To Grow Stronger

“Throw it!” Emil exclaimed.

His father nodded his head and tossed a wooden ball into the air.

Emil’s eyes focused on the object as it flew and his gaze sharpened. The area around the ball distorted and blurred. If one looked closely enough, they could see a small portal had appeared that lead to a different spot in the room.

As the ball began to pass through it, the scene oddly spasmed and with a blast of anima, it closed. As for the object, it had been sliced in half--one side dropped uselessly to the ground while the other appeared embedded in the wall over a red X that had been drawn.

“You’re getting better,” the Night Sage said. “Your mastery has increased after that battle.”

Emil nodded his head even though there was disappointment clear within his eyes. It had been a month since he had battled the six intruders, but he felt as if his rate of improvement was still too slow. In reality, it wasn’t, but Emil had grown used to excelling.

“I can’t do it like it did before,” he lamented. When he had killed the woman, even though it taken a lot out of him, he had been able to pinpoint the exact location to transport an item. Now, he still wasn’t able to do it properly. He had been practicing since it happened, but… Maybe, the situation had provided some aid to him.

The Night Sage sighed. “Try reaching the Argenti level. You might find it easier then.”

“All right…” Emil hesitated. He wasn’t confident in how long it would take him to achieve that. Even though the strength gaps between each level in the mortal realm wasn’t great like it was for those above it, there was still a distance he needed to cross.

Between the Aes, Argenti, and Aurum stages, one was considered to be tempering their body and soul. According to the Night Sage, once one reached top of the Adamantem rank, they would be considered to be invincible among the mortal realm.

Emil lowered his head. Currently, he was very close to being able to reach the Argenti stage. He knew that practically no bottleneck existed for him because of the unique condition of his body--all that he needed was the time to sit down and absorb energy. Recently, he had been thinking about something… but he was not sure how his teacher would handle it.

“Teacher,” Emil said in a serious tone.

“Hmm?”

He tightened his hands into fists at his sides, taking in a deep breath before speaking, “I want to enter your chamber for two years.”

“You--” The Night Sage’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

Emil gave a wry grin. “Actually, I found about it when we first came here. I was able to tell that the there was some anima being redirected below.”

The Night Sage slapped his forehead. “Of course…” The light drained from his eyes. “But I cannot allow you in there, Emil.”

“Why?”

“It is too dangerous for you,” the Night Sage explained. “It’s where I train and temper my body. The remaining aura in there is too strong for you to handle with your level. You’ll wind up destroying yourself.”

“I know. That’s why I want to go.” Emil gripped his shorts tightly. “If I’m in there, I’m positive that I will be able to upgrade my anima circuit considerably. It’ll be able to reach the Pura level in the future if I start tempering it there.”

The Night Sage’s mouth twitched. “The strain that will have on your body will be immense. Even two years isn’t enough for you to push your limits that far. I won’t allow you to put yourself into needless danger. Don’t be impatient, you have more than enough time.”

“Teacher!”

“You’ll die.”

“I won’t,” Emil stated confidently. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something deep inside of him that was craving the energy deep underground.

The Night Sage’s black eyes exuded an enormous amount of pressure as he gazed down at Emil. From the way that his mouth was set, it was obvious that he wouldn’t back down either.

Emil didn’t dare look away or show weakness. This was something that he needed to do. Day in and day out, he felt the compulsive urge to charge down there.

“Emil, is that what you want?” Felix’s quiet voice cut through the silence.

Both pairs of eyes landed on him.

“If that is what you want, then do it.” He smiled at his son. “I believe that he can do it.”

“Dad…”

The Night Sage’s mouth opened to inform Felix that he did not know anything, but he promptly shut it again.

“I’m lucky!” Emil proclaimed, staring the Night Sage even deeper in the eyes. “I’m lucky so I’ll make it.”

The man’s expression twisted and he glared at Emil. “You’re using my own words against me?”

“Yes!”

The Night Sage took a while to respond, his dark eyes seemingly contemplating something. He knew that Emil would not change his mind--especially with Felix supporting him. He spoke, “All right. But I have one condition if this is what you want to do.”

Emil’s entire being lit up, but he didn’t allow himself to show too much excitement in case the option got taken away. “Yes, Teacher?”

“Once you exit, I want you to leave here.”

“Huh?” Emil’s mood dropped severely. Was he being expelled for his decision? “What do you--”

“I’m not done yet.”

Emil swallowed and nodded.

“I’ll allow you to use the underground facilities for two years in seclusion. In return, afterwards, I want you to go out on your own for a year. Return back here afterwards.” the Night Sage said. “Most importantly, by the time you’re back, you will have reached age fifteen… which you’ll be able to take the entrance exams at the Academy. ”

The Academy? Emil’s eyes twinkled. He had heard his teacher speak about it a few times. It was a unique, magic school with prestige that spread throughout the entire continent. Every single student was a genius in their own right and came from all walks of life. The Night Sage was an alumni there, but he claimed that he was only within the top twenty of his graduating class.

“You want me to become enroll there?” Emil didn’t have any real interest in that place. His experience with the Damgaards had turned him bitter when he thought of the elite.

“Yes. If you agree to these two conditions, I’ll allow you down there.”

Emil didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted by other things and he understood that going into the basement was very important to him. If this was what it would take for the Night Sage to agree, then he would go along with it.

“Yes!”