Chapter 16: What a monster

"That even you would call him a monster..." Despite her serious expression, a hint of surprise escaped the voice of the beautiful woman in the mirror.

"Just listen to this. According to him, he managed to sense mana in 30 minutes and the Myst a few hours later after practicing some random exercises, which he showed me. But I assure you, running would be more effective than what he was doing.

But that's not the craziest part. The boy now uses a series of bio-mystic exercises at least Master-level, which, according to him, he was guided by the Myst to do. Moreover, he's only 15 years old and already an advanced-apprentice, having instinctively mastered Reinforcement, Emission, Form Control, Essence Transformation, Mystical Confluence, and Communion with the Myst.

Furthermore, the boy has an absurd level of mana control, it's truly insane. But the most incredible thing is that he can solidify Myst and control it at will with terrifying ease, something I saw with my own eyes," Sigrún explained seriously what she knew about Erik.

"What a monster. If you weren't the one telling me this, I wouldn't dare to believe it, especially the last part. There are no records of anyone being able to change the position of solidified Myst at will..." The surprise was evident in the voice of the woman on the other side of the mirror.

"Yes, that's why I want you to investigate his origins. Someone like that can't just appear out of nowhere on the island where my master rests, it seems too good to be true."

"Is that where you found him?"

The woman on the other side of the mirror asked, a little surprised, to which Sigrún nodded as she explained.

"Yes, apparently he was working on a ship that was destroyed by a sea monster and ended up on the island by the waves, which is impossible. I personally took care of modifying the entire environment: the waves, the weather, even the tides are set to divert anyone who approaches. Not to mention the concealment and defense formations installed there.

Moreover, according to him, the ship was on a route on the other side of the planet, so I can only think of one possibility: someone or something put the boy there, and we need to find out what it is, because the boy has no idea. And although it's true that I created the island when I was just an Arcane, a random Master-level wouldn't be able to break the concealment."

"You're right, I'll get on it. Just make sure to give me the boy's name and description. I'll send people to take care of the matter," said the woman on the other side of the mirror. Her serious expression then turned playful as she continued with a small smile, "But now I'm really dying to meet our disciple."

"Our? Since when is he our disciple? He's MY disciple," Sigrún jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately becoming defensive.

"*sob* I didn't know my little Sig had become so selfish, not even wanting to share the good things with her poor older sister," the woman's playful smile widened as she commented with mock sadness in a dramatic tone.

"Hmph, as if we ever shared disciples. You already have yours, keep them, don't bother mine," Sigrún huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms beneath her ample chest.

"Ah, that's because you never wanted to teach them anything. But from now on, my disciples are your disciples, if you wish. So don't forget to tell the boy about his other master."

"Don't even think about it. Erik is MY disciple, so don't get any ideas."

Sigrún replied, evidently annoyed, her delicate face full of displeasure, something the woman on the other side of the mirror wonderfully ignored, commenting in a sweet tone as she brought her right hand to her cheek.

"So his name is Erik? Nice name."

"Yes, his name is Erik, and I gave it to him. So leave my disciple alone, I never bothered you with yours."

"Wait, what do you mean you gave him the name? Explain that to me because I don't understand," the woman on the other side of the mirror commented, puzzled.

"Well, apparently he didn't have a name, just a nickname. They called him 'Green Eyes', according to what he told me," Sigrún's expression turned a bit sad as she spoke.

"That's very sad. I'll make sure to give our little Erik lots of love and care to comfort him for his tough childhood."

The woman's expression in the mirror also showed some sadness, though she didn't forget to tease Sigrún in revenge for her blatant attempt to boast in front of her.

"What love and care? Do that for your disciples, don't bother mine. I'll take care of whatever he needs."

Sigrún's expression instantly shifted from sadness to annoyance at the woman's words, replying in an offended tone.

"Sig, aren't you curious to see what a child of the Myst could achieve when taught by both of us? Think about it, he would have your aegis system and my sacred geometry at his disposal, combined with your alchemy skills and my refinement abilities. And don't forget, if he uses Myst constructions, sacred geometry will benefit him the most."

Like a demon tempting a naive soul, the woman began to entice Sigrún, who found it increasingly hard to refuse. After all, she was genuinely curious to see what could happen—a genius like Erik combined with the best they had to offer. The thought alone made her shiver.

"..."

"You're dying to know, aren't you, Sig? I feel the same way. What do you say?"

"Let me think about it..."

