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James was panting heavily, but he had done it. He had finally done it. With a flick of fingers, he collapsed the massive stone wall he had created into a pile of rubble and then slumped against the wall. He had just finished replicating a basic Earth Elementalism spell, one that raised a wall of rock for protection. Although this would seem like nothing to most Earth Elementalists, for a Pure Elementalist to have come so far in such a short amount of time was simply astounding.

Giving himself a slight break, James took a drink of water and considered the training schedule he had made. Originally, he had just started out with basic shapes on the Imager, but as time passed and he grew more experienced, he had created more and more complex things. Eventually, he had begun using the Imager while also doing basic tasks, like stacking rocks or running. After a monumental amount of work, he had progressed to doing basic math problems while creating images, and, finally, he was able to increase the orb's resistance up to the highest level, which had strengthened his mind up to the point that he could create that wall, even if it took him about 2 minutes to form.

"I think that I still need to push myself further. I'm already using one Imager to its limit, but it's still not enough." James considered his options.

"You really want me to make another orb?"

"Of course! The first one worked incredibly well, but it won't be enough. I don't need you to change anything, just make me another so I can practice concentrating on more things."

Lydia scratched her chin. "Alright. With my current schedule, it'll be done in about 5 days."

"That's great! Do you need me to pay for the materials?"

"No, I'm getting them as part of my project. But I'll have to make sure that I put this in my report."

"Thanks so much!" James started walking away before he turned around. "This is a bit of a stretch, but do you actually think you could make 6 more instead?"

With the new orbs, James' training shot up by leaps and bounds. He was able to control more and more of the elements each day. The only downside was that he was always tired because he trained every day after his classes and during the night while Delta slept. He still hadn't told either of his friends about his training though, in the event that he wouldn't be strong enough to participate with them in the competition.

Several months passed quickly, with the Mid-Year tournament getting closer and closer. James continued to rise in power, and even though he was still below the level of a normal Elementalist, he was miles above where he had been before.

"You know, you're quite ahead of where you should be. Did you realize that?" Master Rell walked over to James one day in class after seeing him complete a fireball with very little effort. The Pure Elementalist was a master, and as such was able to recognize that even though James was taking his time, he was not exerting as much effort as expected from a 1st-year student. Instead, he made it seem as though he was a 2nd or even 3rdyear instead!

James bit his lip and took a small glance at the other Elementalists who were training nearby. He didn't want to reveal his training method, especially because he wasn't sure if it was going to completely fix the problem or not. Making the other students annoyed or angry, the ones who had become strong after years of training, would not be a good idea, especially because they had accepted him as one of their own and liked him a lot. However, lying to Master Rell didn't seem to be the best option either. Eventually, he just settled for a shrug.

Rell appraised James with a long stare, then nodded his head. "Come over here." He led James into his office, which was a small room filled with books and boards of all sizes and shut the door behind him. "Now, I know that you are above the level you are supposed to be at right now. While we're away from the other students, do you mind telling me why exactly?"

"Yes, sir. I didn't want to make the others angry, but I would be glad to tell you. My friend Lydia, she's a Weird. After conversing with the Librarian and doing quite a bit of research, she created a device called an Imager for me. It works by projecting a person's thoughts on to the surface, which you can use to improve your mental strength and concentration."

Master Rell looked very impressed. "I see. And by improving your ability to concentrate, you are better able to seize different elements and maintain a longer control over each one, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very amazing, to say the least. I'm completely astounded, in fact. Do you have the Imager with you?"

"Yes, one second." James pulled out the orb from his amulet and held it out. As he concentrated, an image of his orientation day appeared, almost like a movie, complete with tiny versions of Headmaster Sherru and Lord Eternius. There was no sound, but the picture was very precise and clear.

Master Rell bent closer to inspect it. "How hard is it to make the images appear? I would imagine with thought projection; it must be quite hard."

"Not at all. There are different difficulty settings that can be selected, and Lydia made sure to get a wide range of sensitivities."

"How far do you have to go till the highest difficulty?"

"Well, right now I can already use the orb on the maximum difficulty, so I started training my multitasking by working on many things at the same time. I've also asked Lydia to make me 6 more orbs; they should be done in a week or so."

"You're planning to hold 6 of these things to train? They aren't exactly small."

James grinned. "I think Lydia has that covered. She's modifying the orbs to sense out thoughts in a much large range, so they can be next to me as I train."

"The mind of a Weird. They may be slightly insane, but there's no denying that they are indeed geniuses. James, do you mind if I try the Imager for a moment?"

He passed the orb to Master Rell, who gripped it in his hands and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, an incredibly complex pattern appeared; it was much more than James could ever dream of creating at his current level.

The picture disappeared and Master Rell set the orb back down. "This is truly wonderful. It's almost exactly like concentrating when casting Pure Elementalism, but it's much easier because there are fewer things to focus on. You said that you are getting more of these Imagers soon; may I borrow this one to present to Headmaster Sherru? I'm sure he would be delighted to hear of a way to increase the abilities of Pure Elementalists."

