WOONG WOONG
The entire place shook as spheres of ice, fire, earth, and wind mana came into existence and slowly revolved around William.
Outside, the celestial tree hummed as it swayed its branches. Like a mother singing a lullaby to her child, allowing William to enter a deeper trance.
William was now fully absorbed in his own dance. He was not following the man's rhythm; instead, he was following his own. He moved with fluidity as he absorbed his new findings. His mind began to think about how the mana changed from fire to ice.
The animals around him watched, their eyes unblinking. They were curious and watched him move with transcendent fluidity. They ignored the man who, by now, had stopped his dance and was watching William.
A small smile formed on his face as he watched William enter a deeper trance with each step he took. William now moved to the trees. His feet glided through the air like an eagle, his movements sharp and precise.
The spheres of mana followed him like baby ducks, moving in intricate and eccentric patterns. They converged and diverged with fluidity, like they were the oldest of friends, as they followed William's hands.
William's mind, lost in a trance, kept on repeating the insights it had and also the enlightenment he was receiving now. His hands jerked up and his back straightened. His mouth opened slightly, letting William's voice come out.
"The essence of harmony isn't just about mana transforming into one another."
CLAP
He clapped his hands and spun around before widening them. "It's about how seamlessly different parts of a system work in cohesion with each other, like a single unit."
The mana spheres above William came closer and closer while increasing their speed. "And also how they divide like cells in a body. Each becoming a separate entity while remaining part of the system and also seamlessly taking another's role."
BOOM
At the end of William's speech, the whole place shook; the spheres of mana began to tremble violently as they revolved around each other.
The fire mana, which was known for its ferocity, slowly turned into ice mana, known for its cold demeanour. The wind mana, famous for its unpredictability, turned into stable yet heavy earth mana.
As William danced, the spheres of mana transformed. The ice became fire. The fire turned to ice, then to wind. They continued to change in an unpredictable manner, yet there was no chaos; they blended seamlessly as they transformed.
CLAP CLAP
The man clapped as William ended his dance. He walked toward him, followed by the squirrels and birds. "Good, you have learned the essence of harmony. All that remains is to learn how to use it in battle."
William smiled at the man's words; he was happy to know that he had completed his training earlier than expected. "I thought it would take a long time. Phew!"
"Remember." The man said, grabbing William's attention, "the dance you have performed just now is one of the ways a person expresses themselves to the world. One can express themselves in many ways; some sing, some paint, some weave, while most fight."
William nodded his head, acknowledging the man's words: "I have to find my own way."
"Correct," the man replied. "You should go now; there is no point in staying here any longer. Train and become stronger." With that, the man swatted his hands, sending William away.
The bubble around the man began to dissipate, turning the trees, the squirrels, and the birds to dust. "Is it okay to stop here?" the man asked. Behind him, the celestial tree began to unveil as the bubble disintegrated.
The celestial tree swayed reassuringly as if saying that there was nothing to worry about. "I hope so. They are waiting for him, and he doesn't have much time." At the end of his sentence, the mist covering the man slowly began to dissipate, and the man himself slowly began to morph into a stag.
The stag was eight feet tall and twelve feet in length. Its antlers shone like constellations, giving the stag an ethereal look. The stag slowly walked towards the celestial tree, while it muttered, "I truly hope we aren't late." It then rubbed its back on the tree trunk and lay down, leaning against the tree.
.....
"Ugh!" William woke up from his sleep and immediately grunted because of the pain. "I hate this feeling," he grumbled in annoyance. He stayed in bed for an hour before he could walk again, making his way to Ophiscsus's office.
KNOCK
"Father, it's me, William."
"Enter"
William opened the door and entered the room. His gaze fell upon his father, who was talking to Sebastian.
But Ophiscus's eyes widened when he saw his son emitting the aura of an "Amateur."
"Y-Young master, you have become an 'Amateur'?" Sebastian asked, his voice trembling as he looked at William.
