~ Life is a Mystery Many Have Failed to Solve (Erenthril, private)

[Crimson]

Continued from here ...

Timestamp: several brightenings from last timestamp in above thread.

There was no need to dive into Clara for Erenthril's perpetual access to the Astral Plane allowed him to mold the initiate-level spell within a matter of ... almost a second? Before he could confirm that he was indeed not home and that it was very cold, a flash of intense flames suddenly consumed his form. Not enough to incinerate the newly Promoted Archmagus, but more than enough to keep him warm and glowing.

Stranger still, though, the ice around him refused to melt. With his dual-vision, Eren realized why. There was a source, far from him, but within the structure of the room's exertior, that kept the ice everlasting -- in mundane terms. Under the context of Arcana, of course, the weaves that formed just never ceased to dissipate back to their Plane.

And it was that moment that Eren realized just how much he could sense, almost taste, the Arcana around him. The room, everything he could see, touch, and smell, was made from Elemental Magic. He was inside a perpetual spell.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

He felt the spell snap into space within a milliseconds, something pleasantly surprising and yet intimidating all at the same while. It dawned upon him slowly that he’d been Promoted, that he’d reached the next tier – the last tier, for that matter – and was what many would consider the pinnacle of the most successful mages’ careers. Hell, his spell list could be considered the pinnacle of any mage’s career.

Sighing casually as he felt warmth return to his fingers and toes, the Syl’rosyian Elflord picked himself up off the ice bed he’d been lying on (rather uncomfortably, at that) and glanced around the room. His dual perception of both the Physical and Astral Plane allowed him to perceive the presence of a rather powerful enchantment none too far from where he was standing, its weaves inexplicably maintaining the frigid temperature that was the sole allowance for such a construction to exist. Housed within this ice prism, Erenthril found himself surrounded by the Element of Water in what could easily have been described as a fairytale story.

He knew better.

Looking for a door or entry point, Erenthril adjusted the cuffs of his robes and decided inspecting the source of all this power would be the next logical step to his acquaintance of these new powers. Stepping outside the room, he queried in a light tone, “Heronythys?”

[Crimson]

There was a single doorway leading out of the vast ice-crystal room. Despite conquering the obvious cold, Eren found himself slipping over the never-thawing surface. However he opted to remedy this problem was up to him, but once he called on the Golden One, a pair of Ice Elementals soon greeted him, merging from the very floor just paces in front of the Elf Lord.

"Serale Archmagus", they both said in unison. The two Elementals were easily as tall as Erenthril though their shells were still rippling and swirling to take a more permanent shape, "The Golden One is currently unavailable. But if you wish to roam the Citadel, you are more than welcome. You cannot, however, transport yourself outside the fortress until our Master has returned."

"Our Master has also instructed us to relay a message", they went on, "your first lesson is to Undo what cannot be Undone. If you need us, merely call and we shall assist you in any way that we can."

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

He was slipping along the floor, and though he had begun to doubt anyone else was present just at the time being, he had a certain displeasure for falling on his ass and making a fool of himself. He remedied the problem quickly enough, perhaps defining the epitome of his ‘particular style’ that the Golden One had made mention of upon their last encounter. Quickly delving into the essence plane of Earth, Eren began to cast the spell construct upon the lower portions of both his boots, shaping and molding through the alteration of the essence a pair of tempered hardened skates. Attaching them was only the difference of stabilizing the spell and looping it around both soles of his boots.

Before long, the innovative Elementalist was skating his way from room to room, within a crystalline glass maze of ice as he sought to find the power source.

Let’s not forget to mention the two Elementals that came and greeted him. He smiled softly and offered a curt nod to both. “You’re free to call me Erenthril. Would it be too much to ask of you to guide me to the source of power here? I feel a short tour might be in order here if I’m to preside here until Heronythys returns…” he smiled apologetically, as if he was taking time out of their respective brightening – but then, they had offered, and the quicker he had a chance to more closely examine the cause of this icebox the better.

To Undo what cannot be Undone…well there was never a better oxymoron to exist.

