Bil's Unorthodox Solution

"What's wrong?!" yelled Nelphy. She put down the jar and rushed to Jash's side. Immediately, she saw Jash try to cover his left forearm. "Let me help–"

"Nelphy, stop."

Recognizing Bil's voice, Nelphy hesitated. "Why? He's hurt–"

"With help like that, you'll get hurt too." Dropping the carcass of a monstrous rooster one and a half bromes tall, Bil carefully nudged Nelphy back a few steps. "He got careless and let a branch catch him…"

Bil lifted Jash's hand, giving Nelphy a better view and understanding of the situation.

Jash sat up while Bil inspected the wound carefully, all while shaking his head. "I take it you'll never forget about fire roses… Four barbs. More than I thought you'd end up with…

"And we don't have time to take you to town, or I'd need to cancel everything I've got planned tonight…" Bil remarked.

While Nelphy tried to understand the weight of that statement, Jash was busy staring at his arm. It was already inflamed and swollen. He felt flames pumping through his veins, gradually spreading from his forearm to his bicep, and then up to his shoulder.

"Calm down. The more you panic, the faster your heart rate becomes. The faster your heart rate becomes, the more pain you'll be in. Take deep breaths and close your eyes," Bil firmly yet gently ordered.

Jash did just that and closed his eyes. He inhaled, dragging out the breath as long as possible. And just as he exhaled, he cried, "Aah…"

His eyelids unlatched as they sprung open. Confused, Jash shouted, "What was… The branch. It's gone…"

"As are the barbs. You have to be careful or the barbs will break off in your skin, making everything worse. We don't have the ingredients to make an antidote, but I guess now's as good as ever…"

Bil tossed the thorned branch into the kindling pile while scanning his surroundings for a patch of dirt amongst the greenery.

"Wh-what are you doing now??" groaned Jash, realizing his pain hadn't gone away in the slightest.

Nelphy was curious too. She and Jash watched as Bil brushed aside some grass and grabbed a handful of dirt. "Here, Jash. Hold this."

"Huh?! What's this going to–"

"Remember, stay calm. If you're lucky and can manage your heartbeat, then maybe it'll last for about an hour. But the more it spreads, the longer it will stay in your system," Bil explained. "For now, let's see if this helps. Remember the point of your meditations?"

Nodding slowly, Jash replied, "To focus on the energy in my body."

"And what's that energy called?"

"Veita," Jash groaned, feeling impatient. "But what's that–"

"The same way you've trained to stimulate and gather latent energy within you, I want you to activate and gather your veita in that dirt." Bil plopped the dirt into Jash's left hand, which still felt like it was roasting inside a small bonfire. "Do that, and we'll see what happens."

"What do you mean–"

"Calm down. Focus on the dirt. Put your veita into the dirt."

Nelphy spoke up, "Jash, Bil wouldn't do this without a reason. Why not try it?"

"F-fine!" Folding his legs, Jash mentally centered himself. He took to his meditative stance, apart from his outstretched left arm. His breathing became more controlled. His demeanor changed instantly. However, like always, there were no signs of any aura or energy radiating from Jash. "See… This doesn't do anything–"

"Look at your hand," remarked Bil.

Nelhpy leaned in as both siblings took a closer look at the dirt in Jash's hand.

Blinking, Nelphy asked, "It's… crumbling away?"

"And… drying out?" Jash questioned. "What's going on?"

"It's a test. This can show us your veita affinity." A huge smile filled Bil's face. "Any guesses on what your affinities are?"

"Affinities? I have more than one!?!" Jash shouted, radiating excitement all of a sudden.

Bil nodded. "That's right. Go ahead and guess. Here's a tip. The nature of your affinity affects the dirt differently. And since you're already accustomed to activating and stabilizing your energy, at least on a basic level, you're ready to take the next step in your veita training."

"REALLY?!! And my affinities? What are they!?" Jash questioned. He almost jumped to his feet with joy but was too focused on the dirt in his palm.

"Any guesses, Nelphy? What elements would affect dirt this way?" asked Bil.

Her face scrunched as Nelphy pondered the question. "It would be fire, right?"

"Correct."

"FIRE! I HAVE FIRE AFFINITY!!!" Abandoning all thoughts, Jash threw his hands up and shouted to the heavens, "Just like the conqueror! The strongest element!"

"HEY! Who said fire was the strongest?" Bil grabbed another handful of dirt before getting up to look Jash in the eye. "Any element can be trained to any degree. It's a matter of persistence, diligence, and caution. Never believe yourself to be stronger just because you wield flames!"

"Y-yes…" Jash cooled down as he remembered what Bil said a moment ago. "But I don't just have fire, do I?"

"That's also correct. Now, take this and do it again, standing this time."

Taking the dirt from Bil, Jash regulated his breathing as he stood in a neutral position. But this time he didn't close his eyes. He watched the dirt with painful concentration. Luckily, it only took a couple of seconds for Jash to notice the next clue to his affinities.

"The dirt is… blowing off my palm? While also drying out?"

Nodding, Bil answered, "That's correct. So what's your–"

"Wind! FIRE AND WIND!!" All Jash could feel was elation and joy as he shouted into the valley below.

But Nelphy had remembered something else. She was astonished to see her brother so happy and jovial. "Jash, weren't you in a lot of pain just a moment ago?"

The young man stopped in his tracks. Jash's head spun around and looked back to Bil. "W-what happened??"

"Stop spreading your veita and find out."

Doing as Bil instructed, Jash dispersed the veita that lingered from his meditation. And instantly, Jash dropped to his knees in pain, clutching his left arm that had begun to swell yet again.