"No, no! It's not that! The ones we have just don't suit me," Korona defended herself as she waved her hands.
Hearing this, both Suri and Aeon calmed down. They knew her the longest, and they were aware that she belonged to a relatively prominent family. Although her father was not a General, he was still a high ranking officer in the military. Her father even has a nickname, "Snow Turtle," hence the insignia of their family. And, having your nickname spread across the continent meant that you are a formidable mage.
"Which one are you eyeing?" Selena asked Korona. She was quite curious about her choice of spells as a fellow Remoran.
Korona thought for a while before she replied, "since I specialize in Ice magic, I think I would be getting the Frost Queen's Blessing."
"You're not thinking about getting a series?" Suri asked.
As the name implies, a Magic Series contains several books. For example, the Star Explosion Series that Selena practices has three spell books. The first book is the Star Explosion, the next is Star Destruction, and the last one is Star Annihilation.
Spellbooks are also ranked from E to SSS, and their basis is the strongest spell written in the spell book. The most common spell books, those who people can buy anywhere are all E-ranked. Most of them do not have names. The third book of the Star Explosion Series is an A-ranked while the second and last book of Suri's Draconic Flames Series is an S-ranked.
Typically, spell books written in Series are much better than a standalone book. This is mainly because they are supposed to be practiced in order. The spells learned earlier will become the foundations for training the more powerful spells, making it a lot easier for the mage to learn them. Meanwhile, standalone books are one-time practices. Moreover, a higher ranked standalone book lays no foundation, so it is really difficult to practice. These ones are only suggested for people who do not have the budget or those who have too much to buy everything.
Of course, books written in Series are much more expensive. That's why only prominent families could afford them while poorer mages only rely on creating variations of weaker spells.
"I couldn't really afford it," Korona replied, looking down. Despite how she looked at the moment, she was smiling. No one knew what her smile meant, though.
Maybe some other time, Levi thought as he looked up at the ceiling of the cave. He knew how it felt. Wanting something but not being able to afford it. He knew the feeling quite well.
"Nah, don't worry about that. Suri and I will help you save up!" Aeon said as he stood up, "right bro?"
"Definitely, don't worry about it," Suri said. Just like Aeon, he also stood up.
Aeon and Suri moved and sat cross-legged in front of Korona. Then, each placed a hand on her shoulder. The two said at the same time, "we have your back."
What the two said stunned Korona, and she was reminded by the Grand Magic Examination. That time, she was just a weak and timid Remoran who no one depended on. Until these two came. Korona felt her eyes tear up. How did this suddenly turn into a dramatic scene? Wasn't this supposed to be a happy conversation where they bask in their temporary richness?
She gave the two a smile and responded, "Mn!"
Suddenly, Aeon looked back at Levi and Selena, "The same goes for the two of you!"
He gave them both a wide grin.
….
It was supposed to be a day full of good vibes, but Aeon had been frustrated for the past two hours.
After lunch, each member of the group chose an empty space inside the cave and took it as their own private spot to practice. They were probably staying there for the next two weeks, just training as much as they could to pass their time. Private study rooms are surely necessary.
Aeon casually took the spot next to where they were staying at and started practicing his swordsmanship.
A few minutes into his routine, he cocked an eyebrow. He went and did the whole thing again, from the beginning, but it was still the same. This time, his eyebrows were furrowed.
Why can't I do it?!
Aeon examined himself for any wounds. He pressed on his body multiple times in order to check if he had some broken bones or some bruises somewhere in his body that hindered his movements. However, after a full-body self-check-up, he concluded that he was perfectly fine.
He started from the beginning of the routine for the hundredth time, thinking that he only made a couple of mistakes in using some of his muscles, but the results were still the same.
What's happening? Why am I failing in my own routine?!
His routine consisted of several movements and sword attacks. He would take a step. Slash! Then move again. It looked like he moved randomly, but it actually had a pattern. It was just too chaotic to recognize. The chaos in his movements, however, was planned. By doing this, he could move his body as fluidly as possible, and, at the same time, save as much energy.
