Finally, I’d be able to fill my remaining Ether Gates without a Medicus’ constant supervision. As little as they seemed to care about being dragged to the lava ponds to ensure I wouldn’t die under their watch, I still disliked wasting their time.

They like you. And me too. Do they have too much time to spare?

Aureus asked as thick earthen walls erupted from the ground.

The Earthheart did not temper his body in the Pyrosh’s lava ponds. Instead, he used my experience through our bonds, the Pyrosh’s attuned ether, and my fights with the dozen Caldera I’d faced in the last two weeks to deepen his understanding of the Earthen Aspect’s limits.

Aureus’ progress had slowed significantly at this stage, and though Nox had surpassed him, that did not mean Aureus was discouraged. It took a few more discussions to come up with a plan detailed enough to reassure the Earthheart, but Aureus was fine now, focusing on the things he could change.

The earthen walls shattered, revealing the seven-meter-long Earthheart, his golden eyes emitting a muddy hue. The cavern tremored as pillars shot from the ceiling and nearby walls, followed by a wave of earthen spikes bursting out from underneath Aureus. The spike wave resembled the ripples of a disturbed lake, though far more intense.

“An ocean wave suffused into the Earthen Aspect. What a magnificent display of power. As expected from a juvenile sacred beast,” Medicus Lasgha praised, his eyes glimmering in reverence as he looked at Aureus.

It had been like that for a while now, and, honestly, I had no idea what to do about it. Aureus didn’t mind the attention we received, but it still felt weird.

“Ocean?” I asked, recalling some of the old scripts that spoke of a massive vessel of water.

Medicus Lasgha’s lips parted, but his eyes swiveled to something beside me before he could say anything.

I turned just in time to see Nox leap into the lava pond I’d used. The Ferronox Mantis splashed into the searing hot lava, forcing me to yank him out when he didn’t resurface after a few seconds. Those few seconds were… well, not all that fun, actually.

It was painful to see Nox’s exoskeleton and scythes melt over and over again. Worse were his less-protected eyes and the soft flesh beneath his exoskeleton. They’d burned once before, forcing the attending Medicus to call for reinforcements. If not for their help – hours of constant healing – Nox would have been crippled, if not dead.

To my horror, Nox didn’t learn a thing. If anything, knowing the Caldera had his back, he pushed himself further. After all, we had a healer on our hands. It’d be a waste not to use him.

You taught him this. What did you expect would happen?

“I did?” I blurted out as Medicus Lasgha healed the Ferronox Mantis in a hurry.

Of course. You started this mess. Showed that bloody fool that it was possible to grow stronger by destroying and repairing his body over and over again.

That… was true. The worst, however, was that it worked. Nox’s blades were harder than ever, and they even looked sharper once reshaped and healed. The Ferronox Mantis’ exoskeleton had been thoroughly tempered as well.

On the bright side, our bond grew firmer. My bond with Aureus was as strong as ever, slowly growing and pushing toward the next stage, but Nox’s respect – and our bond – grew even faster. He was in awe of my prowess, especially after I’d defeated a Caldera on the verge of breaking through to the Expert Rank. That sealed the deal for Nox, or so it felt.

How’s your progress? I inquired from Aureus, my attention shifting away from Nox.

Over the last few weeks, the Earthen Aspect had changed. It was still a minor affinity, but the improvement was evident. It was hard to grasp what exactly had changed; however, I knew when it all started. My fight with the Caldera woman who wielded and modified the gravitational pull on herself and her opponents stirred something within Aureus.

Aureus wanted to learn how to fly, but he was too heavy. Learning to control gravity, even if it only affected himself, would remove that issue. I was sure that was the reason his research began, although it was no longer only about flight. The Earthheart’s ether was muddier nowadays, more attuned to the Earthen Aspect, which seemed active at all times.

Most of Aureus’ research was unknown to me, but I’d be a fool to ignore his effort. Unfortunately, we were not in the Grand Camp or the Bastions, and I couldn’t help him much with resources.

I’m fine. My control has improved. I think I can engrave the Earthen Aspect onto my heart soon.

Even though I had chosen the name for Aureus’ race, Aureus believed it carried the truth. That he needed to become a true Earthheart to unravel his full potential. I wasn’t entirely sure about that, but his mastery of the Earthen Aspect continued to improve. If he kept progressing, it would only be a matter of months before the Earthen Aspect evolved into a major affinity. And that was the marking of an Unblemished beast.

“That’s great.” I flashed Aureus a smile, emerging from the lava pond.

A wave of ether removed the lava trickling down my body, and I reached for my storage belt kept at a safe distance with the Medicus. Pulling out a set of clothes, I slipped them on. Once Medicus Lasgha finished healing Nox, I stored the Mantis in my inner World and left the hall for my daily dose of training.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Rather than training with the Scions, as most cadets did, I spent a good ten minutes walking to the Caldera’s underground gymnasium. It was nothing special, but it had everything one needed to train. Aureus’ entrance stirred quite the commotion, but the Earthheart ignored them and settled down in an empty corner, creating a constant stream of spike waves and earthen walls, only to destroy them a moment later.

The Caldera woman with grayish skin and the ability to control gravity approached Aureus, and they communicated with a certain sense of familiarity.

“They’re still at that?” Daniel asked from the midst of a dozen Caldera.

He turned to me, smiling vibrantly. “Did I already tell you how fun it is here?”

I rolled my eyes. “Only about a dozen times, probably more.”

Daniel laughed. “Did I? Really? That can only mean I love it here.”