"Fufufu, alright. Now, tell me more about the boy."

…

…

…

The moment Sigrún left the room, Erik dropped his bag on the floor, placed his machetes on the desk, and jumped onto the bed. It didn't make a sound, and the mattress easily absorbed the impact, leaving him feeling the best comfort and coziness he had ever experienced.

"This bed is amazing; I've never felt a bed this good before. I feel great..."

The boy lay on the bed with a relaxed expression on his face, but after a while, he closed his eyes and began to meditate on what had happened that day.

(Today was a crazy day. That woman, or rather, my master, is a damn monster. I almost died of fright when she suddenly appeared on the roof of my cabin. Her presence is too terrifying, I've never felt anything like it before.

Being in front of her is like being a tiny firefly in front of the sun, too terrifying. I didn't even have the courage to lie and only told half-truths, as I have the strange feeling that she can tell if I'm lying. And being a thousand-year-old monster, it wouldn't be strange if she could do something like that...

Moreover, things changed too quickly. I went from surviving in the wild to accepting a monstrous master who does magic and flying in an interstellar ship through space to the center of the galaxy. Although, well, I finally found the answer to why a medieval world had the concept of planet and galaxy... Things are so exciting!!! Hahahahaha...)

A strange smile formed on Erik's face as he stretched lazily on the bed, but he quickly returned to his thoughts.

(Although, there's still the possibility that I'm nothing more than merchandise for a human trafficker, so I shouldn't celebrate too soon. But then again, it's not like I could do much about it. That woman is a monster in more than one sense, and I can't see myself escaping in any way. So, I better not think about it and just go with the flow. Maybe I'm lucky...

Setting that aside, the question is, where am I? Is this the same world from my past life but at a different time, or is it a parallel world? Mmmm, that's hard to answer. Although, if I found Earth, there would be a chance to get answers. But well, it's not particularly useful to know that anyway...)

While Erik continued thinking about random things and since it had been years since he lay in such a soft bed, he slowly fell asleep, drifting into the world of dreams with a small smile on his face.

…

…

…

Several hours later, Erik woke up a bit confused and looked around, trying to understand where he was. But he quickly remembered what had happened and began to explore the place with curiosity.

"This is really something else, it's practically a luxury hotel. No, come to think of it, this place is better..."

After marveling at every detail and admiring the intricate and detailed runes carved around, Erik arrived at the bathroom, which had a shower, bathtub, and all the necessary equipment to bathe. So, without further thought, he took off his clothes and started showering.

"This is the life. Although the bathroom in my cabin wasn't bad, bathing with hot water and shampoo is something else."

After a thorough shower, Erik stepped into the bathtub, which filled with hot water incredibly fast. He began to relax in a bubble bath. The foam started to release the 'water' on its own as the bathtub filled, surprising him a bit, but considering this was a real mage's place, such a trick seemed insignificant.

After some time, Erik got out of the bathtub and went to look for his clothes in his bag. Remembering his master's words, he decided to check the closet. Inside, he found various white garments of different styles, perfectly smooth and hanging.

Driven by curiosity, Erik began to look through them one by one, realizing after a while that they weren't just robes like his master's. There were also some jacket and pants sets. Without much thought, he decided to put on one of those.

Before changing, Erik curiously checked the drawers of the closet and, to his surprise, found men's underwear, socks, and other items, all in white, which brought a big smile to his face.

"Finally, underwear. I missed you, baby."

With a broad smile, Erik put on the underwear and the jacket and pants set, which looked quite funny on him since they were several sizes too big. Surprisingly, runes on the clothes lit up, and they quickly shrank to fit him perfectly, something he watched with evident interest.

Full of curiosity, Erik continued exploring the closet and soon found a pair of white boots that suited his taste. He quickly put them on, and like the clothes, several runes lit up, and the boots soon adjusted perfectly to his feet, as if they were custom-made.

After putting on the boots, Erik found his machetes and arranged them again at his waist. He then admired his new appearance in a full-length mirror in the corner of the room.

"I look really cool, hehehe."

Erik commented with a small smile on his face, clearly amazed by the elegant and 'casual' style he now had. Although the matte leather color of his belt and machetes clashed with the pure white of his clothes, it still looked good enough not to bother him too much.

Once he finished appreciating his new clothes, Erik decided to go out to meet his master, holding back the saliva that threatened to escape as the delicious taste of cookies came to mind, leaving him eager to discover what other delicacies awaited him.