Flashback The Will of Fire

[Khal'iah]

Once more, in light of the young warrior's successful completion of the assigned task, the azure-skinned Akalak offered a small compliment to his pupil. However, instead of swallowing the pride and eagerness that instantly welled up in response to his mentor's words, the violet-skinned Akalak could not help but allow a slight, proud smile to populate his countenance. Khal'iah did not linger in his success for long, as Aren was swift to give him another instruction...one that came as a welcome reprieve from the constant concentration. Though Khal'iah was ignorant of the "proper" method of retracting one's own Res, he followed his own instincts and began to follow the order given to him by Aren. First, he inhaled a deep breath and lulled his shimmering eyes to a close once more, centering his focus upon the task at hand. He then began to dismantle the form that was suspended above his open palm, reducing it once more to the form of violet wisps that emanated from the flat of his hand. Once this was accomplished, he did just as the elder Reimancer had instructed: he brought it back. The way Khal'iah visualized and felt it, his Res was an extension of himself. As such, it was no more difficult to return it to his being than inhaling a breath of air. Slowly but surely, he guided the wisps of violet back into the depths of his hand until his Res had disappeared from view, returned from whence it came. "Whew..." he said, releasing a deep breath of pent up air. The Akalak's eyes opened slightly and a wave of mental fatigue began to plague his fortitude. However, he did not allow this tiredness to pervade into his demeanor and he eagerly awaited whatever other instructions his senior had in store for him. "Done!" he nearly exclaimed triumphantly.

[Aren]

"Great," Aren smiled, but it was more a wicked grin than anything else. He could tell that even these simple tasks were taking a toll on his student's reserves of mental fortitude, but it was to be expected; he was no more than a neophyte, and one just starting out at that. Unfortunately for Khal, this is exactly what his teacher wanted. Knowing that exhaustion was the surest indication that someone was near their limit, Aren sought to find just what his pupil's limits were. It was pretty much a requirement to be able to determine just how far he could be pushed. The Akalak had no doubt that over the course of the day, his question would be answered, but he had a better idea. An accurate determination of someone's overall ability could be made by simply judging how much Res they could safely produce. It was risky for a novice to attempt such a thing, but risk was not something Khal'iah would be able to avoid during his practice of Reimancy. In addition, in a controlled setting and under Aren's supervision, the process was much safer than being forced to attempt it in the middle of battle. "But don't get too comfortable, because I'm going to need you to pull it ALL out now," The older Akalak stated, his lips curling up in a mischievous smirk. "As much as you think you can handle, and the moment I tell you to recall it, you do exactly that, understand?" Aren clarified, knowing what could happen should Khal'iah get a little too carried away.

[Khal'iah]

This time...when the azure-skinned warrior smiled...there was a wicked edge to his countenance. This change in appearance sent an uncanny chill rippling down Khal'iah's spine, yet he boldly swallowed his apprehension and steeled himself for whatever command his senior could throw his way. The young, violet-skinned Akalak expected that it would be something much more challenging than the tasks that had been asked of him previously...but never did he expect to be asked to push himself to his limit. At that moment, the warnings that Aren had spoken about the dangers of Reimancy made themselves prevalent in Khal'iah's mind and he hesitated to extend his hands in order to proceed. Yet, despite apprehension and despite the risks, he elevated his palms after a moment of silence and held them aloft before him. "Understood." he breathed, lulling his eyes to a close. Then, Khal'iah focused and undertook the task at hand with everything he had. He conceptualized the enigmatic force within him and guided it like a mighty flood to his hands, causing the previous wisps of violet to manifest within his palms. He continued to guide the energy forward, moment after moment, growing the wisps into two small columns of billowing violet. He continued to concentrate and guide, manifest and control, until the Res appeared as clouds of violet about his palms several minutes later. He did not know exactly what his limit was...but as time wore on, he could feel the plague of exhaustion nagging at his endurance. He could not possibly keep up this outpouring much longer. Sweat beaded upon his brow, his hands began to shake, and his teeth grit together visibly. Khal'iah was close to his limit, and it was becoming painstakingly obvious with each passing second.

[Aren]

Aren eyed his student's efforts with a keen eye. He observed the amount of Res the young man produced along with the effort it seemed to be taking from him. It had to be as close as he could dare, otherwise the test would have no meaning. This was actually one of the few times in Reimancy one would ever want to be at their utmost limit of their ability: supervised and under controlled conditions. In any other circumstances, this was an event you wanted to try and stay as far away from as possible. The older Akalak eyed every pant, every grunted gesture his student made, looking for the edge of Khal'iah's ability. With every moment that passed, he came closer to making a more accurate determination, but also to pushing the boy over the threshold. If that were to happen, the novitiate Reimancer might not heed the command to stop, at which point his teacher would have to stop him by force. Fortunately, the pupil was much smaller than the master, and so incapacitating an already fatigued Khal'iah would not likely pose an issue. Not wanting the situation to escalate to such a degree, however, Aren carefully analyzed his student's performance. Eventually, though, his caution as a Reimancer overpowered his duty as a teacher, and he convinced himself that he had seen all he needed to. "Alright, that's enough. Bring it back," Aren commanded, hoping that Khal would obey, and that alternative means of getting him to stop would not have to be employed.

