The winds howled across the barren landscape as Morgan stood once again at the center of the training grounds. Her body was still humming from the raw energy she had just unleashed, but now a new power called to her. The words of Leegaain echoed in her mind: "Purpose." She had to understand the power she wielded, not just use it recklessly. And now, it was time to explore a darker aspect of that energy: Doom Tide.
Leegaain's voice cut through the air. "Doom Tide isn't like the Life Maelstrom. It doesn't build. It strips away. It drains."
Morgan turned toward him, her brow furrowed. She had felt the edges of it during her training, a strange, pervasive force that seemed to suck the very life from everything around her. Doom Tide wasn't an ability one used lightly—it drained the world energy from everything, causing spells, arrays, and even the most powerful magical constructs to flicker and fail.
"You're ready," Leegaain said, his tone hard. "Now feel it. Let it take from the world around you."
Morgan took a deep breath and extended her senses, reaching out to the energy in the air, in the earth beneath her feet. Slowly, she let the Doom Tide begin to seep from her, feeding on the surrounding power. It was like a vacuum, pulling the world's energy into her body, drawing it into a hollow void within her that threatened to swallow everything.
As the energy drained, Morgan could feel the world around her weakening. The air grew thick, and the magical barriers she had set up around the area flickered. The life force of the world seemed to dim as the flow of energy was siphoned off, as though the very landscape was dying.
"This is Doom Tide," Tyris said quietly, standing a distance away. "It is not just an attack; it's a restriction. Everything around you weakens. Spells, arrays, even bloodline techniques. They will disappear, the power leaving them like a storm surge pulling back into the ocean."
Morgan tightened her grip, forcing the energy to spread outward. It was an effort, one that required every ounce of her concentration. The ground cracked beneath her feet as the flow of energy warped around her, turning into a storm of destruction. The trees that had stood for centuries began to wither, their leaves curling and turning to dust as the life force was drained from them.
"Remember," Leegaain warned. "Doom Tide is a double-edged sword. It may strip the world's energy from everything around you, but that energy can always return. But when it does, it will be violent, unpredictable."
Morgan's hands trembled as she pulled the energy back into herself, ready to release it. She could feel the stored power beginning to pulse, the pressure building in her chest, until—
Boom!
The explosion was deafening. The energy she had accumulated exploded outward in a violent wave, a storm of destruction that tore through the landscape, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. The air hummed with the residual force, and the earth groaned beneath the weight of the released power.
Morgan collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. The world around her was silent now, the magic temporarily gone, leaving only the emptiness behind. She had used Doom Tide to its fullest extent, and the results were breathtaking. Yet she felt a gnawing emptiness inside her.
"Not bad," Tyris said, his voice calm, though there was a hint of something more in his eyes—pride, perhaps. "But remember, the Elemental Flow is your ally now. You can move faster, cast arrays with ease, change your position, alter the effects as you see fit."
Morgan nodded, feeling the residual energy flowing through her veins like a second heartbeat. The Elemental Flow was now a part of her, allowing her to twist the very fabric of magic at will.
Leegaain added, his tone measured, "And the Mana Body... It will make you nearly indestructible. But remember, this power comes at a cost. When you infuse yourself with the earth's energy, you lose your ability to cast new spells. Your power becomes your armor. Use it wisely."
Morgan rose to her feet, her body humming with power. She knew that she had just touched the surface of something far greater. The powers she held now were a gift, a curse, and a challenge all in one.
But she was ready.