"Ketaslez rohs taisasaka, gesyu teynadaf Vendri!" An Elf shouted commands out and around Seven, a shimmering layer of magic surrounded him, but his attention remained on the petrified elf. Tears welled in his eyes and fell with no restraint. His hands crept up and gripped the sides of his head, his eyes widened in terror and he let out a gut wrenching scream.
"WHY?" Was the only word that escaped his muddied thoughts audibly. Theloseus arrived at that moment, calmly, his focus only on Seven. Almost predictively, as if this moment was exactly what he was waiting for. With a mere touch, the barrier shattered and he grabbed Seven. Seven was trembling, his number pulsed a multitude of dull hues of reds and blues.
"Theloseus! Wait!" Elvidia rushed towards the two, but the Earth swallowed the duo, leaving the scene of carnage in chaotic silence.
"Fuck!" Elvidia swore as she slammed her fist into the ground where they disappeared as she collapsed to her knees. "At least allow us time to understand why this happened…" She shook, whether from rage or something else.
*************************************
When Seven finally came somewhat to his senses, he was inside what looked to be a cave, dimly lit by a flickering fire. It was cold, a slight howling wind could be heard a small distance away.
"Your emotions got the better of you. A subconscious surge of unbridled Mana burst from you, like a dormant bomb that had accidentally been set off." Theloseus calmly explained as he stoked the fire. Seven remained mute, he had no proper reply to answer with.
"It wasn't your fault. You simply lacked the discipline required, and that falls on me for not starting there in the first place. I assumed time was on our side. I was incorrect." Theloseus continued in his calm lecture tone.
"Who was he?" Seven finally spoke, his voice was hoarse, cracking– broken.
"He was one of your night guards. He took care of your evening meals as well as making sure you weren't harmed or bothered as you slept. He took great pride in his position." Theloseus answered bluntly, knowing hiding the information would only harm the situation.
"His name?" Seven asked another question, he bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, letting it drip down and off his chin.
"Sai. He smiled even in the most dire situations." Theloseus spoke only the name and a trait nothing more. Seven clenched his fists, his nails dug into the skin on his palms, his knuckles turned white from the pressure. For in his memory, Sai held a look of permanent terror, not a smile.
"How do I control it? What must I do to restrain this— chaotic energy?" Seven looked at Theloseus, his eyes burning with conviction.
"You will train. Every waking moment, there will be no rest. Discipline comes from the ability to harness desire. If you desire sleep, train your muscles to failure. If you hunger, ration a meal to last for days. If you thirst, wait for the rain to fall." Theloseus stood up and looked down at Seven with calm sternness.
"When do I begin, master?" Seven bowed his head.
"Now."
**************************************
Dante stumbled back into his study, the sight that greeted him was a wreck. Everything was torn apart, every cabinet torn open, papers strewn about, glass shattered and a very angry Captain Santiana Decario sitting on a chair in the middle of the room.
"Dante Icarus, also known as Dr. Steam. Owner and proprietor of Ore N' Ork, inventor and madman of Pioneer. You certainly got your name known in many places, including up high." Santiana kicked a chair towards Dante, motioning for him to sit.
"So it would appear. Care to elaborate on the condition of my domicile?" Dante sat as asked, straightening his suit elegantly as he did so.
"A few weeks ago, a certain duo came limping through the front gates, their runner shot to shit, transporting a crate of ores for you." Santiana ignored the question and began telling a story.
"I don't see the relation. It is not illegal for me to have shipments." Dante cooly replied.
"True, but it is suspicious. The timeframe matches the raid on a Silver City establishment. The runner matched the getaway vehicle, and—" Santiana tossed a wanted poster at Dante. "The described criminals match them both. So, Dante Icarus, under suspicion of treason of the highest order and conspiracy of rebellion, I will be placing you under my custody." Santiana stood and walked coldly towards the Doctor.
"What a shame. I really liked this city." Dante sighed before pulling out the mana sphere he used to communicate with Elvidia. Santiana jumped back smoothly and drew her gun calmly.
