The training was actually difficult. Lucidel gazed at our every move, rooting out any mistakes in our movement and magic.
"Fancy kid, what's your name?" Lucidel asks me.
"Adam," I respond, still in a stance with my partner.
"Come here Adam,” he orders with his unquestionable authority.
The rest of the kids looked at the general with baffled faces. They were weirded out by something I don't yet recognize since this is my first meeting with our teacher.
He sneers at the silent students. "Get back to sparring! Blue shirt, you dropped your guard!!"
I approached the loud general, making eye contact once again. His mouth twitched, his scary face only showing dismay. "Adam, fight me."
"F-fight you??" I ask, excited yet unnerved.
"Get into a stance!" he orders firmly.
I do as I'm told, squaring up against any student's biggest fear.
Lucidel doesn't take a stance but relaxes his arms in front, not holding them behind his back like he used to. I charge forward, closing the distance between us quickly. My hand tries to strike him, but his body moves out of the way, dodging it efficiently. He is in a league of his own, and there was no way I'd be laying a single finger on his white coat.
"Use your magic!" he commands again.
I summon a shard of ice in my hands, hurling it toward my opponent. He catches the icicle, shattering it with a single squeeze.
[If only my magic before getting enlightened remained...] I think while avoiding an incredibly quick kick.
The general has gone on the offensive. I blow fire into his eyes, which he blows away with his mouth. I try to charge lightning, but one of his hands grabs mine.
"Use only one affinity, boy," he declares, disciplining me by crushing my hand.
"AGH!!"
I scream in agony as my hand suffers the force of a building. It has to be broken, right?
Lucidel removes his hand and I see that he hasn't broken my wrist, but it still aches.
He punches me in the face, hurling me into the hardwood floor. My nose bleeds as I stand up, back on my feet.
The students start to whisper between one another. "Is that even allowed?"
All eyes were on me, as the general fights a helpless 11 year old child. He wasn't using even a fraction of his strength, I could sense it, yet it still damaged me badly.
Lucidel ignores the others, his attention fully turned to me. "Listen boy, just because you have the balls doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. By your way of fighting I can see you've already been trained in magic and martial arts. This won't discourage me from treating you like any other."
He walks towards me a few steps, in a range where only I could hear him. He whispers so the other kids can't listen. "And just because you're royalty, doesn't mean you'll get the special treatment. If anything, it means you'll have it the hardest. A king should be strong, tougher than any general," he tells me.
"Do your worst, don't go easy," I retort.
My emotions drive me forward. I don't have a simple craving for power. It's not greed which motivates me. I do not want power, I need it. I need to get stronger for my own sake, and furthermore, for the ones I care about.
Lucidel smiled at my words, walking backwards while facing me. "Never turn your back on the enemy, no matter how weak he seems! Even small wolf chubs will bite your neck if you give them the chance!"
This was the start of a complicated relationship with my teacher. From day one, I knew I wanted to learn from him. It was a primal sense of success that I yearn for. He would be my teacher, and no other.
The strength I need is even greater than the general, so no being can disrupt the peaceful life I envisioned.
After training I returned to my room, not talking to anyone on the way there. I could hear whispers and murmurs behind me, but I did not look back.
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Rumors will quickly spread around the school, but I will address none of them. The only people I needed to talk to are my two teachers. There are only a hundred kids or so in this school. They are the ones that made it, strongest in the entire region. Out of millions and billions of people, the kids in here are the strongest, only falling behind enlightened military personnel. Those military guys also attended the school probably, which makes this school the only road towards that success.
After I returned to my room, I sat on the bed and meditated. If enlightenment exists, bringing you to a realm beyond what you knew, is there something higher than it? Is there an enlightenment beyond enlightenment? When I ascended, it felt like that was all there is to it.
I tried accessing a higher level, finding the edge of the universe once again, just like in Pluto's dimension.
Surprisingly, after only about an hour or so, I reached that place. The membrane enveloping the entire infinite universe. I looked to the side, seeing many universes adrift the line. They were flowing like water, many of them. When I looked above, I could see the clouds of Heaven, while below were the bloody seas of Hell. There was only a singular Heaven and a few circling parts I could guess are the circles of Hell.
