The deeper they walked, the quieter the forest became.
Not the natural silence of night.
But something heavier.
As if even the wind avoided this place.
Auren noticed it immediately.
The mana in the surroundings felt… distorted.
Not like his own power.
Different.
Older.
Unstable in a controlled way.
Ahead of him, the old man walked slowly, his frail figure seemingly unaffected by the suffocating atmosphere.
Behind, the goblin followed at a distance, every step hesitant.
Auren finally spoke.
"…This place."
The old man didn't turn.
"Uncomfortable?"
Auren didn't answer.
That alone was enough.
"This is where the system weakens," the old man continued calmly.
Auren's gaze sharpened.
"…Weakens?"
"For most, it is irrelevant," he said. "For you… it matters."
They stopped.
Before them stood a small clearing.
At its center—
A broken structure.
Ancient.
Ruined.
Stone pillars cracked and half-sunken into the earth, covered in moss and time.
But what caught Auren's attention—
Was the space above it.
It was wrong.
Faint ripples distorted the air, like invisible waves constantly shifting reality itself.
The old man stepped into the clearing.
"Come."
Auren followed without hesitation.
The moment he crossed into it—
His body reacted.
His Authority stirred.
Not violently—
But… freely.
The invisible restriction he hadn't even noticed until now—
Was gone.
His eyes narrowed.
"…This…"
The old man finally turned to face him.
"For the first time… you can feel it properly."
Auren clenched his hand slightly.
The distortion responded instantly.
Sharper.
Cleaner.
More obedient.
"…So the system was suppressing it."
The old man gave a small nod.
"Not intentionally."
A pause.
"It simply cannot process you… so it limits everything around you."
Silence fell for a moment.
Then—
"Show me."
Auren looked at him.
"…What?"
"Your power."
No hesitation.
No explanation.
Just expectation.
Auren didn't ask again.
He stepped forward.
Raised his hand.
And—
Distorted.
The space in front of him folded inward sharply—
But this time—
There was no resistance.
No instability.
The distortion held.
Perfect.
Controlled.
Auren's eyes widened slightly.
"…This is…"
"Closer to what you should be capable of," the old man said calmly.
Auren slowly released the distortion.
The air returned to normal.
But his mind didn't.
"…Who are you?" he asked again.
This time—
The old man answered.
"…Azrael."
Silence.
The name carried no title.
No introduction.
Yet—
It felt heavy.
Auren didn't react outwardly.
"…Auren."
Azrael nodded once.
"I know."
A brief pause.
Then—
"Sit."
Auren didn't question it.
He sat on a broken stone.
Azrael remained standing.
Watching.
"Your power is not magic," Azrael began.
"It is not an element."
"It is not something the system can define."
Auren listened silently.
"It is Authority."
The word lingered.
Heavy.
Absolute.
"Authority over space… and something deeper."
Auren's eyes narrowed.
"…Something deeper?"
Azrael's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Shadow."
The word resonated.
Auren didn't speak.
But he felt it.
The shadows around him shifted faintly.
Responding.
"Not the element," Azrael clarified.
"Not darkness."
"Something closer to the absence of existence itself."
Silence.
Then—
Azrael continued.
"You are not bending space."
"You are commanding it."
Auren's hand tightened slightly.
"…Commanding."
"Yes."
A pause.
"But you lack understanding."
Auren didn't deny it.
"You force it," Azrael said. "That is why your body strains."
Auren recalled the fight.
The imperfect distortions.
The injury.
"…Then what should I do?"
Azrael looked at him.
"For now…"
"Stop forcing."
Auren frowned slightly.
"That makes no sense."
Azrael's lips curved faintly.
"It doesn't need to."
He stepped forward.
"Stand."
Auren did.
Azrael raised his hand slowly.
"We will test something simple."
Auren watched carefully.
"Do not use power."
"…What?"
"Just reach."
Azrael pointed ahead.
At empty space.
Auren hesitated for a moment.
Then—
He extended his hand.
No distortion.
No force.
Just—
Intent.
For a brief second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A faint ripple.
Barely visible.
The space between his fingers and the air… shifted.
Not forcefully.
Naturally.
Auren's eyes widened.
"…It moved."
Azrael nodded.
"That is control."
Auren slowly clenched his hand.
The ripple faded.
"This is your first step," Azrael said.
"To understand… instead of dominate."
Silence followed.
The lesson was simple.
But its meaning—
Was not.
Behind them—
The goblin finally stepped into the clearing.
The moment it did—
Its body froze.
Its instincts screamed.
This place—
Was wrong.
It looked at Azrael.
And immediately looked away.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Azrael glanced at it briefly.
"…It followed you."
Auren didn't turn.
"…It did."
Azrael observed the goblin for a moment.
Then—
Ignored it.
"It is weak."
"…For now."
Azrael looked at Auren again.
"…You plan to keep it?"
Auren was silent for a moment.
Then—
"…It chose to follow."
Azrael's expression didn't change.
"…Then let it."
A brief pause.
"Everything that follows you… will either become useful."
"Or die."
The words were calm.
Matter-of-fact.
The goblin shivered.
Auren didn't react.
He simply looked at his hand again.
The faint memory of that ripple remained.
Control.
Not force.
"…Again," he said.
Azrael nodded.
For the next few hours—
There were no battles.
No enemies.
Only—
Repetition.
Reach.
Feel.
Understand.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each attempt—
A little clearer.
A little more stable.
The distortion no longer felt violent.
It felt…
Natural.
Like breathing.
By the time Auren stopped—
The sky had darkened completely.
The forest outside the clearing remained silent.
Azrael turned away.
"That is enough for today."
Auren exhaled slowly.
His body was tired—
But not strained.
Different from before.
"…This is more efficient."
Azrael nodded.
"Because you are no longer fighting yourself."
Silence settled.
The goblin sat quietly at the edge of the clearing, watching.
Still confused.
Still unsure.
But no longer afraid of Auren.
Only—
Of Azrael.
Auren looked at the old man.
"…Why are you helping me?"
Azrael didn't answer immediately.
For a moment—
He simply looked at the sky.
Then—
"…Because I failed."
Auren said nothing.
Azrael continued.
"I reached the limit of what this world allows."
A pause.
"…But you haven't."
The air felt heavier.
Azrael looked at him again.
"For the first time in a long time…"
"…something interesting has appeared."
Silence.
Auren didn't respond.
But his eyes—
Didn't waver.
Azrael turned away once more.
"Rest."
"We begin again tomorrow."
Auren sat back down.
Closing his eyes briefly.
The forest remained still.
But something had changed.
Not outside—
But within him.
For the first time—
His power didn't feel like a burden.
It felt like something he could understand.
Control.
And eventually—
Master.
And as the night deepened—
The ruins stood silently.
Witnessing the beginning—
Of something that would one day distort not just space—
But the world itself.