2597 Push Boundaries (Part 1)

Lith's mind then pictured the moment after his own funeral, with Elysia crying in Kamila's arms and later blaming her for being incapable of saving her dad. He saw Elysia grow like Solus, marked by her father's death and estranged from her mother in an attempt to pin the blame for her loss on someone.

Lith felt like a colossal jerk and decided that he wouldn't try to trick Solus into changing the terms of their deal.

"I'm sorry, Solus. You are right." He said. "But now please remove that picture or I won't be able to focus on anything. I feel like Elysia is judging me."

"Please, she doesn't even know who you are! Solus said with a scoff. "What you feel is your own judgment as you are forced to remind yourself that your life doesn't belong just to you anymore. Which is a good thing"

At a wave of her hand, the picture shrunk to a much more acceptable size, something that a dad would keep on his desk at work. Something that now sat on Lith's desk inside a frame shaped like a heart with "I can't wait to meet you, Daddy" engraved along its edges.

"Seriously?" Lith knew that neither the frame nor the engraving was Elysia's doing yet he felt even worse than when the picture covered the Forge's walls.

"Yep." Solus cheerfully nodded. "You can always destroy it if you don't like it."

Lith waved his hand and every fiber of his being screamed as if he was about to physically harm his daughter instead of a picture.

"Fine, you win, dammit." He flipped the frame down, incapable of standing Elysia's gaze one second longer yet incapable of putting the picture away. "By the way, during the last Void Magic lesson I had an idea that I'd like to run by you."

"Sure." Solus gloated, knowing from his expression and moving the topic to a non-controversial matter that Lith wouldn't try to change her mind about Glemos' device or pull something funny behind her back. "I'm all ears."

"I was thinking that maybe our current understanding of Void Magic is both shallow and short-sighted. If I'm right, it is possible to turn any element into many others at the same time."

"Wait, what?" Her mind went blank in confusion and surprise. "Are you serious? "Think about it." Lith Warped them both to the Firing Range floor, where the arrays of the tower would counter the effects of every spell that he would cast whether direct or indirect. And I mean like someone from Earth, not a Mogarian.

"What does a fireball do?" He cast a tier three spell, releasing a sphere of fire ten meters (33) in diameter that exploded with the strength of several hand grenades.

The Firing Range neutralized the boom, the blinding light, and the scorching heat that releasing such a spell in a confined space caused.

The fire generates light that can be converted into darkness." Lith cast a second fireball, but this time it spread a black corrosive fog instead of radiance.

"The detonation releases shockwaves that can be either enhanced to conjure bolts of lightning or switched into earth." This time he cast two fireballs, the first one releasing whip-like jolts of electricity and the second one forming restraints around the hypothetical enemy.

"Turning fire into ice is just basic Void Magic, but what if I affect solely the hot air it produces? A final fireball exploded, but this time it conjured a frost wave that covered the walls in ice.

Fire makes sense, but what about water or air? How do you convert them?" Solus asked while her brain spun at full gear to find an answer to her own question while also exploring all the possibilities of Lith's discovery.

"Easy" Lith generated a bolt of lightning whose light turned into darkness and then another which on impact turned the heat carried by the electron's discharge into a frost layer.

Then, he conjured a small sphere of water that after being electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen produced the same effects as the earlier fireballs.

"Wait, I remember this. Isn't that the same thing we did with Mjolnir back when we fused against the cursed objects?" Solus shuddered at the memory.

"Indeed." Lith nodded. "This is something we've already done but that we never really considered. I'm not going to lie, I had almost forgotten about it until one of our students asked me if it was possible to use Void Magic on the effects of his spells instead of just the cause."

"What did you reply to him?" Solus could see from the memory that Lith was sharing with her that the idea had come from a fourth year student and how even the Royals and the Headmasters of the six great academies had stopped their practice to listen.

gave him full marks and I told him that we had to think about it. I couldn't give him an answer without consulting the co-creator of Void Magic first. Lith replied with a warm smile.

"By my Mom, that cause and effect speech was really inspired. I wish I was there with you during the first Void Magic lesson." She embraced him, glad that the quarrel about Glemos' machine was already behind them and of his willingness to share the public recognition for their work.

"Me too, but I'm glad you took that trip." He returned her embrace. "It helped you to grow and led to several interesting discoveries, like the fact that when we are fused the tower heals my life force as well.

"Besides, if you want to watch my lessons, the Royals have all of the recorded in such a high quality that 4K resolution is a puppet show in comparison. Sure, getting your hands on them might be expensive but witnessing true genius is a priceless experience."

"Don't get cocky, smartass She pulled away, punching his arm playfully. "I get enough 'true genius' at home and at the tower. If you want me to suffer more, you should pay me, not the other way around."

Jokes aside, what do you think?" Lith asked once they were done mocking each other.

"It's definitely a good idea, but it's going to be difficult to put it into practice. Much more than regular Void Magic." Solus replied. "The underlying principle is the same, but the starting point and timing are completely different.

"Void Magic requires you to switch the elemental energy you have conjured for your spell into its counterpart. It's not easy but since it is your mana, once you know what you are doing the process still follows your will and the switched element is under your control.

"Altering the passive effects of a Void Spell, Instead, requires detecting the elemental energies that are released by your mana, taking control of them before they disappear, and then switching them."

"I have come to the same conclusion." Lith sighed. "That's why we came to the Firing Range. At the moment I can switch only one of the elements that comprised the secondary effects of a spell at a time and only if there's no willpower involved."