6 How Do I Sense This?

Due to Striyora declining to such a poor state, vibrant vegetation is almost impossible to come across. All throughout the continent, if a plant or tree wasn't dead, then it has wilted, shriveled or fallen and on a direct path to death. As a result of this, the School of Initiation spent half of their wealth to hire a Genesis expert from a faraway territory. These experts spend their life delving into the mysteries of arrays and formations, and can create artificial life using elemental energy. This is the reason why there is such vibrant plant life here in the School; It is made from a formation by the Genesis expert and sustained using elemental rhinestone. 4 rhinestone can sustain this formation for a single decade.

Currently Enzo was marveling at all the vibrant plant life. It was almost indistinguishable from real life. He walked over to a nearby flower and gently touched one of it's petals.

"That's a petunia." Kaiden walked over whilst carrying Enzo's 'master' on his back.

"They're so beautiful," Enzo lightly sniffed the flower before saying "The elders back in my village spoke of flowers like these. I didn't think this school was hogging them all!"

Laughing lightly, Kaiden corrected,

"Actually, all the plant life here isn't exactly real."

Enzo's eyes widened slightly before saying, "None of these plants are real? How can that be!?"

Kaiden explained,

"A few decades ago long before I had been born, the headmaster of this school invited an almighty expert to come to our school and create life since the previous dead plants had been dulling his disciples' mood…"

Hearing that someone could actually create life, Enzo couldn't help but be astonished. How strong would you have to be to do something like that?

"They called him a Genesis expert, someone who could make use of the land and power of rhinestone to form life from the elements."

Enzo was deeply impressed. Form life from just energy alone! If I could do that, couldn't I bring color back to my village?

"Anyways, Lucid Lake is just up ahead, plus my back is killing me from carrying your master all this way! Let's hurry up and get there before I pass out."

Saying that much, Kaiden and Enzo continued forward before reaching a moderately sized lake. The lakewater was extremely clear and if one looked inside they could easily discern what lied at the bottom. The water was motionless with not a single ripple, as if even an earthquake would struggle to faze it. Across from the lake was a building supported by five pillars. Behind those pillars were ten doors numbered 51 - 51G, 52 - 52G and so on all the way to 55G. Enzo's room was all the way to the right.

"That's your residence right there, number 55. Let's head in and I'll take my leave after setting your master down."

Enzo nodded.

Making their way around the lake, Kaiden looked at Enzo when they reached his door and said,

"This door is controlled by a formation so we'll need your identity token to enter. Those years ago before the Genesis expert left, he taught the headmaster for a week. During that time he learned some minor formation techniques, this door is one of them."

Enzo pulled out his token and handed it to Kaiden. Holding the token, Kaiden was surprised at how polished and well kept it was. Has this just been made? Pushing those thoughts aside, he put the token up against the door and a light blue wave flashed across as if scanning the token. After a few seconds, the door clicked.

"Let's go in, we only have five seconds to enter or else we'll have to scan the token again." They both quickly entered and shut the door.

The room was extremely ordinary, yet clean to the utmost degree. There wasn't the slightest evidence that anyone has stayed here, other than the bed, which looked damp from months of someones slobber. There was an empty bookshelf in the corner of the room and a desk beside it facing a wall. The entire room was beige colored, however the blanket for the bed was a dark shade of turquoise.

Kaiden neared the bed and was slightly reluctant to place Enzo's 'master' on this damp bed, however he did it anyways. With a metaphoric splash, he threw him onto the bed and turned to Enzo while saying goodbye,

"It was nice meeting you Enzo, we'll definitely see each other again in the future."

Enzo nodded and followed him out of the room to send him off. After he left he walked over to the plain desk next to the bookshelf, pulled out its chair and sat down to take in everything that happened today.

'Holy crap!"

He never once thought he would make it to this point. He actually became a disciple of the School of Initiation! In a single day not more than 7 hours he went from village 3 all the way to the School of Initiation and was actually able to enter and get a room! Although it was because of that guy Chung and his blunder of giving him the wrong token, but luck is also strictly tied to one's own fortune. He also met that mysterious guy who fell from the purple rift in the sky. Who was that guy and what was up with that bead in his possession?

Enzo couldn't help but look behind him at the injured man who lied on the bed. All of a sudden a thought appeared in his head.

'What if he's super strong like that man depicted in the statue I saw back then or even as powerful as those Genesis experts Kaiden told me about!?'

He did fall from the sky afterall. What sort of existence or phenomenon could cause someone to fall from a rift in space? Shouldn't he be super powerful or come from a place several times more unique than ours? Well, If he is that strong, then maybe I can get him to teach me something! Wouldn't the advice from someone as powerful as him be worth a city?

Enzo looked at the man with wide eyes wondering when he'd awaken when he noticed something. The cuts and scars that filled the man's body were actually not there. Although there were blood stains, but the actual cuts and scars were absent.

'Where did they go?'

Enzo clearly remembered the hundreds of cuts and scars that riddled his body when he fell from the sky.

'Did they heal!?'

