(Spring of Life)(Kai’s POV)

(Main POV)

My attack finally ceased its chaotic journey through the once-verdant forest, its blinding light dimming until it eventually vanished into thin air. The aftermath was harrowing; the forest had been charred into an oddly triangular shape, emanating from the epicenter where the original tree had been vaporized.

"It almost resembles an obtuse angle," I thought, memories of geometry lessons briefly flitting through my mind. To be honest, I hadn't expected the spell to wreak such havoc. Yes, I'd used a considerable amount of mana, but not an amount that should have led to this level of devastation. I had initially used just double the amount of mana compared to the first pillar of fire I'd conjured when experimenting with magic. My best guess? The density of the Mana had a huge impact on the attack's potency, not to mention the added forces and velocity gained from the spell's rotation.

Well, I currently have the perfect test spot; the just recently charred forest. I raised my metallic hand, and gathered Mana into it. This time, I chose to execute the 'Flare Wheel' spell with a different elemental attribute. But instead of focusing on high concentrations of elemental mana, I opted for a minimal amount, curious to assess how much the spell's rotational aspect would augment its velocity and destructiveness.

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Glistening orbs of water rapidly circled around, morphing into a cerulean wheel. Taking aim at a smoldering tree, I mentally directed the spell to unleash its payload. The water wheel flew swiftly but lacked the explosive impact of its fiery predecessor. It morphed into a beam-like form upon contact, piercing through not just one, but three trees before losing its shape dissipating into the soil.

Wow, that’s strong. Even though I’d used little Mana; the amount I assumed would be appropriate for a normal water ball. The spell had drilled through the trees with almost no resistance, the only reason they hadn’t kept going was because the water balls had little Mana inside them.

Conjuring another ball of “Plant Growth” inside my hand, albeit with much more Mana than the previous one, I let it fall onto the soil of the charred forest. I wasn’t sure if there was a time limit before I could restore the flora but I didn’t want to take my chances.

The earth trembled in response, and soon enough, the life force of the forest began to rejuvenate. The remaining embers were snuffed out, the scorched tree barks gradually returned to their healthy brown color, and the layers of ash were absorbed into the soil. As fascinating as this transformation was, I knew I'd be witnessing it multiple times. The ground seemed to tremor again, as if foreseeing its fate.

My mind was teeming with a list of magical experiments. One that particularly piqued my interest was the notion of 'properties' within spells. In my past attempts, only a handful of spell variants like water, Plant Growth, and Brilliant Light had met my expectations. The others were either prematurely snuffed out or led to accidental explosions. My next course of action was clear: to experiment with as many property variations as possible and decode the underlying logic.

Not to mention that I had to milk this place of all the resources I could. Thanks to me gradually increasing control over my body, I could now create strands as thin as silk, allowing me to remotely dig into the ground below and detect the ores that would grow my body. It wouldn’t be long before I was ready for the outside world.