"That would not be a problem, sir. I'll also let Lydia know; she's going to be ecstatic after finding out that her invention could be much more than just a Mid-Year project."

Lydia was just as happy as James had predicted, practically bouncing off the walls when she heard the news. "HEADMASTER SHERRU'S GOING TO PERSONALLY LOOK AT MY PROJECT!!! HOLY COW!!! I HOPE HE THINKS IT'S GOOD!! THIS IS SO AMAZING!!!"

James just smiled and waited for the onslaught to die down.

Finally, she was able to muster up some words at a much quieter volume. "Hey, now that it seems like the Imagers will actually work, do you think you could come back to training with Algon and Delta? They've been asking about what's going on, but I didn't want to tell them without your approval."

"Sure, I've been missing them a bit anyway. Do you know where they are right now?"

Unsurprisingly, both their friends were in the Darkessia blowing stuff up.

BOOM!!

Lydia and James both ducked as fragments of a previously-intact-something flew over their heads and out the open training room door, almost smashing into some poor mage walking by.

"Hell yeah!" Delta shouted as his guns flashed, shooting out bullets at incredible speeds. Even though they were training rounds and couldn't actually injure someone, they still hurt like the dickens, as James had found out one day. "I think I'm leaving you behind Algon. Better step up your game."

"Calm down," Algon said. "I'm doing just fine, and you know that." He put his hands together and formed a fiery sigil in the air. "Phoenix Flare!" A trio of fireballs shot from his hands and smashed into the targets Delta had been aiming at, turning them to ash.

"Hey!"

"Alright, alright. Calm down Delta before you start fighting."

"Why are you telling only me to calm down Lydia?"

"Because we both know that Algon doesn't get into fights."

"Sigh, I guess you've got me on... JAMES!!"

Delta zipped over and smashed into him, knocking them both into a wall.

"Get off me you dingo!"

"Sorry," Delta said a bit sheepishly. "I'm still working on my control."

"No kidding. I'll have to help you practice that."

Delta poked James in the chest. "Before we get to that, how about you answer a question for us? Where the hell have you been these past few months. You always arrive at our room after I've gone to bed and leave before I wake up; why's that? Don't tell me you've gone back to moping again."

"Nothing like that. Instead, I think I've got a bit of a surprise for you. The tournament registrations are due soon right?"

"Yeah, something like next week. Why does that matter?"

James took a deep breath and decided to go for it. "I think I've found a way to participate with you guys."

"Really? Are you serious? That's amazing! Tell him Algon; back me up!!"

Algon nodded. "What did you do?'

"So, you know how Lydia had the project she was working on for her Weird class. Well, she figured out a way to help me train up my Pure Elementalism powers. I'm a lot stronger now than I was at the beginning of the year."

"For real? Show us!"

James chuckled. "Fine." He found one of the still-intact targets and concentrated. A golden sigil slowly formed in front of him, with the interior parts a bright red and yellow. "Flaming THUNDER!" A fireball laced with lightning flew out and slammed into the target. A flash blinded all of them for a moment, and when the smoke cleared the target was completely gone. Lydia looked a bit smug, but Delta was in a state of total shock. Even Algon looked like he could fall over at any moment.

"You...you... HOLY COW. JUST A LITTLE POWERFUL? HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL US SOONER?!?"

"Well, I didn't want to get your hopes up..."

"Scratch that, we're officially training together starting right now. You, me, and Algon as a team!"

"What about Lydia?"

"Don't mind me. I've already done my part and, well, you guys can see the result. I'm perfectly happy to cheer from the sidelines and revel in my hard work!"

"Alright," James said. "If we're going to be a team, then we need to step up our game. The tournament is in a couple of weeks and we need to make sure we all know what we're doing; otherwise, we are screwed. Judging from how you crashed into me, Delta, you still need to work on your control."

"And I really need to work on my aim and consistency," Algon chimed in, looking quite excited.

"Alright you guys, let's do this!" James headed for the control room.

"Where are you going? Don't you need to train with us now that you can actually use your magic?"

"I've still got a way to go as far as my training's concerned. And it's different from what you guys need. Besides, like I've said before if any of you each touched that control panel the entire planet would explode."

As James proceeded to queue up more simulations for Delta and Algon, he also worked on his Pure Elementalism further. Not everything in the training room had to be made using the controls, and so he was able to construct targets and boulders using his magic, although it was a lot of work. He also quickly created different training scenarios for each of his friends, using what they needed to work on as a base.

For Delta, he created a small obstacle course using assets he found stored away in the Darkessia's files. It was a very small course, so Delta had to have extreme control while traversing it as fast as possible. James also was able to amuse himself by dropping in little surprises using Pure Elementalism, and he especially cracked up after Delta, having stopped thinking too hard because he had memorized the course, slammed into a rock that appeared out of nowhere.

