章節 22: CH : 21 Talk with Ana

However, it's clear that this world operates on its own set of fundamental laws—laws that deviate from the science I once knew, and I am determined to uncover every secret.

But for now, I set those thoughts aside. I placed my quill on the table, closed my diary with a soft thud, and leaned back in my chair, momentarily lost in the satisfaction of my progress. Then, without hesitation, I shifted to the floor, sitting cross-legged. My hands rested gently on my knees, palms facing upward. I relaxed my shoulders, closed my eyes, and began to breathe deeply, rhythmically. Each breath calmed my body, centering my focus.

Slowly, I directed my awareness inward. Using the bioelectric currents coursing through me, I explored the intricate web of energy flowing through my body. I traced the faintest signals, feeling them pulse and weave, until I reached the nervous system surrounding my spine. There, I paused, marveling at the new neural connections I had recently cultivated. They thrummed with vitality, a testament to my relentless experimentation.

Satisfied that everything was functioning as intended, I initiated the next phase. With painstaking precision, I stimulated the process of axonal sprouting—the natural phenomenon where neurons extend new branches to forge additional connections. But unlike my early, clumsy attempts, where I had nearly overwhelmed my body with uncontrolled energy, this time I acted with the grace of a master craftsman.

Hours passed unnoticed, lost in the perfection of my work.

I carefully modulated the bioelectric currents flowing through my spinal cord, ensuring each surge of energy was gentle, calculated. I guided the growth of these new neural pathways with a surgeon's precision, enhancing the density of nerve connections in key regions. Every movement, every adjustment, was deliberate. I visualized the network expanding, becoming more intricate, more powerful.

The feeling was exhilarating. It was as if I were sculpting my own evolution, shaping myself into something beyond human. My nervous system became a symphony of electrical energy, each note perfectly harmonized, each pathway meticulously crafted. I could feel the strength growing within me, the connections solidifying, creating a web of work that was both beautiful and terrifying.

These new neural connections function like additional processing cores in a high-performance computer, transforming my nervous system into a decentralized powerhouse. Each cluster of neurons operates as a parallel processor, enabling my spinal cord to handle intricate motor functions, reflexive actions, and autonomic responses independently from my brain. It's a seamless symphony of control, allowing for unparalleled efficiency in bodily coordination.

The process of creating these connections was painstaking, requiring hours of sitting perfectly still, immersed in absolute concentration. Every movement of energy had to be precise, as the smallest error could render me paralyzed from the waist down for hours. I know this all too well—because it happened before. The first time I miscalculated, I lost all sensation below my waist, including the most personal part of myself.

And let me tell you, not being able to feel my "little bro" for hours was a haunting experience—one I hope never to endure again. Even though it was temporary, it felt like an eternity. Sure, maybe I'm exaggerating, turning a minor incident into a personal tragedy, but the fear was real, the helplessness unbearable.

"Focus, Maxwell," I muttered to myself, gritting my teeth. "Focus. Stop thinking with your dick."

With that internal rebuke, I redirected my thoughts and energies. I moved on to the ganglia—nerve cell clusters along the spinal cord that I had been meticulously enhancing for the past three years. This project was my magnum opus, the culmination of relentless work, requiring daily commitment. I had foregone learning new techniques or practicing battle moves, pouring all my energy into this second sub-brain initiative. Every day, I scrutinized my progress, correcting even the slightest imperfections, like a twitch in a finger or a misfire in a nerve signal.

Occasionally, parts of my body would become paralyzed during these experiments, but as long as my brain remained functional, I could repair the damage. That's why I rarely touched the nerves in my brain directly—some risks were too great, even for me.

I carefully stimulated the ganglia clusters, shaping them into miniature processing centers distributed along my spinal cord. These nodal hubs would act as localized control units, each handling specific, critical tasks with precision:

Monitoring Limb Positions. They continuously tracked the exact positioning of my limbs, enhancing my spatial awareness and balance without needing conscious thought.

Autonomic Regulation. They managed vital functions such as heart rate and respiration independently, ensuring that even in the event of brain injury, my body could maintain basic life support autonomously.