[Crimson]

At the Archmagus' question, the pair of Elementals looked at each other for a moment. "Source of power?", they repeated, "but there is only one source, and he is currently meeting with his Council." For a moment, their response seemed pretty smart-ass for a duo of sentient beings from another Plane. But it would take Erenthril a few more moments to realize that they were probably just being honest.

Arcana was, in itself, a power source. To access that power, however, one had to sacrifice Vis. Eren knew this; and so did everyone else who has ever cast a spell. It was a give and take relationship. And before a Journeyman could almost-permanently attune themselves to a single Plane, there was the paradox of Clara. Could it be possible then to become a channel, so to speak, between an Essence Plane and the Material Plane, rather than relying on a Stave or the fleeting trance-like state of Clara?

"But we are allowed to show you around", they went on but still obviously perplexed by the visitor's query, "it may take ... several cycles, however, to show you all the rooms ..."

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Eren’s eyes narrowed in quiet cynicism at their response. It was highly unlikely that Heronythys had cast a spell upon this entire castle that was sentient enough to renew itself and draw power from its respective plane. All spells died eventually. There was no such thing as a ‘permanent’ spell, not of this particular variety, and certainly not of this caliber. Something was continually powering the spell, serving as an anchor to the Elemental Plane of Water which enabled it to draw upon all of the energies it was depleting as the weaves of Mana dissipated into the Physical Plane.

The question was what.

He’d noticed earlier, within the very structure of the room he’d been housed, that the weaves that had formed never dissipated back into their original Plane. Which meant the spell was in action now. Which meant that in order to have this anchor, someone or something was undoubtedly the channel to the Elemental Plane.

He suddenly became suspicious of the two Elementals standing before them. Ice Elementals. Perfect for maintaining an environment as such, and no doubt still able to draw power from their own plane. Scions? “What exactly are you not allowed to do?” he asked casually as he began to scrutinize them much more closely. It wasn’t entirely unfeasible for a pair of Elementals to continually maintain an entire castle made of Ice. Unbeknownst to Erenthril, a particular Elementalist had used this trick to accomplish an Everwinter that plagued Jaedaxia for seasons.

If they were responsible for being the channel to the Elemental Plane, and were thus feeding the Castle itself by replenishing the essence…well, he’d certainly notice.

[Crimson]

It was true. No spell was ever permanent in the full sense of the word; something had to keep it either 'fresh' by preventing the weaves from dissipating fully. At Eren's next query, the pair of Ice Elemenats paused for a moment again before responding as briefly as they could without going too much into the details. That was something the Golden One taught them: to be wise was to be concise.

"We are permitted to do as wel please so long as it does not go against our Master's wishes",they said together, "but we remind you ... Erenthril", they went on with a tad of hesitation due to the lack of formality, "that the Golden One requests that you complete your first task before he returns. We shall lead you to the location of this task then?"

By this time, the twin elementals' shells were finally complete. Each one forged a demeanor similar to Erenthril's -- elven in shape and size. They allowed themselves more liberty to 'design' their garbs, however. The first wore armour similar to chainmail except it was made by glass-like ice complete with leggings, armour, and a cap formed from a continuous flow of water essence. Its counterpart chose some less pretentious things and instead produced a seemingly soft material akin to cloth by manipulating a fine stream of water around him: robes, perhaps, complete with boots and gloves.

"This way Arch ... we mean, Erenthril ...", they continued leading the Archmage away from the passage until they reached a separate door. Everything was still forged from ice, but Eren would find himself even more amazed by the detail that Heronythys put into his Everwinter Castle. Overhead were sculpted chandelliers that glowed as light from the outside was trapped within its diamond-like interior. The hallway itself housed several ice-made suits of armour, even paintings, and other works of art -- all made from Ice.

The icy double doors before Erenthril was massive, at least fifteen feet in height and a full seven feet in length. It came complete with surface that looked like carved wood, two door handles, even a keyhole. "Our Master wishes you the best of luck to complete your task", the icy twins nodded before turning to leave.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Awe.