I still couldn't discern if these dimensions are all in my head, or if I'm truly seeing the Heavens and infinite universes. Probably the former, but I was attuned with the universe’s presence.
However, when I tried reaching beyond Heaven, there was nothing to see. There was no edge of this realm, and I couldn't see the end. I traversed infinity, but that's all there is. I was thankful however, as it meant I could see everything.
With my own two eyes, I could see everything there is to see. Now, I can focus on finding perfection, achieving the absolute strength of this realm.
When I woke up, I felt enlightened once again. My goal was clearer, and all there remains is time.
-
When the next day came, I was psyched for the next lesson Lucidel would teach.
Finishing regular schooling early, I showed up for my magic lessons. Lucidel was there, accepting kids as they entered.
18 year olds and those older were in the senior group. The kids from 11 to 17 were in the junior group, completely separated from the seniors. The junior group was held earlier, while the seniors arrived after.
"Today, we'll be pushing your manapool to the limit in order to grow it!"
I could summon a light sword about a foot in size and maintain it for about 5 minutes. I decided to focus on light magic, which made Lucidel happy. His magic affinity was light as well, so he could train me perfectly.
When I used up all of my mana, I got a 10 minute rest to replenish it. 10 minutes wasn't enough, but my small manapool could recover in that short period. After I replenished it, I had to use it all up again. Cycle after cycle, two hours passed. I was completely exhausted, ready to fall asleep.
"Tomorrow are swordsmanship lessons for those that signed up," Lucidel notes. "You kids did great today. Go and take a good rest in your rooms, tomorrow’s lesson is physical. At ease!"
Class was dismissed and we could tumble into our beds. Most of the kids limped to their rooms, drained from the training and unable to even get a good meal in.
-
After a good night's rest, I ate breakfast and listened to my teacher's presentation. Once that was over, I could go and have swordsmanship lessons with Lucidel.
Lucidel started with martial arts, teaching basics I already knew. During that time, I exhausted my manapool trying to open pathways for my magic, as I didn't see merit in repeating moves I already know how to use.
"Too easy for you?" Lucidel asks.
"I'm sorry. I've already mastered the techniques you're teaching," I apologize.
His lips give a slight tug, his bulky arms crossed. "No need to apologize. I could've already guessed this is too easy for you. Today, I'll be personally teaching you. The others will follow the program as usual.”
Lucidel didn't hide this. It wasn't favoritism, it was a different teaching tactic since I was well adapted in hand to hand combat. None of the kids objected, since Lucidel was too scary for them.
"Come on, let's start with your personalized Hell!" Lucidel comments, commencing my private tutoring.
I was trained in martial arts from the day of my birth, but Lucidel had decades of experience.
"How long have you been a general for?" I ask, effortlessly executing what he asked of me.
He steps forward, grabbing my hand and yanking me towards him. "I've been a general of Eviansis before you were even born. In the time where Eviansis was still its own kingdom and not the mega-empire it is today,” he says, kicking me up while still holding my hand, flipping me in the air. I try to land as best as I can, my body slamming against the floor.
He amped the training difficulty, making me sweat a bit. He would strike my arm or leg if I didn't perform the technique as he wanted me to. This hurt, but it was a valid teaching method since I got all of his clues.
After the fighting class finished, I was thoroughly beat up and tired. When my panting finally calmed down and my adrenaline wore off, I felt the newly formed bruises. There was no time to rest though, as the swordsmanship training was soon to commence.
"You hanging in there?" one of the students asks. He was a 16 year old who was constantly looking over at my training with Lucidel.
"I've seen worse days," I chuckle, creating an ice cube for my wounds.
"How is it, training with Lucidel?" he asks.
"Why don't you try it out?" I joke.
He shakes his head, saying there's no way. Lucidel wasn't evil or a sadist. The kids created an image of pure authority in their heads, owing to Lucidel's mighty aura. He was an authority to be followed, but feared only to a degree. If you're so afraid of your teacher, how will you listen to his words? I have to imagine myself getting better than Lucidel in order to achieve that goal, but these kids couldn't even imagine approaching half of his might.
It was time for the swordsmanship training, which Lucidel was also leading. Half of the kids attended archery lessons, which were led by a female teacher, one that also teaches firearm training. It was time to grab a sword and show the only true talent that remained after enlightenment.