A true beginning!

'The seed is planted, now I need to extract some information. Also, I have to ask about the 'book of secrets'. But before that...'

Adger suddenly asked Alice who did not look in a good shape to talk.

"Hey Alice, can you tell me what these Infusers are? I heard about them a while ago." He deliberately said her name to increase the familiarity between them.

As Alice heard the question, she took in a deep breath, calming herself down.

"Ahem! Infusers you ask. Sure, if you have ever read any fantasy stories or something similar, you will quickly grasp what they are." In a sweet voice she said.

"Infusers are people, that have gained the ability to utilise a power known as Life energy. Life energy itself is a force that flows through all life, by learning to harness this power, one gains the status of an Infuser.

"However, this power is not so simple. Only a few people have a spirit capable of using this power, in simple terms, talent in needed to use this power. The higher the quality of the spirit, more will be the talent." Alice calmly explained like a professional teacher. She seemed quite knowledgeable in this regard.

Adger listening to Alice, suddenly felt his mood droop, like a plant that had withered due to lack of sunlight.

'Does that mean, it is up to chance if I can use this so called life energy? What a disappointment! If it turns out I can't be an infuser, all my hard work would go down the drain.'

Alice visibly saw Adger's energy level drop down.

"You need not worry. You just need to have the capacity to use Life energy, your potential could be increased from a secret technique mentioned in the 'book of secrets'." Alice tried to console.

"Techniques?" Adger questioned in return.

"Oh right, I haven't told you about them. In short, being an Infuser will grant a user many abilities like telekinesis, enhanced physique etc. However, there are more things that can be accomplished through the use of the life energy. This is possible with the aid of techniques.

"Techniques are special methods that can grant a wide variety of abilities, that a normal Infuser cannot use. The 'book of secrets' is a record of the most forbidden and secret techniques, that is why it is considered one of the most important artefacts in the entire Marble." Alice answered.

Adger could not hide the amazement on his face.

'But still I need to first have the capability to be an Infuser. I can learn the techniques from the 'book of secrets' later. That way I will quickly gain more power and be far more special than any ordinary Infuser. But it still depends on whether I have the ability to be an Infuser.'

"How can I check if I can be an Infuser? Are you one?" Adger asked.

"It is quite easy to check. You just need to come into contact with an artefact with special abilities. If it responds to you, then you have the capability. In your case, Stephen's diary was that artefact, as you are here, it means you have the capability. And also, I am not an Infuser." Alice explained.

A garden with beautiful flowers and a scent of life, this was Adger's heart when he heard Alice's words.

'Hell yeah! I can be a freakin' Infuser. Let's gooo...' Adger screamed in his mind in delight.

With a cheerful mood, he quickly asked. "How can I become one? I want to be an Infuser!"

Alice used her finger to tug a long strand of black hair behind her ear as she replied.

"For that you would need an Infusion stone. It is recorded that the term Infusers was first coined by people who awakened their powers by using Infusion stones."

"Infusion stones? Where can I find one. Do you have any?" Adger shamelessly asked, a little expectant.

"Fortunately I do. I had prepared some just in case. I had a feeling Stephen's successor would not be any ordinary Infuser."

Alice got up from her seat and went into another room. Adger waited for a few minutes before Alice returned.

In her hands she held a box, it was a wooden box and did not have any special designs on it.

She took back her seat and placed the box on the table infront of Adger.

"Open it." She said in her melodious voice.

'Holy shit this is actually happening!' Adger felt he would collapse from the excitement any second. In the past few minutes, he had went through so many highs and lows that his mind was a mess.

He swiftly took hold of the chest shaped box and opened it.

A bright light shone from the inside, blinding him for a brief second. The light quickly dimmed down, revealing what was inside.

In the small wooden box, lay a 4 centimetre long and 2 centimetre wide, greenish-blue crystal. The crystal had a definite shape but it was clear that it had been cut by an ameture.

The crystal looked beautiful even with the odd cuts, it reflected light to such a degree that Adger's face was partially visible on its strangely cut surfaces.

"Amazing!" Adger muttered under his breath barely loud enough for Alice to hear.

"That is the infusion stone, hold it in both your hands and close your eyes. Focus on the part of your body touching the stone, the image of the infusion stone will appear in your mind." Alice explained.

Adger while keeping his gaze glued to the crystal lightly nodded his head. He did not even ask if the process of going to be dangerous.

He took out the infusion stone from the bag and held it in both his hands. Following Alice's instructions, he closed his eyes and focused all his attention on sensation of touching the stone.

Just like Alice had explained, after a minute, Adger felt the image of the infusion stone appear in his mind. A strange force emerged from the image of the stone trying to flow through his spirit.

"If you see the image, now try to relax your mind, let the energy from the stone permeate through your spirit. Then at the end, pour all the energy you feel into the stone."

Listening to Alice's instructions while maintaining his focus proved to be quite difficult but Adger managed to pull through.

As instructed, he allowed the energy that was emerging from the stone coarse through his body. It felt like some strange strength was being injected into him, like water being pumped into a balloon.

He felt full, like he could explode. The energy in the stone was completely drained. Thus, he decided to take the next step.

He forcefully pushed the energy in him directly into the stone. This was extremely difficult to do. Adger felt like he was pushing a whole ocean into a small vase.

However with sheer mental fortitude and a goal driven will, bit by bit, Adger successfully sent the energy back to where it came from. The entire process took around 20 minutes to complete.

As the energy left him, Adger felt a weakness unlike any wash over him. It was like he had worked for a entire year without sleep, this was the magnitude of the tiredness he felt.

He opened his eyes and saw the infusion stone infront of him turn red. However, the tiredness from before was not an illusion, like a truck it hit him and Adger instantly fell unconscious.