Reincarnated as an Elf Prince-Chapter 79: Private Lesson (2)

Lindarion's gaze remained steady as Nyx circled around him, arms crossed, her sharp eyes assessing him like a puzzle she intended to solve.

"Control is important," she continued, "but Resonance requires more than that. You have to reach a state where your affinity doesn't just obey—you and it should move as one. Right now, you're treating your mana like a tamed beast. It follows your orders, flowing naturally. But it's still separate from you."

Lindarion frowned slightly. He had always considered his control over Lightning Affinity to be exceptional.

If anything, it felt closer to an extension of his will than a separate force. But what Nyx was describing… it was something different.

"Then what am I missing?" he asked.

Nyx stopped in front of him, tilting her head slightly. "Instinct."

Lindarion's brow furrowed.

'Instinct.'

He prided himself on his control. On his precision. Ever since he could remember, magic had been something he shaped with purpose, bent to his will. And yet, here she was, telling him he was doing it wrong.

He frowned. No—not wrong. Incomplete.

Nyx studied him for a moment, then took a step back. "Let's try something simple. Summon your lightning."

Lindarion didn't hesitate. Mana surged through his body, gathering in his limbs as arcs of electricity flickered along his fingers. The familiar sensation of raw power hummed beneath his skin, waiting for a command.

Nyx nodded. "Good. Now, react."

Without warning, she flicked her wrist.

A sudden burst of wind shot toward him, faster than a normal spell—unnatural, controlled.

Lindarion's body tensed. His instincts screamed, and in a flash, he moved. Lightning surged to life, propelling him to the side just as the wind cut through the space he had been standing in.

He landed smoothly, barely phased.

Nyx smiled. "Not bad. But you had to register the attack first. You saw it coming, then you moved."

Lindarion exhaled through his nose. "That's how dodging works."

Nyx chuckled. "Not if you're aiming for Resonance."

She lifted a finger. "Tell me—what is lightning's nature?"

Lindarion thought for a moment. "It's fast. Unpredictable. It strikes before you see it coming."

Nyx nodded. "Exactly. But you don't. You still think before you act. You're treating your lightning like a weapon instead of a part of you."

He frowned.

'That isn't true… is it?'

She gestured for him to close his eyes.

Lindarion hesitated, but obeyed. Darkness settled around him, leaving only the hum of energy in his ears.

"Lightning isn't about seeing," Nyx said. "It's about feeling. Predicting. You should already know where the attack will land before it happens."

And then she struck again.

A sharp gust of wind came from his left—no, from behind—

Lindarion barely managed to twist out of the way, but it was sloppy. He felt the edge of the spell graze his sleeve, and his lightning flared out in retaliation, unfocused.

Nyx exhaled. "See? You reacted. That's too slow."

'Then how am I supposed to do it…this isn't really helping.'

Lindarion clenched his fists. He had dodged—but that wasn't enough. Not for what she was trying to teach him.

Nyx crossed her arms. "Let's change the lesson."

She lifted a hand—

And suddenly, the air shifted.

Lindarion's breath hitched. His instincts flared, warning him that something was wrong.

The training ground didn't change physically, but something about it felt different.

The atmosphere thickened. The space around them felt… controlled. Like the very air obeyed her.

"What—" He stepped back, his lightning flickering wildly. What just happened?

Nyx smirked at his reaction. "You feel it, don't you?"

Lindarion didn't respond immediately. He was too focused on the sensation crawling over his skin. His mana… it felt off. No, not off—contained.

Like it wasn't entirely his anymore.

Nyx tilted her head. "This is what true mastery of mana control looks like. Welcome to my Dominion."

Lindarion narrowed his eyes. "Dominion?"

Nyx extended her arms, and the very air pulsed in response.

"A Dominion is an advanced mana technique—one that only those with complete affinity mastery can achieve. It's when a mage doesn't just wield mana but imposes their presence onto the world around them."

Lindarion's mind raced, analyzing everything he felt. His mana was still there—still inside him—but it was harder to move, like something was pushing against it.

"You control the environment itself?" he asked.

Nyx nodded. "Inside my Dominion, my affinity is absolute. The wind isn't just something I cast—it is me. Every movement you make, every spell you try to summon, I can feel it."

Lindarion's heart pounded. He had never heard of this. Not in any lesson, not in any book. How was something like this possible?

Nyx smirked at his expression. "High-level affinity mastery isn't about casting stronger spells. It's about reaching the point where your magic and your very presence are indistinguishable."

She stepped forward, and the wind around her moved with her.

Lindarion clenched his fists. His lightning still sparked around him, but it felt… restricted. Not by force, but by presence.

This wasn't like fighting another mage. This was like fighting the air itself.

Nyx's gaze sharpened. "If you ever want to reach Resonance, you'll need to understand this. Magic isn't something you command—it's something you are."

