Lyon POV:

“D-Disciple?”

I contemplated whether I heard him correctly. How could I, a mere commoner, become a disciple of such a great noble?

“I’m just a commoner...”

He looked at me with soft eyes while a content smile formed across his lips. I avoided his warm gaze, choosing to look at the ground instead.

“Your status within society has nothing to do with my decision. It’s your time, so give me your answer, Lyon.”

I watched him fold his arms as he waited patiently for my answer. I used that time to organize my thoughts, not wanting to overlook anything.

‘Was I not just complaining that nothing was happening despite my best efforts?’

It was true... Tobias had refused to teach me anything multiple times. Instead, he would advise me to focus on doing other things. In a way, I guess I took his advice to the extreme while I clung to the thought—the idea that something somehow would definitely happen...

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.

“Please teach me.”

I placed my fist against the palm of my hand and bowed. The corners of my mouth rose while I trembled slightly from excitement.

“I’ll see you here tomorrow at midday.”

By the time I raised my head, he was gone. I shifted my gaze back to the vast lake, pondering over how eventful the day had been.

‘!’

The image of my father in the lake floated to the forefront of my mind. Despite its slow entry, it disappeared quickly, leaving behind a sharp, throbbing pain as a reminder.

“Ugh...”

I stumbled backwards, unable to balance myself properly due to the sudden shortness of breath. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, wetting my quivering eyebrows that curved upwards.

I bit my lip and turned around. I had stayed here long enough; it was time to head back home.

***

The next day arrived swiftly, and I made my way to the designated location on time. I saw the same teenage boy crouching down beside the bank of the lake.

The sun shone vibrantly as it reached its apex. Its rays the lake shimmer, revealing a different side to this ominous place. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but I felt like I shouldn’t disturb him.

“You’re here on time. I am Zane Pantheon, but for the next three years, you will call me Master.”

He didn’t move an inch from his position as he spoke. His voice was smooth and powerful, yet it also held a deep underlayer of calmness to it.

“Y-yes, Master.”

I paid my respects, quickly bowing my head before looking at him eagerly. I caught a glimpse of a faint smile flicker across his mouth while he picked up a stick.

My gaze shifted to the side where the gravestones of my parents laid; it made me feel uneasy.

‘I shouldn’t train here.’

I looked back at Zane and mustered up the courage to ask if we could change locations.

“U-um... Master, may I ask you a question?”

“No.”

My heart sank as my raised hand flopped down to my side. He had shut me down before I even had a chance to ask, and I was sure I saw him smile again briefly.

‘...’

I observed him carefully, only now noticing that Zane had an overwhelming aura; it was the reason why I hesitated to speak.

‘A Pantheon...’

Zane’s deep brown eyes swept over me, scanning my body in an instant. A second later, he beckoned for me to sit down in front of him.

“The answer to your question is no. If it’s not here, then there’s no point.”

My eyebrows crumpled together, confused by his words while I took a seat as instructed. I decided not to dwell on it too much; it would be a shame if Zane suddenly changed his mind about taking me on as his disciple. I could tell he wasn’t such a fickle person, but it was better to be cautious anyway.

“Do you look up to anyone?”

“My parents and Keo Yeboah.”

I didn’t need to think about my answer. My parents... My parents were my world; they had done so much for me, and I would always be grateful. As for Keo Yeboah, he gave me hope. Hope that without my world, I could still go on...

‘Hope...’

I pondered over that word for a while. For some reason, it felt like I was forgetting something. Zane narrowed his eyes slightly as he peered down at me.

‘...Did I answer wrong?’

Cold sweat formed on the palms of my hands. I avoided his gaze, unable to figure out how I should have answered him instead.

“You look up to Lord Yeboah, yet you gave up on yourself?”

“N-no...! You said... There was still hope...”

I couldn’t ignore his words which were laced with a hint of disappointment, and I couldn’t accept it either. I didn’t—I never gave up on myself...