"Drop the orb. It's no use, you're surrounded, you'll never escape." She exclaimed dryly.
"Ha! I've never been caught, but no, it's just an emergency teleport." Dante slammed the orb down and with a flash he vanished. Only the sweet smell of fresh leaves in autumn mixed with the metallic smell of the shop remained.
**************************************
A few months had passed since Theloseus brought Seven to his new training designation. The top of a snow capped mountain. No civilization or distractions. Just earth, wind, and cold. As part of his discipline training, he wore only a basic shirt and pair of shorts. The sun was harsh, burning his skin repeatedly, the icy air gnawed at those burns with unbiased cruelty.
He was only barely getting used to the conditions. Sleep came in fragments. Meals were scraps. Snow was both drink and punishment. The routine gnawed at his mind like a patient parasite.
"Resolve is not suppression. Do not suppress your feelings, your emotions or your desires. Enjoy the feeling of relieving them as much as you can. Appreciate the simpleness of brief warmth, a meal, a drink of water or a good rest. Discipline is not suppressing, but controlling yourself." Theloseus also wore the same simple outfit, ate the same meager portions, and slept just as little.
"Master, what does this have to do with emotional discipline? Or Mana control?" Seven strained as he did pullups while dangling from a cliffedge.
"Everything. The stronger your mental state is, the stronger your control becomes. Even now, your skin is hardening to protect itself from these unforgiving conditions. You learned wind and ice Mana within three days, creating a thin protective layer to mitigate frostbite. Your muscles are compacting to levels beyond human capabilities to survive the trauma you're going through." Theloseus pointed out each of the massive steps that had been reached throughout the four months they'd been atop the mountain.
"But, I don't feel much growth. I still feel like I'll explode again." Seven replied as he crawled back to the top of the ledge and sat.
"That's not true. Your breathing is steady now, not labored. You don't shake when you dangle from the cliff edge, you shiver less, and you sleep more soundly. Every day has gotten progressively harsher up here. This mountain is dense with mana, it never gets better, only colder. If we went back to day one, you'd call it paradise." Theloseus chuckled at the end of his explanation.
"Which leads me to the question of where is this mountain?" Seven grabbed some snow and put it in his mouth, letting the frozen water melt refreshingly within. A brief respite from his never ending thirst.
"A few thousand miles away from the Forest Covenant. Across the ocean, somewhere on the continent of Redeal." Theloseus calmly dropped the largest bombshell.
"A different continent? I thought there wasn't anything across the oceans? I thought Atla was the only land on Lunarin!" Seven exclaimed in surprise.
"Is that what those tyrants in the sky tell you? Atla is just a very large island in the middle of the Atlatas Ocean. Granted, Lunarin is a large planet and crossing an ocean in your primitive black smoke belching Sailers would take months. So, I can see why no one confirmed the information." Theloseus shrugged Seven's look of shattered belief.
"But… what? This isn't— ah. Whatever, I should be used to such surprises at this point." Seven pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"Indeed." Theloseus nodded in agreement.
"Are there no living beings here then? I've not heard anything, no distant sounds of machinery carried even faintly on these infernal winds. I've never even seen lights in the lands below." Seven began pointing out his secret investigations.
"Oh? So you've been searching for signs of life? Why? Wanting to escape your hellish training already?" Theloseus smiled, though the smile was everything but friendly.
"Uh, no. Just, craving anything except cold wind howling in my ears, or the void of white days and empty night greeting my eyes." Seven replied with a sigh.
"Well, as it happens, there's quite a vast population of human kingdoms, elven territories, and forbidden zones on this continent. Just, none of them use your technology. I believe it's considered a sword and shield kind of era? There's a few floating cities like in your home town, but they float in said 'Forbidden Zones'." Theloseus seemed pleased to explain the details of the land.
"No, technology? Why is that?" Seven seemed more puzzled by this information.
"Your home city is the only human settlement that's close enough to a forbidden floating city to gain any inclination of technology." Theloseus replied, as if the words 'Forbidden Zones' implied that under normal situations, Pioneer wouldn't exist.