[Primeval Magic: The Hollow].
It only had one purpose—one goal.
Consuming everything in its path, swallowing them to an empty void that led nowhere.
By utilizing both Aether and Nether, Stefan had managed to create an anomaly around him that ensured anything that moved close to him was consumed by a milder version of The Hollow.
On the grand scale of Primeval Magic, however, his power was absolute.
Invincible!
… Or so he had thought.
"Your Magic is impressive and well-refined. But it's too simple." The man before Stefan said.
His voice snapped Stefan out of his shocked daze. The words he uttered made Stefan's chest tighten, enough to cause him to frown slightly.
"What did you just say? Simple?"
"Indeed. You could have made it more complex. That way, it wouldn't have been countered so easily."
The hubris that oozed from the words the man uttered made Stefan a tad bit upset.
"What do you know?" He wanted to yell out, but he controlled himself.
This was a man who had just openly admitted to being inexperienced with Magic, and also not having full knowledge of Aether.
Who was he to lecture Stefan on Magic when the latter had access to both Aether and Nether at this point?
There had to be an alternate explanation to the failure of his Primeval Magic.
It couldn't be the work of this charlatan.
'Or could it be? Calm yourself, Stefan. Don't get worked up…'
Once he stabilized his emotions, exhaling very deeply, he opened his lips and asked.
"Could you elaborate?"
In the past, Stefan would have lashed out and continued being in denial. However, this time he was different.
Some would even say he had matured.
He genuinely wanted to know what was happening… and if indeed he was the one in the wrong.
At least, when it came to his power.
"Gladly." The man before him smiled gently, almost with a hint of satisfaction displayed in his eyes.
"While I can not forgive you for what you have done, neither will I let you off for reasons you already know, discussions on Magic are always a pleasure to have—
whether with enemies or allies."
With that, the fiery energy around the man fizzled out, and he began his explanation.
"Your Primeval Magic, as you call it, has a fatal flaw. It's not intricate enough to prevent interruption or interception."
'You're saying this again, but how can that be? Who can interrupt Magic that uses both Nether and Aether to function?'
That already made it an incredibly complex Spell.
"Your Magic attacks everything without discrimination, hence making it a simplistic model. If it was more specific, and you stacked the layers upon each other, it would make the Spell more complex. Do you understand?"
In essence; Stefan's Magic attacked Light first—which was why the colors vanished—since it was the fastest concept in the universe, and after that was energy, before finally settling for matter.
It wasn't like they were in layers. The Hollow simply consumed everything, and Light went first since it was the fastest.
"So if I had stacked the effects, and added a few more concepts, rather than just generalizing, it would have made it more complex and incredibly difficult to interrupt?" Stefan asked, his eyes slightly widening as he came to the realization.
"Precisely."
Stefan could not believe this. The man was right all along!
His Spell was not as complex as it could have been. All this time, he had been relying on sheer, overwhelming power.
If he had taken more care in crafting the Primeval Magic, then things would have been different.
"That's not all, though." The man added.
"There's more?"
At this point, Stefan no longer regarded the man and his words with contempt or skepticism.
Instead, he seemed eager to know more.
"Your Spell relies on the fine, but incredibly delicate interaction between Aether and… what's the name of the opposite again?"
"Nether?"
"Ah, yes! Nether! Aether and Nether. They both interact in a delicate manner to ensure this 'Hollow' of yours can properly manifest in its full capacity."
Stefan nodded slowly, amazement written all over his face.
Never before had he revealed how his Magic worked to anyone, yet this man had figured it out with only one moment of observation.
That was incredibly impressive!
"Well, can you see a problem with that? A way that could prove to be a weakness for your Spell?"
Stefan found himself pausing in everything else that went through his mind and began to apply his thoughts to what he was asked.
It took him a few seconds, but a spark finally appeared in his eyes and he responded.
"If the Aether or Nether is affected by a sudden increase or decrease, then it could affect the Hollow's manifestation and effects?"
"Exactly! You're brilliant, young man. That's precisely the case."
Stefan felt his heart skip a beat the moment he heard that. Somehow, he felt good hearing those words. n.))-///)((--I/-n
Even he could not understand why.
"That's why I was able to halt the process of your Magic with Spellcraft. By influencing the Aether around, I negated the effects of your Hollow." The man added with a grin.
"This Spellcraft of yours… it isn't exactly common, though. Or is it?"
"No, it's not. I'm probably the only one who knows how to use it. That's why I didn't list this second weakness as a fatal flaw."
It was now clear to Stefan what the problem was all along.
'It was a terrible matchup from the start.'
The man he was facing was his natural enemy due to his immense understanding of Magic, and his ability to manipulate the energy around him—at least, the Aether.
That meant if Stefan wanted to win, he had to apply all of the advice he had just received from this man… plus a few more steps on his part.
If he didn't apply his brain and come up with a unique and unexpected way to turn around the current situation, he would lose.
After all, there was a reason why his opponent was so confident in revealing so much.
'He's confident of his victory. If I am not careful and thorough, I'll lose.'
With this realization, Stefan found his heart racing unexpectedly.
"How interesting…" A broad smile began to spread on his face.
His opponent was also giving him the same grin. From what it seemed like, the two of them were enjoying themselves to the fullest.
'I can't make any assumptions here. My absolute defense could also be compromised, so I'll apply the advice he gave and add layers of complexity to prevent any easy interception.'
Stefan also had to consider a circumstance where his defense would be breached even with all of the measures he wanted to take.
If he didn't plan thoroughly, he was bound to regret it.
'Right here and now… more than ever… I don't want to lose!'
In the beginning of the fight, Stefan hadn't even considered the possibility of losing, and he didn't even care if he won or lost.
He only wanted to fulfill his goal and purpose.
But now… desperation was tugging at every fiber of his being.
'I don't want to disappoint him. I don't want to lose to him. I want to be a formidable foe and come out victorious!'
With this desire fueling him, Stefan once more ignited his energies.
"Are you ready, young man?" The man asked him with an excited tone.
Stefan nodded in response, a toothy grin plastered on his face.
"I'm ready!"
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