Chapter 345: Grasping Calm Mind

"You aren’t trying to build a wall, Uhtred," Zara said, her voice patient as she explained the Calm Mind skill to him. "You’re establishing a baseline of awareness with your affinity. Only that, you fold that intent inward into your mindscape. Once that baseline is set, any foreign magic trying to slip in feels like a splash of cold water on hot iron."

Uhtred tried. He closed his eyes, focusing his core and attempting to pull his essence inward to construct that mental boundary.

It failed immediately.

Zara was usually decent at teaching and explaining things, but this time her explanation was vague and hard to follow.

Still, Uhtred was able to grasp a kind of understanding as he attempted what she said. In fact, he would’ve succeeded already, but the last step was what stopped him each time.

He could feel the exact threshold where the technique collapsed. He could construct a baseline state using any of his elemental affinities. He could weave fire, lightning, air, and even space magic into the required form with bare effort.

But Zara’s method went deeper than just that. It required an intrinsic, solid sense of... something — something that Uhtred simply couldn’t replicate yet.

He didn’t know what it was, but he could sense that it was something vital, something he hadn’t touched upon yet.

It seems I’m right after all, Uhtred thought. Whatever I’m missing is related to how Zara is able to form a domain already.

He watched her carefully as she demonstrated her usage of Calm Mind again from scratch.

While he couldn’t sense what was going on in her mind, there was a brief sensation he could pick up each time she activated the Calm Mind skill from scratch.

It’s as if she’s projecting her true form and will outwardly as a domain, then reverse-engineering that sensation inward into her mind...

It was unfortunate, but Uhtred realized here that there was no way he was creating the version of Calm Mind that Zara possessed.

He also came to a different realization, one that was perhaps a boon to his future attempt to create his own domain:

In the same way he couldn’t make the last step with just his understanding of a single element or affinity, Uhtred realized he wouldn’t be able to create a domain with just any affinity either.

Any domain he would create in the future would encapsulate the totality of his formless nature, just like the way Zara could easily encapsulate the totality of her spatial affinity.

He shook his head, letting out a heavy, frustrated sigh.

"It’s not clicking," Uhtred admitted frankly. "Your baseline requires a domain-level projection of will. I don’t have that yet. It’s like trying to grab smoke with my bare hands."

Lyra Starweaver, who was sitting near the central shard, let out a soft, amused breath. "I could have told you that an hour ago," she said, her velvety voice filled with schedenfraude. "Her method isn’t something you just ’pick up’ in an hour. That level of internal control is basically Awakened Realm level. You’re wasting your time trying to skip steps."

Uhtred ignored the smirk on the Elf’s face, turning his attention instead to what she had explained much earlier.

If Zara’s domain-style Calm Mind was out of reach, then the standard method — the direct, violent jolt method — was the answer.

Of course, unlike Zara’s higher version of the skill, with Lyra’s version he’d have to be able to spot when he was under an Esoteric Guile on his own — something that might prove difficult if he was up against a more powerful Esoteric magic user.

Still, though, it would suffice for now.

Uhtred closed his eyes once more. He primed his core, picking the element he was currently most comfortable with — Fire.

"Say something," he said to Lyra Starweaver.

Her lips tilted down at Uhtred’s order, but she complied nonetheless.

"Is that how to speak to a Highborn Elf?" she said, her voice velvety and compelling.

In an instant, Uhtred felt the sensation of guilt tingle at the back of his mind, as if he had truly committed a great wrong.

The moment the subtle thread of guilt tried to take root in his thoughts, Uhtred didn’t try to build an impossible mental boundary. Instead, he simply unleashed his core, igniting a micro-burst of fire essence directly within his internal pathways.

The searing shock practically scorched away the spell, forcing clarity to his mind... though the lingering heat left a slight sting in his channels.

Without wasting time, he motioned for Lyra to go again. He shifted his Formless core from Fire to Lightning, purging the next intrusion by jolting his mind. Then he cycled through Ice, Earth, doing the same thing but in different forms.

In all but a few minutes of trial, he’d gotten a good grasp on the Calm Mind skill.

[Notice!]

[Through high perception and fluid essence mastery, you have derived a General-Use Innate Skill!]

[Innate Skill Derived: Calm Mind (Level 1)]

[Effect: Allows the user to utilize raw elemental essence as an internal counter-jolt, instantly purging mind-affecting Esoteric Guile, Charm, and Compulsion effects upon sensory detection.]

Uhtred opened his eyes, releasing a soft breath.

A few paces away, Lyra Starweaver sat frozen, her eyes wide as her pointed ears twitched in disbelief.

While she would admit that it hadn’t taken her very long to learn Calm Mind, learning it in just a few minutes was nothing short of absurd — and from a human, no less.

A soft, wry breath escaped her lips as she shook her head in bitter resignation.

"No wonder..." Lyra mused out loud.

Zara glanced over, giving her a cool look. "No wonder what?"

"No wonder you defer to him," Lyra said, her calculative eyes locking onto Uhtred with a newfound, heavy caution. "I thought you were the only freak on this island. But he’s just as much of an anomaly as you are."

Zara snorted, and Uhtred didn’t even pay Lyra’s word any mind. He had grasped Calm Mind now, so she no longer really posed much of a threat to him like before.

Instead, his focus was on the far distance, where a few dots could now be seen.

"It seems we’re here..."