Aeon's current problem did not stem from him failing to perform such moves. He was just bothered because he felt completely uneasy doing it. Sometimes, he's exerting more effort into a move in his routine, completely breaking its main purpose—to perform efficient and comfortable actions.
Sometimes, it just isn't "fluid" enough.
For the past two hours, Aeon had been repeating the same steps over and over and over again, but the result was still the same. The situation became much weirder when he started listing which moves he was having problems with inside his head. After checking and rechecking, Aeon realized that the problems were static and unchanging. Every single time he repeated the routine, it was the same set of problems.
Suddenly, he thought about something.
Aeon sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, focused his mind, and started activating his Tenro.
The feeling was just as usual.
With extreme focus, Aeon felt for his heart inside his chest and focused on his heartbeat. He observed it as it pulsated. Then, Aeon imagined himself pulling something from it — a thread. This is the first step in activating his Tenro.
Aeon exhaled.
"Haaaaa!"
As Aeon's breath left his mouth, he started focusing on the other parts of his body. He pictured himself as a structure with several hooks scattered all over. Aeon moved the thread on the hook nearest to his heart. Then, the one next to it. By tying these hooks together, the parts would connect, enabling them to assist one another. Through this, one could achieve a sturdier and more complete structure.
One by one, Aeon connected the hooks. He sewed them together using the thread from his heart like an expert dressmaker weaving fine apparel. Some were connected extremely tightly; some were loose. Some were curled around by the thread multiple times; some only once. The most important thing, however, is its order. Without this order, the structure would just become a huge pile of fabric clumped together.
In a short span of a second, all 239 hooks had been connected. In Aeon's head, he pictured them glowing vibrantly as they fuelled his mind with energy.
Aeon's Tenro had been activated, his focus enhanced by several folds.
He slowly opened his eyes.
With this, his mind started working and doing what his Tenro was supposed to do — send him calculation results from what he was seeing and what he previously saw. As he moved his head, a large volume of information streamed through his mind.
How long does it take for him to circle the entire room with his top speed?
Four seconds.
If he moved with even steps, which foot should he step first if he wanted to step on the black mark on the ground using his right foot?
His left!
So many ifs, hows, whys, whens…
So many questions
So many answers.
Suddenly…
"AAARGH!" Aeon screamed and fell forward. His knees hit the floor and he began clutching his head.
….
"What happened?!" Suri rushed into Aeon's private training area worriedly. He arrived in no time because his training area was just next to Aeon's.
As he surveyed the room, he saw Aeon near the center, curled on the floor while appearing to be scratching at his own skull. Without thinking, he rushed towards the figure.
Suri kneeled on the ground right next to him, but he didn't know what to do! As he was trying to figure out what was happening to Aeon, he had his quivering hands just above Aeon's body. He was too afraid to touch him and make things worse. He could hear Aeon practically gasping for air, appearing to be in great pain.
But he was no doctor! What was he supposed to do?!
Suri was starting to panic when he suddenly heard footsteps. When he looked back, he saw Korona, Levi, and Selena looking over, completely clueless about what was happening. They must've heard Aeon's scream, too, but based on their demeanor, they were not aware of the severity of the matter.
"Guys! Hurry! Something's happening to Aeon!" Suri yelled.
Hearing this, the others ran towards Suri and Aeon. They skid to a stop as they circled around Aeon. They were extremely shocked, and just as surprised as Suri was when he came in.
"Don't crowd too much, he's having trouble breathing," Suri said as he gestured for the others to give Aeon some space.
All of them moved subconsciously. Just like Suri, they could only look over as Aeon struggled from the pain he was experiencing.
The first one to snap out of her shock was Korona. "What's happening to him?" she asked.
"I don't know! He was like this when I came in!" Suri replied. He was already at his wit's end.
Aeon gave a muffled groan as he clawed at the sides of his head. Suddenly, he stopped struggling. His body eased. He lost control over both his hands and they fell to the ground, limp. He lied down on the ground, unmoving.
Aeon fell unconscious.
….