Chapter 335: Two Faces of a Coin
’Shoot!’
I could feel the delicate pathways of my meridians fraying and freezing under the onslaught. Gritting my teeth until I tasted blood, I did the only thing I could think of first: I activated Mender’s Paradox.
The healing energy worked furiously, knitting together shredded tissue only for it to be torn apart again moments later by the next wave of conflicting energy. But it was a stall tactic, and it gave me a precious few seconds to think.
My mind raced through every scrap of knowledge I had, desperately searching for a solution. Then, like a lifeline thrown in turbulent waters, Lady Nisha’s words echoed in my memory.
(Fire and ice are both extremes of temperature. They’re the opposite sides of the same concept. You can think of it as controlling thermal energy itself, raising it to create fire, lowering it to create ice.)
That’s right, the thermal energy.
The same fundamental force, just expressed differently.
The two affinities were treating each other as mortal enemies, but they were wrong. They could be siblings, two faces of the same coin.
Ok, let’s do-!
"Urgh!" A wave of molten agony ripped through my chest as I tried to reach for control.
The pain was so intense I could barely think, let alone manipulate energy with any precision. My first attempt to grasp the fire failed completely; it slipped away like trying to hold liquid flame with bare hands.
The ice wasn’t any better. Every time I tried to direct its flow, another surge of heat would tear through my meridians, shattering my concentration. Sweat poured down my face as I gasped for air, the taste of copper filling my mouth.
"Gah—!" I doubled over as another clash sent shockwaves through my core. This wasn’t working. The pain was too overwhelming, and I was losing what little control I had left.
{Friend!} Seren’s voice cut through my agony. {Let me help you!}
Before I could respond, I felt Seren’s cool presence merge partially with my consciousness. The wisp’s natural affinity for cold began to resonate with my ice energy, providing an anchor of stability I desperately needed.
With Seren helping to contain and direct the ice, I could finally focus on the fire, but even then, it was like trying to tame a wild beast while half-delirious with pain.
"Come on," I growled through clenched teeth, forcing my will against the raging heat. My second attempt was a bit better; I managed to redirect some of the fire energy before losing control again.
Another failure. They crashed together with renewed violence, and I screamed as my meridians felt like they were being shredded from the inside.
"Argh!"
{Stay focused, friend! You can do this!}
Seren was right. With the ice affinity under his careful guidance, I could see the pattern now.
’Urgh...’
My third attempt lasted longer. I managed to establish a weak current for the fire before the pain made my concentration slip. But it was progress.
The fourth attempt was better still. I guided more of the fire along specific pathways, feeling it respond to my understanding of thermal control rather than fighting against it.
But then my focus wavered for just a moment, and the energies clashed again with devastating force. I collapsed forward, my vision going white as agony consumed everything.
{Don’t give up! Try again!}
Seren’s encouragement gave me strength. I could feel him working harder to maintain the ice circulation, his presence growing dimmer with the effort.
The fifth attempt!
I managed to establish a proper flow. Fire rising, ice descending, both under conscious control. For a precious few seconds, there was harmony instead of war.
Then it collapsed again, and I nearly blacked out from the backlash.
By the seventh attempt, my hands were shaking and my entire body was slick with sweat. But something was different this time. The pattern held longer. The thermal balance felt more stable.
’A-almost... there...’ I gasped, pouring every ounce of will I had left into maintaining control.
The eighth attempt finally succeeded.
With agonizing slowness, the chaotic energies fell into controlled circulation. Fire flowed where I directed it, and ice moved along the pathways Seren and I guided it through. The destructive clashing gradually transformed into complementary thermal manipulation.
The pain began to ebb, becoming a bit more manageable as the energies stopped tearing each other apart. My breathing steadied as I held the delicate balance, terrified to move and shatter the hard-won harmony.
Minutes passed before I dared to open my eyes. When I did, I was sprawled on the ground, completely drained but alive. Seren hovered nearby, his usual bright glow significantly dimmed from the effort.
{We... we did it, friend,} he said weakly. {How do you feel?}
{Like I got trampled by a herd of thermal dragons,} I croaked, but managed a weak smile. {But alive. Thank you, Seren. I couldn’t have done it without you.}
With tremendous effort, I raised one trembling hand. A small flame flickered to life above my palm... controlled, stable, no longer at war with my ice affinity. When I raised the other hand, an ice crystal formed just as smoothly.
The two energies felt... unified. Different expressions of the same fundamental power, just as Lady Nisha had taught me.
I let both manifestations fade and closed my eyes, utterly exhausted but victorious.
Several minutes passed.
But I kept lying on the cold ground, too drained to even shiver. The starry sky above was a dizzying, beautiful tapestry I could only half-see through my swimming vision.
Then, a new face gently eclipsed the stars.
’Oh, it’s her.’
Lady Nisha looked down at me, her expression unreadable for a moment before a warm, approving smile graced her features.
"Good job," she said, her voice soft but clear in the quiet night. "You really did it. I felt the struggle even from the shadows. Although you couldn’t fuse them yet, forcing two major opposing affinities into a stable equilibrium on your first try... that is still an amazing achievement."
I tried to speak, to ask how she was here or to thank her, but all that came out was a pained, rasping groan that scraped my raw throat.
"Shhh," she hushed me gently, her smile never fading. "No talking for you. Not yet."
She flicked her finger.
The cold night air, the smell of damp earth, and the sight of the starry sky vanished instantly. One moment I was on the hard ground; the next, I was lying on something impossibly soft, the air around me warm and scented with faint blossoms.
We were definitely in her domain, but in a room I’d never been before, all soft silks and low light.
"You should get a good sleep," she said, her voice now a soothing murmur that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "You have earned it."
I blinked slowly, the gesture itself requiring monumental effort. It was my only way to convey the immense gratitude and relief I felt. Keeping my eyes closed felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Just before sleep fully claimed me, I felt a familiar cool presence. Seren, his glow dimmed from exhaustion, drifted down and dissolved into a soft light that seeped into my forehead, seeking the comfort of our shared bond to rest. A final, gentle chime echoed in my mind, full of concern and shared fatigue.
{Good night, friend...}
{Good... night...}
In that hazy, half-second threshold between waking and dreaming, I thought I saw it—another presence in the room. A silhouette of deeper shadow standing quietly near Lady Nisha, watching me with an unnerving stillness.
’Hmm.. Who...’
Before my mind could even form a question, the weight of my exhaustion crashed down like a tidal wave, and consciousness slipped away into a deep, dreamless, and utterly necessary sleep.