"There we go. Unleash your potential to its fullest. I wondered how long it would take to see some real power. After all, you are a Supreme. But you have exceeded my estimates. Well done, boy with the Blood of the Olden."
Ashera sat in her room with her eyes closed. With her senses extended she could feel everything on her floor. She always resorted to this whenever it was time to train Mane, in order to 'see' how his training was going. So she had seen, heard and felt for herself how he had changed. Although the why was unknown, that was less relevant. Only her curiosity as a Scholar craved for such information, but that was it. In the grand scheme of things, it was irrelevant.
"They are here," Ashera smiled slightly upon feeling the chaotic auras of the two women who had been with her since they were 15. With nothing but a thought, the door to her chambers were opened, and Daisy and Rose entered unobstructed.
"Mistress, the boy he…" Rose was flustered, and her speech just like her aura, was unstable.
"I have seen and felt everything you have Rose. Calm down – both of you" Ashera advised her two subordinates. Rose and Daisy walked over to their Mistress whose eyes were still closed. They stood next to her, their auras slowly growing calmer and their calm countenance restored.
"Mistress, was that Time?" Rose hesitated a bit before asking her question. Although she knew the answer, she couldn't help but want confirmation.
"You were there in person. What did you feel?" Ashera didn't answer directly but threw their question back to them.
"It felt as though our bodies had been frozen in time. And in that dimension my connection to my power was frozen." Daisy replied.
"Time Share," Ashera explained. "That is a power belonging to Time that can disorient a person's perception of time. This kind of power can temporarily shut down your connection with your power"
"I see," Rose frowned and said. She finally understood just how the boy manipulated time.
"Time isn't easy to comprehend, and it is even harder to progress in. He truly is a gem." Ashera smiled and said.
"The day of your freedom draws nearer Mistress," Rose bowed slightly and said in a congratulatory tone. Daisy emulated her sister's actions; her face, just like Rose's was filled with excitement. The stronger the boy grew, the better their Mistress's chances.
"And the boy? Has he asked you why he is here?" Ashera asked. Unlike the other two she didn't get carried away. Mane had to agree to help her first before she could start hoping to regain her freedom.
"No. He still hasn't said anything."
Both Rose and Daisy had frowns on their faces as they spoke. Mane was an intelligent boy. Certainly he knew that there was a reason for his being brought here. He surely knew that he wasn't here for a vacation. After all, he was technically a captive. Yet he hadn't asked. He had made his intentions to remain silent and stay out of things clear.
"I guess we haven't earned his trust yet," Ashera wasn't worried. They had a lot of time. "He will eventually ask Sun."
Back in Mane's room, the Supreme was seated cross-legged on the ground. He didn't even move into his training room. For in his haste he dropped to the ground the moment he arrived, with his sweat soaked clothes still draped over his body. Even his door wasn't completely closed.
"Are you okay?" Sunflower poked her head through the door gap and asked.
"I broke through Sun," Mane replied with a smile. His eyes snapped open, and the multicolored eyes that Sunflower had seen before were no more. What greeted her was his actual blue eyes. However now they were flashing with energy. They were vibrant and full of mystery. They were the eyes of one who had come to an understanding of himself.
"You're now at the 3rd Stage?" Sunflower had a surprised expression on her face. Mane had only recently broken through. His training speed was too quick!
"No," Mane smiled and unleashed his aura. And the full power of a 5th Stage Earth Realmer filled the room. Sunflower's mouth was wide enough to fill an egg. Her face was full of surprise as she tried to understand just how it was possible.
"How?" she wondered. "Is it because of what happened before?" she probed.
"Well, it is to a certain effect," Mane answered vaguely before explaining some more.
"I came to a realization concerning one of my abilities, and now my training speed has gone up," Mane smiled. Devour had evolved. It had developed a passive side that drew in Edict to him unconditionally. Every kind of element was drawn towards him speedily. And Mane reckoned that it wouldn't even be a month before he becomes a peak Earth Realmer.
"I see. Congratulations then!" Sunflower was genuinely happy for him. But unlike Daisy and Rose, it wasn't just joy born for her Mistress's good, but Mane's as well. She ignored Mane's sweaty body and gave him a hug, much to his dismay. For he tried stopping her from doing so but she didn't listen.
"Thank you," Mane was very pleased with the day's profits.
"Now let's go take a shower!" Sunflower clapped excitedly and said. Mane's brows twitched in helplessness. How could they go from something so serious to this?
"Why do you have to take a shower?" he asked with a wry smile on his face.
