The Tower of Seekers courtyard went silent at the sudden entrance. Time seemed to slow down as different people turned their heads to see the face of the new arrival.

Be it looks or presence, no one could quite place why they were suddenly compelled to look at him. It was clear something was not right in this strange boy’s presence besides the fact that he was wearing clothes far too small for his size.

Elder Caspro looked him up and down, “You’re… taller than the report suggested.”

“Report?” Alaric furrowed his eyebrows. There was a report on him? Was he perhaps under investigation? Or had Garin and the others needed to send back a report to the Tower?

“Never mind. What’s your name, boy?” the Elder asked. His demanding tone made Alaric feel as though he was in a constant battle for dominance. His oppressive aura only worked to enhance this effect as though he was unconsciously trying to batter Alaric’s brain into submission or was it perhaps… intentional?

“Alaric,” the boy replied.

“They said you have an S-class guardian. So… Come on. Don’t be shy,” the man edged him on. The Elder behind him perked up at the mention of the S-Class guardian as well.

Alaric tilted his head in confusion, “I’m sorry?”

“Are they always this slow? Your guardian, boy! Let’s see it,” the man spoke with his head turned up with a look of contempt.

Alaric paused… ‘He’s asking to see my guardian? Not even Elder Gregory would ask that.’

Alaric regarded the Elder standing by his side. This man didn’t seem at all bothered with what was happening. Before Alaric could wonder what his place was in all this, Alia whispered into his mind, [ He’s probably a follower of Elder Caspro and won’t speak unless Caspro asks him to or directly addressed in Caspro’s presence. ]

Alaric shook his head back to reality, “No.”

Elder Caspro’s mouth dropped for a moment, “I beg your pardon. Do you know who I am?”

“Not even Elder Gregory would ask me such a thing. I hope, for our sakes, that you don’t take this personally,” Alaric gave a short bow then turned to Garin, “Where to next?”

“Has the tingling of the barrier’s spell stopped yet?” Garin asked.

Alaric shook his head, trying his best to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of having his body prodded by the barrier’s magic.

Garin noticed the boy’s irate mood and chuckled, “Don’t worry. It’ll pass. Elder Caspro, Alaric doesn’t summon his guardian unless it’s necessary. Even I’ve been lucky to see it.”

“Then what use is he if not for his guardian?” Caspro yelled out, “The Tower has spent a lot of money on this arrogant ingrate. If he can’t summon his guardian, then he’s more useless than that B-rank waste of space he made us take in.”

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This time, Alaric felt his blood boil and the world around him instantly responded. Thunder boomed in the distance and the wind began to howl. The clouds started to thicken as the wind picked up gradually.

[ Calm yourself, Alaric ] Alia’s voice snapped at the boy.

[ But he just insulted Finn ]

[ What do you plan on doing? You’ve not yet finished negotiations with Elder Gregory and you want to bring the Tower down? ] Alia replied harshly.

When Alaric remained quiet, the guardian sighed, [ He has a sharp tongue… but he hasn’t done enough to deserve your rage just yet. Should he think of laying an arm on your friends, I’ll help you personally. ]

[Alright…]

Just like that, the storm dissipated, and a serene calm returned to the Tower. “I don’t like you.”

“So what?” the man shrugged.

Alaric narrowed his eyes at him, then turned to Garin, “Let’s go.”

Garin nodded and led the boy away. “Yeah, you keep walking, you waste of space! But know this: We won’t let some nobody sign a contract of Patronage when they’re essentially useless.”

Alaric kept to a breathing exercise under Alia’s instruction, maintaining a calm facade on top of a raging inferno. The man had just insulted his friend… Had it not been for the stalwart guardian’s intervention, he would have done more than say ‘I don’t like you.’

Then again, perhaps that’s why Alia had intervened. Who would choose to be a patron of a short fuse? Alaric wasn’t going to let it go though… or at least, that’s what he felt like in this moment. Who knew what his emotions would be after he’d calmed down? True hate was not an emotion one would develop after some simple argument… Ten, A Hundred, maybe.

‘I’ll need to speak to Elder Gregory about this,’ he thought to himself.

Inside the Tower, Alaric quickly noticed a change. Before, these halls had been empty with only a few guards ferrying the gargantuan number of aspirants through them to a Great Hall containing a bunch of orbs.

This time, though, the halls were filled with Seekers, old and young, all dressed in simple white clothes, different from his.

Alaric’s clothes were made of a sturdy material that felt rigid yet flexible, like the skin of a reptile in contrast to the silk garments the other young Seekers were wearing.

The young ones hurried in the presence of the old Seekers who wore exquisite robes of pure silk that flowed to the ground and trailed behind them. These old geezers were the pillars of the Tower and, by extension, respected by everyone in the Tower.

Alaric’s clothes were similar to Garin’s… yet different at the same time. Garin had a bit of plate armour to complement his leathery outfit whereas Alaric didn’t have any armour to go with his outfit.

Not to mention the man wore a cape that leaned to his right, hiding the hand that rested elegantly on the pommel of his sword. Matched with his gait, he couldn’t look any more like a knight.

Of course, Alaric too had a cape. The only problem was he’d outgrown it as well and chosen not to wear it. Since he didn’t need it to pass through the defences of the Tower, he simply stashed it away in his storage bracelet.

Alaric shifted his attention ahead as the pair came upon the Great Hall that had held the Appraisal Ceremony more than six months ago. Back then, Alaric had not even started on his path to a greater Temper Rank… and as a result, lacked the power to draw on any of his guardian’s true power… or rather, he lacked a body strong enough to withstand it.

The Great Hall shot out on all sides, expanding into a vast chamber of which Alaric saw no end. It was truly magnificent how large the Tower was on the inside compared to what it appeared on the outside.

This time, however, the Great Hall was different. It wasn’t as dark as he had been the last time, illuminated by glowing runes and floating orbs.

The only detail that remained of the Great Hall from his last visit was the sea of Awakening Orbs floating high above their heads and the platform with which Seekers travelled to higher floors only now there were many of those platforms, each floating in a different direction with Seekers standing on them, most of them immersed in deep discussion.

Everything else… was vastly different.

“Woah…”

[You can say that again…] Alia responded in awe.