Seven elements

Orion strode through the towering corridors of the library, the echo of his footsteps swallowed by the weight of ancient knowledge housed within its walls. The scent of parchment and ink filled the air, a familiar comfort that grounded him in his pursuit of mastery. To many, the library was merely a collection of books, a place of idle curiosity. To him, it was a sanctuary, a temple where wisdom and power intertwined.

Settling into a well-worn chair near the heart of the library, he exhaled deeply, his fingers tracing the intricate carvings along the wooden armrests. Then, with a subtle flick of his wrist, the red runes on his forearm flared to life, shifting into a radiant gold. The glow coalesced into a shimmering tome, which materialized in his grasp with a soft hum of energy.

"Secrets of Ascension," Orion murmured, running his fingers over the gilded title. A book of hard-earned wisdom, filled with knowledge that had shaped the destinies of countless mages before him. He cracked it open, his fingers deftly flipping through the pages, searching for the passage that had once stirred a storm of questions within him.

His hand came to a halt as his gaze fixed on the heading before him: "Ways to Reach the Silver Mana Core."

Orion had already ascended beyond this stage, yet he found himself compelled to revisit the knowledge, drawn by the words that had once seemed arrogant, almost laughable in their certainty.

"Only after reaching the silver core does one become a true mage. Those beneath it are mere jesters, conjuring tricks for the circus."

He had scoffed at those words when he first read them, dismissing them as the pompous musings of an egotistical scholar. But now, standing on the very threshold of greater power, he understood their weight. The disparity between an apprentice and a true mage was far more than mere skill—it was the very essence of their being.

His eyes flicked further down the page. "Until the bright yellow core, mages are primarily focused on fortifying their cores, enhancing their mana augmentation capabilities in alignment with their elemental affinity. Their magic remains confined within, unable to extend beyond their own bodies, rendering them incapable of long-range casting."

This, too, he had once questioned. After all, he had never experienced such a limitation. From the moment he had first wielded magic, it had extended beyond his own body with an ease that defied every law laid out in these texts.

Then came the passage that had truly unsettled him: "To advance within the silver core, one must conquer the resistance of at least two elements, mastering control over them. This mastery enables mages to extend their mana beyond their physical forms, unleashing their magic upon the world itself."

Orion's grip on the book tightened. He had never felt resistance when manipulating elements. Not yet atlest.

He leaned back, his mind drifting to his grandfather's words, the ones he had spent years dismissing as delusions.

"You are meant for something greater, Orion. The world will one day know your name."

He had always rejected the notion of fate, refused to believe in the whims of prophecy. Yet, the undeniable truth loomed over him—he was different.

Shaking away the thought, he turned the page, refocusing on the text before him. "Reaching the silver core is but the dawn of a true magical journey, nevertheless its a two-step ascent. The first step involves expanding one's mana core to a specified level, a feat attainable by most mages."

His eyes narrowed as he continued. "The second step, however, entails fortifying one's control over their respective element. To achieve this, there is only one method—allowing the untamed essence of the elements to surge within their body and asserting dominance through sheer force of will. This arduous process is known as 'Overcoming of Elements' or 'Affinity Enhancement,' a testament to the pivotal role elemental affinity plays."

Orion puase a little at that phrase, but soon moved on.

The text continued, outlining the distribution of elemental affinities. "Most mages possess an affinity with only two or three elements out of the seven. Four is uncommon. Five is a rarity. There has never been a mage with an affinity for more than five elements."

Orion's fingers drummed against the wooden table. That final statement had once been an indisputable fact. Now, it was merely a relic of outdated knowledge.

Raising his hand, he let his mana flow freely. Instantly, the air around him shifted. A flicker of flame ignited at his fingertips, soon joined by a spiraling droplet of water, swirling in defiance of its counterpart. The ground trembled as a jagged shard of earth erupted from the floor, while a vortex of wind coiled around his wrist. The sharp crackle of lightning echoed through the library, its currents dancing between his fingers, and finally, a radiant golden sphere of light formed in his palm, pulsing like a miniature sun.

The library trembled beneath the weight of his magic. Books tumbled from their shelves, parchment rustled as if caught in an unseen storm, yet Orion's focus remained unwavering.

Then, with a deliberate flick of his left hand, an eerie silence fell over the room.

The elements continued to swirl above his palm, a mesmerizing, chaotic dance of raw energy, but the silence itself became a presence—a force as tangible as the fire, water, and wind that obeyed his will.

It was due to the seventh element.

Sound.

Orion clenched his fist, and the spectacle vanished in an instant, dissipating into nothingness. The library, however, remained in disarray—books strewn across the floor, shelves left bare from the force of his magic. He ignored the mess, his eyes drawn back to the book before him.

He read the line one final time: "There has never been a mage with an affinity for more than five elements."

A slow, knowing smile formed on his lips.

"It doesn't seem to be the case now," he murmured, his voice laced with quiet amusement.

Because there was an exception.

The exception was him.