Oogway had made up his mind. He had chosen to help Ronan after seeing just how pure the kid was. Against his better judgement, he let hope move his heart and decided to acknowledge Chanakya’s request and impart knowledge to the child.

Looking at the boy whose very destiny was about to be shaped, Oogway spoke in the same unchanging tone, “Alright boy, let me start from the rules.”

Mystical waves of water rose to form letters and words, and three sentences followed, shaped together in front of Ronan, forming the rules he would have to follow under the tutelage of the Primogenitor of Water.

1)tDo not interrupt my speech, and only nod when I look at you to get acknowledgement to confirm the fact that you are listening.

2)tOnly when I open my eyes to look at you can you interrupt me to ask a doubt. If you ever interrupt my flow otherwise, the lesson will end there.

3)tSit on the pool of water that I generate, and no matter what happens, you will not move from the whirlpool until the lesson is over.

A voice echoed, “Do you understand?”

Ronan nodded in acknowledgement. It was not like he had much choice to say anything else anyways.

The words dispersed, and Oogway generated a small whirlpool of shining water about one foot tall. Ronan sat cross-legged on it as he felt the wetness of the water soak his lower body._.

“Hmmm, what a unbelievable constitution and great bone structure… Hmmm, alright. Listen carefully now, boy, for I, Oogway, am going to explain to you the nature of elements.

“There are four inferior elements, four basic elements, and four superior elements, but, apart from these, there are the forbidden elements and the variants.

“The world only has Mana and no specific elemental energy, note this in your mind, boy. There is no fire elemental energy flowing naturally in this world, nor is there a pure thunder energy.

“The world only has Mana. Mana is the energy elemental users harness to create their elemental spells!”

Oogway opened his eyes at this moment. Ronan immediately nodded in acknowledgement that he understood the lecture up until this point.

Seemingly satisfied, or so Ronan assumed, Oogway continued.

“Every species that evolved to be able to harness the power of mana has became an elemental user in one way or another. However, instead of being able to harness mana as a whole, the creatures of Everlon have become genetically influenced by one particular element, making them elemental users of it.

“Flame lions have been influenced by fire, and aqua horses have been influenced by water. Never in this wide continent of Everlon will you find a flame lion that wields water or an aqua horse that wields fire, as it simply is not in their very being.

“The flame lions as a species only have fire in their blood and no capabilities to master any other element. However, then that gives rise to the question, ‘Is elemental affinity a racial trait?’

“To answer that question, let me ask you this, boy. Why is the Phoenix Clan a clan of fire elemental users? Or why is the Storm Clan a bunch of thunder users?”

Oogway paused as he looked at Ronan. A lecture is never one-sided. The student must actively engage with the teacher via discourse to reach new heights in understanding concepts. Thus, the ancient turtle sought an answer from the child.

Ronan, whose mind was turning all gears while trying to make a lot of conjectures, stopped for a moment before answering, “Elemental affinity must have a relation to genetics.”

Oogway smiled at Ronan’s answer. That’s how it looked to Ronan, anyway.

“A sharp boy, a talented boy, a boy worthy to be taught. However, a foolish boy , can’t see the bigger picture type boy , a stupid boy.”

Ronan winced a little at the criticism , but remained silent.

“Technically, humans were supposed to also be a one-element race. The first human ancestors only had the ability to wield metal!

“Metalbenders was the name your race had in the animal kingdom hundreds of thousands of years ago. However, in what could only be called a miracle of evolution, human intelligence helped the race escape the fate it was born with.

“Unlike flame lions, who might also not be a 100% fire affinity race should they be tested with a crystal, humans, who were also not 100% metal affinity beings were able to consciously train their weaker elements to great success, over generations and generations.

“Humans born with metal and fire trained fire as it gave them ability that no other metal user had. Unsurprisingly, when this went on for several lifetimes, their children were born with an even stronger fire affinity.

“Humans were able to capitalise on natural mutation to become a race with all sorts of elemental users. In this case, it might as well be called artificial mutation. Metal users are no longer even considered as one of the main elemental users, as your kind now groups them along with sand benders.

“An amusing race you are, humans. However, the point is that humans, in this way, became a race of many elemental users when in nature no other race was able to do so.

“Do you understand, boy?”

Ronan nodded in acknowledgement. This knowledge that was being imparted to him at this moment could only be described as invaluable. In no history book was this ever written, and there was no place where this knowledge could be found, he thought.

“Good. At least, for now, you do not seem to be a boy who would remain a fool forever.” Oogway spoke, his eyes closing, signaling that the lecture was about to continue.

“However, although racial affinity is a thing that we have developed, the question still remains. Why are we races sensitive to a particular element? And why are we not sensitive to mana as a whole?

“Why does mana in the world react with our body to produce only a particular elemental essence? Why cannot one wield all the elements? Why does the percentage of elemental affinity one has matter?

“Why is thunder superior to fire if both are just a subsidiary of the world’s mana?

“It’s a lot to cover, and I won’t repeat it twice, so better pay attention the first time around.” Oogway said as he took a deep breath.

Although Oogway was talking to Ronan on the surface, he was actually exerting all his might as he suppressed Ronan’s forbidden golden thunder inside his body with his divine water.

The process was extremely precarious and it needed all his concentration. However, because of his capability and high level, he was able to do two tasks at one time, without Ronan ever realising how big of a favour the tortoise was doing for him.

Ronan’s training with his thunder element had broken the seals his Grandma had placed inside his body, which strengthened the scent of the forbidden on him. If he were to take a test with the crystal ball at this moment, it would no longer show the purple hue representing thunder but the golden crackle of the forbidden.

Meeting Oogway here was a lifesaver for Ronan. If he had not gotten the treatment he was being given here today, then, most likely within a month or two, during his normal training sessions, he would no longer manifest the normal purple thunder, but a terrifying golden one.

However, Ronan was unaware of this, his mind completely focused on the secrets behind elemental affinity as this one lecture by Oogway was most likely more valuable than the entire course offered by the school.

——

(Meanwhile, in Avalon)

Leif had dark circles under his eyes, and his face was pale. The prime minister had not eaten in the last 4 days as reports of terrorist attacks from all across the kingdom had robbed him of his sleep.

Although the matter was not causing civil unrest across the nation as of now, Leif could see the consequences of a prolonged terrorist presence in the kingdom leading to inevitable disaster.

He was supposed to be in-charge of the internal stability of the region. Hence, it was his responsibility to deal with those terrorists as soon as possible.

However, as of now, he was thoroughly devoid of any credible information. Not only did he have no idea about the identity of the terrorists, but he also possessed zero clues about their motive or their demands. He did not know where they might strike next, or how to stop them.

It was a tough situation for Leif, and his reliable information network was failing him at the moment. However, thankfully, his common sense was still as sharp as ever as he ordered investigations into both the Seven Seas organization and the outcast Phoenix clan and temple officials.

Although not at the moment, the investigations were going to bear fruit someday or the other.

/// Like the chapter ? Please leave a comment if you do 🙂///