The next morning, Kal wakes up with a start from bed, and notes that Inala, Sin and Ella were sleeping by his side. Then subtly he passes his hand on Ella's neck and without understanding anything that happened, wakes his mother and asks:
"Mom, what happened to us yesterday?"
And Ella, still waking up slowly says:
"Once again we were saved by..."
And before she could finish, Kal lets out a yell and says:
"Today is the day I'm going to the Imperial Capital, and I still haven't packed anything!"
Then Kal gets up and runs to prepare his things, while Ella wakes the others so they can help Kal and properly say goodbye to their brother before he leaves.
A few hours later, a luxurious carriage arrives at Kal's humble home, it was the first time a peasant from the village of Suri had reached the Imperial Academy, and all the people came out of their homes to see the young Kal's farewell. Before the limousine door opened all the way, Kal saw that there was an old man inside wearing a red bandana around his eyes and a great magnificent robe of a mage. Helped by a servant who guided him, Tiberius got out of the carriage and said:
"I came personally to pick you up, young man."
The people were amazed by the presence of one of the 3 great mages of the whole empire in that very humble and lifeless place, and it didn't take long for the people to crowd around the carriage. After giving a strong hug to his whole family, Kal says goodbye to them, saying:
"See you soon."
While Kal walked toward the carriage, Tiberius firmly squeezes his servant's hand and the old man whispered:
"I felt that in this house there is someone with an even greater magical capacity than young Kal, their mana still brute, but flows like a wave over this place."
"Keep an eye on this house for me."
The servant merely nodded in confirmation. And so Kal and Tiberius depart for the Imperial Capital.
After 3 days of travel, finally the driver announces that they were approaching the Imperial Capital. Kal puts his head out the window and contemplates a vast metropolis, with a gigantic palace on a hill in the center and waters flowing over its balconies. Fascinated, Kal just sighs aloud while Tiberius simply says:
"Alnuum, the City of Waters."
Kal's eyes shone brighter each time the carriage approached the gates, and upon arriving at the gates the guards quickly approached the carriage and when the driver announced that Tiberius was inside, the guards immediately bowed and allowed the carriage to enter the metropolis. Passing through, Kal sees for the first time the busy streets with many people, street vendors, a variety of different foods and many other things. Kal was admiring it all when from afar he saw a large Cathedral, imposing and erected from carved stones and bathed by a waterfall that descended from the hills of Acuos and encircled the Cathedral. Enchanted, Kal asks Tiberius what the name of that great church was, and he responds:
"That is the Cathedral of the Eternal Fountain, the dwelling of the 3 divine priests."
Tiberius was now blind, but he had lived in the capital for 25 years and knew everything about that place, and Kal enthralled noted down everything the old mage said. Then the carriage enters through the inner gates of the great palace and from afar Kal glimpses Relon training with his tutor and impulsively sticks almost his whole body out the carriage window, waving and smiling, shouting:
"Hey Morin, you got here before me!" - he shouts apparently not understanding who he really was.
On the other side, Relon was training with his tutor when he notices his friend Kal arrived at the palace. He waves back and before he could go meet his friend, a young girl with short blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes approaches Relon and says:
"So it seems my failed brother has a friend."
Relon just looks coldly at her and retorts:
"You should get one too, you bore!"
Lilla tries to grab Relon's hair as he runs off to find Kal at the entrance to the Emperor's palace.
"I'm glad you found a friend, idiot" - whispers the girl before returning to training.
At the gates of the Great Palace of Aquarion, Kal and Tiberius go in until they arrive before a great door. Then Tiberius says:
"This is my end point, the doors will open and when they do, you enter."
Tiberius withdraws from there and leaves Kal waiting in front of a giant door. There he waits for a time until finally the doors open. It was a large oval hall, where there was only a chair in the center. Relon arrived at the place, but the guards prevent him from entering. Inside, a voice coming from above asks Kal to sit in the central chair. Kal looks up and sees various large galleries on the sides and a larger one at the top. Before Kal sat down, a voice echoes loudly in the hall:
"All hail Mordret Lucius Artal Aquarion I, great Emperor of Nannu and lord of the City of Waters."
