Actualization

"For most elementalists first active magic assignments," Professor Aspecta explains as she leads you from your desk to the space between it and the lab table, "their goal is to summon the purest form of their elements that they can with no outside catalyst, such as magic infused cards. By that, I do not mean a large show of power, but to prove how refined their connection to their element is."

You think you understand what she means but you decide it is still best to ask, "So if I was a Fire-User, I'd be trying to make a small blue or white flame instead of a fireball the size of my head?"

"Correct," Aspecta answers, a small smile coming to her lips as she looks over her shoulder at you before turning around to fully face you, "Just as an Earth-User tries to make a small diamond, a Water-User tries to make a handful of water pure enough to drink, and a Wind-User raises the level of oxygen in the space in front of them... which is why it is normally not a good idea for Fire and Wind to be practicing in the same room."

You cannot help but chuckle at the grim bit of humor as the Professor continues, "However, in your case, since Void is a bit... different, your task is going to be just as unique. Instead of summoning an element, you are going to be separating them."

"Separating them?" you ask.

"Correct. Void, in its most pure form, is the absence of any other element. Yet because it also draws in all other elements, it cannot manifest unless something pushes them aside to reveal it."

"So I basically have to summon the magical equivalent of a black hole by shoving aside four other elements at the same time," you grumble nervously, "Sounds simple enough."

"It is only the first day," Aspecta responds, her voice dropping to an almost soothing tone, "So you are not expected to get it right on your first try. The goal of the exercise is to allow you to understand your connection to your element and how deep it goes. And if you are uncertain of your ability to move all four at once, you can always start with just one. So close your eyes, relax, and... reach out."

You nod and shut your eyes, letting out a deep breath as you try to sense the energies around you.

"Feel the wind circling around you," you suddenly hear Aspecta all but whisper in your ear, which is odd because she had been standing in front of you and you did not hear her move, "sense the motes of dust that are the Earth and the drops of moisture that are the Water swirling within it."

You crack your right eye open to confirm that the Professor is still standing where she original was and close it again, trying to focus as instructed.

"Feel the shimmering vibration of heat that radiates through all of them, which is the Fire," you hear her say in that breathy whisper again, leaving you unsure if you are just imagining the sensation of her lips being so achingly close to your earlobe and the scent of her shampoo wafting into your nose.

Still, while it seems like it should be a distraction, you are noticing that you can sense what she is talking about. You can feel the rippling swirl of the Wind around you, expanding to fill any unoccupied space it can as the thrum of the Earth beneath you soothes the soles of your feet. The licking heat of Fire and the cooling chill of Water, however slight they may be, plays against your skin and you lose track of time as you equally lose yourself in the sensations.

"When you feel them all," the Professor says, still in that low purr, "let them pull your senses along, follow them as they guide you and feel for the... edges, between them. When you do, use your power to... push one aside."

Your face scrunches as you concentrate harder, trying to do what she says and being uncertain what she means by "edges" until suddenly, you feel something... different.

It is hard to describe in words. If you had to, the best way you could describe it was that as you followed a mote of dusk in the air you suddenly noticed a gap. It was tiny, smaller than the mote of dust itself, fading in and out of existence every time the dust particle moved. You reach out with your senses more intently, finding that edge along the Wind energies and, as instructed, try to separate it from the Earth energies of the dust.

As you do so, you feel something more. A strand of power... like a tiny thread sticking out of a sweater appears in that minuscule space you have made between Earth and Wind. Yet, despite its size, you feel drawn to that bit of energy, a shiver running up your spine excitedly as you use your own energies to take hold of that metaphysical thread and, for lack of a better descriptor, tug on it. Power that you know is yours and yours alone begins flowing from that strand and into your body, filling you with a strength you have never known before.

"I can feel it too," Aspecta whispers again, "you're doing it. Feel that energy. Savor it. Each element, even Void, has a sensation to it. Know that sensation, that feeling you can tap into to find your connection to it whenever you need it.... and let it grow and take form."

You follow the instructions, and as you draw more of the energy of Void you do feel a sensation. Like everything else in this exercise, it is hard for you to find the words to describe what you are feeling. Your best attempt is that it is a power that... wants. It wants to exist but also wants everything to be drawn to it, even though it cannot exist when something else is inevitably taken in. It is akin to an all-consuming hunger but "hunger" does not fully encompass the NEED this power represents.

The sensation of this magical energy is strong enough that you cannot help pulling harder and, like tugging on a weed, the strand reveals the "roots" it is connected to, weaving through more of the gaps between the elements. The energies of the other elements part in response, allowing a clearer flow of Void as the strands begin pooling together and you try to grab hold of it to mold and shape it.

You open your eyes, your brows furrowing as you try to will a ball of space to appear before you. The visualization in your head slowly starts to become reality as an orb of darkness materializes and your eyes widen as you realize you are doing it, the air around you swirling softly as it tries to rush back into the empty space but is rebuffed by your will. It is so exciting for you that you the energy rushes out of the gaps faster and faster, the ball growing in size quickly. What started as something the size of a golf ball grows to the size of a baseball, then to the size of a volleyball, and then a beach ball. At this point, you suddenly notice Aspecta is not whispering but is instead yelling at you, trying to be heard as the tempo of the wind goes from a gentle breeze to a gathering storm.

"Enough! Let go!" she shouts, strands of her hair escaping her bun to whip around her face, "But slowly! If you do it all at once--"

You had intended to listen to her, but the unexpected danger combined with your inexperience causes your grip upon the power to slip and the Void snaps back into the gaps in the elemental energies around you. For a moment, the space before you is absolutely empty... and then the elements, both physically and magically, rush back in to reclaim it.

A clapping boom rattles your ears, a shock wave of **** lashing out that might have potentially taken off your head. The only reason it does not is that Professor Aspecta, either through a magically enhanced burst of speed or just via pure adrenaline fueled protective instinct, tackles you to the ground, throwing up a magic shield that deflects the worst of the impact at the very last second even as she still shields you with her body as well. Two of the cabinets behind you fall over, the glass beakers inside them shattering and the shock wave even leaves a small furrow in the walls.

You lay there, stunned for a moment from your collision with the ground and the sudden absence of the magical forces you had summoned. Aspecta, once she is sure the blast has abated, drops the shield and lifts herself up just enough so she can see your face, breathing heavily as she worriedly asks, "Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!"

"I'm... okay," you gasp, "I think... little light headed... ears ringing..."

She lets out a sigh of relief, her worry melting into a small smile as she reaches up a hand to wipe away a strand of hair from your brow, which you now realize is sweating profusely. "That's to be expected," she whispers, "that was quite the flexing of your magical muscles. If nothing else, we've proven you do indeed have a strong connection to Void... we'll just have to figure out what trying to refine that connection means."

The two of you are silent for a bit as you catch your breath, and you start to realize that Aspecta's body is pressing tightly against your own. You are fairly sure it is only because she is still feeling protective... but even through her conservative pants suit, you can feel the contours of her chest and stomach rubbing against you. You swallow to whet your suddenly dry throat as you look at her face and find her eyes glittering behind her glasses with an expression you are not quite sure you can read but it somehow seems... curious?

Your mind flashes back to the dream memory of her naked in the gold mask and, for a moment, you wonder if you have a chance to confirm that she looks the same in reality.