Kaer Morhen (Part 5)

"Alan, today is the last lesson and I want you to feel elements and find a way to use them to enhance your magic power." - Triss stood near the river and looked at the wonder of a boy, who grew up splendidly. He was currently fifteen, but his training and witcher alchemical beverages sped up the growth.

With height nearly a head taller than Triss and organism clearly similar to that of eighteen to nineteen years old youth, he became very handsome young man. But actually same went to Ciri too. Triss knew that enhanced growth was one of the little secrets of witchers as their first step on the Path actually happens at thirteen, but by that time they already look like twenty years old and will remain like that for decades.

And although both Ciri and Alan didn't go through Trial of Grasses, they grew up faster through this year. Partly it was the later fault as his constant research and improvement of witchers alchemy made wonders to the coven as a whole entity.

First he fixed Coen's unstable mutation and healed his face. That day witcher shaved his beard off and laughed saying that he really went bald with Alan. And after that everyone was able to experience strengthening through new regimen of training and meditations.

Triss was amazed by the result and as a avid alchemy enthusiast always disappeared from sight of witchers. When no one is able to find her anywhere, that means she is inside alchemy laboratory, to which she never let anyone even come close.

"What secrets?" - she once commented during dinner with everyone on the same table. She loved to eat together, especially when it was Alan's turn to cook. - "There are no secrets, you can't just go and intrude on lady's private room and her time with herself like that!"

Alan once did and he knew better than anything, how crazy Triss might become about alchemy. She simply didn't want others to see he beggar like appearance with bird nest instead of hairstyle and face smeared with ashes.

That day Alan experienced how scary a woman can be, if disturbed during dirty work.

He vowed to never do it again.

Drifting a bit out of his thought he saw her standing near and expecting answer for something.

"I was in my own thoughts, can you repeat that?" - he asked without any shame and smiled. Barely visible, but it was there for Triss to notice. It always made her heart a bit unsettled.

"Alan, I said I want you to choose what element you are going to choose to borrow power. There are too many of them to count, but for basic battle mages always opt for four fundamental elements. Fire, water, wind and earth. These four cornerstones of the world have different properties and influences on mages who use them." - said Triss and ignited fireball on her hand. Alan saw how fire element around them moved to her in a tide, but Triss suppressed it quite easily with firm will. - "My element is fire, however it is not advised for as a first to try."

"Is it hard?" - Alan watched with attention through his vision and found that red element was very responsive to Triss, even eager to lend the power.

"Every element behaves differently. Water is the best for newbies. It is docile and mild in nature. Earth went second as it is everywhere, but it might be hard to move, as inertia of such type of mana needs some will to overcome. The hardest to use is actually wind, it's elemental mana tends to be very illusive and light, only the strongest mages in terms of senses can even start to notice it in the ambiance." - Triss explained, as she removed fireball from existence.

Alan listened without interrupting her. This was a completely new type of energy and knowledge about magic. More intuitive and secretive one. It was almost mystical and enthralled Alan with possibilities.

"As for fire element, it is the easiest to sense and move. If anything, fire even eager to lend it's power for destruction and chaos of the world around it, but there is a drawback in everything. Fire is the most dangerous, because it is easy to lose control." - said Triss gravely.

"Lose control huh? And what happens to the mage who lost it?"

"For every element it is different. Actually, mage needs to properly guard the mind against any element. Water tend to make people mild, but in extremity of it a person will be dominated by anything and anyone. Earth is hard to move, and people might become slow and complete apathetic to anything. There was an instance when a mage to survive the torture gave himself to earth element. Before turning to stone elemental he wasn't responsive to anything done to him at all." - Triss removed water and took a sip, sitting herself on the rough stone by the shore, where Alan joined her, watching how a gray rabbit sticked it's head out and looked at him with adorable manner, before disappearing in the distance.

'I can catch one for Ciri. She will surely love it, she likes swords and adorable things. Some contradicting interests, no doubt.'

"So, what about wind and fire?" - he asked returning to their talk.

