Supreme Magus

Chapter 4381: Crippled Potential (Part 1)

The rune was simple in its elegance. It resembled an angular, reversed U with a wavy ”x” at its center, whose bottom-left line extended upward.

’The more I look at it, the more Sekar reminds me of a door frame from which something or someone is coming through.’ Friya thought.

Discovering the first dimensional rune established a connection to the world energy that few people had and deeply changed her understanding of dimensional magic.

Everything that until that moment she had either learned by rote from her books or grasped only by intuition now had precise meaning. She was not only aware of how dimensional and gravity magic operated, but also of why.

Cause and effect became obvious to Friya, allowing her to revise her entire Grimoire in minutes. She couldn’t believe she had made so many stupid mistakes and missed so many obvious details.

’Scratch the rewriting of the academy’s dimensional magic textbooks. First, I have to fix the mess I made in writing my own.’ Friya worked in silence, only remembering that she wasn’t alone after she was done.

”Master Tezka, I have completed the exercise.” She said after Hushing the Hydra, who was in a deep meditative state just like the Fylgja.

”Show me.” Tezka opened his eyes and smiled when he noticed that Friya was annoyed with herself instead of proud of her success.

It was the same reaction he had millennia ago when he had discovered Sekar.

The first dimensional rune had been one of the most important breakthroughs of his life, but it had also allowed him to realize that he had just scratched the surface of his newborn branch of magic.

Discovering that what he believed was the finishing line was actually the starting point wasn’t a nice feeling.

Friya raised the white crystal to his eye level and turned it deep purple. There was no sign of any dimensional effect, displaying the infinite potential of the first dimensional rune.

”Well done, kid. I have nothing left to teach you.” Tezka patted her head gently.

”That’s not true, Master Tezka.” Friya replied. ”You never explained to us how we are supposed to weave the dimensional enchantments so that the purple crystals fuel them. I doubt I can just Bond them as they are and hope for the best.”

”You can’t, indeed, just like I can’t do what you ask.” The Suneater laughed. ”I’m not going to share my Forgemastering techniques and dimensional enchantments with you.

”Our deal was that I would teach you something of equal value to what I learned from the Ring of Space, not to make you my heir. With this I have upheld my side of the bargain and have no further obligation towards you.

”Everything else you need, you must discover on your own. I know you can do it, kid. I believe in you.”

”Thanks.” She gave him a deep bow. ”Did you discover everything you’ve taught us by yourself?”

”Yes.” Tezka sighed. ”Back then there was no one like me. No one understood what I said or envisioned. What you’ve learned in a few days took me decades because I had no one to exchange ideas with, let alone guide me.

”It was a long, grueling process that almost broke my confidence more than once. You have no idea how many times I went this close to giving up. One can only endure so many failures before doubt creeps into your mind and you start wondering if you’re a misunderstood visionary or just a delusional fool.”

”I think you were amazing.” Friya replied. ”You are amazing. You saw farther than anyone else and completed a monumental task in less than half a non-Awakened human’s lifespan. You didn’t just create dimensional magic. You unveiled its mysteries and made it accessible for everyone.

”Without your help, I would have never completed my research on dimensional crystals. Without you holding my hand until I was on the threshold of each new revelation, I might have spent my life wandering aimlessly.”

”That’s doubt talking, kid.” Tezka put his finger under her chin, forcing Friya to raise her head. ”You’ve grown in turbulent times and have become a dimensional mage for too short a time to question your talent.

”Consider this my last lesson. If you don’t believe in your vision, your goal will turn into a mirage, and you’ll stray from the right path. If that happens, you might never find your way back.” The pain in his tone told Friya that he was talking from experience.

”Master Tezka, when I completed the dimensional rune, it was as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes. Is that normal?” She asked to drive away whatever memory was haunting him.

”Yes, kid. Every child that learned the first magic runes and every Fylgja that discovered Sekar told me the same thing.” He nodded.

”Can I teach it to my friends?” Friya said. ”They are not dimensional mages, but I believe that knowing the first dimensional rune would be of great help to them.”

”It would, but it would also cripple the potential of any dimensional mage that will ever be born in their families.” Tezka shook his head.

”What do you mean?” She asked in confusion.

”Kid, there is a reason I never taught Sekar to anyone, you included. It’s no different than teaching someone the secret of the violet core. They will reach the destination without going on any journey and miss anything they might have learned.

”Think about your experience. Would learning the first dimensional rune have impacted you so deeply if you hadn’t pushed yourself so hard and put so much thought in every step you took?”

”No, it wouldn’t have.” Friya had to admit. ”I would have just weaved the prismatic vortex into Sekar, and that would be it. All the insights I gained about dimensional magic, Spirit Magic, and mana crystals would be lost forever unless someone else explained them to me.

”Even if someone did, it wouldn’t have been the same. I don’t just know Sekar, I also understand every underlying principle behind it.”

”Exactly.” The Suneater said. ”Every one of my disciples had to discover the first dimensional rune, and they did it their own way. They always learned less than me, but they often learned something different.

”Once they completed their journey, we exchanged knowledge like we are doing now and learned from each other.”

”I see.” Friya’s eyes widened in understanding. ”You are right. I won’t teach Sekar to anyone, not even my own children. I’ll only guide them along the path if they show the necessary talent and will.”

”Well said, kid.” Tezka nodded. ”What do you want to do now? You can leave, but I can’t until Faluel succeeds or fails.”

”I want to stay.” Friya replied. ”I can use practicing a bit longer under your supervision.”

”As you wish.” The Suneater sat down and resumed circulating his life forces.

Faluel didn’t succeed that day or the next. Her white crystal turned purple on the ninth day since they had started training.

”I did it!” She panted heavily. ”Sekar! The first dimensional rune is Sekar!”

”Excellent job, kid.” Tezka congratulated her, and the Hydra expressed her gratitude using different words than Friya’s, but conveying the same feelings.