"Hah!" Hespar opened his eyes after getting kicked out of the mysterious domain. In an instant, the energy consumption reaches its peak and devours all his stamina, mentally and physically.
This was Hespar's first time suffering such a backlash from attempting to tap into his Aura's potential.
The exhaustion almost took him down. He was just lucky that Hector was still by his side when Hespar opened his eyes. He would be lying on the ground now if Hector's arm weren't there to keep him still on his seat.
Drops of sweat about the size of a pearl roll down from all over his head. This was Hespar's first failure, so the backlash affected him too deeply. His other hand held the sword firmly, to the point of creating an indent of his fingerprints.
"Take a deep breath while trying to remember everything that happened in your meditation. The way you fight, the impression, the power, the wonder and terror, and so on. Savor what you experience, and remember the crucial points." Hector quickly said.
As someone with more experience, he knew how meditation works. What happens in the meditation process is similar to dreaming. The progress would quickly dwindle when you're awake, just like how the mist evaporates when sunlight appears.
The aftermath of the meditation is considered the most crucial part, as it will determine how many percentages of knowledge are absorbed, processed, and remained. To the ordinary Aura Users, being managed to remember a quarter of them is considered outstanding.
Even Hector was just considered a little bit better than outstanding. There's nothing else to mention when it comes to Catherine, who had much more potential than her brutish husband.
But they'll be shocked if they knew Hespar could remember over half of what happening in his meditation. Although not a single word was muttered by the wooden puppets in between, the fight exchange was worth more than simply knowing more.
"Mortal's Authority," Hespar said.
"Huh?" his sentence puzzled both his parents.
"It's the name of my Aura. Mortal's Authority was the name." Hespar repeats.
"Do you know what ability it grants you?" Catherine asked and wiped away all the sweat around Hespar's face. He seemed excited but exhausted at the same time.
"Yes, mother. Can you get rid of the light for me, please?" Hespar requested with a smile on his face. This might be his third time activating the Mortal's Authority (the first two times happened during his fight against the goblin pack in the wilderness). Still, he looks confident in triggering the power.
A layer of white glow was covering the parents as a hint of the same brilliance emanating from Hespar's eyes. The darkness that was supposed to be coming at them was no longer a bother, as their sight was as straightforward as it was in the morning.
No, it was even better than in the morning. Instead of stating the experience as seeing it as clear as daylight, it is more accurate to describe the feeling like Hespar's power is the light.
Even a house would have a few certain blind spots when it was bright outside. But in front of Hespar's power, darkness is almost nonexistent.
"This..." Hector was surprised by the power the Mortal's Authority yielded.
As a guard who often works during the night, how can he be a stranger to the importance of clear sight in complete darkness? A power like this would be an irreplaceable trump card to all the soldiers and make many strategies possible.
Using this ability alone, even for only five minutes, would yield better results and overshadow the importance of any assassin or knight on the battlefield.
"Is there anything else that your Aura can do?" Hector suddenly seemed more enthusiastic at Hespar's Aura. If his expression was considered more reserved before this, he looks more expectative now.
"Yes, father. What about testing your strength on the wooden poles in the training ground?" Hespar smiled while replying to his father.
There's still some doubt within Hector, but the further he gives it a thought, the more curious he is. Leaving their house with a sword in hand also made Hector realize the coverage radius of Hespar's Aura.
Furthermore, there are no changes in his eyesight. Everything was clear before him, from the unanimated furniture to the gently waving grasses. Even the sunlight would be dull before Hespar's ability, as it would at least make your sight uncomfortable from the ray and reflection.
"Let's start with a fist first!" Hector made his move without needing to ask for permission first. Since his son already pointed him out to try the other "power" of the Mortal's Authority, why should he hesitate?
The fist full of brute force broke the pole completely. Although it wasn't impossible for Hector in the first place, making it as effortless as this was undoubtedly his first.
His attention turned to the second pole next. There's some leather wrapped around this pole as it was the father and son sword practice target. Feeling that his confidence was at its brim, Hector decided to give it a go and went in seriously.