“Because I saved you; you were given more time. Hope is only for the living, not the dead, Lyon Asphalios.”

My eyes widened as his words struck a cord in my heart. I wiped away the tears that had pooled at the corners of my eyes; I had been a little too emotional lately.

“Use this time wisely, and show me your conviction.”

His gaze softened as the stick he was holding lightly tapped against my chest. Zane only looked a couple of years older than me, but he had this air of wisdom around him that made me think he was much older than I originally thought. It was strange.

“Yes, Master!”

I puffed out my chest, replying with vigour as Zane’s lips curved into a thin smile. He seemed satisfied with my response, even closing his eyes briefly before parting his lips again.

“Then it’s time to start. Superhuman strength, super speed, controlling the natural elements, illusions, abilities—these and much more are all possible due to the phenomenon known as Ki.”

Zane crouched down, placing the tip of the stick against the ground. His hand flickered while lifelike images formed on the earth, adding visual examples to his previous explanation.

‘Incredible...’

I stared at his artistic skill in awe as the outline of a human body quickly appeared. He made hundreds of marks, that had varying sizes, scattered throughout the whole body besides the head.

He repeated the process, but this time the silhouette contained a circular core surrounded by nine rings, that gradually became larger as it moved away from its center. Dozens of other thick lines spread out around the body before connecting back to those circular rings.

“Ki is all around us. It exists inside you, the animals, the earth, the sky and even the very universe and beyond. In other words, it is a part of life.”

He continued pointing to the diagrams as he spoke. Zane’s stick soon arrived at the two silhouettes he had drawn earlier, and he tapped them lightly.

“In order to access this power properly, a Ki Center is required. To form a Ki Center, you need to gather all of the scattered Ki fragments, throughout your body, into your solar plexus.”

The stick hovered over the circular core with rings, located in the pit of the silhouette’s stomach before pointing to the second figure.

“This is you right now. It takes the average person around 10-12 years to form a Ki Center. One of the ways a person’s talent can be measured is by the speed of which a Ki Center is formed. However, that alone does not provide a complete representation of an individual’s talent or potential.”

‘10-12 years? That’s a long time...”

I observed the silhouette, noting that there were probably a lot more Ki fragments in the body than what was shown.

Zane circled the word ‘Talent’ and ‘Potential’ before moving on to other drawings. He glanced at me briefly, seemingly assessing whether I had understood everything so far.

“The formation of a Ki Center can be separated into three steps: Meditation, Coalescence and Birth.”

His hand flickered while several new images came to life. Zane tapped on the first drawing which was of a person sitting down in the lotus position.

“Meditation: You become aware of the scattered Ki fragments throughout the body. By probing them with your mind and will, you are able to interact with them.

Coalescence: You begin to gather the Ki fragments towards the solar plexus. If this process is not done regularly, then the collected Ki fragments will gradually disperse over time.

Birth: Once you have gathered all of the fragments in the solar plexus, your Ki Center will form. The amount of power released by the formation of a Ki Center is another way in which talent and potential can be measured.”

Zane tapped on the corresponding words again before getting to his feet. He folded his arms while I recalled everything he had said, in order to solidify my memory.

“Do you have any questions?”

“None. I think I understand, Master.”

My gaze swept over all of the intricate drawings once more. The level of detail really made what Zane was explaining a lot easier to understand.

“Well done. Let’s move on to something more practical. Take a seat here in the lotus position.”

Zane smiled softly while pointing to the middle of the clearing. I followed his instructions without wasting any time and quickly found that the lotus position was uncomfortable.

“There are other meditation positions, but this one is the most common. You’ll get used to it with time.”

‘Can he read my mind or something...?’

It was like Zane always knew what I was thinking. It was scary, but cool at the same time. I wondered if maybe it was some type of technique or abi—

“Focus, Lyon.”