Reflexive Reaction. They allowed me to respond to external threats with lightning speed, dodging attacks or countering blows without any conscious input—pure instinct, guided by enhanced neural pathways.

This decentralized nervous system would make me faster, more efficient, and nearly impossible to predict in battle. It was a self-sufficient network designed to function flawlessly, even in the most extreme conditions. Each ganglion node acted as an independent processor, sharpening my reflexes to the point where even the slightest hesitation from an opponent could be fatal to them.

Finally, as I completed the final touches on this long-term project, I exhaled slowly, feeling the power coursing through me. The sensation was euphoric—a blend of satisfaction and awe. I had transformed my body into something extraordinary, something beyond human limits. And this was only the beginning.

***

"Please brother, open your eyes?"Ana whispered, her face almost on my face as she stood so close.

"What's up princess"? I mumbled, still had my eyes closed.

"Can you help me with something and after that can we cuddle up until mom comes back?"

I opened my eyes and gland at Ana.

Ana was looking up towards me with dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't been able to fall asleep due to something.

She presses closer to me, enjoying my warmth and protection and strokes her tiny fingertips over my hand. She can be such a sweetheart and a little devil at the same time. She's very different from her mother.

"Baby, what's going on with Jase and those Magnom boys?" I know Ana is honest to me.

"I don't know. I guess they like each other. And he and Jase hurt…"

"Did they bother you again, princess?" I ask her, pressing her close to me. The thought someone is hurting my baby girl brings my violent side out. I swallow my anger down and try to calm my nerves.

"No, Brother. I never met her again at my training sessions".

"That's good, angel." I decide to let it go for now,

I was then pushed and pulled in for a kiss.

Ana then put a hand over the back of my hair and pulled me in closer, getting more and more passionate with each second.

*Chu* *Mwauuuuh* *Kiiiisssssss*

After a few minutes Ana had to distance herself to be able to breathe.

*huff* *huff* *huff*

My hands wrapped around Ana's waist said "Well someone's clearly excited today"

Ana, who had her arms around my neck was still breathing heavily "Since you skip my lessons today, I thought why not reach out and enjoy it"

I just look at Ana with a raised brow "Enjoy it? It looks to me that you're more than enjoying it, you were trying to eat my face with that attack"

Rolling her eyes Ana with cute face just scoffed "Oh please like brother didn't enjoy it, if you didn't you wouldn't have kissed me back"

Faintly chuckling I then pulled Ana closer "Your right, I did enjoy it, why don't we continued where we left off"

Ana only gave me a cute look before pulling my face back into a long kiss.

When we finally disconnected, Ana let out a satisfied sigh, "So what is bothering my little princess?" I asked while looking at little Ana breathing heavily.

"I'm not little anymore!" Ana said with a cute pout on her face.

"Haha of course, of course my big and strong princess now if you will enlighten this foolish brother of your"

***

"Is there any reason for magic beyond freeing us from our fears?"

She tilts her head while asking.

"What is Magic?" Maxwell asked

This…this was beyond Ana wildest expectations. Just when she thought she had all the answers, the Great brother forced her to face the simplest question imaginable.

What is Magic?

Defying the natural order of things? To understand the universe? To reach true Godhood? No, those are merely some of its goals.

To think that she tried to learn how to run before discovering walking! Only now does she realize how naïve and arrogant. How did she ever expect to find a path to follow path of her brother's path of magic before even knowing what magic is in the first place?

"I will stop you right here and ask you another single question." Max cuts in. "Do you have any idea of how it will affect the world around you?"

Well, that is an extremely complex question, and she is not anywhere as wise as her brother, who obviously can accurately predict the future.

"I have no idea." Ana admits without any shame. She may like to appear wise before others, but she has never liked the idea of lying to her family all that much. "I am not really sure what I am doing half of the time beyond following your book if I have to be honest."

Maxwell chuckles once again at that.

"Ana, let me tell you a secret about the universe." That catches immediately her attention; any pointer from Maxwell would do wonders for her understanding of the magic or help her to refine her element even further.

"Nobody really knows what they are doing."

