Epheotus

After my conversation with Windsom, I hurriedly said goodbye to my parents, friends, and grandpa Virion.

I followed Windsom into the teleportation circle, waved goodbye to my parents and took off into an unknown land.

I was met with a beautiful landscape, and a towering castle.

"Welcome to Epheotus, the land of Asuras." said Windsom

at Kordri's training

"It's good to see you again, Kordri," Windsom suddenly greeted to no one in particular.

"It is nice seeing you as well, Elder Windsom. And you must be the human, Arthur Leywin, correct?" Just then, a figure that I could swear was not there before was suddenly right in front of us. It was the same shaven and lean asura that had sat down in front of me just now.

This man was by no means distinguishable or remarkable in any way. He reminded me much of a monk; someone who had chosen to let go of the worldly ways, except he wasn't dressed in a robe but a light, tight-fitting tunic. The only unique feature he had was his four hazel eyes, but even that fact seemed to be somehow plain. Every one of his four eyes exuded a calm wisdom that differed from Lord Indrath's silently terrifying gaze.

"Yes, nice to meet you," I replied after quickly regaining my composure.

"Arthur, this is my close friend, Kordri. He is of the Thyestes Clan of the Pantheon asura race just like Aldir, who you met back at the floating castle in Dicathen," Windsom introduced. He had taught me about the eight asura races and the affiliated Great Clans. The Pantheon race was the only race of asura that was versed in what I coined as neutral-type mana art.

"Has Lord Indrath truly granted you the aether orb?" Kordri's even voice snapped me out of my train of thought as he looked anxiously at Windsom.

"Yes, it is right here." Windsom then took out a sphere shaped object the size of his palm, revealing it to Kordri.

"Lord Indrath is truly investing much into this human," he sighed, admiring the orb.

Windsom looked back to meet my eyes, giving me a "I told you so" gaze before turning back.

"Arthur, come and sit here with us. I'll explain to you how your training will begin." Kordri motioned for me with his hand as he sat down.

...

"So what exactly will we be doing for the first portion of the training?" I asked, almost timidly.

Windsom replied, his voice sounding almost devious. "You will be fighting against Kordri in a soul state, and you will be dying. Over and over again."

...

"Trust in your body, Arthur! As long as you are able, your body will be the only thing that will not fail you."

Every second of his unending barrage, Kordri was slightly speeding up.

Dodging one of Kordri's attacks, I had made a mistake, by leaning far too much to the left, I allowed Kordri to successfully land a jab to my right side. Piercing pain had forced my eyes open as I looked down to see Kordri's hand inside my ribs, unbloodied.

"Dammit." As the word left my tongue, the all too familiar sensation of being sucked out of the soul realm, once again, overwhelmed me.

As soon as I awoke back in the cave, my hands shot to my chest, prodding for a hole that wasn't there.

I fell to my back in the shallow pool. "How long this time, Windsom?"

"Three hours," he replied.

"That is astonishing for a human, if I didn't see you I'd have thought you were an Asura. unless.."

"Unless.. what?" I asked, panic surging within me.

"No, just a hunch. It's nothing, ignore it."

I'm not exactly sure what the he was thinking, but I had pretty much figured out why the Asuras think I'm a human. Sylvia's feather was not only disguising the mark left by Sylvie, but also my Asuran body.

"Well, time to get training again. Are you ready, Kordri?" I gave my body one last stretch before sitting back up.

Letting out an amused chuckle, he gave me a nod. "I will always be ready, Greenhorn."

"Remember, Arthur, while you are training in the soul realm, your physical body will also be refining your mana core. The longer you are able to last in the soul realm, the faster your cultivation will go. Don't overexert yourself; it has only been a week into your training. We still have some leeway, but not if you take on more than you can handle," Windsom cautioned as he activated the Aether Orb.

...

"Alright Arthur, so far I've used a predetermined series of attacks. Now, I will use every attack at my disposal. Try to keep up."

As soon as Kordri finished talking, he blurred in front of me and unloaded a barrage of attacks. He was slow at first, but was continuously speeding up to the point where I could see barely a blur.

With each and every attack dodged or blocked, my instincts got sharper. My body was honing my mind and my mind was honing my body, working in an equilibrium to process and analyze Kordri's every move.

It felt as if Kordri's attacks continuously grew slower, with each passing second my mind and body working sharper and faster.

Kordri sped up again, his attacks near invisible.

and this went on for days upon days, weeks upon weeks.

...

"Arthur, I feel that you have become good enough with hand to hand combat that we can move onto sword combat."--he handed me my sword, Dawn's Ballad--"here"

"Arthur, I will now unleash a pressure on you, and you will try to fight me like that."

A crushing pressure weighed upon me, restricting my movement as I now truly felt like prey.

...

With every fight, I could tell I was evolving. We have spent a year in here, meaning just a mere month in the outside world.

I could tell I was close to the stage beyond white core.. Integration stage, as the Asuras called it. A few more years, and I would reach it.

