Ice magic

In the library, everyone began self-study. Though the atmosphere was calming, Aino in particular looked a tad distressed as she read through her book of choice.

"The 8 elements... They're divided into two main groups. The common variety, consisting of the traditional 4 of earth, wind, water, and fire. Then the rarer variety, light, dark, plasma, and ice... Why on earth is ice its own element, and a rare one at that? Nearly all I know who use ice or snow magic have core affinities for the water element. So why? Why is ice magic so hard to learn!?" she thought.

"You want to be general? Don't make me laugh. You only know wind magic. If you want me to even consider you over your brothers, master ice magic. Then I'll consider you viable to succeed me at the very least," her father's voice echoed in her mind.

Clutching the sides of the book, Aino gritted her teeth as she began to tear up.

"Oya? Why the teary look?" Miyuu asked as she inserted herself next to Aino.

"KYAA-"

"SHHHH!"

"M- My apologies... You startled me, headmistress."

"What's got you all stressed? Is it magic-related? Social? Both?"

"Magic... I'm trying to understand the fundamentals of ice magic, but I don't get it one bit. On my first day, I asked Ms. Himesan about ice magic, yet she said it was impossible to learn without proper affinity. It's true I only have affinity for wind, but isn't there theory out there that suggests one is capable of learning all the elements?"

"You come from Finland. I imagine there's a large variety of snow and "ice" users there, am I wrong?"

"You're correct."

"Snow, as you might know, is formed with ice crystals in the clouds. However, when I say "ice", I mean frozen water. Freezing water magic is quite easy to achieve and master, but that leads to the greatest misconception in magic."

"I don't follow."

"What you have likely been ingrained to believe is "ice magic" is nothing but frozen water magic. That at its core is nothing but a flimsy imitation of ice magic. Tell me, what's the weather like here compared to Finland?"

"Much warmer."

"Right? That also plays a part in why there's so many "ice" users in your land. Finland is cold, and the colder it is, the easier it is to freeze things, like water. But say one of those esteemed "ice" or snow mages found themselves in the Sahara. Think they'd stand a chance in real combat?"

"They should be able to freeze-"

"They'd be wiped. The environment is too hot, meaning they'd need to expand more energy to lower the temperature of their water. It'd all be for not as like snow, it would melt instantaneously in that environment, leaving the mages defenseless."

"But they could use water-"

"In the desert? A place like that would be crawling with sand mages, and with all the natural sand present, even one that borders on being classified as legally manaless could become an unstoppable monster. Even a fire mage would have an advantage against water as the environment would make the water hotter, making steam conversion far easier than normal. Now tell me, if I were to open a portal and drop you into the desert at this very second, would you last against a sand mage?"

"Of course I would!"

"Because of pride?"

"Y- Yes? I'm an elite Finnish mage, of course I'd last-"

"You're right that you'd have a chance of surviving, but that's because your wind magic is strong against sand. Now with sand on the mind, lets say a glass mage, Yurika to make things easy, encases someone in sand before burning them with fire, resulting in that person now being trapped in glass, similar to how one might get trapped in a prison of frozen water. Could that application of glass magic be considered "ice magic"?"

"Yes? They're frozen, and ice is all about freezing."

"Wrong, but you just found the answer you've been seeking."

"Huh?"

"The core of ice magic is freezing. Water isn't the only thing that can freeze over. Take mercury for example. It's an earth element, yet if you lower the temperature enough, it freezes solid. Then there's the famous dry ice. Ever seen a dry ice mage?"

"N- No..."

"That's why ice magic is so rare. Not only do many fail to realize the true nature of it, but even if they can, it's not an easy element to master. But if you do master it, you become one of the most powerful mages in existence. Remember the desert analogy? Well let's say an ice mage finds themself there. With a snap of the finger, everything freezes and becomes cold. See the difference now? THAT is true ice magic."

Aino was left speechless. Indeed, this had been the answer she had been seeking. But at the same time...

"How hard is it to learn?"

Miyuu began to frown. "We have not one master of it amongst our staff, thus, we can't provide any first-hand explanations. All we can do is point you to the texts containing the theory on how to achieve it."

"Not even you have mastered it!?"

"Well, I actually have, but the thing is, I was born with the affinity. I've been using the magic naturally from a young age, so I can't offer any insight into how one born without the affinity might gain an affinity for it."

"But it's possible... right?"

"It is with all the other elements, so it stands to reason it should be possible with this one too. Now I'm afraid I must be leaving. Do your best to use the knowledge I've imparted on you to help take you closer to your goal."

As Miyuu floated away, Aino began to sink her face into her arms in dejection. "So it's near impossible... Damn that man. Why must he be so harsh on me?"

From behind a bookshelf, a figure hidden from sight narrowed their gaze before turning and heading off.