NOVEL WEB Chapter 9 - Fire’s Nature
51st of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle
Newt paid close attention to the interaction between Magmin Scales and the flames trying to burn him. It took several attempts and several long breaks to recover spiritual energy until he understood the defensive technique’s principles.
He originally believed Magmin Scales would absorb the heat, but that was not the case. The technique instead fought fire with fire, burning and canceling each other out.
“Shouldn’t it burn even hotter?” he asked without meaning to speak his words aloud.
“What should burn hotter?” Magmin asked as they took another break for Newt’s spiritual energy to stabilize.
“When two flames collide, shouldn’t they result in even hotter flames?” Newt clarified his question, cursing the fact that the three years of isolation helped him develop a habit of speaking his thoughts aloud.
“The flames are not colliding,” Magmin explained. “Magmin Scales burn the heat produced by Magmin Flames, canceling it.”
“How can you burn heat? Shouldn’t things become even hotter when burning?” Newt could not make sense of how Magmin Scales worked. Siphoning, redirecting, or even overpowering and forcing the heat away he could understand, but Magmin’s explanation made no sense.
“When you burn something little is left. Same when burning heat.”
Newt wanted to argue, or at least protest. He was certain Magmin Scales did not work as Magmin advertised, but he stopped himself. The argument was a pointless one. Proving himself right was once very important to Young Master Newstar, but mattered little to Newt. What he wished and needed to do was to learn, not to feel superior. Superiority would come with knowledge and ability.
“That is the way of fire,” Magmin explained. “Ever consuming, ever growing. Once growth stops, nothing but death awaits.”
Newt considered the words. In a broad sense, they were true about everything. You grow, you reach your peak and then, then you either die while at your peak, or live to see yourself grow weaker, frailer, until you ultimately perish.
“I see.” He nodded, still mulling the words. “And what of earth?”
“What about earth?” Magmin asked.
“What is the nature of earth?” Newt clarified.
“I have not contemplated the nature of earth that much. I wish to fly. One day, I will make my nature one of air and fire instead of earth and fire. I will shed my earth nature, conquer the sky, and hunt the lesser, land-bound creatures.”
Shouldn’t that be impossible? Wait. Is that how it became a dragon? Newt wondered whether such tenacity and oddity was what allowed a mere serpent to evolve all the way until it became a true dragon, soaring through the sky, looking down on all of creation.
“Now keep practicing, I will gather more spirit gems, and once you are ready, you will help me face the mighty pterodactylus.”
“Wait,” Newt called as Magmin’s glowing outline turned back towards the cave’s entrance. “Could you explain how Granite Crust works?”
Magmin remained silent.
“You promised you would teach me,” Newt pointed out.
“I did. I promised to teach you, if you manage to use Magmin’s Scales and Magmin’s Flame at the same time. Now, get to work, you have a lot of spirit gems to consume before your realm reaches the desired state.”
Time passed, and Newt struggled with the problems Magmin had warned him about. Magmin Scales and Magmin Flame were complementary skills, once he learned them, using them came down to nearly identical circulations with only minor adjustments. But, until he mastered both, they were two nearly identical things he needed to do at the same time, with one slight difference which could burn him to a crisp.
It took nearly an hour before he found the way to make that tiny change in the flow of spiritual energy.
Newt yelped in pain as his whole body flared with flames. He cut the flow of spiritual energy almost immediately, extinguishing the fire before it could cause serious harm, but his torn trousers were gone, scattered to ash, and his butt and thighs stung from minor burns. The rest of his body had fared better, flames unobscured by cloth and free to blaze away from his skin.
This won’t do. It’s too dangerous to wrap my entire body in flames. I first need to figure out how to direct Magmin Scales to cover nothing but my hand. Then, I can start working with Magmin Flame.
It took another two hours before Newt decided he was too exhausted from all the training and mental strain. He laid down on the hot floor and went to sleep.
