Sol's heart skipped a beat. He had no idea what they were talking about—the 7th? Their expressions and the tension given from that word told him that something significant was unfolding.
Doris stared at Sol.
"But why? Why would she choose a human from the modern world? I don't understand..."
Siegfried crossed his arms and stood firm.
"We don't need to understand, the 7th made her choice. This is outstanding news, he's the first half-blood dragon in mythic history, perhaps North America can return to what it was!"
Doris gazed at him, a look so strong it zipped Siegfried up immediately.
"None of this information gets out, you hear me Siegfried? There is still much to understand, we don't know what his appearance means for the mythical world."
She turned to Sol.
"You're lucky this dumble head contacted me about you before yapping his mouth. Your situation is very odd, did the 7th tell you anything else? Perhaps of her disappearance or what she wants you to do?"
Sol simply shook his head.
"She barely spoke to me..."
Sol didn't want to tell them about the altars the original 7th mentioned just yet, he already gave them plenty of information.
'I don't know them enough yet, whatever this 7th was told me to find her altars. I'm guessing she wouldn't want me telling others that.' he thought.
Doris sighed and drank some of her water.
"Nevertheless, it is great to have you here...I would still be honored to have you join my academy, it would benefit you greatly in learning how to use your abilities. Of course, you'll be going in as a regular student, no one will know about your identity, aside from Siegfried and I."
Doris looked like she was struggling to speak, perhaps she was just overwhelmed with the sudden appearance of Sol.
She took some dracons out from her pocket and placed them on the table before getting up.
"The meal is on me, please enjoy it. I have things to catch up on, think about my offer Sol, I believe things are meant to be."
With that, she took her spherical device and left the inn.
'Is it common for people to buy others food here?" Sol thought.
***
After enjoying their meal, Siegfried escorted Sol to his expansive residence situated on the edge of the second layer, providing a breathtaking view of the first layer. Within the grand abode, several diligent maids and butlers diligently attended to their duties.
Sol was accommodated in one of the guest rooms, which, although not extravagant, exceeded the size of his room in the modern world. This cozy space offered a comfortable bed, a functional work table, and a balcony that provided a view of the city below.
Before leaving Sol to his room Siegfried asked for his opinions about what Doris talked about, joining the New Dawn academy.
The conversation went on for a bit, but in the end, Sol decided to wait on it. He wanted to explore the world more and hopefully find clues about the first altar.
Siegfried readily embraced Sol's desire and showed unwavering trust in his intuition. Nonetheless, he emphasized the importance of acquiring basic magical knowledge before embarking on his exploration. As a highly skilled grand wizard, Siegfried willingly took up the role of instructor, intending to teach fundamental magical principles to Sol.
The night progressed smoothly, devoid of any disruptions. Surprisingly, Sol experienced a restful slumber, despite finding himself in an unfamiliar realm, lying on a different bed. As the morning rays gently illuminated his room, a faint knock echoed at his door.
"Mr.Everborn, Siegfried is requesting you." Said one of the butlers.
Despite the allure of the warm and cozy bed, Sol wrestled with the reluctance to leave its comfort. However, after a brief internal struggle, he mustered the determination to rise.
Sol descended the stairs and made his way to the courtyard, guided by one of the butlers. Following their lead, he arrived at a serene dojo room where Siegfried sat, calmly sipping tea.
"There he is! Good morning Sol, have some tea."
The brightly illuminated dojo was bathed in natural light, just like the other rooms within the expansive household. Its strategic design allowed for a captivating view of the first layer, adding a touch of scenic beauty to the training space.
Sol walked up and sat down, grabbing a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you"
Siegfried smiled, sipped his tea, and spoke.
"Now today we'll focus on spatial magic, your blood has the 7th flowing through it. Theoretically you'll be able to learn how to use it quickly."
Making sure Sol was following along, he continued.
"Spatial magic is quite rare among the type of creations, so I myself can't guide you the same way a master of that category would. However, I should be able to teach you something with my current knowledge."
He picked up a palm-sized rock that was on the floor.
"Magic is a term used when a being or entity manipulates mana to create. This creation can come in many different forms, such as the 4 elements, unique forces like light and dark, gravity, or spatial like yours."
He explained while changing the rock's form multiple times.
"There are also other creations but the list goes on. What you're able to produce is dependent on the conduit, which is your soul and body. In rare cases, the body and soul don't match up leading to an entity bearing two creations. This is a double edge sword though, while they can harness two creations, their mind and body won't work together..."
