At a slightly earlier time, Yuna and Gunther had left Freon's home, leaving an awkward situation for Shirley. She glanced at both Freon and Avin, the two almost preparing to square off. On one side, Avin wanted to develop and nurture Nassandra into the next apex-level Arcanist! She would inherit the true power of her Arcellius Family's Bloodline and unlock her true potential! By then, she would stand on top of the Zino Kingdom, rebuild the fallen Arcellius Family, and surpass the Conquestian! Her Magic Potential would be even more frightening. Although Avin had reached a legendary level of strength, it took him countless decades of hard work and luck. Nassandra however had the capability to exceed him! Who would dare to threaten the Arcellius Family by then? Even the Alzar Kingdom's Royal Family would have to treat her deferentially!
Yet, Freon was against the idea. Of course, he was slightly envious. To reach the top of the ladder and watch over all others as monarch, who would not find it a thrilling idea? His miserable past, living the life of a beggar and thief to survive with a baby sister, and his pathetic battle records in the Xingyuu Empire seeded a deep sense of powerlessness in him. In this regard, he was exactly like Elizabeth, Benedict, and Shirley. He desired power, the ability to master his own fate! But reality was cruel. His Core was crippled, sending him straight to the novice levels again. It was worse than Arcanists ten years younger than him! Adding on, the fact that the university was planning to expel him, he was really depressed. If Uncle Avin could elevate his power to the next level, then he would leap in joy!
Despite all that though, that was not the reason why he denied his uncle's attempt to train Nassandra. It was not out of jealousy or greed, but kindness and sympathy. He knew Nassandra the greatest and saw her as the last member of his family. The mysterious and powerful Uncle Avin who disappeared was a stranger in his eyes. Daring to brag by revealing triple-casting, was there a point? What did it amount to? His family was still slaughtered! And then there was the talk of pushing Nassandra to become the next apex Arcanist. Little needed to be explained here as Nassandra wanted a simple and carefree life. In his eyes, Uncle Avin was nothing more than a bad joke!
Thus, the two reached an impasse. Neither side wanted to compromise before Avin raised the white flag. He waved his hand and said, "We can discuss this later when Nassandra returns home."
Freon snorted. "My sister won't change her decision, but you're free to try. If you pressure…"
"You think too lowly of me."
"Oh, really? In fact, I might think too highly of you," Freon laughed.
Shirley massaged her head in frustration. She wanted to catch up with Freon and find her mother's medicine as soon as possible. Yet, she became involved in Freon's family matters instead. She could only stand and watch like a wooden chicken. There was also the problem of her companion, Inari! The man had disappeared under her watch and left behind no traces. They were supposed to leave together for Lour Island. Her money was already pitifully low. If she had to ask for Freon's money too, she might die from embarrassment. She became lost with what to do next.
The awkward atmosphere was broken with the sound of footsteps. To their surprise, it was not Nassandra, but Yuna! The timid girl poked her head in, felt the tense air, and immediately regretted her decision. She thought a few hours would be enough to settle everything… Unfortunately, she could not be more wrong. However, Shirley's eyes sparkled. She hopped over and pulled an unwilling Yuna back in. To her, Yuna was her savior, a way to escape this dreary place. Yuna could do nothing to resist Shirley's expectant gaze and she nodded.
Avin saw his chance and asked, "Do you mind if I stay here for a while, Freon?"
"Do as you please," Freon said calmly. Although he disliked his uncle currently, Nassandra might feel differently. It was not appropriate to burn all the bridges.
"I need to rest for a while. Could I use your room?"
"Do as you please."
Avin stood up. Although he could fool these kids, his condition was very poor. He was covered in a light layer of grime and dirt. His forehead had veins pulsing and bags grew under his eyes. His bones were groaning under the stress. There was even a faintly indescribable musk hovering around him. Certainly, he was a mighty and unfathomably powerful individual. As the Protector of the legendary Arcellius Family that once stood alongside the Zino Kingdom's top families, there was no doubt that his skill had far surpassed everyone else.
However, in the end, he was mortal. He was not perfect, nor was he a god. Not even close! He was aware of his limitations. The further one walked along the path to the top, the more unsurmountable the peak seemed. Avin was feeling the same way now. He could merge his Magic Perception with his Martial Perception into a sort of omniscient ability. He could see everything around him in perfect detail. It could penetrate through walls and buildings easily, being far more perverse than a normal Martial Perception. Furthermore, it had a frightening range, being far more expansive than a normal Magic Perception. This new perception was truly superior in all aspects!
But it came at a severe cost. Fusing the two Perceptions was terrifyingly exhausting, so much so that Avin's Core was not nearly enough to compensate the massive Magic Energy costs. His body was also so weakened from pushing his Martial Perception that talking to Freon alone drained him. He could see the path to becoming strong was not a mountain at all… Rather, it was like a bottomless abyss! Standing on the edge, who knew what lurked on the bottom? Perhaps, there was nothing. Perhaps, no one could reach the bottom! Perhaps, there was no bottom? Avin realized that his strength was as insignificant as an ant! There were undoubtedly higher levels!
Avin smiled bitterly. He had pushed himself to search for Freon and Nassandra. The Firecast he knew decades ago had changed from top to bottom. Everyone he once knew severed ties with him. No one wanted to be close with the Arcellius Family, especially after their mysterious downfall. Left without a choice, he had to use this large-scale perception to search the city for the two. However, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Firecast was simply too large for him to cover.
Moreover, he could not recover his Core fully, as it would trigger a large-scale phenomenon! With so many enemies around… he dared not reveal himself too early! Everything added up, resulting in his current pathetic state. His strength was not even one hundredth of its true level! Now that he found Freon though, the only thing left would be Nassandra. Once he found her, Avin chuckled darkly. He quietly left the three and began to recover.