Nate thought to himself.
"(Wait, was he actually serious???...)"
"Alright, now focus and meditate until you fall into a kind of trance. To do this, you need to empty your mind and sever all communication with the outside world to the point where you can't hear a single sound or even feel the slightest breeze on your skin. You have to concentrate to the extreme until you can perceive your 'inner self.' Once you manage that, the rest should follow naturally."
"Uh… I don't want to disappoint you, sensei, but I know this exercise, and I've already succeeded with Zad. In fact, it's after succeeding that I was able to start controlling flames."
"What?! No… That's not normal. Describe what happened."
"Well, after doing what you just explained, I found myself in a completely dark hallway where the only thing I could clearly make out was the floor. I followed the hallway instinctively, as if something was pulling or calling me. It's hard to explain…"
"Don't worry, I understand what you mean. Keep going."
"So… I kept walking, and once I reached the end of the hallway, I came across a gigantic metal door adorned with ornate carvings. I tried to open it, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing worked; it was locked from the inside."
"What do you mean locked from the inside?!"
"I don't know. At least, that's what it felt like."
"And then what happened?"
"Then I tried to break down the door, but when I rammed it, I got hit by a violent shock that ejected me from the trance. A few days later, I realized I could control fire at will."
Kaiju fell silent upon hearing the end of Nate's story.
"(This definitely isn't normal. Too many things don't add up in his account. First, he's not even supposed to have any control over his element without accessing his inner source. But not only does he control it, he does so perfectly. Secondly, I've never heard of a gateway between worlds being locked… and locked from the inside, no less! Lastly, even if it is locked, why would his own gateway reject him only to then grant him access to abilities inherently tied to the inner source? It's completely absurd… Damn it, who is this kid?!...)"
"Kaiju sensei…"
Hearing Nate call out, Kaiju snapped back to reality. He gathered himself and said:
"I want you to go back and try to open that door again. We'll camp here, so I'm going to gather some firewood and food. Make sure you're done before I return!"
"Okay, I'll try."
With those words, Kaiju left, while Nate sat down and entered a deep meditation.
An hour later, Kaiju returned and found Nate doing physical exercises.
"I see you're not slacking off… So, any results?"
"Same thing. I tried my best to open the door, but it wouldn't budge."
"I see, I kind of expected that."
Kaiju started lighting a fire. Once it was going, he began roasting the game he had caught and prepared earlier. While the meat cooked, he spoke to Nate.
"Honestly, I don't fully understand what's going on with you, so for now, we'll leave things as they are. Just keep up with your physical training."
"Alright, but I have a question."
"I'm listening."
"What is this door I can't open? Is it the inner source you were talking about?"
"No, that's not it. The 'inner source' isn't the door. The door is just a gateway that leads to your primary world, which is where your source is located. This gateway can take various forms depending on the individual: for example, it could be a bridge, a mirror, a ladder, a rope, or, in your case, a door. The forms are really diverse and varied. Are you following so far?"
"Yes, perfectly!"
Kaiju continued his explanation.
"But I've never heard of a case where the gateway was impassable for any reason. Normally, no outside intervention is required, and people subconsciously find their inner source in the form of a dream. Sometimes, though, active or external intervention is needed for those who struggle due to traumatic experiences they've gone through. Which brings me to the next question: what happened to you before you met Zad?"
"To be honest, I lost my memory, and I don't remember anything about my past before Zad…"
"Better and better…" Kaiju muttered.
Hearing this, Nate lowered his head, as if feeling guilty. Kaiju then continued.
"Well, I guess we won't be finding a solution today. Try to rest; we'll resume our journey in two hours."
Nate went to lie down as Kaiju had instructed, while Kaiju continued roasting the meat. An hour and a half later, he woke his apprentice, handing him a piece of the roast.
"Here, eat; you're going to need it."
After they finished eating, they packed up their belongings and set off again. A few minutes into the run, they arrived at the foot of a mountain. Kaiju approached it, removed a bunch of foliage against the mountain's wall, revealing the entrance to a tunnel. They both entered, and Kaiju covered the entrance again with the same foliage. He then told Nate:
"Don't stray too far from me, it's worse than a labyrinth in here."
The young boy nodded in understanding. With nothing more to add, Kaiju began running again, with the young Elementalist following closely behind. During the journey, Nate couldn't help but be amazed by the amount of work that must have gone into constructing the tunnel. There were so many galleries… He thought to himself that Kaiju must be extremely wealthy to afford such a tunnel. Either that, or he built it himself, and if that were the case, then it could only be possible if he were…
"We're here!" Kaiju's voice interrupted Nate's thoughts.
They stopped in front of what seemed to be the tunnel's exit. Kaiju then said to his disciple:
"Let me warn you, kid, after what you see here, you'll never look at the world the same way again. There's no going back. So, are you sure this is what you want?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it! And anyway, do I really have a choice?"
Hearing this response, Kaiju smiled and pushed open the stone doors that served as the exit of the tunnel. Once fully opened, he spoke to Nate as thunder rumbled and a torrential rain poured down.
"Excellent! In that case, let me welcome you to Bagalam, kid!"