After a long journey, Nazzares and Master Vitjendra finally arrived in Gousan Village.
The village had a peaceful atmosphere, a stark contrast to the heavy mission they had just completed. Without delay, they headed straight to Abail’s house—Nazzares’ father.
As soon as they reached the front of the house, the door was wide open, and an excited voice rang out from inside.
"Nazzares!!"
Kandhita shouted as she ran toward her fiancé. She immediately threw her arms around him in a tight embrace, nearly knocking him off balance.
"You took so long!" she whined playfully.
Nazzares gave an awkward smile. "It was only four days, Kandhita! That’s not long at all."
However, before their conversation could continue, Master Vitjendra suddenly spoke in a serious tone, though a mischievous glint flickered in his eyes.
"Oh, right. Nazzares, there’s something I forgot to tell you."
"What is it, Master?" Nazzares asked, confused.
"It’s from that beautiful girl we rescued. She sends her regards and said... she wants to marry you. In fact, she’s willing to wait for your proposal anytime," Vitjendra said casually.
Nazzares' eyes widened. "Master! What are you talking about?! That’s not true!"
But his words only caught Kandhita’s attention. Her eyes narrowed, her body emitted a dark aura, and her hair seemed to be blown by an invisible wind.
"A girl? Beautiful? Marriage?" she muttered in a chilling tone.
Nazzares immediately panicked. "Kandhita, wait! Listen to me! It’s just a joke! Master Vitjendra is messing with you!"
But it was too late. Kandhita had already transformed into a furious demon ready to strike. Out of nowhere, a large wooden log appeared in her hands.
"So, you dare think about cheating on me?!" she shouted, gripping the log tightly.
"Aaaaa! Master, help me!" Nazzares screamed in fear and ran as fast as he could.
"Don’t run, you coward! Face me!" Kandhita yelled, chasing after him with incredible speed, leaving trails of fire and smoke on the ground.
Whoooosshhh...
The incident ended with Nazzares lying flat on the ground in front of the house, his face swollen with lumps. Kandhita stood beside him, placing the wooden log down with satisfaction. Master Vitjendra, who had been watching the whole thing, merely chuckled and shook his head.
A week later...
"Zares! Have you discovered the name of your mystic technique yet? Every Fatalis has a name for their innate mystic ability," Master Vitjendra asked.
"I’m not sure, Master. Maybe as time passes and I grow more aware of my nature as a Fatalis, I’ll eventually find the answer," Zares replied, casually tossing a rock into the river.
In the end, every Fatalis calls out the name of their mystic technique when fighting. However, Zares was different. He could unleash his mystic techniques without the usual conditions—without chanting their names or performing hand seals (mudra).
"At first, during our training battles over the past six months, I thought your mystic technique was related to gravity manipulation. Turns out, I was wrong," Master Vitjendra remarked, recalling their past sparring sessions.
He then took a deep breath, stood up, and continued, "Now, only two final techniques remain that I want to teach you."
"What are they, Master? Haven’t we covered everything already?" Nazzares asked, puzzled.
"No, kid. Just watch—I’ll show you directly."
Master Vitjendra drew his sword with his left hand. Then, to Nazzares’ shock, he suddenly slashed his own right arm with the blade.
Slash!
"Hey, you crazy old man!! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!" Zares shouted, both worried and bewildered by his master's actions.
"Shut up and just watch."
Despite the panic, Zares saw that Master Vitjendra remained calm, even as blood gushed from his right arm. His expression was composed, showing no fear, as if he had complete control over the situation.
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Wussss...
A surge of mystic energy flowed through Master Vitjendra’s body. Suddenly, bones began to regenerate, followed by veins weaving together, flesh forming anew, until his right arm was fully restored—completely intact, as if it had never been wounded in the first place.
"What the hell... What was that?!" Zares gaped in awe.
"What you just witnessed was the Anti-Mystic technique," Master Vitjendra explained after demonstrating it.
"Anti-Mystic? I don’t get it… A-a-a... Aaaaaa, explain it again! What is that?!" Zares was both thrilled and confused.
"Hey, calm down. Alright, I’ll explain it properly," Master Vitjendra said, preparing to reveal the secrets of the Anti-Mystic technique.
MYSTIC & ANTI-MYSTIC
Mystic Energy (Negative Energy)
Mystic techniques are, in essence, manifestations of mystic energy, which has existed within a Fatalis since they were in their mother's womb. Mystic energy is pure negative energy—because negative energy is mysticism itself.
Only a Fatalis can use this energy. Non-Fatalis individuals require a special medium to obtain it, and even then, only in very limited amounts.
Anti-Mystic (Positive Energy)
Anti-mystic energy is the opposite of negative energy—it is positive energy. However, unlike negative energy, which naturally exists in every Fatalis, anti-mystic energy must be produced by the Fatalis themselves by converting negative energy into positive energy. This is why ANTI-MYSTIC is considered a technique rather than simply energy.
