Day 5

Water institution – Varuna

Passing through the glowing portal, Emery arrived at a stunning beach. As far as the eye could see, the wondrous crystal blue sea stretched on the horizon with white pearly sand. Trees on the side had azure leaves and some shells were left lying across the shore. This was the most beautiful place Emery had ever been, it wasn't an exaggeration to call this a paradise.

He and Klea walked on the tickling grains of sand along the shore. There weren't too many acolytes around, at least 400 – 500 or so. Some of them approached, greeting Klea with a bow, and she responded with a sweet smile and nodded to every person they met along the way. Emery couldn't help but feel the stares of some male and female as he walked side by side with the goddess.

They went toward the center of the island along with a group of youths and the next sight was equally surprising. There was a very large lake surrounded by tall trees on the edge of the lake and a long platform heading toward the giant statue standing in the middle of the lake.

Some acolytes who were with their group started walking on the platform and dived in the lake. Only a few of them had stayed behind and Klea greeted a woman dressed in magus robes standing beside the platform.

"Sister Carla," Klea called out as she grabbed Emery's hand and pulled him to her side.

"Klea, welcome back. Are you going to join today's water element training? If so, why don't you dive right in with the others?" Magus Carla answered.

"I will join in a bit but first, let me introduce you to my friend. It's his first day here," Klea said, presenting Emery.

Carla looked at Emery from top to bottom as if she was analyzing him. Then she smiled. This long-blue-haired had the same position as Darius, the instructor of the stone institute. She was the institute of water's guiding magus. Although she had a friendly face and a refreshing aura, she also emitted some kind of pressure that made Emery slightly feel uncomfortable.

"Hmmm… You have good taste, Klea," Carla said with a knowing look.

"Wow, Sister Carla agrees? Please help Emery, sis," Klea said, her hands clasped together.

Carla then looked at all the remaining acolytes and exclaimed, "All of you first-timers here, please follow me."

She lifted her hand and a small beam of light approached the faces of each acolyte.

[Special effects: Able to breathe underwater for a certain time.]

"Thank you, sister Carla!" Klea again pulled Emery's hand and walked into the lake. She led him straight to the giant statue in the middle. Klea pointed down and Emery saw underneath the pristine clear water that there was a giant dome built in the water. Klea said, "Let's go!"

Emery nodded and the two dived into the water just like the earlier acolytes.

The two swam in front of the others, making their way to the dome. There was a glowing portal just before the big dome and after passing through it, they were transported to the middle of the dome. Emery looked around and saw the inside of the dome also had azure leafed trees, white flooring, and transparent glass everywhere. The outer layer of the dome showed the outside with lots of various colors of fishes swimming around and the bottom of the lake.

"Don't you think it's romantic?" Klea said, her voice sweet.

Emery was still in awe of the sight before him but when he turned around and looked at Klea, he was shocked again. Klea's whole body was soaking wet. Her shoulder-length dark hair stuck to her bronze face and the uniform clasped on the curves of her body, enhancing her voluptuous body. Emery unconsciously gulped, unable to answer, trance at her beautiful sight.

Klea chuckled lightly. "I wish I could go with you, but I have to go to a different room to train. Good luck, Emery, I know you can do it! Sister Carla, I'll leave Emery to you."

Carla nodded and led the new acolytes to the room Emery had been wanting to train in, the room where the water element's origin stone was.

"Those of you who are present, it's your fifth day in our prestigious Magus Academy. I believe I don't have to explain everything from the start. All of you have half a day."

Without much talk, they all sat cross-legged in front of the floating aquamarine stone.

A word entered Emery's mind.

"Water is always flowing, never ending, adapting to its surroundings."

The dark room in Emery's mind was filled with a smooth flowing river. He let himself be drifted away but then it started picking up pace faster and faster until it became a raging river. Emery was remembering that he was in the river where he had struggled for his life and was starting to panic. He reached for anything, a stone perhaps or anything solid just to hold himself back. Then the words entered his head again.

"Water is always flowing, never ending, adapting to its surroundings."

Emery realized he wasn't there. He was in a magical place and this river was in his mind. It couldn't hurt him. Slowly, he calmed himself and felt the flow of the river and drifted along it freely. It went up and down, left and right, swirling in any way, and he just focused on going with the flow. When Emery was starting to feel something changing inside him, he woke up.

"Time has run out," Carla announced.

[Spirit power increased by 2 points]

[Spirit power 26]