Using two compound metamagic techniques in conjunction called for preliminary experiments for safety's sake. The more advanced and complex the magic, the more important safety became, and testing it with materials first was the preferred approach.
Quelrintis prepared plenty of materials, including arcane crystal, arcane dust, and planar essence. Patrick began casting, spreading out his Mind Vision and constructing a Spatial Vector platform. The arcane dust and planar essence condensed into groups of arcane sequences, shimmering with azure light.
Slowly, the vector platform began guiding the spell into effect. A "ribbon" composed of arcane sequences took shape and drifted slowly through the air.
The good times did not last long. Cracks began appearing in the blue spell ribbon, accompanied by sizzling sounds. The cracks grew larger and larger until the ribbon itself caught fire. With no other choice, Patrick released ice to extinguish the arcane fire.
"Ellen, why did this happen?" Patrick was puzzled. He had been careful at every step and did not know why this had happened.
[It is still a matter of mana control. The metamagic techniques the High Elves have developed over thousands of years have gradually approached perfection and need little modification. The problem is that you cannot achieve the ideal textbook conditions when casting arcane magic. In those connected magical patterns, mana flows rapidly in some places and slowly in others. Uneven mana output will naturally destabilize a spell. This outcome is normal.] Ellen provided her answer.
"Is mana control what I need to focus on improving now?"
[Mana control and spellcasting level complement each other. Humans clearly have less aptitude for the arcane than Elves, but their control over it is more delicate, and they are more diligent in studying it. Thus, ever since humans learned magic from the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, their