“You have not even taken the first step on the path of becoming an Attuner,” the black robed Acolyte said. “Yet even Master Attuners are not your match… You are the second person to have garnered my attention, Alnea Oathkeeper.”
“…I would have preferred to not have anything to do with you, and your kind,” Alnea Oathkeeper said, tightening the grip on his sword, even as he used his Void Heart to control his rampant emotions. And he could understand why he was feeling so nervous. His Oaths may have helped him against Master Attuners, but against a Transcendent Attuner…
Only those who had transcended the restrictions of their Aspects could be called as Transcendent Attuners. And the man in front of him was no exception. Other than commanding the Aspects he had Attuned with, he could also tap into the Origin Sea to summon Aspects that were not his own. Unless his enemies had also transcended the restrictions of their Aspects, their Aspects would not even be able to reach the man.
Though the power of Alnea’s Oaths was not derived from Aspects, the abilities of Transcendent Attuners were not limited to just commanding Aspects either. The man did not even need to fight. He could just create an Aspect clone, and watch from the side. After all, in the process of transcending one’s Aspects, Attuners had to connect their Aspect Oceans to the Origin Sea, ensuring a constant stream of power for themselves. Unless the man completely exhausted his mental strength, losing his ability to command Aspects, Alnea Oathkeeper would have no chance against the man.
However, Transcendent Attuners had much stronger mental strength than normal people. And along with their bodies, they could also temper their mental strength with their Aspects, granting it some special abilities, like their bodies. Fighting against such an opponent… Alnea Oathkeeper could not see any way to defeat him. And yet, he could not lose. He refused to lose. Because…
“Are you not going to ask who the first person is?”
“…I am not interested.”
“Are you sure? Even if that person is…”
Alnea woke up just as his dream was beginning to get interesting. But that was how dreams worked. Fading away at the most crucial moments. Or at least that was how normal dreams worked. His dreams though, had always been a little special. And lately, they were beginning to become even more special. The curse…
It was dealt with, Alnea reminded himself, and pushed himself off the ground, stretching out his limbs to wake them up. Glancing out of the window, he noticed that the sky was a still a little dark, with only a hint of red near the horizon. Probably around two hours, he noted. And this was when he had completely exhausted himself the day before. Carving a Glyph onto his Spirit…
Smiling to himself, Alnea walked into the bathroom, and quickly dealt with his daily chores. Once he had freshened up, he picked up his sword, and strapped it to his waist, before walking out into the corridor. And unlike the day before, it was not empty. However, the other person was not Cecilia, or Yuri, but someone on the other end of corridor. A man, roughly around three to four years his senior. In age, of course. As a Wanderer…
The man seemed to be strong too. Probably at the peak of Intermediate Stage, if not in the Advanced Stage. And not just a weak Intermediate Stage Wanderer, like the one he had fought the day before, but a strong Wanderer, who could probably hold his own against advanced phase Oren Beasts. Or else, Alnea would not have felt the faint breath of danger from the man, the kind he usually felt from advanced phase Oren Beasts
Such achievements at the mere age of seventeen or eighteen… The man was undoubtedly one of the more talented Wanderers Alnea had seen in the city, justifying the look of arrogance on his face. The disdain with which the man looked at him though… Alnea wondered if he should challenge the man to a fight. In the end, he decided to be a little magnanimous, and forgive the man for his ignorance. For the moment.
Tearing his eyes away from the man as he began walking down the stairs, Alnea turned back towards the girls’ rooms. Were they still sleeping? Or were they just being lazy? Was it the reason why they returned to their rooms after deciding their future plans? So that they could sleep a little longer? Should he consider moving with them in the same room?
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To overlook their training, of course, Alnea reminded himself. His personal preference of being together with Cecilia and Yuri had no effect, whatsoever, on his thoughts, or actions… Probably. Besides, sharing the same room also had many other benefits. Like saving Blood Coins, increased security, and the convenience of discussing their plans…
The creaking sound of the doors opening brought Alnea away from his thoughts, bringing his attention to the doors in front of him. Somehow, Cecilia—with Forne trailing behind her— and Yuri were coming out almost in synchronisation, opening their doors one after another, with barely any interval in between. It was as if they had a Divine Treasure that he did not know of. How else could he explain the way they both looked at him with a smile, as if expecting him to be in the corridor, waiting for them?