"Fonterra Style! Neck Cutter!"
The remnant Aura of Hector's Bloodlust came out. It enhanced his strength slightly, turning his blade bloody red even under the curtain of darkness. The attack not only split the pole into two clean halves but also the wooden fence the family shared with their neighbor.
"Oh, Shit!" Hector was both happy and nervous.
Luckily, the noise from the fence falling down to the ground didn't wake their neighbor. But no matter what, he'll have to repair the wall tomorrow since it was unmistakable that Hector was the culprit behind this.
"Wife! This Mortal's Authority... Works in tandem with our own Aura!" Hector said with a hint of shock.
"R-Really? Even father's Aura could do that..."
Catherine shared the shock. As a fellow Aura User, how could she not understand the reason behind Hector's amazement? Furthermore, she's not someone unimportant.
Being the only and youngest daughter of the Duke of Fonterra, would she be oblivious about her father's Aura and how great it was?
"Son! If your grandfather knew about this, he'd be crazy for sure." Catherine hugged Hespar and pulled him closer to her chest. Although he's already considered an adult, it seems not the case for Catherine. (Sorry for not making it clear, but I cannot find the word to describe where Hespar's head is. Just assume it's a little below Catherine's chin and between where our necklace and pendant were.)
In her eyes, Hespar would be her baby.
"Catherine. Stop that. Don't you remember what we told your father before we left?" Hector suddenly raised his voice after hearing what Catherine said. His words made her immediately choke in her throat, unable to find a way out.
"Listen here, son. You're not allowed to be related to the Fonterra household at the eastern front. Keep your distance from them no matter what. This is the promise we have to keep." Hector said. There's an evident sourness in his expression, but as the head of this family, Hector had no choice but to keep it until he was inside his room.
Meanwhile, Catherine is still with Hespar. Since the blessing from Mortal's Authority is still on, she might as well use the remaining time to heal Hespar a little more.
The mother and son remained quiet as their mind was bombarded with multiple questions.
A little while after resting, Hector returned to the living room, taking over the task of looking after Hespar from Catherine. This repeated multiple times for the next whole day, allowing Hespar to dive into his consciousness and challenge the trial created by the Mortal's Authority.
At first, he could only last inside the consciousness for ten minutes at most. It devastated Hespar mentally when he kept failing at challenging the opposing tents. And no matter which side of the tent he went for, it would react the same.
Flames would appear around the wooden puppets spawned from the tent and retaliated fiercely.
The only difference this time is instead of getting beaten right from the start, Hespar was pissed! He had enough standing behind idling to precisely control his Aura's output while the flaming wooden puppets bullied him.
'If staying and going on means dying in this world anyway, I might as well fight until the last drop of stamina I got!' Hespar yelled and charged with the Officer's Sword in his hand.
His blade was instantly coated with a layer of his commitment, AKA the white glow appearing on those receiving his Aura Blessing.
'Can the coating of light work on a sword?' Hespar immediately questioned the possibility. But then, he remembered that his father did the same when going seriously against the sword practice pole.
The only difference between him and his father is the color of their Aura. The crimson hue of his father exudes a hint of blood stench within, while his own had a touch of a crisp and fresh aroma.
By the time Hespar realizes it, he is currently leading the ten wooden puppets right now as they go against the fiery opponents.
'Fight! Fight! Fight!' Hespar held the sword with both hands and clashed against his opponent.
The exchange throws both of them a few steps back from the initial spot. And it was apparent Hespar had the advantage here because his opponent's sword was broken.
'Attack now!' Hespar said and personally led the wooden puppets of his forward. His valiantness made the core above his tent glow with white brilliance, like it was absorbing the spirit and positivity coming from him.
While in real life, Hector is having his second shock of the day.
"This brat... How monstrous is his talent?" Hector's eyes were staring at the Officer's Sword in Hespar's hand, glowing dimly with the White Aura.