Chapter 12: Fire Affinity.
They stood in the garden, completely silent. No one could speak. The air around them felt cold and still, as if time itself had stopped to watch what just happened. The broken pieces of the second instrument lay on the grass, smoking a little.
Jonathan and Sara did not know what to say. They did not know what to think. They did not even know how to react. Their minds were empty. Their son… their seven-year-old son… had once again done something they could not understand.
He was not only the youngest mana cultivator in history. He was not only the first with a unique mana heart that even strong, high-stage cultivators could not find or feel.
Now, he had done something even more shocking. The test said he also had an affinity with all ten elements. He was not bound by the normal rules. He could freely use all the elements.
He was, in the truest sense, an all elemental mana cultivator who could do anything. His very being broke all logic, all reason, all recorded history. He was the highest kind of genius, something that had never existed before. He was the first in history to break all laws of nature.
It was a miracle no one had ever seen in this world. It was unbelievable.
Aiden. His existence itself was a miracle that normal thinking could not explain.
He had done it not one time, not two times, but three times. Three impossible things in just two short days.
Jonathan and Sara still had not gotten over the shock of learning their son had formed an invisible mana heart. They were still getting used to him being the youngest cultivator ever. And now this. Another event that broke everything they thought they knew about mana, about cultivation, and about the world itself.
They felt like the ground under their feet was gone. They felt like everything they had learned their whole lives was now pointless.
Their beliefs, their teachings, their understanding of mana, all the things they learned and knew about, all the history of the world they had read— all of it now seemed like it might be wrong, like stories that were not true.
Aiden, who was standing quietly off to the side, was also completely stunned. He could not understand it either. His mind moved fast as he thought to himself. After a short, quiet time, he finally spoke. His voice was calm but unsure.
"Mom, Dad… I think this instrument also had a problem with it."
His words pulled Jonathan and Sara out of their frozen state. Their eyes, which had been blank and looking at nothing, focused again on their son. They came back to the real world when they heard his voice.
Sara blinked a few times. Then she frowned a little as she thought for a few seconds. "Did you check it the right way?" she asked, her tone serious but steady. "Was it really working properly?"
Jonathan, who had been silent all this time, nodded slowly. "Yes," he replied in a firm and serious voice. "I checked it the right way, and it was working completely fine. When I put my mana into it, only the fire and water elements lit up. I checked it two times to be sure, and each time it gave me the correct result."
He stopped talking, lowering his head a little, deep in his thoughts. After a few more seconds of silence, he spoke again.
"I think this happened because of Aiden's unique mana heart. It is messing with how the instruments work."
Sara listened carefully. Her eyebrows came together slightly before she nodded. "I also have the same thought," she said softly. "It should be because of his unique mana heart. Otherwise, how can it be possible for one child to have an affinity with all 10 elements? It is impossible."
Even though Sara said this, she doubted her own words. What she had seen in the last two days was also completely impossible, but Aiden still did it. So she was not sure anymore if having all 10 elements was possible or not.
Jonathan nodded again, his tone calm but thinking as he went on. "Aiden's mana heart is unique. It cannot be felt or found by high-stage mana cultivators like us. So I think that is the main problem."
He paused, his eyes squinting a little as his thoughts went deeper. "But even if we cannot feel it, there is still mana stored inside it. That makes me think of something else. If it really has mana, then there should not be any problem with the instrument finding it. The mana is being put into the instrument, so it should be able to check his affinity."
Sara turned to him, curious. Aiden looked up with wide, watching eyes.
Jonathan continued, his tone thoughtful but steady. "Or… Aiden really does have an affinity with all ten elements. And it is because of that unique mana heart of his that he can use all 10 elements."
As he spoke those words, both Sara's and Aiden's faces changed. Sara's eyes opened wide in shock. Aiden's heart began to beat faster in his chest.
Jonathan looked at both of them as he said, "Why don't we check this idea? We will teach Aiden how to use our own elements. If he really has an affinity with all 10 elements, then he will be able to use all four of ours."
Sara took a deep breath in and out, then nodded slowly. "Okay," she said in agreement.
They both turned toward Aiden. He was standing quietly but listening very carefully.
Jonathan looked at him seriously and said, "Your mother and I can only teach you how to change your mana into fire, water, healing, or puppeteer elements. So, if you really have an affinity with all ten elements, you will for sure be able to use all four of these. If not, then there really is a different problem with your mana heart."