Lindarion exhaled, steadying himself.

Then he smirked. "Then teach me."

Nyx grinned. "Gladly."

She didn't waste a second.

She lifted her hand, and the wind responded instantly. A sudden gust surged forward, not in a straight line, not in any predictable pattern—but twisting, shifting, changing directions mid-air.

Lindarion's instincts screamed at him to move, but—where?

He barely managed to sidestep the first strike, only for the air itself to compress around him. His lightning flared, reacting on its own, but it was sluggish—delayed. The wind wasn't just pushing against him; it was anticipating him.

Nyx's voice cut through the storm.

"This is why your control alone won't get you to Resonance. In my Dominion, your spells won't work the way you're used to."

Lindarion gritted his teeth, lightning crackling along his arms. His mana wanted to flow, but something was interfering—something subtle, yet absolute.

'This isn't normal magic.. This is complete suppression.'

The realization sent a thrill of both frustration and intrigue through him.

Nyx continued, her tone almost amused. "You're thinking about it too much. I can feel you trying to analyze my mana instead of reacting to it."

Lindarion exhaled sharply. "Then what am I supposed to do? Let instinct guide me?"

Nyx smirked. "Exactly."

And then the wind attacked again.

This time, it didn't come in a single burst. The air around him shifted, warping like an unseen force was sculpting it second by second.

Lindarion's mind worked fast—if he relied on his eyes, he'd lose. If he tried to match her control, he'd lose.

He had to stop reacting like a mage.

He closed his eyes.

The wind howled, and then—

He moved.

Lightning surged through his body, not as an attack, but as an extension of his very being. He sidestepped the first strike, not because he saw it, but because he felt the shift in pressure before it happened.

The second attack curved toward him, but this time, instead of dodging—

He let his mana flow.

Lightning sparked, his body twisting with the momentum instead of against it. The wind grazed past him, but it didn't knock him off balance.

Nyx raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."

Lindarion smirked, breathing steady despite the storm around him.

Nyx's Dominion was suffocating, but if he stopped treating his magic as something external—if he let it flow with him—he could move inside it.

But that wasn't enough.

He wanted to push further.

Lindarion clenched his fists.

'If Dominion is at the high level of affinity mastery, then what is the next step?'

He needed to break through it.

Nyx must have noticed the shift in his stance, because she suddenly grinned. "You're thinking about how to counter it, aren't you?"

Lindarion met her gaze, silent.

She chuckled. "You can't. Let me show you something else."

'Is she just flexing on me now isn't she?'

The wind around her stopped.

Not faded. Not dispersed. It simply—stilled.

Lindarion's breath hitched.

The pressure around them didn't lessen—it compressed. Like the air itself was holding its breath.

Then—

The world seemed to crack open around them.

The air exploded outward, an overwhelming presence flooding every inch of the training grounds.

Lindarion staggered back, eyes wide.

This wasn't just Dominion anymore.

This was something else.

Nyx's voice was calm, but there was power behind it.

"This is called Manifestation."

Lindarion's heart pounded.

'What the hell is this pressure..?'

Nyx continued, as if reading his thoughts. "Dominion makes the world conform to the affinity. But Manifestation?"

She lifted her hand—

And the sky above them seemed to darken for a moment but then it returned to normal

"This makes the affinity real. That's the best way to put it."

The air crackled with energy. The wind wasn't just moving—it was alive. It was no longer just a spell, or a technique, or an extension of her mana.

It was her will made tangible.

Lindarion's fingers twitched as his smile was shaking abruptly

"…Every affinity has this?"

Nyx nodded. "At a very high level of mastery. When a mage stops treating magic as something they use, and starts treating it as something they are, their affinity begins to manifest beyond normal limitations."

'….I'm lost for words.'

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Lindarion swallowed his eyes beaming with nearly literal stars in them due to his awe.

He had never heard of this. Not once. Not yet from the academy, not from his teachers, not even from warriors who had fought in real battles.

This wasn't just advanced magic.

This was rewriting the rules of magic itself.

Nyx let the wind settle, the pressure fading as quickly as it had come.

She studied him for a long moment. "I'm telling you this because you have the potential to reach it. But not with how you're approaching magic now."

Lindarion inhaled, steadying himself. His mind was racing, his instincts still on high alert from what he had just felt.

Then he exhaled slowly, the corners of his lips curling up.

"…Alright." He met her gaze. "Teach me how to stop thinking then professor."

Nyx grinned. "That, I can't properly do it comes with experience and training..and you are still yet to master your affinity. It's lacking."

'Only if she knew I had a bunch to master…this is what the old man meant when he said I'll progress slower..'

With Lindarion having all of his affinities…it would take him way longer to master them each compared to others who only had one. Just like Thalorin said to him before.