One Mistake - One Wound

A strive for perfection of this technique was always there.

Choosing to practice even in the middle of a night, Arthur made his way to the shore of the ocean, hoping that this time around he could practice the Art of Storm Magic even further - and perhaps, truly grasp its power. After all, the previous attempts were either a total crash, or didn't last for long, did they?

This time, he did know how to cast it properly.

The first step was to raise the cold winds high up in the atmosphere, to set up the proper area in order to summon the storm. To do so, he utilized the Mixed Casting technique that he's been practising for so long by now. It shouldn't be too hard - to draw the mana from large volumes he's had inside of him, and then project and visualize it outward at the scenery infront of him.

Yet, another idea sparked up in his mind.

What if he created the immediate link to himself, and thus circle himself in the said cold winds as well? Certainly it would be easier to draw upon the Storm itself if he's already establishing the similar atmosphere around himself too, right?

It could be dangerous too, in a sense of acting as a lightning rod.

But you can't drink champagne if you don't risk. With that in mind, the tornados swirled him, composing a structure of cold wind around himself, stretching out all the way into the atmosphere. First preparations were being done.
(Arthur Rowan)

If creating such connection with wind could work, then that meant the connection with the water one could work as well - and that meant, he could also increase humidity in his immediate vicinity. With magic, it could even be shaped the specific way, to ensure that the lightning that would inevitably come would pass exactly through this area.

Water does conduct lightning nicely, doesn't it?

That's what Arthur relied on, at least. With the winds swirling him, gathering with constantly growing intensity, there was no mistake telling that he would summon the large volumes of water around himself as well - by utilizing Mixed Casting, there were almost no limits to his work.

His emotion, raw and powerful, full of notable feelings of grief, of envy, of frustration and anger - even at this age, he chose to tap into darker aspects of magic like this. It was rewarding, always.

And his focus, untapped and precise; by using Cognitive aspect of his magic, he was able to project the mana through his circuits with deadly accuracy, if only to visualize it infront of him - it served to create the aforementioned pillar of humidity, to outstretch it out into the sky and make sure the lightning comes down exactly to his spot.

His determination and willpower? Enough to manipulate several processes happening at once. While he'd perform with the pillar of waters, the winds continued to maintain their caress.

The Storm was gathering.

First thunder roared over his head, and Arthur looked up. Narrowing his eyelids, he'd mutter under his breath.

"Finally... it's getting easier."
(Arthur Rowan)

The floating siren underneath him cranes her head up to give him a curious look. She fumbles around her neck for a moment before holding up a copper amulet with many dents and teeth marks in it to her mouth, chewing on it as she watches.

"What's getting easier?" She mumbles through a mouthful of amulet.
(Erysicha Thessaly)

Manipulating weather or even creating the Storm wasn't easy at all.

It required constant focus, constant large flow of mana, constant thought process that was casting the spell itself; until it was truly mastered, there was no telling just how bad it can really backfire. He still remembered the last time it was botched - the bolt of lightning struck him down, and he couldn't even stand up for a good while.

Such thing could not repeat.

"What? Who's there?"

And that's where mistake was made.

Deadly tornados that swirled around him to gather the cold wind up in the sky, to condense the air along with heat waves, and thus create Storm - it was on the brink of a botched spell. They slipped his focus, even if for a moment, and that was already enough.

Enough to cut his cheek, causing a stream of blood.

"Guh..!"

Immediately, his resolve focused upon the Storm. No... he couldn't just break his focus like that. It would be either nullifying the entire work and starting all over, or risking to botch the spell and thus damage himself. Neither option looked attractive to him.

Without breaking sight upon his work, he'd respond.

"It's... it's a Storm magic! You might want to get to cover, just in case."

But there was no time to waste. The next stage had to be done.

His arms began to swell in arcs of electricity, raised up upon the water pillars and carried by electrified molecules of the wind; the heat, the lightning itself, they were all rising into the atmosphere.