"I'm trying to figure out how to explain this easily." He said tossing the rock away.
Siegfried scratched his head and then got up to grab a branch that was outside.
"Just think of it like this, this stick represents a creation which is connected to the body and soul, the irregular on the other hand."
He snapped the stick in half.
"Has two creations but the stick is smaller. While irregulars have the advantage of creating two, they are weaker in both creations."
Siegfried looked at Sol to see if he would ask any questions, but he did not.
"That's what we're going to find out today, if you're an irregular or not. Originally I wasn't going to bother testing this until you told us you came from the modern world. That mixed with the fact that the original 7th more than likely chose you as her successor gives you a high chance of being one."
Sol soaked up everything he said and nodded.
"How do we test it?" He asked.
Siegfried smiled.
"Well, there's a slow way and a quick way. Let's go with the quick way!"
Siegfried approached one of the weapon racks within the dojo and selected a wooden sword from its array of choices.
"Get up, we're sparring. First just focus on evading my attacks, easy enough right?"
With deliberate steps, Siegfried advanced toward Sol, his movements steady and purposeful. Without warning, he swiftly swung the wooden sword diagonally. It was fairly easy to dodge but what came next surprised Sol.
Unexpectedly, the rock that Siegfried had been playfully interacting with earlier shot up from the ground, forcefully colliding with his arm. The impact was significant enough to cause him to lose balance and tumble to the ground.
'agh!'
Reopening his eyes after the sudden tumble, Sol found himself being struck across the face by a wooden sword. The blow left him momentarily stunned, his focus momentarily disrupted.
Sol shuffled back and took a look at his opponent. Siegfried was still walking towards him steadily.
The sharp pain from the previous attacks clouded Sol's thoughts, making it difficult for him to regain his composure. As he instinctively backed away, his retreat unintentionally led him to collide with a weapon rack, causing a wooden sword to clatter to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, he swiftly picked up the fallen sword and assumed a defensive stance.
Siegfried look at him with intrest.
"Oh? Well let's see what you got little dragon!"
Sol's eyes narrowed as he charged in.
'It's just practice, I won't get hurt too bad.' he thought.
With determination, Sol swiftly dashed to Siegfried's side, firmly gripping his sword and executing an upward slash. However, as the wood made contact, an unusual sound reverberated through the air, reminiscent of striking a solid object like a rock.
Stepping back, Sol's gaze shifted to the old man, who now had one arm raised. To his astonishment, he observed that Siegfried's arm was encased in stone, giving it an almost petrified appearance.
Siegfried laughed as the stone covering his arm morphed back into a rock.
"Come on Sol! You're too predictable. Surprise me!"
With that, Siegfried for the first time this fight dashed.
"I never said I'd go easy on you." He said as the rock split into 3 smaller-sized rocks then shaped into long needles.
He shot one instantly into Sol's shoulder causing him to yelp, following up with that attack a wooden sword rammed into his stomach which took all the air out of his stomach.
But Siegfried didn't stop there.
Already directly over Sol, he jabbed the remaining two through his arm and thigh before encasing his leg in stone, then kicking him across the dojo.
His body screamed and his mind told him to run.
Siegfried extended his palm towards Sol and the three needles that had been previously launched returned to him, making Sol grunt. The needles swiftly merged and transformed into a solid stone sword. It was a tangible weapon formed from solid stone, firmly grasped within Siegfried's hands. The display of magic and skill left Sol in awe and honestly got him second-guessing this whole spar.
'Are you serious?!' he frantically thought.
Siegfried made yet another dash, the sword extended mere centimeters away from his neck. It was then when time seemed to distort. Moments became elongated yet condensed, and Sol's vision blurred. In the blink of an eye, he found himself inexplicably positioned behind Siegfried, seemingly defying the laws of time and space.
The swift sound of a blade flying through the air echoed into their ears then the room became silent.
Several feet away from where he originally was, Sol looked at his position with eyes widened.
"What...Did I just!?"
He turned around only to meet the wraith of the wooden stick.
"Hahaha!" Siegfried was joyed to see what he just witnessed.
"I knew you had it in you lad!"
He dismissed the stone sword back into a rock and signaled one of the maids to come.
"Please heal him up."
The maid nodded and came over, as she placed her palms on Sol's injuries a faint glow appeared underneath.
This was his first time seeing healing magic, the glow was warm and mesmerizing.
He let out a sigh and looked at Siegfried.
"Was that spatial magic?" He asked, winching slightly as his wounds closed.