"They are the most dangerous. Wind is light. It feels like a drug actually, as if someone might loose it in it's lightness and vastness. It is very easy to let go of everything through it. Even memories and oneself. And it does so in subtle, very harmless manner. Most mages who ever used wind without proper preparations lost their minds easily, becoming mindless idiots. Well, on bright side they were very happy." - said Triss. She seems to be reluctant to talk about fire.

"Well... fire...? - she sighed. - "Fire is the most violent and chaotic element and very hard to control. If anything, one doesn't need to stir it to lend power, no, more like prevent to much of it entering inside. Fire burns. Burns emotions and feelings, memories, everything. It tends to destroy what was the best in the person, leaving behind only tool of destruction. That is why fire elementals are very violent and always attack everything around them, any life."

"And you use fire." - said Alan. Now he understood why mages of witcher world tend to find elemental magic too dangerous to use. It is all about influence on mind. Every element is actually similar to drug for a person. One needs to know how to deal with it properly and protect personality from influence.

But on the other hand the stronger the mind, the more power without drawback mage can use. Elemental magic is not about acquiring power. It is about guarding against it.

'Somehow this influence is similar to Imperio I used. Could there be a connection?'

"Yes, I use fire." - she nodded. - "But I actually found it easier after you showed me how to train mind to protect myself. It is a very hard art, but somehow mages never were able to discover such a path to strengthen their minds. I mean, we do concentrate on something good in us or certain memories to withstand the influence of Chaos, but it turned out to be very rudimentary in comparison to your way of doing it. Yours is almost like constructing a whole world of protection with many clear weapons in it. It feels like magic I taught you, but in mindscape."

"That is an overstatement, Triss. It is very hard to read you, and after I taught you occlumency almost impossible without a proper use of force. From the very beginning your mind was very strong." - Alan shook his head. It puzzled him several times how she, a person without knowledge of occlumency could have so effectively protected herself from his Vibe reading.

And it turned out to be something bordering instinct for mages here to make their mind filled with willpower. What was trained with special arts in his previous world, here is granted through inborn talent and life experience.

"Oh, Alan, you just admitted doing some really naughty deed to me." - Triss smiled warmly and leaned over to Alan, tracing his face with her fingers. But soon she broke the contact with a slight heat appearing in her mesmerizing eyes.

"Like mind reading? Yeah... I did it. How can I trust you with my secrets without it?" - he said plainly, noticing some unusual vibes from her and slight loss of self control.

'She can't possibly want me in that sense, right?'

"Khm... Alan, I brought you to the river bank to try the usage of water element. With all I taught you, developing a proper offensive spells of that element is quite easy." - she said with slightly red face, while distancing herself.

"Wait. What about other elements?"

"That's where it goes complicated. Any mage can train to feel four fundamental elements, but others require special genetics or senses. I have none, so I can't exactly guide you on this. You have something inside like that, as well as Ciri. One of your elements is actually very similar, I believe the same, but you have more. And I can't help with that, as it is you own power and your own thing to discover. But there are many such elements. Light, shadow, darkness, lightning, space, time, destruction, creation, mind, blood, life, death... I can't even start to begin naming them all. You by the way have a space spectrum power, as for other elements I don't know. Understanding of your own element and how to work with it requires time and knowledge." - said Triss with slight smile.

"Okay. I think I will start with fire." - said Alan. He had a reason to choose it. His aqua flame was still there, in the crown of inner magic world, so he wanted to test it out.

"Alan, have you heard what I said just now? Fire element is the most dangerous to the newbies!"

"And you know that I can guard my mind against it. I have a reason to do it that way, Triss."

"No. Too many mages thought like you. You are not ready to use it. And don't go showing me your flame! I know about it, although I don't understand what it is. But it might as well make things worse! What if it will go out of control inside you? It is a very possible outcome!"

"Triss, I think I'll be fine."

"Water. First. Alan." - she said with tone that didn't give any chance for refusal. - "When you understand generally what using elements mean, you can try fire, but with me around." - she continued after a moment of pause and while calming herself down. Triss couldn't understand why she was so adamant on the issue.

"Fine. First water, then fire."