The gazes of both individuals fixated on Zeion, chilling him. His body was covered in beads of sweat, his mind still grappling with the meaning of this occurrence.
"Lagyura, I want you to survey the entire area! Make sure there's no possibility of further attacks," Hander ordered.
"Alright!" Lagyura replied and departed without a glance, his steps firm and resolute.
Only these two remained. Zeion's breath couldn't calm, especially under Hander's cold gaze.
"Child, you're probably wondering why this has to happen."
Zeion didn't respond; fear had silenced him. He could only resign himself to the possibility of a much worse outcome.
"Hah..." Hander exhaled quickly, then fixed Zeion with a piercing and soul-penetrating look.
His soul and body were immobilized, confusion clouding his thoughts. Zeion's eyes searched for assurance, but everything remained the same; nothing had changed except his inability to move.
Dug...
A strong push emanated from within his body, sounding like a drumbeat and reverberating through his pulse which returned to normal.
"What was that just now? For a moment, I couldn't use parts of my body..." Zeion noticed his fingers were still tingling.
"Surely you realize by now that your body isn't something ordinary?"
Getting a direct question from Hander, whose intentions remained ambiguous to him, of course he didn't grasp what the old man meant. There were too many events that his young mind couldn't comprehend.
"W-What did you mean by your words earlier? Why would I be abducted?" But, the strong internal force compelled him to ask.
Hander closed his eyes, his heartbeat making the air feel tight as if it was being sucked in by him. A few seconds later, he exhaled through his nose, blowing dust and obscuring the surroundings.
Zeion couldn't see anything, everything was enveloped in a confusing white haze. He began to look in every direction, searching for a point of normality in this place.
"You must understand and realize that you are no ordinary child!"
Hander's voice seemed to float in the air, shapeless yet echoing within Zeion's body.
From the sky above, a sharp object streaked down.
Kaboom...
An explosion resonated, the powerful collision scattering the dust.
Zeion was taken aback by this event. His eyes were shut; all he could perceive was the movement of the colossal object about to strike him. However, as it appeared, he wasn't harmed in the slightest.
"What just happened to me?" He asked, shocked that an energy shield had appeared, destroying the massive stone to pieces.
Hander's form began to reappear, indicating that the old man hadn't left. He had witnessed the entire event unfold from within Zeion's body.
"Do you understand now?" He asked firmly.
If he could, Zeion wanted to answer: understand what? Even the explanation was still hanging and unclear. But here, he chose to remain silent.
Zeion's silence left no option; Hander then pointed his index finger at him.
"The energy within your body is a manifestation of the pure power of the universe! In the past, there was a legend believed by many powerful beings in this world! The wild and free pure power was constantly sought after for the sake of mastery, freedom, and immortality! But, that energy disappeared; it couldn't be found until today, when it resurfaced in the form of an innocent boy!"
Zeion's rapidly beating heart was shaken; Hander's words struck at his very soul. It was an impact that rocked him deeply, making him try to peer at his own hands. He might have considered the old man's words nonsense, but after what he had experienced, there was no doubt it was real.
He wasn't an ordinary person; he might be a fearsome monster.
"Know that everything is still the same now! Those who realize the immense power within you will seek that power no matter what!" Hander's words held an air of terror.
Zeion's legs turned weak; he felt his sight fading. Still, he tried to remain resolute.
"Then why am I here? What should I do?"
"Everything maybe will happen too quickly for a 10-year-old child like you! But, I will explain briefly: I am here to shelter you while you learn to control that pure energy. Eventually, you will need to find ways to confront the enemies who continually seek your power! You cannot escape this destiny, so prepare for even more terrifying battles..."
Hander had no easier way to explain this; his tone was laced with intimidation. The aura mingled with the air, swirling until the clouds above became pronounced.
***
Bargoron's death was certainly a mysterious sign for his comrades. After six days with no return, a discussion took place in a location known as Swten.
Only two individuals sat, gazing at the vast forest from the cliff's edge. Despite the vibrant energy pulsating around them, they appeared tranquil.
"Have you received any news from Bargoron?" asked the old man named Garford, the elder of the eastern continent.
And Fang, a loyal man who served him replied, "Not yet; it's likely he perished on the mission you assigned."
Bargoron's mission was certainly of deadly proportions, infiltrating a territory inhabited by highly capable creatures. Just surveilling it posed a dangerous risk; entering the territory openly was a greater risk.
"I see. It seems he failed in his mission!" Garford's displeasure was evident. His lips curved like an unsatisfied plain.
"Shall I go to the area to confirm what happened?" Fang asked, intending to console the man.
"Don't be foolish; there's no need for that! You'll have your chance when the time comes," Garford responded firmly, lighting a cigar.
Fang lost his spirit to speak further, allowing silence to linger between them.
"I'm sure there's something peculiar there; perhaps it's the source of the energy that's been a mystery to everyone..." Fang's smile was a fervent flame burning within him. He had read in ancient scrolls several times that Garford referred to as a source of pure power that everyone was after. He couldn't contain his excitement; perhaps he'd witnessed that power.
"So, should we wait for evidence?"
Garford glanced at Fang; even that terrifying smile could still shake him to his core.
"That doesn't need to be done now! Rashness might lead them to kill us..."