[Khal'iah]

"Alright, that's enough. Bring it back." At first, the instant the command was uttered by the azure-skinned warrior, a wave of relief washed over the young Akalak like a tsunami. He relaxed, his focus beginning to shift from the task of drawing out his Res to once more returning the enigmatic force from whence it came. Yet, just as the violet clouds of power within his hands began to waver in response to this new objective...there was a hint of resistance that played within the back of his mind. 'I...don't want to. I can keep going.' he thought to himself, hinging upon the decision to continue urging his Res forward. What Khal'iah did not realize was that he was teetering upon the edge of Overgiving, as he was slowly becoming enticed by the desire to continue driving his Res forward. For a novice Reimancer, this could prove especially deadly. There was a moment of silence whilst he teetered on the edge, debating whether or not to obey or to follow this whim...and fortunately, the Akalak's tendency to obey the orders of his Mentors kicked in. With a solemn inhale, he began to retract his Res little by little: the clouds dwindling and returning within him. It took time and unwavering focus for him to accomplish this task, but he eventually completed it and placed his palms flat upon his thighs. He exhaled...and panted, his mind utterly winded by the experience. 'What...what was that sudden feeling?' he inquired, uncertain as to what to identify the symptoms of Overgiving as. He took a minute to catch his breath before inquiring of his Mentor what in the world was happening.. "Aren," he breathed, "for a second there...I wanted to keep going. It was like, an impulse. I've never felt anything like that before, is this normal?"

[Aren]

Aren held his breath as he noticed Khal'iah's hesitation at obeying his command. The older Akalak knew what must be going through the young man's mind right about now, and he suspected that force might have to be used in order to ensure his compliance, after all. Before long, however, Khal decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to acquiesce to his teacher's "suggestion", prompting Aren to breath a sigh of relief. "You've just had your first brush with Overgiving. It basically means you've extracted too much of your Djed. Unfortunately, once you reach that point, the urge to keep going becomes very powerful," The older Reimancer explained, both having had his own prior experiences, and having witnessed someone who's last encounter with it had not ended so harmlessly. "That is one of the great dangers of a power which relies on using your own Djed to fuel it," Aren informed his young student, who could now better comprehend the dangers of something he simply would not have understood a few days prior. "You go too far, and the consequences could be anything from madness to death," The Akalak said, with an odd, angry sort of smile, "Such a benign sounding name for something so insidious, isn't it?" Clearly, however, he found the subject anything but amusing. "And the real kicker is that it's not a problem that will get any better as you grow more skilled. If anything, I would say that the more experienced the mage is, the more overconfident they become in their belief that they can safely avoid it's perils," Aren stated, his taciturn eyes hinting at something his words didn't quite reveal.

[Khal'iah]

The answer that was provided to the violet-skinned Akalak surprised him greatly, to say the absolute least. According to his wise mentor, there was a condition that would arise in response to the extraction of too much Djed...and to make matters worse, this was not a condition that simply training would remedy. No, this was a condition that only got worse as one's experience and skill with Reimancy became greater. It was because of this that Khal'iah took it upon himself to rack his mind for the recent memories of the process; so that he may ascertain what exactly was his "limit". Never did he want to push himself to his absolute limit, lest he be subjected to the seductive allure of magic that would render him a victim of Overgiving, so he made a mental note to keep his Djed at a level that was well above that. He recalled the feelings of emotional fatigue that had washed over him before and decided that, at that particular point, the sensation then would be his indication to stop; and not the introductory steps of Overgiving. With a nod and a semi-weak smile, the young Akalak spoke in response to his senior. "I completely understand Aren..." he began, slightly swaying from the left and the right as he spoke, "you know, you weren't kidding when you said Reimancy was unlike wielding a blade in the slightest. For a blade, one can overcome the soreness of training and overall conditions through tenacity...yet with Reimancy, one can perish for utilizing magic carelessly or reaching their limits...Well, I for one doing plan on Overgiving anytime soon, and now I know what to identify this feeling as..." He paused, carefully considering the words to say before continuing; as he did not want to anger his mentor with his "weakness". "So...as I'm currently at my limit...how shall we proceed Aren? Is there anything else I can do at this state? And how long does it take to recover from this state?"

