"Are you sure about this, Xiao?" Krutch asked him when he arrived, thirty minutes before the exact time that Xiao told him.
"Yes," Xiao answered him seriously. "I have a student here that is willing to learn like what Takao had learned during his time," he added.
"Takao was the strongest, Xiao. Until now, he still holds that title. Xiao, there has never been anyone like Takao in recent years. I'm sorry, but I cannot let you use the Dungeon," Krutch said and was about to leave when Kaede appeared in front of him.
"I want to train inside the Dungeon, Sensei," he said before kneeling in front of Krutch.
Krutch looked at Xiao.
"And who is this kid?" he asked him.
"Minami's youngest brother and the kid I have been telling you about and the next Takao potential," he answered.
"The kid that was supposed to be executed a year ago?" he asked, disbelieving that the kid was alive.
"Do you know him?" Xiao asked Krutch.
"I was overseas, attending some errand for the Alemania school branch, when I heard it. I thought another potential person would die that day," he said. "What did he do to be awarded execution by the elders?"
Xiao smiled at Krutch.
"He defeated a potential Dybbuk in the Suicide Forest even if he hasn't had any experience. According to Hiro, he created a disturbing Realm; even Hiro's eyes can't see. When his Realm was deactivated, he became someone else and was about to attack Asahi, Hiro's student. When the Elders learned of it, Kaede was ordered to be executed immediately," Xiao explained. "Shoma arrived before the Elders could touch his hair, or there would be a riot in the Execution Room. You know what Shoma can do."
"Hmmm," he said. "Stand up, boy," he ordered Kaede.
Kaede immediately stood up and bowed to Krutch.
"Look at me," he ordered.
Kaede obeyed and looked at Krutch. He almost gasped when he saw Krutch's face full of scars.
Krutch studied the kid and saw a similar future to Setsuwi, his former classmate during freshman.
"So you are Setsuwi's brat," he said.
"Y-yes, Sensei," Kaede said nervously.
"Tell me why you want to enter my Dungeon and why you want to be like Takao?"
"I want to become stronger, Sensei. I want to protect innocent lives from the enemies," he said, but Krutch grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to his face.
"Do you think you can survive in my Dungeon just because you have the sense to protect anyone? Many had tried for the same reason as you but ended up dead," Krutch spat on his face.
Kaede could not utter a word and was shocked by what Krutch told him.
"See? You are just a brat who didn't carefully think about what you were saying. You act according to your emotion. That will kill you, kid," Krutch said before pushing him away and was about to leave.
"You know nothing about my feelings," Kaede said, which made Krutch stop on his track, although he had his back on Kaede. "My parents have been murdered in front of me by one of those monsters," he added. "And one of them killed my sister. They took my family away from me. It hurts, so I don't want that to happen to the other kids. It wasn't easy. I have already decided. If I was given power, I'd use it to protect everyone."
Krutch turned around and looked at Kaede, whose back was on him too.
"Hmm," he said and walked to where Xiao was. "If you insist, then let's see. Let's see if you can survive a week inside my Dungeon," he said.
Kaede wiped his tears and looked at Krutch and Xiao.
"Go and prepare the things you need, Kaede. Just bring the necessary," Xiao instructed him.
Kaede nodded at him and ran back inside the mansion.
"Shoma was right when he brought the kid here," Krutch told him. "I can see Setsuwi in him," he added.
"Yeah. A kid like him is one in a million. Shoma told me he was a special Fruit carrier. The difference between him and Takao was that the thing he houses in his body knows how to fight. My guess is that it may have been bonded with him." Xiao told him.
"We will see about that. Takao took a whole week to complete the tasks. Let's see if Setsuwi's brat can do less than that," Krutch said. "Maybe if this kid can do that, maybe I'll return to teach in this branch again," he said.
Xiao smiled at him.
"He will. Have faith," he said.
While packing his backpack with canned food, Kaede remembered what Director Xiao had taught him. Although he was a harsh trainer, he taught him everything Kaede needed to learn.
"Listen, Kaede, for an exorcist; you need to train your senses, especially your eyesight and sense of feeling. Most of the higher class Yureis can move faster than you blink your eyes," he remembers him telling him.
Kaede couldn't even remember how many sleepless nights he had to perfect this with Xiao, who, to Kaede's surprise, moved faster than he blinked his eyes. It took him almost three months to perfect that speed in short time. Speed like that needs a good amount of energy, and Kaede needs to channel energy inside him. Xiao taught him how to do it, and little by little, Kaede's speed would last longer than the first attempts.
"There's nothing I can teach you anymore, Kaede. And I can see that you have already mastered it all. It's time for you to face a real opponent, like real Yuries," he told him when they were having lunch in the garden outside the mansion.
"You mean I can go out and hunt, Director?" Kaede asked him after swallowing the food and listening to Xiao.
"No, but I have once had a teacher here; he has a sealing realm called Dungeon. He was a shaman and belonged to three big shots in shamanism, like your father. He was Krutch Kruger. The style of his sealing Realm was similar to a semi-world. It was a big void, and slowly he copied what he saw. It's like a partial world, but it is a prison, and no one inside is allowed to go out or try to escape. I remember that tough Realm has sealed at least one grade A dybbuk, not to mention onryos and goryos plus lower class Dybbuk."
"Realm Dungeon?"
"Yes. That Realm was published as a training ground for a student that has the potential to be both Exorcists and Shamans. Among all the candidates, only Takao survived, and Krutch decided to close it and ask for a transfer. But he'll be here. I told him I had a potential student that would follow Takao. He'll be here soon."
Kaede remembered their conversation as he packed stuff inside his bag.
When he feels like he has packed enough food, he carries the bag and walks to where Krutch and Xiao are.
"Sensei, Director, I'm ready," he said, smiling at them.
"Alright. Let's go," Xiao said and took Krutch and Kaede out of the school.
For Krutch to activate his Sealing Realm, he needs massive space, and Xiao knows where to go when they arrive at one of his family-owned lands, Krutch didn't waste time, and he activated his Realm.
"Inside my Realm is a black stone produced by the Dybbuk inside. Get it, bring it to me, and then I'll acknowledge you as one of those Class A students. Takao made it out within a week, and I hope you can do it less than him. You need to be there one week max, and if you exceed by one or two days, you are considered a failure, do you understand?"
"Yes, Sensei," he said before entering the Realm, and to Kaede's surprise, it was like he was standing in a whole new world.