"Hrraghhh," a figure with flowing black hair grunted, deflecting an incoming strike with the help of an aura of white energy that emanated from his crossed forearms. The assailant, with a head of snow-white hair, pressed forward relentlessly, his fist radiating an invisible force that obstructed the air. In response, the black-haired figure drew a deep breath, unleashing a shout while thrusting his crossed arms outward causing an invisible wave of energy to surge, pushing the attacker back.

"Good, Lavaad," The white haired man spoke to the blue eyed boy, who’s appearance remained unchanged save for a slight height increase over the past two years and the regrowth of his long hair.

In answer to the praise, Lavaad remained silent, evaluating his opponent before swiftly lunging forward, displaying agility that belied his twelve-year-old frame.

Approaching, he extended his source in a wave, probing for hidden source anomalies. Cassius, the tricky fighter, and his teacher, often set traps with his source, waiting to exploit them. Initially with his tricks, Cassius had dominated their sparring sessions with these tricks of his alone, but Lavaad had adapted.

Maintaining a trace of his source in the surroundings to keep watch, Lavaad refocused on Cassius, who smirked at his approach.

Twisting his body as he moved forward, Lavaad readied a punch with his right arm. Just as he prepared to unleash it, he halted his forward momentum, redirecting it downward and using the recoil to propel himself two meters into the air.

Mid-air, he flipped his body, positioning his head downward before seemingly stepping on a white sheen appearing beneath his feet, which he bent and pushed off rapidly, channeling all his built-up force into a downward strike.

The air warped around Lavaad’s fist as it surged towards Cassius’ head, the latter watching calmly without flinching.

The blow seemed to phase through Cassius as he transformed into mist, the mist then enveloping Lavaad's arm and immobilizing him.

Trapped, Lavaad noticed a source object at the end of his awareness zone, hurtling towards him faster than his own previous attack.

As the needle-shaped object halted inches from him, Lavaad sighed, his frustration evident in the frown on his face.

"I still can’t beat you, even after all this time," Lavaad remarked, his expression soured.

Cassius chuckled lightly, his tone reassuring, "Relax, kid. I've reached the pinnacle of source proficiency, while you're just at the peak of initiation. Ranks aside, my years of experience give me an edge. Besides, you've come a long way—learning to read and write from scratch, grasping the intricacies of the world's politics and our homeland, Reguus, all the while learning to fight."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Lavaad's frown softened slightly at Cassius's words, though his dissatisfaction lingered. "I'm not sure if knowing about it all was worth it. It only reminds me of how far I am from getting revenge. I hoped these two years would prepare me for revenge straight away, but it's not as simple as I thought..."

He then shifted his focus, considering another concern he had been worrying about recently, with their departure from Lormodra nearing closer. "What about disguising myself? Most of the family won't recognize me, but if there's even a slight chance of being identified, what should I do?"

Cassius paused, turning back toward the house as he reassured Lavaad, "Don’t worry. There's no need for them to suspect anything, and it's easy to conceal yourself from those who aren’t actively searching. Just wear a hood and keep your face hidden. Besides, I have some connections with the Kalpuk family, even if they're merely business-related. I can explain things away if necessary."

A wry smile touched Lavaad's lips as he followed Cassius inside.

This journey marked the first time in two years that Lavaad would see his family, although only some of them, as Kalpuk City served as a hub for children from smaller noble houses heading to the academy. This highlighted the influence wielded by his family, the Kalpuks, in the region, with other nobles willingly sending their children, hoping to forge future ties with the Kalpuk family—a testament to their power and trust they commanded.

They used a boat that travelled along the Udumine river in the Great Lake Vaike towards Kalpuk, which sat on the bank of the northmost point of the lake, before travelling from Kalpuk through the distributaries of the massive lake towards the capital

Despite his anticipation of the reunion, Lavaad held apprehension about visiting Kalpuk. He knew he struggled with controlling his emotions, having a tendency to lose control. It almost felt like a final examination before going to the capital, testing his ability to live and act as a noble within the academy's circles.

He knew he stood no chance in the political climate that was the Reguus Academy, even with his lessons with Cassius, his sole goal was to gain strength and status.

Over the course of these two years, Cassius imparted a lot of knowledge to Lavaad, and although Lavaad hadn’t yet delved into his own lightning pigment, he had gained a comprehensive understanding of pigments in general.

Similar to source cores, pigments were categorized into six ranks or levels: Awakening, Novice, Adept, Expert, Champion, and finally the pinnacle, known as “Bringers.” The pigment's progression was marked by its color overtaking the source core. The initial five ranks gave an additive increase in power but the Bringer rank was achieved when the source core became entirely one color, granting a significant boost in power and unlocking new abilities, it signified an absolute transformation of one's core.

Stepping back a bit, Cassius had taught Lavaad that two pigment users of the same color could differ vastly due to “Sub-Properties.” These were the pigments broken down to their fundamental attributes. For instance, earth could manifest as an unwavering stability or an unparalleled solidity.

Focusing on a singular property through training, especially up to the Bringer stage, amplified a pigment user's abilities exponentially beyond what they could achieve otherwise.

Cassius illustrated this with an example involving the current king of Reguus, Thalorian. The Reguus royal family exclusively wielded a green pigment, or crystal, which defied conventional pigment classifications. Thalorian, a Bringer, had broken the crystal pigment down to its fundamental reflective property, making him famously “unkillable”.

The key distinction between a Champion and a Bringer lay in their access to the Bringer domains. These domains tapped into nearly boundless elemental power, separate from reality. A Bringer could momentarily manifest a portion of this limitless power and shape it according to their will.

Throughout history, many individuals who had reached the peak of their pigments power were known, but nothing was documented about lightning pigments like Lavaad’s. He walked a solitary path with no guidance, likely reaching the Proficiency stage during his initial year at the academy.

However, should he ever practice using his pigment, he’d have to do so in utmost secrecy. A single mistake could prove disastrous for him and those around him.