Chapter 41
"..." Xerath took a deep breath, squinting her eyes as she stared at her, as if reading her thoughts from there. But undoubtedly, she couldn't, her gaze still showed scrutiny, and her furrowed brow displayed her displeasure. "Okay, I'm waiting for your explanation."
"Firstly, you once said that if we grasp a pattern, we can gradually use it, tame it, and make it work for us. I hope we can have this consensus."
"Without a doubt, we do."
"Secondly, you also said that you are just an ordinary person, and nothing is always within your expectations. If I can provide a convincing proof process that proves you wrong, will you admit your mistake, right?"
"Certainly, I also agree with this."
"That's great. Now comes the crucial part. You must know, and you must also be able to see that there has always been a breeze just outside this terrace, right?" She suddenly stood up, pulling Xerath's hand and returned to the terrace.
She raised her hand towards the void, and the golden radiance in her palm slowly dissipated due to magical pressure. The water elemental, whose name was called, eagerly stirred in the air, trying to jump out of the wind.
The intense sunlight turned them into dazzling and transparent crystals like diamonds, but once they obtained a solid form, they flew into the sky with the wind.
Xerath's gaze couldn't help but follow them, and the sun reflected a layer of silver in her eyes.
"Yes... I can see, but just because water can fly doesn't mean you can fly. The wind is not strong enough to lift you, do I really need to prove this?"
"No, I don't need to, I understand what you're saying. I fully understand that the lifting force of wind that is not energized by magic is directly proportional to the surface area of the object being lifted, but what I am going to do is increase its surface area, wait a moment."
She extended a hand and wrote complex sentences in a dazzling manner, speaking words under her breath. This was Xerath's style of casting spells, reciting a few lines, writing a few lines, combining spoken and written words, syncing the power of language with golden airborne writing, making all the elements obediently listen.
At the same time, it was Sylas's own style as well. Xerath recognized her incantation as the "Sylas-style wind summoning spell" from three years ago. It simply activated the wind element, using the first half of the levitation technique to make them form like tornadoes.
But what exactly did she want to form?
Xerath immediately knew the answer: Sylas slowly tore open a crack of elements with her left hand, and a small, chubby Earth Child poked its head out from inside, only to be completely dragged out by the wind. Sylas quickly drew a golden feather, which hit the Earth Child's body, causing it to be lifted by the wind and slowly float up.
"What happens next?"
"What happens next is the most important part." A wind shield formed due to a line of golden airborne writing, and suddenly the Earth Child accelerated. With a "whoosh," it was blown up into the sky.
"But it will..." Xerath's gaze followed the shrinking Earth Child, asking softly.
The wind was always the most elusive thing. Earth Child and its wind shield, which served as the "sail," tilted in places where the wind weakened. It lost its largest windward surface, and the entire wind shield flipped over, causing Earth Child to fall.
"Oh no..." She quickly glanced at Xerath, quietly reciting a request for the depths of the Abyss to open and take away this Earth Child. The void then opened its mouth and sucked the swaying Earth Child from the air.
It was as if she had been caught doing something naughty. She lowered her head in front of Xerath and said, "Um... I believe it was because I wasn't there that this happened. If I had taken the place of the previous Earth Child, I could have adjusted myself better to face the wind. That's why I wanted to climb out just now..."
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Um..."
"You performed the spell just now with great skill. It seemed like you've been practicing for a long time. Maybe a year?"
"Um..."
"Two years? Three years? Oh, my little wild creature..." Xerath looked at her helplessly, "Have you been planning to jump down since the first day to Aimekotes?"
"No... Sylas raised her head defiantly and corrected, 'Not jumping down, but flying up. I... um... uh... teacher...'"
Xerath sighed and softly said, "Sylas, first I want you to apologize to me because you broke the promise you made to me. You put yourself in a foreseeable danger."
"Teacher, I'm sorry... um... I won't do this again in the future, I promise I won't try to do such dangerous things anymore... please don't kick me out... uh..."
Xerath sighed again, tilted her chin, and pulled a white handkerchief from her pocket to wipe away the tears forming in her eyes. "Don't cry, little wild one. Our conversation isn't over yet. If you keep crying, how can we continue talking? I never said I would kick you out because of this."
Sylas sobbed, and Xerath had to gently embrace her and whisper in her ear, "I have always loved your extremely brilliant ideas, and I never intended to stop you. I admire that about you. And, basically, you convinced me. I trust your judgment that only by standing on top can one determine the direction of the wind. However, considering your lack of experience, I think maybe I should try it first..."