After reaching this point in thought, Enzo nearly flipped.

That confirms it! He's actually a super powerful man! Excitement filled Enzo's body, as well as nervousness.

Suddenly three loud knocks could be heard coming from the front of his quarters.

"Delivery for Enzo!" A strident voice sounded out.

A delivery for me? Enzo got up from his desk and walked towards his door to open it up.

Upon opening, he saw a small young man about 5'3 wearing the school's uniform along with a dark brown conical hat. He looked up at Enzo and said,

"These are courtesy of senior Mazu, Ao Han and Kaiden, enjoy your gifts!" The young man passed him a box, bowed, and left whilst pushing a bamboo cart slightly taller than he was.

Seeing the man leave, Enzo stood with a confused look on his face, however it only lasted for second.

'Ah, whatever, at least I got some free stuff!'

Taking the box inside, he placed it on the desk and began to open it. Tearing the top apart, he put his arm inside to pull out a dark green uniform. This was the School of Initiation uniform! Enzo immediately took off his grey mud covered clothes and put on his new uniform.

There was also a faint white glowing band that came with it which meant the School recognized that I had a token. The band would only glow a faint white if it sensed a token was within 3 feet of the wearer.

Enzo dived back into the box and pulled out a small manual.

'The Basics of Core Consciousness' - Insights derived from Master Incipient Reid.'

"This must be the manual Ao Han used! He said he reached the pinnacle of this stage? What does that mean?"

Before he looked through the manual, he wanted to make sure nothing else was in the box so he did one last sweep through it. Putting his hand inside, he pulled out a piece of paper.

"Is this what Kaiden gifted me?" Looking at the piece of paper, he turned it over and saw it was the layout of the entire School!

"This is really useful! I'll have to find a gift to repay all three of them in the future!" Thinking up to this point, he picked up the box and laid it on the floor next to the desk while picking up the manual.

"It's time to see just how exactly the training here is done!"

Holding the manual in his hand, he flipped open to the first page and began reading.

'Every living thing is born with a Core. One's Core is extremely intricate and even I have only touched the very surface of what it is and how it works. However, over the decades of experimentation and effort I've put into learning the Way of our Core, I've developed this manual to help walk you along the path of Elementalism. The first stage I will discuss here is called the Core Consciousness stage. In this stage all those who wish to walk on the path of an Elementalist will first have to sense your own Core. If you cannot sense your own Core, then you will never be able to guide its energy.'

Reading up to here, Enzo was astonished. Every living thing has a core? That was something he never knew! It was also interesting to know that the people here at the School of Initiation practice Elementalism! What exactly is an Elementalist, does that mean they can somehow use the power of the elements?

Thinking this much, Enzo's mind couldn't help but wander off. He was imagining someone with two hands filled with fire shooting into the sky and beautiful ladies with an ice vortex surrounding her.

"Hehe…"

With a weird smile on his face, he dazed off.

After some time, he realized he hadn't read anything in quite some time.

"I still don't know how to sense my Core, let me keep reading and see if this Reid guy will tell me anything!"

…

Time flew by, and Enzo had his head on the desk. He looked extremely downtrodden.

"That's it!?"

He flipped the manual over just to make sure he didn't miss anything more.

"The manual really said to just sit in a cross legged position and close my eyes until I'm able to feel my Core?"

This was really too vague for Enzo to handle. There aren't any tips or tricks, it's basically up to luck. Enzo gave a long sigh and sat down in the middle of the room to attempt to sense his Core.

__________________________________

Ao Han and Mazu have long since returned to their posts. They stood by the archway, as bored as ever. Ao Han sighed at the silence that filled the air and looked at Mazu.

"How do you think the School is fairing over in Winterville?"

Hearing Ao Han's question, Mazu shook his head.

"I really don't think we stand a chance against their School. Not only can their disciples get real world experience in their desolate zone, but they also have a much bigger supply of rhinestone to go around. Us one star disciples only get a small piece of rhinestone every month because of our limited supply, but they probably get entire halfs!"

Hearing Mazu's words, he nodded in agreement. It was true, a desolate zone is the greatest way to train and harvest elemental rhinestone. Desolate zones are filled with beasts and strange creatures who've mutated due to the energy from rhinestones found in nature. Elemental rhinestone is only meant to be used for humans to train with, if any other life form tried to use it or intake its energy, they would undergo a hideous transformation. As a result of this, desolate zones will form when those mutated creatures loiter around rhinestone in huge numbers. To those mutated beasts, rhinestone is like crack; they can't get enough of it. Usually, the strongest beasts will be in the center of the zone, where the most supply of rhinestone is, while the weaker one's will hang around the zones' border. This makes it really easy for disciples to enter to see how far they can get.

Suddenly, Mazu squinted his eyes and saw someone power walking with his arms flailing at his sides.

"Who's that up there?" Readying the small dagger on his side, Mazu took a stance.

Frowning, Ao Han also moved closer to the archway where he had his polearm situated.

If this person had malicious intentions, they would fight with all their strength.