"I wanted to ask…" Sheira put her hands behind her back as she awkwardly twisted her toes into the deck. "Could you teach me some magic while we travel… I want to brag to my siblings and parents!"
Aqua released Azure from her grip as she stared at eager Sheira. She smiled before she placed her hands down on the deck and pushed herself up. "Of course." Aqua turned to Sheira and took a step forward.
Aqua stretched her hand forward and placed it on her chest. "Eh… EH!" Sheira reeled back. It took her a moment, but she regained her smug expression, "You want to take me right here? In front of Azure?!"
Aqua tilted her head in confusion. "I merely need to check how the fragment of time is behaving."
"Stop pretending my teases don't work on you! See, Azure wants to die because of them! At least you should touch her too, so she doesn't melt into a puddle!" She dramatically pointed at Azure, whose ears slumped down, and the whole face reddened.
Aqua sighed, "If you don't want to explode accidentally, I need to make sure your soul is safe with that massive temporal fragment inside it."
"Explode?!" Sheira shrank back.
Aqua nodded as she approached Sheira again and placed her hand onto her chest again. "When I rescued you, I had to balance 3 pillars inside your mind and soul. Your Holy Blood, Temporal Fragment, and Heart of the Phoenix, which is my own power."
"Before I teach you anything, we need to make sure they are balanced." Aqua smiled warmly; she couldn't let Sheira get scared. "But don't worry, I won't let you go haywire."
Sheira nodded, "I understand. I trust you fully. Mommy~"
Aqua ignored her comment as she channeled her mana through the elven princess.
It had been a while, so she should be safe.
Yet she couldn't just leave it to chance. After all only way to guarantee success is to remove the factor of randomness. Aqua inhaled sharply as the mana surged through Sheira's mind and soul.
Soon after, she found herself inside the bedroom where she had found the bound princess before, but this time the princess was fully conscious. "Hi, Sheira."
The princess looked around, then back at Aqua. "Uhh… What are we doing in the palace?" Instead of being scared, she understood what this place was; it was her own mind.
"This is your mind… this is what I call the sanctuary." Aqua smiled as she approached Sheira, who sat cross-legged on the bed.
"It is strange, I never was conscious like this while inside my own mind…" She turned her palms towards herself as she stared at them. She then clenched her fist. "I do remember pain. And darkness."
"They did a terrible thing to you… that is why I wish to nurture you. I want to make you into a goddess that would truly be a beacon of kindness as opposed to the tyranny of others…" Aqua grabbed Sheira's hands.
The princess looked down as she smirked, "Azure would be jealous if she saw you holding my hands while I am in my bed~."
"Sheira… this is serious. Look." In a moment, her form shone in a soft gold. Then, 3 lights escaped, and 3 pillars formed a circle. And each took exactly one-third. They were perfectly balanced. One was of divine light, the second was pale blue, and the final was bronze in color.
Aqua sighed in relief. "You are not like usual divinity, dear Sheira. Your seed was supported by 2 additional forces equal and even surpassing the divine."
"What do you mean?"
"Usually… Divinity only has what I appropriately call "Divinity" to draw from. It is very similar to Aether but different. However, you also have Aether provided by me. It makes your potential immense."
"Azure mentioned you could not use magic. Is that right?"
Sheira nodded, "I could never draw upon mana."
"It makes sense, your so-called Holy Blood was too pure. Your soul produced Divinity and not Aether, which made it impossible for you to utilize World Soul's residue."
"But… how could my siblings use them…"
"Hmm, that is food for thought. One explanation would be that either your mother or father sired your siblings with different partners who lacked divine heritage, thus diluting the blood while you were sired between two people who were directly linked."
"But… Mom could use magic… Father, too." Her ears twitched.
"Which means that there is something else that prevented you from drawing upon mana. However, that does not matter anymore. Once you learn Aether conversion, you won't need the world soul's mana."
The moment Aqua's word reached her ears, she grinned, "I can't wait! I will rub it on their faces so hard!"
The red-haired elf stared at her for a moment, "Sheira, tell me… what is magic to you? And in addition, power itself." Aqua pulled her hands back and crossed them.