When a Fatalis masters anti-mystic energy, the number of techniques they can create expands significantly. However, using anti-mystic techniques requires a large amount of mystic energy, making it extremely draining. Overuse can also severely damage the brain.
"Master…!! You're making everything even more complicated!" Zares groaned after hearing his teacher's explanation.
"Haaa… Relax," Vitjendra sighed. "Your grandfather was highly skilled in using anti-mystic energy. Maybe because his mystic energy capacity was four times greater than the average Fatalis."
"Grandfather?" Zares repeated, still curious about mystic techniques. He then asked, "What happens if I overuse mystic techniques?"
"You'll feel tingling all over your body, your brain and heart will take damage, and... well, you might faint." Vitjendra answered seriously.
Hearing this, Nazzares couldn't believe there was still so much he had to learn, just when he thought he had become somewhat strong.
"I don’t know… Training a technique like that sounds like it will take a long time." Zares muttered, still struggling to understand anti-mystic energy.
"Don't think about it too much. I'm sure you'll master it someday—because you are my student." Vitjendra said with confidence.
"Alright, Master."
"*****"
-----Λ-----
ONE YEAR LATER
-----V-----
FAREWELL TO THE MASTER
A full year had passed since Master Vitjendra returned to the village from his mission. Zares had trained tirelessly every day, constantly increasing the difficulty of his training. He even assisted his teacher in completing various missions.
Throughout the year, Zares gained firsthand combat experience against Raksha and frequently sparred with his master. In both hand-to-hand combat and swordplay, Zares had grown strong enough to match Master Vitjendra.
"Hey, don’t cry. When you get married someday, I’ll definitely come to see you." Vitjendra said as he bid farewell to Zares’ family and Kandhita, who were present.
"Alright, Master… Promise me." Zares replied, holding back tears as he prepared for a long separation from his master.
"I promise. Now, hurry and enroll at the academy—I’ll be waiting for you both there." Vitjendra said.
"Yes, Master!" Kandhita and Zares answered in unison.
With that, after an emotional farewell, Master Vitjendra mounted his flying mystic beast—a creature with a bizarre yet fierce appearance—and set off on his journey.
-----Λ-----
TWO YEARS LATER
-----V-----
"Master, it seems I've gotten stronger after training for the past three years and fighting the Raksha I've encountered," Zares muttered to himself as he swiftly moved between the trees.
Now, both Zares and Kandhita were 15 years old. Their wedding was scheduled to take place in one week at the village temple. Kandhita’s family was busy preparing for the wedding of their only daughter.
For an ordinary family, marrying a family member to a Fatalis was a great honor—especially if the groom was the one marrying a Fatalis.
Under the scorching midday sun, Zares rested beneath a tree for shade. From a distance, he spotted Kandhita walking toward him, carrying food.
"Hey... Here, eat this," Kandhita said, handing the food to Zares.
"Thank you," Zares replied.
"Time flies so fast, doesn’t it? I can't believe it’s been two years since Master Vitjendra returned to the kingdom," Kandhita said, looking at Zares.
"Mmm... yeah. You look beautiful today," Zares remarked while gazing at his future wife's face.
"Ugh, don’t be such a flirt!" Kandhita responded, lowering her head in embarrassment.
"Hey, isn’t there a festival in the neighboring town tomorrow? Let’s go there... It’d be a great way to spend time together before our wedding," Zares suggested.
"Alright. Besides, it's not too far. Okay, just pick me up tomorrow," Kandhita agreed.
---
At Abail’s House That Night...
"Father, tomorrow I’m going to the festival in the next town. I might return late at night, or maybe I’ll have to stay overnight," Zares said as he asked for permission.
"Alright. Be careful, and don’t forget to bring your sword, just in case. And you better make sure nothing happens to my beautiful future daughter-in-law!" Abail warned him.
"Of course, Father," Zares assured him.
"Here... Take this," Abail said as he handed Zares a potion.
"What is this... You perverted old man!" Zares exclaimed, confused by what his father had given him.
"Hey... Don’t be shy," Abail teased, grinning mischievously.
"Heeaaah—Aagghh!"
Suddenly, Zares’ foot flew toward Abail’s face.
BRAKK!
"You dirty old man!" Zares shouted in frustration.
But before he could react further, Abail leaped up and kicked Zares’ face with both feet.
BLAMM!
"Act like a real man, you idiot!" Abail shouted at him.
"ARRGHH... You old fool!" Zares yelled back.
They continued bickering and wrestling throughout the night. Their odd father-son relationship, though chaotic, always lightened the mood. It was one of the reasons why Kandhita felt so at home with them.
To be continued...