__To Be Continued__
A tiring day, with much for Zeion to learn, yet much that remained incomprehensible to him.The training halted abruptly as Lagyura returned from his patrol. At that moment, Zeion was undergoing training with Hander, attempting to attune his cultivation energy within his body. Something unexpected occurred, causing the training to stop, and now he lay on the ground, his eyes filled with confusion."They were all talking about the pure energy within this body! What's really happening? Am I the only one who doesn't understand any of this?"On that same day, when night fell, a small discussion took place between Hander and Lagyura.Regarding today's events, it certainly wasn't a good sign. Ideally, Hander didn't want to reveal the existence of the pure energy within Zeion's body, giving them more time to control it.But, circumstances left them with no choice. The energy already held immense and untamed power; halting it was something they found extremely difficult."Have you surveyed al
From toe to head, Zeion shuddered upon hearing this statement. From any angle, the creature in front of him was a terrifying figure; it was the first time he felt his heart constricting like this."Hey kid, I see you possess the energy I've been searching for! Seems like you've made me wait too long until today..."Desmon's hand pointed towards Zeion, and immediately Zeion realized it wasn't just a simple movement but an action to unleash an attack.Brsst...A bright light struck, causing the ground to tremble and leaving behind a large trench.At these critical moments, Zeion almost can't escape imminent death.However, his heart beat irregularly. During training, he might have taken some blows and attacks in practice, but this was different.It was far from imagination; he could only stare in horror at the figure before him."Pretty good, dodging my attack earlier!"What Zeion showed was reflexive movement due to pure energy stored within his body. But, this was the interesting side
The tense atmosphere depicted Lagyura and Hander exchanging intense gazes, not taking their eyes off the person in front of them in the slightest.Through Lagyura's eyes, the intense flow within Hander's body was clearly visible, a terrifying flow that seemed not to end like smoke.The smile etched on Lagyura's lips conveyed a sinister signal to Hander, while Lagyura's gaze slowly emitted an aura of fear."What is he going to do?"While training Lagyura, Hander realized that man's attitude was quite reserved and difficult to predict. It required a clear mind to guess what lay inside his head.However, that wasn't an easy task. Lagyura had always hidden his true attitude, behaving like a puppet that could be commanded, without displaying any expression.Just pondering this was enough for Hander. He quickly used his power to conjure a manifestation of light, becoming a laser that surged forward. Fortunately, Lagyura was prepared for any attack that came his way.This eerie feeling was a
An action that is not desired by a teacher toward his students, however, it still must be done.When the student has gone too far and exceeded their limits, it is the teacher's duty to stop them.The energy fluctuations were so terrifying, eyes filled with disappointment, and preparedness tinged with doubt.No matter how much a disciple has changed, they were still innocent and worthy of further lessons.Lagyura felt incredibly excited; finally, he could see his master, who had been looking after him, become more serious.With courage, Lagyura prepared himself to face the upcoming attack.Whoosh...An incredible speed was displayed, accelerating in just a few seconds before launching an attack with a fully empowered staff.Tasp...However, this was still not enough to provide insight, just one hand was enough to block the attack.In the midst of immense pride, Lagyura began releasing energy to eliminate his master, who was still looking at him with disappointment."Don't look at me wi
"I don't know how long I've spent on this journey! But every time there's an inexplicable moment about to happen! This kid, he's been struggling enough, not understanding anything that's happening in this world, but still being forced..."A mirror never lies about what it reflects, and that's what Hander felt when he saw Zeion's innocent face. The figure that once existed within his own body.He couldn't understand why the changes within his body had gone this far.A young body, a healthy soul, and thoughts about life had been overpowered by a strong will to live.The moments were so painful and sad, but a smile still appeared on Hander's lips, still able to create joy."I hope that you will be able to do something right..."The wave of energy that Hander tried to restrain wasn't easy, Desmond kept resisting. Some of his joints were starting to ache, but he c
"Do you want to live peacefully?"Throughout all these incidents, Zeion indeed didn't know what he would do, there was no clear goal, and he thought this life was useless; it would be better if he were dead."Until now, it's always been me who has to endure suffering..."Tears streamed down in succession; he couldn't bear the constant tightness in his chest."Life isn't something you always desire, and you should have understood that! Will everyone be saved if you die?""Everyone?"Zeion didn't understand this at all; there was no space in his mind to think about others. He only knew his suffering was a result of others' actions."Do you even know..." he yelled.Thud...Another blow knocked Zeion's body down two meters, the parts of his body still in recovery now started to ache again.&nbs
Plak...The training continued. Since that horrifying incident, Zeion's body couldn't rest peacefully; he had to exert every effort just to survive.Plak...Every moment, Hander's magic attacks continued to touch his body, very different from previous training sessions.Normally, he would only be trained to control the pure energy within his body. But this time, he had to confront an opponent with all the strength he possessed."What's wrong? Why did you stop, Zeion?"Thrown several meters away, but his body suffered no significant injuries. It always managed to rise despite the pain."I-I can't give up here...""Good, you must keep rising, no matter how painful, how burdensome the journey! You must keep rising..."Speaking might be easy, but the training imposed was the real challenge.&nb
"Humph... if you're done contemplating, then we should leave immediately!"Hander casually turned around, walking away from the location, leaving Zeion alone.Slowly, Zeion's body began to stand again; some parts of his back felt crushed.This was far from normal; for an average person, they would likely be completely destroyed if they jumped from a 17-meter height.There were no visible defects or wounds on Zeion's body, just a throbbing ache of bruises."Argh... just like usual, Master doesn't hold back when attacking me..." Trying to stand up, his back screamed in pain.For Hander, what he witnessed before his eyes was something that many people wouldn't easily believe—a high-level power possessed by certain individuals over a long time.However, he didn't find anything like that inside Zeion's body.One thin