"Uh… It's a cool and makes impossible possible!" Sheira stated proudly.
Aqua leaned forward slightly, "And why are you so eager to learn it. I hope it is not merely to brag."
Sheira shrank back. "I… Of course not! I just wish to prove to them that I am also capable!"
Aqua shook her head, "Sheira, change your stance. The way you see magic right now is too dangerous. If you pursue power for selfish reasons, then it will consume you too."
Sheira pouted, "Of course… I just wanted to prove myself, you know…"
"No buts… Power is there for necessity. The only reason to seek power is to avoid everything being taken from you. If you do not understand that, then it will consume and corrupt you." Aqua spoke in a stern tone. She had to relay how serious this was.
Sheira stared at Aqua, who had a serious expression on her face. She had to see the power in a way Aqua saw it if she wished to truly master it. "I think I get it…"
"Good, do not worry, I will still teach you no matter what. However, I wish that you understand why you seek the power of magic."
Sheira nodded excitedly. "I promise I will try my best not to get corrupted."
Her answer forced Aqua to sigh; however, she quickly gathered herself. "Good, fortunately, all 3 pillars are balanced, thus I can teach you everything you will need. First, you must learn Aether, as it is the force that balanced your ascension."
Soon, the scenery around them collapsed before they found themselves standing on the deck; Aqua's hand still on Sheira's chest.
"You are safe to learn."
Sheira grinned widely as she nodded, "I am ready!"
"Excellent, first let's take a seat." Aqua approached the still stunned Azure and slowly sat next to her. Sheira followed soon after as she sat facing the two elves. "Now you must learn to sense your own soul."
"Close your eyes." She then turned to Azure, "Azure, you too. Close your eyes." Both girls obeyed.
Aqua observed closely as she continued her instructions, "Clear your minds, feel the wind, feel the very essence of self."
The two girls squinted as they tried to follow, yet they lacked the sense of self that they required. "Calm down, you need to fully relax."
It was clearly easier said than done. Aqua sighed as she reached into her storage. After a moment of deliberation, she retrieved a small pouch. Then she opened it and sprinkled it over two elven girls.
They sniffed the powder before their posture relaxed. This was a meditation powder, something that was used to force a meditative state in students who struggled with clearing their minds.
To think I would have a use for it hah. Her lips curled into a smile.
They did not complain as a state of relaxation washed over them."Now follow my voice."
Two girls nodded. "Now, try to draw in mana from the air, even Azure can do this."
They obeyed as the World Soul's mana entered their bodies. "I see it…" Sheira stated as she plunged deeper into her own soul. "It feels… warm. It's like I am staring at the sun."
"Good, that means you can sense it. What about you, Azure?"
Azure shuffled restlessly as she tried to sense her own soul. As a warrior, she had never had experience with mana or magic, but she could draw in mana. After all, her life force enchant required it.
She floated in darkness; she desperately searched for what she would recognize as her own soul. Instead of a warm feeling like Sheira, she felt cold and empty.
She was about to give up before Aqua's voice reached her, "Your issue is that you have Divine Blessing. I will guide you. While your blessing was not chain, as many are, it still is restrictive. It covers your soul with its own glow."
Azure panicked for a moment, "But do not worry. I will help you. You are not alone." In the darkness, a small ember of flame appeared. It glowed brightly as it danced around Azure.
She swam through the darkness as she followed it. Soon she saw it. The ember of fire exploded, the bright blast instantly illuminated the darkness, which revealed a warm ball of fire, yet unlike Sheira's, which seemed to be like the sun, this one was shrouded in divine energy, yet not united.
It was her blessing that shrouded her own soul from herself.
"I can see it..." Azure reached forward and touched it.
Aqua smiled, "You may open your eyes now. I'm impressed, you were rather quick. Even with my guidance, you were able to sense your souls rather quickly compared to most."
Clap
Aqua clapped her hands together as she stared at the two girls. "Now that we have fulfilled the main prerequisite, I can finally start teaching you how to utilize aether for basic conversion."
"We are in your hands, Teacher!" Azure bowed excitedly, closely followed by Sheira, who raised her hand in the air and shouted. "I will not fail you!"