The reading hall was empty — only the soft light of candelabras reflected off the tall shelves lined with old tomes, and a fireplace crackled quietly somewhere deeper inside. Alex sat at a large oak table, completely buried under books, open folios, and stacks of parchment.
He let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair.
“I hope there’s at least something useful in here…” he muttered aloud, running a hand through his tousled hair.
In his mind, Sirena’s quiet, slightly guilty voice sounded:
“I’m sorry, my Lord… I checked all my databases again, but I didn’t find anything you need.”
Alex gave a faint smile.
“It’s all right, don’t worry. It’s not your fault.”
He picked up another book, and the heavy pages rustled as he began turning them, searching for even the slightest clue.
“And so I spent the rest of the day in the reading hall. During that time, I managed to learn plenty of interesting new things, and also recall what I had studied back during my first stay at the Academy. Naturally, the first thing I did was search for any information on how two different racial magics could be merged. But after three hours of digging through old tomes, the only thing I found was some sorcerer’s assumption that merging racial magic might be conceptually similar to merging elemental magic. That was literally it.”
“Honestly, I was disappointed. But deciding that at least this was something, I switched to researching elemental magic fusion. And here the material was abundant — mostly because mastering elemental magic is far easier than mastering racial magic.”
“As the name suggests, elemental magic originates from the natural elements: water, fire, earth, wind, ice, lightning. Six main elements. Anyone, regardless of race, can learn this magic, and controlling natural mana is much easier than controlling racial mana. That is why elemental magic is wildly popular among sorcerers.”
“Next comes racial magic. This includes darkness, light, blood, and plant magic. Here everything becomes far more complicated. Even being a pure-blood or half-blood vampire gives no guarantee that you’ll be able to control blood. Yes, the chances are higher than for someone without a drop of vampire blood, but still far from a hundred percent. Racial mana is much more temperamental than natural mana, and far harder to control. You need either remarkable talent, or long and exhausting training to make it obey you.”
“Because of this, many demons, angels, vampires, and spirits don’t even use their own racial magic, preferring elemental magic instead. For example, my father — a pure-blood vampire who had every chance to master blood magic — could never make it obey him no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he focused on fire magic, where he managed to achieve results.”
“Of course, there are exceptions. Someone who is not a direct representative of a race can still master its magic. Like me, for instance — a pure-blood vampire who managed to tame darkness. The chance of success in such cases is tiny, and most who attempt something like that fail. But if I succeeded, then it’s possible. All it takes is a sea of time, iron endurance, and maybe a drop of talent… though the last one is debatable.”
“And finally — deviant magic. This includes healing, teleportation, and other types that don’t fall under elemental or racial categories. Lorina Montamer’s poison magic belongs here as well. Anyone can learn it, like elemental magic, but without talent or constant training you won’t get far.”
Alex exhaled heavily and tore his gaze from the book.
“As always: either talent or hard work…” he muttered to himself. “Though… why am I even surprised by something so obvious?”
Shrugging, he returned to reading.
“The concept of elemental fusion wasn’t new. Many who mastered one element sought to take control of at least one more. For example, plenty of fire sorcerers also studied earth magic — for the sake of one of the most powerful spells: the meteor rain. It consumed so much mana that even the most enduring sorcerers collapsed after using it, but the result… was worth it. No wonder it was incredibly popular during wartime.”
“Combinations of water and wind were also common. Such sorcerers could summon storm tempests capable of sinking an entire fleet. Ice and wind were often paired for creating blizzards, and fire with lightning — a deadly, almost instantaneous strike. Other combinations were rarer, but they existed. Sometimes you could meet a sorcerer who wielded both fire and water. They could never fuse them into one spell, but even simply mastering two elements was already a significant advantage over those who controlled only one.”
“But the fusion process itself… For example, if you take air and water, trying to forcefully smash their mana together is the worst idea imaginable. Not only will you achieve nothing — you might even harm yourself.”
Alex couldn’t help smiling as he read on.
“Magic requires a delicate approach. First, you must allow the mana of one element to become accustomed to the mana of the other — this is the first stage of fusion. Only when they ‘accept’ one another can you move on to the next step — gradual merging. Smoothly, without sudden pushes, allowing two different manas to slowly intertwine into one. At this moment, the sorcerer’s task is not to lose control over either of them. Tremendous concentration and endurance are required to maintain the balance.”
