594: The Path of the Elements

The Path of the Elements

To'Han, Lord's palace.0

What was visible of the immense tree that had grown on To'Han's surface, was not the entirety of the Lord's Palace. A large part of it was, in fact, hidden under the planet's crust. Uncountable corridors and halls dug in between the tree's large roots, forming a vast dungeon only a few among the Lord's people could travel, or even remember.

Once used as the starting settlement of their community this maze had eventually fallen into disuse, until one day, nobody used it any longer-leaving its once bustling halls and corridors empty, cold, and dark. All but one.

In the deepest parts of the dungeon, one long abandoned even when elementals still occupied it, was a stone room. A cube of six walls from inside which came the dim light of a weak fire, and a constant chatter. The chatter appeared to be one-sided, as only one voice could be heard to complain, demand, beg, and insult the owner of a second voice that was never heard.

The inside of this room was one anyone would expect. Six cold surfaces through which no light pierced through. What was peculiar, however, was what was inside the room. Two individuals, both sitting on the cold stone floor, yet in visibly different conditions.

The first individual was a shirtless young man sitting in a cross legged position. Directly in front of him, the only source of light within the room. A small bonfire whose flame flickered stably, as if the fire itself was unwilling to disturb the human's meditation. Of this young man's appearance nothing seemed to be out of place, but that was only at first impact. If observed carefully, one would be able to notice several spheres of elemental power lodged into the young man's back, forming a constellation of pure mana that gave the impression of staring at a garden world.. Bright, mysterious, homely, and perfect.

This person was, of course, the Lord of the Elementals.

As still as a statue, he sat quietly in meditation, causing the elemental spheres carved in his back to construct a small dome inside which each element interacted with the others in a perfect balance. Gentle breezes, flickering of flames and electric arcs, cold mists of water, metallic dust, and microscopic minerals, all affecting one another both individually and collectively in order to display the most obscure concepts of natural mana.

To witness this magnificent sight, unfortunately, was only one person. A second individual, also sitting with his legs crossed, but on the other side of the room. Contrary to the Lord of the Elementals, however, this man was not free, as his body was caged within a small prison of entwined tree branches that emerged from a dark hole on the roof, and continued downwards to form a water drop shaped prison for the man to stay in.

Despite the beauty of the Lord's exercise, this second man did not appear to be happy. He appeared to be more willing to spend his time cursing the young man rather than admiring his talents, and so he did, repeatedly in the past few hours.

"You could at least make this cage larger.. I would like some more leg room." the second individual, a tall and emaciated man who appeared to be in his late twenties muttered to himself. As he spoke, the elemental dome that surrounded the Lord began to flicker, causing the fire element to turn into a blaze that swallowed every bit of wind essence present, turning the dome into a sauna.

Clearly irritated, the Lord of the Elementals sprung up to his feet. "We have an agreement. Stop getting distracted, and focus for once!" he said in an uncharacteristic fit of anger. It was clear that the tall man's interruption was not an isolated case, but the norm.

The Lord's outburst did not bother the prisoner on the other hand. In fact, it appeared that such a reaction was welcomed. "You have to see this from my perspective.. I have been stuck here for years. You've never even given me anything to eat. I have to find a way to amuse myself when I have a chance." the prisoner said innocently before joining his captor in his standing position.

His thin arm reached for the branches, followed by his face, which he pushed in between, deforming it to a comical degree. "I never get tired of seeing how angry needing me gets you. It is almost worth having to stay here.. Almost."

The Lord felt ashamed for once again falling for his prisoner's provocation.. Especially since that was not a rare occurrence. Luckily, these feelings did not last long, and were soon brushed away by his usual serious demeanor, which he assumed as he once again sat in front of the fire, and resumed meditating.

*tch* Annoyed, the prisoner followed suit, and once again sat with his legs crossed. He then closed his eyes, focusing on whatever it was that he was helping the Elemental Lord with, and allowing for peace and quiet to once again rule in between the prison's four walls.

For hours the two ignored one another, exploring the depths of the elements and the way they each interacted with one another, and everything seemed to be going smoothly, until at some point, silence was broken once more. "So, when are you going to let me go?"

The Lord's shoulders drooped. "If we succeed, I might consider freeing you." the Lord calmly responded while keeping his eyes closed.

The answer was not the one the prisoner hoped to hear, yet it was the one he expected. "You have no idea if that'll ever happen. We are playing with theories here." he said as the newly formed dome once again began to flicker. Before it could burst, however, the prisoner focused once more, stabilizing it. "Look at yourself. You can't even maintain balance without my help. Why do I have to be punished for your crazy ideas?"

The lord's brows furrowed, and his eyes opened, but only slightly. "You were punished for trying to indoctrinate my people.." He responded sharply. "You are always quick to forget that.. Elementalist."

Surprised by hearing that name after centuries of captivity, the prisoner sighed in resignation. "Yeah well, I wouldn't have tried that had my system warned me of you.. Abomination." His tone was one that matched his demeanor, yet, hidden underneath, were unmistakable traces of regret, contempt, and resentment.

