Chapter 32: Breaking and Mending

Chapter 32: Breaking and Mending

 Jarek and Amara, behind their combined barrier in the library, watched their son, faces marked by worry. Powerlessness gnawed at them, the tension in their posture speaking volumes.

 "Something is happening!" Amara yelled as she detected a change in the elemental kings encircling their son.

 As Darius hovered in the air, the elements encircling him started to gather, gradually shaping into radiant orbs that orbited him. Charged with distinct elemental forces, five orbs of fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning shone brightly, each pulsating with its unique energy.

 Amara's gaze swept the library, the once grand room now teetering further toward ruin. Mana swelled, seeping into every crevice, causing the aged wood to groan under the strain.

 "We have to contain this!" Amara's voice cut through the chaos, the elements condensing into a deafening roar, "if this continues, the towers will notice!"

 "Give me your blood! Tide-Caller!" In an instant, Amara's staff materialized in her hand, summoned from thin air.

 Jarek clenched his jaw, drawing blood with a swift bite. He spat a mouthful onto the blue orb crowning her staff. As his blood made contact, the orb sparked to life, crackles and arcs of lightning skittering across its surface.

 "The moment I'm done, you have to stabilize me, not a second later!" The air quivered with raging mana, their protective barrier showing fractures. The library's floorboards warped and rose, groaning under the stress.

 Amara extracted two beast crystals from her robes, one shimmering blue and the other deep purple. 

 "Focus on the casting, leave the rest to me!" Jarek's voice cut through the tension as he anchored himself with a forceful stomp, adopting a solid stance. Eyes shut and jaw clenched, his spectral armor glowed intensely. As he concentrated, his aura intertwined with the barrier, repairing fissures and reinforcing its structure.

 Amara extended her hand, clutching the two crystals. She gently tapped them with her staff's tip, initiating her spell. Around her, her aura swirled furiously, a sea-storm gathering force. Now, streaks of lightning zapped through, adding a crackling intensity to the swirling energy.

 Amara's chant resonated with a dual tone, her voice intertwining with another, deeper and echoing, "Mise, sealbhóir na tola agus cumhachta," she commanded, invoking the fury of water and the sovereignty of lightning, "ordaím fearg an uisce agus ceannas an tintreach chun cosaint agus," her incantation crescendoed as she forcefully drove her staff into the ground, "freastal!"

 Amara's mastery in the intricacies of spell structure and arcane equations was unparalleled among her peers. Amara, with the aid of her husband's blood, unleashed a fifth-tier spell of her own design, a potent dual-element spell capable of casting a formidable shield over a person or area. This was a spell she could muster only once, offering unparalleled protection.

 Even with her amazing intellect, her innate potential was the only barrier preventing her from truly shining, otherwise, Archmagus would be easily obtainable for her. 

 From Amara's staff, twin forces unleashed: a surge of lightning and a cascade of water, each taking shape into spectral hands. The first, charged with electric energy, manifested with a masculine essence, its appearance robust and commanding. The second, embodying the fluid grace of water, assumed a feminine form, soft and nurturing. Together, they expanded across the Valdene estate, shielding the ancestral home with a blend of strength and care.

 The moment Amara's staff ceased its glow, she slumped to the ground. Instantly, Jarek was at her side, hastily administering a potion to her.

 The library's ominous creaks and groans settled, the swirling, unruly mana that threatened to escape was now contained. The spell, woven with precision and urgency, had effectively sealed the chaotic energy within, preventing it from seeping into the world beyond. Shadows returned to their places, and the light, once erratic, steadied. Their efforts had forestalled the crisis, at least for now.

 Just as Amara's awareness sharpened, her mana now utterly depleted, her complexion ghostly, the five orbs encircling Darius fell eerily quiet. The residual mana, once rampant across the library, now pooled into the orbs with a focused intensity.

 Darius, enveloped in the glow of the elements, finally began to descend, settling on the ground. Galaxies swirled across his skin, stars twinkling where flesh should be. As he sat on the ground, a tranquil expression graced his face while he closed his eyes.

 "When will this end?" Jarek's voice, strained and faint, cut through the quiet as he cradled Amara, their helpless gaze fixed on their son.