Algon was a different matter. For him, it was mostly an issue of self-confidence that led to his inability to consistently hit targets and complete his spells. With Lydia's help, who stood by cheering and offering tips, Algon was put through a set of challenges that worked on his ability to remain focused and able to think straight, even though he was anxious. By the end of the day, he had improved a significant degree and much fewer of his spells failed.

The next day, when James did not go to his Pure Elementalism class. Instead, he received a summons through his amulet and teleported straight to a room in the Darkessia as directed. There, he met Headmaster Sherru and Master Rell, both of whom were smiling happily.

"Hello, James. How are you doing? Is everything going well?"

James nodded. "Yes, everything's great. Did Master Rell show you the Imager yet?"

"He did, and I must say, I am very impressed with Lydia's work. She managed to figure out a solution to a problem that we have had for a very long time, and I have a feeling she will receive much credit from this invention. But as amazing as that is, we are not here to talk about her."

"No, you're here to see what I can do, right?"

"Yes." Sherru waved his hand towards the control booth and the mage inside triggered a simulation. The ground rose into a large ring and portals formed at each of the sides. This was a simulation James had seen and even used once before: Onslaught. It unleashed wave after wave of simulated enemies at the mage in the center, who had to use their magic or their weapons to survive as long as they could. Algon and Delta had each tried it out of curiosity but had failed after only several rounds, mainly because that was back when they had just been starting out with magic. Now, they could probably go for much longer, and James made a mental note to try it out again when they met up later.

Sherru gestured towards the ring. "Show us what you have trained to do. I just want to see the extent of your abilities; there will be no score or penalty for failing so do not worry. Just try your best."

James leaped into the ring and readied his mind. He remembered that the first several waves were easy, consisting of only a few, slow-moving monsters, so he wasn't too worried. A bell sounded to announce the beginning of the first wave and two large blobs of goop fell out of the portals and began to move towards him. These were very weak enemies, and almost every mage in existence would be able to take them out without thinking. And today, James was able to join that list.

"Fireball! Fireball!"

Both enemies were incinerated instantly. James didn't even feel tired, which came as a surprise because he hadn't had the chance to really test out his magical abilities yet. He only had known in theory that he had gotten better, but here was the proof!

"Completely impressive!" Sherru called from the sidelines. He was smiling broadly. "Most Pure Elementalist would take at least two years to be able to do what you have figured out in a month. Can you keep going, or are you too tired to continue?"

"I'm perfectly fine sir," James yelled. "Let's pick up the pace." He felt exhilarated; this was much more like his original ideas of magic!

With the next waves, James crushed them easily; they were still quite weak. Seeing that he was enjoying himself, Sherru began to limit him to specific elements, like fire, lightning, ice, water, and so on. It was a little harder, but after training his mind to focus on multiple things at once, James found it much easier to switch between the different types.

The bell sounded to signal the end of the wave and James brushed the remaining electrical sparks off his fingers. He had made it to wave 10 already and although he was feeling a bit fatigued, it was a mostly mental strain. His magical reserves still felt completely full and in fact, if his brain wasn't getting tired, he reckoned that he could do this for an entire day without collapsing.

"How do you feel now, having just completed 10 waves?" Sherru asked, curious.

"Like I could keep going for much longer. I haven't used even 1/10th of my energy!"

"Astounding. Now I see why Lord Alcyrion was so powerful if you are this strong and just starting to test your abilities."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you know? The reason why Pure Elementalism is so rare is because it is a Prime Magic, passed straight down from the gods. Each different branch has them and all are just as rare. The other Primes were able to train their own respective magics, but because Alcyrion was gone, Pure Elementalists were left to figure it out on their own. And now we finally have the answer. On behalf of the Primes and all of the Pure Elementalists, I'm sure, we cannot thank you enough."

"Master Rell, does this mean that you'll allow me to enter the tournament? We do need our teacher's permission and all..."

"Of course, of course. There's no reason why you should be denied entry now that you can use magic to a much greater extent."

"And besides," Sherru put in. "This would be a good chance for you to further train and develop your magic. Show everyone what Pure Elementalists are capable of! If you put on a good show, then your training method should be approved for use here at the Arcane Quinessium, which would be a huge boon to your branch of magic. Does that sound acceptable?"

James was practically out the door, just barely slowing down to yell his affirmation as he sped off to tell Delta, Algon, and Lydia the good news.

"I must say, I cannot wait to see his showing at the tournament. I'm sure that it will be most impressive. Maybe I'll even see if one of the Primes would come and watch; they would most likely love to see their old friend's branch of magic used in the spotlight once more.

"I'd say that you're right. But what are we going to do about his weapon specialty? There's no time to train him up, and some of the categories require a weapon."

"Leave that to me. It would make no sense to place him in a category that he has no chance of even entering normally. I will make sure that he is placed somewhere where he can demonstrate his abilities to the fullest. And who knows? He might even win."