Inside the Box World.
Lucien arrived in the space where the Thunderbird Aethel lived.
At that moment, Aethel was soaring through the clouds, practising high-difficulty spins and vertical dives.
The arcs of electricity around him were sometimes as thick as thunderous dragons, sometimes as thin as silver snakes, cutting through the clouds and bringing down heavy rain.
Lucien wore a water-repellent bracelet, so he was not concerned about getting wet.
Looking up at Aethel as he appeared and disappeared among the clouds, Lucien realised his self-proclaimed 'second in command' was practising a Thunderbird's courtship display. According to this "precocious" bird, the early one would have the advantage.
The first time Lucien heard Aethel say this, he had even wondered whether the Unicorn's Blessing had mistranslated it. Only after asking Lumen to help communicate did he confirm it was indeed what Aethel meant.
Lucien had also asked Aethel why he was so eager to find a mate.
Aethel's reply had been:
"Boss, ever since I became aware, I've felt that I am a male Thunderbird destined to become the king of Thunderbirds. I will definitely have many mates in the future, lay many eggs, and expand my flock again and again. Unfortunately, two years ago, I tried to court an older female, but she ignored me. Later, her mate even came and beat me up…"
Lucien's feelings at the time had been complicated. It seemed that not only humans had their oddities, but Thunderbirds did as well.
It was probably a good thing Aethel followed him. Otherwise, with that personality, he would likely have been beaten to death by other Thunderbirds sooner or later.
Looking up at the cloud layer threaded with lightning and rain, Lucien raised his wand.
The electric arcs dancing at the tip gradually shifted from blue-white to a faint purple.
Lucien felt the warm silver lightning pattern on his thumb. The Elemental Thunder Mark was drawing in thunder-elemental energy from the surroundings, naturally guiding it into the spells he had constructed.
He first tested the most basic spell, "Arc Blast."
Previously, it had only produced a loud electric spark. Now, his wand released a purple arc as thick as a thumb, twisting and crackling as it lashed out like a whip, striking a distant tree and leaving a scorched mark.
Next was "Static Barrier."
What had once been a faint glow condensed into a solid shield woven from crackling strands of electricity.
A leaf blown by the wind struck it and instantly turned to ash.
After several consecutive attempts, Lucien raised his wand high, letting his magic surge forth like a flood. The lightning pattern on his fingertip instantly grew scorching hot, flaring with a visible glow.
"Thunder Cage Lightning Lock."
Several chains formed from pure lightning shot out from the tip of his wand, solid like long serpents of electricity, instantly coiling around the boulder he had targeted and locking it in place.
After testing several charms, Lucien confirmed that the power of his lightning magic had indeed increased by about one-tenth, which matched the description of the enhancement.
For basic charms, the difference was negligible, but for higher-level spells like Thunder Cage Lightning Lock, the amplification from the Elemental Thunder Mark was noticeable.
"Caw—"
A sharp cry came from the sky. Lucien recognised it as Aethel greeting him.
As Lucien looked up, he saw several thick bolts of lightning descending from the sky, as if drawn by an unseen force, crashing directly into the lightning chains wrapped around the boulder.
Boom!
The chains changed dramatically. They were no longer chains, but instantly transformed into a true cage of lightning. The blinding electric light made Lucien narrow his eyes.
The trapped boulder began to crack with a grating sound, fractures spreading across its surface until it finally disintegrated into dust in a burst of light.
The Thunder Cage slowly faded, leaving only scorched ground behind.
The wind howled as Aethel descended, beating his three pairs of wings before landing in front of Lucien.
"Boss, why do you smell so good?!"
Aethel hopped around in front of him, repeating the same words. Lucien's first reaction was confusion.
But he quickly understood. As Aethel drew closer, Lucien raised his right hand, holding his wand, and channelled magic so that the Elemental Thunder Mark on his thumb glowed brightly.
"Aethel, is this what you mean by 'smells good'?"
Seeing the silver-white lightning pattern on Lucien's finger, Aethel nodded rapidly, almost like a human.
"Yes, Boss. It wasn't there before."
It was indeed the effect of the Elemental Thunder Mark. Thunderbirds were naturally sensitive to thunder-elemental energy, and the mark increased his affinity for it.
From the earlier tests, when casting lightning magic, the mark would automatically draw in surrounding thunder elements and integrate them into the spell, enhancing its power.
In particular, the final Thunder Cage Lightning Lock had even drawn lightning from the sky, further amplifying the effect.
"Aethel, was that lightning from the clouds just now triggered by you?"
Aethel rubbed his beak against Lucien's palm, or rather, against the thunder mark on his fingertip. The faint purple arcs gathering there were inhaled through his nostrils.
"Yes and no, I suppose. When you were casting the spell, Boss, the lightning in the clouds already showed signs of descending, but it was very weak. It wasn't until your last spell that it became noticeably active, though it still didn't break through the clouds. I just gave it a push, letting it follow the pull of your magic and strike that rock."
Thunderbirds' perception of thunder elements was indeed sharp. When Lucien used lightning magic and triggered the Elemental Thunder Mark, the lightning in the sky responded.
The more complex the spell and the more thunder elements it gathered, the stronger that attraction became.
In the end, it was with Aethel's assistance that the lightning truly descended and merged into the Thunder Cage Lightning Lock.
Lucien glanced at the silver lightning pattern on his thumb.
This was only a basic Elemental Thunder Mark. Its pull on natural lightning was still limited.
If he continued to enhance the mark, not only could he gather more thunder elements to strengthen his spells, he might even be able to directly draw lightning for reinforcement.
It seemed that in the right environment, elemental marks could exert even greater effects. Earth magic near the ground, water magic near lakes or oceans… just thinking about the power he could hold made Lucien's scalp tingle.
________
(^///^) Please support this fic and also read 12 chapters ahead at Patreon.com/DrakDevil1