I stared into his deep brown eyes, an obtrusive wall blocking my penetrating gaze.

Memories flashed and scars seethed as a light layer of blood seeped through my clothes.

I found myself posessing an ungaingly fowl as my eyes widened and my mouth gasped for air.

"Haa,haa,haa, haaaf."

My breathing returned to normal and he stood there. Questioning what he should say next. I was still kneeling in pain but my instincts had kept my hands ready to pounce.

My vision blurred in and out but a ringing and normally insipid part of my mind brought me back every few seconds.

Muffled sounds engulfed my ears before my hearing tuned in.

"So I was wondering if-"

He brought out a hand to held me up.

My trauma flashed before my eyes, my body moved before my mind and with it my sword.

Shing.

A silver blade lay at his neck, a faint gust of air behind it and metal plated skin where it had landed.

No sparks had flew, merely a dull and distatestful feeling as my hand numbed.

"Now, now. That's a bit excessive don't you think?"

His expression bore sympathy and a hint of arrogance.

I was certain he was in the act of getting under my guard.

I had already surrounded us in a vast storm of world-energy and he would never know. The slightest movement of his staff would invoke a full on-assault in which I would escape with the lotus step.

My eyes flashed looking left and right before a single blink, as my anxeity skyrocketed.

I met his eyes, this time I noticed his downtilt head and matched his movements.

I looked below the gap inbetween my legs.

A miniscule yet alarming white spike slowly grew out. I was confident he was controlling it and with it my life.

I looked at him with a gaze of steel and spat out onto the snow. Leaving a small area gray before it was shaded over.

"I'll go."

My words were a mumble and my legs were shaking hard. I brushed his hand off me before it could clamp down onto my shoulder.

A pearly white-smile rose on his face.

"You-'ll wh-at??" He spoke almost joyously and playfully.

I noticed the spike growing larger by the second.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Go. I'll go. Back to the cottage, the people. You."

I held back the venom surfacing from my throat.

The things I wanted to say to this man.

I had already prepared 3 layers of Materialized world-energy sources yet I wasn't confident in beating a master magician.

Over the past 3 years he had told ghastly grim tales and stories as his status gradually elevated in this world.

Supposedly, he was the Head-Magician of the Lions Charge. A strong group of magicians that ruled one of the 17 towers around the world. They beat the previous group with ease, using their esteemed formation spell. The God-Lions Levy. It took all 25 members of the group to cast and used most of their mana. The spell instantly tore through hundreds of layers of barriers and left a sorry hole in hundreds of golemns and giants that had been chained to the tower floor.

Or rather, before Vibrakolah destroyed the 17 towers of the World. But that was a tale for another day. The point was, he was strong.

Stronger than my mentor? I did not know, however I don't know why but I doubted it. My master had grasped this strange thing that I named World Energy. His power with it always seemed to be behind the horizon.

Somewhere too blinding and far to see. From where I was standing at least.

He had never revealed his rank however I assumed it was somewhere between the High-Lord to King rank. Maybe even a Half-Step Emperor. Though I doubted such a thing.

Speaking of ranks, as of now I was a half-step Advanced. Progressing smoothly throughout the years.

(To clarify, halfway through the intermediate level. Therefore there is only half a step between himself and the Advanced level. He has NOT reached the advanced level yet.)

Chlora is a normal Intermediate however she tells me Vorgio predicts her rise to the half-step plane to be within a few months at most.

Since I wanted to take my mind of Vorgio, I thought of other things. Such as Mana Storage.

Before the event, I rolled my tongue. Before the event, Vor-gio had told me I had an incredibly vast mana reserve. Probably already at the level of an Advanced rank mage and nearing the Lord rank rapidly. Just a shame I won't ever be able to touch it I suppose.

Chlora has a large mana storage, and it grows almost as fast as mine, though I one up her in this area. She also seems to have a special constitution. I noticed this when we were just walking and she picked up an extremely heavy rock. I questioned if she was using wind-magic or something else to assist her but to that she merely answered.

"... I don't think so."

Who knows, maybe her family really was some ancient clan.

Aaah, what else was there to talk about?

Oh, rigiht I remembered now.

Vibrakolah.

The man who destroyed the 17 towers of the World.

I asked my mentor why we didn't call him a magician of any sorts to which my Guardian and mentor stubbornly responded with.

"He... isn't a user of the. Let's say the traditional magic system." I asked my mentor more but was brushed off and given a handful of tasks with each time I piped up.

I asked V-Vorgio, that was fine right?

Anyways, I asked Vor-gio who was more than eager to explain to me and Chlora the doings of Vibrakolah however my mentor cut in. He gave a dark glare at Vorgio and sent us out, causing us to disperse.

I realized I had now arrived at the door of the cottage, a dusty smell of sandpaper seeped through the walls.

My injuries had already been healed during my innard ranting and Vorgio was portraying his usual white-pearled smile.

I ran into my room. It was the same, if not very slightly older from the last time I had seen it.

I took out a small notebook.

Ah, what should I name this?

Living with a physcopath?

Living with my torture partner?

Living with my least favorite human on this entire planet?

Wow, what a difficult decision.

I settled with 'Living with a physcopath.' I then began noting every atrocitie he had commited since the incident.

Ready to show Chlora the instance we got some alone time.

Her pondered think on the situation was that Vorgio was in the wrong but we all have a problem or two down the road. If I just took his hand, the issues would probably fix themselves.

Yeah, right.

I looked through the hole in my door.

I saw his short white hair and his cursed smile.

His head slowly moved to my direction.

Bang.

I shut the door instantly. The reverbrations died down only leaving behind a small seething silence.

Vorgios muffled speech then returned. Clearly untroubled by my undeclared disturbance.

I let his voice serenade my ears as healed scars began to weep.

Memories at a war in my mind.

Desperate to leave, I made a decision.

It was time for an... excursion if you will.