Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Domain of Power
Aiden's maid: Alina
Aiden's Mother: Elara
The morning air hung heavy with anticipation as Aiden stood in the center of his secluded training ground.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centering himself before extending his hand, focusing on the energy that pulsed through him.
He could feel it responding, surging to the surface as he willed it into existence causing the air around him to begin to shimmer, bending and warping as his will took hold.
A ripple of power spread out from him, distorting the space within a ten-meter radius around his body.
"Spatial Domination," he whispered to himself.
The training ground seemed to shift as if reality itself had been altered as the space within Aiden's domain felt malleable, as though he could shape it however he desired.
He raised his hand, and a boulder at the far end of the field began to levitate, defying gravity as it floated toward him.
With a simple flick of his wrist, the boulder shattered into a thousand pieces, the fragments suspended in mid-air, each one perfectly controlled by his will.
Aiden smiled, marveling at the power he now held.
Within this domain, he was like a god, able to manipulate space to his whim. He could create barriers, alter distances, and even crush objects with the force of his will alone.
There were two limitations though.
One limitation was his own strength—those with greater physical or magical power might resist or even shatter his domain, but within it, he was the master.
The other limitation was the range of his domain—currently, only ten meters—but within it, he was the master.
He turned his attention to a set of training dummies lined up nearby, all within his domain.
With a thought, he summoned a barrier around them, a translucent field of energy that glowed with a soft, blue light.
Clenching his fist slightly, the barrier contracted, crushing the dummies with pressure and a precision that left no room for escape.
The force of the contraction was immense, the pressure enough to obliterate anything caught within it as even the shattered pieces were held in place by the Spatial force within the Domain.
"This... is incredible," Aiden murmured to himself, feeling the power thrumming through him.
With this, the possibilities were endless.
He could trap opponents, distort their perception of space, or even compress reality itself to his advantage.
Just as he was about to test another application of his newfound power, he sensed movement at the edge of his domain causing him to turn, and to his surprise, he saw Mira, Finn, and Jaxon approaching.
"Aiden!" Finn called out, waving as they closed the distance. "We were looking for you! Mira said you'd be out here testing your new powers."
Aiden let the energy dissipate, and the distorted space around him returned to normal. He smiled at his friends as they reached him, their eyes already scanning the area, no doubt noticing the remnants of his energy.
"Couldn't stay away, huh?" Aiden teased, folding his arms across his chest. "I was just getting started."
Mira gave him a stern look. "We were worried you might be pushing yourself too hard. You just woke up after that experiment, and here you are, already back at it."
"Can you blame me?" Aiden replied with a grin. "I have to know what I'm capable of now."
Finn's eyes gleamed with interest. "We could tell. Whatever you activated, it's definitely on another level."
Jaxon, who had been quietly observing, nodded. "It's impressive, Aiden."
As sorcerers, they could all sense magical energies and could tell that Aiden's, despite being of the same quantity as theirs, gave off a fiercer feeling than theirs.
"But how about a real test?" He suggested.
Aiden raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you have in mind?"
"A spar," Jaxon said simply, his tone matter-of-fact. "The three of us against you. Let's see what you can really do with this new power of yours."
Aiden's smile widened at the challenge. "You're serious?"
"Of course," Finn chimed in, already crackling with excitement as sparks of electricity danced across his skin. "What better way to test your abilities than against us? Besides, we've been itching for a good fight with you."
"It's been years since you locked yourself away and refused to fight with us." Jaxon said sullenly.
"That's because there was nothing new I was learning from you guys and you got busy." Aiden defended himself with a shrug and turned to Mira.
Mira sighed but didn't object, her gaze on Aiden. "We'll hold back, of course. Just enough to push you without overwhelming you." She said sarcastically, causing Aiden to chuckle.
Aiden felt a surge of excitement at the prospect.
Sparring with his friends was always intense. Although there was nothing to learn from them, it didn't excuse the fact that they were good.
There was a special feeling battling them with the Wind and light Element alone, but now, with The Force, he wondered how far they could push him.
He nodded, stepping back to give them space as they spread out, forming a loose circle around him.
"Alright," Aiden said. "Let's see what this power can do."
He activated his domain, and the air around him shimmered once more as [Spatial Domination] took hold.
The ground beneath their feet seemed to shift subtly, and the distance between them warped slightly, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.
The three didn't think much of the change, and Finn, being the most hyperactive of the three, was the first to move with lightning crackling around his body as he charged forward with blinding speed.
The electrical energy enhanced his movements, making him a blur as he closed in on Aiden, but within the domain, he had the advantage.
With a thought, he altered the space between them, making it stretch out so that Finn's dash seemed to take twice as long as it should..
Finn's eyes widened in surprise as the distance between them grew, but he quickly adjusted, summoning a bolt of lightning and hurling it at Aiden.
The crackling energy surged forward with extreme speed, but Aiden raised his hand, and the bolt veered off course, curving around him harmlessly.
"Nice try," Aiden said with a smirk.