"You're sweaty and I got drenched when I hugged you," Sunflower gave a very reasonable excuse. Yet all it did was make Mane feel more helpless. It was exactly because he smelled such a plot that he was so reluctant to hug her. In the end what he was wary of happened anyway. As he was trying to think of a way to convince Sunflower to change her mind, he felt the auras of Silver and Sasha close by, and a smile subconsciously found its way to his face.
"Why don't you take a shower after I am done?" Mane suggested.
"That would only waste time. And every second that could be spent training lost is a waste." Sunflower righteously answered, and Mane almost spat out a mouthful of blood. As if that was her reason. If her purpose was this noble, he would have been okay. Besides, she had her own room. She could equally take a shower at the same time as him and it wouldn't lead to any time wastage at all.
"Then who would keep Silver and Sasha company?" Mane asked with a small sigh as though he was worried.
"Huh?" Sunflower turned in time to see the large Monkey making its way past the narrow doors with Sasha in its arms.
"Can't they just…"
*Bang*
Sunflower's eyebrows twitched when she heard the sound of the bathroom door being shut.
"Smart," she acknowledged, before taking Sasha out of Silver's arms and making her way to Mane's bed. She didn't try to barge into the washroom. She chose to be reasonable today. She placed Sasha on the bed and lay right next to her.
Mane didn't take long at all. He was out within thirty minutes. And he was fully clothed too. He lay right beside Sunflower when he came out, with Sasha in between the two. As for Silver, he was sprawled on the floor, occupying most of the space.
"Now tell me about what your Mistress wants from me," Mane's expression grew stern when he mentioned this. Sunflower's beaming smile was also wiped away. Yet a small smile replaced it shortly after, for he had finally asked.
"Good. Listen closely then. Listen to the Legend of the Mistress Ashera." Sunflower didn't hold anything back in her explanations. And the more she spoke the more Mane's frown deepened.
"I see. So she needs me to enter the Trial and win," Mane understood the gist of what he was brought here to do. However, it didn't seem like an easy task. If it were, the triplets would have already completed it.
"That's right," Sunflower nodded her head in confirmation.
"I don't understand something though," Mane expressed a concern.
"What is it?" Sunflower wondered.
"Why can't you break the curse for her? You are all talented and could have entered the trials in her steed. After all, you said the trials could only be engaged by people below the realm of Phenoms."
That was the one thing that Mane didn't understand. According to Sunflower's explanation, the trials could only be entered by people below the Ascension Realm. The triplets were all Nobles. And their understanding of their elements was far above most. Why didn't they try for their Mistress then?
"We did," Sunflower smiled wryly and said.
"So you failed," Mane didn't need her to continue to understand the end results. After all, Ashera was still trapped here. So there was no way the triplets succeeded. The fact that individuals as talented as them had failed allowed Mane to understand just how difficult these tests were.
"Yes. There are a 100 levels to the tower, which is why it has its name. However, they aren't quite in that order" Sunflower explained.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, each floor has ten levels instead of a level per floor. And that means that there are ten bosses for each floor. After defeating each boss, you would have to face all the defeated bosses in what is called the Tower Brawl."
"That seems unusually difficult," Mane frowned and said.
"It is. Rose was able to get to the 2nd floor after clearing the 1st Floor before she was eliminated. Daisy was the same."
"And you?" Mane asked. He knew she was the strongest of the three. So surely she couldn't have done worse.
"I couldn't even clear the 1st Floor!"
"How is that possible?" Mane was stunned. How could the strongest fail at what the others had succeeded in?
"The tests aren't based on strength only. Once the Tower Brawl is over, a riddle appears before you. Only by answering correctly can you move ahead. I couldn't answer it correctly so I was eliminated."
"I see" Mane was learning a lot about this Trial. Of course he was sure to be briefed by Ashera herself when it was time. But at least he knew a little about the Trial of the Hundred.
"There is one thing I fail to understand as well," Mane stated, and Sunflower who had assumed that he had no more questions asked with a puzzled expression, "What?"
"Why?" Mane asked
"Why what?"
"Why is there a trial at all? A curse is a curse. Even if it can be broken why would the tool that performed the curse provide a way out?" Mane asked, noting Sunflower's expression keenly.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Sunflower replied. Yet her expression was a bit unnatural, and Mane caught that.
"Sure you do," Mane smiled and said. "But you don't have the authority to give me this information, so I'm going to ask the one who does."
"Isn't that right, Mistress Ashera?"