"Yes it was, I'm impressed how quickly you caught onto that. Actually, I was only expecting you to feel your creation, not manipulate it to the point of using it. So congratulations, today is a success!"
Sol looked at him a bit confused.
"I thought this session was for seeing if I'm an irregular?"
With a shrug, Siegfried looked around at the dojo which was a tad bit messy now.
"That was the plan yes, it appears you are normal which is not bad at all! It just means your creation will be focused on Spacial."
He patted Sol on the shoulder.
"Well, that's about all I can teach you. As you saw earlier my creation is earth, I don't know much about spatial, even if I did it would be better for you to find a teacher."
They ended their session, Siegfried went to go do something in the city leaving Sol in the dojo.
'Well that was insane...I thought he was actually going to kill me there.' he shivered recalling the memory.
Sol wanted to continue practicing, if he could do it once, maybe he can do it again. Who wouldn't want to play around with magic if they found out it was real?
Without a sparring buddy, Sol just sat down with his eyes closed. Trying to recall the feeling he experienced before warping. He remembered clearly, a feeling so foreign yet familiar like muscle memory.
Unfortunately after trying for an hour, he couldn't recreate what he did with Siegfried.
'I'm missing something...the feeling is there but I can't create. But what am I missing?'
He stopped and took a break, heading back into the household for some water. On his way in one of the butlers stopped him.
"Good afternoon Mr.Everborn, how is training?"
Sol looked at the man, a bit hesitant on what he should say, after all, he didn't know how much Siegfried told his workers about himself.
"It went well, I think. Trying to work on my creation but I feel like I'm missing something."
The butler thought for a bit.
"When I first started, it was with meditation, learning how to feel mana and harnessing it. From how chaotic it sounded in the dojo, I assume Siegfried attempted to accelerate your progress."
Sol nodded and shivered.
"That's exactly what he did! He said we'd take the fast method and ended up piercing me with needles made out of the rock" he threw his hand up in frustration.
The butler laughed slightly then looked at his watch.
"Yes, it's certainly the quick way. But there are prodigies out there, those that are talented to learn quickly or are blessed with mana, or simply can create two creations. You see, all of Siegfried's apprentices had been prodigies of some sort, I'm sure he only wanted to accelerate your progress to train you most efficiently."
The butler took a bow.
"I'd love to chat with you more, but I'm afraid I have errands to attend to."
With that he left, Sol waved and went inside to grab some water. It seemed the mythical realm lacked technology, so there was no fridge which quickly reminded him he needed to get water from the well.
'This is going to take time to get used to'
Finally getting some water he reflected on what the butler had to say.
'Mana huh? Siegfried did briefly talk about it.'
He brought the wooden cup to his lips and drank the cold water.
Sol pondered aloud about the whereabouts and fate of the other apprentices. The mention of the butler using the past tense, saying "had," raised concerns about their well-being. He questioned whether they were still alive or if something unfortunate had befallen them.
The thought didn't help Sol much, as he's currently being trained by Siegfried himself, for the time being at least.
Sol returned to the dojo, taking a seat at the center, where he could bask in the warm, orange hues of the nearing dawn. The doors of the dojo were wide open, allowing the radiant light to pour in, illuminating the space. As he gazed out, he couldn't help but admire the breathtaking view of the first layer below. In the far distance, the sun began its descent beyond the horizon, painting the sky with a mesmerizing palette of colors. Sol found himself immersed in the tranquil beauty of the moment.
Wind blew throughout the dojo steadily, it was pretty calming.
'Alright, let's try this again with mana in mind.'
He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what mana is or what it feels like.
'Mana...'
Each breath took him deeper into his consciousness. Feeling the wind, the warming of the sunlight, the smell the air brought with it.
Then, he suddenly perceived it—a surge of pure, enigmatic energy, faint yet abundant, silently materializing around him. As moments passed, they steadily gained clarity, their presence radiating an undeniable sense of embrace as if welcoming him into their mythical realm.
The energy made him smile, it was like reuniting with an old friend that had been long forgotten.
Unbeknownst to Sol, Siegfried stood at the entrance of the dojo, observing with a nod of approval.
The young man in the center of the room found himself encircled by minuscule emerald particles, each moving with a determined grace as if guided by their own intentions. Even Sol's hair seemed to sway in synchrony with this mesmerizing display.
What happened next surprised Siegfried. The particles became denser, their flow became stronger like the current of a river.
"What the...?" He uttered.