Ocean Of Broken Dreams

"…NO!" – Many negative emotions accompanied by even more curses passed through Alexander's head before an explosion of green fire completely engulfed him.

Hit by the explosion he was sent flying towards the central mast. There was no damage but the pain of his body being crushed on a huge wooden pole was still very unpleasant.

He remained on the ground. 'Fortunately, it's the life energy. If it were my normal flames, I would be dead from the explosion.'

A huge shadow covered him. – "Hey, Lad, still trying to condense your energy?"

Before Alexander could answer he suddenly felt pain in his back and heard a sound of a blade penetrating his flesh.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?"

He immediately tried to stand up, but something pressed him on the ground. – "Stay calm." – He heard James's loud voice. – "Did you know that too much life energy is extremely harmful to one's body?"

Another stabbing sound followed by acute pain. – "And the best way to expend the life energy is to create some damage. It shouldn't be deadly, and the excess of your green flames will heal you."

Another stab. – "Good for now!" – Alexander slowly stood up and touched his back. Surprisingly there were no traces of the previous three stabs.

James was looking at his surprised reaction with an understanding grin stamped on his fat face.

"The next time can you at least explain before stabbing me?" – Alexander had a very wry expression.

James scrolled his shoulders. – "This way was quicker!"

Alexander couldn't retort so he gloomily sad down and summoned some of wisp of his flames which immediately became green. James observed him. The boy closed his eyes. The ship swayed gently along the waves. The breeze c.a.r.e.s.sed Alexander's face. His mind became peaceful and relaxed.

[…]

"This is a technique from my home, the Black Sea. Its main purpose is to strengthen bloodline and to increase the control over the energy in one's body." – John took out an ordinary book with reddish cover. On it, Alexander read: - "Black Sea Roulette."

Meanwhile John continued. – "Normally I would give you something else, but since you can change your fire's attribute into [Life], I think that it suits you very well. Remember, don't use your normal fire until you are familiar with it.

Alexander nodded and went to his cabin.

Once inside the immediately opened the book and started reading. The technique was very simple.

'So, I need to create something like a small container with my bloodline energy, then fill it completely with other energy, then compress it until it becomes solid and stable and place inside my bloodstream. My overall energy capacity will increase along with my control over it.' – Reassumed Alexander after he read the introduction.

'Shouldn't be very difficult…'

[…]

This time he was stabbed five times after another failure.

"Damn it all! What am I doing wrong?! Create a box, fill it with energy, compress it!"

*Bzzzz* A little electric spark hit him on the forehead. – "Look here." – Above James's hand appeared a white point. Then another one and another until there were eight points. After that twelve lines connected the points among themselves forming a small cube.

"Can you create it?"

Alexander nodded. – "Yes, sure…the problem occurs always on the compression step…"

James's eyebrow went up. – "Ok, so, create me the cube like the one I'm holding right now."

The boy nodded and quickly formed eight green points but suddenly then he was about to connect them with energy lines something went wrong and the whole structure collapsed.

He was stupefied. – "What?...Well, I was a bit careless." – He started creating again. He had done everything slower than before.

*Puff*

The whole structure dissipated just as he was to create the last energy line. James didn't even look at his failures and played with his energy cube...

Alexander gritted his teeth and continued to try.

[…]

"Are you done?" – Asked James.

"No!"

Alexander was laying on the wooden floor. His eyes were closed, the face was pale, and he was for some breath. The boy was recovering some energy before the next attempt.

"Whatever. I don't have the whole day." – James yawned. Alexander could catch a glimpse of two white rows of teeth. – "You should use the equal amount of energy for each point and the same goes for the energy lines. It shouldn't be too much energy though. The more energy is used the more instable and difficult to maintain the cube will be. And if you think about the next two steps of the whole technique…"

James stopped talking and smiled.

Alexander meanwhile was thinking about suggestion he just received. 'So, the main problem was in the initial cube and not in the compression…No! It was in the compression as well…'

The fat man, seeing the boy immersed in his own thoughts, leaved Alexander alone.

Suddenly the boy raised his hand and concentrated. After a few long minutes a purple point appeared in the air. This time he was using his original flame without changing its characteristics. A second point appeared…third…fourth…seventh…and finally, after three whole hours the eighth point took shape.

A drop of sweat appeared on his forehead and slowly went down.

But the boy didn't even notice. 'The first one is ok…The third one is a bit instable…' He was checking the stability of every single energy point.

'Indeed, my original flame is easier to control…'

He started to create the energy lines.

But not only one at time.

'I will create them all at the same moment.'

The first centimeter was the most difficult one but after that the rest was easier. He let out a sigh of relieve.

Alexander relaxed slightly and moved the cube. The fact that the whole thing didn't immediately collapsed was already a good proof of its stability, but the boy still meticulously checked everything another time.

'Let's fill it a bit…'

This step went incredibly smoothly compared to the first attempt…and to the second…

'Now the last step. The compression.' Alexander concentrated and remembered the passage in the book about the compression.

The eight energy points were slowly drawn towards each other following the energy lines. Alexander was tense and tired.

The energy inside the cube was also slowly compressed.

After a twenty minutes Alexander started feeling a slight pain in his temple. It was pulsating with blood.

He could only ignore it. 'Now…the most difficult part…'

The energy points were extremely close to each other and the flame inside also became condensed into a small purple ball.

The whole cube finally showed some instability. 'No! NOT NOW!'

Suddenly Alexander's eyes shined with ferocity and determination. – "I DON'T CARE!!! JUST FUSE!"

A wave of his will submerged the whole cube and forcefully compressed it. Once the compression advanced past the critical point it became extremely easy to finish the whole process.

Alexander let out a breath and some blood appeared on the corner of his mouth.

But he ignored the pain and smiled. Above his hand was floating something like a speck of purple sand.

He controlled and absorbed it inside his bloodstream.

After that he fell backwards and started laughing. – "I DID IT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"

After many hours he finally managed to create the first Energy Point Mass described in the book. He officially entered the first tier of the "Black Sea Roulette."

His body was exhausted, but he could clearly feel the Mass Point in his body. He could control it freely. After its each passage through the heart he felt slightly refreshed.

Alexander, still smiling, looked towards the sea.

In the distance he saw the sky-tearing mountain under whose perpetual shadow quietly stood Blackwater.