The Headmaster smiled in satisfaction at Adion’s response and asked, “Did you manage to teleport using the teleportation formation in the Remori manor?”

“I did,” Adion nodded. He noticed a spark of curiosity appear in the Headmaster’s eyes.

“But I didn’t do anything to make it happen,” Adion continued, “The formation had been acting up for years. I just happened to be there at a point where I guess it got enough mana to function.”

“As I thought,” The Headmaster nodded, “And you ended up in the Delovan Empire? Where exactly?”

“I arrived on a teleportation formation in a cavern much like the one in the Remori manor. It was located somewhere in the Endless Forest. I don’t know where exactly. After spending years training there, I finally decided to leave when I became a Bronze mage. When I got back to civilization, I was in the far south of the Delovan Empire,” Adion answered.

“So that’s it,” The Headmaster nodded. “Pretty impressive. To make such a journey and make it back in one piece. I can now see a little how you managed to reach the Silver stage at such a young age. Your Will must have been tempered greatly.”

“I think that’s a large part of why I haven’t encountered any bottlenecks so far,” Adion nodded.

“But how come you have such a good aura control?” The Headmaster asked.

I guess there is not really any use in keeping that a secret.

“I was lucky enough to befriend a Silver stage beast during my time in the Endless Forest,” Adion answered, “I then got to meet his leader, a Soul beast. I asked to be trained in aura, and he agreed to teach me for a year.”

“Now that I would never have guessed,” The Headmaster said with a wide smile. “Haha, this is fun. What kind of Soul beast was it? Tell me about your training.”

The Headmaster got up from his seat and went to pour himself and Adion a drink as Adion began describing Fellion and how he was trained by him.

“You’re like some character out of a story, aren’t you?” The Headmaster said, shaking his head. “I suppose that explains some of it. You must have an insane amount of talent for aura control, though. And worked on it constantly. How could you reach Silver while doing that at the same time?”

“I managed to get my hands on some Merillian Soul Peaches. Those helped quite a lot,” Adion answered.

“How did you ‘get your hands on’ something like Merillian Soul Peaches?” The Headmaster questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“I stole them from the Derolm family during an expedition I was part of in the Outskirts of the Delovan Empire,” Adion confessed.

“Admitting to crimes now?” The Headmaster asked with an amused smile, “I seem to have gotten you to really open up.”

“I imagine you would have been able to figure out where they came from eventually either way,” Adion replied with a smile of his own.

“How did you do it?” The Headmaster asked curiously, taking a sip of his drink.

“I did it using my unique powers…” Adion said hesitantly, “You still haven’t asked me about my element, Headmaster. Are you planning on letting me keep that secret?”

“I’m not that generous,” The Headmaster said with a grin, “A part of me was just hoping to be able to figure it out myself. But I don’t think I can hold in my curiosity any longer. So tell me, Adion. What is your element?”

Adion paused slightly. This was the first time he was revealing this secret to anyone in this way. And if he was wrong about the Headmaster, he could be in trouble. No one hearing about his space element would leave him alone in the future.

I have no choice. At least this might be able to keep others from finding out. As long as Heavenly Light remains unaware of my abilities, everything is fine. It’s just too bad I didn’t get the chance to teleport around a little first, seeing if I could get into the Ruins unnoticed.

“I have a space core,” Adion answered.

“A what?” The Headmaster questioned with furrowed brows.

“A space core. I can control space,” Adion said, “I’ll have to apologize for fooling the Academy, but I’m not actually Gifted. It’s just me making use of space mana.”

“Space…” The Headmaster murmured, looking to the ceiling in a daze. “I see. Now it makes sense. The formation works on space mana, doesn’t it? That was how you were able to form your core.”

“Yes,” Adion nodded. “Have you heard of the space element before?”

“I’ve heard it all before,” The Headmaster said, “There are records of all kinds of elements we don’t see anyone able to form a core of today. How much is myth, and how much is truth? I don’t know. I did suspect that space mages were a thing in the distant past, if rare. But this confirms it.”

The Headmaster stood up from his seat and went to look out the window again.

No one said anything for a few minutes. But eventually, the Headmaster turned to Adion and asked, “You can teleport?”

“Yes,” Adion nodded.

The Headmaster didn’t show any expression of surprise and turned to look out the window again.

After a few more minutes of silence, the Headmaster turned to look at Adion once again. He conjured some water and controlled it to levitate in the air between them.

“You see this ball of water?” The Headmaster asked.