Immediately, the people in the galleries stood up and bowed as the Emperor took his place in his gallery. After sitting down, the emperor orders everyone to take their places so the council can begin. Immediately, Tiberius, who was already in one of the galleries, stands up and begins to say:
"My Emperor, wise mages, priests and generals, I have convened this council to present Kal Launno to you. Until now I have been unable to identify what makes him special, but I have a deep certainty that he is extraordinary in every way. I unquestionably believe him to be one of the legacies!"
After Tiberius' speech, there was great turmoil and discussion, until the emperor extends his hand and all fall silent. He looks at Kal and asks:
"Who are you?"
Kal, not understanding what was happening, says:
"My name is Kal."
"So Kal, what makes you special?" - asks the emperor again.
"Besides my different hair, I don't think anything." - Kal responds, placing a hand on his head.
"What makes you so certain, Tiberius?" - asks the emperor to Tiberius.
"I used my unique magic, the spirit probe!" - responds Tiberius, causing amazement again in all present.
"I know you have this special magic of yours, but it's still very hard to believe an old drunkard" - retorts a man who was in another gallery wearing large white robes.
"Watch what you say, Arnom. Tiberius is the oldest of our order and this is beyond your mental capacities" - responds Bernstain, the other mage next to Tiberius in a gallery.
"How dare you, you worm! I am a servant of Luminus, blessed with divine light, I do not need to hear insults from reclusive old sick men" - Arnom speaks with an aggressive voice.
"Enough!" - says the emperor, immediately ceasing the conversation.
"We must be certain of what Tiberius said before anything else, if it's true we may be at the gates of a new demonic era" - continues the emperor.
"Let's do a test on him tomorrow at the heart of Nannu, if true I believe it will show something" - concludes the emperor.
The Emperor rises and leaves, as everyone there starts to rise and leave shortly after him. On the other side, Kal is leaving through the door that slowly opens. From afar Relon waited, leaning on one of the palace pillars. The two approach and greet each other in a friendly manner:
"You seem stronger than before" - says Kal in a joking tone.
"It's only been a few days, not years" - responds Relon, perceiving the joke.
The two talked for a while until Tiberius appears again and says:
"Oh, if it isn't the young prince. Why don't you accompany young Launno to the academy?"
"There is a carriage prepared to take him and someone I trust is waiting at the academy to show him his quarters."
"And before you go,"
"Welcome to the Imperial Academy, Kal Launno."
Leaving from there with his servants, Tiberius merely waves goodbye to them.
"Unfortunately I can't accompany you there, I have to return to training" - says Relon.
"Ah training, I would like to participate" - responds Kal.
"I don't know, Master Tiberius' orders were clear" - replies Relon.
"Ah come on Morin, are you afraid to face me?" - asks Kal.
Then almost out of nowhere, a feminine voice says:
"It could be good, him participating in our training."
Relon looking back says:
"Did you follow me, Lilla?"
"I think if he stays for a few minutes, it won't be a problem" - says the girl.
"Who is she?" - Kal asks Relon.
"I am the beautiful Princess Lilla Artal Aquarion, this idiot's twin sister!" - the girl replies.
"Oh, your twin sister is a princess Morin, that's so cool. Now let's go!" - says Kal as he walks away toward nothing.
Not understanding anything absolutely and thinking Kal was an idiot, Lilla guides him to the training yard while Relon follows behind. In the yard, a man waited for them sitting on an improvised wooden chair and rises when the princes approach. Throwing training swords and saying:
"Come on, we don't have much more time today."
Lilla cuts in and asks to do a simulated fight against the boy who came with them. The professor steps back, throws a training sword to Kal and asks them to get into position. Kal grabs the sword and says:
"Hey Morin, you'll see I also got stronger."
Lilla gives a small smile while taking a fighting stance. When the professor orders the start of the fight, the girl simply concentrates her mana around her and it seems for an instant a blue light came from her body. To Kal, it seemed she was walking on water, and with a jump, Lilla suddenly appears at his side hitting him with her sword. Kal manages to evade and rolls on the ground to the other side. When he stands up, he notes his clothes are a little wet. At the moment he looks forward, Lilla is very close again, ready to try to hit him again, landing the blow near his shoulder throwing him farther this time. Kal stands up, smiles and says:
"I imagined the Academy students would be strong, but I didn't expect someone like this on my first day."