“Mana is a capricious thing. Whether elemental or racial, it does not like being treated roughly. Some researchers even speculate that mana possesses something akin to consciousness. Each element seems to demand that the sorcerer remain loyal to it and use only it. And when you try to bring two elements together, a real struggle unfolds between them: each strives to prove that it alone deserves to become your strength.”
“And then all that remains is to give them time… Time to grow accustomed to one another. Time for true merging to begin. And only after that can you expect results.”
Alex leaned back heavily in his chair, feeling tiredness press slowly onto his eyelids. So much new information swirled in his head that it almost hummed like an old bell after a strike.
“After everything I’ve read here,” he muttered, rubbing his face, “it feels like I’m not trying to merge two powerful magics, but to reconcile two stubborn children fighting for their father’s attention.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Sirena’s warm, soft voice echoed in his mind:
“Perhaps… such a simple, down-to-earth comparison is exactly what will help you reach understanding.”
Alex gave a crooked smile and glanced at the table piled high with books. Beside him, in the very center, lay three particularly thick tomes bound in old, darkened leather. His fingers brushed over the rough cover of one of them, feeling the warm, slightly raised patterns beneath his fingertips.
“Maybe you’re right,” he answered Sirena. “But before I draw any conclusions… I’ll try to approach this from a more… scientific angle.”
He carefully opened the heavy tome, and the old pages rustled softly, releasing a faint scent of dried herbs and aged ink. Alex’s gaze fell on the ornate title written in a strange hand, and he settled more comfortably, preparing to dive into a new layer of knowledge.
“To achieve a stable fusion of two different elemental streams, a sorcerer must understand that each mana possesses its own ‘vibration frequency’ and natural ‘line of resistance.’ At the moment of contact between two streams, a phenomenon arises that I call ‘mana friction’ — the mutual repulsion of the streams due to their initial incompatibility.”
“The sorcerer’s first task is to align these frequencies through synchronizing the internal rhythm of mana with the rhythm of breathing. Next comes the stage of temporary interlacing, when both manas interact without coercion. Only after the sensation of resistance decreases can one begin the convergence phase — the gradual merging of two streams into a single channel.”
“The key rule: never attempt to mix two elements by force. Even if you can suppress the resistance, such a union will be unstable, and at the crucial moment the spell may collapse or explode.”
Advice from the Field Journal of battle mage Fargus Riel.
"Combining magics is like working with two explosive barrels you're dragging on a single cart. Push too sharply and they’ll blow. Pull too slowly and you’ll lose your rhythm and burn out from overload.
Each element has its own personality. Fire is hot, impatient, quick. Water is calm but treacherous, able to wear down even stone. If you want them to work together, first show each one that you respect it. This isn’t a silly metaphor — it’s a feeling you must imprint into your mana.
My advice is simple: first let them ‘meet’ each other at low power, keeping both manas under minimal pressure. Only when they stop ‘hissing’ at each other can you start raising the flow and moving on to combat combinations."
Addendum from A Collection of Magical Observations by an anonymous author (year unknown).
"Callisten’s research on stream harmonization is invaluable, but his works lack one crucial aspect: prolonged post-contact stabilization. When two manas first reach the merging phase, their mutual stability lasts only a short time. If the merge is not reinforced, the manas return to their original state, and all progress is lost.
To prevent this, one must apply the so-called ‘anchor formula’ — a short but continuous magical weaving that fixes the shared frequency of both elements within the mage’s consciousness. This requires additional mana expenditure, but without it any attempt at forming complex elemental spells is doomed to rapid collapse."
The sun had long since slipped behind the horizon, and the reading hall had sunk into a soft twilight, chased away only by the warm glow of several lamps. Tired yet focused, Alex turned page after page, completely immersed in the text. Suddenly he felt a faint breath behind his back. Turning, he saw Eliria leaning slightly over his shoulder, her gaze skimming the same lines he was reading.
He smiled lightly.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Three minutes at most," she replied and, glancing at the empty seat beside him, sat down. "If I recall correctly, you don’t possess any elemental magic, do you?"
"Right," Alex nodded.
"Then why read about combining it?"
