High above the sky, the grand fortress of the air sanctum floated majestically. Just in front of the grand gates of the sanctum, a small swirl of water suddenly materialized, and the figure of Atticus abruptly appeared in the area.
There was one feeling Atticus felt immediately upon arrival: freedom. He felt completely and utterly free.
Opening his eyes, Atticus saw no one, only the grand airy gates. But it was only for a second.
A gust of air materialized, making Atticus’s clothes flutter and causing him to shut his eyes momentarily.
“Have you lost your way, boy?”
Atticus opened his eyes and saw an old man of average height and lean build, with a physique that screamed agility.
He had long white hair that flowed freely with the wind and was clad in flowing robes of blue and white. The man’s hand reached for his long mustache on his face, twirling its tip.
“Right, there should be only one 16-year-old here. You must be Atticus. Aren’t you supposed to be in the water sanctum?”
The man tilted his head to the side, a little confused. This was the first time a 16-year-old was visiting the sanctum, and Magnus had already informed each of the sanctum masters of his arrival.
They had each obviously been curious and were gladly keeping tabs on his progress. The last he heard, Atticus had just finished the fire sanctum 16 hours ago. What was he doing here?
Atticus maintained his calm look, unbothered by the fact that a grandmaster was currently scrutinizing him.
“I’ve mastered the water element to acceptable levels already.”
The man’s gaze narrowed. “Impossible!” A gust of air left his figure, making Atticus’s hair flutter backward.
Atticus frowned, getting a bit annoyed by the constant gusts of air the man kept emitting.
“I’ll be back!”
The man abruptly vanished before Atticus could say anything, another intense wind spreading out.
Atticus inhaled deeply, his hands clenching slightly at his sides. ‘I swear, one more time and I’ll freak.’
A second passed, and then a gust of wind blew toward Atticus once more. Atticus’s gaze flashed, ‘Not this time around!’
He focused and tried to control the air to avoid him but failed miserably, his hair and clothes fluttering as the gust reached him.
Atticus’s gaze narrowed. “What the hell…”
“You! What magic did you use?”
Atticus wasn’t given enough time to ponder everything as the firm face of the man with the long mustache abruptly appeared in front of his face.
‘I didn’t see or hear him move.’
Another gust hit Atticus’s face, causing him to close his eyes and clench his teeth. The man didn’t seem bothered by Atticus’s clear annoyance. He twisted and twirled his mustache while waiting for a response.
‘Calm down, Atticus, you can’t win,’ Atticus tried to calm his nerves. If not for the fact that the man was a grandmaster, he would probably have pounced on him already.
Atticus looked at the eccentric man and responded with a forced smile.
“The fact that we can manipulate the elements is literally magic. You’re going to have to be specific… sir.”
“Mhm, a smart ass, I see,” the man stood up straight, his eyes not leaving Atticus. “Well, if you’re so good, let’s see you in action,” he folded his arms on his chest and simply stared.
Atticus raised an eyebrow, initially not understanding what the man was getting at.
‘Does he want me to manipulate the air element here?’ He realized the man’s intention after a few seconds and released a deep sigh, ‘I miss Liora already.’
Despite leaving her in that state, she had been the best sanctum master he had met. He truly needed that peace again.
Atticus turned to face the eccentric man and saw him still standing still, not saying anything. ‘How annoying.’
Atticus cleared his head and focused. Unlike with fire and water, where he had practiced in places with an abundance of their respective molecules, this case would be different, he could feel it. The molecules were present, but not in such staggering amounts.
It took a minute, but Atticus sensed them eventually. However, that was only the beginning.
From the times he had seen the man in front of him manipulate the air, he had immediately noticed the difference between this and the other elements.
It was a good thing Atticus never forgot anything he saw once. He had seen the process from start to finish.
For controlling the air element, Atticus had to manipulate the movements and interactions of the molecules in the air almost like the others.
There were three key things Atticus had seen the man do: density manipulation, pressure control, and flow manipulation.
Atticus decided to start with something simple. To create a gust of wind, the man had decreased the air pressure in one area and increased it in another.
This difference in pressure caused air molecules to move rapidly from high pressure to low pressure, creating a gust.
Atticus replicated this process, a subtle gust of wind forming all around him.
“Ohhhh!” the man’s eyes opened wide, his hand involuntarily pulling his mustache. “Incredible! Incredible!”
Atticus only had time to hear those words before he found himself being pulled by a force out of his control. He opened his eyes and found himself high in the sky.
In front of him was the eccentric face of the man with a wide grin. Atticus backed away by reflex, startled.
He could immediately feel the abundance of air molecules all around him. Different white-haired individuals strolled below across the sanctum, many hands pointing upwards as they recognized the master of the sanctum and the family head’s son.
A voice brought Atticus out of his reverie. “Young boy, my name is Aeolus. I am the master of the air sanctum.”
Atticus took a moment and just as he was about to respond, Aeolus interrupted and continued, “I know who you are, let’s not waste any time,” he appeared impatient, as though he wanted to begin training immediately.
“Replicate this.”
Atticus felt the air between him and Aeolus solidifying. It was transparent as air, and Atticus could still see through it, but he knew immediately that there was something there.
He stretched his right arm, his palm touching a hard surface in the air.
