"Cronix, were you captured, captured, and not like bought captured, right?" Lapsa asked this random question when the two got back to their room.

"I was captured captured." Cronix answer, while laying on his blanket staring at the wooden roof, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you've ever seen a girl about 16, she looks similar to me." Lapsa said as he sighed and collapsed on his bed.

"A relative?" Cronix asked.

"My sister actually." Lapsa mumbled, there was something in his voice that made it seem like he wasn't talking to Cronix, but somewhere far off, maybe another time.

There was only silence after that, and it stayed that way until Cayden came back an hour later.

Cayden stumbled in, his balance was all over the place, but he somehow made it to his bed.

"Cayden, are you okay?" Cayden didn't respond to Lapsa's question, instead his breathing softened and relaxed into a rhythm.

"What the hell happened to him?" Cronix couldn't think of many things that could make Cayden like this in only the span of an hour.

Cronix wasn't the only one unable to find an answer, Lapsa had known Cayden way longer than Cronix, and he knew even fewer things that could make Cayden like this.

But neither of them would find any answers to this until Cayden woke up, which wouldn't be till morning

Lapsa turned his body over, facing away from Cronix and Cayden, trying his best to fall asleep.

Cronix stayed in the same position looking up at the roof. Too much has happened in one day, and he wasn't given enough time to process everything.

Cronix eventually also shifted on his side, turning away from the two other boys, and just when he was about to fall asleep, his head suddenly felt an intense coldness coming from the inside.

Cronix's hands went to his head, and he instantly entered his mental expanse.

That's where he found the root of the problem, a huge layer of blue fog extending all over his mental expanse.

"This... This is the water element!" This realization caused Cronix to frown, "How did the water elements get into my mental expanse?"

But Cronix didn't have the time to think about this, the water elements and his mental energy were duking it out, with both sides suffering.

But everytime Cronix's mental energy was destroyed, he felt it.

This was the source of his pain.

However that wasn't the end of it, whenever his mental energy was destroyed it would leave behind the mysterious energy he got from the first time he destroyed the water elements, when this happened the water elements would directly absorb it and become stronger.

Cronix quickly got a grip on both powers, he had to stop them from fighting permanently, but the only method he could think of was by destroying the water elements using the extraction technique.

Cronix sighed, he was tired, he had an exhausting day and all he want to do was rest, but these stupid water elements weren't allowing him too.

His exhaustion was also affecting his mental energy as well, that was one of the reasons the water elements were able to fight back even in the mental expanse.

But the most important thing his exhaustion was going to affect was the efficiency of the extraction technique, so he was going to have to improvise.

Cronix pulled the water elements into three separate balls, he then moved two of the balls aside and focused on the third one.

Cronix made his mental energy hone in on the third water element ball, and he gently began integrating the two powers, of course this process wasn't going to be too different compared to last time, with the mysterious forces making another appearance.

His mental energy fought through the mysterious force and so were the magic elements, but his mental energy was weakened so it was actually getting harder, however the mysterious energy was for some reason weaker than before so it wasn't that much harder.

Cronix gritted his teeth, and instead of going all the way with the current mental energy he was using, he manipulated another batch of mental energy and forced it into the other side of the water elements.

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Another mysterious force entered the mess, Cronix didn't stop adding more mental energy to surround all sides, when that was done he finally made a different move.

He used his connection to the water elements to move it in any direction, and the side the elements were moving away from, he moved that group of mental energy towards the elements.

Cronix wasn't actually sure if his plan was going to work, but he wanted to try anyway.

The magic was struggling to move within the mysterious force, but it made progress since moving the mental energy behind it, caused the mysterious force behind it to move as well, keeping the magic from being knocked back by the mysterious force in front.

Sweat was building up on Cronix's physical body's forehead, "This process was supposed to make things easier... Whatever I've already started, might as well finish."

Cronix slowly moved the magic towards the mental energy in front of it, but that didn't go smoothly because the mysterious force in front of it suddenly got stronger to combat both Cronix controlling the magic and the mysterious force behind it.

But that in turn caused the mysterious force behind the magic to get stronger as well. Cronix felt a headache approaching.

Cronix tried to regain control of the situation by directing the water element further towards the mental energy in front of it, but that didn't work.

