The next day, Erwin and Ron went back to Ludwig, to complete the transition between mana and Aura: Ron had given Erwin time to reflect, since it was up to him whether to choose one type of energy or another: the fact that Erwin gave signs of being able to develop the aura, meant that his body was inclined to develop that energy, and in theory this could help him in his development;

But the fact that the aura had so many disadvantages compared to the mana, meant that the choice in question could not be simple, since anyway, until today the mana was much easier to control.

Full of doubts, Erwin arrived at Ludwig's house, who was curious about the boy's choice;

"Did you have time to reflect?" asked the man, as he watched the boy visibly thoughtful, leaving the man perplexed, since he expected that the boy would have an answer by now

"Hey Ron... Don't tell me you didn't help him?!" said the 21st district administrator, looking with annoyed eyes at Ron.

"It's his choice, I can't help him..." - said Ron, as he looked at Erwin out of the corner of his eye – "If he doesn't know how to make such choices now, maybe it's better for him if he abandons his dream of becoming a ---"

"I get it! Let me think for a moment, you deconcentrate me like this!" Erwin said in a annoyed tone of voice, as he had the feeling that Ron was making fun of him.

Erwin began to think deeply about the pro and cons of the two forces, although in his case, strengths and weaknesses were very similar, weighing a little more on the aura: if he had chosen the mana, probably, since he already had a good control of the latter, he would certainly have been able to improve himself, but at the same time, he knew that there was a limit on how much he could progress with the mana; on the contrary, choosing the aura meant choosing a type of energy adequate for his body, but that he had a series of disadvantages, such as control, and this meant wasting time in learning from zero to control the aura: he did not know how much it would take, but certainly, he know that if he had not become good enough in control the aura, he would probably no longer have the right age to enter the academy of magic of Veras.

For this reason, in the middle of his thoughts, such an absurd idea was born in his mind, but that only a frivolous boy like him could think...

"U-Uncle Ludwig... It's just a question, but is it possible to combine mana and aura?"

"... I don't think I got it right..." Said Ludwig nervously, who initially gave no weight to that question.

"... Since mana and aura have their own powers, but also their flaws, I want to be able to use both so that I can benefit from both pros!"

Ludwig widened his eyes, being completely shocked by that sentence: then, however, looking at the reaction of Ron, who smiled a small at the words of his supil, he remembered that there was no surprise by such reasoning, since his father and his teacher were real crazy people.

[It's normal... he grew up with some crazy dude...] He thought the administrator of the 21st district, snorting and shaking his head;

"It's impossible... isn't it?" Erwin said disconsolately, seeing Ludwig's almost bewildered reaction.

"I'd like to tell you it's not possible, but in truth it's not exactly like that..." Ludwig said, but looking at Erwin with serious eyes.

"You see, I'm sure that idiot of Ron didn't even explain it to you, but in addition to the Aura and Mana, there is a theoretical third force, which is the result of the union of mana and the aura."

"There is such a thing? Why the hell didn't you tell me Ron?!" exclaimed Erwin, who seemed to have finally found the solution to all his problems.

The two men in the meantime looked at each other: while Ludwig had a worried expression, Ron instead seemed very calm, almost not caring about what was going on; Erwin noticed this strange climate, wondering what it was due to;

"Is there any problem?"

"Ahhh... I have to explain a few things to you; do you know why the Aura and Mana, although they are similar, can't mix?"

"... No"

"You see, the aura is a power that is based solely on the strengthening of the body, and is not obtainable by everyone; the mana, for its part, is an energy that allows us to violate the laws of physics, such as the manipulation of elements for example. For this reason, the aura and mana, theoretically cannot be mixed: they are a bit like water and oil, two liquid substances that however cannot be mixed ... At least, this is what is said theoretically. It is said that the union of these two powers is forced, a third can be born, a 'total' power. Not much is known about this hypothetical third power, but we know that only a few have managed to obtain this power. Many have tried to unite these two forces, but the process is so painful that over the years, fewer and fewer people have tried to do such nonsense; so for me you should let it go---!!"

"Okay let's do it!"

Ludwig at that moment, remained in disbelief at the boy's immediate response; he, who had seen Erwin grow up, knew how brave the boy could be in the face of certain situations; but he also knew that there was a fine line that separated courage from unconsciousness, and in this case, he saw Erwin in a huge unconsciousness, since despite his words, Erwin seemed to not care about the consequences.

"... Ron, damn it, say something!"

"And what should I tell him? Just look at his eyes to understand that whatever you say to him, he will go into one ear and pass through the other..." Ron said, almost shrugging.