There was no other word to describe the sensation Erenthril felt as he travelled through the icy manor, examining the frostbitten items and the chilled luxuries that Heronythys had installed to make the atmosphere more…cozy. If such a definition could be used to describe an entire castle made from ice. It had an almost glass-like serenity to it, one that Erenthril would soon come to respect and admire. After all, beauty could be found in all things of life, and Heronythys’ castle was a picturesque sculpture of art..and as such commanded the Elflord’s respect.

“I see,” he remarked ruefully at the Elementals’ response, ignoring their fascinations with clothing and attire for the time being. Although it said a plethora for their personalities, the Elementalist really wasn’t all that concerned with their presence at the moment. He had a nagging suspicion they were useless in this endeavor, and beyond leading him to the place where Heronythys must have felt was best suited for Eren to “Undo what cannot be undone”, they had been as helpful as a pair of slaughtered rabbits festering out in the sun for four day’s time. Not exactly a pleasant picture…but you get the idea.

Rolling up his sleeves, Erenthril nodded curtly in their direction before examining the new room they had brought him into.

“When is your master expected to return?” he asked briefly, glancing over his shoulder at them and studying their retreating figures out of the corner of his eye. A time line would be beneficial, especially considering the Elementalist usually worked well under pressure. Clapping his hands together when they left, he shoved them into his pockets and turned to face the doors. The chandelier hanging high above his head caught light through the icy prism and glittered it down below, but beyond that…well, there had to be a reason why Eren was brought here. His attention focused upon their massive height, the lifelike serenity of the door handles, and then…the keyhole.

It was time to test some hypotheses.

“Alright Heronythys…let’s see just how icy you made the place,” the Elementalist spoke, briefly casting a small yet intense elemental shock of pure, inferno-like fire through the keyhole in the door. Granted its superheated temperatures, the Archmage watched carefully under the perception of his dual-vision if the fire had the intended results of melting a portion of the ice structure. After all, in order to Undo what could not be Undone, he’d have to counter-balance one element versus the other…right?

[Crimson]

"He will arrive before the Two Suns depart from their thrones", the Icy Elementals nodded in return, "best wishes, Erenthril." With that, they were gone, slipping effortlessly into the very floor they once stood on, as if becoming one with the castle they guarded.

There was only a soft hiss as a blast of pure Arcana flames was produced by the newly promoted Archmage. Its heat could have been comparable to intense flames born from Demiosian volcanoes, or even the pits of Aslan's Forge. But even then, Erenthril watched in both amusement and annoyance as the keyhole remained intact -- including the door, handles, and the fancy decorations which should melt given the extreme temperatures.

With his dual vision, Erenthril realized that the weaves dissipated -- sure -- but also reconstructed soon after, effectively undoing any damage wrought by him. It was like fighting a hydra, except this one was a pair of doors. No heads, just seemingly everlasting ice.

Any other plans?

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril grinned as he watched the smoldering heat and steam come up from his spell and the keyhole. Horribly disfigured as it may be, he was nonetheless amused that the weaves quickly restructured themselves just as he’d predicted they would. Which was, needless to say, not exactly favorable in this turn of events. Especially when he had only until nightfall to accomplish the task. A foreboding sense of obstacles…a challenge.

Which left him with limited options.

He had a myriad of ways to approach the situation:

A. He could counter the spell…the enchantment…with one of his own. That is to say, he’d be whacking off the hydras’ heads and beating them to the ground repetitiously until Heronythys returned, thus creating a mute, constantly striving standstill between the two elements. Granted, if his worked faster than the dragon’s, then effectively he would be achieving what he wanted, but somehow he doubted it would.

B. He could attempt to dispel the spell. But that presupposed it was an actual spell, and given the reconfiguring weaves, well, that would only lead to the conclusion that…

C. It was in fact not a spell, but an enchantment. Which meant it had a source. Every enchantment had a source. It had a place where the spell was housed, continuously activated, where Heronythys had disconfigured and dematerialized the actual entity of one specimen and then re-wove it back together with the spell housed inside. Which meant he would have to disenchant. Which meant he would be a very annoyed and irritated Archmage to have to do something of such caliber.

Needless to say, he still felt that the best place to attack the weave was at its source. And so, using his dual-vision one last time, he tried to contrive if such a source was located within this room. He glanced at the doors, at the chandelier…anything and everything. After all, hadn’t the Elementals said he needed to be in here to solve this puzzle?

