The discussion ended without any fruitful results. The Argon Kingdom had descended into a catastrophic and ruinous state. Everything and everyone within the confines of the kingdom was presumed either dead, destroyed, or corrupted. Such a pessimistic outlook was derived from the fact that it was no longer possible to get any more information out of the Argon Kingdom. All forms of communication with the kingdom had been cut off. The usual merchants hailing from the kingdom were also absent.

  The only information that could be perceived, quite easily at that, was the ever-growing darkness in the Argon Kingdom. A single gnce at the kingdom from afar could tell anyone this much. If let be, the kingdom would become an unstoppable force of evil and destruction. As much as the Lavans were strongly concerned about this development, they could do nothing about it. Deploying their troops to suppress the growing evil would be seen as an act of invasion by the neighbouring countries, giving them ample justifications to retaliate against Ulrum’s march.

  This absurd possible outcome was the result of discrimination. Ulrum was not seen as a nation nor anything of the same vein, simply because it was a pce dominated by non-humans. They were viewed as barbaric tribes with some sembnce of intelligence. The forest was rich with resources that any kingdom would go to war for. The only thing stopping them from waging war was a peace treaty established by their ancestors a long time ago. The nation which struck first would be persecuted by other countries. Therefore, no kingdom dared to take the first step. They needed Ulrum to slip up first. Even in such dire times, they were still on the lookout for such a mistake.

  In short, the Lavans could only strengthen and tighten their defences and hoped that there was some faction out there that would stamp out the fmes of evil growing in the Argon Kingdom. Henry knew one such faction but he wasn’t sure if the outcome was worth their intervention.

  The only person advocating for an expedition was the princess, or rather, the former princess of the Argon Kingdom. It was only natural considering that it was her kingdom, her home. As one would expect, no one lent their confidence. They lent their ears and sympathy but no more than that.

  “What a goddamn mess,” Henry sighed as he slumped down on the bench in a vast courtyard that was located in the deep recess between two hills. This pce was the training grounds for the Lavan soldiers.

  “You have sighed for the fifth time today,” said Kiera, standing before Henry. “What gives?”

  “Just menting on the current state of affairs. You see a fire in the distance. You see it growing and spreading quickly. Due to stupid and damnable circumstances, you can’t do anything about the fire. Doesn’t it piss you off?”

  “It surely would but if I can’t do anything about the fire, I would just move away from the fire instead. Move as far away as possible. It’s what I have always done.”

  “That is easy but only if you’re alone. We’re talking about a country here. There are hundreds of thousands of people here. They can’t just move. Even if they can move, where would they go?”

  “I’m no oracle. I wouldn’t know. But I have no such worries. This is not my home. It’s a temporary residence at best. Forgive me for not being as troubled as you. Then again, are you here to ment your problems or are you here to learn?”

  Henry sighed again. “You’re right. Now isn’t the time to be brooding. I’m ready. What’s for today?” Henry asked.

  A few days after Henry had returned from the Argon Kingdom, he had enlisted the help of Kiera, though it was more a request for her guidance and teaching. She was a Magus, a natural adept of magic. There was no better teacher than Kiera when it came to learning spells and magic.

  “Say, what’s with Yu?” Kiera asked.

  “What about her?”

  “I have been meaning to ask. She uses shadows, doesn’t she? I know a few spells that utilise shadows but not to the extent that I have seen from her. She treats the shadows as if they were an extension of her body.”

  Henry hadn’t really given much thought about Yu’s powers so far. She came from a world where random people had special powers, much like those comic book superheroes. He reckoned her powers were more of a mutation rather than some magic spell. “You have to ask her yourself. All I know is that it’s not magic and it’s innate. She was born with it.”

  “How envious, to be born with the ability to wield shadows if they are your own limbs.”

  Henry rose from the bench. “That’s nothing to be envious about, especially for people like us. Come on, let us begin.”

  Kiera shrugged and walked to the centre of the courtyard. “Where did we leave off yesterday?”

  “Something about understanding the flow of Murux coursing through my veins and understanding how I can redirect and control the flow?”

  “Well, have you understood them yet?”

  Henry spyed out his arms and channelled Murux into his hands. It took a few seconds but his hands eventually glowed a faint vermilion.

  “Huh, you learn quickly.”

  “This much is nothing.”

  “Well, how about this?” Kiera flicked her fingers.

  Henry saw the tiny Murux projectile coming at him but he stayed put. He let the projectile hit him on the cheek. “Ouch,” he winced softly. “That stings.”

  “If it were any other person, that would have ripped their mouth apart.”

  Henry frowned. “What the fuck? Are you trying to kill me?”

  Kiera smiled. “I won’t be able to even if I want to. There’s nothing in my repertoire of spells that can fatally harm you. Now, do what I just did. Flick your fingers.”

  Henry flicked his fingers.

  The ground beside Kiera exploded.

  “Oh, dear god. Are you alright?”

  Kiera gnced at the destruction just three feet away from her. “I’m fine, by a few feet. You ck control and precision.”

