Eldrad walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He was confronted by his younger brother, Madin, who was about to knock on the door. They both stared at each other, hatred evident on their faces.
"Dad is busy right now," he said, standing at the front of the door. No one is allowed in until he's done." They both stood in silence waiting for over an hour before the door was finally opened.
Will opened the door closing it with a bang. His eyes blazing with anger as he stormed out of the hall.
'Who does he think he is?' Will thought as he entered his room. He sat heavily on his bed trying to suppress his anger. He stared at the scroll on the chair, stretching his hands forth he grabbed it. He had decided to keep it for the time being but things had changed.
"Strength! That's all I need to control my fate." He said grasping his hands.
He opened the scroll going through the writing. The scroll was quite old but the words inside were still intact. He first calmed his emotions before sitting cross-legged on the floor, following the instruction in the scroll.
"Next is to feel the energy within," he thought as he closed his eyes. The surrounding slowly faded as he was sucked into a void. He stood in a dark space staring at a radiant glowing ball. "That's my core," he said with a thoughtful expression. He turned around searching for something else. There at the edge of the room, he saw a ball of energy not bigger than his finger glowing.
He focused on the energy as he tried to control it. Slowly he moved the ball drawing it from the edge of the room. He then started the hideous work of spreading the energy to his arms and legs. His clothes were soaked in sweat as he focused on the task.
He had successfully carried out the task and the ball of energy was glowing brightly now. Will then subconsciously took the pill and threw it into his mouth. He swallowed the pill and waited for some moments.
He felt a slight burning in his lower stomach which slowly increased. The burning sensation soon spread over his body. He held on bracing the pain. He bit down on his lip drawing out blood. The sensation only lasted ten minutes but it seemed like a day to Will. He fell on the floor, his eyes turning dark as his consciousness faded. He didn't know how long he was out before he eventually woke up.
"Urgh," he groaned as he got off the floor. "Whoa! This is amazing!" He exclaimed as he stretched his body. His body was filled with energy and he felt reinvigorated. It seems the pain he had endured wasn't for nothing.
He sat on the floor delving into his core again. Now he could see the energy within, the yellow energy had grown bigger, the size of a tennis ball. He gently moved the energy around his body, getting familiar with the strange energy.
For now, he could only move the energy within parts of his body. His focus shifted to a dark glow at the far end of the space.
"What's this?" he thought as he edged closer. There, he saw a dark glowing ball which was bound with golden chains. He stretched his hands touching them, and a searing pain shot through his body as he was forced out of the space.
The pain had gone quickly just as it had come. He didn't think too much of it as he walked into the bathroom. "Just wait till I get stronger," he said out with a devilish smile.
****
The days moved quickly with Will kept in seclusion in his room. Each day, he followed the instructions in the scroll, cultivating the energy. After being accepted back into the family, he gained some privileges. His training room was filled with items which would help increase his strength. He was also granted the opportunity to hunt rare beasts captured by his family.
Ding!
[ Your comprehension of the fire and wind ability has increased ]
[ You have reached the middle stage of the middle realm ]
Just before the final day, he had finally made a breakthrough into the middle stage of the Middle realm.
"This would be enough for now." Getting off the floor he slumped on his bed resting his body.
~~~~
The brief vacation was finally over and it was time to head back to the academy.
He had gotten his things prepared, storing them in a low-grade storage ring which he got from his mother. Although with his inventory he could store some items he decided to keep only his weapons there since it had a limited number of things he could store.
"Take care, mom. You know I can't afford to lose you." Will said, hugging her. Eldrad stood at their side silently.
"You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine. You take care of yourself." She said, kissing his head. They separated, and Will walked towards the portal.
"Will!" Hearing his name being called out, he looked back watching his father slowly walking towards him. "Be careful," he said patting his back. "Hmmm," he nodded his head taking one last look at his mom before entering.
