?712 Magic item
Massive strands of steam rose from the snow-covered plain, filling the environment with a thin, wet fog. The temperature rose, and sizzling noises invaded the area, disrupting the couple's stillness.
Monica could hardly believe what had just happened. She kept her right arm stretched, astonished by that development. She had performed the spell she hated, the only true attack allowed by her element, but something entirely different had come out.
Meanwhile, Khan inspected the area ahead and the symphony above it. His eyes could pierce the fog and evaluate the nature of the attack. He could also gauge its general power, and some dissatisfaction surged in his mind.
Induna's cold wind quickly dispersed the fog, allowing Monica to see the plain's new state. A massive gorge had appeared, digging through the snow and the frozen ground below. The channel started from her hand and stretched past what her eyes could reach.
The gorge's width was also impressive. Monica's eruption was extremely effective against the Induna's environment, but that size remained shocking. The amount of cleared snow wasn't a reliable measurement, but the huge mark on the frozen ground was. Even Khan's spears couldn't cause such destruction.
Of course, that was only in terms of scale. Khan's element could dig far deeper into the frozen ground, but that range was unachievable without losing power. He couldn't even with the spell copied from Amox.
As the sizzling noise continued, Khan ignored his surroundings and jumped beside Monica. The frozen ground was fuming, revealing its barren insides, but Khan's full attention was on Monica's right arm.
Monica was too shocked to notice it, but the item around her arm had grown scarlet. The wires had become scorching tubes that released thick grey smoke, and the soft fabric underneath them eventually gave in.
The item broke, falling at Monica's feet and melting the ice. Its wires cooled down, and cracks spread on their surface, breaking them into multiple pieces. Part of the soft fabric also took fire, but the cold quickly suppressed it.
Nevertheless, Khan continued to examine Monica's stretched arm. The item's heat had consumed her sleeve, digging past her coat and military uniform to expose her skin. Although Khan couldn't see any burns, he still seized Monica's wrist to inspect her limb.
Monica snapped out of her stupor, but Khan's worried and attentive inspection didn't reach her brain. She was still thinking about her spell, and an incredulous statement left her mouth. "I didn't erupt."
"You didn't," Khan calmly commented, lifting and bending Monica's arm to study it inch by inch. She was completely fine, but the experiment had still been too close for comfort for Khan's tastes.
"I didn't erupt," Monica repeated, adding more life into her voice. She was finally beginning to realize the nature of the monumental event, but some disbelief still lingered in her brain.
"Yes, yes," Khan sighed, letting go of Monica's arm to crouch at her feet. He tilted his head to study what remained of the item, and a curse surged through his throat.
"Dammit," Khan cursed, poking the item's remains. "It should have endured at least four tests."
The item's remains crumbled even further under the pressure of Khan's fingers. He tried his best to be delicate, but the sudden temperature change after absorbing the spell had turned the wires quite brittle. He couldn't salvage anything from that mess.
"I didn't erupt!" Monica repeated, shouting before flinging herself toward Khan. She slammed on his side, pushing him down as she trapped him into a tight hug.
Khan's back ended up on the ground, and cold and wetness seeped through his coat, aiming to envelop the uniform underneath. Many would find the sensation unpleasant, but Nitis had trained him on those issues. Besides, he couldn't even think about complaining due to the trembling figure above him.
Monica's arms were around Khan's neck, but her face was buried in his chest. Her legs were also squeezing his waist with enough strength to break the bones of ordinary soldiers. Yet, Khan only felt affection from the gesture.
"You didn't erupt," Khan sweetly said, patting Monica's head to reassure her, "But you did ruin your coat."
The joke didn't interrupt the hug, and Khan smiled as he wrapped his arms around Monica's head. She never spoke about it, but Khan had been with her long enough to know the depth of the issue.
The descendants, especially the wealthy ones, didn't necessarily need to shine in combat. Their families had so many businesses that excelling in battle prowess was superfluous. Their worth wouldn't be questioned as long as they succeeded in something valuable.
However, battle prowess was the standard among soldiers, and the wealthier families basically ruled the Global Army. Producing better warriors was almost a matter of pride meant to highlight the difference from the commoners. The descendants had to be better and appear unreachable by the masses.
Monica always had a talent for training, and her family situation made her put in more effort than her peers. Yet, her element remained a big issue since it prevented her from using efficient spells. She never complained about it, but Khan knew she had worked herself to the bone to compensate for that flaw.
Monica's elegant behavior, perfect martial arts, immense knowledge, and political insight resulted from that work. She had to be better than her peers in all those fields to cover for her element, but the issue seemed gone now. Her fiancé had solved it.
A sob resounded through the plain, adding sadness to Khan's smile. On top of knowing Monica's history, he was also aware of the pain of a troublesome element. His breakthrough had stirred emotions similar to those radiated by the trembling figure in his arms, so he remained silent to let Monica absorb the development.
Monica quickly calmed down, sniffing a few times before lifting her head. She was still wrapped around Khan but had withdrawn part of her strength. Her face became visible, and the sadness from Khan's smile vanished at the sight of her teary eyes.
"Thank you," Monica whimpered, her voice breaking. "Thank you."
A tear seemed about to fall from Monica's right eye, but she lowered her head before that could happen. She trapped Khan into a wet kiss before a sob forced her to leave his mouth.
Khan knew words couldn't help. Monica's forehead rested on his, and her closed eyes tried their best to hold back the tears. That was a happy moment, but the problem had lasted so long that the arrival of a solution caused an unstoppable emotional reaction.
A hand slipped from Monica's head to her nape, and she let it guide her down. Khan brought her to his neck and held her tightly, rubbing her back to help her calm down. Sniffs continued to resound, but Monica slowly relaxed in that loving embrace.
"Thank you," Monica eventually whispered in Khan's ear, leaving a wet kiss on his cheek. He dug his fingers into her curls to reply, and she nestled on him as if she was about to fall asleep.
The two remained in that position for many minutes, uncaring about Induna's cold. They only needed their respective warmth to survive the most chilling environment, but that frozen ground wasn't ideal for a nap.
"How many times do you have to save me?" Monica broke the silence, rubbing her face on Khan's cheek. Her intense feelings almost made her purr.
"You saved me first," Khan said, turning toward Monica.
Monica's face was a mess of tears, ice, and dirt, but the smile she wore was the most beautiful Khan had ever seen. His mind froze at that sight, but Monica couldn't stay still. Her hand went on his cheek as she drew him into another kiss.
"That's why you spent so much time with Abraham," Monica exclaimed once the kiss ended.
"Since I'm not goo-," Khan explained before clearing his throat. "Since I have no interest in technology, I asked Abraham to help. He gathered materials according to my requests."
Things had been far more complicated than that. Khan had basically created an alternative version of the Thilku runes that didn't need mana storage. Everything was in the specific properties applied to the wires, but even that was an oversimplification.
First of all, Khan didn't create a general item. The blueprint had started and ended with Monica's mana, which he knew so well. The wires wouldn't have produced similar effects with other types of energy. They would have probably broken before revealing their nature.
The wires weren't simple either. It took all of Abraham's knowledge to find a resilient material that could absorb and echo specific traits from simple induction.
Ultimately, it was on Khan to find the right group of specific influences that could lead to the desired effect. He had basically created a rune solely for Monica, using the wires instead of the lines of mana he drew in the air, and the process had required an uncountable number of tests.
Monica wasn't aware of the details but knew the matter was far from simple. Still, she was too happy to nag Khan for explanations, and a shocking realization distracted her from anything related to her.
"Wait," Monica gasped. "Did you just create a magic item?!"