He lightly tapped me on the head with the stick. I rubbed the area that felt slightly sore while the corners of my mouth rose.

“Close your eyes, and try to sense the Ki fragments scattered within your body. Once you can do that, try to move them with your will.”

It took me some time to get rid of any unnecessary thoughts after I closed my eyes, but I still couldn’t feel anything. I lost track of time as I meditated peacefully; it was more relaxing than I thought it’d be.

“Are you here to have a good time or become stronger?”

‘Ah...’

I smiled wryly as his voice echoed in my head. I maintained my current state of focus while slowly expanding my senses.

First, the chest. Then the shoulders and arms. The abdomen, the back, and then my legs. Once I reached the soles of my feet, I saw thousands of different-sized lights appear all at once.

“Keuk!!”

A bolt of pain tore through my mind, forcing a pained groan to escape my lips. I was about to open my eyes when Zane’s voice comforted me.

“Take it easy. Don’t break your concentration now.”

The pain soon subsided, and I calmed down. I stabilized my breathing while the lights reappeared in front of me, but this time there was hardly any pain.

‘Strange...’

I focused on trying to interact with the Ki fragments in my chest area. I probed them with my will and intent, but they were stubborn.

They refused to move at first, requiring dozens of tries until I was able to nudge a couple of them towards my solar plexus. I continued this process as time flew by.

“Well done. That’s enough for today.”

Zane’s voice woke me up from my deep state of meditation. I reluctantly opened my eyes and regained my sense of time. At the very least, it had been two hours since I started meditating.

“Already? But I can still continue.”

The faster I can form a Ki Center, the sooner I can use Ki, so I was eager to keep on going. However, Zane didn’t seem to share the same thoughts as I did.

“Efficiency. In most cases, the longer you do a task, the less efficient you become. Try standing up.”

I looked away slightly, not convinced by his take on this specific activity. My body really did feel great, so I couldn’t understand what the problem was. Nevertheless, I placed my hands on the ground and got to my feet.

‘!!’

The amazing feeling vanished like a lie, taking the strength out of my body with it. I instantly crumpled to the ground like a folded sheet of paper as several pained moans left my mouth.

It took me a few minutes to realize Zane had caught my rapid descent and was currently supporting me with his arm.

“Ugh...!!”

Dozens of sharp pains emanated from every corner of my body; the muscles around my limbs and torso squeezed tight like a washing cloth as they began to convulse.

“Now what do you think would have happened if you continued? This is a mistake the vast majority of people make. They underestimate just how mentally and physically taxing this process is.”

Zane gently rested my back against a nearby tree while my body continued to spasm uncontrollably.

‘Keuk...’

I groaned inwardly, not expecting there to be whiplash, and certainly not expecting it to be this severe. I didn’t dare try to move my body for fear of making the pain worse.

“T-thank you..., Master...”

I dipped my head slightly before resting it against the tree trunk. Zane’s lips curved into a content smile as he examined me closely.

“You’ll be fine within 5 minutes. Do this for 2 hours everyday and after each session, don’t move for 10 minutes. It’s important that your body takes the appropriate amount of time to recover.”

I took his advice to heart while nodding my head. Zane crouched down in front of me and held up three fingers.

“Based on your current progress, you’ll need 3 years to complete your Ki Center. Some would say you have talent.”

“Some would say? Then... What do you think, Master?”

I watched him carefully as his deep gaze never left me. Whether he was pondering over how to answer my question or not, I didn't know. Time passed and eventually, he got back to his feet.

Zane folded his arms—continuing to remain silent; his eyebrows quivering slightly while his gaze seemed to be fixated on someone else. A tremendous amount of sadness flickered through his eyes, vanishing just as fast as it came.

“Don’t focus on talent. Focus on what you can do now.”

‘...’

My lips spread into a wide grin while I nodded my head.

“Then, how long did it take you to complete your Ki Center?”

“It took me one year, but my sis did it in 6 months.”