The Crimson Prince： Awakening 78 Chapter 16: Affinity Crystals

"He wouldn't have known without you. Don't think too poorly of him." Maya looked almost as shocked as Will felt.

"These Crystals could be a weapon against us if they're not closely regulated." Will was already thinking of how they could be used against him in the future. All someone needed was a friend or relative with an aura to supply him in large quant.i.ties and he could have a rogue weilder on the loose.

"You cannot control everything, Will." Maya tried to be the voice of reason. "Everyone should have the right to protect themselves. If one person uses the Crystals wrongly out of a group of a hundred, shouldn't the hundred be able to protect themselves? What if one day you turn corrupt and they need to use the power within these stones to stave you off? If you take away this power, wouldn't that show you as power hungry? Give them power and you will receive their respect."

Will knew she was speaking the truth. There was already one version of himself that was power hungry, and that Will was already trying to cross a dimensional rift to get to his world. If he was going to protect his Crystallia, he needed a world united, not just one super power. "You re right." Will said defeatedly. "I need to trust our people more."

Will took another look at the wind Crystal. "There might be another use for this." He focused on the crystal within his hand once more. Instead of reaching out to the strength of the crystal in the hopes of negating its effect, he instead inserted his consciousness into the fragment. In moments he was no longer standing alongside Maya, instead he was inside the twister within the fragment.

Wasting no time, Will sat cross legged within the twister and focused on the wind surrounding him. In no time, his body began to absorb the air current which had blown around him. In no time, the current began to diminish, and he began to feel his connection to the wind grow slightly. It was as if the wind itself was entering his body and storing itself within his core.

Will took himself out of the crystal once more with a look of satisfaction on his face. Child like wonder filled him as he looked to Maya. "There's another use for these Crystals besides the primary use Leo had made them for!"

Maya stood from the stall she had been sitting on and stretched. "Is that what you were doing?" She yawned and stood at Will's side. "I was wondering if you were ever going to move."

"How long was I standing here?" Will only felt as though a minute had pa.s.sed since he entered the Crystal.

"Take a look for yourself." She said as she looked up into the sky.

Will followed her gaze and to his amazement, the moon was not only risen, but was high in the sky already. "When did it become night?"

"You've been standing there looking at that stone for the entire day. I tried many times to snap you out of it, but it was as if you weren't in your body anymore. Where did you go?"

Instead of answering her, Will tossed the Crystal to Maya. She took a quick look at it and her eyes went wide. "You negated it?"

"No, I just absorbed its power." Will shrugged and grinned. "I may not be able to negate their power, but I think I can increase my control over the elements with these."

"How could you have possibly figured that out?" She handed the stone back to his open palm.

Will looked at the Crystal thoughtfully. "I took a page from myself from the separate timeline."

Will continued quickly before Maya could object. "I remember seeing the raw energy funneling into his body, but I think I can make this a sort of training for myself."

"How? By having everyone funnel power into these Crystals for you?" She couldn't imagine that he could do such a thing and have everyone willing to do it.

"No, I'll only need five people to give me their aura in these crystals. One for each aura I haven't mastered. I'll only need a little of their power, then I can train myself."

"If I can gain one Crystal for each affinity, I can train myself in each element much the same as I did a few years back with my flame aura. All I need to do is absorb the power and train my understanding of each one. Each of these powers need to be worked on like muscles. All I have to do is send all of my energy from each element into its respective crystal until I'm worn out, then rest until it restores. I can absorb the energy every once in a while to increase my power further." As he was explaining to Maya, an idea began forming in his head. "This discovery might actually be more important than the Ryder."

"That's just like you." Maya said with a smile.

"What?

"You can turn any situation around into one that can help."

"If we are going to survive what's next," Will clutch the Crystal within his hand. "We are going to need all the help we can get."

Will opened his hand once more and looked thoughtfully at the small stone. "We still have a few days before we need to be back here for the feast, and there's something that I would like to try."

"Don't forget, we still have to move in to our new home." Maya smiled at the thought. She had not had a home since her cottage in the woods.

Will nodded. "I might be a while again, but if I'm right it's worth it." He sat down cross legged on the gra.s.s and folded his hands around the clear stone. "I'll see you in a bit." He smiled at Maya and closed his eyes.

"I'll be waiting." Maya gave a small smile. She had waited a year for him to come back to her, she could wait a few more hours.

Will allowed his consciousness to enter the Crystal once more. What met him this time was not a vortex of power, but clear walls of an empty vessel. "Here it goes." He sat cross legged within the stone and summoned his wind.