"Uncle, I decided" – said the boy, looking with firm eyes at Ludwig – "Let's be real: even if I chose one power between the mana or the aura, my level wouldn't improve that much... or rather, not as much as I would like, since my goal is to become the best mage in the world! I'd rather lose my core forever, rather than become a mediocre magician! So.."

Erwin, in a last desperate attempt to convince Ludwig, who was extremely hesitant about what to do, got on his knees, prostrating at his feet.

"Uncle Ludwig... please, let's do this. I'm ready for anything!"

The administrator of the 21st district was stunned to see Erwin beg him on his knees; not so much for the gesture itself, even if that had its effect, but for the fire he saw in his gaze, a look so determined that, although he was against putting Erwin's future at risk, at that moment he could not reject such a request made with heart.

"Ahhh.... Get up, don't do this kind of thing!" - exclaimed Ludwig embarrassed, as he helped Erwin get up from the ground – "If you really insist... then I'll try to combine your mana and your aura!"

*****

The next day...

Finally the day of their departures arrived; Erwin, who was really ecxited about his first journey, had not been able to sleep, staying all night in the living room, watching the hands of the clock go on slowly, too slowly for his taste.

When he heard a carriage arrive in the distance and stop in front of the inn, he finally realized that the time had come to leave, with a huge smile that at times seemed disturbing.

Despite this, however, the one thing he still couldn't get over was the fact that he was practically forced to travel with Elaine; the relationship between the two had definitely started on the wrong foot, and everything had worsened as a result of their sparring: Erwin had certainly not appreciated the cold comments of the girl, while Elaine, who at first felt a bit of empathy for the boy, after the agreement with Ron felt a certain hatred towards him, since the last thing she wanted to do was to babysit a "problematic" guy.

Moreover, Elaine didn't like the fact that Ron was using her like an object, but she was forced to accept it, given the circumstances in which she was.

At that moment, while Erwin was immersed in his thoughts, he felt some footsteps behind him: it was Elaine, who was going down with a bag to some clothes kindly bought by Ron;

".... Good morning" Erwin said with a decidedly forced smile; he had not yet gotten used to that extravagant new look that Elaine had adopted, and he didn't even know why, but now, that girl who had a grumpy attitude for him, looked much more disturbing with those long, curly black hair;

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In response, the girl simply raised her hand, then headed for the counter, where Ron was waiting for her.

"Although I don't appreciate some of your methods... I'm still grateful to you." said Elaine, who despite the annoyance she felt, knew that without Ron and Erwin, she would probably be captured, or worse.

Erwin didn't understand the reason for those words, but judging by the girl's slightly annoyed look, Ron probably must have done something to Elaine that had made her angry.

The girl, after thanking her "savior", headed out towards the carriage, going up and no longer looking over her back...

"Uh... what did you do to her, Ron?" Erwin asked, looking at Ron with suspicious eyes, but he slipped the question... simply ignoring Erwin's question.

"Did you take all your stuff?" asked the man, who in the meantime had finished doing his usual cleaning before opening his inn.

"Uhm... yes. I took all my stuff!"

Ron looked at Erwin with a very attentive look; the sensations he felt at that moment, were the same as he felt when Erwin's father, Artemisius, left for Veras City. The more he looked at Erwin, the more he saw the figure of Artemisius, and the more he felt that he had to stop him before it was too late. But he knew that a rebellious spirit of the boy's would not stay in this place forgotten by God for a long time, and that therefore it was better to help him as much as possible.

"I have some things for you." said Ron, who from under the counter pulled out a bag full of gold coins, and a strange notebook.

"H-Hey! what are hell are all these gold coins?!" asked Erwin, who had never seen a similar amount of money in his life.

"... Your father had put a lot of money aside for you when you would become quite responsible. So even if you're stupid, I think these are rightfully up to you now"

"Dad..." Erwin said in a low voice with a smile, then turning his gaze up, thanking his father again, who despite no longer being with him, was as if he were watching over the boy anyway.

"Anywhat, what is this notebook?"

"Well, since you're not the most talented guy in the world, the book I gave you will definitely serve you to become stronger..."

"Stronger, huh... that would be nice although, unfortunately, I didn't get this hypothetical new power up..." said the boy looking down, slightly discouraged by the fact that he didn't get a power that perhaps would have been able to help him.

