From a distance, a branch of a tree squeaked from being bent. The sound did not escape Aeon's ears and he immediately faced towards the tree's direction. Again, Aeon saw the oversized monkey, but this time, fear was apparent in its eyes. It dropped the rock it was holding, and, without thinking twice, it ran away, jumping from one tree to another.
Aeon was about to chase it when he suddenly felt his body aching all over. It was not enough to paralyze him, but with that, he wouldn't be able to catch the monkey so he decided to let it go. Aeon slowly retraced his steps, heading back towards the others. As he walked, he felt for any more changes inside his body.
Alas, he still couldn't feel his magic awakening.
Aeon sighed with emotion. Well... at least his body and his Tenro got stronger.
Aeon smiled and hummed a tune.
….
The group took down the brown bear that Aeon crippled earlier and was meaning to rest.
Korona caressed Suri's temple with a piece of ice while the latter was being carried by Samuel on his back. She sighed with emotion as she recalled the previous days they spent in the forest. Lately, they had been taking care of unconscious people. Now, it was Suri's turn.
Suddenly, a tall and thick bush started shaking, putting everyone on edge. After a few moments, Aeon emerged from the bush covered with leaves and grass all over his clothes. He smiled and waved at the group as he approached.
The group was relieved after seeing Aeon, but Korona came down like an angry mom. She stepped forward, blocking his path, and jabbed a finger on his chest.
"Ow!" Aeon winced from being poked.
"Didn't I tell you to stop?!" Korona yelled, "what if you got hurt?"
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Aeon said as he gestured for Korona to calm down.
After scolding Aeon, Korona returned to treating Suri. For now, all she could do was lessen the swelling with a block of ice she conjured.
Aeon also took a look at Suri. During the past few days, he had been responsible for patching up people because he was the best in the group at doing it. Today was no exception. He took Suri from Samuel and laid him on the ground slowly. He rummaged through his pack for a clean bandage and carefully wrapped it around Suri's head. Thankfully, though, what hit Suri was not a sharp object. If it were, Suri would've been dead by now.
After Aeon finished his task, a voice came from behind.
"I didn't know you could take on four gigantic beasts at once. On top of that, you didn't even seem to be having trouble," Levi said with a flat voice. However, there was something in the way he addressed the statement that made it sound like an accusation.
Aeon scratched his head, flattered, completely oblivious about what Levi was trying to imply. But before he could respond, Levi asked him a question.
"What happened to you?"
Curiosity was apparent in every word.
Everyone fell silent. They all just looked at Aeon.
The unawakened mage who just destroyed three gigantic beasts without batting an eye.
The mood was interrupted when they suddenly felt the ground quake.
The colossal snake!
They completely forgot that there was another beast around the area.
"Let's talk somewhere else," Korona said.
Everyone nodded and moved towards the nearest wall.
….
The distance they traveled through the wall was not short. Despite this, Samuel showed no signs of fatigue. It appeared that his spell doesn't consume as much magic as they thought it would. After pulling a safe distance from the snake, while moving towards the camp at the same time, Samuel made a cave for their group.
Having an earth mage was really convenient.
The scene from earlier repeated itself. Everyone stayed silent as they waited for Aeon to talk.
Aeon sighed. Everyone looked at him like he was an alien.
"If this is still about the beasts, then, to be honest, I can't really believe it myself either."
His gaze wandered aimlessly as he tried to recall his experience. It was a bit hazy at first, but as he focused, it got much clearer. He recalled his dream.
"This may seem weird, but I think my magical constitution got stronger," Aeon said, bewildered. Aeon looked at his familiar hands possessing unfamiliar power.
"My body feels much lighter, faster, and stronger... I feel like I'm bursting with energy. What I could not do before, I could do now. What I could not achieve before, I could achieve now. And…" Aeon looked at the others, "and I don't really know how. Where did the power come from? I don't know. It's just… there."
By the end of Aeon's monologue, everyone stared at him, confused. His expression was genuine, so he should be telling the truth. Him being stronger wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It just came as a surprise to them. It was their first time seeing an unawakened mage display such destructive power, so they had failed to hold back their curiosity. They all looked at each other, trying to find out what the others were thinking.