Air currents slowly came to life around him. They started as small gusts of wind, then began to build into a twister of energy around him.

'I can go further than this.' He thought as he added a small current of flame to cycle through the gale of wind. The atmosphere turned humid as he sat within his own heat storm.

Lightning flashed around him as he sat within his storm. The winds played with his hair as he sat with his eyes closed.

As the twister became more dense, the lightning cracked above him. He poured more and more of his flame into the storm, he allowed the wind to grow strong enough to lift him off of his seat on the Crystal ground.

Sweat poured from his face as the energy coming from his body became visible. If the elements were considered a rainless hurricane, he would be the eye of the storm.

Within a countless time, the energy from both his fire and wind aura began to slowly subside. As the last remaining wisps of energy left him, he released his grip on the inside of the stone and returned to his body.

"Are you okay?" Will opened his eyes expecting to see Maya, yet instead he saw a young woman of around his age standing over him. He was somewhat stunned by her beauty as he stared at her golden locks of long blonde curly hair and her royal red robe.

"I'm fine." Will got to his feet and stretched his sore muscles. His clothes were completely drenched with sweat from the effort of filling the crystal. He held an upturned palm and summoned his flame.

With all the effort he could muster, he was only able to produce a flame large enough to light a candle. After a moment, he then extinguished the flame and gasped in a cold breath of air.

"You are Prince Ragnos?" The young woman asked as she saw the gold flame mixed with the crimson before it went out in his hand.

"That'd be me." He smiled at the woman as he allowed a small gust of wind replace the flame. It was just as much effort to keep the small breeze around him as the small flame.

"It's true then," her eyes widened slightly as she witnessed the wind surrounding him. "You can control more than just one."

"Not easily it looks like." Will let out a sigh of annoyance. He thought he was more capable by now. 'If I try to face myself with this kind of power, I'll be annihilated.' He thought to himself as he brushed his jeans off. "Is there something you need?"

Will had originally thought that the woman had just been waiting to ensure he was okay, yet when he looked at her, he could tell that she had been patiently waiting for him to steady himself.

"Yes, young lord." She gave a formal bow and allowed her thick curls to fall over her shoulder. "I was hoping to take a little of your time and to ask you for a chance." She smiled seductively at him.

Will could tell that this woman never needed to worry about someone turning her down. "You may have three minutes." He held up three fingers to her. "So I ask again," he looked indifferently at her. "Is there something you need?"

The woman was slightly shocked at the indifference he had within his tone. She had never had a man talk to her with any other tone than delight. "Yes, young prince. My name is Jeselle, I was hoping for an opportunity to gain the element of fire."

"Why do you wish for power?" Will asked indifferently. "What use would you have for it?"

"I just want the power to show the citizens of this kingdom that I too can lead, that I can be a s.h.i.+ning example for them. I wish to be a role model for those who want the ability to manipulate the elements." Her eyes lit brightly as if she could see everyone's faces after she obtained an element.

"I see." Will said as he turned away from Jeselle. "I'm sorry Miss, but that is not a good enough reason to obtain the flame."

Will had thought that once he spoke the matter would be done, but instead she continued.

"I still have a minute and a half, my lord." She said in a soft voice as she put her hand seductively on his shoulder. "Imagine your kingdom seeing the two of us together. I'm sure you could tell that we would fit nicely."

Will felt out her hand within his mind. Even with as little power as he had, he was still able to make that spot unbearably hot.

Jeselle yelped and took her hand away from his shoulder. The area where it had just been was smoking slightly.

"Miss, I am not interested. I already have someone in my life." His indifferent tone held slight annoyance as he turned back to her. "Even in the world I lived in before, women like you are unsightly."

Jeselle's lip quivered a moment before she collected herself. "But, my lord-" she was about to complain when a black and gold edged blade had snuck up to her neck.

"He said he's not interested." A cold voice sounded from behind her. "If I were you, I'd take my selfish intentions elsewhere."

Jeselle lowered her eyes to the blade and reacted in a way Will was not expecting. "Take your blade from my throat." Her voice didn't quiver at all. Instead it was filled with righteous indignation. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, Jeselle." It wasn't Maya who responded, but Will. "Who exactly are you?" Jeselle glared at Will while he spoke. "Who do you think you are, to come up to me and demand something that I gift to others?"

"I am daughter of the Duke of Bloomstar. You may not have been around here for long, but we are major trade partners with Ebonhart." She held Will's glare until she felt the blade release from her neck.

"Then I'll be sure to pay your father a visit." Will gave her a condescending smile and a mock bow. "Good day, Jeselle."