Ron’s disappointment deepened as he witnessed the outcome of the mystical transition. In his heart, he had hoped that Erwin could truly merge the two energies. Despite the stark contrast between the forces within Erwin—mana and aura—the boy seemed not only unharmed but also in a delicate equilibrium. Thus, it came as a surprise when the mystical transition yielded only the singular manifestation of mana.

He therefore knew that the chances of seeing Erwin admitted to the Academy of a Thousand Magic Arts were low, but for some strange reason, he was certain that Erwin was a genius, and that it was his duty to bring out the genius that was inside him.

"You idiot!" - exclaimed Ron, hitting Erwin in the back of the neck, this time with more force than usual – "What is that downcast look? If you think you can't make it, then maybe you should stay here, don't you think?"

"N-I don't want to stay here..." said Erwin, who grabbed his head in pain;

"Then get that book, you stupid brat!"

Despite the pain, Erwin was surprised to see Ron in that state: he had always been someone cold, who never showed his feelings; yet, at that moment, it was clear that Ron was angry because of his behavior, and in a way, this made Erwin happy, since now Ron, in his eyes, seemed a little more human.

".. What is this book?"

"Now you're asking the right questions!" - said Ron. - "That book is perfect for someone who likes to throws hands like you. This book encapsulates the art of "Focus"; more than a style of combat, it is an ancient art that is based on the mastery of our senses: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Touch, Tension, Pain, Balance, Proprioception and Magnetism; the union of these senses constitutes the Focus..."

"It sounds interesting..." said Erwin, who suddenly saw his morale rise again; - "Do you think I could get even stronger, if I had to master this focus?"

"You see, the fact is that to date, no one has been able to master the focus, not even I... not even your father; it's a theorical book that probably, will help you improve a little"

"B-But then how can I..."

Ron grabbed the boy's shoulders with Force, looking him straight in the eye;

"Listen... The focus has several stages: the more a person masters his senses, the more the focus becomes effective; the level of my focus was a step above that of your father's, but I have never reached the "perfect" Focus, and also, I'm still very far from being able to reach it, and I'm sure that i will never reach it; but unlike your father and me, you have something that is innate: that is, your hell of an instinct! When you fought against Rudolf, I saw your movements, and although you have no experience, thanks to your instinct and your exceptional body control, you managed to beat an opponent several times stronger than you! I'm not sure if you'll be able to fully master the Focus, but I'm sure you can reach a much higher level of Focus than ours!"

Despite his doubts, Ron's words at that moment were gold fallen from the sky for Erwin, who felt a huge boost in his confidence, which until recently was not so high.

"Ok! I'll try to do it!" exclaimed Erwin, who took the book, without any hesitation.

".... Good! Now go, the coachman is waiting for you!" said Ron, giving Erwin a slight push;

The boy took a few steps, then stopped at the edge of the door; turning around, he saw Ron, who didn't understand why Erwin was staring at him. But he had his answers, the moment, his puil, ran towards him with tears in his eyes, hugging him tightly, leaving Ron displaced for the first real time in a long time.

"T-Thank you...thank you old man...I-I'll try not to let you down!" Erwin said, as he was soozing; he had always wanted to leave Hakvill since he set foot there, but now that he was about to leave, the idea of not seeing Ron for 5 years freaked him out.

Ron usually hated everything that seemed even a slight type of affection, but looking at the boy, he soften a little, since deep in his heart, he was sad that he would no longer have Erwin next to him...

"I-Idiot..." - Ron said slightly embarrassed, gently stroking his head; - "Now stop crying and go, it's getting late!"

Erwin quickly wiped his tears, and with a smile on his face, he headed for the exit of his house, this time without any weight;

"I'll see you soon, Grandpa!" said Erwin who, after greeting him for the last time, walked out of the inn, closing the door and no longer looking back.

"... It took you a while..." said Elaine, who was in a hurry to leave and who had no patience.

"Hey... give me a break..." Erwin said snorting, going up into the carriage;

After a few moments, The coachman started the horses, which with great speed began to forcefully drag the carriage, which quickly depart from Hakvill;

Erwin looked in front of him at the landscape of Hakvill, beginning to evoke all the memories he had of that place; despite for a short time he hated coming here, at that moment, as he was leaving, he began to appreciate for the first everything he saw in front of him, beginning to already feel a certain sense of nostalgia.

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Elaine said in a serious tone of voice, noticing in his eyes the same sadness she felt when she had to abandon Lorien.

"No... I've made my decision." Erwin said determinedly: he was sad, of course, but one thing was certain for him: as soon as he became a Gifter, he would return to Hakvill again, he was certain.

END OF CHAPTER 13 - FAREWELLS (PART 1)