The Kurain elders are incredulous and see the Master's training of Phoenix as some kind of joke. Surely she is deluding herself that her 'friend' has any spiritual power. It's a waste of the Master's attention, but she is the Master, so they can't question her usage of time too brazenly. However two of the older Mystics resolve to discreetly observe this farce themselves, and possibly hint to the Master that this is a lost cause, based on the proof of their observations.
Maya has resolved today to test Phoenix's progress with some kind of task. He's been preparing for several days, meditating and fasting on one of Kurain's remote mountains, Maya playing close attention to his wellbeing - but, of course, not fasting herself, though she's had the tact to depart to where Phoenix can't see as she gobbles her meals. The elders crouch unobserved behind one of the many large boulders.
Maya is a little concerned over the task she's set Phoenix today. She fears it's too dangerously exacting, but his powers only seem to include a small subset of the usual Kurain talents and she's had to choose a feasible activity from among them. He does have some other, unKurainian powers, but harnessing them is the subject of mutual experimentation and they can't be accurately tested or predicted.
Phoenix crouches in a meditatory position, his Magatama secured around his neck. Maya removes her own Magatama and passes it to him, with the intent he will give it the Psyche-Lock Charge that Pearl originally manifested in Phoenix's own Magatama. Charging a magatama isn't exactly a beginners' task, but Phoenix lacks talent in many areas traditional beginner tasks come from, and he's already demonstrated his inherent talent in this particular sphere.
Maya kneels directly behind Phoenix, placing her hands firmly and supportively on his shoulders. It's essential that she can stop him immediately if the task is too much of a danger to his physical health. Phoenix's powers always seem to require far more physical pain and exertion to utilise than hers or Pearl's – she's not sure if it's because of the differing nature of his powers, the fact he is male, or both, but she assumes it's the way he has learned to compensate for something they possess and he lacks.
Today's task is definitely going to require pushing himself through the pain barrier, but Maya's confidence in her acolyte amasses by the day.
"Ready? Okay," signals Maya, and she watches as Phoenix closes his eyes and begins willing himself to concentrate his powers, his face afire with the same determination-expression she'd once seen at her murder trials.
Maya also trains her powers – to observe the steadily building power source in Phoenix's psyche, and the consistently vibrating, differing power source inherent in the uncharged magatama. Her sense shows her that Phoenix's power continues to build, but then begins to flicker and falter.
"Come on, Nick! You can do it! Focus!" hisses Maya encouragingly in his ear. She bites her own tongue as she senses his power source flail, but then slowly begin increasing in strength once more. "That's it! Train it into the magatama," directs Maya.
Phoenix falters, but finally succeeds in correctly throwing the weight of power against the Magatama. Not quite enough, however - the power is not strong enough to overcome the barriers thrown up by the autonomy of the Magatama.
"Just a little more!" encourages Maya, Phoenix somehow exerts himself to even greater extremes.
"Almost there!" encourages Maya, clutching his shoulders tightly in empathy, aware his pain is so strong she can practically feel it herself. "I know you can do it," she explains as she wills him with every particle of her being, though she knows her positive thoughts will have no effect on the spiritual powers themselves.
Delirium thrills her stomach as her senses percive his power reaching the critical threshold and managing to surge and recombine with the power of the Magatama. Maya grins in exhilaration as the Magatama explodes into a gentle blueish glow. The hidden elders can't suppress an audible gasp.
"You did it! Stop! Stop right now!" He goes limp and drops the Magatama.
She hugs him delightedly. "Congratulations! Are you okay?"
"Yeah… I guess I'll live."
Maya turns to pick up her Magatama. She is taken aback to find that instead of the glow fading away as would be expected of a beginner, it's shimmering with light as strongly as it was initially.
"You're very, very good," she expresses unreservedly, hanging the magatama back around her neck.
"Because I have a great teacher?"
"Well, yes…. but you're very talented as well."
The elders slink back, overcome. Many of the Kurain mystics can't charge a magatama.
Whatever powers this Phoenix has, they may not be typically Kurainian, but they are serious.
###
It's boring in jail. Kristoph took adequate precautions for this possible scenario, so he bribed enough people and constructed enough forgeries in advance to ensure a luxurious stay in prison, but even with these measures, there's still not much to do except sit, paint his nails, and think.
As Kristoph thinks, he seethes. For example, why did he not dispose of that Miles Edgeworth? Further dedicated research surely would have revealed his close ties with Wright would extend to him rigging the odious hobo into some kind of farcical jurist trial to indict him.
And why did he not further investigate the significance of the Kurain Master? He'd even assumed her some crazy old woman and vague acquaintance of Wright's, a different person to that young crazy woman he'd thought an ex-lover now irrelevant to proceedings.
But a stay in jail for somebody as omnipotent as him could not last forever. As superior among humanity, his superior intellect would surely allow him to make his deserved exit from incarceration. He would just have to use the resources at his disposal.
For example, the mail. A few bribes and a forged document had allowed him virtually unrestricted access to the post. Things got opened and censored, but a genius like him could work around that. In fact, here was the mail now, the first issue of his subscription to 'Oh! Cult!'. Kristoph didn't think much of the trashy magazine, but he was limited in what subscription forms made it to his cell, and he had hit upon the idea of investigating the potential of that lovely Devil on his hand. Serious research would require a more advanced publication, but maybe this would provide some leads as to research direction.
What a strange publication. Kristoph wasn't sure he believed in spirit mediums, on reflection, it had turned out that Wright probably did, which was good reason for Kristoph to be certain they were frauds. Though the 'gossip' section [tagline: L. Hart] was highly interesting. It waxed lyrical over how some 'secret undercover sources' had revealed that the highly powerful Kurain Master herself had hand-picked a male disciple, who she was grooming in all the secret techniques known only to the Master, and that this 'pet project' of hers was showing 'unprecedented levels of power, in strength and type never before witnessed by humankind!'
And there was a photo. It was blurry, but there was no mistaking those awful hair spikes. They may have been covered during the years he met with Kristoph, but nobody who had entered court would ever forget those hideous hair spikes.
Well, well. Looked like Wright had found another way to be a fraud.
Kristoph saved the article for future reference, and clipped out an interesting looking mail-order coupon on the facing page. It was for a book titled "Demon Possession For Beginners." With no other sources, at least it should provide some vague amusement.
###
'Demon Possession For Beginners' presently arrived, and Kristoph pored over the instructions with captivation. He got quite excited when they resulted in pinkish smoke arising out of his Devil hand-mark, but all he had managed to capture was the sinister spectre of a glowingly pink butterfly. After two moments it just exploded into flames. What an inherently pointless exercise, Kristoph's exasperation seethed.