That is certainly a profound lesson, a single sentence filled with ancient wisdom from a long forgotten past. To truly grasp all the deep meaning behind it, a magician would need to have reached the brother's level at minimum.

In other words, it makes perfect sense for Ana to not understand shit.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Everyone feels a bit lost and lonely sometimes. Just look at me, I'm almost twelve years old and I barely understand why people like it when I use it." Maxwell got up and opened his palms as the water bottle flew in his hand which isn't showing for Ana anymore as she knows her brother is the strongest. He opened the cap and emptied the bottle in one mouthful. "Hell, even father is wrong most of the time, he is just really good at improvising and cleaning after himself."

"Then it's my duty as the sister of the strongest to reflect on my own failings in order to gain understanding."

"Yeah, you do that." Maxwell huffs. "Or maybe you would rather do as everyone else and act as if you understand what is going on with everything."

That…would actually explain many things.

"My Angel, despite how bad this sounds, it doesn't truly matter in the great scheme of things. It just means that everyone can feel lost sometimes." She is feeling very lost right now. "I just want you to understand that your actions will have consequences for everyone that you can't predict.''

"This sucks." Ana sagely summarises this whole conversation in just two simple words.

"Indeed, it does. What do you consider to be of greater importance…

***

"Then how do I get that strong?" It is hard for a elemental to teach others about their element since not only their understanding would be too profound for more inexperienced elementlist to comprehend it, but it would also go against the student's best interest since any misunderstanding in the teacher's original understanding would be transmitted to the student, crippling their future.

That is why most teachers would rather just give their students resources and some pointers every now and then to avoid interfering too much and allow their students to reach their own and unique understanding of the element they are learning.

Even if she had the same element as mine, and taught her everything she still would be a pale copy of my third copy if you will!

Sharing my techniques with Ana would only cripple her progress in the long run, but that did not mean I could not offer some sage piece of advice.

"There are only two steps for anything." Solemnity paints my tone as Ana looks at me with some thin veiled anxiety. "First, try it. Then, do it."

"This is not a joke." She sneers with a frown, not finding this amusing or helpful.

"Nobody becomes strong by accident and even if they did, it would be completely meaningless. By trying you are not only giving meaning to your future actions, but also proving that you have the will to fight against fate itself."

"I already know that I want to get stronger, so how should I do that? Should I copy what mother brought and combine it with your book or maybe study the principles behind water magic and-"

"That is your problem.'' I cut in before she could continue. ''You're already thinking about the second step before even completing the first step. You try it, then you do it."

It is something so simple, yet my little angel doesn't seem to get it.

''That is…a logic that only a moronic natural born genius can follow. It is impossible to try something unless you know exactly what you are doing."

''I am a genius." I agree with her statement. "Being a genius means that I can throw one-hundred punches with my eyes closed and land one-hundred times because I want to. Because I am a peerless genius, I know for a fact that I can produce thunder that refuses to consume the world around them."

By waving my hand a little, the entire room had electricity dancing around in a semi-solid form, making Ana flinch in surprise.

It takes my little girl a few seconds to realize that she isn't in any danger. The electricity is just acting playful.

"A genius doesn't need to understand what he is doing because only his pleasure and displeasure exist."

And just like that, the thunder disappears in thin air leaving Ana alone with her thoughts. No words are exchanged, but I understand that something changed...or maybe I am just imagining it because I want that to be the case.

"Brother, do you think that water needs to be wet?" She asks without looking at me, her fingers playing with an ice knife she absently created.

"Does it matter what I think?"

For the first time since this whole conversation started, I see Ana laugh.

"No, I guess it doesn't." She replies with a small smirk. "We shall resume our lessons next week. I am going."

I am such a great teacher.

I was worried about my capabilities as a teacher since I could not fully inspire my elder sister, but this encounter with Ana proves that the problem isn't me, but rather our compatibility. If I want my elder sister to reach her full potential, then I will need to look for help.

...I should also find someone who can teach her…

***

"You know, she was here yesterday," Maria teased, her voice dripping with playful malice, "and I'm quite certain she'll show up again tonight." Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she watched Max's expression carefully.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Max responded, feigning indifference, though the quickness in his voice betrayed him.

***

Ana images in comment box.