Reynard’s prediction about another hellish day was entirely correct. Frozen Balance’s instructions didn’t grow much clearer after the first one, and its teaching thods didn’t beco less potentially deadly. But after the first puzzle was beaten, Reynard and Marien understood much better what was expected of them, and stopped stumbling blindly.
The bird taught two magi the next refinent operations in its thod. Each of them was sohow using ice or cold, and each of them required the bird’s personal help in creating them.
It was no wonder that a second copy of Frozen Balance couldn’t be made, and even its knowledge couldn’t be transcribed. Even if Reynard wrote down everything he did, he wasn’t sure it would work out for soone without the bird’s magic.
The more ti passed, the more convinced Reynard was that even during the calcination, it was Frozen Balance’s wind that made his mana freeze. That if he tried to achieve the sa with so other source of cold, he would most likely just die instead.
The next operation after calcination was congelation—Frozen Balance instructed its students to use pressure and cold to turn the mana dust back into a solid form.
This process took several days of near-freezing, during which both Marien and Reynard caught a cold.
They carried it until Frozen Balance allowed them to warm up during the next stage, when frozen mana was lted again. While it was liquid, the magi had to distill it—again, by repeating the process of freezing and lting, rather than heating and cooling.
Then ca the separation and ferntation...
With each operation, Reynard felt his body growing lighter and lighter. Such small steps in one’s refinent shouldn’t have caused these large changes, but as he examined his mana one evening, he understood where they ca from.
The thod of Frozen Balance wasn’t rely refining his mana, it was infusing it with wind and water elental bits that Reynard himself couldn’t even feel, much less consciously imbibe.
A balanced foundation was the best foundation. Until now, most of Reynard’s refinent struggles have co from the lack of balance. Partially, he compensated for it by using certain materials during refinent, but Frozen Balance’s thod was much more effective.
It had a profound quality to it that Reynard didn’t understand, but his old refinent technique really was like a bicycle next to a car.
The only elent Reynard’s mana was currently lacking was fire, but three out of four was qualitatively more than two. It was like a chair—it could stand on three legs, but not on two.
Marien also had experienced a swift growth, but for a different reason. Her mana had beco more balanced, just like Reynard’s, but it also grew more potent in general. The winds of Frozen Balance sohow amplified her own Wind Mana.
In three weeks, both magi have reached the final stage of the refinent Cycle: projection.
Frozen Balance imrsed Reynad and Marien in a solid block of ice, where they ditated, carefully using the cold to make their mana a honey-like liquid, freezing it just a little.
And soon, they erged from ice with their mana returning to its basest form of a liquid... But this ti, it was still white, pure and balanced—just like the magi’s aura.
They have advanced only for a single Cycle of refinent, but Reynard felt like he had jumped over several. His aura circulation beca faster and freer, and so did his steps.
He felt for sure that his next Cycle will be the Final one. Being a Final Cycle Albedo magi was sothing people spent decades trying to reach and failing, yet Reynard felt like it was a hand’s reach away.
He was smiling when the ice around him and Marien fell. Marien did too.
"Have you finished the projection successfully?" Frozen Balance asked from its perch nearby.
"Yes!" Marien exclaid. She raised her hands to the sky and made a graceful spin on her toe. "Oh, this is wonderful! I see why this thod is called Frozen Balance. I truly feel... Balanced!"
"Then you and I have completed this lesson," the bird said. "I have nothing more to teach you."
Marien’s hands fell. Reynad frowned and counted days in his head.
"Really? But Alia said we had another week with you!"
The bird stared down at him with a cold black eye.
"You are not heirs to the legacy of Gelum, you are rely soone for whom an heir has vouched. I will not share more boons with you."
Marien pouted.
"Oh, this is unfair... We paid for this!"
"Just typical secrecy of all magical clans, orders, and schools," Reynard said, shaking his head. "I do understand limiting the competition, but in this case... Definitely unfair! It’s not like we can steal this knowledge and spread it. Absolute copyright protection."
"Copy-right?" Marien glanced at Reynard in confusion.
He shook his head.
"Forget it, beautiful. If only..."
Reynard stared at the Frozen Balance, calculating in his head.
This bird could let him and Marien speedrun to the next refinent stage, he was sure. No doubt, whatever strength Alia had was largely thanks to it.
’If the entirety of orders of Snow and Winter could use Frozen Balance, they’d have much more powerful magi than they have already! I wonder if its use is limited by the "heirs of Gelum". Or... ARE there heirs of Gelum’s blood besides Alia? How can one beco such?’
Suddenly, a wicked thought appeared in his head. Reynard glanced at Marien, then at Frozen Balance.
"Mister Frozen Balance, so Alia Gelum can train with you more than us. Say, if she were to marry, would her husband beco an heir to Gelum, too? And the husband’s other wives? You know. Since they are all in the sa family."
Marien gasped.
The bird opened its mouth, then closed it without uttering a sound.
As a magical construct, it had no emotions, and still, Reynard’s words were like a wrench thrown at its thoughts.
And then...
"Yes."
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