None of them believed that it was his magical constitution though. They had never heard of such a thing happening. If any mage possessed that kind of strength, magical beasts should never have been a threat. If it really were due to his constitution, how come Aeon was the only person who experienced it in the past three thousand years, based on magic history.
"It's not your Tenro?" Korona indirectly voiced out her doubt.
"At first, I thought it was my Tenro having a huge upgrade. But then, when I wanted to use my extreme focus, I realized that my Tenro wasn't even activated yet. Then that could only mean that both my constitution and Tenro improved significantly," Aeon replied.
Seeing that none of them were quite convinced, Aeon continued, "But before that… before I woke up, I had a dream. I dreamt about being inside my body. And inside, there were spheres of light. I couldn't really explain it, but I was sort of absorbing them. Maybe that's the reason for the sudden change in my body."
Everyone became even more confused. They all felt their heads ache.
….
Dozens of researchers rushed towards the cave where the mysterious platform lay. A huge commotion broke out at the forefront of the crowd invoking curiosity from the people at the back
Suddenly, a man entered the cave, immediately silencing everyone. The man was old, but he had a natural aura of leadership surrounding him. He was the head researcher of Project Eclipse, Professor Wilhelm Hugh.
Everybody gave way so that the Professor could reach the platform surrounded by people without any difficulties. He meticulously eyed the platform and the person lying right next to it. The person was only partly conscious, his eyes rapidly twitching and blinking at random intervals. Beside him, a person was trying to stabilize his condition. Despite seeing this, Professor Hugh remained extremely calm.
"This person forced the Eclipse to appear?" Professor Hugh asked, staring down at the person lying on the ground.
"Y-Yes, Sir." Although reluctantly, the researcher right next to the semi-conscious person looked up and replied. After answering, he immediately resumed checking on the person who suddenly dropped to the ground.
"How?"
It really wasn't the right time to answer the Professor's question at the moment. There was a person who needed immediate medical attention. The researcher started sweating. He looked at his comrades who then subconsciously backed away. He swallowed hard and answered, "Mayers, a Seran, tried to enchant the platform with magic out of curiosity. Then, reports about the Eclipse started streaming in."
Professor Hugh didn't reply for what appeared to be an eternity, but in fact, it was just a minute. He turned towards the crowd and said, "Call a few Serans over. Particularly those who are rank C's. Send this person back to headquarters and imprison him for insubordination."
Everybody was shocked, but nobody gasped.
"Sir? I don't understand! There's no good reason to...Moreover, he needs to be trea—"
"Did he receive approval before executing the supposed action?"
"Excuse me, Sir?"
Professor Hugh turned around and looked at the researcher straight in the eyes, his face full of surprise. Did someone just ask him to repeat himself? Hugh fumed with anger.
"Did C-rank Mage Crow Mayers receive approval from me that he was allowed to Enchant the platform with Earth Magic?!" he spat.
"No Sir!" the researcher immediately responded with his eyes closed. He was already panicking. He didn't mean to enrage the project head. He was just sticking out for a friend.
"Then bring this man back to headquarters and imprison him! For questioning my authority, I command you to do it personally!" Professor Hugh yelled. The sound echoed throughout the cave, making many people flinch.
"Yes Sir!" the researcher replied as he scrambled to pick up Crow Mayers from the ground.
"Oh, and while you're at it," Professor Hugh said slowly.
The researcher froze as he slowly looked up towards the Professor.
"Lock yourself up with him."
The researcher's expression darkened. He had been one of the first people to start the research. Most of his time had been spent in the mountain. He even gave up spending time with his family for the research's sake. And yet...
Why am I being treated like this?
The researcher looked down towards the ground as he silently left the cave with his semi-conscious friend. Everyone else just stared at him as he left. They couldn't risk getting the same punishment so no one could stand up to the Professor.
"Well?" Professor Hugh looked left and right, "why is nobody moving? Get me some C-ranked Serans!"
No one responded, but everyone started leaving in a hurry. Nobody was specifically asked to do the task, but they felt like they should contribute by going with everyone else. In a few minutes, the area had been rid of people, only the Professor was left.
He silently eyed the platform, a wide grin plastered across his face.
….