Instructor Jersin slowed his walk across the Reach to a crawl, taking his time to stroll past the dangerous elements. Slow and steady.

"Condense makes water gather," Menla explained but soon noticed instructor Jersin's approach. Her eyes went wide and stuttered uncontrollably: "A-a-and i-i-it does."

Olpi grabbed Menla and forced the girl to look only at her. "Don't look at him." The child was shaking the goddess's sake. "Look at me." Olpi forced the warmth into her voice. "That's right. Look at me. Please continue."

"C-condense pushes the water together." Menla was still stuttering, but at least she was coherent. "Water doesn't like to be condensed so it pops out. I thought that it w-would push the shield out extremely fast, and it worked. I'm just struggling on defending myself. It should work but I didn't know why it isn't working. Please Olpi," She couldn't move her head but her irises moved as if she could look through Olpi's hand. "You said he was especially mad, and he keep me down there more than anyone."

"Don't worry," Olpi reassured, but her head was aching from the explanation alone. She let the child go and recreated the shield spell using Gyro. The shield water shield sprang into existence and spun, but it didn't feel right. There wasn't enough force to deflect anything. "This isn't right," she thought aloud.

"The Ripple should expand the water outwards in order to make a shield. Gyro should spin it to deflect things." Jersin was already halfway across the Reach, chuckling at her efforts. She found herself pacing again. She stopped and tried again but it wasn't any different. She and the Demis tried again and again to no success.

"You're just wasting your friends' mana," Jersin mouthed the words to Menla, still a minute's walk away. "Then they'll fall behind too."

Menla backed away. "There's nowhere for me to go. That's why the instructor always wins."

"Watch it!" The group heard a far-off student yell. The lake by Cerlius of was now nothing more than a crater. Everyone around him was drenched.

"Sorry," Cerlius apologized. "Just practicing some old tricks."

'Is he trying the shield too?' Olpi thought but shook her head. 'I don't think he would do that for someone he barely knows.

'Well I have my reasons.' Cerlius's voice echoed in her head.

Olpi jumped, prompting looks from the other Demis. 'Get out! I need to focus. This is creeping me out. Please.'

'Try replacing Ripple property with something else.' The voice said as if her pervious words were nothing.

'What? You just perfected the spell?' Jersin was just at the other side of the lake, dragging the cane through the lake spreading red through the clear water. 'Who are you? I don't think that even a Human Elemental could come up with a solution that fast.'

'Well…That's debatable. Intellect is different from rote memory after all. Do you know how to utilize the property: Jet?'

'I know of it,' She stopped herself before she began to pace again. 'But why do I need an offensive property for a defensive spell?'

'Water is many things however, as a liquid, it has no blocking capabilities. You can swim through it. It's not hard, like rock.'

'Earth element is not an option! I need to block with water.' Olpi had already lost her patience. She could already hear Jersin's chuckling, only a few dozen feet away.

'Water is one of the core elements for a reason, but if it is used the wrong way then it becomes more useless than Ploly. Water does not block because it does not need to. It cannot be crushed, cannot be slashed, and cannot be stabbed. It always flows. You want a shield, right? Do not fool yourself with human concepts. Water will not bend to your whim. The only way to use it is to let to do what it has always done: flow. Defense is not blocking. Defense is resisting attack. Turn water's flow against the attack.'

Olpi almost slapped herself. "Of course!" The looks from the other Demis grew more concerned. She leaned over and whispered Cerlius's idea to Menla, who was taken aback.

"Demi," Instructor Jersin barked as he pointed at Menla with his metal cane. "The deadline has arrived. Have you finished your shield spell?"

"Yes sir," Menla bowed and assumed the masked expression of a Demi. "I hope you will find that the result is acceptable."

Instructor Jersin raised an eyebrow but kept up the smile. "Very well child. I will indulge you, at least to see your face upon your failure. But be warned that if you have lied to me, the punishment shall be twice as severe." Menla gulped but nodded.

"Travis." Instructor Jersin called.

The youth in question stepped up and gave a slight bow towards the instructor: "Yes master?"

"Fire a spell at this Demi." Jersin flicked his hand at Menla and retreated like the Demis. "Don't hold back either. If she gets hurt, she gets hurt."

"Anything for you master," Travis said as if he wasn't wearing the same smile as instructor Jersin. He and Menla placed themselves two dozen feet apart and pulled mana from their bodies. Menla took one last look at Olpi before assuming the expression she had taught her.

"Come on Menla," Some of the Demis cheered. They were silenced by a turn of instructor Jersin's head.

Magic circles formed on the two opposing sides. Travis called upon the earth element while Menla called upon her water element. This time however, the water element held the property: Jet.

Travis shoved his mana through, forming a massive boulder that hurtled towards Menla.

Menla sent her mana through, changing it into a tiny droplet of water which stopped a foot from her hand. The characteristics of her spell lit up and a crack rang out. Torrents of water erupted from the droplet and oscillated, evolving into a vertical whirlpool with her at the center.

Spells collided. Water and broken stone shot every which way. Olpi couldn't even see Menla anymore as mist covered the two combatants. The Demis held their breath as a dark figure shot out of the fog, sliding to a stop on the water's edge: Travis.