After we cleaned ourselves up, Sophia and I headed downstairs to meet Mrs. Eva and Alex, who were sitting on the sofa.
We walked slowly down the stairs, and there I saw a blonde man with brown eyes. His muscular frame was twice the size of mine. He was Bairon Meires, Alex's eldest brother.
Once we reached the bottom floor, we headed towards them. Bairon stood up as he saw us approaching. He stepped forward, "Long time no see, Eizan," he said, his voice deep and his gaze sharp.
"Yes, it has been a while, Brother Bairon," I replied, looking up at him, as I couldn't meet his eyes at my height.
"I heard from Alex that you awakened a mystical Element during the Element Awakening Ceremony. Is that true?" Bairon asked, a question I wasn't eager to answer, but as a guest of this prestigious family, I had little choice.
"It's true. I did awaken it during the ceremony. Is there something wrong with that?" I asked, curious about his intentions.
"I'll explain... but first, follow me to the backyard," Bairon said, leading us out back. It seemed he had something important to show and tell me.
I followed him, with Sophia, Alex, and Eva rising from the sofa and trailing behind us.
When we reached the backyard, Bairon walked a bit farther away and turned around, standing about 10 meters from where I stood. Sophia, Eva, and Alex watched closely.
"Eizan, do you know what Element you awakened?" he asked again, referring to the Element of Darkness, whose origins even I did not fully understand.
"It seems you don't know much about your power. Your Element is one that destroyed this continent around 250,000 years ago. It fell into the wrong hands because its wielder couldn't fully control the Element of Darkness," Bairon shared his knowledge with me.
"Naturally, I can't trust such a power with a kid like you. Especially since you're still young to control it. Eizan, prove to me that you're worthy of this power and that you won't use it to harm the innocent."
Eva protested in disbelief, "W-what? Are you serious? Eizan just got here, and you want to fight him? Besides, Eizan is just a kid who can't even control his Mana well yet. Why would you fight him?"
"I just want to test him a little," Bairon said, clenching his fists.
Eva shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, Bairon. Eizan, at fifteen, has already awakened an Element from ancient times? Even the arrogant prodigies accepted at the Axeris Academy only have three Elements."
Bairon smirked at his mother's words.
"Are you ready, Eizan?" Bairon asked, taking a fighting stance.
"Of course, I'm ready," I replied, smiling at him.
"Be careful, Eizan! You might have the Element of Darkness, but Bairon is still stronger than you!" Alex warned, worried for his friend.
"Come at me!" Bairon taunted, adopting an offensive stance.
Let's see if my two years of training will pay off...
My body, now enhanced through assimilation, responded to mana far more acutely than before. Before Bairon had time to prepare, my fist was already within striking distance.
Even my hearing was more sensitive now; I could hear Eva muttering softly, "What's going on..." along with others watching us.
Bairon quickly responded as I felt mana spreading throughout his body.
Feigning a punch, I spun around and aimed a high kick, but it was swiftly blocked by Bairon's left arm.
He clearly hadn't expected my kick to be so powerful, as his arm was knocked back, leaving him open. However, before I could capitalize on the gap, he used the momentum to swing his right arm at me.
It was clear I was now at a disadvantage, but I was prepared to counter.
I caught his whip-like strike with my left arm and right palm to soften the blow, creating enough space for me to move in.
My body wasn't large, so I grabbed his right arm and kicked the back of his right knee.
Losing his balance, he stumbled forward as I used my mana-enhanced strength to throw him. Unfortunately, he regained his balance too quickly, and I had no choice but to put some distance between us before he overpowered me.
"Well, I must say, you're better than any student I've faced at the Academy! But now, I'll get serious! Be careful." He assumed a more serious stance. It was clear to both of us that we had been holding back.