[Aren]

Aren was surprised at Khal's measured response, sometimes forgetting that his student wasn't the child the older Akalak had been when his mother had taught him the art of Reimancy. The young man was older and more mature, and he had willingly and knowingly chosen this peril, unlike his teacher. Looking at his pupil with an understanding glint in his eye, Khal'iah's questions prompted Aren to place a sympathetic hand on the boy's shoulder, "You should know that resting is an important part of learning any discipline." The older Reimancer had encouraged the young mage not to be too hasty in his desire to make progress in such a dangerous art as magic, but he also wanted to give him some practical knowledge, "Make sure you eat well after you have expended a large quantity of your Djed," the Akalak stated, "And you will soon find your strength returned." Smiling, Aren erected himself from his seated position and briefly turned his back on his young student, "But don't worry, the fatigue you feel now is not from draining your Djed, but from the effort required to extract it, for someone of your skill level. You actually re-absorbed most of it, and so you'll be feeling much better soon," he explained. "Which is good, because I have yet to teach you the most essential aspect of Reimancy: transmutation," Aren would have been remiss to omit this section of Khal's education, even during his first day, and so he prepared to give the young man a taste of the end result of his training.

[Khal'iah]

The young mage held his peace whilst his Mentor spoke, focusing upon steady breathing and attempting to relax his exhausted mind. He had expended quite a bit of effort in the tasks set out by his senior, but the news that his strength was due to return shortly came as a welcome surprise. Of course, just with any sort of training, he would need to eat and rest before his strength fully returned; but he sincerely hoped that by taking it easy for a few moments that he would be able to endure the "most essential aspect of Reimancy". Khal'iah did not exactly know what transmutation was, but he was smart enough to guess. When he had encountered Aren days prior, he had witnessed both fire and air at the disposal of the azure-skinned warrior. So, if he had to guess, Khal'iah thought that transmutation would be the art of turning his Res into an element. This excited the youth, as this was exactly what he was looking forward to. Now, he would be able to harness that "inner fire" and cultivate it into a literal fire. Khal'iah decided to remain seated, though his Mentor had stood to his feet, so that he may continue to rest his weary mind in preparation for the most essential part of his training. He hoped that he would be up for the challenge and that he would not stumble into the dangerous pit of Overgiving. But, just as an insurance, the Akalak reached out to that shadow at the rear of his consciousness. 'Ha'lik,' he said, rousing his darkness, 'do you think you can pull keep me from getting close to Overgiving?' There was silence before the darkness made an honest response. 'I'm uncertain...though it's unlikely. When you entered that state...there wasn't much I could do as I was being exhausted as well. It would appear as though, unlike physical training, we are not exclusive to the effects of this sort of exercise.' Though disappointed, Khal'iah sucked in a breath and smiled. That meant that he would have to rely upon his own fortitude and be a responsible user of his own energies...no pressure. "Whenever you're ready sir."

[Aren]

Aren nodded in silent acknowledgement of what he was about to do, knowing that once Khal'iah took another step forward, he would truly be on the path to becoming a Reimancer. Whether destined for tragedy, greatness, or simply mediocrity, only the gods could say... but the person responsible for teaching him such a volatile skill would have a hand in his fate, of that there could be no doubt. "First, the Reimancer summons his Res, and shapes it into a form he finds suitable," Aren stated, turning about to once again face his young pupil. As he did so, a quantity of Res emanated from his outstretched arms which coalesced itself into a pair of spherical, slightly fluctuating masses that hovered above his open palms. "Second, the Reimancer focuses his will, visualizing the end result of his efforts, in preparation for the moment when his mind makes real his thoughts," Unfortunately, there was no actual way to demonstrate this step, but the older Akalak stabilized the Res in his hands as a symbolic representation of the act. "Finally, the Reimancer converts his Res into the raw, primal form of an element force," As he said this, the spheres of Res hovering over Aren's hand roared to life; one transforming into a flickering ember of heat and light, the other into a swirling vortex of air. "This, Khal... is transmutation. Unfortunately, you're not quite ready for that yet," The Reimancer stated, a mix of pride and trepidation obvious in his demeanor as he stood there, cognizant that the forces of nature where not to be underestimated under even the best of circumstances. The process of transmutation was at the heart of the discipline, and although it was dangerous to explain the concept to someone who was not ready to attempt it, Aren trusted that his student would not be so foolish as to countermand his advice at such a nascent stage of his development. It would be prudent for Khal'iah to learn the basics of layering at the bare minimum first, but he needed to know exactly what the word transmutation entailed. It was the core of Reimancy, and the more time he had to absorb the concept the better. On a more practical level, Aren was going to be using said word an awful lot during their training together, and he simply needed his pupil to know what he was talking about.