Chapter 57: Affinities
"Affinities, so what elements I'm best at?"
So far I've had an affinity with fire, wind, healing and recently... I don't know what the name would be, mind?
"Best at? No, what elements you are able to use. I know there are many fantasies out there but the truth is that you can only use a designated element that you may have awakened," She says as we start heading towards the building.
"So you can only use the elements you have an affinity with and nothing else."
"No, that's not quite correct. There's also the basic elements that everyone can use."
"By that you mean?"
"Fire, wind, earth, and water. Anybody can use these four elements, the difference is what 'you' can do as supposed to what 'they' can do."
"What do you mean?"
"You have an affinity with the basic elements, meaning that theoretically, you can use all four for combat purposes. While everybody is able to use these four elements to an extent, it would not be useful for combat. However, they can use it enough to make a little fire, fill a cup of water, small things. As suppose to breaking walls from using it."
I see so that means that I should be able to attack using water and earth too?
"So wouldn't having an affinity with basic elements be ideal?"
"No, not necessarily. While it is true that you would be able to use them for combat, it doesn't necessarily mean you are good at them all. Most people can only use one of them fully. The other three usually are not used that often, two on your occasion and very rarely three. Four would be pushing it," We get closer to a building with columns on the outside. We enter the building and inside there's a long well-decorated hallway.
"So aside from the basic elements, what's the normal amount of affinities then?"
"Usually is one element per person. Though there are some with two and very rarely do we get someone who can hold three elements within their body."
Hold? So there's only a certain amount of elements each person may have? She also said the max is three usually. So, my elements would be the basic elements(Fire, Wind, Water, Earth), Healing and Mind? I need to investigate the library of this place.
"...Is there such a thing as a library here?"
"Yes, there is, trying to learn about why that is the case? I could tell you right now you know?"
I sigh.
"Yes, that may be but you can't exactly tell me everything that I want to know, and you could easily mix a lie or two."
"Still doubting the principal? What if the books also have false information?"
"Why would you go through the effort of butchering your own library's information. That's just stupid."
"...I guess so, It looks like we are here though," she says as she opens a door.
The inside has one desk, with a couple of books and a small microphone, near the window with two chairs on this side and one on the other side. In the middle of the room, there are two sofas facing one another with a small desk in the middle. Along the walls, there are bookshelves with many books and documents all aligned.
This looks like a stereotypical principal's office.
"So, how are we going to determine my affinities?"
"We have a small sphere here, usually the sphere tells us what the element is based on the color."
This is becoming a lot more anime-like.
"How can you tell based on color?"
"We can see pre-recorded elements and we record them and use a device to determine the exact color," she says as she pulls both out her desks' cabinets. " I can't remember the last time I used one of these."
In one hand she had an orb and on the other, she had something that looked like a gun. So that's the device that lets them record the specific color?
"Why? Don't you have people transferring in like me?"
"No, you are supposed to be born with the ability. In your case, you probably got hold of Neo waste without realizing."
"Neo waste?"
"It's usually what's used to awaken powers, well. The usage of it on human bodies was banned and is now used on other things. You will be taught this later, or you can read it at your leisure if you want. Anyways, touch this and throw in some mana. We will see the colors appear one after another, the first one that appears will be the element with the highest affinity, as you move down the elements you will have less affinity with them."
"Alright."
I place my hand on the orb and let some mana escape while at the same time the principal points.
The first color is green
"Emerald-green, that's the healing element"
The second color is gray
"Cadet gray, that's the basic element."
So next is Mind then?... The next color that appears is silver
"Silver...Unverified element."
Unverified? Then what about my mind?
"Looks like we're-"
Another color appears. Black.
"Onyx...Unverified?"
I thought she said that only three- Another color, this one's black too?
"Olive-black, shadow."
I don't feel like reacting anymore, I'll just let this finish.
"Ivory, Unverified. White, light. Purple, Lightning.Transparent, Alchemy.Golden-yellow, Mind."
After the last, there were no more colors... What was that? I thought you were supposed to be only compatible with 3 elements. I look at the principal, she's thinking something but I'm not sure what it is, she's just staring into space...
Actually, didn't she say that the later the element the lower the compatibility, why do I already have mind-reading and not the others yet? There's definitely something-
"Luis, how did you survive ten flasks? How is that even possible?"
What does she mean?
"...What do you mean ten flasks?"
"...There are only two ways a human from our realm can use magic. You either have parents who are mages, which in your case is impossible, or you ingest neo waste, which is basically modified nuclear waste."
"Okay...so?"
"Usually whenever neo waste is used on someone two conditions have to be met. One is the capacity of the person. If the amount of Neo waste that enters the body is over the amount the person can withstand then the person will explode and if it's too little nothing will happen. However, the dosage must be administered all at once so knowing a person's capacity is difficult."(Principal)
Holy fuck, I could've exploded in the middle of the street!
"The second condition is affinity. Whenever nuclear waste is modified depending on the refining process the element that the waste can awaken will differ. If the wrong element is applied then the target's whole body will feel searing pain for the next 7 days, the target will die of pain or go mentally disabled and on rare occasions will they remain sane however they will have some mental scars."
This neo waste thing sounds really scary, explode? Pain? What the fuck! Is that why it is no longer used on humans. Something that dangerous fell on me that ay?! Holy fuck!?!
"...So you are saying that it's not normal to survive this many and manifest the powers," I say trying to sound as calm and collected as possible.
"No! It's not!!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Grasshopper_sensei
Grasshopper_sensei I was slightly under 5 minutes according to the app, but I'm not sure how to proceed from here! Next chapter will be so hard to write! Which is why I'm leaving it to tomorrow! Hopefully, I have a better way to move on by then. Well, we'll see what happens. Also, I get the feeling that the plot progression has become forced but whatever.
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