Ilaris was sitting at a desk,
He spoke in his deep, calm voice.
" Dan. I've been waiting for you."
Dan paused for a second, then gave a little bow, and said,
"Thanks for giving me this opportunity... Director Ilaris."
Ilaris finally turned around, a slight smile on his face, and motioned for him to sit down. He sat down in a chair opposite him and took a deep breath.
"What you'll learn today is totally different from anything you've ever studied before."
Dan nodded slowly, listening intently, as Ilaris continued:
"Normal elements like fire, water, wind, and so on, rely on converting mana into physical or natural phenomena. Special elements, on the other hand, manipulate the laws of the world itself."
"When I was fighting the Void Assassin, do you remember how he moved?"
Dan's eyes lit up as he remembered, then he said:
"He would disappear... and suddenly reappear somewhere else. I couldn't even track his movements."
Ilaris nodded:
"Exactly. That's one of the things the space element can do. Instantaneous movement."
He paused again, then added:
"But don't think it's simple. To use this ability, you need to understand the place really well and know exactly how far away things are, how much energy there is, and what the reference points are."
Dan looked at his hands for a second, as if thinking about what he could do in the future, then lifted his eyes again and said:
"Can I learn that too?"
Ilaris smiled mysteriously and said:
"That's what we'll try to find out, starting today.
Dan paused for a second, then asked, curiously:
"Since you've got the element of space, can you teleport yourself?"
Ilaris just waved his hands in the air and said calmly:
"Nah. I'm not that great with space. Instantaneous transportation is a bit out of my league."
He paused for a second, then smiled with a hint of pride and added:
"But there's something else I can do."
He took a small pen out of his pocket and held it up in front of Dan. In a flash, the pen vanished from his hand like it was never there.
Dan's eyes widened in surprise.
Ilaris saw how he reacted, laughed a little, and said:
"One of the things the space element can do is create a pocket dimension. It's a space separate from the physical world where you can store whatever you want."
He pointed to the empty space:
"The pocket dimension I have is not that big ,But it's great for quick tasks or during combat."
Then he looked at Dan with a mix of seriousness and anticipation and said,
"Well, since you're so good with the space element, you should be able to make a pocket dimension that's way bigger than mine."
There was a brief pause, and then Dan looked at the director, seeming unsure, and said:
"If we can create a pocket dimension, is it also possible to walk through walls? Or the ground?"
Ilaris's expression shifted right away, his smile fading into a more serious look.
"Actually, that's possible."
Dan was interested, but Ilaris kept talking in a low voice, like he was being careful:
"But... even if it's possible, it's very dangerous and not worth the risk."
He leaned forward a bit and said:
"To pass through the wall using the space element, you have to transform part of your body into the pocket dimension and bring it back on the other side. But if you mess up the math or don't get the location right, you might end up with your hand, chest, or head stuck inside the wall."
Ilaris raised his finger emphatically:
"And then... your body will just get crushed inside the solid wall. It's deadly and instantaneous."
Dan's body shook a little as he swallowed his saliva, unable to stop himself from remembering that scary feeling... when he used the space element for the first time.
Ilaris picked up on this and said calmly:
"Even the assassin of the void didn't use this technique during combat... because the margin of error is too high, especially in the midst of battle. To put it bluntly, it's just not worth the trouble."
Then he stood up, went over to Dan, and put his hand on his shoulder:
"At the moment, you should learn how to create a pocket dimension. That'll be your first step toward understanding the element of space, without taking stupid risks."
Dan nodded slowly, saying in a low voice:
"I get it... no breaking through walls."
Ilaris finally laughed and said:
"Good. Let's start with the first step.
Ilaris said as he walked slowly around the room:
"First, you've got to start using the space element consciously. Feel the mana inside you, then move a small amount of it... slowly."
He paused for a second and then said more, pointing with his hand:
"Picture a cube in front of you and start pumping mana into it. What you're actually doing is trying to create an internal gap—a small crack that pierces the fabric of space."
He pointed his fingers in the air, as if drawing what he was saying:
"This crack... when it opens, it'll create an external space, separate from this world. That's the start of my pocket dimension."
He smiled slightly and added:
"I know this all sounds complicated. And that's totally normal. I mean, even though I'm a genius, it took me six whole months to create a small pocket dimension..."
He laughed and shook his head:
"So, there's no need to stress. You've got plenty of time to—"
He suddenly stopped.
He kept looking at Dan, and his eyes got bigger and bigger.
Dan was standing there with his hand raised slightly in front of him. There was a small vortex of dim light spinning in the air in front of him, and then it exploded into a point and opened up into a small circle in the middle—pocket-sized.
Dan opened his eyes, looked steadily at the vortex, then at Ilaris, and said in a calm tone:
"Okay... I created it. What next?"
Ilaris stared at him, mouth open, like he couldn't speak.
He raised his finger, pointed at Dan, and muttered:
"...Wait... Wait... What? How... How'd you do that?"
Dan raised his eyebrows in surprise:
"I just followed your instructions. I imagined the cube and pumped the mana... Did I mess up somewhere?"
Ilaris looked at him for a few seconds, then said excitedly:
"I... It took me six months! Six! And you... You did it in minutes?!"
Dan smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head:
"Maybe... I'm lucky?"
Ilaris looked at him.
"This isn't normal, is it?"
Dan thought to himself.
I felt like my whole body was being crushed into the ground. It seems that, without meaning to, I was trying to create a pocket dimension around my entire body at that moment...
He let out a soft sigh, and his eyes clouded over with that memory that never left him:
That pain... My bones were crushed, and my flesh was torn from the inside...
He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and saw Ilaris staring at him like he was seeing things. Finally, he muttered:
"Well, look at you. You've already learned half of what I can teach you."
Dan raised his eyebrow and said:
"Oh... okay. But I'm wondering why I can't make the pocket bigger. I can barely fit anything in it."
Ilaris replied, having regained some of his composure:
"You're still at rank E, so the amount of mana you have is limited at this stage."
He pointed to the pocket dimension, which was slowly fading away:
"When you level up and move to a higher rank, you'll be able to make the pocket dimension bigger."
Dan grabbed one of the pens on the table next to him and looked at the pocket dimension he'd made.
"Okay, let's see if you can fit one pen."
He tried to put the pen in, but it just bounced right back out. It was like space itself didn't want it.
Dan let out a sigh and said
"The pocket's too small. It can't even hold a pen."
Ilaris picked up a small eraser from the table and handed it to Dan, saying:
"Give this a try, it's smaller..."
Dan took the eraser, looked at it, then pointed it toward the pocket dimension. Its tip disappeared into the space rift and vanished completely inside.
He let out a sigh and said sarcastically:
"Great... My great talent now lets me hide a small eraser whenever I want. A dream come true."
Ilaris laughed and shook his head:
"Eventually, this ability is really going to come in handy. And when your level goes up, you'll be able to carry bigger things."
Dan raised his eyebrows and said:
"Great, then I'll be able to carry a pen in my pocket instead of my regular pocket."
Ilaris smiled and looked at him for a long time before saying in a slightly reproachful tone:
stop being so negative . By the way, how much do you have left to level up?"
Dan replied casually:
"Actually... I'm on the verge of ascending."
Ilaris' eyes widened, and he looked amazed.
"Amazing. Even if you're a bit behind some folks, you're not too far behind most of your classmates."
Dan paused for a second, then asked, folding his arms:
just wondering, who was the first to reach rank D?
Ilaris smiled slightly and said with a hint of pride:
"Rowan Feldrick... my first student."