Jaxon took that moment to strike from behind, his Earth affinity allowing him to meld with the ground and reemerge right behind Aiden. His large frame moved with surprising speed and precision, his fist encased in a thick layer of hardened rock as he aimed a heavy punch at Aiden's back.
But Aiden was ready and summoned a barrier behind him, causing Jaxon's earth-infused fist to collide with it, the impact reverberating and sending a vibration through the air, however, the barrier held strong, and Aiden used the opportunity to counter.
By twisting the space around Jaxon, he caused the ground beneath his feet to undulate and shift unnaturally, and before Jaxon could regain his balance, Aiden unleashed a wave of blunt repulsive force that sent him skidding backward, unable to resist.
At that moment, it was as though Aiden had suspended Jaxon in the air and hit him with a blunt force strong enough to push him away.
Aiden was still getting used to the Force, hence the reason behind the lack of substantial repulsive force behind his attack.
This point, he took note of.
Mira, who stood at the rear, had been observing from a distance and analyzing Aiden's movements with her sharp, emerald-green eyes.
Despite her fiery red hair, she was a master of wood magic, and she finally made her move, her hands glowing with a soft, green light as she summoned vines from the earth.
The vines snaked toward Aiden with incredible speed, their movements graceful and coordinated.
Aiden sensed the vines' approach, their sinuous forms closing in on him. But within his domain, he was in control.
He raised his right hand towards the incoming wave of vines, and the vines slowed, their momentum gradually halting as they reached the edge of his barrier.
With a flourish of his left hand, he reversed the direction of the vines, sending them back toward Mira. 'Hmm. Interesting.' Aiden thought as he made an observation.
He didn't know he could actually reverse an attack aiming for him and had moved his left hand unconsciously and gotten that effect.
'Perhaps…Extension and Reversal..?' He thought as he recalled extending the space between Finn and himself.
Mira who saw her attack reversed reacted quickly, severing the connection causing the vines to crumble to dust before they could reach her. Her eyes narrowed, and she summoned a shield of wood and energy around herself, preparing for Aiden's next move.
Aiden however smiled and decided to change tactics.
He focused inward, channeling The Force into his body, enhancing his physical abilities, reinforcing his muscles and sharpening his senses.
And with a new perspective, he dashed forward, his physical speed now matching Finn's despite his lightning enhancement, and closed the distance between them in an instant.
Finn barely had time to react before Aiden was upon him, and before he could react, Aiden's fist connected with his chest, the impact sending him flying backward.
But Finn recovered quickly midair, landing on his feet and skidding to a stop, his eyes blazing with excitement.
"That's more like it!" Finn shouted, his grin wide as lightning crackled around him. "Let's see how long you can keep this up!" The next moment, his figure blurred as he was once again upon Aiden.
Jaxon and Mira also moved in unison, attacking from opposite sides.
Jaxon's Earth heavy damage Element and Mira's wood element precision were a deadly combination, but Aiden's control over space gave him the edge.
He twisted the ground beneath Jaxon's feet, causing him to stumble again, while simultaneously creating a barrier to deflect Mira's attacks.
Finn, Jaxon and Mira had a substantial amount of experience considering they were active sorcerers who took on tasks and left the tower. Aiden on the other hand, made up for his lack of experience with skills.
The intensity of the sparring session escalated with every passing moment.
His domain of spatial domination gave him an edge, but his opponents were skilled, coordinated and relentless.
Finn charged at Aiden with vigor, his body enveloped in crackling lightning.
His speed was basically unmatched, but Aiden always adapted at the last second.
He couldn't use more than one ability of the Force at a time, so his initial boost had worn off the moment he created a barrier to deflect Mira's attacks.
And to make matters worse, Aiden just discovered that he couldn't access his mana while using the Force.
This was a handicap in a way but Aiden wasn't bothered.
This was a spar to get his Force abilities under control and understand them better.
With a precise shift of space, he created a barrier that blocked Finn's lightning-infused strikes.
While this was going on, Jaxon who was still recovering from his previous encounter used his earth magic to stabilize himself. He found it difficult to understand as to how Aiden was able to always pick on him.
Itwas as though he was venting at any moment he had.
One should know that in a match up between Wind and Earth, if there were no external factors involved, a Wind mage couldn't get the upper hand against an Earth mage.
Jaxon had used this to always remain the last man standing whenever they sparred in the past, but now, He was just realising how much kf a grudge Aiden could bear.
He rose from the ground, fists clenched, and slammed them down, sending shockwaves through the earth aimed at Aiden. The ground rippled causing fissures to appear and the training field to tremble.
Aiden sensing this, reacted swiftly and manipulated the space to create an upward thrust of energy that neutralized the shockwaves before they reached him.
There was the option of retaliating with an equally repulsive force but Aiden wasn't sure his Domain could handle that so he opted for reversing gravity upwards, effectively creating an Absorber and absorbed the shockwave.
The ground beneath Jaxon buckled as Aiden twisted it, creating a whirlpool of earth that temporarily entangled Jaxon, slowing his movements.