William nodded lazily and explained, "I had an enlightenment. It helped me advance to the next stage."
"Y-You had an enlightenment?" This time, it was Ophiscus who asked.
"Yes. I had a breakthrough in harmony. That's why I came here, Father. I need those monsters."
"Ah!" At William's words, Ophiscus shook his head. 'I never thought one of my sons would have an enlightenment." It took me 40 years of practice before I got one, and it was a minor enlightenment!
'SIGH
Ophiscus sighed in exhaustion; his son was giving him more and more surprises by the day. "The monsters are ready in the training grounds. But we can't find any early adept monsters as it has only been a few hours."
William nodded reluctantly at his father. 'I don't think they'll help me use all my strength,' he thought, pursing his lips. Still, he didn't want to be negative and left for the training grounds. Sebastian followed him on Ophiscus's orders. They made their way to the training grounds in silence.
CLANG CLANG
The sound of screeching metal chains echoed across the training grounds as William and Sebastian entered. Two trolls, huge in size, swayed their arms wildly, trying to break the chains that tied their arms.
Besides them were orcs, four of them. Their green skin shone under the midday sun. They were only wearing a loincloth around their waists, showing their bulky muscles. Great death wolves followed them; they were famous for their cruel group hunting.
They hunted at night, making use of their midnight-black fur. All the monsters turned toward William and Sebastian as they walked in. The monsters released their auras at once, while the orcs grinned, watching William.
"Uncle Sebastian, are these all the monsters you were able to get?" William asked, disappointment etched on his face as he looked at the lineup of monsters.
"I apologize, young master. There weren't many monsters that met your requirements," Sebastian replied, bowing.
"It's okay, Uncle Sebastian. I will make do with these for now," William said as he moved toward the monsters.
CLANG CLANG
The monsters felt humiliated when they saw William smiling as he walked toward them. They flailed around, trying to break the chains and bared their fangs at him.
"Release them," William ordered. Sebastian nodded his head and took a magical device from his pocket. The device wasn't extravagant; it was made of copper and had only one red button on top of it.
Sebastian pressed the button, releasing all the chains that were holding the monster.
CLANG CLANG
The metal chains on the necks of the trolls fell to the ground, causing the ground to crack.
RAAAAAAAWR
The monsters roared in madness and lunged toward William. The death wolves were the first to reach him; they used their ability to manipulate the wind.
'Wind'
William muttered to himself; the mana in his core rushed into his legs, turning into wind mana.
BOOM
He dashed toward the wolves, creating sonic booms behind him.
'Earth,' he conjured earth mana into his hand and swung it down like a hammer on the wolf's head.
BANG
The wolf's head exploded like a balloon upon impact, while its headless body crashed into the ground like a comet.
SILENCE
The monsters turned silent as they halted in their tracks. There was no fear in their eyes, only anger and... ecstasy?
GRRR
The wolves growled; they stared at him with a murderous glare for their lost comrade while the orcs' grins widened, witnessing William's might.
TSK
William clicked his tongue in annoyance. "The wolves are too weak. I can't use what I've learned if the rest are like them."
'Maybe...' William turned his gaze toward one of the orcs that was nearest to him, 'Let's try him.'
'Wind'
He dashed toward the orc, the orc's grin widened in ecstasy as William chose it. It curled his hand into a fist and readied itself to smash William into oblivion.
William was halfway to the orc when he sensed something coming from the side. "Earth." He stopped in his tracks and used 'Earth' mana on his legs to stop his momentum.
WHOOSH
BANG
A big boulder flew past in front of William. He would have been crushed by that thing if he had not stopped.
GULP
William gulped nervously. He turned to his side to see who it was. There, he saw the trolls conjuring big boulders using earth mana. One was ready to throw a boulder while the other was conjuring another.
"Looks like there's something that's useful to you, young master," Sebastian said, a teasing smile forming on his face as he taunted William.