Following Professor Locke, Kael descended the dark staircase, dimly illuminated by small Ascen lamps embedded in the ceiling at regular intervals. The light was just enough to see where they were going, but the surroundings remained heavily shadowed. They continued downward for what felt like an endless descent, long enough for Kael to start wondering how this old man managed to climb back up every time.
How deep does this place even go? Kael thought, regretting that elevators didn't seem to exist in this world—at least, not that he knew of.
Finally, after several minutes of descent, they stepped into a large, well-lit chamber. It was a stark contrast to the narrow staircase. The space was illuminated by massive Ascen-powered lamps, simulating daylight. The room contained several large stones, a small stream, and even a gazebo near the water's edge.
Locke motioned toward the gazebo. "Come. Sit."
Kael complied, seating himself across from the professor, who wasted no time.
"Well then, what's your natural Ascen affinity?" Locke asked.
Kael blinked, slightly confused by the question. "Fire. But… couldn't we have discussed this in your office?"
Locke chuckled. "We could have. But I need you to demonstrate what you can do. That's why we're here."
He then added, "I also heard you're pretty good with Inveris. Show me."
Locke pointed toward a massive boulder, roughly the size of the gazebo. "Gather as much Ascen as you can into your fist and punch that rock. Let's see what happens."
Kael hesitated, knowing that he had never struck something this solid before. He had punched Stone Goblins before, but those were nothing compared to this—like hitting a pebble versus a boulder. This is going to hurt…
Still, he complied, focusing all his Ascen into his right hand before delivering a full-force punch to the stone. Pain shot through his fist, but thankfully, nothing broke.
Locke approached the boulder, inspecting the deep indentation Kael had left.
"Hah! Not bad. Not bad at all," he laughed. "Now show me what you can do with Gaianis."
Kael obliged, demonstrating fireballs, fire streams, fire rings, and even improvising a few attacks. Locke watched with keen interest, nodding approvingly.
"Impressive. You've got a lot of potential," Locke praised. "Now, let's take a look at that Relic of yours."
Kael retrieved his blowgun Relic, handing it over. Locke examined it closely, turning it in his hands before muttering, "Interesting… I haven't seen one like this before. I'll need to document it in my records."
He then looked at Kael. "If I had to guess, this is an Earth Relic."
Kael furrowed his brows. "Earth? But… how do I use it?"
Locke smirked. "All Relic users discover their weapon's abilities naturally—it's like an instinct. The Relic itself guides you. Think about it—have you ever felt it nudging you toward a specific action?"
Kael paused before nodding. "Actually… something told me to blow into it."
Locke grinned. "Then do it. But try not to aim at me."
Kael chuckled. "Fair enough."
He turned toward the boulder he had just punched, took a deep breath, and blew into the blowgun with full force.
A small rock shot out like a bullet, striking the boulder and shattering it into countless fragments.
Kael stared in disbelief. "What the…?"
Locke roared with laughter. "Hahaha! Just as I thought—Earth Relic!" He crossed his arms, looking highly amused. "Seems like this works just like a bow and arrow—except you don't use your hands."
Kael turned the blowgun over in his hands, still perplexed. "But… where did the rock even come from? The barrel was empty."
Locke explained, "Relics are tied to their users. They respond to your intentions. Even if you don't fully understand how to use it yet, the Relic does. It's helping you until you master it yourself. But it requires Ascen—so if you run out, you won't be able to fire anything."
Kael nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "So how do I actually use it?"
Locke leaned back. "Think of Relics as a mix between Gaianis and Inveris. Instead of drawing Ascen from the air or your core, you pull it from the Relic itself."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "So… it's like a storage container for Ascen?"
"Exactly," Locke confirmed. "And each Relic holds a single element's Ascen. There are a few exceptions—very rare Relics that contain multiple elements—but they're practically legendary. Our academy only has two recorded cases of those."
Kael processed this, then asked, "So when Lucian's sword caught fire in battle, it was because—"
"—his sword is a Fire Relic," Locke finished. "But he still had to learn how to channel its power. I trained him, but he was stubborn as hell and refused to study Gaianis. He only wanted to mix Inveris with his Relic. He still got pretty strong, though. But if he had listened to me… well, he could've been even stronger."
Locke shook his head, then smirked. "Oh well. I have you now."
He suddenly straightened. "Alright, enough talk. Attack me. Give me everything you've got—but no Inveris. Gaianis only."
Kael hesitated. "Are you sure?"
Locke smirked. "Trust me, kid—I've fought far stronger than you. Just don't hold back."
Kael opened his mouth to argue about Locke's age, but before he could finish, Locke simply raised a hand.
A rapier came flying through the air, shooting from his office through the entire dark staircase passage, landing directly in his hand.
Kael blinked. "Did you just—"
Locke smirked. "It's my Relic. It's Air-based, which means I can control its movement freely."
Kael exhaled, cracking his knuckles. "Alright then. I'll give it everything I've got."
Kael attacked with rapid kicks and strikes, incorporating fire-based techniques, but Locke blocked every single move effortlessly.
After a while, Locke raised a hand. "Enough."
He analyzed Kael's movements. "You've been trained in swordsmanship, but your style would work better with dual daggers."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Daggers?"
Locke nodded. "Your Relic will be your primary weapon, but daggers will help in close combat. I'll prepare them for you in a few days."
He then smirked. "And once you have them, we'll begin real training. No more regular classes—you're training with me until the joint field excursion ."
Kael grinned. "Sounds like fun."
Locke chuckled. "We'll see if you're still saying that after the first session."
End of Chapter 21