An invisible wave radiated from the Arkfell estate, travelling at unimaginable speeds. It reached the Celestial Court a heartbeat later and penetrated through the barrier with ease. There were no lights, no sounds, no fancy explosions… Nothing seemed to happen at all. However, everyone felt an extremely uncomfortable feeling arise. As if a million eyes peered at them from every angle imaginable, every single person felt naked. Nothing could hide in front of this omniscient presence!
With the thoroughness of a Martial Perception and the range of a Magic Perception, this was the combination of Martial Perception and Magic Perception! This was also called True Perception! It propagated throughout the capital city and then further before stopping. It stopped momentarily on the Conquestian and the Second Sage, making their hairs stand on end. Then… the spell disappeared, and the rain resumed once again. It was like everything that happened was merely a dream.
"What was that?" Rosemary asked with a quivering tone.
"True Perception…" the Conquestian grimaced as the barrier he placed was released. "I'll leave immediately!" He dashed out the door, leaving the two ladies alone.
"Protector Avin…" the Second Sage mumbled listlessly with a complex expression.
Rewinding time slightly, Freon had just stepped out of the Arkfell estate. He sneezed and wrapped himself tighter in his cloak. His clothes were soaking wet. Despite that, the cold rain did little to calm his nerves. He took a deep breath and wondered how he got stuck in this mess. He really felt like an idiot. Were there better ways to resolve this? Probably. Just like what Shirley thought, if they dragged Nassandra into this, they would have more wiggle room. His little sister might be young, but she was an accomplished Arcanist and one of the pillars of the Zino Kingdom. Their enemies should take a step back because of that. Then again, it was not like his relationship with Ten Dawn Nassandra was a secret. So, they must be crazy enough to antagonize him anyways!
Even if he did not involve his sister, he could have asked for help with the Arkfell estate, right? They were a great Engelsheft Family! The Arkfell estate did not revolve around Ten Dawn Rosemary. There were other esteemed and high-profile figures leading the family, supporting the matriarch! If he begged on his hands and knees, he could squeeze out some support, right? He sighed because that was an overly ideal situation. Why would anyone help a no-name loser like him? There was only so much he could do by using Nassandra's name. He was a Low Gaseous Fog Arcanist with zero background, zero skill, and zero Magic Potential. He had no money, no connections, and no position. That was the truth of the world. Without proper foundation, there were no grounds for negotiation. One could only accept the dictation of a higher power!
He could only rely on himself and Shirley… Freon began heading to the appointed meeting location. He hopped on a carriage. From the Arkfell estate, it would take around forty minutes by carriage and another twenty minutes on foot. Accounting for the weather, it was around an hour in total. That was how long it would take if he hurried there at the fastest possible speed. After all, the Engelsheft district was a little too exciting for a hostage negotiation. There were many guards and powerful figures around these parts. For example, most of the Ten Dawns lived nearby. If a fight broke out here, then his attackers would not get off scot-free. Therefore, it was located somewhere in the slums. Factoring in everything, Shirley had an hour to rendezvous with him. Otherwise, things would go south fast…
Freon dismissed everything else and concentrated on recovering his Magic Energy. A few hours passed since the fight at his home, and he did not think he would be involved in another fight so soon. He forgot about recovering his Core. A Core's passive recovery was fairly limited and painfully slow. In most cases, the ambient World Energy was insufficient. It needed a little help to guide it along and speed up the process. This was one of the main differences between an Arcanist and a martial artist. A martial artist could regain their peak strength with a bit of rest! However, an Arcanist needed a much longer recovery period to achieve the same.
Wispy tendrils of World Energy emerged out of the air as thin as the finest of silk. They glittered like rainbows as they were drawn into Freon's body. Compared to what the Conquestian or a Blue Depth Arcanist could accomplish, it was easy to see the disparity between him and them. It was really a massive difference! Thanks to his trick in the previous fight, his Magic Energy expenditure was low. There was probably less than a quarter of his energy remaining. Since the capital city was overflowing with World Energy from the Asaparagon Tree, he made a rapid recovery. In less than twenty minutes, Freon felt close to his peak strength again.
Huh? That's not quite right… He looked at his hands in confusion. That was too fast, wasn't it? The World Energy… is not stopping!
He tried to prevent more World Energy from entering his body, but he could not stop! Like an oasis in the desert, his body continued to absorb energy in a frenzy. Once the floodgates were opened, he could not control it! Thicker strands of wispy gaseous World Energy emerged and stormed his Channels from all directions. His vision was covered in rainbow-colored lights and Freon grew terrified. World Energy drilled through his Channels and into his Core, rapidly infusing it with stronger and stronger energy. His Core seemed to swell like an imaginary balloon and threatened to explode! Pain! It was extremely painful! It felt like his mind and heart was about to explode from the sheer pressure!
"Stop! Stop! I'm commanding you to stop!"
The body of an Arcanist was different from others. If somebody were going crazy, they could be restrained. Their arms, legs, and mouth… Everything could be controlled. However, the Channels and Core of an Arcanist were unphysical. They could not be touched by ordinary means. That meant Freon had no way of stopping his rampage! His lungs were on fire as his heartbeat rose crazily. His vision dimmed slightly. If he could not control it, he would really explode! That was no exaggeration! He exerted his will over and over again but to no avail. In a flash, Freon entered a deadly situation!
You got to be kidding me! he shouted. I can't die like this!
From the bottom of Low Gaseous Fog, he rose to the pinnacle. His Core was one step from reaching Medium Gaseous Fog! He screamed out in agony and dug into his palms with his nails. Blood dripped onto his clothes. His veins pulsated violently under his skin as his muscles spasmed. He bit his lip so hard that his teeth almost pierced through. The physical strain was so unbelievably intense that he almost begged for the sweet relief of death. But he did not surrender. He could not! Yes, he will admit it. He wanted to handle this problem alone! He did not want to rely on his sister, the Arkfell Family, or anyone else. He was sick and tired of being powerless!
Those things he said before were all to convince himself. It was all to satisfy his deep-seeded resentment of being weak! How could anyone understand him? Perhaps no one could. The shadow of his sister clouded his heart and mind. He adored his sister, he really did. There was no lie there. But her status, position, and power made him feel worthless in comparison. Everyone looked at him in contempt, whether it be in the university, in the military, or even in the streets. Everyone considered him as the inferior version of Nassandra. Even talking with Ten Dawn Rosemary, her words were laced with disgust as if she were looking not at a human, but trash. Therefore, he wanted to resolve this by himself! He wanted to show everyone. He was not Nassandra's failure of an older brother. He was Freon Adnire!
All these bottled up emotions surged to the surface like a volcano, transforming into sheer willpower and conviction. He wanted to show the world what he could do! He slapped himself in the face, sending some blood across the carriage walls. His tremors calmed down and his gaze regained its sharpness. His mind seemed to reset. With a deep breath, he channeled his Magic Perception and fiercely fought the explosive World Energy invading his body with newfound power. Little by little, under his relentless attacks, it began to follow his will. Gradually, he regained control over his Core! Once he did, the storm of World Energy receded, and the carriage returned to normal. His eyes widened in surprise. He had broken through to Medium Gaseous Fog!