Chapter 54

"Hmph, I knew it. And how have you been, Elara?"

The group continued to chat about various things for a while longer, but fewer participants were arriving, and beasts were hardly visible around them anymore. The ones foolish enough to recklessly throw themselves into the white tide of participants around the light column had been eliminated a long time ago. Only the craftier ones remained, observing the situation from a distance.

But as Erik was conversing, he suddenly felt a change in the Myst around him, leading him to discreetly glance at the column of light from the corner of his eye. What Erik sensed was that the Myst, stirred up by the light column, had calmed down slightly, a margin undetectable to any of the present participants but incredibly evident to Erik, who paid due attention and began to calculate in his mind the changes occurring over time, giving him an idea of when to make his move.

As if nothing had happened, Erik continued chatting with the girls, conveying his intentions to the wolves and Ebonique through their contracts, preparing everything for the exact moment when he would make his move.

Erik's mental countdown continued for almost an hour, as he simultaneously analyzed all possible variables on the field and discreetly tested the light pillar with the help of Myst, while chatting with the three beautiful young women.

"Well, ladies, it's been a pleasure, but it seems I have to go,"

Erik suddenly commented, surprising the three ladies who looked at him a bit confused, not quite understanding what he meant. At the same moment Erik spoke, Tibierus hid in his shadow while he stretched out his left hand, resting it on Kaiser's neck.

As the three ladies were still confused, the imposing light column piercing the sky like a celestial lance slightly dimmed, revealing the silhouette of a majestic staff, floating, defying gravity in the center of the column.

But before the ladies could even process the marvel before them, Erik transformed into an entity of pure energy with Kaiser's help. His body became a human-shaped bolt of electricity holding an imposing wolf by the neck.

Without wasting a single moment, Erik launched himself towards the column of light with a speed that defied mortal perception, leaving behind small electrical sparks that adorned the trail of his movement, while the Myst swirled around his figure like a furious vortex.

Just before Erik collided with the light column at a blinding speed, the Myst around him condensed, forming an impenetrable barrier that enveloped him like a halo of ancient force. With the help of the Myst defense he had created, Erik pierced through the light column, almost like a divine arrow, taking the staff with him and leaving all the onlookers without a chance to react.

A moment later, all the participants gradually started to rationalize what had happened, speechless. Some looked shocked at the slowly fading light column with a huge hole in its center, while others turned to look where Erik had been just a moment ago, only to find three beautiful women looking around with the same expression of astonishment as everyone else. The wolves and the dragon that accompanied the cunning bastard were nowhere to be seen.

...

In the meeting room of the space station, all the present Masters looked at Sigrún and Eleonora with surprise written on their faces, as they drank tea calmly and elegantly, with Seraphina serving different desserts to them.

The surprise was even more evident on Jessica's face, who knew perfectly well how incredibly challenging elementalization was, something that was practically impossible for someone without affinities, being the only one in known history to have achieved it. Moreover, when she first met the boy, despite his impressive power for his young age, he wasn't even capable of achieving elemental synchronization, the first and most basic step towards elementalization.

It was precisely this that convinced her to join the Arcane Order, seeing someone who, using only his wit and monstrous talent, was able to overcome the disadvantage of being born without affinities, taking a path entirely different from hers, standing on equal footing with any "genius." This filled her with incredible expectation for the future, as if Erik's incredible creativity and talent were combined with her vast experience in the path of being a mage without affinities, what they could achieve together would be staggering.

But this went beyond anything she could have imagined. It was really hard for her to understand how Erik had achieved such a feat, and the arrogant and complacent smile that Sigrún directed at her only seemed to indicate that this was the advancement Erik had achieved with her advice, which they had mentioned earlier.

This was something that only added to Jessica's confusion, unable to comprehend how, from just a couple of pieces of advice she gave him on the day they met, the boy not only assimilated them in an unexpected manner but also took them beyond anything she could have imagined.

"Not only does he master communion with the Myst, but now he even masters mystical transcendence. What kind of monster are you two raising?" Thalia asked, utterly astounded, as she looked at Eleonora and Sigrún, who continued to act calmly, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.

"You're exaggerating, Thalia. It's just a little trick that my FIRST DISCIPLE managed to master after a couple of pieces of advice. It's not that big of a deal," Sigrún commented with a voice full of vanity and self-complacency.

"Yes, Thalia, Erik is naturally curious, so upon meeting Master Jessica, he had several ideas he couldn't resist putting into practice. Don't make such a fuss, or our disciple might become arrogant," Eleonora, influenced by Sigrún, elegantly commented, causing the others in the room, including the director, to frown in annoyance.

"Could you two stop bragging? Better tell us how Erik is capable of mastering two master-level techniques at only 30 years old," a shocked Adrian commented, setting aside his typical mannered and elegant demeanor.

"It's not much, just that our Erik has an innate ease in mastering Mana and Myst, to the point where the techniques of Mana control and harmony with Myst are not a challenge for him. However, due to his lack of affinities, he had trouble mastering elemental synchronization, but that changed upon meeting Jessica. He had several ideas and now has partial mastery of the technique, allowing him temporary access to mystical transcendence," Sigrún gracefully and elegantly commented, befitting a Master of her status, but the others present couldn't help but roll their eyes at her behavior.

"Don't tell me the kid already masters all the master-level techniques?" Ryoma asked in surprise, looking quite similar to his beloved granddaughter on the holographic screen, who was watching the direction Erik had fled, with astonishment written on her face.

"Actually, no, we haven't talked much about master-level techniques to him so that he can perfect the others and form a solid base. Besides, we wanted to let his great creativity run wild to see what he could create from what he knew. The problem is our disciple is very curious and ends up discovering them on his own, as was the case with communion with the Myst, which he discovered by himself even before meeting us," Sigrún explained.

Eleonora responded elegantly to the question while sipping tea with a calm and affable expression, but a small smile escaping at the corner of her lips betrayed her true feelings.

"This is impossible, I've never heard of someone like this..." Ryoma murmured to himself, astonished, as he sank deep into his thoughts. However, he quickly returned to reality when the director spoke.

"Erik is a peerless genius in the galaxy and a crucial asset to the order, so I hope those present understand the need for discretion and ensure this information does not leave this room."

"We understand, Director. This won't leave these walls."

Adrian responded on behalf of the others present, who nodded in agreement. But suddenly, Jessica asked aloud.

"Won't the information leak anyway, with so many participants having seen Erik elementalize?"

"Not really. Although what Erik did can be interpreted as elementalization, it's something only a Master can confirm, and no one will believe that a 30-year-old could do something like this on his own. They'll likely think it was the result of some magical artifact. Besides, our inaction will only confirm their suspicions. Acting hastily will only arouse curiosity in others and make things worse."

The director replied with a smile, watching Erik on the holographic screen as he flew over the continent on the head of a majestic black dragon, examining the scepter with a focused look.

"The director is right. I apologize for my impertinence," Jessica sincerely apologized, but was stopped by the director, who commented in a relaxed manner.

"You don't need to apologize for such a thing. You are one of us now."

"Thank you, Director."