The memory of that day was clear in his mind. One he relived every day he spent in this cage.

After being freed from the Lover's control, the Elementalist had traveled the multiverse, free to create the path of conflict and war that his kind was vastly known for. Like a true member of his kind, he dreamed of ruling the multiverse, a rule built on the blood of his enemies and the backs of his followers.. Only to find out that that was not as simple as he had believed.

With no allies, and only his system to support him, the Elementalist eventually stumbled upon the reality that came along with his newfound freedom. One that in the past had either made or broken every champion of Destiny before him. The notion that he was not a predator any longer.. But prey.

Years passed. Time in which the Elementalist desperately tried to survive the encounter with immensely powerful domains and, heavens' forbid, the mysterious entities they followed. His failures stacked into a pile, following like a dark cloud, until finally, he came upon a certain army. A group of powerful beings that, contrary to most of the cultivators he had met, he could have actually controlled. A group he had seen before, dreamed to lead, but had to forget as he fell for the Lover's powers.

This group was the Elementals' army.

Eager to gain control of this army, the Elementalist immediately used his system to do what Destiny's gift did best, create a path towards their owner's desires. With a clear path in mind he approached them, and right when it seemed that his luck was turning around, he once again found himself facing an enemy he had no right facing. Someone that his system had been unable to account for.. Their current Lord. A being powerful beyond his understanding.. Capable of a control of the natural elements that not only matched his, but surpassed it.

When the Elementalist realized what he was fighting against, it was too late.. And now he lay prisoner, defeated, and at the mercy of others once more.

Remembering these events always awakened something in the Elementalist. Memories of those who had controlled him like a puppet, and used him. A destiny that he had hated, but which, ironically, he had wished to force upon the Elementals army himself. Unfortunately, this irony was lost on him. He never regretted attempting, only failing. These thoughts and feelings would inevitably awaken his discontent, leading him to do the only thing that brought him joy.. Annoy his captor.

With that idea in mind, the Elementalist began to wiggle. His legs brushed against the cold stone, and his body began bumping forward, approaching the wooden bars. He then rested his forehead against their rough surface as he muttered, "I don't know why you go through so much for them.. They are things. Had I been in your place, I would have used them for more than hiding."

Hearing the Elementalist refer to his people as things was always a low blow for the Lord, but this time he did not let these words get to him. Instead, he reached for a small spatial ring that hung by his neck, and with a wisp of immortal essence, he drew two fist-sized spheres from it. One pitch black, the other as bright as a star. "This is the last time I will tell you.. Focus on what I taught you." He said as he shuffled the two spheres into the palm of his right hand.

Seeing that his attempt had failed, the Elementalist let out a low sigh. It was time for a new attempt, and he wasn't petty enough to let it fail if that meant spending more time imprisoned, so he once again crossed his legs, and began to focus.

In his mind the elements present within his Lord's body became clear. Each dancing around like a sprite, free and jolly, clashing with the rest as they did in nature. A chaotic relationship between elements which he was tasked with controlling.. To subdue, while the Elementals' Lord did something even he thought was crazy.

In a few minutes, the Elementalist finally managed to take control over the elements. He might have not been as capable as his captor, but he was still a champion of Destiny. Talent wasn't something he lacked. Nevertheless, the job had just begun.

As soon as the Lord felt the elements emanated by his body stabilize, and merge into a perfectly stable blend, he let go of them, leaving them in full control of the Elementalist. His attention shifted to the two essence spheres, which he placed in each of his hands, and slowly brought up to his face.

As they approached the man's body, the stable mana began to feel the disturbance caused by the two foreign objects. It was only thanks to the imprisoned man that its balance seemed to hold. 

Closer and closer, the two perfect spheres approached the man's eyes, which he then opened as if to welcome the two powers in. Rays of pure light and trails of the blackest darkness began to seep into his pupils.. Bringing the spheres size down as more of it pierced through.

Half the size.. A third.. A fifth.. Whatever the Lord was trying to do seemed to be succeeding, but the two did not rejoice. This was not the first attempt, and they had already gotten to this point before. 

More and more power merged into the young man's body, lingering in his eyes as if shaping them into the very thing he was holding. Two perfect spheres of darkness and light. Before the two spheres could completely merge into the Lord's body, however, the primordial nature of the spheres embedded into the Lord's body rejected this power, breaking the equilibrium the Elementalist was desperately trying to maintain.

A faint shockwave extended from the Lord's body as he woke up from his trance, finding himself sitting in the middle of the room, once again, holding the shattered fragments of what was left of the two perfect spheres of dark and light essence. Of these two essences, in his body, no trace remained.

"Failed again.." the Lord muttered to himself before suddenly turning his head to the side, where a small snake-shaped wood elemental had quietly appeared. 

As he noticed the young man's attention fall upon him, the little snake perched his head up, and reported with urgency, "My Lord, we are under attack!"

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