Linry secured permission to leave the academy grounds and return to her village. With the allotted date set two days ahead, she and Riniock waited patiently.
In the meantime, Riniock continued to recover, and soon he was well enough to leave the infirmary.
As agreed, he and Niann trained together, though they kept to the academy's private training grounds – taking no chances after the Fladd and emerser incident.
'When I went back to the library, I found a second volume of that book you discovered,' Niann said.
Riniock's interest piqued immediately. 'Oh? And what did it say?'
'The second part of elemental transmutation details how to change a spell's element after it leaves a maegi's hand. For example, you could launch a wind blade at someone, only for it to transform into a glacial blade just before impact.'
Riniock's eyes gleamed with excitement. This was a fascinating expansion to his already formidable technique. 'Whoever this anonymous author is, they're an absolute genius.'
'No doubt!' Niann agreed. 'Like the first volume, though, the spell circle was mistranslated. So while you were still on bedrest, I took the time to copy everything for you, including the necessary corrections.'
He rummaged through his belongings and retrieved his notes. As expected from Niann's meticulous nature, everything was neatly organised, making it easy for Riniock to memorise and copy the contents into his arcane tome.
It took him a few hours, but he eventually finished.
'You're absolutely cheating,' Niann muttered in disbelief. 'It takes most people days to inscribe spells properly, and weeks to learn them. But you? You're done in a matter of hours for either of them.'
Riniock chuckled. 'If talent is cheating, then yes, I'm cheating.'
Niann laughed at the remark, observing Riniock's method of inscription. The most time-consuming part of copying spells was constantly glancing between the original text and one's own notes, ensuring precision.
But as Niann watched, he realised something odd – Riniock barely looked at his notes.
'…did you memorise it after reading it once?' Niann asked, still struggling to believe what he was seeing.
Riniock glanced up at Niann's scrutinising expression, a self-satisfied grin spreading across his face. Without breaking eye contact, he continued writing, his quill gliding effortlessly over the page. For an entire minute, he didn't so much as glance at his tome – yet not a single line was out of place, not a single symbol omitted.
Niann exhaled sharply. 'Now that's just showing off…'
'Heh. I've always had an eidetic memory,' Riniock admitted. 'Everything I see or hear – I never forget. I can recall it in perfect, vivid detail, as if I were experiencing it again.'
Niann fell into deep thought, rubbing his chin as he paced back and forth, clearly mulling something over.
Then he stopped and turned to him. 'Is there a limit to how much you can remember?'
'None. I remember everything from the moment I became aware.'
A realisation dawned on Niann, his excitement growing. 'So, theoretically, you could flip through hundreds of books, absorbing their contents instantly, and take your time later to process and understand them? You wouldn't even need to study in the normal sense – just glance at each page once and move on.'
Riniock blinked, considering the idea for the first time. 'Huh…never thought about it like that.'
'You'd be a walking library,' Niann marvelled, just as thrilled by the revelation as Riniock himself.
'But let's not lose focus,' Riniock butted in, rising to his feet as he finished his notes. 'Let's try out the second volume's technique. It'll be invaluable in this godsforsaken place. The sandstorm really messed with my spells last time, but I have an idea on know how to counter that now.'
He stepped forward, positioning himself in front of a training target.
'This technique is definitely more complex, but knowing I have the correct translation from the start gives me confidence.'
'You're welcome,' Niann quipped.
Riniock chuckled. 'Thank you, my friend.'
Taking a steady breath, he gathered wind energy into his palm, shaping it into a pulsating orb. Instead of launching it immediately, he released it at a slow, deliberate pace, allowing himself more time to attempt the elemental transmutation before it reached its mark.
But the process was gruelling.
His face tightened with concentration, sweat forming on his brow as he struggled to alter the spell mid-flight. His hand trembled from the strain, and despite his best efforts, the magick reached its destination unchanged.
'This is harder than I expected,' he admitted, panting slightly.
'Try to relax,' Niann advised. 'Tempest elements may be volatile, but they require fluidity, not tension.'
'Alright…I'll give that a shot.'