Cronix frowned, but that frown instantly turned to panic when he felt his connection to the water elements slipping before vanishing completely.

"What the heck!" Cronix watched as the mysterious forces were only getting stronger, it wasn't like he couldn't do anything since all he had to do was make his mental energy move and the mysterious forces would disappear, but he wanted to see what would happen.

The mysterious forces were like two unbreakable walls coming closer together to crush the water elements.

And Cronix watched as they completed their job, the pushing of the mysterious forces became too much for the water elements to handle, and the unknown energy inside them began leaking out.

"I was originally planning on trying to find a new way to integrate them, but this works." The unknown energy inside the water elements were immediately absorbed by the mental expanse.

When the mental expanse absorbed the unknown energy, the mysterious forces strangely lessened in power, like they were less reluctant to let the two powers integrate.

Cronix used this chance to force the magic and mental energy in a position similar to when he first integrated them both.

Cronix sighed, "This was too much work, but this is kind of easier than the extraction technique, but why did those forces suddenly lessen?"

Cronix didn't want to think about this for too long since he didn't have any answers, instead he looked towards the two other balls of water elements.

"This method could make me stronger while making it easier to destroy the elements. I should use this method more often when I'm trying to extract the mysterious energy, but I still want to learn how to properly use the extraction technique in the physical world."

Cronix thought about the first time he tried using the extraction technique on a candle to extract the fire elements, but he failed.

"Whatever we'll think about this later."

Cronix turned his attention back to the other two water element balls and created the same circumstances with them as he did with the first one.

It was easier to integrate the other two element balls than the first, the moment this was done, Cronix left the mental expanse, he needed to give his mental expanse time to fully digest the unknown energy, and he needed to rest so his mental energy could get back to full strength.

...

(The next morning)

Onyx was in his room studying a movement technique when a servant entered the room,"Young master Onyx, Young master Topaz is calling for you."

Onyx nodded and waved the demi-human away. He put away the technique, and left his room.

He probably wants to say goodbye before he leaves... Why did this have to happen now?

Onyx made his way through the manor to the third floor where Topaz's room was located, when he got there, he didn't bother knocking and simply entered, "Topaz, you called for me?"

Topaz was sitting at his desk which was in front of the window, right next to him was a blanket covering a box, "Onyx, why don't you sit down."

Onyx nodded and sat on the bed.

Topaz took a deep breath, "Okay, so you should already know that I'm leaving for the main house with father later today, and we're going to miss your birthday, so instead of giving you your birthday present in a few weeks, I rather give it to you now."

"Really?" A bright gleam was shining in Onyx's eyes and he rubbed his hands together, "Let's see it then."

Topaz carried the box with the blanket covering over, and handed it to Onyx. When Onyx grabbed the box from Topaz, he realized the box was a cage.

He took off the blanket, and he was met face to face with a crow, with a silver feather pattern and a silver collar, "Oh, this is nice."

While this wasn't what Onyx was expecting, at least it was something, "Did you dye its feathers or something, and what type of bird is this? It looks like a crow, but it's way too big."

Topaz frowned, he was expecting a bigger reaction than this... Then it hit him, why Onyx wasn't reacting as he expected.

"I forgot to do something, watch this." Topaz took the cage from Onyx.

When Onyx saw the back of the bird's neck he frowned, "Why does the bird have the slave seal, isn't that a bit... excessive?"

"Just wait and watch." Topaz advised him before opening the cage, the crow didn't even bother trying to escape, there was honestly no point at the moment.

Topaz reached for the collar around the crow's neck and took it off, the instant it was gone the aura of a five star flawless Caster came out.

"Oh... Oh... Goodness!" Onyx could think of anything else to say in this situation, "This is... This is just..."

This was the reaction Topaz was expecting, "This bird is not weaker than you are, in fact it's only a step away from the Core Creation stage so it's stronger, and you see this?" Topaz asked, holding the collar,

"This hides its aura, so if you fight someone else in the Caster stage like Riley, you could use this bird as a sneak attack."

Onyx smiled, and hugged Topaz tightly, "Thank you."

Topaz laughed, "Of course, it's your birthday present, besides if you use her against Riley and win a fight, I could shove this in Ash's face."