Freed Minds

Eventually, Orinik was forced out of his world of dreams and aspirations to realize that he should probably do something about the mess left behind.

He didn't feel very bad about not being able to stop Miel from taking action against Leonel. If anything, he was just a bit worried that he would lose control over the atmosphere. After all, this was the second time someone had interfered with, seemingly, no consequences whatsoever. But, it was already too late to worry about that, he could only press forward.

Soon, the billboard was back up and the rounds proceeded as though nothing at all had happened.

A masked man stepped onto the arena after Leonel and Aina left to fight his battle, going all out an eventually defeating his opponent before returning to his seating arrangements. He, like many others, were entirely focused on themselves and claiming a spot for the third day of the Selections.

Shockingly enough, though, neither Leonel nor Aina returned. In fact, there were many others that simply didn't show up to their battles, causing forfeits by default.

Toward this matter, Orinik wasn't very caring. Surviving a strike from a Sixth Dimensional existence while only being Tier 3 was more than enough to give Leonel a Nominal disciple spot and he could justify it with ease. So, he wasn't worried about missing out on Leonel in the slightest.

**

Leonel didn't care about what was happening in the arena. Truthfully, the only reason he would go now would be to support his friends and defeat Myghell.

When it came to the latter, Leonel felt like their clash would happen without a shadow of a doubt very soon. Selection or not, it simply didn't matter. After all, wasn't Leonel quite literally in the Luxnix Estate currently? He had no need to go and meet Myghell, soon enough the latter would come to him.

As for his friends… Well, Leonel was a bit ashamed to meet them currently. It was the first time he had felt such a feeling in his life.

The matter with Aina didn't matter so much, or more accurately, the fact that it was her wasn't important, nor was their history. Leonel felt like he had let himself down with the way he reacted, and that was the foundation of it all.

When had he ever lost his temper like that? When had he, even when simmering with rage, not reacted calculatively? Even when his best friend of over a decade was betraying his trust and almost costing him his life, wasn't he still calm and cool headed?

He had stepped completely outside of his character and he was disgusted with himself.

What kind of leader could he be if he didn't have perfect control of his emotions? There was simply no excuse. As a King, he couldn't afford to be 'human' and to have 'flaws'. He had to be perfect not for the sake of himself, but for the sake of those who trusted him.

SHUU! SHUU! SHUU!

The whistling, sharp winds of Leonel's fingers became more defined and controlled, his mind becoming calmer and more focused and refined as he dialed in on his purpose.

He had given Aina an apology, but he felt like he owed his brothers an apology as well. Who they followed was a reflection of themselves. If their King was such trash, what did that say about them? He refused to make this mistake again. No, he would never make this mistake again. That was something he swore to himself and on his heart.

It was simply a shame that Leonel hadn't seemed to learn just yet that there was no amount of level headedness that could eliminate something who held to your core.

BANG! TSSSSSSS!

…

Leonel opened his eyes slowly, a spark of a radiant blue reflecting deep within them.

Something, at the right angle, his pale violet eyes would seem more silver than violet. Now, they seemed to have gained a tinge of a blue character to them, something flickering.

The temperature of Leonel's body cooled considerably and the color of the world seemed to change. No, it wasn't that the color of the world had changed, it was almost like it had instead gained a small filter to it, allowing Leonel to see things he hadn't quite been able to see before. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

'… So… This is was a Water Force affinity feels like… It's so… Different.'

The Morales family's Lineage Factor could only be said to be fantastical. To give one the ability to gain affinities simply by assimilating Ores and special metals… it was no wonder they stood atop the Seventh Dimension of the Human Domain.

Leonel hadn't felt like this when his Spatial Affinity gained a wild boost to it, but that was likely because Space Elemental Force didn't really clash with anything he had known. On top of that, he was quite green to the Dimensional Verse when he made the change, so it wasn't really upturning any of his world views.

But, after seeing and truly feeling Water Force for the first time, Leonel couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. It was completely antithetical to his exceptionally high Fire Elemental Affintiy and it was as though he was looking through the world in a completely new lens. The kind of inspiration it gave him leagues beyond anything he had ever experienced before.

The feeling was so much more intimate than when Leonel used his Spear Domain Lineage Factor to feel the affinities of different spears. He had tested out all sorts of spears, he had even touched Water Domain spear before, but this was completely different.

The difference was akin to a person telling you their life experiences and the hardships they had been through, versus you experiencing that life in their stead. It couldn't even be compared.

Leonel reached out a hand. A globule of Water Force quickly formed and soon a smooth sphere of blue waters appeared before him. It was so precisely controlled that it almost looked like a glass orb instead.

His fingers snapped and the sphere of water suddenly froze over. Space crackled as lines of fine ice appeared in seemingly empty air.

Just as Leonel was about to continue his tests, a frostiness coating the tips of his pale violet hair, his gaze narrowed.

He had been so focused on his Craft that he hadn't really been paying attention to anything else. He completely trusted that his mother would never let anything happen to him. But now that he had suddenly freed so many minds, he finally noticed it…

'… The Silver Tablet is trembling?'