Atticus woke up feeling refreshed. He checked the time and noted that he had spent more than 8 hours asleep.
'Honestly, it's far too little considering everything I've done,' he thought.
Atticus had spent nearly 48 hours moving from sanctum to sanctum while trying to learn the elements. Each sanctum had its own challenges, and he had used a lot of his mental strength during each stage.
'At least it's worth it,' he mused.
Atticus stretched his body, the sound of bones cracking resounding in the small room. His quest for power was progressing at a very good pace compared to what he had initially anticipated.
Magnus had given him three months to learn the seven elements, and he had already learned five in just about two weeks.
'I spent basically all my time in the fire sanctum,' he reflected.
The fire sanctum was like the introductory class to all the elements. He had to admit that after all the time spent learning the fire element, the other elements came easily to him.
He wasn't trying to brag; Atticus was only happy about the results. It would enable him to spend more time on his other abilities.
'Now I just need to go through the light and darkness elements,' he planned.
Atticus took a deep breath, steadying himself. After these two elements, he would face the lightning element. Considering who was training him, Atticus was sure it wasn't going to be easy.
The fact that Magnus wanted to train him himself meant that he had things planned, things he wouldn't be able to get easily.
'And after that, I'll utilize everything I've learned from the other elements to increase my space proficiency too,' he thought.
All in all, Atticus was feeling pretty good. After freshening up, just as he was about to step out of the door, he couldn't help but remember a certain old cougar and he shuddered.
'Do I have to?' Atticus groaned inwardly.
He was really unwilling to go through another weird interaction with Aeliana. But he had no choice; the path to absolute power was never easy, and he was in this for the long run.
Atticus stopped hesitating and opened the door to his room. However, what he would never have expected happened.
"Is it finally time!?"
Atticus sighed slightly as he heard the excited voice of Aeliana. The woman immediately carried him as soon as he left his room. She had been so fast that all Atticus saw was the door opening and the figure of Aeliana in the next second.
He was back on the luminous platform, and Aeliana was looking at him with excitement.
Atticus nodded, responding to her question. He was ready.
"Great! Oh, you're going to love the light element!"
Luckily, Aeliana had enough time to consider how she would handle her lessons with Atticus and didn't waste time dawdling.
"I'm sure you, little genius boy, know all about the molecules of the elements already. Well, it's basically the same principles. The molecules of the light element are called photons, and manipulating light involves controlling the behavior and properties of these photons, such as their direction, intensity, and wavelength," she explained.
"You can bend, focus, diffuse, and alter the intensity of light. Its uses are numerous. Advanced techniques involve creating illusions, using light for healing, and other awesome applications. Isn't the light element great!?"
Atticus nodded his head fervently. He had decided to agree to everything the woman said.
Aeliana smiled brightly. She loved talking about the light element.
"Great. Now let's start by you creating a small ball of light. This area has an abundance of photons, so it'll make it easier for you t—"
Before Aeliana could finish, one of her eyebrows raised as she saw a small ball of light form on top of Atticus's outstretched palm.
She was baffled for a few seconds, not expecting Atticus to form the ball of light before she could even finish speaking. It wasn't just normal light; he had formed a perfect light.
Aeliana cleared her throat and regained her bubbly energy. "Great! I guess the title 'genius' isn't for decoration, huh? Alright, next I want you to…"
Aeliana watched, baffled, as Atticus listened and perfectly performed every one of her instructions. She had started with the basics first, teaching him how to bend, focus, diffuse, and alter the intensity of light.
Aeliana had been kind to demonstrate each one to Atticus but had no idea that those actions basically sealed the deal. Atticus's analytic abilities were nearly unmatched. He could analyze and replicate basically everything he saw.
After this, he moved to bending light around objects, creating illusions, and creating different shapes of light.
She had skipped what she considered the boring part and stepped into the big leagues.
The principle of creating illusions had been as complicated as Atticus had thought.
It was using the photons to create various visual effects. By controlling the path, intensity, and color of light, he could form images that appeared three-dimensional and realistic.
Truly, it wasn't easy.
There was a whole lot to consider when it came to this process.