...

"Who's the kid?" I asked unassumingly.

"Arthur, I'd like you to meet Taci... your new training partner."

"Training partner?" the kid echoed before I had the chance to respond. "Master, I thought you told me to come here so that I could get a chance to finally receive some individual training..."

"Taci, you will also be training as you spar with Arthur here, now come here so we can begin." Kordri gestured toward the obviously dissatisfied child.

"Master, what benefit will come from training with this... lesser being?" he grumbled, shooting an annoyed look at me.

I couldn't hide my smirk at him thinking I'm just a 'mere lesser being'.

"Arthur"— Kordri stressed—"has been receiving special training from me. Sparring with him will help with your development. You also have the rare honor of training using the Aether Orb, yet, you dare complain?"

"N-no, I would never defy your instructions, Master. This pupil only finds it beneath Master to waste your time training a mere human when the Thyestes Clan has many pupils awaiting your mentorship," the child named Taci clarified, lowering himself to another bow.

"When learning this, even our own disciples are forbidden to use mana until they can properly display the basics of our techniques. I am not saying this to boast, but our clan's fame came from the deadliness of our combat art. When looking at a master, you will see that our form of fighting is both fierce and fluid, like a deadly cyclone. I have only shown you a glimpse of this, Arthur, but I want you to train by fighting against Taci," Kordri continued as he turned his attention over to the child. "Taci, you are to use your full strength to fight against Arthur; do not worry about fatal injuries or death here."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the blatantly delighted smirk on Taci's face as he was told this. However, his smug expression immediately disappeared by what his master said next. "Arthur, you are not to use any mana. I will not be applying any pressure on you as of now, but expect it to come later on. You are also not allowed to attack him at all, but simply block and deflect. The only form of offensive maneuvers you are allowed to make are throws."

"M-Master? This doesn't make any sense?" Taci stuttered, shocked. "Shouldn't you be placing restrictions on me instead of the human? By doing this, do you mean to say that, without these handicaps, he would be able to defeat me?"

"Taci, I am growing tired of your pitiful whining. Are you doubting me?" Kordri's eyes grew sharp as he spoke. There was no mercy shown in his expression, immediately shutting Taci's mouth as he frantically shook his head.

I never had the chance to indulge in this feeling... this satisfying sense of victory over a cocky kid when his parent unexpectedly sides with me.

"Now, begin."

KORDRI POV

Simply saying that I was surprised would be a lying; no, the more accurate word would be astonished. I had a feeling that it might end up this way, but not this soon. Arthur Leywin... what a truly mysterious individual.

I expected him to at least have some problems dodging Taci's relentless onslaught powered by childish rage and a superiority complex. Yet, he had no trouble dodging Taci's strikes, even seemed bored at times. But I could tell he was carefully studying Taci's moves, committing them to memory like a starved beast.

Constantly, as I taught him, I had noticed the feeling of excitement, awe, and pride welling up; emotions that I did not even feel towards myself. It was similar to that of unearthing an unknown, yet obviously precious, gem. Arthur was still dull and rough, but with each buff, he shone brighter and brighter. There was no telling what the final product would look like, but it was this longing to find out that made it so exhilarating, yet regrettable. Was he going to have the chance to develop to his full potential? Or will he run out of time first?

Had he been born an asura, he would undeniably be a prominent member amongst the highest echelons of power. However, the Gods have placed him to be merely a pawn, utilized until no longer needed. Such a pity.

...

ARTHUR POV

Kordri eventually decided to have older asuras join me in my training.

These older Asuras were no joke, their skill clearly much more refined than Taci. I needed to learn to abuse the very little amount of openings I was given.

He's too close, use a throw.

Slow recovery, go towards him.

Faster

Moving in too fast, use his momentum against him and duck under his punch, then punch back using his own momentum as a weapon.

His kick is too high, grab his foot and kick him back.

...

"Master Kordri. Thank you for training me up until now," I turned and bowed respectfully after we both got out of the pool of blue liquid back inside the cave.

"Mmm, it was a treat for me as well," the shaved-headed asura replied.

Giving my body a thorough stretch, I turned to face Windsom. "When is the next portion of our training?" I asked as I mentally searched for signs of Sylvie. This past year, I wasn't able to sense, let alone communicate, with my bond. It had become a custom to search for her every time I was thrown out of the soul realm, but each attempt proved fruitless.

"Ah, we will start the next part of your training soon."

Peering down from the edge of the cliff we were currently standing on, I couldn't help but grow anxious. The forest looked like one giant bush that spilled over the visible horizon, with the cluttered trees blocking any view of what laid below. Large birds and other fearsome winged species hovered over the dense collection of green, diving in and retrieving their meal every so often.

"This is where you will be training," Windsom announced, his gaze still fixed on the forest.

"Of course it is," I sighed, making sure that the sack slung over my shoulder was fastened tight.

"Shall we?" After replying with a quick nod, the two of us jumped off the cliff, spreading mana through our body while trying to keep balance against the harsh winds that blew around us.