"If you don't show more than this, you won't last a week at the academy," says Lilla, also smiling.
"I had a fight with some outlaws a few days ago. I lost that fight but learned something," says Kal getting into an attack position.
"Then show me who you really are," Lilla shouts.
Then Kal positions himself in a fighting stance that caught the attention of the Professor watching. He turns to Relon and says:
"Who is this boy?"
"He's my friend Kal Launno," says Relon impressed by the two's fight.
"Launno. Interesting!" thinks the professor.
Kal's eyes once again had a strong golden glow, and then Lilla who was coming in for another attack, in the blink of an eye loses sight of Kal. When she realizes, she was also without her sword in her hands. Turning around, she perceives that Kal was already on the other side of the yard. Lilla frightened thinks:
"I just saw two golden eyes, a yellow flash and my sword was ripped from my hand."
Relon and the professor were also amazed by Kal's ability, and while Relon stood gaping, the professor looks at Kal holding half a broken training sword. Without seeing what happened, Lilla's training sword was stabbed high up in a tree in the yard. Frightened, the professor simply declares there was no winner since Lilla was without a sword and Kal also. Then Kal places a hand on his head, smiles again and says:
"It seems I can't fully control it yet, you won this time Princess!" says Kal extending his hand to Lilla.
"Hmm..." responds Lilla, astonished while shaking Kal's hand.
Tiberius appears in the yard shouting:
"Kal you rascal, you should be at the academy by now what are you doing here?"
"Oh man, gonna get scolded on my first day," says Kal running off toward the exit.
While Kal ran off, Relon and Lilla accompanied him to the door. The professor approached Tiberius, saying:
"Master, who is this boy?"
"So you noticed?" says Tiberius.
"That was no magic power, much less a divine one," says the professor.
"We still don't know what this really is, for now I can only ask you keep it a secret," requests Tiberius, leaving the place.
At the main gate, one of Tiberius' servants waited for the boy to say goodbye to Relon and Lilla. While Kal and Relon gave each other a strong handshake goodbye, Kal remembered when he was hunting with his father:
"Hey dad, some kids at school are making fun of me because of the color of my hair," says Kal.
"Oh really, and who are these people?" asks Laun.
"Some boys and a girl," responds Kal.
"With the boys, you can deal with them as I taught you," says Laun.
"And with the girl?" asks Kal.
"It's complicated son, we mustn't be aggressive with women," says Laun.
"Not even in a war, dad?" asks Kal.
"Are you at war?" continues Laun.
"No," responds Kal.
"Is this girl your enemy?" asks Laun again.
"No," responds Kal.
"Then you have no reason to treat her poorly," says Laun.
"Well I understand there are differences, but generally as educated men we must protect and treat them well," Laun adds, somewhat unsure of what to say.
"And what do I do to treat her well?" Kal asks, intrigued.
"Well, you should start by..."
Kal takes Lilla's right hand, bows and kisses it, saying:
"Thank you for the time we spent here, it was a true pleasure," says Kal, with the voice of his father echoing in his mind.
He gives a charming smile and turns once more to say goodbye to Relon before leaving, leaving Lilla completely red-faced and speechless, as it was the first time someone had touched and kissed her hand. After Kal leaves, Relon looks at her with a mischievous look, ready to tease his sister. Before he can say anything, she turns and says:
"What a bold boy, acting that way with a princess," she says completely blushing and embarrassed before running off.
That night, Kal goes straight to the academy dormitory where a girl was waiting for him. She introduced herself as Clara, a young woman with light brown hair, pale skin and brown eyes who wore glasses. She was Tiberius' youngest apprentice and said she would show Kal around the entire dormitory before taking him to his room. After some time, they arrive at the room where Kal will stay. When she opens the door, Kal's jaw immediately drops - it was an enormous room with a beautiful view of the Academy and two beds. Shocked, Kal asks Clara:
"What a huge room, is there another bed? Will someone else be sleeping here?"
"Classes start the day after tomorrow, and by then your roommate will have arrived," responds Clara.
"Get settled in and sleep well, because tomorrow you go to the Heart of Nannu for a test," she continues, leaving and closing the door.