“Er, yes,” Adion nodded hesitantly.

“I can control it perfectly,” The Headmaster said, staring intently at the water, “But ever so slowly, I can feel myself losing my grip. No matter what concepts I comprehend, it simply prolongs the inevitable. The world doesn’t allow me to control it forever. A struggle that no matter how much I fight, the Will of the world always wins in the end.”

The Headmaster turned his eyes from the water to look deeply into Adion’s eyes. “So why is it that you are allowed it?”

“What?” Adion asked.

“Try to freeze me in space. Use your ‘Gift’,” The Headmaster instructed.

“It won’t work on you,” Adion said. He had already tried freezing his grandfather in space once he reached the Soul stage, so Adion knew that it wouldn’t work. His Will was simply so far below a Soul mage that he couldn’t even take hold of the space surrounding them for even an instant. There was something like an inviolable cloud surrounding them.

“Try it,” The Headmaster urged.

Adion just did as asked. He felt how the space surrounding the Headmaster was impossible to control. But the space outside that cloud was free for Adion to grasp without resistance, so that’s what he did. The Headmaster could still move in his cloud of space, though. And should he walk away from his position, the cloud around him would break Adion’s grip on the surrounding space before he had a chance to freeze him.

The Headmaster looked around curiously as Adion froze the space around him.

“So that’s what that was,” The Headmaster murmured.

Adion realized he was referencing the incident during the Headmaster’s introduction speech.

“I just wanted to check how hard it would be to freeze the space around someone so powerful,” Adion explained with an awkward smile.

“You can stop,” The Headmaster said, ignoring Adion’s response. “Space has to be countless times more difficult to conjure than water. As such, you should be able to control it for a long time. That would explain your freezing of space and teleportation. Except it doesn’t. Not really. How can you control such a large amount of space? No matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. You could not conjure something like this in an instant.”

The Headmaster turned to look at Adion again and asked in almost a whisper, “Authority?”

He knows about Authority? And he’s using that word? I thought I made it up.

“I…I always called this power Authority in my head, yes. It lets me control a certain amount of space without having to conjure it myself,” Adion responded.

“A certain amount?” The Headmaster questioned.

“Only about the size you just felt me have control over. I can’t control any more space than that no matter how much I push my Will,” Adion responded, slightly curious about what the Headmaster knew about his ability, since he didn’t know much himself.

“That’s strange. How did you gain this ability, Adion?” The Headmaster asked, looking at Adion with a careful expression.

I have to try not to reveal the pill. If he knows about that one, he will surely ask if there were more.

“I was once in a branch of the Outskirts Guild, and someone insulted my dead mother. At that time, it was as if space was entirely in my control. The whole building and the street outside were frozen. And not even mages an entire stage above me could move an inch. Only after I killed the man and calmed down did this feeling of being all-powerful disappear. But somehow, I still retained some of the power, and that is being able to control the amount of space you see now. I never managed to replicate the feat, however, no matter how angry I’ve gotten.” Adion explained.

“Amazing,” The Headmaster murmured, once again taking a seat opposite Adion. “Just when I thought you had revealed all there was. Do you have any idea how powerful this ability is?”

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“I think I might know more than anyone. It has saved my life countless times,” Adion answered. “But I don’t really know anything about it. Do you, Headmaster?”

The Headmaster turned quiet, tapping his fingers on the desk and looking at the wall where some of his paintings were hanging.

“Do you know the defining factor that separates a Soul mage from an Immortal, Adion?” The Headmaster asked after a while.

“An Immortal?” Adion asked in disbelief.

“They are not actually Immortal,” The Headmaster explained, “But they live a long time. And that is just the name that the stage above the Soul stages has been given for some reason.”

“These people exist?” Adion asked, “Even now? People who have reached the stage above the Pure Soul stage?”

“They do,” The Headmaster slowly nodded, his eyes dimming slightly. “And they got there by grasping the same power you have: Authority.”

This is a lot to take in. Does that mean I already have what it takes to reach that stage?

“But it’s strange. Although my information is limited, my understanding of Authority differs from what you’ve told me. You should only be able to have Authority over the element you conjure yourself. To have Authority over an element of the world…that sounds like the power of gods.”

Gods? I have the power of gods?

“Of course, you seem to be limited by something. But still, you can imagine how surprised I am,” The Headmaster continued in a low voice. His eyes still weren’t on Adion.

The room turned quiet once again. Adion’s thoughts were all over the place.

