Chapter 113: The Blazing Prodigy
Watching Alex fly through the beginner levels, Zeris rubs his chin.
We only meditated for around two hours before we jumped into combat training. I taught Alex the basics of control and circulation; the only advanced technique I attempted to teach him was using orasi. Orasi is a technique that once you know how to use it, you never forget how. And Alex was able to do it on only his third try. His explosive rate of progression is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The son of a pure and mythic… is he what could be called a prodigy?
Alex slashes through two more model combatants, and Zeris’s eyebrows swiftly raise.
He’s innately gifted in iris control and circulation during combat as well. Could this be because of his father’s isolated training methods? Or are his genetics playing a part, too? His ability isn’t all that great on the surface; he’s only really capable of bending fire, but he’s doing things an elemental wielder should never be able to do.
His tattoos brightening for a moment, Alex refocuses his attention on the next wave.
I never told Alex about the stages of iris, so he doesn’t know that abilities can also develop in new ways the further somebody trains them. It’s not unheard of for somebody without a Soma ability to see a transformation in their body as they reach the higher stages, but Alex is still a beginner. His raw power and talent are notable, but those qualities don’t equate to starting at a further developed stage. As he is now, it should be impossible for his body to take on that appearance while using Arid Inferno. The tattoos and the flaming hair are mostly for show, but with this new technique involving his hands, he’s manipulating his flames to alter his own body… it has to be because his mother was the pure wielder of Soma.
Snapping his fingers, Alex incinerates another group of incoming model combatants.
I wonder if he also has Los traits as well, like his father. Nonetheless, this isn’t a bad thing at all. It’ll throw his enemies off the scent of what category his ability might be or make them second guess if he’s actually only wielding one ability instead of two or three. Development of a gemcore takes time but an ability is still an ability. It doesn’t matter how much you train an ability if you can’t use it to its fullest potential, and Alex is frighteningly comfortable with Arid Inferno in only a matter of hours.
In the last few levels of this training stage, Alex’s lack of iris capacity begins to fatigue him.
That’s expected. I’m surprised he’s lasted this long… to be able to go this far with such a small iris capacity speaks to his immense natural ability to control and circulate iris. It was a risk throwing him into combat training so early, but those who are capable as iris wielders will always perform well in the trials. We need Alex to go as far as he can, but I also have to ensure he takes the proper steps just in case somebody is watching. Which means I’ll have to throw him back into the maze where Armaros will be soon. Armaros is far more developed as an iris wielder, but if Alex can get the jump on him… damn, I’m going to have to keep a close eye on him.
“Stage 1, Level 100: Passed. Participant… Alex… has completed the beginner training program,” a robotic voice echoed throughout the spacious room and through Zeris’s monitor.
Hearing those words, an exhausted Alex immediately slumped to the ground. With his iris reserves practically running on empty and his adrenaline already beginning to vanish, one fact ran true in Alex’s mind as he stared up at the ceiling, huffing and puffing in quick, short breaths.
And that is that the past six hours of grueling training were finally over.
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“Beginning Stage 2: Intermediate. Level 1 beginning in 15, 14…” the AI-generated voice then abruptly spoke, sparking Alex’s instincts into fight or flight mode again.
But as Alex moved to stand up, his body wouldn’t cooperate. And much to his displeasure, a raging soreness swept him from head to toe, only resulting in him exerting a long, weary groan. His eyes closed, and his brows knitted together in agony as he deactivated his iris, his body’s appearance returning to normal. With his back glued to the ground, Alex felt like he was incapable of moving even an inch as cramps and muscle aches riddled his developed physique.
It’s impressive. No new iris wielder I know of has completed the beginner levels from start to finish in one go. He’s only an awakened wielder right now, but he might be one of the quickest in history to reach emergence if he continues at this rate. It sucks that these trials are going on… I would love to just keep training him here. But for now, it’s clear he’s exhausted and needs food and rest.
“Nine… eight… seven…” the voice counts down.
A beep then sounds from the corner of the room, followed by the whoosh of a sliding door and a pair of feet stepping through.
“Program shutdown,” loudly says Zeris, slowly approaching Alex from behind his head.
“Command authorized, program shutting down,” the robotic voice drifting off toward the end.
As Zeris walks up beside Alex, Alex grimly opens his eyes to see Zeris go down on a knee beside him, his right forearm resting on his knee.
“Can you talk?” asks Zeris.
“Yea-” raspily stutters Alex as his tongue seems to remember it can speak. “Yeah… I can.”
“And can you stand?” Zeris follows up, hiding his inner admiration of Alex’s tenacity.
“Yeah… I can,” answers Alex, and Zeris offers his hand.
Forcibly lifting his arm to take Zeris’s hand, Alex grimaces as he thrusts his sweaty palm into Zeris’s, the sound of a clap resonating. Lifting Alex to his feet, Zeris stares at him for a few seconds, and Alex cocks a brow.
Only shaking his head, Zeris averts his gaze, “Sorry.”
Alex doesn’t comment on it as Zeris places his arm on Alex’s back to support him as Alex finds his footing. However, when Alex attempted to step toward the door, his knees buckled, and he began to crumple back to the ground with a groan, but Zeris caught him. After heaving his body upright again and swinging one of Alex’s arms around the back of his neck, Zeris began slowly carrying them toward the room's exit.
“So… will you let me sleep in that bed now?” wearily grunted Alex as the two men limped over.
Following that question, Zeris stopped moving, leaving them motionless. Concerned he had just made a mistake, Alex nervously flashed glances between Zeris, the exit, and the floor.
“No, sorry, forget I said that. I shouldn’t have asked-”
“Of course you can, kid,” interrupted Zeris, his eyes glued on the exit ahead as he signaled for Alex to climb on his back. “You’re so exhausted that you probably won’t remember this by the time you wake up, but I hope that one day... you can forgive me. I know I’m a shitty person. I’ve done many terrible things, and I doubt anyone cares about me now. The fact I’m even saying this… at now of all times… tch.”
Zeris paused and sighed as he carried Alex down the hall.
“I know I’ve done wrong. I know I’ve killed a lot of people. Men, women, and children... some were good, some were bad... but every single one was a person. A person who possesses a beating heart and thoughts, you know? And I killed them… for what? For this kingdom? For change? For a better world? Is it even possible…” Zeris paused again and readjusted his grip on Alex. “Is it even possible to positively impact this world…? Is it possible… for a shit person like me to actually make a difference?”
Arriving at a spare room, Zeris pressed a button next to the door, and the sliding door in front of him swooshed open with a subtle breeze caressing Zeris's ankles. Carrying Alex to the bed, Zeris carefully sets him on top of the covers.
“Alex…” whispered Zeris as he tried to shake him, but there was no response.
“Alex…” repeated Zeris, and there was no response again.
Seems he’s already fast asleep. Oh well, I’m sure he’ll be just as comfy on top of the covers.
Walking back toward the edge of the room, Zeris placed his hand on the doorway as he glanced back at his best friend's son. The boy he’s helped protect for all these years.
Wondering if Alex heard anything, Zeris mumbles under his breath as he turns the lights off and exits the room, leaving Alex alone to sleep. As the door shut and the room went dark, the young prodigy’s eyes opened ever so slightly before he fell asleep moments later.