Nightmares followed. He was trying to cultivate, but his heart demons attacked him, ripping his realm and crippling him. He awoke with a scream.
“What is wrong?” Magmin asked, depositing another pair of spirit gems onto the ever-growing-pile.
“I dreamed that my heart demons had destroyed my realm,” Newt said, gasping for air.
“Do not worry,” Magmin hissed with surprising empathy. “Heart demons are constructs of your realm and could never destroy it. Only you can do that.”
Newt knew that was both true and not true at the same time. Heart demons by themselves could not destroy the realm in which they resided, but his father had explained the major danger heart demons posed. They could assault or distract a cultivator while they are trying to advance, causing the breakthrough to fail, sometimes killing or crippling the cultivator in the process.
Also, any heart demons a cultivator failed to overcome would grow along with their realm, eventually forcing them to overcome them or perish.
“Thanks,” Newt thanked Magmin, then focused on his training.
He sent the energy into his hand, stretching it across his skin, and formed the translucent scales with surprising ease. Hours of sleep, even if plagued by nightmares, helped clear his mind and increase his understanding of the technique.
“Not bad, you learned how to localize the effect.” Magmin paused.
“Somewhat,” it added.
Newt was first confused by the added word, but then noticed a problem. The outer scales, the ones closest to his elbow, were fraying and disappearing line by line. He believed he would be able to maintain the technique for minutes, but with this disintegration, he estimated he had around half a minute.
“Do you wish to test it?” Magmin asked and approached after Newt agreed.
The youth watched the serpent’s fangs glow and grow hazy from heat before it bit down. The barrier held for a second, then the scales started cracking. Magmin ended its technique a moment before the wave of heat brushed against Newt’s skin as his skill failed.
“It is weaker this way. You cannot hold lava with just your hand shielded. A pity,” Magmin sighed. “Do try to improve it, I could save some energy if you figure out how to localize the effect.”
While Newt’s heart started racing at the mistake he had almost made, the serpent nudged the spirit gems towards him.
“Consume these. They should help you advance your realm, and hopefully you will be able to maintain your techniques longer, letting you learn in fewer attempts, saving us some time.”
“Thank you.” Newt’s voice shook, but Magmin failed to notice, nudging the crystals one more time before leaving the cavern.
Newt consumed them, then spent nine hours populating his realm with new Magmin Pines. Time spent creating the structures doubled with each new layer, and Newt could imagine himself spending weeks in meditation, cultivating the final two layers.
“Just the next one will take some two days,” the youth grumbled, wanting to go back to sleep, his mind strained, his focus spent. But he could not give up.
He stifled a yawn and decided to practice having Magmin Scales and Magmin Flame on his hand at the same time. Minutes blurred into hours, and in the end, Newt was left with a frustrating feeling of being at the cusp of making his breakthrough and with a throbbing headache in the back of his head.
He yawned and let his abused mind rest. He dreamed of planting trees, which grew at prodigious speed before he set them on fire. Flames danced, their tongues licking the wood, flickering up, towards the sky as they grew. The fire grew, consuming everything, surrounding Newt, who remained unharmed, thanks to his shiny scales.
When he awoke, Newt found another small mound of spirit gems, but he ignored them. He focused on his hand. A layer of red scales enveloped it like a glove, and then a single flame, similar to that of an oil lamp, came to life atop his palm.
The boy gazed upon the marvel dancing in his hand. His concentration snapped, and the flame disappeared, followed a moment later by the wave of heat from Magmin Scale glove dissipating.
“I did it!” Newt grinned and looked around, but Magmin was out gathering spirit gems.
The youth tried again and again, his spiritual energy sufficient to repeat the localized experiment a dozen times. With each attempt, the youth grew more confident. Flames obeyed him faster and his glove formed quicker. He still had a long way to go before Magmin Scales formed instantly and on reflex, but he was certain he would get there with enough practice.
“Well, call me a toad, you have done it,” Magmin hissed entering the cave. “I guess I should make good on my promise and teach you Granite Crust.”