'This is getting interesting.' Aiden thought excitedly. Anyone who saw him do that would assume he was an Earth Style mage, but…
Mira, on the other hand, took advantage of Aiden's distraction with Jaxon summoned a barrage of wooden projectiles, her magic crafting sharp, thorny spears that she hurtled toward Aiden.
Her aim was precise as the projectiles flew with impressive speed.
Aiden sensed the approach and adjusted the space around him, forming a temporary barrier that intercepted the projectiles while also defending against Finn's assault.
They crashed into the shield, splintering and dissipating into harmless fragments.
Aiden could feel the strain of holding the shield but maintained his focus, his eyes scanning for Mira's next move only to see her also observing him.
Realizing the need for a more direct approach, Aiden channeled The Force into his legs and launched himself at Finn, his speed amplified.
Finn was caught off guard by the sudden burst of acceleration, and Aiden's punch landed squarely on Finn's cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Due to his Lightning element, Finn's body had always been sturdy.
Even when compared with the Sturdy looking Jaxon, he still came out on top. This was what helped him quickly recover and flip to his feet before resuming his assault with renewed determination.
"Tsk." Aiden clicked his tongue in annoyance. He'd forgotten to enhance his strength at that moment and just threw a normal punch.
Lightning crackled around Finn as he dashed toward Aiden, attempting to overwhelm him with a series of fast, electrified punches.
Aiden was already anticipating the attack so he manipulated the space to twist the distance between them, causing Finn's strikes to conveniently miss their mark.
He then countered with a spatial distortion, pulling Finn toward him and catching him in a surprise grapple before the two got locked in close combat, each trying to outmaneuver the other.
A lightning coated Finn and a Force Enhanced Aiden.
Jaxon who had already freed himself, saw this as a chance and used his earth magic to create a series of stone spikes that shot up from the ground, aimed at Aiden.
The spikes were fast and deadly, but Aiden immediately turned off the enhancement and twisted the space around the spikes, warping their trajectory and causing them to veer off course in the opposite direction.
Mira, seizing the moment, used her wood magic to entangle the stone spikes in vines, redirecting them harmlessly into the ground. She then summoned a protective barrier of intertwining vines around Jaxon, reinforcing his defense as he prepared for another assault.
Aiden who was still locked in a CQC with Finn saw the synergy between Mira and Jaxon and realized that there would be a challenge in facing them as a cohesive unit.
He needed to adapt quickly so he focused on enhancing his domain, amplifying its effects to exert greater control over the battlefield.
With a wave of his hand, Aiden extended his domain's range past the 10 meter mark, manipulating the space to create additional barriers and distortions around his opponents.
The area within ten meters became a chaotic battlefield of shifting distances and warped realities as 'here' met 'there'..
Seeing this spectacle, Finn who now grew more cautious, adjusted his approach, already being used to the twisting of reality when Aiden used his light illusions.
So using his lightning to create diversionary bursts that illuminated the area, he managed to disrupt Aiden's spatial manipulations much to Aiden's shock.
'What…?'
Without realising the incredible feat of dispelling his Spatial hold on Finn, Jaxon and Mira continued working in tandem, coordinating their attacks to exploit any openings in Aiden's defenses but Aiden didn't let any attack through.
Seeing the futility in their actions, Mira summoned a dense thicket of wooden branches that grew rapidly, aiming to ensnare Aiden within their grasp.
The branches wove together, forming a cage of sorts, but Aiden responded by distorting the space around the thicket, causing it to elongate and warp, making it difficult for the branches to encroach on him.
With a smirk, he casually walked through the oversized wooden cage before setting his gaze on Mira as though showing her the futility in her action.
Seeing this, Jaxon, leveraging the earth's strength, created a shield of rock around himself and Mira, reinforcing their defense before he then sent a series of seismic pulses through the ground, targeting Aiden's feet and attempting to destabilize his footing before he made a move.
As if sensing the seismic pulse, Aiden countered by shifting the space beneath him, creating a stable platform that resisted Jaxon's attacks.
"Nothing really happens within this Domain without my knowledge." He said before he then focused on Finn, who was using lightning to create a series of blinding flashes with each movement.
While disorienting, they weren't a cause for concern since there were other ways to perceive one's presence within his domain.
However, In a split second of disorientation, Finn took advantage and launched a powerful lightning surge directly at him.
Aiden quickly adjusted the space, diverting the surge away from him before following with a swift counterattack, using his telekinesis to pick up the broken pieces of Wooden and Earthen spikes lying around forcing Finn to retreat.
And just as Aiden was about to switch to Physical Enhancement, he suddenly paused and began spasming while still on his feet.
"Aiden?" Finn called out in confusion and worry at the weird behaviour Aiden was displaying. "Oi, are you alright?" He asked and took a step towards him.
However, just as he took a step inside the domain, he was bounced out. The lightning cloak on his body scattered and hit Aiden's exposed body causing him to jerk before his eyes turned white, following which he fell unconscious.
***
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