He stretched out his palm, and immediately a mini-simulation began to coalesce in the air above it. The wind he controlled was palpable and luminous, clear enough to perfectly display every intricate idea he wished to convey, a stark contrast to the usual invisible atmosphere of wind.
He first summoned two churning orbs of concentrated wind in one hand, then quickly conjured three more in the other. They hovered there, quiet and utterly controlled, resembling miniature, perfectly sculpted clouds resting in his grasp. His gaze remained locked on his air creation as he rephrased the topic: "Why the Two and Three-Layered Defenses Failed." This was a level of pure manipulation that only the rarest of Specialist Aeromancers were rumored to achieve.
"Let's start with the original spell," he announced, and with a subtle twitch of his fingers, he formed a tiny, two-layered gale shroud with the likeness of Astraya held safe within its swirling, protective boundary.
Ghost adjusted his position, his voice taking on a professorial tone as he explained the limitations of the simpler Gale Shroud designs against Rose's attack.
"When Astraya first used the two-layered Gale Shroud, it failed because it was, in a way, a static defense against a dynamic attack in Rose's arrows," Ghost explained.
He raised two fingers a gesture that, funnily enough, seemed more like a visual cue for two arrows than the two layers he was discussing. "Astraya's Two-Layer design consists of two opposing layers of wind that essentially create a highly compressed, solid shield. But Rose's arrows are a singular, highly concentrated, fast-moving missile of kinetic energy."
The laws of physics weren't entirely discarded here; this world clearly maintained a solid grasp of fundamental concepts. To what extent did these laws truly hold when people could directly control the very elements? I had always prided myself on my superior knowledge, but it appeared I was mistaken magic here was less about breaking rules and more about exploiting the nuances of established principles.
Ghost continued his analysis: "The arrows are simply too fast and too concentrated. The two layers acted like a single, rigid wall. When that single arrow struck, it transferred all its kinetic energy instantly, creating the massive recoil and shockwave that sent Astraya sliding backward. The wind layers pushed back, but they didn't succeed in breaking down the arrow's structure. It was a failure of energy absorption, not a lack of strength."
"Oh, so that was why she blew back!" I unconsciously replied, finally understanding why she kept repeating the same spell. "I get it now. So, all she just had to do was deal with the impact."
"Exactly," Ghost affirmed. He then activated the simulation, displaying the three-layered model. "Hence why she added more layers. But adding another layer really wasn't the goal, exactly. As she would come to realize, The Three-Layer Defense or what I best call the Incomplete Cancellation had its own issues."
"The three-layered defense was her first sign of genius—she was trying to introduce cancellation but it was still incomplete," Ghost noted.
He explained the concept: Astraya was likely trying to use the first two layers to strip the arrow's momentum, and the third layer to stabilize the shield therefore absorbing the impact.
"The flaw was simple: with three layers, the shear forces were unbalanced. She might have stripped the arrow's spin or slowed its speed, but the remaining single layer of wind was either not strong enough or was rotating in a direction that still pushed energy inward hence why she felt more impact than the first two layers."
Ghost summarized the failure: "Essentially, the three-layer approach was a tangled mess of three forces that didn't quite line up. The arrow was degraded, yes, but there was still enough leftover kinetic energy and structural integrity in the projectile to pierce the defense and hit her with enough force to make her cough and stumble. She degraded the threat, but she didn't eliminate it."
"So, meaning the best solution to these arrows would essentially be a four-layer Gale Shroud?" I asked, finally connecting the dots.
Ghost smiled and affirmed, "The four-layer rotation was the perfect solution because it established a system of mutually assured cancellation." He leaned in, emphasizing the mechanics with the four swirling bands on his palm. "The First Layer rotates clockwise, with its main job being to catch the arrow's tip and slightly deflect its trajectory. Next, the Second Layer the 'Cancellation Engine'rotates counter-clockwise. As the arrow passes, this layer applies a reverse rotational force, starting to strip the spin Rose built into her compressed-air projectiles."
"The Third Layer rotates clockwise again, but it's much denser and set at a different, slower speed than the first. The key here is the fierce friction between the second and third layers. This shear force literally squeezes and slows the arrow, causing its compressed air structure to decompress violently as it passes through."
He concluded, gesturing to the stable core of his tiny model. "The Fourth Layer, the 'Inner Shroud,' rotates counter-clockwise, creating a final, stable core within the shield. By the time the arrows hit this final layer, they were no longer compressed bolts of kinetic energy, but just ordinary, dispersed air. The final 'Bang!' you heard wasn't a powerful impact; it was the synchronized sound of the six projectiles disintegrating into inert wind as they lost all structural integrity."
But it was yet to be proven if she knew exactly this outcome would happen, or if she was just adding layers until she got the right one. The fact that she kept returning to the same spell, however, told you all you needed to know: she had a clue about the underlying mechanics.
Father then chuckled. "He's right." Even Father saw the logic, and since he was someone who deeply studied the science of mana, that wasn't a huge surprise, now that I thought about it.
"Who knew you would break down the fight like that?" Father laughed. "I wasn't sure I pegged you as an analyst, Ghost. I figured you were more of a religious believer of mana all faith and the sun."
Ghost simply smirked in reply. "We had to improve, you know. Aetherhall now practices both, as that power-hungry nation, Volkar, only keeps getting stronger. It was only natural we started studying mana and spells more critically."
"Did I catch you picking sides, Ghost?" Father asked, his tone jokingly light but carrying a sliver of seriousness. "What would Central say when an honorable man like yourself gets caught showing alliance?"
Ghost brought his two hands together against his cheeks smacking his face with them,cooling down the conversation. "My heart will always be with Aetherhall, but you're right. The best I can do, especially in public, is to remain neutral, as that's my job." He then abruptly seemed to notice something.
Ghost, seemingly out of nowhere, muttered, "Oh boy, Mr. Grumpy is here."
Father grinned. "Well, looks like that got his attention."
"Yep," Ghost replied, confirming the suspicion. He continued to Father, "As promised, if he saw your daughter's slight impression, he would show himself. Looks like so." I couldn't see anything or anyone approaching.
A soft, disdainful click of the tongue cut through the air. "Tsk… always showing off." Ghost dropped to one knee, showing a bowing posture.
"Better bow, kid, as a sign of respect." I was hesitant, but I quickly followed his lead.
Then it hit.
The air instantly became thicker, heavier, pressing down on every inch of my skin. My lungs clenched; even breathing became an effort. The entire street seemed to bow under the sheer weight of the sudden, invisible force. I tried to inhale, but it felt like dragging smoke into my chest, and my vision blurred for a moment.
"Easy there," Ghost muttered. He quickly reached over and tapped my back and Father's lightly.
Whoosh.
Air rushed back into my lungs. I gasped, dragging in a sharp, painful breath as the crushing pressure around me loosened. Father straightened beside me, calm but breathing hard; even he had felt the initial impact.
Then a voice rang out from the crowd—loud, reverent, and trembling with fear:"Presenting—Lord Zedd Vintergard of Aetherhall !"