The priest and his escorts had departed, leaving Vedik mentally exhausted from the ordeal.
He collapsed onto the bed, thinking about what could have happened.
Soon, William returned, which should have brought a sense of relief, but Vedik felt a mix of gratitude and shame.
They were already in danger because of him, and today he had made the situation even worse.
With a heavy heart, Vedik mumbled, "Thank you, William. Without you, I don't know what would have happened to me."
William stared at Vedik for a long moment, his brow furrowed with a mix of concern and exasperation. "Explain yourself, Vedik," he finally said, his voice low and firm.
After two minutes of silence, Vedik explained, "I was bored, and due to the mana suppression herbs, I thought that my mana would be blocked."
He continued, "In the torn book of Arcane spells that you gave me, it was written that in the early stages of arcane magic, you just need to feel the elements."
So I started meditating and slowly focused on the elements; surprisingly, I felt their presence.
First Fire, then Water; Wind and Earth materialized in his consciousness along with some mysterious smoke and a black shaped element.
Vedik said, "How would I know that the elements would appear in the real world? I thought they were not real and were just my imagination."
William listened intently, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "Vedik," he finally said, his voice low, "do you understand the gravity of the situation?
If the priest came to know about this, they would have surely kidnapped you. I have not heard good things about the Church of God of Equality."
"But more importantly," he continued, "only a handful of awakened nobles can control even three elements. Yet in your first attempt, you manifested all six."
William paused, his gaze searching Vedik's face. "Sometimes I wonder just who you are, Vedik. This ability... it's unheard of."
A cold dread washed over Vedik. He understood that this was happening because of the Godhood System.
He could feel that he only awakened due to its influence. But he couldn't tell William about this—not until he fully understood the Godhood System and who had cursed him.
His secret—the very thing that made him unique—also made him a target. Fear gnawed at him; his breath hitched, but a flicker of defiance sparked in his eyes. He wouldn't let fear control him.
Suddenly, he called for the Godhood System in his mind and it responded as he checked the Attributes panel:
- Strength : 30
- Speed : 20
- Charisma : 50
- Constitution : 20
- Potential : Restricted
- Skills :
- Weapon Basic Mastery: 10%
- Herb Gathering: 15%
- Mortal Qi Basic Level Mastery
- Arcane Magic Awakened
- Cursed by: (-------------)
- Weakened
- Soul State: Shattered
- Poisoned by Mana Suppression
Herbs
- Extraordinary Elemental Affinity
Unlocked
Lost in his own thoughts, Vedik didn't notice the deep furrow etching William's brow.
The old man wrestled with his own turmoil in his mind. This power in Vedik... it was awe-inspiring yet terrifying. He had to keep the boy safe.
William's POV
I thought today I could finally rest and eat to my heart's content, but this darn Vedik won't let this old man live in peace.
In the morning after buying mana suppression herbs from the market, I returned home. I called for Vedik but he didn't respond—such an ungrateful brat.
Suddenly, I heard loud noises coming from the bedroom. A strangled cry escaped my lips as I burst into the room.
Fire , water and a black ball danced in the air; wind whipped around the room; earth rose from the floor. And In the center of this chaos stood Vedik with eyes wide open in surprise.
I couldn't understand what was happening.
I whispered to myself, "All elemental affinity..." stroking my chin. "That's a power reserved for the most elite bloodlines." Just who is this brat?
Then the thought of the priest suddenly crossed my mind. *Shit-shit-shit! Why is this happening to me?*
"Vedik! Stop!" I roared, my voice laced with panic. "Don't you know the priest is still nearby? If he senses this..."
Before Vedik could respond, I shot one last worried glance at him and hurried out of the room, my mind racing with a plan as I dashed into the storeroom.
I stood before a lamp and thought of a plan and while leaving I also picked a beautiful emerald ring which reminded me of her.
I dashed towards Vedik and then handed over a ring to him urgently and said, "Wear this; it will suppress your mana at all times.
"Pretend to sleep and come out only if I call you."
While walking through the hallway, I considered worst-case scenarios and decided that if the priest determined that Vedik had awakened then I would kill him and flee with Vedik from the village.
As I rearranged my thoughts while holding two black blades with red marks on them—my trusted weapons— I prepared for whatever might come next.
After thirty minutes had passed, the priest arrived with his two armored escorts. I had no choice but to invite them into my house or they would definitely get suspicious.
The two armed warriors looked strong; they had swords hanging from their waists.
I assessed both warriors and the priest carefully. While I evaluated that I could kill them as a first-class warrior myself, I knew I'd surely be injured in doing so—and both me and Vedik would become targets of the church.
The priest explained that he felt mana during the awakening ceremony and they had checked the whole village leaving only my house.
So he asked me if he could meet Vedik.
Although it looked like he was requesting me , I could tell it was an order.
So I brought Vedik into view and as I told him he started talking with the priest.
I had told Vedik to be very respectful to the priest and the armored men as they have very high pride and even the nobles must show them respect.
After finishing their conversation about awakening magic , the priest started examining Vedik's condition closely...
I was very afraid but didn't let it show on my face.
After ten minutes ,the priest stopped looking exhausted.
Seeing my chance , I held up an ornately carved lamp whose surface glowed faintly. "This," I explained to him with urgency in my voice, "must be the source of the mana fluctuations you sensed."
The priest squinted at my lamp; a flicker of doubt crossed his face as he muttered under his breath about its potential significance.
"Could be," he said noncommittally. "But keep a close eye on this boy, Mr. William. There's something... different about him."
I breathed a sigh of relief as we concluded our discussion and thanked him for his valuable time.
"I will surely keep an eye on this brat," I promised before escorting them out.