Lavaad and Cassius stood facing each other in the Lormodra household's courtyard. It had been just yesterday that Lavaad fought for a place in the family, and now he was here, ready to delve into the mysteries of the source with his mentor.
“A source core consists of six stages of mastery, separate from pigments, discovery, initiation, proficiency, mastery, sovereignty and archon or archousa, depending on gender.
The stage of mastery represents the power a core can exhibit and the abilities that can be used with the core.
Though I don’t know how, you are currently within the discovery stage but you are just scratching the surface and have made no steps into initiation.
Progress between stages is recorded by what you can do with source, in order to be considered an initiate you need to be able to do such and such and so on for all the ranks.” Cassius’ voice sounded throughout the courtyard of the mansion.
“In the academy, students your age will be well into initiation, with some stepping into proficiency, so within these two years I aim to get you to at least the lower end of students.
Given the fact I also have to teach you about the politics and various details of Reguus at the same time it may be a bit of a squeeze.” He continued as he looked at Lavaad, who just nodded not wanting to waste time.
"Excellent. To attain initiation, you must accomplish two tasks: source sensing and basic manipulation. Though these are not strictly defined objectives, mastery of the source as a whole lacks strict definitions. Instead, there are customary benchmarks that most individuals at each level can achieve, serving as the threshold.
Anyway to get back on track, source sensing could range from perceiving faint ripples of source energy nearby to sensing disturbances on the farthest reaches of our planet. Manipulation, on the other hand, spans from enhancing one's limbs to conjuring and manipulating colossal source entities,"
Manipulation can go from a simple mean to strengthen limbs all the way to conjurations and manipulations of colossal source objects.” As Cassius continued explaining source, Lavaad listened intently.
Lavaad focused on the source pulsing through his veins and he began trying to manipulate it. Willing it to move to a specific spot.
Cassius stopped explaining as he noticed Lavaads focus. He could sense instantly that Lavaad was missing something crucial but decided to let him confront the obstacle on his own before intervening. Lavaad needed to understand that despite his talent, he wasn't omniscient; he was still human.
Initially, Lavaad felt a surge of excitement as he managed to move the source. However, his elation was short-lived as he realized it had no effect, causing him to sway heavily towards the side he directed the source.
Cassius interjected Lavaad's solo attempts with some guidance, "It's commendable that you can move it, but you shouldn’t relocate it entirely from one spot. Instead, draw a portion from everywhere, like shaving it off, and then manipulate that. Also, merely relocating it won’t suffice; the source isn’t bound to the veins it flows through. You can release it. That's all I’ll reveal for now.”
Taking in the advice, Lavaad refocused internally. Rather than envisioning the source as tethered to his limbs where the veins coursed, he visualized the source as a unified entity, homogeneous and whole.
With this mindset, he extracted source energy gradually, envisioning it as a shaving off from his entire being, gathering it inward. Afterward, he carefully directed this gathered source energy through his source veins to his right arm. Releasing it into the surrounding tissues—muscles, skin, bone—he felt his right arm surge with strength, albeit fleetingly, before the source dissipated once more.
As Lavaad looked inward again, he noticed the strengthening of his arm, while very wasteful and amateur, seemed to drain somewhere from five to ten percent of his total reserves.
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As Cassius watched on, he donned a frown that grew deeper and deeper, ‘this learning speed isn’t normal, I knew he was talented but what in the hell is this?’
He quickly reset his face as he spoke, “Good, that was a lot quicker than expected. In order to make sure we don’t go through this too quickly lets head inside and talk politics.”
Lavaad nodded in response, a small smirk on his face at his success, he knew he had done better than expected based on his teachers reaction.
The pair made their way indoors, traversing the lengthy corridors of the mansion until they arrived at a wide-open double door, leading to a sprawling library spanning about fifty meters in width and length. The second floor housed tables and couches for reading, while the first floor boasted rows of bookshelves, meticulously organized with clear signage indicating their contents. Massive windows at intervals illuminated the space, filling it with natural light.
Cassius proceeded towards the stairs leading to the second floor. As they ascended, Lavaad spoke up, "By the way, I can’t read."
Cassius paused briefly, then facepalmed. "I don’t know why I assumed you could. It makes sense that you can’t. Don’t worry, we'll find a way to accommodate that," he said with a smirk, finding his own assumption amusing.
'I thought his exceptional talent would leave us with too much time, but it seems I have more to teach him than anticipated...' Cassius mused to himself.
