EPISODE 167; THE ASCENT! THE SEAL OF IDENTITY PART LXXXII: THE LIGHTNING BLOODLINE LIMIT! THE SABREFANGED WOLF PART XI: THE PATH OF THE LIGHTNING!
As usual, we spent our free time training in the Hall Of Lightning. Fenrir eventually returned to teach us more.
"Today, I'll be teaching you a bit more about Conduction and Insulation. To be more specific, we'll be dealing with the Path Of Lightning" Fenrir said.
"The Path Of Lightning? Hmm…" Keiran wondered.
"Anything the matter Keiran?" I asked.
"Hey San, you've read the Training Manuals in Dad and Mom's Library haven't you?" Keiran asked.
"We all have" I replied.
"Well, there's a Tale amongst the Training Manuals that chronicles Mom's journeys with people from another World" Keiran said.
"You mean the Tales about Jo-lan right? It's in the Tale Of Jo-lan that we learnt of the Nine Dominant Elements. In our homeworld though, there are Seven Dominant Elements. So what's your point?" I asked.
"Do you recall the abilities of one of Mom's friends, a lady called Luna?" Keiran asked.
"Yeah, of course, she had this cool technique called the Zone Of Absolute Defense. If I recall correctly, it was a Lightning Element Technique" I realized what Keiran was getting at.
Fenrir smiled.
"I guess I'll leave you guys to talk things out. You seem to have a few ideas. I'll fill in any necessary blanks in your theories. I'll be watching you from a distance" Fenrir said and walked away.
"You know that in Ancient Times, it was believed that the nature of Lightning was 'Unpredictability'. It's one of the reasons for the Ancient Saying, 'Lightning never strikes the same place twice'" Keiran said.
"Well, you're the Elementalist of the Family, explain" Saito said.
"Well that saying isn't exactly accurate. Lightning certainly has a wide range and an infinite set of pathways it can strike through however it's not as unpredictable as we initially thought" Keiran said.
"It's not?" I asked in surprise.
"It's not. Lightning typically…in fact almost always…takes the path of least resistance. In other words, it typically takes the path of greatest conductivity. It's why you don't typically see any Lightning Activity occurring within a Vacuum. Lightning cannot manifest without the presence of Air. In other words, it can't manifest within an Airtight Space. It needs Air as a medium to manifest" Keiran explained.
"I see" Saito realized what Keiran was getting at.
"In other words, you're trying to say Lightning can only manifest within any location that has an atmosphere aren't you Keiran?" I asked.
"Exactly. You can defend against Lightning Attacks, the same way you defend against Wind Attacks, by sealing off an area with an Airtight Shield. The Airtight Shield will of course have to act as an Insulator" Keiran explained.
"You still haven't explained what this has to do with Lightning not being as unpredictable as was initially thought" Saito said.
"Well, Lightning is created via Friction amongst particles of Air. In other words, it can flow through Ionized Particles Of Air. The lesser the resistance in the Ionized Particles Of Air gathered in a particular Region, the greater the likelihood that Lightning will flow through that path. It's the reason Goodness and Zeal are believed to be the only way to combat the evil soul of Lightning, Sloth. If one has the strength to resist influence, they can break the flow of that influence. It's the same way Lightning works, the greater the resistance to Conductivity, the lesser the likelihood that the Lightning will flow through that path. When one is able to create a grid that measures the levels of Ionization in particles of Air surrounding a Region, they become able to predict the path of Lightning by measuring the degrees of conductivity amongst varying particles of Air" Keiran explained.
"I see! Amazing!" we all exclaimed in awe.
Keiran rubbed his nose and smiled with an air of accomplishment on his face.