'According to the book, you need to envision your odh flowing towards your spell, linking with it, and issuing a command to change its element. It's similar to the first volume's method – just with an extended range.'
'Envision my odh? Like a trail?' Riniock asked, trying to conceptualise it.
Niann nodded. 'If that helps you visualise it, then yes – think of it as a trail.'
Riniock, reinvigorated by his determination, took his stance once more and conjured another slow-moving orb.
'Here we go,' he muttered to himself, steeling his focus.
In his mind's eye, a luminous thread of odh stretched from his fingertips, weaving through the air and latching onto the wind orb. Yet, time and time again, the link faltered – sometimes detaching before it could take hold, other times failing to reach the orb at all.
He repeated the process relentlessly, casting spell after spell, draining his reserves of odh with each attempt. The first ten tries yielded nothing but failure, no connection whatsoever. But then, finally, his odh reached the spell.
However, the breakthrough was far from victory. Though the link was established, his command to shift the orb's element failed to transmit. Again and again, he tried, each attempt inching closer, yet still missing the mark.
After more than fifty attempts and a whole day later, the slightest sign of progress flickered before them.
'It almost worked!' Niann exclaimed, pointing at the orb. 'I saw it shudder – just for a moment. The command must have reached it, but it wasn't strong enough to trigger the change. You're close! Don't give up now.'
Riniock exhaled, his exhaustion catching up to him. 'I don't know, Niann…maybe I should take a break. Grab a bite or something.'
'That's what losers say.'
Riniock shot him a look, caught between amusement and disbelief. 'I appreciate the effort, but…you're terrible at motivational speeches.'
Niann scratched the back of his head. 'Eh, worth a shot.'
'It really is difficult, though…' Riniock admitted, rubbing his temple.
'Try adding a bit of anger,' Niann suggested.
Riniock frowned. 'I thought I needed fluidity. Didn't you say tempest spells don't work well with tension?'
'I did,' Niann acknowledged. 'But I've seen you fight. You pull off some incredible things when you're in the heat of battle. Maybe if you channel that same intensity – without stiffening up – it could work in your favour. It's worth a try.'
Riniock took a moment to consider it.
If he was going to harness his anger, he needed a fitting target – someone like Irgod. The memory of the wounds Linry bore on her neck flashed in his mind, and his pulse quickened. Just the thought of it sent heat surging through his veins.
With this intensity fuelling him, he ran through the process once more. Cast, envision, link, command, and…
'It worked!' Niann shouted.
Before his eyes, the swirling winds of the orb crystallised into frost, wisps of air solidifying into an icy sphere. However, the spell faltered, unable to continue its trajectory, and instead sank midair before shattering upon the ground, leaving a thin layer of ice in its wake.
A grin spread across Riniock's face. It wasn't perfect, but it was progress – proof that, with enough training, he could master it.
'Alright! I need food. I'm starving.'
Niann frowned. 'Shouldn't you –'
'Let's take a break. Even us losers need to rest now and then,' Riniock quipped, throwing Niann's earlier words back at him.
As they turned in direction of the academy's main hall, they were caught off guard by Linry standing near the exit, quietly watching their training unfold.
For once, Riniock noticed that Niann didn't tense at the sight of her. It seemed they had really resolved their differences.
They approached her, their strides casual, as if nothing had happened.
'Finished?' Linry asked.
'Were you waiting long?' Riniock glanced at the sun, trying to gauge the time.
'Not long.'
'Why are you here?' Niann cut in jokingly. 'Spying?'
'Kind of,' she admitted with a smirk. 'I like watching Riniock.'
Riniock's gaze flicked between the two of them. Not only was Niann no longer scowling at her, but they were teasing him – together.
'Did I miss a chapter somewhere?' he asked, arching a brow.
Linry giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. 'Maybe one or two.'
Niann, shaking his head, redirected the conversation. 'So? Why are you here?'
'I came to collect Riniock. We're heading to my childhood village.'
'Haitenshire, right?' Niann recalled.
Linry nodded. 'Yes. Are you ready, Riniock?'
'Yeah. My things are over there.'
Linry smiled as she walked beside him. 'I can't wait to go back.'