Lucios stood facing Sir Michael in the training room. The room was spacious, illuminated by torches mounted on the stone walls. In the center lay a large rug embroidered with the family crest in vibrant colors. Surrounding them, weapons of all kinds were displayed on wooden racks or hung from iron hooks. Shields, swords, spears, axes, bows, arrows, and daggers gleamed in the flickering light of the flames.
Both men eyed each other with determination, each holding a training sword. They wore simple, lightweight clothing suitable for exercise. Sir Michael, with his dark hair, sharp eyes, and muscular physique, was an experienced and loyal knight. Lucios, at ten years old, seemed dwarfed by Sir Michael's presence.
"Lucios, this is the best way to test your new skills and find your weaknesses," Sir Michael said. They were about to engage in a friendly yet competitive duel to assess Lucios's abilities and progress. As he assumed a combat stance, Sir Michael continued, "The first strike is yours. Begin whenever you're ready."
Lucios quickly analyzed Sir Michael's posture and launched the first attack, delivering a horizontal blow with his training sword. Sir Michael easily blocked it with his own, maintaining a serious expression. They exchanged several blows, each trying to exploit the other's defenses. It was apparent that Sir Michael wasn't exerting much effort to parry the attacks; he moved with calm precision, while Lucios struggled to keep up.
Occasionally, Sir Michael feinted attacks that Lucios realized could have exploited openings he'd shown during the fight. For example, when Lucios raised his sword overhead for a forceful strike, Sir Michael could have thrust quickly at his chest, but instead, he sidestepped and countered with a diagonal cut. Lucios managed to defend in time, but he felt the impact of Sir Michael's sword on his arm.
As time passed, Lucios began to display signs of fatigue, sweating and panting. His movements slowed and became less coordinated, and he made more mistakes. Sir Michael noticed this and called for a halt to the fight, lowering his sword. Lucios did the same, albeit with difficulty. He looked at Sir Michael with frustration, knowing he still had much to learn.
Sir Michael sat cross-legged and gestured for Lucios to join him. As Lucios sat down, Sir Michael began to speak. "Your energy pathway is a mess, and the reason for that is quite obvious. However, to avoid confusion, I'll explain from the beginning."
"The pathway, also known as life energy, is the ability to absorb and manipulate the energy that exists in all things in the world. This energy is invisible to ordinary eyes but can be sensed by those born with it or those who train to develop it," Sir Michael explained.
Though Lucius had heard this explanation a hundred times before, he remained silent, listening patiently.
Sir Michael continued, "The pathway consists of three stages. The first is the foundation, also known as the absorption stage. In this stage, the body only absorbs energy into a core located in the heart. This core is called the Vital Center. Energy absorption increases the body's strength, endurance, and speed, as well as improving health and vitality. This stage is the most basic and common among users of Life Energy. Energy absorption is passive and constant but can be enhanced through secret pathway techniques, meditation, and, of course, elixirs."
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"The second stage is the metamorphosis stage, also known as the circulation stage, as the energy previously stored only in the Vital Center begins to be pumped through the body via the blood. This allows the energy to reach all parts of the body, such as muscles, bones, organs, and nerves. Energy circulation grants even greater strength, endurance, and speed, as well as an enhancement in senses like vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch."
"In the metamorphosis stage, greater control and concentration of energy are required. Energy circulation is active and voluntary, meaning it only occurs when the person wants it to. And therein lies the problem that's causing you to fail. Since you advanced to the second stage at a very young age, you couldn't store enough energy in your vital core for it to develop fully. Frankly, it's a miracle in itself that you've managed to progress without the necessary accumulation," Sir Michael said with a sincere expression of astonishment.
"From today onward, I want you to refrain from trying to circulate your pathway energy through your body unless you're in danger. You must continue absorbing pathway energy to strengthen your core until it becomes strong enough for you to perfectly control energy circulation," Sir Michael instructed.
"So, does that mean even though I've advanced to the metamorphosis stage, I won't gain any advantage over others in the foundation stage?" Lucios asked quickly, his expression showing a hint of desperation.
Chuckling slightly, Sir Michael replied, "That's where you're mistaken. You won't absorb energy at the same rate as someone in the foundation stage. You may not have noticed, but you're already absorbing energy at the same rate as someone in the metamorphosis stage. However, your goal isn't to increase the quality of your energy, as someone in the metamorphosis stage would. You'll simply expand your vital core. Even the amount of elixir you could previously ingest without being intoxicated has increased. Thus, you'll become a complete warrior in the metamorphosis stage very quickly."
Upon hearing Sir Michael's words, Lucios grew calmer and remembered something. "You explained the first and second stages, but you didn't say anything about the third stage," Lucios remarked. He had attended many classes on the pathway with his former teacher, Sir Owen, but the third stage had never been explained.
Sir Michael calmly looked at Lucios and said, "Even for me, who's at the pinnacle of the metamorphosis stage, the third stage, the stage of enlightenment, is a vast chasm away and seems unreachable. All I know is that at this level, pathway energy can be expelled from the body, granting unparalleled destructive capability on the battlefield."
"I've heard stories that when the King's Lions reinforced the siege of the southern border ten years ago, one of the King's Lions captains, who was in the stage of enlightenment, managed to fight and defeat dozens of enemy warriors in the metamorphosis stage," Sir Michael said, his expression serious. "However, reaching the stage of enlightenment is very difficult simply because it's unnatural to expel pathway energy from the body. Even here in the Apurina house, where there are a little over 300 warriors in the metamorphosis stage, there are only two warriors in the stage of enlightenment. And one of them is almost 160 years old, too old to fight," he said, with his eyes closed. But when he opened them, he noticed his student had a distant look.
Indeed, Lucius had only heard the first part of what Sir Michael said. After that, he began to dream of becoming a warrior in the stage of enlightenment, fighting dozens of enemies on a chaotic battlefield, and he paid no further attention to what Sir Michael was saying.