Just like before, he was zapped in and zapped out to his destination. He had arrived at the VIP room.
With a deep breath, he walked out, finding his way out of the building. His mind was occupied by his home issues. The academy was crowded with students as others chosen had also arrived. The academy was also in full swing now after the short break.
Out of the thousands of students, only about three hundred had been chosen.
"Hey!" He heard a voice call out to him. He stopped in his tracks recognising the voice.
"Belle! Nice to see you." He said, stretching out his hand for a handshake. She pulled his hands, embracing him tightly. "I thought you were gone," she said, sobbing.
"Will! Damn! We thought... we thought you didn't make it," Dren said, drawing their attention. He walked closer and slapped his back playfully with a wide grin trying to mask his emotions.
After they had returned from the mission, they didn't waste much time before heading back to their family. Will hadn't arrived before that time, and they all thought he had died in the assessment.
The three were quite close. They had been placed in the same group during a hunting event, and right from then, they had become close friends.
Belle moved back, wiping away her tears. "How did you survive?" She asked. Dren also looked at him, expecting an answer.
I.. um...
"Those chosen should please head towards the training ground." They heard a voice echoing in their heads.
"C'mon, let's go," he said with a forced smile. Will took the lead, as they navigated through the crowd of people.
They had finally arrived at the training ground. The large field was filled with people. At the far side of the field was a huge building which was the training building.
Right at the centre of the field, a platform had been constructed and was filled with people. Standing at the elevated platform was the head of the academy, Commander Parker.
After everyone had settled down, he began his speech, congratulating them first before briefly addressing them. After that, he prepared them for their journey.
"Now, you all are going to be transported to the military base. Stay safe, and also, make us proud."
Setting the coordinates, he activated the teleporter, instructing them to go through. Some set of teachers had been directed to follow them to ensure their safety.
Forming a line of two, they started entering the portal until there was no one left.
'I wonder where we are heading to,' Will thought as he prepared to enter.
"Will! Be careful!" Commander Parker said as he walked through. 'Pheew,' that's the last of them. He said with a sigh, his mind drifting to Will.
"I could feel it... that energy, he's already in the middle stage of the middle realm. How's that possible? He's been gone for just how many days??"
****
They had all arrived at the other side safely and were currently observing their environment. The surroundings were mainly dark, and the energy around felt chaotic.
"Is it nighttime or what?" One of the students said out loud.
Looking around, Will realized they had been teleported to another planet. The issue was that the planet was unknown to them.
Just as the people voiced their thoughts, a portal opened right before them, and another one opened far away from them.
Coming out were people from the other regions. A group of people walked out of the portal right before them, all dressed in white clothing. A lone figure stood out among the lot, his aura burning fiercely.
His white hair flowed to his back swaying gracefully. He was Garou Rasin, the son and the next heir of the Rasin faction.
The world was divided into four continents - the east, west, south, and north. Will lived in the Southern region with his family. Each region is controlled by some of the strongest families they have.
The Southern region is mainly controlled by the military with some of the powerful families backing them.
The Eastern region, which is considered the strongest of all the continents, is ruled by the Rasin family. It's the only family in that region since it had defeated the other families taking them under their wing.
The northern region was chaotic. It is ruled by no one, and each family is constantly at war with each other trying to gain control over the region.
The western region is one filled with mysteries. They kept to themselves, not interfering with the outside world.
Although each continent is ruled by various families, they still follow the system of government. They work hand in hand with the government to rule the world. The leader of the military is the supreme commander, Garan Borwick.
Each year, the military usually enlisted talented students in each academy to train them. Those recruited by the military are then trained to engage in dangerous missions and climb up the ranks slowly.
The last portal opened, and a group of people came out. They were quite few, numbering up to one hundred. Taking the lead was a bulky, dark-haired boy with a smug look. Following behind him was a red-haired boy. His eyes were blindfolded. The rest trip out before the portal finally disappeared.