 Soft tremors, barely perceptible, started emanating from the orbs. A sharp whine, growing from a whisper to a screech, forcing Jarek and Amara to shield their ears. Just as the sound seemed unbearable, the orbs fired intense beams of elemental energy at Darius, sending out a mana shockwave that obliterated the barrier surrounding his parents in an instant.

 "Brace!" Jarek's voice cut through the chaos, his lightning aura encasing them. The shockwave collided with his mana, a desperate clash unfolding around them as they clung to each other.

 Mana beams, each a stream of elemental fury, flooded into Darius's vast presence. Within the cosmic tapestry that was his skin, these elemental energies sparked into life, birthing galaxies and celestial patterns. Stars ignited and constellations formed, mapping new universes within the depths of his being.

 Darius sensed immense energy coursing through him, as if the elements themselves were reshaping him. This was not just a physical change but a deep, intrinsic transformation of mind, body, and soul. The five tattoos melded into his very essence, intertwining with his bones and merging with his meridians. This union initiated the fusion of all three stages of the first layer, remaking his being from within.

 The orbs cracked, tension snapping like brittle ice. In a burst of radiance, five beams of light lanced upwards, piercing through Amara's spellwork with a defeaning shatter. They tore the night sky asunder, racing toward the horizon, leaving trails of elemental essence in their wake.

 Quiet blanketed the library, now a shadow of its former grace. Dust and smoke hovered in the stagnant air. The sound of falling and shifting debris pierced the stillness, Jarek emerged from beneath a toppled table, kneeling by Amara's side.

 "Are you ok?" Jarek asked as he searched for any sign of Darius.

 "I'm fine," Amara responded, shaky yet firm.

Jarek assisted Amara to her feet, their gazes fixed on the library's heart. As the dust settled, Darius remained seated, his skin still a canvas of the stars. 

 Abruptly, his cosmic skin cracked, resembling shattered glass, with beams of multicolored light seeping out. These celestial fragments contracted, revealing his natural skin underneath. Converging on three distinct areas: his chest, stomach, and forehead, the shards dissolved, shaping into his five elemental tattoos, vibrant against his skin. At the same time, his skeleton ignited, becoming visible through his flesh. Following this, his meridians began to glow, tracing meteoric paths across his body, sketching ancient symbols beneath his skin.

 Each fiber of his being, transformed and on display, became the backdrop for his voice, echoing through the library as his eyes unveiled a five element Yin Yang symbol. "Establishing the five elements, the Dao of Taiji evolves, birthing the inaugural Dao of Gaia. This unity forges a path, where the essence of all creation converges," Darius declared, his voice imbuing the air with power. His words ignited a blinding light that burst forth from his entire form.

Darius's parents turned away, shielding their eyes. The wild surge of mana in the air seemed to wrestle with their own auras, refusing to be tamed.

 As swiftly as it had burst forth, the light drew back into Darius, culminating in a bell's clear, resonant note that exploded like acocalyptic thunder, echoing throughout the estate. 

This note, pure and commanding, reached every corner of the planet, stirring an instinctive rush in the hearts of all who heard it. Magitech devices faltered, spells unraveled, every manipulation of mana momentarily ceased. Predators and prey alike, caught in the throes of life-and-death, halted, their very essences vibrating in response to this celestial note.

 Across the supercontinent, beings of immense power from every race paused, sensing a shift. Some deployed arcane spells or tapped into unique abilities to probe the disturbance, while others set out to trace its origin directly. Regardless of their approach, all were united by a singular realization: a fundamental shift had occurred, as if a law of the universe or an elemental truth had been transformed.

 Inside the Valdene Library, now quiet and settled, the air resumed its normal calm, the vibrant disturbances of light and color faded to their everyday hues. Jarek and Amara, regaining their bearings, cautiously faced Darius. "Is it over?" Amara's voice emerged, her eyes beginning to clear.

 After a moment, Darius, his voice tinged with uncertainty, replied, "Yes, and... sorry." Standing before his parents, he covered himself with a tattered book, his clothes lost during his transformation. Surveying the library, Darius absorbed the extent of the havoc. Ruin surrounded him; the once grand Valdene Library lay in shambles. A wave of guilt washed over him, compounding his embarrassment. The legacy of the famed library, now reduced to rubble, weighed heavily on him.

"Darius!" Amara's voice cracked, her attempt to rush towards him faltering. Jarek supported her, guiding them swiftly to their son. They embraced him tightly, Amara weeping into his shoulder, while Jarek, with immense effort, restrained his own tears.