The Storm was roaring.
(Arthur Rowan)

She turns back from the little encounter just in time to see the tornadoes. Her already large eyes widen even more, and she drops down onto the ground in her surprise. She remains frozen, either through awe or fear or a mixture of both. The amulet drops from her hand and mouth and lightly hits against her chest as she watches.
(Erysicha Thessaly)

A sudden flash.

And entire area went blank in a buzz of white, much like a blinding spark that just made the world vanish in pure nothingness, before promptly returning the vision. It was lightning, of course, one that happened perhaps a bit too close than it should be.

With lightning happening so close, it was expected that other elementals of the Storm were to follow up soon. Within naught but a moment's pause, everything went so silent, so quiet, and even the winds weren't that audible, before--

!! BOOM !!

Thunder cracked down on their heads just as sudden as lightning was. One could literally feel the ground shake underneath their feet, but the young aspiring magi seemed to only be pushing his luck, or his skill, even further on. There was no time to rest, to regret, or to fear.

There was only Storm to tame.

Conducting the lightning of the Storm, the winds, the humidity to himself, it almost looked as if he was draining the atmosphere itself for himself. How? Likely just gathering the element, to grow his affinity to it.

Yet, a sudden bolt of lightning shot at him--

-- only to be caught by Arthur's palm.

"Gughhh--"

It was a sound of struggle leaving his lips. Almost forced to take a step back, the lightning swirled around him like a maddened predator, one seeking to end his life. Yet, he gave up no ground, no quarter to it.

He aimed to tame the beast.

Circling it around himself, reducing it to manageable levels, the lightning coated him along with the waters and winds. Something changed. Progress, perhaps?

"Woah..."
(Arthur Rowan)

She squeaks and stumbles back when the lightning strikes, all that's running through her mind is how badly she's messed up to stay here. Staying close to him now would be the best course of action; the haphazard lightning could potentially strike her if she tried to flee, while he seemed to be able to get a hang of his powers and control these deadly elements.

When the thunder strikes, she yelps and proceeds to falls flat on her face with an "Oof!!". She grimaces, lifting her head up to continue to watch. The lightning encircling him is vividly reflected in her shocked brown eyes. Getting to her feet, she yells at him, trying to be heard over the winds and thunder, "WOOOOAAAH! THAT'S REALLY COOL!! YAAAY!"
(Erysicha Thessaly)

He took his time.

If he wanted to no longer start over with the Storm magic like this, or to never return to the basics, he needed to sample this mana, slowly manipulate it and actually get a hang of it. It's not only about weathering the Storm, mind you, it's also about putting it to use.

There's not much of a point to simply get someone wet under rain if all you do is summon the Storm, without real power to back yourself up, is there?

With the rain dripping down his face after the summoned storm, he took extra caution to not electrocute himself; water conducted electricity nicely, perhaps even too nicely, and by using such deadly element while under the rain he could potentially jeopardize himself.

Badly enough to be killed.

Slowly bouncing the lightning from palm to palm, even going as far as to coat himself in it, and combine all of that with the winds and humid conditions, he had to stay extra sharp to ensure that none of this backfires. It was the power of Storm itself in his hands that he's held, and this time around--

-- it didn't even feel so volatile. Maybe he was getting the hand of it, after all?

But he's got what he wanted. It was time to also attempt to release that energy.

Picking the target as nothingness far in the sky, both of his hands outstretched upward, and after the lightning passed through his body in a smooth wave, a powerful bolt of lightning was sent to the sky - enhanced by the wind, and empowered by the humid conditions of the water.

...He suddenly slumped after such release, however.

His body quite literally steaming and emitting something akin to a cloud around him after the charge of such extreme voltage, he was quietly panting, recovering from the overwhelming exhaustion he experienced.

He didn't tame the beast completely just yet, but he was close. Perhaps next time.
(Arthur Rowan)