Kal is so impressed he spins and jumps on the beds for a time. Then he stops and goes to a table to write a letter to his family saying he is well and about the wondrous things he saw in the imperial capital.
The next morning, Kal wakes up and goes to where Clara indicated the dining hall was. When he arrives, there are no cooks or people yet, only Clara, who points to a place with bread and milk for Kal to eat. After eating, Kal is taken to the carriage waiting to take him to the Heart of Nannu. Getting in, he finds Tiberius sitting inside. They ride most of the way in silence until the carriage stops. When Kal steps out, he sees a large waterfall, and under the falling waters, a passageway leading to a large doorway covered in ancient inscriptions and runes. Tiberius lifts up a stone he was carrying, which begins to glow along with the runes on the portal until it starts to open.
Tiberius guides the young Kal descending down a passage until they reach another entrance, where the other two great mages Bernstain and Prios stand with the 3 divine priests Arnom, Ecleir and Leala positioned. Tiberius asks Kal to enter the room. The room inside was like a paradise, with a stone in the center surrounded by crystalline waters. Bright green moss grew up the walls and plants glistened beneath the waters. In the center, only a small beam of sunlight entered. By natural law, the room should be dark, but this small sunbeam descending along with the strong confluence of mana within made the waters, plants and moss glow, illuminating the entire room. Tiberius asks Kal to position himself at the center of the descending sunbeam, then leaves and closes the gate.
The Heart of Nannu was the essence of the entire capital, where the concentration of pure mana flowed and drew nature spirits, making the place mystical with the order of life. But the chaotic mixing of magics created by living beings transformed the place into a centrifuge, where only the strongest could resist the force of the confluence of order and chaos that extracted the roots of one's powers and revealed them to the overseers when the gates opened. However, in the process the magic and spirit were brutally ripped from the test subject, causing excruciating pain. And those without sufficient magic or spirit would die - it was brutal.
Outside, Tiberius recites the song of the Heart of Nannu as the ground starts to rumble. A very bright light illuminates the walls to the point of heating them from the outside as well. Arnom says with an unconcerned, tranquil look:
"You're probably killing an innocent commoner, Tiberius," says Arnom.
"Your reckless quest to find the powers of the world will lead many people to death."
Inside, Kal was enveloped by small lights like stars circling him. They began to burn him and the pain increased over time. Kal started feeling terrible pain, as if his own skin was being ripped off. Kal's screams of pain were horrifying. Tiberius, almost giving up on the test, moves toward the door to open it. But before he could, Kal's screams stop. Arnom says:
"Congratulations, old fool, you killed another innocent child."
As Arnom and the other priests start to leave, the doors slowly open on their own. Looking frightened, Tiberius says:
"I did not give the order for the Heart to open."
When the door fully opens, the room is in utter darkness. The light and glow from the waters is gone. Terrified, the men there do not understand what is happening until two eyes shine brightly like the sun appear in the darkness, striking great fear into the men. An absolute and overwhelming presence. As if automatically, they all kneel and prostrate before those eyes. From the darkness emerges an imposing divine voice, like the sound of a voracious thunder. A voice completely different than what Kal heard before in the mountain. It says:
"What did you want to find?"
"Who are you, my lord?" says Tiberius, face to the ground.
"I am the foundations of this land. I am the root of the world tree. I am the first light and the last darkness. I am magic and spirit, order and chaos. Before me, no light shines brighter and no darkness remains unstained. I am what I want to be - god or man. Without me, time would not exist and the universe would implode. I am the pillar of all and creator of gods. I have no name and am not known by men." Says the voice of thunder.
"Then you are more powerful than even the gods?" asks Arnom, full of fear and face to the ground.
"I am the gods. I am heroes and villains. I am warriors and mages. I am you, priest. I am what I want to be." Responds the voice of thunder.
Then the bright eyes close. Feeling the overwhelming pressure disappear, the men stand up frightened. The small sunbeam returns but the waters no longer glow. The moss' glow fades and plants that once emanated light are now normal. All the old men present start crying profusely, feeling strangely relieved not to be before that presence anymore. That morning the old men could not speak another word, taking the unconscious young Kal with them still feeling strong dread.