In the cold streets of the suburbs, a black car with tinted windows drove through the southern part of the city.
Inside the car were four hooded people, including the driver, and two people holding Kalen, who was blindfolded so he could not see.
"You know, I've been locked in a cave for a month, I'd appreciate it if you let me enjoy the scenery... you know, just to cool off"
All the other passengers pretty much ignored him.
"Tch... how boring, it's not like I don't know where you're taking me"
Anyway, Kalen settled into the car seat as best he could and sighed.
'Ahh, it's really comfortable'
The middle seat in the back of the car, even if it wasn't the most comfortable, was a lot better than sleeping on the floor.
Half asleep, Kalen began to groan.
'If nothing else, they should have let me see my ability...'
The information screen used to materialized in the air in front of him, and if he couldn't see anything then he had no choice but to wait... or so he thought.
As he tried to summon the screen, it suddenly appeared in his head.
'…I wasn't expecting this'
Somehow it was as if there was a screen inside his head... it was a strange feeling but a great discovery.
So that his vision wouldn't be blocked when he read a screen in the air.
Kalen smiled slightly and returned to where he had left off.
[Trait Ability: Energy Manipulator]
[Description: You control the energies of the beings you have a contract with]
Kalen's smile vanished instantly.
'... Are you serious? I could do that before!'
His artificial core allowed him to use the water and wind elements of the elementals that the elder elemental had used to create the core.
He hadn't heard of a contract, but he understood that it must be the same as before.
Kalen felt depressed and betrayed by his new ability. He had waited so long, but in the end, it turned out to be... something he could already do.
But as he read it again, several ideas came to his mind.
'It mentions energies... not elements. Maybe it means that I can use other types of energies besides my core...'
Kalen's eyes widened in surprise behind the blindfold.
'Of course! My core!'
One of the rewards for completing the first test was supposed to be a core, but he had completely forgotten about it.
Kalen concentrated, trying to feel something inside his body. In his chest he felt the artificial mana core he was familiar with, but a little deeper and more hidden... he felt a different energy.
The way he felt the energies was purely instinctive, something Kalen learned the moment he awoke after receiving the elemental core.
It was like learning to walk, it was second nature. Only much faster.
Kalen ignored his elemental core for a moment and concentrated on the other energy. This one felt different from the freshness of the elemental energy... it was heavier, denser.
He could not see the color of the energy within him, but if he had to define it by a color, it would be red.
Kalen tried to let this new energy flow through him, to feel its effects, and as the energy began to ethereally flow through his body, he felt all his muscles become stronger and more resilient.
Somehow, he felt more powerful than before.
His new energy was increasing his physical strength, something he had not been able to do with elemental energy.
'...Is that aura?'
When the different energies were explained to him, Aura was the one that stood out due to the increased body size.
It was definitely not the kind of energy he had hoped for. With so much contact with elemental energy, Kalen hoped to get an elemental core of his own.
He continued to experiment with his new core, comparing it to the artificial one. The two had some similarities, but they had even more differences.
Firstly, as he had noticed before, the feel of the aura was very different compared to the elemental energy.
The second difference was the size of the core, as the elemental core was bigger than the aura core. Kalen attributed this to the amount of elemental energy that had fused to form the core, where as his aura core was like a newborn.
The third difference was the naturalness and effectiveness of the aura against elemental energy. While flowing the aura through his body felt natural... as if he had been doing it for a long time, using elemental energy was much more difficult and ineffective.
Even though the sizes of the cores were so different, using the aura wasted much less energy. Compared to the huge amount of elemental energy that was wasted for the slightest thing.
But all that was just a few minutes of comparing the two energies and using the aura. He would still have to experiment bit by bit and learn how to use the aura in the best way.
In the end, once he reached Urasis, his artificial core would disappear. So, he wouldn't pay too much attention to the elemental energy for now.
In all the time he spent studying the aura, almost an hour had passed since he got into the car. And not long after that, it stopped as they entered somewhere.
Even though he couldn't see anything, Kalen sighed.
'Ahh... Home sweet home'
The next thing he knew, the bandage was removed from his eyes, and he found himself in a dark and silent place.
The hooded men put shackles on both his arms and then connected him to the wall with thick chains.
Kalen looked around at what little light there was and frowned.
"The catacombs, really? It's not like I committed treason or anything"
As before, no one answered him, and they began to leave. Before everyone left, the hooded woman took one last look at Kalen to make sure everything was all right.
Kalen looked at her, too, and smiled.
"Captain... at least bring me some water, I'm thirsty"
The woman looked at him silently and left the room before closing the door behind her.
Kalen sighed.
"How unfriendly"
Standing alone, Kalen poured his aura into his arms, trying to break the bonds, only to find that the energy did not flow.
But it wasn't quite right to say that, as the aura flowed out of his core, but was quickly absorbed by the chains.
Kalen looked down at his wrists in surprise.
"Really? Even a countermeasure like that?"
He sighed again, resigned. It was clear that they were taking measures against any escape attempt. Even to the point of blocking his power, even though they didn't know if he had successfully completed his test or not.
'Well... it was to be expected'
Kalen just settled into the cold cell and waited for the punishment to come.
***
In an office lit by a large chandelier and with a large window covering the entire wall behind a long, thin wooden desk. Two women were talking formally, drinking tea from porcelain cups.
"I hope you liked our offices" said one of the women, who was dressed in a smart blue office suit and had brown hair and brown eyes.
"Hum... It's different from what I'm used to, definitely from another world" replied the other woman... although it would be better to call her a girl, as she was no more than 1.50m tall and had the general build of a 10-year-old girl.
What stood out most about the girl was her clothing, as she wore an exotic outfit with too many accessories, as well as her completely white hair and pearl blue eyes.
The older woman smiled and before she could speak there was a knock at the door.
Her smile faded at the interruption, and she looked at the young woman who nodded her head, indicating that she didn't mind.
"Come in"
The double wooden door opened and in walked the same woman who had been in the cells with Kalen a few minutes ago.
The woman entered and as soon as she saw there was a second person in the office, her body shook.
"L-Lady Adaire, it is a pleasure to meet you" her voice trembled, and her hands began to sweat in an instant.
The girl smiled as she placed the teacup on the table.
"The pleasure is mine... I see you have something to say, don't be disturbed by my presence and speak"
The woman swallowed saliva and nodded at the girl's words.
"Th-Thank you very much"
Next, she looked at the older woman who was her boss and the one she was supposed to show more respect to.
"Lady Corinna... it's ready"
The woman nodded and turned to look at the girl called Adaire.
"Unfortunately, I have business to attend to... business that may not to be to your liking"
Adaire smiled and put her hands on her legs, acting like a little girl.
"Not at all... but if it's not too much trouble, could I join you? Oh! Sure, as long as it's nothing confidential"
Corinna smiled.
"Sure, no problem. You can join us if you want"
Meanwhile her thoughts were completely different.
'Fuck... can't wait for this witch to get the hell out of here. At what point did I agree to give her a tour of our offices?'
They both stood up and began to follow the hooded woman. Corinna sighed inwardly and put on a straight face.
'It's okay... you just have to hold on a little longer, Corinna. If you make it, you'll have a very usefull contact'
With that in mind, Corinna walked on, answering Adaire's casual questions.