San held his breath. This was the moment of truth. After those monsters had decimated his home town, he had taken it upon himself to find a way to halt the threat. Sure, he was an outcast, known only by the number in his birth order, but that wasn't important now. Even the sages in his commune knew that. That's why they had opened the Greyfeather Temple to the public.
He had dove straight in. Learned all about weapons and enchantment techniques. He learned about magic staves and what materials they were made from for each element. He discovered that for his own element, Air, he would need blackmetal and Air crystals. Blackmetal to conduct the electricity from the lightning it produced and Air crystals as a source of power. Both of those things could be found atop Mt. Tempest. After much painstaking searching and labor, he had done it. The staff was nearly complete. But it didn't have enough power to stand a chance against the Heart of Darkness just yet.
That was what he was here for. He just needed one more thing. One more thing that would imbue the staff with the essence of Air itself. Something that would turn this little art project into the most powerful magical weapon anyone inside or outside the commune had ever seen.
A bolt of lightning from atop Mt. Tempest.
He raised the staff, aiming it at the center of the swirling clouds. He recited the incantation:
"By the power of Anima itself, I dedicate this staff to the path of Air! Come unto us and imbue this staff with the raw essence of storms, of swirling tornadoes, of bright and sunny skies! May it serve us well in our battle against the forces of Null!"
The storm clouds above his head began swirling faster and faster, as if he were standing in the center of a great twister. The wind roared as bolts of lightning of all colors sliced the sky back and forth. Suddenly, like an eagle diving down to seize its prey, a great flash of electricity shot straight down through the column of clouds, striking the staff in San's hand. It surged throughout the staff, bathing every inch of it in its power, but San was not harmed. When he looked back at the staff, he could see that it resonated with pure Air magic and now bore three blades atop its prongs, each in the shape of a lightning bolt. The gemstone in the center glowed green with energy.
The spell had worked.