The blood from the Celestial Phoenix must have let me borrow some of its power. I suppose it’s not too surprising to hear that it’s the power of gods. But how was I able to increase my Authority like that?

“I want you to become my disciple, Adion,” The Headmaster’s sharp voice cut through Adion’s thoughts. He was looking at Adion with a new sharp glint in his eyes.

“Your disciple?” Adion questioned, “Why?”

“Several reasons,” The Headmaster said with a smile, seemingly more energetic all of a sudden. He got up from his chair once again and started walking around the room as he talked.

“First of all, you have frankly made me more curious than I have been in centuries. I can’t help but be excited to see where you will go, and I wish to help you get there.

“I also believe your unique abilities can be used for a lot of interesting things. I already have several ideas in my head. If you could find a way to get a teleportation formation to work…Anyway, there are many things I believe only you can do.

“And lastly, I want to get to the bottom of this Authority. I want to grasp this power too. I am very old, and perhaps it would be appropriate for me to accept that my time soon will come. But I can’t do that. I want to see what lies beyond the Soul stages for myself. With you around, I believe that might become possible.”

A disciple to the Headmaster doesn’t sound bad at all. No one would be able to make trouble with me going forward. But why does it sound like the Headmaster is getting the better part of the deal here?

He seems to be extremely curious about Authority. I am too, and it is not something I really need to hide from him. I could be quite open about what it lets me do. Perhaps he will end up realizing something about it and then teach it to me, allowing me to finally find a way to grasp more Authority for myself.

But he also wants my help in using my unique powers for various applications…I don’t have a problem with that. It actually sounds exciting. But I shouldn’t make my help come free. This is my chance to gain something from a Pure Soul mage!

“Becoming your disciple would be an honor, Headmaster,” Adion said, bowing his head, “But if I may be a little bold, I have some problems that I would greatly appreciate if you could help me with. Without those problems weighing on my mind, I believe I could give it all to our relationship, and get to the bottom of how a mage can gain Authority.”

The Headmaster looked at him with an amused smile. “Hehe,” He chuckled, “Alright, let’s hear it. What’s got my disciple so troubled?”

“First of all, Heavenly Light killed my family. I want them destroyed,” Adion said with a resolute expression.

“You want me to destroy Heavenly Light?” The Headmaster asked.

“No, I just need your help in bringing them down,” Adion clarified.

“I might carry a lot of influence on Shiora,” The Headmaster said, “But even I can’t go around destroying organizations without cause. I’m sure you are smart enough to realize the consequences if I started doing that.

“Besides, Heavenly Light have their origins on Quemer. It would be like me going against the Hellemi or Fire Phoenix Church. The top brass on Quemer would never allow me to live after something like that.”

Damn. I guess that’s to be expected.

“But you will have the chance to grow strong under me without worrying about them,” The Headmaster said, “They wouldn’t dare act against my disciple. I would be entirely justified to seek revenge if they did, and they know what lines not to cross.”

I guess that’s fine. I’ll handle it myself once I’m strong enough. If I can grow strong without worrying about them interfering, it’s just a matter of time until I can knock on their door myself.

“Alright,” Adion nodded, “That makes sense. I’ll handle it myself when I get strong enough. But there is one more thing that troubles me greatly. Something I can’t handle myself because I have no way to grow strong enough in time.”

“And what would that be?” The Headmaster asked.

“I’m sure you already know about me and Sellitha Amyss?” Adion asked with a small smile.

“Haaah,” The Headmaster sighed, “I noticed your relationship was not that of just friends. And since then, I have heard some troubling rumors surrounding you two.”

“Rumors are just rumors,” Adion said, “There are countless rumors in the Academy. Nothing can be proven. But once Sell and I graduate, I will need help so that the Amyss and Hesfym family can’t forcibly take her away.”

“I can help you,” The Headmaster said with a nod.

Great!

“I can help you by convincing you that you need to put an end to whatever you have going with that girl,” The Headmaster finished.

Adion frowned at those words. “Not going to happen. I’m sorry, Headmaster, but I will fight that Hesfym guy myself if I have to. So if you don’t want to have a dead disciple in five years, you will have to think of something.”

“Of all the girls in the world,” The Headmaster sighed, shaking his head, “I’m sure even the Imperial family of the Alago Empire would be happy to marry their daughter to you as my disciple. But you know Sellitha is already engaged to Termeth Hesfym. And it is the wish of both families that they marry. Not even I can get involved in that. They are two very powerful families. And Termeth Hesfym is a Pure Soul mage just like me, and he is a lot younger. There is a high chance he will be able to reach the Immortal stages.

