13 Chapter 13 - The Strongest Element?

Being awed would be an understatement; Lyle was completely fascinated by the Nymph's display of her element's might.

Water element was the strongest. Water element was the best. Water element can do anything.

Water element it is, then.

Wait. Something was missing.

"What about the water itself? Or is it just a copycat?"

"Huh?" The Nymph was stupefied. Sure, she had demonstrated the might of the water element, but what could it do by itself without copying other elements' properties?

"Um, you can water plants…?" The Nymph joked, and Lyle cackled and ran away.

"Wait! That was just a joke!" Alas, her shout fell on deaf ears.

So, a four-in-one element, Lyle thought as he rushed out of the cave. He was quite skeptical of the Nymph's claims, even after her fervent demonstration. What if it was a trick to fool him, like any other elder liked to do? He was fed up with these elders' lies. He would need to confirm it before deciding because it was no small matter.

So he went to Priscilla, a water mage, also a widow. She was tending to her house.

"Water's nature is gentle and pure. But it can assume its tyrannical form as well. When a flood rages through rivers, it can even sweep the mightiest of beasts away. While its flexibility knows no bounds: wrap your foe with water and suffocate them to death; add a fine current to it, and slice your foe with its sharp blades; propel it in a thin line and pierce a weak point with the water jet." Pricilla explained the water element in a simple manner, with gentleness in her voice, despite her weariness. She was thin, almost emaciated, with dark circles surrounding her eyes. The calamity had taken her family and spirit away. Why she was living, she did not know. Yet, Lyle's enthusiasm broke her reticence.

"Can it copy all the other elements?"

"Copy? What do you mean?"

Her confused face was a clear indication that she didn't have the answer. So he rephrased the question. "Is water element the strongest?"

"Strongest?" An ugly grimace contorted her face, and she screamed, "If it was the strongest, my family would still be alive!"

Lyle awkwardly took his leave. It was now obvious to him that the water element was just like any other element. Its strength probably depended on its wielder as Aunt Barbara had told him.

...

Lyle stood before the Nymph with derision plastered on his face. Derision for he had caught her trickery. "Hmph! The water element is not the strongest, otherwise, water mages would be the strongest among the group. You are a Nymph, that's why you can wield it with such might." He concluded.

The Nymph flatly stared at him for a few moments. He wasn't that wrong.

"You are right. The techniques alone aren't enough. But water holds the key to the strongest element."

Lyle squinted his eyes. He was not going to get fooled by her again. "And which one is it?"

"First, you answer me, which one is cheaper, Life or Death?"

Lyle left the cave, wondering the answer to the question. Life popped out for free, with no money involved… probably, well, maybe some. Death sure came for free… But the struggle was real, and it was anything but cheap. Urgh! He pulled his hair in frustration.

…

The Sun was yet to rise, but it was sure spewing its golden hue everywhere.

Thwack! Lyle punched Val's palm. His stance was firm, his balance unshakable. Almost.

The villagers were marching along the perimeters of the village. They had started their warm-up before their intense bout of training.

And Lyle was spared none of it. A special training was tailored to fit his age by his mom, and currently, he was trying his best to land a punch on her stomach.

Thwack-Thwack!

Two successive punches squarely hit the middle of Val's palms, and she clutched his fists and repelled him a few steps back.

Lyle huffed in exhaustion and wiped his sweat off his face. "Mom, is life cheap or death?"

Val was instantly baffled. Where did this question come from? A moment later, her gaze turned sharp. "First you decide what's easy, life or death? Come, I'll show you what's hard." She gestured to him to start the fight, this time, more serious than ever.

Lyle sensed a bad premonition. A jab flashed at his chest, pushing him a step back. It didn't hurt much. The punch was weird, as if the impact spread throughout his whole body, not intending to harm him.

Val pounded the ground, transitioning to another stance, and sent another fist to his stomach, causing a similar effect once again.

Lyle was annoyed, so he assumed a defensive posture. But no matter how he defended himself, he was pushed back. Her punches came with such a terrifying momentum, that he felt his demise, yet they did him no harm.

"This control, this power, do you think it came overnight? It took more than a decade of training. I trained and trained, but for what? To survive. To protect."

Another barrage of punches exhausted Lyle to his limit.

"To not die. And death? Some random shitty beast can squash you to a paste! Death is easy. Survival is hard." She stopped the punches and stood straight, leaving Lyle huffing and puffing.

"Remember, what comes easy has no value, meaning it is cheap." With that, she declared her training over for the day.

…

"Death is cheap. Life is hard," Lyle said to the Nymph with a poker face.

"Correct! Death is destruction, while life is sustenance. That's why I will teach you, Life element, the greatest magic of all!"

Lyle's poker face prevailed.