Sylas widened her eyes and jumped up in fright, "No... no way!" She grabbed Xerath's sleeve, "No way! How could you... no, maybe I should..."
Xerath furrowed her brow and asked, "But I have more experience than you. Shouldn't I be the one blazing a trail and then teaching you?"
Sylas grabbed her wrists and attempted to keep her in place, using the same serious tone, "Firstly, this is something I came up with first. It's my research project, and you can't take away my joy. Secondly, precisely because you have more experience, that's why I should personally conduct the experiment. You said you would protect me, right? But I can't. If something happens to you, all I can do is worry and nothing more..."
Xerath looked at her.
This made Sylas very nervous. She couldn't figure out what else Xerath could say to argue with her, but she didn't seem to agree either.
Suddenly, Xerath laughed and showed a cute smile that almost made her lose her authority. "So you've learned to argue with me."
"You said I could question you... but if you don't like it, I... um... I..."
"No, it's okay. I accept your behavior. I like your questioning. Keep it up. You convinced me. Go on, I'll protect you."
"Teacher...?!" Her eyes sparkled with surprise, but also with doubt. It was clear that she didn't quite believe Xerath would agree so easily to such a bold request.
Xerath patted her face. "Yes, I allowed it. Maybe today I'll have a chance to teach you a spell to prevent falling injuries. If you start to fall, remember not to breathe and tense your whole body. Go on, good child."
Xerath beckoned towards the door, and Titus whimpered softly and backed away.
"Titus," Xerath calmly looked at it, "please come help Sylas, okay, little sweetheart? Or are you afraid of heights?"
"Woof! Woof!" Titus felt like its dignity was being offended, so it tried to stand up straight and walked over, lowering its head to lift Sylas's feet. It turned its head and barked sternly, as if urging Sylas to hurry up.
Xerath held her hand and helped her stand at the edge of the terrace.
"Don't be afraid, don't look down, do what you want to do. I will protect you."
"Teacher..."
"Wait until you succeed before saying thank you." Xerath smiled and loosened her grip slightly. Her cute apprentice nervously held onto her tightly, then let go silently, taking a deep breath.
Xerath completely let go of her, but opened her arms behind her.
"As light as a feather!" Golden feather fireworks burst open, and golden traces overflowed in the air as she wrote line after line. She alternated between spells and incantations, and misty water appeared from the void. Sylas lifted her foot and stepped onto the water mist, using a wind shield in the brief descent.
She shouted twice in quick succession, and the upward wind from below quickly accelerated, propelling her and the invisible wind shield upward. Sylas called out excitedly, bending down and standing on the wind shield to maintain balance.
The wind shield was not a long-lasting spell. Since wind is a very lively element, it is much easier to keep them in a dynamic state of gentle breeze. When Sylas's wind shield disappeared, she would lose momentum and fall. Xerath worriedly grabbed the edge of the terrace, leaning half of her body outwards. The golden incantation was already halfway written.
But soon Sylas floated again. Her simple call and the relatively complex wind shield worked together. When the shield formed, she simultaneously called upon the wind below her feet to push her forward, swaying like a jellyfish. Her simple water mist spell turned the wind from invisible to visible, making it easier to control the front-facing wind.
Just for a little while, Sylas seemed to understand the technique. She started to descend, but Xerath could tell from the direction of the mist that she was sliding along the upper surface of the wind. Sylas happily shouted and the wind rose and fell rhythmically, carrying her like waves supporting an invisible wind shield beneath her feet, allowing her to slide freely in the wind.
She looked extremely happy, and Xerath couldn't help but smile and shake her head. The mischievous little creature slid across the terrace and reached out with a smiling hand. Xerath reached out too, and their hands briefly touched, instinctively hooking onto each other.
Sylas was floating in the air with nothing to hold on to. Suddenly, she turned towards the terrace and Xerath grabbed her, pulling her into her arms. Sylas's wind shield collided with the edge of the terrace, causing both of them to fall backwards.
"Oh! Teacher!" Sylas reached out to protect the back of Xerath's head and tightly held onto her waist. But a deep blue gentleman suddenly appeared, and the sudden blue completely enveloped them. Sylas instinctively closed her eyes.
They bounced up and down on the soft surface several times, finally coming to a stop on Hyectra's body surface.