They settled on a short couch and a table in a corner of the top floor. Although they didn’t need books today, the library provided the ideal atmosphere for studying and learning within the household.
As they sat, Cassius began, "Let's delve into a brief overview of the world's politics, starting with Reguus. Reguus is a feudal monarchy situated on the continent of Kuunis and is ruled by the Reguus royal family, with King Thalorian Reguus currently reigning. The kingdom maintains neutrality and is in strained relations with the Terboruk desert due to territorial disputes over the middle lands of Tengahr, which lies just a small ocean away. Additionally, there's ongoing conflict with the Deserts of Unud for obvious reasons.”
Lavaad Interrupted the teaching for a moment, “Sorry, but what obvious reasons?”
Cassius realized Lavaad's lack of knowledge and explained, “The Deserts of Unud are embroiled in conflict with every major nation. While each nation spins its propaganda to involve citizens, the core reason lies in the ancient civilization's ruins hiding a profound secret and treasures valuable enough to bankrupt entire cities. Unud has become a battleground where all nations clash. Any animosity stays within, and it's commonly observed that there's no allegiance, except for a faction known as The Tribes of Unud, led by the mythic figure, the Desert God. Encounters with this deity-like entity are rare, but no nation has prevailed against them yet.
Recently our head commander died to the desert god, and Reguss has used this as propaganda for the citizens to sign up and help in the fight, getting revenge for their great leader”
Lavaad nodded in realisation as Cassius continued, “Now we have gotten past Reguus and Unud, lets move to Otorr, Otorr is located both on Kuunis and Tengahr, and consist of two capital cities across the ocean from eachother, commonly referred to as ‘The Wall of Otorr’ the two capitals of Kiri and Benarr act as two ends of a major metaphorical wall. They exude absolute marine control between these two areas and due to their location nations typically have to send ships through their area of influence to get up to Unud, so they are getting VERY rich right now from tolls alone. Also they like to act as a neutral marine force in the world, so they are the only major nation not involved with the war in Unud.
"Next, let's turn our focus to Terboruk..." Cassius's tone held a hint of disdain, which Lavaad picked up on but opted to let him continue. "Terboruk is the domain of The Silver Tyrant Malachor. His true power remains largely unknown, but Terboruk is a den of villainy, though some see it as a necessary evil—a sentiment I don’t share.
The deserts of Terboruk are home to creatures of unparalleled might compared to others in the world. It's a harsh environment with a staggering death toll. They call it 'the birthplace of legends' as well as 'the grave of stars', attracting young adventurers seeking fame and fortune, yet most of them meet their demise—about ninety percent, I'd estimate.
Despite my dislike for the place, the survivors, the remaining ten percent, emerge as formidable combatants, adept at navigating life-or-death situations.
Due to the harsh environment, no one can live there so the only citizens are soldiers or… Slavers.
Despite the lack of citizens there is an extreme need for upkeep and food production, soldiers can't go farming in case a beast attacks and there are no citizens who live long enough to get something going, so the alternative is using slaves to do these tasks. I personally think we should just abandon Terboruk but people seem to deem it necessary. Anyway enough with the morality talk.” Cassius sighed as he finished, before continuing again,
"Now, let’s shift our attention to the continent of Monthai, typically divided into North and South. The North, a narrow landmass brimming with mountains, is ruled by the Nation of Edius, governed by a council of nobles and merchants. It's often seen as a playground for the ultra-wealthy or a lucrative market for traders, making it the world's trade hub.
In contrast to the seemingly peaceful Edius, South Monthai is more eventful. The Nation of Fylnnu and the Iffrizeus Queendom vie for control over a small territory named Solitarju, engaging in a constant power struggle due to its strategic importance. Iffrizeus is governed by an apparently immortal queen, surrounded by mysteries. Additionally, the Iffrizeus Queendom is at odds with a small port town called Solus, defended by the Reivium Alliance, which guards its back from the queendom’s advances. This alliance consists of two major forces: Port Aveau, a bustling trade center competing with Edius, and Carbres, an island with a colossal tree deity and inhabitants known as treefolk—strong yet passive. The alliance formed due to Carbres possessing rare and coveted resources, making them prime targets. Port Aveau offered protection in exchange for access to these resources, bolstering their position against Edius.
That is pretty much a basic rundown of the world, its obviously not this straightforward but I don’t want to spend too much time teaching you about the world when Reguus is our current focus.”
Cassius slumped down into his chair after his explanation, resting for a bit as Lavaad asked various questions, before they went on to other things.