He had to study the properties of light, observing how it interacts with different surfaces and how it can be redirected. Bending light around objects and controlling its direction was the key to forming an illusion with the light element.
He would have to bend light photons around a central point and then visualize the light curving smoothly to create the outline of the desired image.
The light would follow the controlled path, forming the basic shape of the illusion.
And then came the depth.
The intensity and color of light were crucial for adding depth and realism to the illusion.
Here, the key factor was fine-tuning the intensity of the light, adjusting brightness levels to create shadows and highlights. Then also modify the light's color to match the desired appearance of the illusion.
At the end of the day, the illusion would gain depth and color variation, making it appear more lifelike.
Finally, for the three-dimensional effect. To make the illusion appear three-dimensional, light must be manipulated to give the perception of depth.
He would layer light photons, creating a sense of volume and space within the illusion. By varying the focus and diffusion of light, he would ensure different parts of the illusion appear at different depths.
At the end of the lesson, Atticus was able to achieve this feat, albeit barely. While it was completely complex, the experience he had gotten from manipulating the other elements had piled up.
Especially after his rest, there was no way anything would surprise Atticus. Instead, the one who had been shocked was Aeliana.
She knew about Atticus's feats and she was even anticipating his genius. But him effortlessly replicating one of her advanced techniques in a matter of minutes truly wasn't what she had been expecting.
It was insane.
'What the hell is he…'
Aeliana stared at Atticus seriously for a moment before suddenly regaining her senses and clapping excitedly with a scream,
"Atticus is so awesome! You deserve a hug from big sis!"
Atticus's gaze flashed but he couldn't react in time, his whole body getting enveloped by Aeliana.
'How the hell are you a big sis! You're an ancestor at least!'
Although he thought this, Atticus wouldn't dare say it out loud. Who knew how this crazy woman would react?
Atticus found his face enveloped by two massive mounds, his figure held so tightly he was struggling to breathe.
Some time passed and she decided to release him. Atticus took a deep breath as though he was taking his first breath after decades.
He shot Aeliana a stare, who simply smiled back at him innocently, making Atticus take a step back.
Aeliana giggled,
"Your reactions are so fun to see! How about we continue our lesson?"
Atticus was all game for that. He stopped backing away and started listening to Aeliana again.
Once Aeliana began explaining the utilities of the light element, Atticus was tempted to bang his head on the floor; he truly had been neglecting a powerful element!
Aside from creating illusions, Atticus could also utilize the light element to create concentrated beams that could literally cut through basically everything.
And even more than that, the light element could be used for healing! Atticus had never once thought it was possible, but after hearing Aeliana's explanation, he was starting to understand.
To heal, all he had to do was use the photons to emit a specific wavelength that promotes cellular regeneration. It was that easy and yet, he had never thought about it.
It wasn't as thorough or potent as the water element, but it was still significant.
After this, Atticus was also introduced to another mind-blowing skill. Aeliana called it light cloaking, and upon replicating it, Atticus found himself turning completely invisible.
All he had to do was create a field that guides light photons around the target—him, creating a cloaking effect.
Atticus also learned how to create solar flares, which were basically powerful bursts of light and heat capable of blinding or burning opponents.
Lastly, just like the air element, he learned how to create barriers and objects with solidified light that can block attacks. They were simply formed by densely packing light photons to create a solid impenetrable surface.
Every single one of the lessons Atticus had just learned had been high level. Something that would take years for others to learn, but in just under 6 hours, Atticus was done.
Aeliana had made him practice to increase his proficiency and also gave him tips about using the light element during battle.
She advised him not to utilize it yet until he entered the grandmaster rank, but eventually, she explained the principle of moving fast with the light element. It didn't require using elemental mimicry but the photons.
Atticus took her words to heart. Although the woman was weird, there was no doubt she meant well.
After this, Atticus soon found out that Aeliana had nothing more to teach him and was simply trying to somehow keep him in the sanctum.
Atticus immediately bolted.
It hadn't been easy, but soon enough, with sweat drenching his clothes, he found himself flying away from the blinding light sanctum and to the gloomy darkness sanctum.