51st of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

“Do you think you can teach me Magmin Flame now?” Newt asked, but Magmin shook his head.

“No. You are a newt. You must first learn Magmin Scales, lest you burn yourself to cinders.” The serpent’s response landed like a hammer against a bell, snapping Newt from his foolish rush. He wanted to bash his head against the low ceiling because of how careless he was.

Magmin could have killed him right then and there. No. It won’t kill me like that. It wishes to use me as fodder. It gave me spiritual energy, and it can take it back once we get rid of the pterodactylus. All it has to do is kill me.

“I didn’t think about that,” Newt offered a nervous smile, but Magmin did not care about an amphibian’s reasoning.

“I will teach you the basics of Magmin Scales, and you practice while I bring over more spirit gems. Agreed?”

Newt nodded, and the serpent started explaining the method of circulating spiritual energy to make his scales impervious to fire. The problem was, Newt had no scales.

“Well, you have to figure that out on your own. I have never been scaleless, but I think it should not be a major difference.” Magmin left with those words, off to gather more spirit gems.

Newt closed his eyes and focused on his second heart. The first part of the technique was the basis of all spiritual techniques, forcing spiritual energy out of his spiritual realm. The unbound spiritual energy, which cultivators could use for their mystical techniques, was but a fraction of total energy comprising their realm. It was the free-flowing current of residual energy, one which Newt had to force back out.

How do I push it out? Where is the exit? He wondered, scanning his realm, searching for the point in the sky, which Magmin had described as the reverse flow crux, or more plainly the exit leading back into Newt’s body.

He sensed the gentle current and found a barely perceptible draft. Newt followed its upward spiral and recognized a faint vortex, siphoning energy from his realm.

That was easy enough. The search had taken less than twenty minutes, and such swift advancement drew a grin from Newt. Magmin returned just then, carrying another two spirit gems. The serpent snorted, but Newt was certain he could sense a hint of approval from his bestial teacher before focusing on task at hand.

Next is circulating the energy through my body. Step by step, Newt conquered the technique. First, he circulated the energy through his flesh, then skin, then just outside his skin where Newt immediately spotted a problem with his third eye.

“This is an even mix of earth energy and fire energy, but Magmin Scales require pure fire energy.”

“Focus on your realm,” Magmin said, startling Newt. “Split the energy into two currents before drawing it.”

The youth nodded, noting he should stop speaking his thoughts aloud, and kept trying. He succeeded on his fourth attempt.

“Now, force the energy you do not plan to use back down. The method I found the easiest was to use the upward spiral’s inner part in which I made a reverse spiral. You cannot accumulate much energy in it, and after releasing it, your energy will lean towards the element you had suppressed until your energies balance out. The easiest way to do this would be to draw the surplus earth energy and reinforce your body or let it disperse. It is a wasteful, temporary solution, but a solution nonetheless.”

“Thank you,” Newt said, and Magmin snorted at his thanks. It left the new spirit gems and departed from the cave.

The technique was deceptively simple, and its difficulty increased with each second Newt maintained it, as earth energy built up. Suddenly, all the conflicting motions made Newt’s head spin and his stomach lurch.

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“I think I’m gonna be sick.” He dropped everything he was doing and just stared at the black ceiling, sweat running down his face.

Newt focused on the nearly-healed pain in his foot and on detaining the contents of his stomach in place.

“There has to be a simpler way of doing this,” he mumbled at the world in general. “What happens if I don’t focus on making the reverse spiral?”

After a minute, Newt tried it, and found that the constructs broke down after mere three seconds, but worked as intended before falling apart.

I can have three seconds of Magmin Scales this way. Once I get used to the technique, I bet I’ll be able to keep it up longer.

The following hour passed in bursts of three seconds, during which Newt tried to form Magmin Scales followed by thirty-forty seconds during which his spiritual energy reverted to an even blend of earth and fire.

Finally, after some ninety-odd attempts, intricate red scales covered Newt’s skin.

“I did it!”

“Yes, you did. Good for you. Now, here are the problems with what you are doing. You have enough fire-aligned spiritual energy to use Magmin Scales for three heartbeats under strain. If you want to use Magmin Flames simultaneously, you will only have them active for one heartbeat. Maybe shorter.”

‘What if I only cover my hand with it,’ Newt wanted to ask, but stopped himself in time. It was a practical question, but one which would not advance his goals.

“Could you then teach me something that would sap earth energy from me?” he asked instead. “That way, I could keep both active at the same time.”

Magmin hissed at the notion.

“And pray tell, how do you intend to use them? In an ideal case, you would have to maintain Magmin Scales, Magmin Flame, and Granite Crust, all the while separating two flows of energy. Not to mention you would have to perform the separation within your flesh and not within your realm, where energies are much more responsive to your desires.”

The serpent paused. “You wish to fly when you can barely crawl.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, coming from you.”

Magmin was ready to hiss a response, but Newt’s words blindsided it.

“What you seek to do is something I have never succeeded at. I rarely need to protect myself with Magmin Scales, since I have an innate control over my flames, the technique is intended to shield me from others. I have tried to use Granite Crust and Magmin Flame at the same time, but the best I managed was a crumbling mix of the two, both performing considerably more poorly than when I used them separately.”

Magmin paused, as if silently arguing with itself.

“If you learn how to summon Magmin Scales and Magmin Flame simultaneously, I will teach you Granite Crust, which turns your scales as solid as granite.”

“Thank you,” Newt shouted excitedly, filling the cave with echos.

“Were you not paying attention?” Magmin said. “I said you will fail miserably and have your spirit crushed by attempting the impossible.”

“And I still want to thank you for taking the time to teach me, even if you think I won’t be able to do it.”

“Foolish, naive amphibian,” Magmin muttered. “Listen well. Magmin Flame works much like Magmin Scales, but instead of stopping the fire-aligned spiritual energy and keeping it locked within a pattern, you let it burst outwards. Naturally, not all of the fire energy will burst away from you. Most of it will, but not all. Unless you are resistant to flames, you will injure yourself to an extent.

“Now let us test your Magmin Scales first. Conjure them, and I will slowly try to burn you. Do not be afraid. Even if you lose a limb, you are a newt, and you can regrow them.”

Newt shuddered. “Please be careful. I don’t think I can regrow limbs.”

“You are a newt, but do not worry. I will make sure to keep injuries at the minimum. I will start with a level of heat nowhere near that of the lava flowing outside.”

Newt watched as spiritual energy rushed from Magmin’s core, surging towards his jaw. Then, the serpent’s fangs started glowing a reddish-orange, illuminating the dark cave and becoming visible to Newt’s physical eyes.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Magmin asked, and Newt circulated his energy, his skin shimmering as intangible, dark-red scales formed atop it.

Magmin bit down without waiting a second. Its needle-sharp teeth pricked Newt’s skin, the sharp points pressing without intention of drawing blood. The burning sensation followed. The pain was less like getting burned on searing flames, more like spilling scalding tea, but the youth still yelped in surprise.

A second later, Newt’s concentration broke, and Magmin Scales disappeared. For an instant the burning went from hot to blazing, but Magmin swiftly withdrew its fangs.

“Pay more attention!” it hissed.

“Sorry,” Newt said, while his arm throbbed in pain.

“Again, the other arm this time.”

“Wait,” Newt said. “Can I use Magmin Scales to get rid of the burn?”

“No. You can use your spiritual energy to fight and expel alien energies trapped within your flesh, but the burn you just suffered is just a wound. Maybe if you learned how to regenerate using water-aligned spiritual energy.”

Newt nodded, regretting he did not have the healing related water affinity.

“Again,” Magmin said, and Newt summoned his defense.