"You have given me everything except for the items in your bag, correct?" The asura confirmed, holding his palm out in case I missed something.

"Everything I own is in that dimension ring, which isn't much. Anything else you wish to take from me? My clothes? A kidney or lung perhaps?" I quipped, looking around at my surroundings.

"Amusing," the asura replied flatly, taking out a book from his cloak. "Now, since you were so adamant on the fact that you have complete mastery over your internal mana control—"

"I simply said it wasn't necessary to waste time training that explicitly," I countered.

"Anyway, I will consider your level sufficient upon retrieving me these three things." He pointed at the open book.

"Pelt of a raptor squirrel, the beast core of a silver panther, and the claws of a titan bear," I read the list aloud, absorbing the black and white drawings of each of the mana beasts.

"... and these items will prove, somehow, that I am ready to learn more about the will Sylvia had left me with?" I handed the book back to him.

"In a way. Of course, on the condition that you not use any external mana arts whatsoever. Ah, and you are to wear this at all times," Windsom added, handing me a bell roughly the size of my fist.

"I really do have to question your idea of training," I sighed again as I held up the silver bell, triggering a series of vibrant rings way too loud for a single bell to make.

"Let me know when you've collected all of the things on the list by breaking the bell." He turned around, preparing to leave, but stopped. "Oh, and I recommend getting the items in that order."

Just like that, he was gone, leaving me alone in this forest with nothing but a bell, some blankets, and a leather pouch filled with fresh water.

A pelt of a raptor squirrel, huh...

According to the picture, the raptor squirrel looked like any other squirrel, except with more prominent hind limbs, three, thin tails, and beady eyes. Observing my surroundings, I had yet to see any sort of wildlife.

I set up a campsite, where I meditated, purifying mana to reach the fabled integration stage which I was so darn close to. A day, maybe two, and I would reach it.

After a few hours, I heard rustling in the leaves. A small snout popped out, and after a while the rest of the squirrels body. Soon, a few raptor squirrels scuttled about with their three tails constantly twirling around like antennas, desperately trying to find some food before predators caught wind of their presence.

[Godspeed Impulse]

I shot off towards the squirrel, catching it in my hands before it could react.

"First task done." I said with a satisfied smirk.

Windsom came and took the pelt from me, commenting on my immense speed.

I immediately went to work, catching even more raptor squirrels to rule out the silver panther.

I then sat down, getting back to meditation.

Soon, a silver panther was carefully approaching the trap, sniffing around for any signs of danger. I trapped it in a dome made of ice, and swiftly killing it.

"Second task also done."

As I made my way toward the edge of the ravine, looking for more raptor squirrels to eat.

I heard heavy footsteps incoming towards me, whipping my body to face my new enemy, I waited for the last of the dust to clear.

Out from the fog of rubble, the shadowed figure stepped out into full view, leaving me all the more confused.

Letting out another devastating roar, it took another step toward me. "You look like a tasty meal."

"And you look like a ticket out of this forest" I responded, still keeping my smug smile.

"GRRH, don't think you'll survive for even a second!" the bear roared, as it launched towards me.

Creating claws out of ice, I swiftly dispatched the bear, skinning it.

Windsom came to congratulate me, handing me a shiny white orb extracted from the bear, when a woman well past her youth, seasoned with the signs of refined aging with wrinkles marking her face, doing nothing to hide her dignified and graceful demeanor and dressed in a simple gray robe to match her hair tied tightly in the back to come down in a braid approached me with sparkling eyes.

"Windsom, dead, could I borrow this boy for a week or two?" the woman asked

"No, that would be no problem lady Myre." answered Windsom

...

Myre ushered me into her home, treating me to a warm cup of tea.

"Thank you..."

"Myre. Simply call me Myre, child."

"Thank you Myre."

"I have brought you over here to train you in using Realmheart. I am told Sylvia has given you her will, including the power that most Asuras would kill for. Show me your Realmheart physique, child."

[Realmheart]

I activated Realmheart, the world turning monochrome. Particles of all four elements and aether were floating around, while Myre studied me very carefully.

"Let's take a little theoretical approach for today, tomorrow the practical training begins."

in the night

I was dangerously close to advancing into the Integrate stage, and one big push would bring my core over the edge.

I took the pearl I had gotten from the asura out of my pocket as well as the Titan Bear core.

I began hungrily funneling the mana into my core, my core absorbing and purifying all of it.

It was 15 minutes after I began absorbing the mana, when suddenly my core went over the threshold.

I felt an immense surge of mana inside me, my body feeling as if it was turning itself inside out a thousand times every second. Mana pulses were being sent throughout my entire body, as if rebuilding it. Time stopped and started, Realmheart activated and deactivated, and the third stage of my beast will revealed itself. It seemed like Realmheart, but unrestrained. As if the Realmheart I used to was actually a mere sliver of its true power.

Passing out from the pain, I hoped that it was worth it.