"I’ve been thinking about trying to merge my blood magic with darkness. And there’s no information on combining racial magic. So I figured knowledge about elemental merging might help."
Eliria nodded thoughtfully, her eyes sliding across the piles of books.
"I see. I know a few volumes that might contain something useful."
Alex’s eyes lit up with interest.
"Seriously?"
"Absolutely." She smiled faintly and stood. "Wait here, I’ll be right back."
Already turning toward the bookshelves, she suddenly peeked out from behind one of them:
"By the way, how long have you been sitting here?"
"Five hours for sure… maybe more."
"Then I’ll get you some coffee. If you don’t mind."
"I definitely don’t," he smiled warmly.
Eliria disappeared between the rows, and Alex shifted his gaze to the window. Night swirled beyond the glass, and cold moonlight slid softly along the sills. He yawned, stretched, and murmured quietly:
"And I didn’t even notice the day go by…"
"You could use some rest," Sirena’s gentle voice sounded in his mind.
"True… but now I need to wait for Eliria," he replied silently, staring back at the books.
About ten minutes passed before the girl returned. In her hands — two cups of hot coffee, and several massive tomes held aloft by conjured vines. Seeing Alex’s table, she noticed him sitting with his arms crossed and his head resting on his shoulder, eyes closed.
Eliria stopped, a soft smile touching her lips. She quietly set the books and cups down, then stepped closer.
"Can you hear me?" she asked gently.
A sleepy, incoherent mumble was the only reply, his eyes still closed. With a small sigh, Eliria opened her inventory and pulled out a small green blanket. She carefully draped it over Alex, leaving him to nap right there in his seat.
She watched him for a few more seconds, then cast a brief look at the books she had brought.
"Well… let’s see if there’s anything here that can help you," she whispered, settling beside him.
Taking one of the books and a cup of coffee, Eliria immersed herself in reading. The reading hall fell silent once more, broken only by the soft rustle of turning pages and the quiet breathing of the one dozing beside her.
The first rays of sunlight broke mercilessly through the tall window, sliding across the tables until they stopped directly on Alex’s face. He winced slightly, slowly opening his eyes. The light blinded him for a moment before he adjusted. He was still in the same reading hall, completely empty now, wrapped in a soft green blanket.
A glance at the table showed that the number of books had nearly doubled. Beside them stood five empty cups with dark residue at the bottom — silent proof of a night spent reading. Alex looked around the hall, searching for Eliria, but she was gone.
He couldn’t help but smile.
"Well… I fell asleep right in the middle of work. Not very admirable. In the past, Eliria would’ve torn my head off for this…"
"Your head would have stayed in place," Sirena said gently, "but she certainly would have scolded you thoroughly."
"Yeah," he chuckled, "first she’d scold me… then tear my head off."
He didn’t even have time to stand before Eliria stepped out from behind a tall shelf, carrying four fresh cups of coffee. Seeing that he was awake, she smiled warmly.
"Good morning. Sleep well?"
"Morning. Yeah, I slept well," he replied, then nodded toward the blanket. "And thanks for that."
"Always welcome," she said lightly, taking the blanket and storing it away.
Alex stood, stretched, and cracked his neck a couple of times.
"I brought you some coffee," she nodded to the cups.
He was about to thank her, but she suddenly froze, as if remembering something, and quickly disappeared among the shelves. Alex watched her go in surprise, then picked up one of the cups, lifted it to his face, inhaled the aroma, and took a sip.
A minute later she returned — this time with a small box of cookies in her hands.
"You probably haven’t eaten anything since yesterday evening," she said with a hint of reproach.
"Thanks for caring," he said, handing her one of the cups.
Eliria accepted the cup from his hands, and for a moment their fingers brushed. Then both of them turned toward the window, taking a few sips at the same time.
"So, did you sit here the whole night?" Alex asked.
"Yes. That’s normal for me," she replied calmly. "I looked through the books I recommended to you yesterday, but unfortunately, there was nothing useful there."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"Sorry for giving you false hope."
"It’s not a problem," he smiled. "I already know what might help. Now I just need to test it in practice."
He took a cookie from the box and bit into it.
"Well?" Eliria asked softly.
"It’s good."
The girl smiled in quiet satisfaction and looked away, taking a sip of her coffee.
