"We're still ascending, Mister Lars." He was worried that a single malfunction in the device would suffocate him and kill him from the lack of air and scarcity of mana.
"Great observation, young master Kyrian."
Kyrian looked at Lars to see if his face showed a hint of sarcasm or if he truly meant what he said. Lars' expressionless face made it hard for the boy to determine if he was joking.
"I know right?" The platinum-blond haired boy answered sarcastically to get back at Lars.
Kyrian continued after not getting a response, "I just want to ask why we're still ascending since the mana is growing thinner as we get closer to the barrier, and the light elements in the environment aren't that abundant."
Mister Lars did not respond as the speed of the platform went faster and Kyrian lost a bit of his balance and hugged the nearest object he could hold on to. He looked at the air and mana refining device to see if it was still working properly. To his relief, it was fine, and he wasn't in danger except for the sudden increase in speed.
Just as Kyrian was about to ask Mister Lars about the sudden burst of speed, Kyrian felt his mana rapidly replenishing. It was the fastest that he had ever experienced, even eclipsing the speed of his mana absorption that was assisted by his Aunt Shenghua in Thiodan.
Kyrian blinked, his eyes adjusting to the overwhelming brilliance that enveloped him. The light mana particles danced around him in a mesmerizing display, shimmering like a cascade of celestial fireflies. Each particle seemed to sing with the purest essence of light, their radiance merging into a symphony of luminescence that bathed him in its warmth.
As he ascended above the clouds, the world below vanished, leaving only the stars above to bear witness to this extraordinary moment. The vast expanse of the sky stretched out endlessly, a canvas of midnight blue adorned with twinkling constellations that seemed to pulse with life.
Others might feel like it was searing, blinding, and extremely hot without the various layers of the atmosphere blocking the heat and radiation, but Kyrian felt different. He had a certain closeness and connection towards the sun.
For the first time, Kyrian saw Luminis in its full glory, the sun's face unmasked by the veil of the atmosphere. It was not the searing, blinding orb he had always imagined, but a beacon of serene, golden light that caressed his skin with a gentle touch.
The sun's corona flared softly, its tendrils of light reaching out like welcoming arms. He felt no fear, no pain—only a profound connection to this celestial giant. The legends in the books he had read had warned of the sun's fury, but here, so close to its heart, Kyrian discovered a nurturing warmth, as if Luminis recognized and embraced his presence.
As he stood in this ethereal embrace, Kyrian's awe deepened. The light mana particles swirled around him, forming intricate patterns and symbols that seemed to whisper secrets of the cosmos.
He could feel the pulse of Gaia herself, a rhythm that resonated with his own heartbeat. The stars above, shimmering like distant diamonds, seemed to acknowledge his presence, their light reflecting in his eyes.
In this moment, Kyrian understood that he was part of something far greater than himself, a guardian in the presence of an ancient and benevolent power.
Luminis, the sun of Gaia, was not merely a celestial body but a source of life and light, a testament to the beauty and mystery of the universe.
"-rian. Young master Kyrian. Are you okay?"
After what felt like an eternity of gentle warmth, Kyrian heard Mister Lars' voice calling out to him. He didn't feel bad that his connection and elation was cut, he felt like it was apt and the time he spent in that state was enough to last him a lifetime.
"Yes, Lars. Everything is fine." Kyrian's voice was different - as if it was the older version of his, until his consciousness went back to normal, and the all-encompassing presence he was exuding vanished as if it never existed.
Lars exhaled in relief as he felt like his body, a rank 6 aura master, was about to break apart after seeing the glowing aura that was surrounding the young master. He tried to contact Master Horace, but to no avail, he was out of reach.
The phenomenon must have triggered some sort of blockage in the mana signals and prevented Lars from contacting his master. Lars almost panicked from the otherworldly presence that covered Kyrian. If anything came into harm to his young master, then he could only dread what his punishment was.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened, and it seemed like a good thing since Kyrian raised his rank from initial stage rank 2 to late-stage rank 2.
From Lars' detection devices and built-in systems, he could see the overwhelming amount of light mana surrounding his young master's core. Besides the large amount of mana, it was also stable and firm, signaling a successful breakthrough while skipping the middle-stage rank 2.
"Mister Lars? I feel stronger. It seems like I broke through to the middle stage." In Kyrian's mind, he felt composed and unrestrained.
He moved his body, and everything was lighter. His movement was more than quadruple than it was before. While he was moving around the platform by checking his progress, he looked like a kid who ate a lot of candy and sugar from his unrelenting speed and small figure.
"Congratulations, young master Kyrian. You skipped the middle stages and are now in the late stage of rank 2."
"So that's why I feel so much better than the past breakthroughs. Let me test a bit more."
Kyrian tried his new spell [Pyre Blade] and it didn't take more than a second to cast it and he did it without a sweat compared to the first time he made the spell.
The boy controlled it to float around him and practiced maneuvers that could be used for offensive tactics in the future.
He cast another [Pyre Blade] and let the two blades float surrounding him. As if to test his limits, he cast until seven blades were surrounding him until he felt that he had reached his maximum capacity in casting magic using his supreme grade quality mana.
He did the same training with the seven blades, but he had a harder time in controlling them compared to moving a single blade. Kyrian tried various ways to make the movements efficient and destructive until his mana storage was almost empty.
'I should now meditate and focus on using light magic to improve my mobility.'
The sun, Lumina, that was above them earlier was now replaced by the three moons of Gaia.
As Kyrian was about to enter another meditation session, he heard Mister Lars, "Young master Kyrian, would you like to take a break? I have prepared the Wyvern meat from the Master's latest expedition with you, along refreshments from the Saint Peak's herbs."
The golden-eyed boy felt his stomach grumble as he nodded in appreciation to Mister Lars. He thought how peaceful it was without his master slapping the back of his head anytime he gets the chance.