  “Duh. It is why I sought your guidance in the first pce. My abilities are too destructive. I can’t fight in a team. I would hurt my companions if I did.”

  “We can try something easier.”

  “That wasn’t easy?”

  “It is supposed to be an easy lesson but your ck of moderation is worse than I thought. We need to start with something even easier.”

  Henry scowled.

  “Don’t look at me like that. You asked for this and I’m giving it to you. Now, open your palm and try gathering Murux at the centre. No need to be a lot. Just a pinch will do.”

  Gathering Murux on his palm was easy. The difficult part was the volume of the Murux. It was easier to gather a handful of Murux than simply a pinch. The moment he exuded his Murux, it came out in droves, like a dam with its gates raised all the way. One would tell him to simply not raise the gates too high but that was easier said than done. It wasn’t just the gates. The water flow itself was much too strong. The water flow from raising the gates even just a little was immense. It would be akin to a narrow jet stream of water gushing forth.

  Henry lost track of time. By the time he had succeeded in gathering a pinch of Murux on his palm, morning had come and gone. The sun was at the zenith.

  “You sure learn quickly.”

  “Not quick enough,” Henry panted. He was sweating. He didn’t know when it started but he was drenched in sweat now.

  “I meant it. You are a novice. You have immense talent but you’re still a novice. For a novice, you are improving fast. Most novices take at least a week to learn to control the volume of their Murux output.”

  “...Novice. I suppose I am. I have been using magic through instincts alone.”

  “On with our lesson. Now, shape the gathered Murux into a tiny ball.”

  This part was easy. Giving Murux a form or shape was not that different from maniputing the flow of Murux.

  “Splendid. Now, maintain that shape and form.”

  Henry frowned. “For how long?”

  “As long as you can.”

  Henry realised he had underestimated this step. It was easy to give Murux a form and shape but maintaining it was another story. Barely a minute went by and he could already see that the Murux in his palm began to wobble and shake.

  “Careful now. It’s losing its shape and volume.”

  Henry couldn’t even retort. He was giving his all to keep the Murux from completely breaking apart. However, it was in vain. Not another minute went by, the Murux in his palm fell apart, dispersing harmlessly into the air.

  “You’re doing well.”

  “Am I?”

  “Nothing exploded.”

  “Why would something explode?”

  “Panic. To keep the Murux ball in their palms from crumbling, they would pour more Murux into it in hopes of retaining the form. This often resulted in an explosion. Some even lost their limbs due to this blunder.”

  Henry narrowed his gaze. “You don’t think to warn me about that first?”

  “There’s no point in warning you beforehand. It is part of the test. I wanted to see how you would react when you are on the verge of failure. You handled it quite well.”

  “I don’t see how that’s ‘quite well’. I merely let it fall apart.”

  “It shows your disposition. You don’t panic when you are on the verge of failure.”

  “I don’t see a reason to panic.”

  “That’s good. It would make a lot of things easier. Fear is an impediment to improvement. I have witnessed many greenhorn mages being impeded by their fears. They were all so eager at the beginning but when they realised some of the possible consequences of failure, they began to stall in their improvement.”

  “Can you fault one for not wanting to be a cripple? If they rushed themselves, they might be able to get results faster but at what cost? A Grand Mage without limbs?”

  “They worried too much,” Kiera scoffed. “They ck trust in themselves and in the instructors. Ironically, their ck of trust only made their attempts more dangerous. Enough talking, now. Continue with your training.”

  Henry grunted and tried once again to gather Murux on his palm with just a pinch. It went smoother this time but it still took a while. The sun had begun making its descent when he successfully gathered the Murux on his palm. Nevertheless, he failed in his endeavours not five minutes in.

  “Any advice for this?” Henry asked in between his ragged breaths. He sted longer this time but not by much.

  “Hmm… Advice… Are you sure? I have given advice before but it was never well-received.”

  “Try me.”

  Kiera stared at Henry for a while. “Alright, if you say so. Imagine you’re trying to bance a ball on the tip of your finger. The ball is shaking and wobbling. You cannot drop the ball, or you will risk an explosion that can engulf this entire area.”

  “...I can see why your advice is not well-received.”

  “I am aware of the reason but this method has worked for me. I’m imparting my experience. Spells, for the most part, are heavily affected and limited by the caster's state of mind. One could have the rgest reserve of Murux within them but it is not certain they could even conjure up a spell as simple as a fireball. In your case, you relied too much on your instincts and talents. You ck a proper foundation.”

  “How long does it usually take for one to build a proper foundation?”

  “Two years.”

  “Two years!?” Henry excimed. “I might be doing this for two whole fucking years?!”

  Kiera tittered. “Of course, not. You are not the average novice mage. Well, I was undermining you when I said you’re a novice. You may not have a proper foundation but you have something just as good.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Experience. Novice mages have neither a foundation nor experience. You have the tter. You are already halfway there.”

  “Great. It would take me only… one year, then.”

  “Now you are undermining yourself. It won’t take you a year.”

  “Oh yeah? How long will it take me then?”

  “I say, a month.”