A New World, An Immersive Game Experience

"This should be the quality of Tier 5 spells. Have you never felt a connection to spells at this level?" Eldrian asked, dispelling the flame, as keeping it active was quite draining. He still had a long way to go before he could keep up with such detailed visualization.

Simply envisioning a flame was far easier than trying to visualize the combustion required to produce it. While simultaneously feeding it mana and controlling the resultant flames, too.

In this regard, ice was easier. It didn't try to escape and disperse into the air like fire.

"Now that you mention it..." Brazen entered a contemplative state, and Eldrian took that time to figure out his wording. After a while, Brazen spoke again. "I did experience this during the siege. I thought it was simply because the spells caused actual fires..."

"Were you present when I used spirit magic during the siege?" Eldrian asked, recalling his return where he had somehow caused his aura to influence the spells of others. It had given him a new title and ability—one which he had not dared touch again.

"Sadly, I was injured and missed it." Brazen said, shaking his head in denial. He had heard of spirit magic from the others—after all, Eldrian hadn't kept it a secret and had tried to teach others to use it.

"No problem. Tell me if you feel anything different from this flame." Eldrian said, producing a small flame which he fed some feeble anger into.

"Not really. I can sense it somehow grew in strength, but I don't feel a connection to it."

"I see." Eldrian said, nodding. He had expected as much.

It went back to the debate of certain things appearing like fire but not being fire. Anger burned like flames, but it certainly wasn't a flame. Magic enhanced with anger thus still lacked the true essence of fire. Even if it burned more severely than normal spells.

'Is this like comparing the fusion to flames? Or plasma to something combusting. Or perhaps even lava or molten metal to a flame. They all exhibit similar properties, but none are typical flames. Of course, they can all cause flames to surround them, but they aren't flames themselves.'

Wishing to test this, Eldrian asked Brazen to wait a while before he showed him the last flame he could summon—the flames of wrath. Eldrian had gotten good enough in controlling it that he could call it forth without losing control. However, using it in combat was something still beyond him.

Before that, however, Eldrian wanted to know if Brazen felt a connection to heated metal, or perhaps molten metal. Luckily, the ruined village they were in used to have a forge and there was plenty of rusted iron lying around.

Creating a magical fire hot enough to melt said iron, Eldrian asked Brazen if he felt a connection to it.

"Its different. But I certainly feel something. Can we move it out of the forge? I might just be connecting to its flames." Simple heated metal hadn't given Brazen this feeling, so Eldrian felt they were on the right track.

Nodding, he used ether to drag out the molten metal. The sight had Brazen staring in disbelief. It took him a few minutes to recover. At which, the metal had started to solidify again.

"Did you feel any connection to it?"

"Its strange, but yeah, I did."

'Okay, so his connection isn't just with fire of combustion type. Then... would he be able to connect to plasma?' Eldrian, sadly, didn't think he could produce plasma. At least not safely.

If he forced his mana to create such a temperature, he was certain he would receive some backlash. And relying on spirit magic or his aura was too dangerous.

"Right, please stand back. This is the last type of flame I can show you now, but there is one more type we should investigate in time."

Saying such, and waiting for Brazen to move a dozen meters away, Eldrian called upon the flames of wrath within him. Its power surged. Like a dragon stirring. It filled Eldrian and tried to soar free. Tried to consume him.

However, Eldrian quelled its hungered by simultaneously calling on the powers of ice within him. He used its calming effect to prevent the wrath of the flames from influencing his mind and emotions. But he did not call on the cold itself, letting the flames run through him.

Like a snake, fire coiled itself around Eldrian. Burning to ash anything in his surroundings, his clothing included—Eldrian had stored everything precious before summoning the flames. Naturally, he was not currently wearing his newly bought cloak, circlet, or ring.

Even a dozen meters away, Brazen was forced to turn his head aside. The heat from the flames threatening to burn out his eyes.

Eldrian quickly dispelled the aura before he lost control of it, changing into clothes with the equip function so as to not remain in the nude.

Truly, attempting to control it was like attempting to control a dragon's fury. Eldrian understood why Skepsi said he needed to let it be unleashed to truly learn to control it.

Naturally, he can't control something he did not know the extent of. When fear controlled him, he cannot control wrath. It was as simple as that. But such was its power. If it wasn't, the world would be filled with legends. Instead of having just a handful.

All auras were like this, at least, this is what Ziraili had told Eldrian.

"Well?" Eldrian asked, the heat suffocating. He had immediately summoned his familiar old comfort spell, Aeraki (breeze), to take away the heat and bring some cold, humid air back to their surroundings. But it would take time for the heat to disperse.

"Wh-what was that?" Brazen asked. The shock he had experienced from Eldrian's aura was massive. Feeling its might, his core had been stirred.

"It is called an aura..." Eldrian paused, realizing that auras were the stuff of legends and typically only associated with genuine heroes. "Have you heard of an aura? Some beasts have them too, ah, but that isn't quite the same..."

Stopping himself there, Eldrian waited for Braze to respond. However, the lizardkin just continued to stare. So Eldrian decided to mention the legends he knew the aura of wrath was present in.

"I believe the this particular aura is what makes berserkers—well, berserkers. I've also read that some myths tell tales of it being wielded by the strongest of smiths. But I'm not really sure if that is true or not." Saying this, Eldrian thought of the dwarf and elf he had met during the events in Diades.

Brazen's eyes sparkled as Eldrian explained this. His eagerness to learn more bubbling through him. His desire to obtain the power Eldrian had just shown him practically shooting out of him.

Realizing the look, and recalling previous warnings about revealing auras to the public, Eldrian shook his head with a small, sad smile. "Forget it. It isn't like magic. You can't learn or teach an aura to someone."

"I don't truly know how I got it." Eldrian admitted. "But I've been told that it has to do with defying death."

Eldrian went on to explain the likely culprits for his unlocking of his auras. First, using a magic crystal to learn to control mana, and soon after fighting, dying, fighting to return, and dying again.

Naturally, he avoided mentioning Earth—he did not wish to shatter another person's reality. But he explained best he could how difficult the task was.

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