Solarian felt the power, it was the first time where he makes an actual interaction with the element itself, he was more and more curious about the potential that is within his reach but he remembered that Albert was going to train him and for that he stopped messing around and said
"When do we start?" Albert replied:
"I see that you are quite excited about knowing more of your potential with the element as I was expecting, and so for that I will give you the rest of today as a day off so that you can have all the fun you want with the element in your room, but make sure that starting up from tomorrow, there will be no rest, understand?"
"Yes sir!" Albert gave him a slightly disgusted face and said:
"Don't call me or anyone here with any fancy titles, just call us with our names casually okey?"
"Sure thing."
"Okey you are off to go now." Solarian left to his room, Dante then approached him and said:
"Good thing you told him about the fancy titles, they only remind of how these concilium tards speak to each other with fake complements that doesn't come from the heart, I would rather be called Dante the blue scourge rather than being called Sir."
Solarian then entered his room started examining himself, he heard a voice from deep inside his head, the voice didn't belong to someone whispering, but it belonged to someone making humming a tone, so he decided to focus on how to reach that song.
after wandering a little bit around the room, he noticed that each time he blinks, the sound goes stronger for a moment and turns back to the same quieter tone when his eyes are open, which made him understand that to reach this voice, he had to close his eyes.
So he got on his bed, sitted in a cross leg position, closed his eyes, the voice was indeed louder this time and more noticeable, he focused more and more until eventually he started losing his connection to the real world and started drifting into his own mind.
When he started looking into his mind, he saw ruins and fractured statues in a foggy place, he kept ealking in that place for a while, until he saw something gigantic in the distance, he saw a statue that is much bigger than the others and the more he approaches the statue the stronger the humming voice gets.
When he reached the statue, he saw it as it was a colossal throne and there was a man sitting on this throne, this man was wearing a blooded blindfold, there was a branch of olives on his right hand and a lotus flower on his left, the statue was awfully familiar to him, as if he didn't just see it before but rather lived with it before.
Solarian looked around the statue and saw smaller statues of other men that are human sized, armed with all different kinds of weapons, they seemed as if they were climbing the throne but they always fail as some of them were even frozen in the air, failing to climb.
In that moment, Solarian thought that they were trying to reach the colossal statue to kill him, but something was off with these statues, their weapons were infused with their hands, and their facial apearance was showing no anger or vengeance on the colossal statue, but rather they seemed desperate, sad.
When Solarian looked at them and imagined them without their weapons, he saw some were putting their hands facing each other, some were on their knees, others were crawling while tears are falling from them.
And then it happened, the humming voice stopped, Solarian's heart fell to his knees, the place was awfully silent and only here have he realised how horrifically eerie this place was and then the colossal statue have spoken while its mouth was closed and said:
"Its been a very long time don't you agree" Solarian replied with fearful tone in his voice:
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? This question you will know it's answer later on when you grow up, for now, you can see me as a friend that you can come to and ask him questions and I will answer on things I am allowed to answer." Solarian looked around him and said:
"How about this place, where am I?"
"This is your mind and memories, the place that holds records of your past deeds."
"But I don't recognise anything in here!"
"Could you say the same about me then?" Solarian was at loss for words because he felt that he knew this statue, it's just that couldn't tell how.
"No I couldn't, for some reason I feel like I have known you before, but where and when? I have no idea."
"So he did give you that sense of remembrance then." Solarian locked eyes with the blindfolded statue and said:
"Who did you refer to by 'He'?"
"Time answers better than anyone, but its also the most unforgiving of all." At this rate Solarian understood that there is no use in asking the statue with straight forward questions so he stayed quite for a while then asked
"What do these people around your throne represent?"
"They represent many things such as fear and the longing for someone so they can shelter under his wings, their weapons? They are bound to their hands as if its an unforgiving sign from fate that tells everyone who they once were without any way of redemption."
"And what do they do around you? Why do they seem like they are almost trying to cling onto you? Do they see you as the man that they can shelter underneath his wings from the cruelty of the judgmental eyes of the common folks? Begging for someone's recognition that they are no longer the criminals they once were?"
"I see that Aitor have implanted quite the critical thinking in your mind."
"How did you know about Aitor?"
"Because I have been in your mind, experiencing everything you went through, I even remember the times that you don't remember, so it should have been no surprise to you that I know everyone you have once known.
Now let me ask you a question, why do you think they were clinging to my wing in specific? If you looked around, you will find other statues, some look more majestic and in better condition then I am, so why did the criminals came only to me?"
Solarian looked around and noticed that there was no other statue that is bigger than the one he is speaking to, but if he answered 'because you are the biggest' that will make Solarian look like he is not keeping up so he instead said:
"Every other statue in here may look more apealing to stand by as they look even more beautifully made than you, however you look bigger, stronger, your structure is very hard to take down, you are sitting on a throne that is very well placed on the ground indicating a strong foundation while the others are only standing on their feet, sometimes even on their foot toes which makes a very weak foundation, even I could make them fall if I tried hard enough."
"Your answer is indeed very precise and could work as an answer, but you haven't counted the part were all of this is taking place in your own mind, but sense you have made a very good answer, I will bring you the point you are missing, do you know what is your element type?"
"Fire."
"What is one thing the fire element is most known for?"
"Benevolence."
"Good good, which means that most of the things here gain their power from how much they scale up with your intentions and thoughts, none of these statues that stand prideful with arrogance have any kind of benevolence, which is why all the criminals that were once serving these people have left them and came for me because i saw them as humans who wanted another chance in their lifes, like kids that are always by their mother." Solarian was speechless, after that answer he have had more questions to ask but the statue interupted him and said:
"Look Solarian, I know your thoughts, I know that you still want to know more and because answer i have given you, you are now wondering once again who am I and what have I done so these people are back onto me like that, and I understand how annoying it is but right now, I am teaching you lesson none of Dante, Albert, Nikolas or even Aitor will be teaching you, and that lesseon is patience, and remember, time answers better than anyone but its the most unforgiving of all."
"Thanks,...what do I call you?"
"You can call me whatever you want, at the end I am still the one who is living under your wing inside your mind."
"We have known each other at one point right? Then what did I used to call you at that one point then?"
"If you want it like that, then call me Scutifera."
"Scutifera..."
"And I believe that you have spent enough time in here, how about you leave that place now and learn out how to use the element on an basic level? There is a library in this headquarters that you can definitely abuse its knowledge in one or two things."
"You are, you will be on my way then."
"Before you leave, I just want to tell you that Frektalyes isn't really someone you should be cautious about, as i have been waiting for his arrival for a very long time by now."
"Waiting? For him? No no no no, I have learned my lesson, time answers better than anyone."
"But it's the most unforgiving of all, now be on your way, Solarian."