“You have to forget about it. I can shield you from any trouble if you stop your relationship now. There are still only rumors, after all. But I’ll have you know that these rumors will cause your death if I don’t intervene. You have truly been reckless. Do you really think that the way you two have behaved so openly can be shrugged off as friendship? People aren’t fools. Termeth Hesfym isn’t a fool. And when he hears what’s been going on with his fiance, I’ll have to do a lot of appeasing to not have him come after you.

“End it with her. Focus your time here on getting stronger and exploring your abilities, so you can take your revenge in the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if you managed to reach the Immortal stages yourself in the future, considering what you’re already capable of. What would any of this matter then? Take it from someone who has lived to see…Well, let’s just say that even if you managed to get your way with this, most of your life would be spent without Sellitha by your side. Not many have what it takes to advance to the Soul stages, less so even further.”

“Headmaster,” Adion said in a calm voice, “That will never happen. I’m sorry, but even if I have to fight against Immortals, I won’t ever let go of her.”

“Haaah,” The Headmaster sighed, “I forget how you’re still just a kid. You can’t listen to reason, blinded by emotions that will fade with time.”

The Headmaster looked at Adion with a slight frown and said, “You’re only 17 years old. You don’t know what’s best, even hearing it. So you should listen to the Pure Soul mage with centuries of experience.”

“If you have so much experience,” Adion said, frowning back at the Headmaster, “Then you should know that I’m never backing down on this.”

“You’re right,” The Headmaster said, closing his eyes with a troubled expression. After being quiet for a few seconds, he grumbled to himself, “Maybe I should just send that girl home so we can forget about it and move on.”

He’s going to do what?

Adion felt his stomach drop. He was furious. But most of all, he suddenly felt great fear. He thought he would have at least five years to figure something out. But now the Headmaster seemed to consider sending Sell away. Everything that seemed so close just a second ago was suddenly slipping through his fingers.

Don’t you dare.

----------------------------------------

I probably couldn’t just send her away for no reason, though. Vermon thought to himself, trying to figure out a way to get his stubborn disciple to give up on his foolish ideas.

I’m sure Adion would be angry at me for a long time, too. He might never forgive it.

Maybe I could introduce him to some other pretty girls? He seems to be at that age. I’m sure he will forget about Sellitha with a little work and some time.

It would give us time to focus on what’s important, and he would be able to improve a lot quicker with a clearer mind. With a lit- Huh?

Vermon opened his eyes in shock as he felt trouble breathing. The air wasn’t moving.

He looked to Adion, who was looking at him with cold eyes. Vermon thought he could see shadows spreading across his office, making the situation even more chilling.

What the hell happened? Is he using his Authority? How is it so strong?

Vermon could feel how the space around him was frozen, something he thought was way beyond Adion’s abilities.

Crazy kid! What’s gotten into you?

Vermon focused and slowly made his way to Adion. The space around him made every movement a great struggle, like he was walking through thick tar.

“You’re not going to do anything to Sell,” Adion’s voice somehow reached Vermon’s ears.

Gah! That’s what got him all riled up? I wasn’t actually going to do it!

Vermon had enough and pushed his Will to the limit, refusing to be hindered by a Silver mage. The space that seemed so constrictive just a moment ago couldn’t hold him back when he got serious. He made his way to Adion quicker than the boy could react. He knocked him hard in the back of the head, causing him to pass out.

Ganta, what was that?

Vermon looked around his office, the shadows were receding, and the frozen space was slowly becoming easier to move through.

Even passed out, space remains effected to this degree. Just how is that possible? Doesn’t he need an active Will to control it?

Vermon looked down at the unconscious young man in front of him and couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotions.

“Hahaha!” Vermon laughed out loud. “I guess you really like her.”

Vermon stepped away from Adion and walked around his office. The space was still so rigid that he doubted anyone below the Soul stages would be able to move through it. He turned to look back at Adion with a light smile.

You win, brat. I’ll figure something out, I suppose.

Vermon turned to the door of his office. He could feel people approaching, probably having felt the effects of Adion’s outburst for themselves.

I really shouldn’t get involved in all this. But If I can’t advance and become an Immortal Lord, I’ll be dead in a few decades anyway.

A wide grin couldn’t help but form on Vermon’s lips.

I might as well have some excitement in my final years.