I loved it here as well, but I was not sure how much longer we would stay in the Caldera’s home. The Rulers’ negotiations with the Spiritcaller and his people were still ongoing, though it looked like they were coming to an end as well. Ruler Kazriel did not look particularly pleased whenever he returned with the other Rulers, but that meant little. These days, the “kind and benevolent” Ruler was irritating, to say the least.

Putting the Rulers’ antics aside, I felt at ease here. Speaking to the Caldera, sparring with them, eating with them, and fighting more seriously with them during the Katrak was amazing. It was a lot more than I could have wished for one year ago, especially the attention Aureus and I garnered from them.

It was… weird, yet it felt good as well. Knowing I was respected for the strength I’d acquired in no more than a year, that my hard work and all the pain I’d gone through had paid off, was a sensational feeling.

“You left after defeating Diasha, didn’t you?” Daniel asked, eyes glowing.

“Diasha?” I asked.

“That’s me. I forgot to introduce myself before the Katrak, Pyaera.” A Caldera, the strong woman I’d fought earlier that day, offered an apologetic bow.

“Anyway,” Daniel waved dismissively, his excitement earning him several flat stares. “The Space Ruler’s Scion was defeated! Hah, look at your face! I knew nobody told you about that!!”

My eyes bulged as I searched the Calderas’ faces for falsehood, but everyone nodded, glimpses of satisfaction and respect glued to their faces.

“She lost? That is… interesting.”

As much as I loved hearing about the Scion’s defeat, I couldn’t be happy.

“The others will be defeated tomorrow then,” I said quietly.

The Spiritcaller put us against stronger Caldera every day since the start of the Katrak. That much was apparent when one looked at the opponents I faced in the last few weeks. But while my opponents had been touched by the Primal Spirit for a longer time than I, the same could not be said for the others.

Daniel lost against his opponent ten days ago when he was pushed against an Expert of his age. Scott, too, lost a few days ago. Not against Zegrath, but a younger Caldera who’d advanced to the Expert Rank even faster than Zegrath.

That left two Scions and myself to fight in the Katrak.

Now that only three remained and one Scion had lost, I was confident the Spiritcaller would push us against powerful Masters and Experts. The Scions would probably fight Masters who were even younger than them, and I, well, honestly, I didn’t think there was any Caldera who’d been blessed by the Primal Spirit for only one year who could defeat me. Thus–

“You, too, will lose tomorrow.” Zegrath walked over with Scott on the side.

Scott met my eyes, his vibrant smile promising trouble. Or fun, depending on how you looked at it.

Yet there was more to Scott’s smile than mischievousness. He, too, was not alone. Zegrath smiled, yet it didn’t reach her eyes.

***

The Scions of Ruler Maximilian and Ruler Sera lay there in defeat, their limbs glowing as Ruler Sera and a dozen Medici surrounded them, healing what was broken, recovering all that was left to recover.

The battle had been brutal. Devastating. Eye-opening. And… one-sided. It was a one-sided massacre, leaving the Scions not even an inkling of a chance.

Their opponent, a brawny Caldera with a youthful face, walked out of the arena in disappointment.

He stared at the Spiritcaller defiantly, his lips parting. Words were exchanged, fingers were accusingly pointed in our direction – most at the Rulers and their Scions before the brawny Caldera stomped out of the hall. Several older members followed him, their gazes filled with anger and killing intent whenever they looked at the Rulers.

“Looks like the negotiations failed,” Scott said mirthlessly beside me. “I wonder what happens now.”

“Do you, really?” I stared back at him.

He shrugged with a knowing–and very punchable–smile. “I don’t know everything, Adam. Even the things I can see are never final. Only the past is final. The present is malleable, and so is the future. Much more actually.”

“Okay,” I grunted. “Do you have any advice for me, or do I have to prepare myself for a beating?”

As confident as I had been of my victory, the moment the Scions had been crushed, it vanished. Sure, the Spiritcaller wouldn’t break their customs and push me against that monstrosity of a Caldera. They couldn’t allow a Master to enter the ring against me either. Their honor would never allow that. It would humiliate them much more than losing against me would. But an Expert? Maybe.

“Don’t get yourself killed,” Scott said lightly, but turned more serious when I stared daggers at him. “Honestly, I hope you lose. I can see the paths of fate after your loss. As for what happens if you win–” He shrugged. “–I have no idea. The pathways are charred. That can mean a lot of things, but most of the time it means that whatever happens is beyond my capabilities.”

Scott looked at me in a way that suggested I did not want to find out more, but I was curious.

“What–”

He didn’t even let me finish.

“I filled my core and drained it entirely, yet I couldn’t see beyond the veil if you win against Zegrath.”

Scott’s core was the size of a Ruler’s core. While not as potent, that meant a lot. Though I was more concerned with a far more pressing matter.

“Zegrath? I have to fight against her?!”

She was an Expert–had been for at least four months, probably a lot longer–and I’d sparred against her several times and never won against her.

As much as I’d love to find out about the things Scott couldn’t see, winning against Zegrath sounded unlikely. Very unlikely.

At least I had some sort of trick up my sleeve. I never managed to go all out in a spar. And I had a second 3-Star Gate, filled and refined. I was still getting used to the empowerment, but was there a better way to adapt to such drastic changes than fighting an Expert? Probably not. Except for fighting a menace like Zegrath in a life-and-death battle.

I sure hoped she wouldn’t kill me, but I was pretty sure the dead looked better than the Scions at this point.