In the remnants of the library, amidst chaos and ruin, the Valdene family found solace in their embrace. As the dust settled around them, the wheels of destiny began to turn, unseen, unfelt, but profoundly altering the course of the world outside their sheltered moment.

----

At the edge of the Valdene estate, stretches Fang Root Forest, an ancient and magical expanse as old as Gaia itself. Spanning millions of kilometers, the forest, while not a Chaotic Mana Region, is still marked as a danger zone on maps across the world. Within its heart, an extraordinary tree towers, its lowest branches kissing the clouds, its trunk so broad that cities on either flank would remain unseen to each other. This colossal tree is the lifeblood of Fang Root Forest, from which all flora emerge and upon which all life in the forest depends.

 At the base of this heavenly tree, a small glade exists, surrounded by dense foliage and brambles of sharp thorns, this area felt sacred, untouched and guarded by the life flourishing around it. Here, two beings were engaged in conversation, one, a beautiful woman, a dryad, whose body seems to be made from the very bark of the ancient tree. The other creature, a strange bear, composed of rocks, dirt, and roots.

 "So, the Valdene boy...." The Dryad's voice trailed off as her gaze wandered into the distance. Her face, intricately textured with bark, bore expressions as natural and complex as the forest itself. Long strands of moss, green and vibrant, cascaded down her shoulders, blending into a robe of leaves and blossoms that adorned her form with an elegance born of nature. Twin branches, curved like horns, crowned her forehead.

 "Is it fate? Or maybe this was his doing?" Barrond questioned, his voice almost a whisper.

 "If he has been accepted as you've claimed, then it can't be him." The dryad, her form a tapestry of bark and green, leaned over to cradle a yellow flower in her hands. A gentle green light radiated from her palms, casting a soft glow within the bloom as she lifted it to her lips.

 She whispered to the flower, then released it. The petals detached, drifting like ghosts on the breeze, each taking a separate path.

 "We can only hope he survives long enough; otherwise, this endless conflict will claim everything." Her tone was firm, determined.

 The sorrow within her wooden eyes drew Barrond's gaze, "Oona, this isn't your fault." Barrond assured, pausing for a moment as if weighing his next words. "We'll keep an eye on him, guide him when necessary." 

Noticing no change in Oona's expression, his tone shifted, his eyes downcast as he added, "Even Agni's on board to train him. Just let us handle it." With these words, Barrond began his retreat into the earth, his form blending seamlessly with the soil and roots. Just before disappearing completely, he offered Oona one last look, a sigh escaped his maw is he finished melding into the ground.

 Now solitary in the glade, Oona's visage twisted abruptly, her expression darkening. "Valdene," she spat out, venom lacing her tone. As she merged back into the ancient tree, the grove's once lush and lively appearance dimmed, vitality ebbing away. Thorns sprouted aggressively, encasing the area as the once vibrant glade turned to ruin.

----

As the Valdene family nestled together amidst the aftermath, the silence was broken by Darius, his voice heavy with concern, "what are we going to tell Tilly?"

 Rising as one, the family surveyed the wreckage that was once the Valdene Library. The scene before them spoke of utter devastation; bookshelves that had stood for generations now lay in ruins, furniture shattered beyond recognition, and the literary treasures once housed within — every book, every manuscript — were now torn, waterlogged, scorched, or reduced to ash. Wisps of smoke still rose from the remnants of what had been a repository of knowledge.

"I'm going to tell her you did it," Jarek declared, his tone flat.

"Father?!"

 A soft chuckle escaped Amara, a brief respite as she dabbed at her tears, only to wince suddenly, clutching at her head. "We'll just say a spell I was experimenting with went awry," she said, leaning on Jarek for support, her grimace giving way to a look of deep concern. "Darius, why were Elemental Kings here, and what... what happened to you?"

Darius paused, taking in the sight of his parents — their worn appearances, his mother's pallor, his father's injuries, 'Once again I wasn't thinking, once again I'm dragging others into my mess.'

 Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself as he met his mother's gaze, "Everything is fine, although I didn't plan for it to happen this way, I have broken through. I am now Gaia's first arcane cultivator." His announcement filled the room, a mix of pride and hope in his voice. "And now that my theories have been proven, I want you to join me. I want you both to abandon your current systems."