Leo The Dragon Heir

Chapter 6

Leo was filled with hope, knowing that there would be a chance for him to become a stronger warrior and make sure he changed his life.

“Master Darwin, if I am not mistaken, you also knew my father, right?” Leo smiled as he looked at Darwin. He wanted to learn more about his family before his training began.

Darwin looked at Leo, the sad young man he had seen a few minutes ago had vanished, and he was looking at a boy who had hope, and he was going to do anything to make sure that he didn't fall back into depression.

“Yes, I knew your father, he was one of the funniest fellows I met. He had a temper, a very nasty one, but when we got to talk to him, it was clear that he was a good guy. But even before we found out that he was a good guy, your mother would always be the one to knock some sense into him.”

Darwin smiled as he was telling Leo about his parents. It was a clear sign that he had enjoyed his time with his old companions. Something that would always comfort him. Leo could see that Darwin was happy as he remembered his time with his mother and father when they were still adventurers.

“So you were all part of a guild? I wonder what that was like.” Leo looked down, trying to picture his mother as a fighter. It was not clear to him how Abigail was someone that would be able to fight anyone. She was the calm and collected one, she never looked or acted violently.

“But she never acted like she could do anything or hurt anyone, she was the calmest person I knew.” Leo looked at Darwin. He was not going to believe that his mother was able to make someone feel scared or anything like that. She was the nicest and calmest person he knew.

Darwin burst out into laughter, he was laughing so hard that it was a bit hard for him to stop, he knew there was no way he would be stopped anytime soon. It would be hard, but he would explain why he was laughing like that.

“Your mother, during the years before she became a full Druid Priestess, was the wildest of us all. She was the one that would dive in head first into the problems and still come let us know when the problem was a problem.”

“She was so strong and unruly that she could clear dungeons alone, it was a feat that I found both scary and useful.” Darwin looked happy talking about Abigail like that, it seemed refreshing to him and there was something that he didn’t know how to even explain to Leo.

“Your mother may have been one of the reasons why I didn’t look at ladies the same way again, but she has one of the kindest hearts I have ever seen.”

Leo was happy to hear that his mother was a kind woman even from the start. He had many things to ask them, but it seemed like he was not going to find it easy to ask them all there at once.

Leo then remembered that he had to get stronger to make sure that there was no way he would be running like he did when his mother was in danger. “Tell me, if we break the seal, how strong do you think I can get?”

Leo looked at Darwin, his question made the warrior in front of him go silent. He was not expecting Leo to ask him something like that. It was all of a sudden, but it was like he wanted to start his training immediately.

Darwin looked at Leo, he knew that if he didn't say anything then it would make the boy come up with more questions. “I want to ask you this first, do you know all the cores and elemental affinities that a warrior in Ivandale should have?”

Leo was puzzled, he didn't know why Darwin would ask him a question like that. It was a way for him to cover up what he was asking. “I know there are four mana cores and seven elemental affinities, the white mana core.”

“You are wrong,” Darwin cut Leo off. He was looking at the boy with a smile on his face, and Leo looked at him confused.

“But that is what my mom told me. I don't know what you are trying to say here, but there is no way there is anything she left out.” Leo was looking at Darwin, he wanted to know what was going on with Darwin’s response.

“I know those are the basic things your mother taught you, but that is what they teach everyone. You see the five basic elements are fire, earth, water, wind, and lightning. All of them go to anyone born to their condition, that is for us humans, while the elves and dwarves blessed by mana have the chance to be born with elements that resonate their lineage.”

“The dwarves and their connection to the crafts make them known as earth elementals. Elves, on the other hand, have elements like wind, earth, and lighting to choose from. But then elements like ice and sound are arcane elements that only one out of five people born can control at will. That falls under the category of the Dwarves and Elves. If a human can control either Sound or Ice then that human has powers that might be scary.”

Darwin looked at Leo to see him paying attention. He saw that the boy was eager to learn, and it was not going to be easy telling him not to.

“Now you were taught that there are seven elements, but in reality, there are other elements like light, Gravity, and void, and more that you know nothing about. These elements are not just attained by anyone, you have to reach the last core by any random person. Although there are elements that come from those, those can only be obtained by dual and tri elementals.”

Darwin looked at Leo, he saw that the boy was a bit confused when he was trying to tell him all those things, but who wouldn’t be? There were not many things Leo didn't know.

“Now Mana Cores, I know you were told that there were four mana cores, the White mana core, the Blue mana Core, the Red Mana Core, and the Golden Mana Core. But there are five mana cores.” Darwin noticed the look on Leo’s face. He knew that he was giving the boy too much information, but he was going to have to learn about all those things before he was going to be prepared for battle.