[Crimson]

While life may be an endless mystery even to the gods above Telath, a mysterious icy fortress with a knack of repairing itself faster than it could melt had but a single solution to its profound riddle. With his dual vision, Erenthril looked up, down, side to side, beyond the realm of the Material and into the very intricate pattern of weaves that kept Heronythys' castle intact. Even with his newfound powers, however, Erenthril could not seem to find the source. The weaves seemed to extend far, farther than the castle itself as if a single strand was keeping it from dissipating naturally as any spell would.

Several minutes passed and Erenthril found himself still concentrating on the individual strands, threads, and braids that produced the entirity of the Golden Dragon's ridicolously complex spell. He realized then that the spell was purposefully and continuously repairing itself to 100%. In short, everything was always icy, always cold, never even 1% melted. It was like watching an ocean's tide; whenever it receded, it was replaced by another wave. The entire castle was the same way: it was eternal.

Suddenly, Erenthril located something. At least, he thought so. There was a very familiar pattern that came up after a dozen or so times of nit-picking at the weaves around him. The new Archmagus recognized it as product of abjuration and alteration -- movement and form. The icy castle was not only in perpetual motion but it was also in a fluid state that was so coordinated that everything remained intact despite the continually regenerating environment.

But that wasn't the only thing Erenthril realized. Trailing the pattern with his dual vision, he continued until the weave became simpler ... and it left the boundary of the castle itself and seemed to go out farther, so far that Eren's vision could follow the weave no longer. It was connected to something, that was evident ...

But what?

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril searched.

He searched and he searched and he searched. It was nearly exhausting, tracking through the ridiculously complex patterns and figures that Heronythys had woven into the spell. It must have taken the Archmage several candlemarks to perform, to be this intricately connected. Of course, to ever masterpiece, there was but a smaller and similar masterpiece of a much lesser level. It took the Elementalist some time, mere minutes in fact, but he found it nonetheless – a consistent pattern of abjuration and alteration that fed the basis of the spell’s function. This intricate tiny footnote was repeated upon every page of every novel of every encyclopedia of the spell’s written success – it was the very cornerstone of how the spell functioned.

The Elementalist was amazed.

That Heronythys had managed to produce such a spell to where the weaves reproduced themselves, repetitiously, in continuous motion of an altered field, was merely beyond what he’d expected. Well…that wasn’t quite yet, for he’d expected something of this grandeur. But astonishment never trailed far beyond disbelief, and on the verge of frustration, the Syl’rosyian Elflord had discovered, quite plausibly, his single greatest discovery of the brightening.

That single strand.

That single strand that, while inexplicable per the moment, was hypothesized to have led to Heronythys himself. How, the Elementalist wasn’t sure, but it was like a doorway into the unknown. All he had to do was splinter it apart. Granted, it was a stretch, but to cut off the entire weave from the source was just as efficient as cutting an entire ball of yarn off from the sweater. He tried it nonetheless. Summoning the mass of Ara not only from within the castle, but from outside it as well, Erenthril began a brutal disempowering dispel upon that single strand. He would cut it like scissors to thread – not just in one place, for fear of it snapping back together too quickly (the weaves were effectively repairing themselves, like the ebb of a tide) but in multiple places. He would cease the strand’s very existence, cut it off from the castle of Ice, and wait patiently for the toll to be paid.

Thinking better of it, just in forethought, he also cast a brief Elemental Immunity upon himself as well, should all hell break loose (as oxymoronic as it sounded in a castle built from ice) and the walls begin to degenerate in a more aggressively, hostile manner than he predicted. This being if he was successful, of course.

[Crimson]

Cutting the strand was ironically the easiest thing Erenthril has done thus far. Using his mind's hands, Erenthril effectively snapped the single strand with ease ... but nothing else happened. His form, now mutely glowing with both Inner Radiance and Elemental Immunity to ice and water seemed unnecessary considering the amount of magic concentrated in one place. With his mind's eyes, the entirity of the patterns were intact ... minus that one strand that led someplace else.