Aiden heard this and nodded seriously. "Alright, Dad," he said softly.
Jonathan went on, his voice calm but teaching. "Now I will teach you how to use fire mana first. Close your eyes. Then think about the heat in your body. Feel it. Then feel the heat in your heart. After that, use the breathing method and push that mana toward your palm. Thrust it outward just like last time. While you are doing this, think about fire."
Aiden listened closely, not missing one word. Then he nodded and said softly, "Okay, Dad."
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to focus. The garden around them was quiet. The only sounds were the light rustle of leaves in the trees and the calls of distant birds. The morning sun was warmer now, shining down on the grass where the broken instrument pieces lay.
Aiden slowly started to sense the warmth inside his body. The soft heat moved through his veins like slow, warm water. He felt it spreading from the middle of his chest. It was faint but alive. Then he focused deeper, reaching toward his heart.
There, deep inside, he sensed the center of his power. His unique mana heart pulsed quietly with a steady rhythm and a gentle, constant warmth. He focused on that heat. He matched his breathing to its slow beat.
He then began using the breathing method his father had taught him. Slow, steady, and controlled breaths. In and out. With each breath, he guided the mana from his heart toward his arm. He could feel the warmth moving through his mana veins.
It felt like a tiny, warm river flowing under his skin. It moved slowly down from his shoulder, traveling through his arm, until it reached his hand. His fingers began to feel warm.
As this happened, Aiden began to think about fire in his mind. He thought about the fireplace at home. He thought about the candles his mother lit. He thought about warmth and light.
His palm began to heat up. It was faint at first, like holding a warm cup. Then it grew stronger. The warmth turned into a gentle burn, like he had held his hand near a hot stove.
Jonathan and Sara stood a few steps away, both watching without a word. Their faces were calm, but their hearts beat faster with each second that passed. Sara's hands were clasped tightly together.
As the warmth gathered in Aiden's hand, he opened his eyes just a little. He focused his mind and, following his father's instructions, thrust his hand straight out in front of him.
The mana rushed from his palm in an instant.
With a soft whoosh, a bright flame burst out from his hand. It was small at first, no bigger than a candle flame. Then it grew stronger, leaping up like a small campfire. The fire danced in the air for a few seconds, orange and yellow and alive, before it faded away into gentle wisps of gray smoke.
The orange glow from the fire lit up Aiden's face and reflected in his dark eyes as he looked at what he had just made. His face showed complete surprise at first, and then a slow understanding.
He had done it. He had used a fire mana spell.
He had truly made fire appear from nothing.
The mana he used was real. The method worked. There was no bad feeling, no pain. Only the smooth flow of power from his heart to his hand, easy and natural.
The flame vanished, leaving only the quiet garden and the smell of smoke behind.
Aiden had just proven it. He possessed not only wind affinity, but fire as well.
Sara put her hand over her mouth. Her breathing became quick and shallow. "He… he really did it," she whispered, the words barely heard.
Jonathan stood perfectly still. His face was serious but filled with a deep wonder. His son had just shown he had fire affinity. Even if he had no other affinities at all, he would still be called a genius in this world. It was more proof that his mana heart, his very life, was extraordinary.
The morning sun shone down on the three of them as this new truth settled in their minds. They were lost in deep, heavy thought.
Aiden, at only seven years old, had become at least a dual-elemental mana cultivator. And he still had a chance to be an all-elemental cultivator, a thing of stories.
And this was only the beginning of his life. He still had a very long life to live, and he would have more time to do more amazing things.
Jonathan finally moved. He looked from Aiden's small, waiting face to the worried eyes of his wife. A new, cold fear was forming in his stomach, pushing aside the awe.
"Fire… and wind," Jonathan said, his voice low. "Two elements. One from me and the other is unknown." He looked straight at Sara. "We should test the water next. Right now. And then your healing. If he can use those too…"
He did not finish the sentence. He did not need to. Sara's face paled as she understood. If their son could learn all their elements so easily, then the impossible test result was not a mistake. It was the terrifying truth.
And if the truth about a boy who could wield every power ever known ever left their quiet garden, it would not bring fame. It would bring hunters. It would bring war. And their son would be the prize everyone would kill to own—or to destroy.
Author's Note / Disclaimer: This chapter is a work of fiction. All characters, names, and settings are original creations of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. The chapter is part of an ongoing fantasy novel and reflects the unique world, systems, and logic within its own lore.