“You see, there are components to each mana core making it the being's job to break through each core. The White Core has three stages; the start, the enhanced, and the mastered. The start is essentially what all beings are born with, it is what allows us to feel the mana around us. The enhanced white core is what gives us our strength, speed and agility. You are on your enhanced white core, but unlike some, yours has some inhuman abilities for you to be able to kill an Orc Bear. Then there is the mastered white mana core. You get this once you can master your speed and strength. This one gives you the gateway to enter the Blue mana core.”

Darwin paused to look at Leo. He was sure that the boy was more confused than anyone he had seen. “You look lost, do you mind telling me what the problem is?” Darwin asked him with a smile. He was looking at Leo, trying to make sure that nothing was going to keep the lad from understanding what he was saying.

“I am okay, there are just so many things I didn't know. Please continue, Master Darwin,” Leo looked at Darwin, showing him that he was eager to learn. It was going to be the hardest thing, but if he had plans to break the seal and use his powers to become a formidable warrior, then he had to learn everything about mana.

Darwin smiled, he was seeing fire in the boy’s eyes, and he knew that there was no way he would lose anything. “Now there is the Blue Core, which has two components, the light blue core and the dark blue core. The light blue core is where some people stop. It is like the mastered white core but stronger. Once one finds out which elemental affinity he has, the person decides to train the affinity to greater levels. You will get to the dark blue core, which is what most "D" rank and "E" rank warriors use.”

“Then there is the red core, which has three components; the Red, the Scarlet, and the Crimson. Most of the beasts like the Orc Bear have this and warriors from the B rank to C rank have the red to scarlet core, allowing them to cultivate even higher. Then the Crimson Core is a core that warriors from “A” rank and “S” rank carry.” Darwin looked at Leo. He was planning to tell him everything he knew about the cores, without holding a detail back.

“Then there is the Golden Mana core; this is the only core with one component. It is the one that all SS-ranked warriors and absolute mages use. It is by far the strongest of the four. Then there is the Azure Mana core or, as we call it, the Arcane Core. That is the one that no ordinary being can get. Only highly celestial beings, like Dragons, Fairies, Faes, and other creatures.” Darwin looked at Leo, seeing that he was shocked that there were some things he didn't even know about.

“Dragons are real?! How in the world is that possible? I don't even understand what you are trying to say here. I thought that all the dragons were eradicated during the Celestial War?” Leo looked at Darwin. He had been taught that dragons were extinct and there was nothing like that in the world again.

“Dragons still roam the earth, but they are hidden deep in Ivandale and for you to see them you will have to reach the highest mana core. This Azure Core has two sides, the jade and the emerald core. These two have elemental affinities that no human can fathom.” Darwin stopped with a smile on his face. He looked at Leo to see that the young lad was still putting everything together.

“Is anything bothering you?” Darwin asked, looking at a confused Leo. He was not sure what it was that would keep the boy in that state, but it was clear that there was a chance he was trying to figure something out.

Leo scratched his head, he looked at Darwin and was a bit confused. “The Orc Bear is on the Scarlett core, so how was I able to defeat it with an enhanced white mana core?”

Darwin smiled when he heard Leo’s question, “You see, it is a clear sign that you have more power than you even imagine, so it will help you out when you are breaking the seals.”

Leo nodded, he was about to speak when he heard the door being opened. He turned to see who it was. A man who bore a close resemblance to Darwin walked through the door with a smile.

“Ah, I see he is awake now,” the man said as he walked in. He looked at Leo. He didn't stop smiling, and it was a bit weird for Leo.

“He woke up a few hours ago, he had a lot of questions and I have been having a hard time answering them.” Darwin smiled as he stood up, “Leo, this is Varrick, my elder brother.”

Leo sprang up after learning the man's identity, “It is an honour to meet you, I have been wanting to ask if you were going to come back.”

“Yes, he is back. So, brother, you’re back a bit early, is there a chance you learned something about the Druid seals?” Darwin looked at his brother, he was trying to find out what it was he had learned from his journey, but with the look on his face, it was clear that he knew something. “Is there something wrong? Do you have good news or bad news?”

Varrick smiled, he looked at Leo before turning to his brother. “Well, it is nice to finally see you awake Leo, and yes, I have news Darwin. It turns out he can break the seal through training, but for him to break one and get to the Blue core it will take him two years.”

“Two years!? But I want to become an adventurer as soon as possible. Is there no way to bypass it?” Leo chimed in, not letting Darwin speak. Varrick looked at him with a smile on his face.

Varrick took a deep breath before saying a thing, “Well, that's the bad news. If you attempt to break it without going through the main training, your core will explode, and you will die.”