Supressing the errant thoughts in his Heart, Alnea smiled at Cecilia, and said, “Which lineage did you choose?”
There was no hesitation in his voice. Only certainty. And as he had expected, Cecilia’s smile turned into a big grin at his question.
“Tion’s lineage,” Cecilia said. “Glyphs from Cretes’ lineage are too complicated. Only if I can have Glyphs from all the different elements, will I be able to create the strongest Glyph Arrays. Same is the case with Yul’s lineage. Not to mention difficulty of comprehending the Mysteries from the lineage of Time. Of the few choices that I was left with, only Glyphs from Tion’s lineage could suit my needs.”
“…We also cannot ignore how straightforward Mysteries from the lineage of Justice and Honesty are,” Alnea said, nodding along with his words. “Just like you. It does indeed suit you the best. And with how treacherous the Lost City is, we might need your help soon.”
“…The city is not as dangerous as you are making it out to be,” Yuri said with a helpless smile. “As long as we are careful enough to not fall into the traps of other Wanderers, it will be fine.”
“…I think you are forgetting something.”
“What?”
“…Master told you to make a few friends in the city.”
“…She said that I just do not have to shy away from other people.”
“Are you agreeing that you shy away from other people?”
“…You are right. I think the city is very dangerous. Especially for you. I think that you might even break a bone or two today.”
“…I was just kidding,” Alnea said with an awkward laugh. Thankfully, Cecilia came to his rescue in time.
“What about you?” Cecilia said. “What lineage did you choose?”
“Destruction,” Alnea replied. “Not only can it make up for my weakness, but I can also learn a few Glyphs from all of its Series. Only Perdia’s lineage can allow me such flexibility.”
“…Learning Glyphs from all Series?” Cecilia said, staring at Alnea with wide eyes. “But there are so many different Series… Are you planning to engrave only Intermediate Stage Glyphs?”
“…Are you giving up on the path of Scholars?”
“Aren’t you two doing the same?”
“…We are different. Cecilia is going to focus on the path of Warriors, while I am going to focus on the path of Arcanists. Besides, we are not exactly giving up on the path of Scholars. At the very least, we are just not aiming to reach the peak on the path of Scholars. But your Oaths…”
“It is exactly because of my Oaths that I have made such a decision,” Alnea said with a confident laugh. “I have thought about it for quite a while. If I wish to become the greatest Wanderer, I cannot follow the examples set by others. Or I will be confined to the peak that they have reached. Be it the path of Arcanists, Warriors, or Scholars, I have to walk on my own path.
“It may look like I am giving up on the path of Scholars, but I am just choosing a different path. The path of Glyph Arrays. As long as my Arrays can reach the Divine, or even Transcendent Grade, then even if they are made with just Intermediate Stage Glyphs, their might should not be any worse than Peak Stage Glyphs. Besides, as long as I become an Origin Scholar, won’t I become the greatest Scholar anyway?”
“…You do know that creating Glyph Arrays is even more difficult than creating Arcanas?” Cecilia said. “It took my clan tens of thousands of years to create the Serpent of Secrecy. And that is just a True Ranked Glyph Array. Glyph Arrays of even higher Rank…”
“What would be the fun of becoming a Wanderer if it would not even have any challenges?” Alnea said, spreading his arms wide, with a grin on his face, only for Cecilia to look at him with a weird gaze.
“…I knew that you were a freak, but I did not know that you were also a masochist.”
“Did you forget how he likes pain?”
“Oh, right. He has always been a masochist.”
Anea’s smile froze on his face, as he looked at Cecilia and Yuri, giggling among themselves, with a daze. After a moment of silence, he came to himself, and snorted at the girls.
“Laugh all you want right now, but I will be the one who will have the last laugh.”
“…We are not laughing at you,” Yuri said, blatantly giggling at his face.
“…Forget it. I am too lazy to bother with some ignorant girls. Let us just go try out the trials in the Blood Hall.”