A day later, at the Mental Strength Sanctuary, a towering, cylindrical edifice of four stories high, with twenty rooms on every floor, there was an air of anticipation. Five meters beneath this monumental structure lay a gravitational crystal; it was a pulsating heartstone with untold powers that breathed faint vibrations into the earth around it.
The air was thick with tension as 69 students, brimming with excitement and whispering amongst themselves, gathered in expectant clusters. The murmur of voices rose and fell like a restless tide.
Five minutes later, the heavy door to the sanctuary groaned open, slicing through the buzz like a blade. Inspector Gru strode in with commanding presence, his gray-and-white suit immaculate, exuding not only restraint but also power. His right hand casually hung inside his pocket, and his footsteps were ghostly soft, as though gravity bent to his will. His watchful gaze swept over the group like an invisible winter wind, silencing all.
Gru cleared his throat. The sound was sharp, commanding. "Hello, all. Please pay attention, for this is crucial, and I will not be repeating myself." His voice held a weight that brooked no frivolity. He paused, allowing the words to fall like stones in a quiescent pool of water. "Alright, before we begin today's training, there are a few things you need to understand."
Gru's words were deliberate and measured as he gestured to the sanctuary's design. "Each room is inscribed with mana runes etched meticulously into its floors, forming conduits linked to the gravitational crystal below. These runes amplify and channel mana pressure for mental fortitude training. On the wall of each room, you'll find a switch with two distinct buttons."
He turned to the students, crossing his index finger over his forehead as though wiping away the invisible strain of responsibility. "Mage mental fortitude is categorized into four distinct stages:
"First, Arcane Endurance, where a mage can cast one-circle to four-circle spells without strain on their mental strength.
"Next, Mystic Resilience, allowing a mage to handle five-circle to six-circle spells without succumbing to mental fatigue.
Then comes Ethereal Resolve. On that stage, mages are capable of using even the fearsome seven-circle to eight-circle spells with ease.
"And finally, the pinnacle is Astral Tenacity-a stage of mastery which allows the casting of nine-circle spells as one breathes."
Gru's tone turned graver. "The buttons represent Arcane Endurance and Mystic Resilience, set to train your fortitude. Apply them judiciously."
He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing slightly, the weight of his warning palpable. "You can only use the Arcane Endurance setting for now. If you feel your limits are near, exit the vacuum room immediately. Don't let greed overtake your wisdom-overextending might permanently shatter, rather than fortify, your mental fortitude.
The maximum duration is up to your personal limit, but two weeks is the advised cap. Beyond that, and you'll miss the Academy Market Day, and trust me, you won't want to skip that.
The hum of murmurs rose again, spreading like wildfire through the crowd. Gru let it simmer before silencing it with a sharp gesture. The students formed a single-file line, their expressions a mixture of eagerness and trepidation as Gru began assigning them rooms.
Drakes found himself in room 26 on the second floor; the door closed with a soft hiss behind him. Meanwhile, Mark had been placed in room 18 on the ground floor. One by one, the students entered their chambers, as one by one their fate was sealed for the next phase of training.
Once inside, Drake sat cross-legged in the center of his room, where the air was heavy with unsaid energy. He clicked the Arcane Endurance button, and runes around him burst into brilliant, luminous blue light. An instant surge of force fell upon him, an irresistible tidal wave wrenching at every fiber in his being.
Amidst the crushing pressure, Drake felt but a fraction of the intensity others were enduring. Intrigued, he activated the Essence Sight Codex to monitor his body. He felt with this enhanced perception the intricate working of his mana system: a big, sky-blue mana ring serenely revolving around his heart with a burning red mana ring radiating heat like a small sun.
Within each big ring, three small rings rotated with an exact rhythm, a dance of cosmic balance. This rhythmical rotation was further increased by the relentless pressure of the vacuum room, which in turn amplified his mana assimilation and strengthened his foundation.
After three days, students started emerging from the sanctuary, their limits reached. Drake refused to back down. While the pressure was there, it didn't seem enough to push him beyond his boundaries. He gritted his teeth as he hit the Mystic Resilience button.
The reaction was immediate. A force like an invisible avalanche slammed into him, pinning him to the ground. The pain was excruciating, each moment like a hundred scorpion stings coursing through his veins. Blood trickled from his nose and eyes, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to yield.
Within him, the reverse crystal in his heart started to spin clockwise, reacting to the tremendous pressure. It siphoned mana around it voraciously, feeding the large rings of mana around his heart. The smaller rings nested within them hastened their pace, drawing off the intense gravitational pull.
Minutes felt like hours as Drake teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. His very being screamed for release, yet he hung onto the pain like a man scaling an impossible mountain.
A week passed, and his endurance paid off. The great rings around his heart had each sprouted a smaller minor ring. The rhythmic movement of these rings within one another spoke to the now-strengthened core. His mana system had found a new balance, settling down under the incredible stress.
Although the pressure was no longer threatening his mana circulation, Drake continued exploring the deeper mechanics of his body's adaptation. He realized that, unlike dragons, who resonated between their two hearts using pressure, his body directed the force onto only the reverse crystal.
That seemed to point toward a series of experiments while he searched for a breathing technique which would work in harmony with his uniqueness.
And thus, in the privacy of his chamber, Drake went on perfecting his insight, a lonely figure stretching his capabilities to the limit under the friendly gaze of an invisible cosmos.