Time went on after Aya’s and Will’s bout of destruction. Damien was still stuck on his review of his Dao taking things slowly. At this time StarPoint Academy has begun their new academic year with no students and others advancing. The only thing missing was Damien who did not show up for the first day of class. At first Cal, Yuki, and the rest of them believed he was being forgetful. After a week and then two passed, they became worried about where he was. Damien did not leave any note or tell anyone where he was going exactly. His friends took it up with the elders and even the Headmaster for answers, but even they weren’t sure.
After a simple investigation was made about his last movements it was quite easy for the academy to know what his plan was. There was no point in them tracking him down since they were now busy with their work. The academy offered Damien’s friends a simple explanation without further action. Underneath that sense of calmness, Ari actually organized an emergency meeting with the entire administration. For an entire night they discussed what to do and what could the repercussions be if anything were to happen to Damien. Veron would surely be upset that they didn’t keep a closer eye on him, especially to those who got all the hints he was leaving.
In the end it was Omarion calming everyone down and bringing them to their senses. He assured them Veron would’ve been delighted to hear Damien made such a decision. Though they were pessimistic about his thoughts, he was the last one to meet with Veron. Once it was settled, Ari as Headmaster proclaimed Damien to be on a leave of absence indefinitely due to special circumstances. Many students were confused by this development because he was the talk of the academy. They were ready to see his continuous rise with the hope of him crashing down. When you are the brightest light, many can’t help being attracted or annoyed.
Eventually as more time passed everyone began to forget about Damien. Only his few close friends and Elders were waiting on the days for his return. Cal, Yuki, and Erik never gave up hope he would arrive any day, and that lasted for the entirety of this academic year. They were worried so badly, they wanted to form their own search party, but with intense opposition they were shut down. Time cared for no one and now Damien was a year behind school.
Back at the dead Solar World Tree, Damien was still stuck in meditation. He fed off the dense Mana, which could keep him going forever. Time for him was going at a completely different rate as he was stuck in an ongoing enlightenment. As he was reaching the first year of arriving, he was barely finishing up his review. Then one day, out of the blue, Damien opened his eyes. A new sense of profoundness peered out of his eyes with a depth that betrayed his age. It was like his eyes could see through anyone. However, the most drastic change was his overwhelming sense of calmness. Now that he fully understood the concept of his Fire Dao he felt secure in his path and the future.
Kyro snapped his eyes open from his long nap. This entire time he waited patiently for Damien to arise. Kyro shook his feathers chasing a thunderstorm of metallic noises echoing down the chambers of the tree, warning Damien of his coming. In the very next moment, Kyro appeared hovering a couple feet from Damien’s face. He took this moment to analyze him carefully. Kyro did not say a single word during his evaluation. After he felt satisfied with the young boy before him, Kyro was able to realize something even more surprising.
The always chaotic magma lake was as still as a clear pool of water. There were no ripples or bubbling to be seen. It was perfectly reflecting the mood which Damien was portraying. Like it was subject to the whims of his feelings. Only someone with a superior Fire Dao could take its reins since it originally came from the Solar World Tree’s Mana. It was something Kyro was able to do because he was born from the tree, but Damien just so happened to have a higher realm of Dao. It was just like Kyro suspected, however seeing it in action was still off putting.
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“How do you feel, kid?”
Damien clenched his fist with determination as if he was grabbing ahold of the world. A pop of magma exploded outwards in unison creating a cinematic moment.
“I feel amazing. I feel connected to this place, probably not like you though. It has only been almost two months. I only have a month left or so before the new school year starts!”
“Two months you say?”
Damien was smiling brightly as his mood was elevated due to his accomplishments during this time. However, due to his distorted sense of time while cultivating he believed only a month had passed. Kyro held back his tongue, since he felt it would be a bombshell to tell him a year had passed. It appeared going back to the academy was important for him and this would ruin his work ethic. As of right now, Damien was at a high point of concentration and momentum. To get the most out of him, he would need to stay in the dark and be told this news afterwards, no matter the consequence.
“Yes, two months, kid. You almost wasted all of your time. I can see you are more than ready to officially start learning the Solar Fire Dao. You have already made a bridge to connect it to your Dao. All you need is a push in the right direction.”
Damien was getting more pumped as he felt his strength moving at a rapid pace. Anyone else would be fuming in envy, but fortune favors the bold.
“Do I cultivate on the Solar Praying Mat now?”
“Yes you will. I cannot guarantee when Solar Waves will be attracted. It will be up to your luck and Karma. You will stay there contemplating the Dao. I will wake you up every few days so you can integrate it to the rest of your Dao. If I leave you there, you will create another Dao that will not connect seamlessly. Does that make sense?”
Damien thought about it for a second, recalling the information about the prayer mat.
“Because I will only have thoughts about the Solar Fire Dao and nothing else? I won’t be able to recollect my own Dao to bring them together?”
Kyro nodded and gestured for Damien to begin right away. It was best to keep unfocused about his own body so he would not notice he was beginning to outgrow his clothes. Once Damien settled in on the prayer mat, every noise and thought disappeared from his mind. He was in a world completely on his own. He had no thoughts of his own, slowly forgetting what he was doing until he forgot everything. That was when the whispers vid the Solar Fire Dao filled his head. They talked to him as if meeting a person for the first time. The excitement bounced around in his head and body, making him fully feel the Dao throughout.
Although the Solar Fire Dao was filling his body, it was not in an organized manner. It was still frantic, and impossible to understand. There were few glimpses of a coherent message, but it wasn’t enough to fill the whole picture. Kyro watched from the outside and surmised exactly what was going on. Without his own Fire Dao that had already made the bridge to the Solar Fire Dao, it was just a bunch of gibberish. Kyro then postured himself like a distinguished professor with his head lifted toward the sky and began speaking a sermon. He preached upon the base of the Solar Fire Dao once more and you would think it would land on empty ears, but for Damien it was a miracle.
With Kyro giving his sermon on the outside, the Solar Fire Dao whispers seemingly became an organized structure. Everything became apparent for Damien and he slowly ingested all of the information. His mind and body had no choice but to comprehend the Dao because it was that it could let in. Without even a thought of time a month passed by when Kyro awakened him, making Damien believe it was only a few days. During this time off of the prayer mat, Damien had to reorganize his comprehension to fit his original Dao. Once he found a common ground that linked up perfectly he went back onto the prayer mat. What he didn’t notice was the seed that was planted inside his Flame Core sprouted out a single branch with a leaf on it.
This cycle repeated itself for months with Damien believing only days would pass in each interval. With each passing break, Damien would find a way to make his Dao consume the Solar Fire Dao. A new branch would sprout out every time, consolidating itself into a miniature tree inside of his Flame Core. Damien didn’t stop and think about anything else during his cultivation. All that mattered was adding to his strength. He forgot about his friends and connections he made.
Just like that another year passed by. This was Damien’s second year inside the Solar World Tree without contact with anyone else. While on the outside, his friends and elders at StarPoint Academy were thinking he might never come back and in one piece at that.