Guren couldn't make sense of what the old man in front of him was saying. Minutes had passed since he woke up, and his mind was still foggy. The old man, meanwhile, looked at the pitiful, tear-stained, and soaked child with sorrowful and regretful eyes. Guren tried to speak: "Eaa—" Words wouldn't come out of his mouth. His tongue felt stuck, and he couldn't breathe. Each attempt to speak brought a lump in his throat, and he couldn't gather his thoughts to form sentences.
Kris: "Huh…? Can't you speak?? Swallowed your tongue, have you??" He let out a long laugh. His mournful and tearful demeanor vanished, replaced by an entirely different personality.
Guren could only manage: "AAAAH."
Kris continued: "Hmm… Looks like you really did swallow your tongue. Must be from what you saw in your sleep." He grabbed Guren's throat and peered into his mouth. "You're in shock from what you saw. Also, your throat's damaged from screaming so much in your sleep." Then, shouting, "LIE DOWN!" he pushed Guren to the ground. Placing his hand on Guren's head, he closed his eyes and said, "Let's fix that throat first."
After a moment, Guren felt a warmth in his throat. It was glowing and growing hotter. Kris, still in the same position with his eyes closed, continued focusing. A few seconds later, Guren started to feel pain. His throat was burning, aching. His breathing quickened, and the heat from his throat spread through his entire body.
Finally, Kris removed his hand from Guren's head. Guren didn't have the strength to open his eyes. He felt utterly exhausted.
Kris: "I've healed your throat. It shouldn't hurt anymore."
He pinched Guren's leg.
Guren: "AHHHH—"
Kris: "Yes, your throat seems healed. Now for your shock. This is the painful part."
Kris began staring at Guren. He locked onto him. Just staring intensely.
Guren, meanwhile, was marveling at the fading pain in his throat, wondering whether the man before him was friend or foe and pondering the old man's ever-changing personality.
Kris began to mutter:
"O Mikael, who shatters thought with flame,
Taste me, you will see—more is all you need."
His voice gradually grew louder, and red dots appeared under his eyes. Guren felt his footing slip.
"Let minds unravel beneath Your name,
I twist their fate, I plant the seed.
Through sacred fire their will I sever,
I'm pulling your strings, twisting your mind and dreams."
And he shouted:
"In silence they march, their souls now mine—
By Your light, I am THE MASTER OF PUPPETS!"
At that moment, Guren felt the need to blink and did so. When he opened his eyes, a black mist surrounded him. Then the surroundings brightened. He found himself standing in his own room. Confused, Guren scratched his head.
"Hmph," he said, sitting on his bed. Then he remembered what had happened two seconds ago.
"I'M IN A DREAM!" He panicked and looked around. Then he saw Kris standing by the door.
"You're right, Guren. You're in a dream right now. And it seems you can talk here." He laughed.
In his mind, Guren thought, "First, he showed me a terrifying dream, then he healed me. Now he's put me back in a dream. What's he trying to do? I need to be cautious." He took a step back.
Kris smiled sweetly: "Don't be afraid. This time, I'm not your enemy, and this isn't a test. But it is, of course, a continuation of our first lesson."
Guren snapped, muttering: "You call that a lesson?!" Tears streamed from his eyes, and he shouted:
"No matter how much you call it a lesson… You killed my sister before my eyes. You made me watch it all helplessly!"
As Guren spoke, his shouting and anger grew.
"I felt it…"
The ground began to shake, and the walls started to crumble. Kris and Guren were transported to the garden of the mansion from Guren's dream. The mansion was burning.
"I felt all the pain. It hurt so much. I was so scared. I fell into despair. I cursed myself, my weakness! I didn't know it was a dream!" He collapsed to the ground.
"I thought everything was over, that I was dead…" His last sentence came without shouting, his crying intensifying.
Kris, unfazed, watched calmly. The fire in the mansion grew fiercer, spreading to the tree. Kris began to speak:
"Young Guren, do you want to be strong?"
He said this with the most serious expression and tone he could muster.
Guren shouted:
"Of course I do!"
"Then tell me! How will you know what it's like to die without dying? Or to be strong without knowing weakness? Or the state of the strong against the strong? Or what it's like to lose someone you love? Or the cruelty, the curse of power? How will you control your anger without stepping to its edge?"
Guren stammered, his voice trembling:
"I-I don't know…"
"Of course you don't. Because you've never suffered in your short life! You've never left this cage of a mansion! You lack experience and pain. No matter how fine the steel, it's nothing but stone without proper forging!"
Guren listened intently, captivated by the wise words of the old man who had been laughing maniacally moments before. Meanwhile, the fire in the mansion and garden had gone out, leaving behind a charred, ruined building and dead plants. Guren remained silent.
Kris continued, his voice softening:
"I'm sorry, Guren. Your father told me you want to be the strongest, no matter what. There is no strength or virtue without pain! When I saw your potential, I knew YOU COULD BE THE STRONGEST! You can make your father and family proud!"
The waterfall of tears in Guren's eyes stopped. He looked at Kris with hope.
Kris began to explain:
"There are three ways to use Mana, young Guren. Mana is an energy, like heat, kinetic energy, potential energy, or dark energy. Its nature can be manipulated among these four energy types. Its particle is the Manatron. And it is controlled through this. Manatrons are everywhere. Matter is made of atoms. Manatrons can exist as subatomic particles or special elemental molecules—"
Guren was confused. Why had this old man suddenly shifted from profound words to lecturing about mana? But somehow, Guren felt calmer, more at ease. When he was angry, the mansion burned; when he was calm, the fire went out. Now, the mansion was even more vibrant than before. He still hadn't forgiven Kris, but his words made sense. He no longer hated him as he had before.
Guren suddenly burst into laughter. Chuckling, he said:
"Stupid old man, why'd you suddenly start lecturing?"
Kris got angry:
"HA? Stupid old man, you say? I'm the greatest wizard in this kingdom! Besides, while I'm in your mind, I need to finish these explanations. Time's running out."
"While you're in my mind?"
"Don't interrupt me, I'm explaining. We wizards manipulate manatrons to perform magic. We're essentially scientists. You can't do magic without knowing science! Also, magic isn't just for battle. It's used in many areas today."
Kris suddenly stopped. He stared blankly at the ground for 10 seconds. Guren stared back at him.
"What was I saying???? Oh!"
He clapped his hands, laughing. Guren thought, "This guy's a bit senile."
"There are three ways to use Mana. 1- Contactless interaction with the environment (Remotus), 2- Spreading through touch (Diffusio), 3- Blessedness and Miracles (Divanitas). Tomorrow, we'll learn Remotus. But for now, let me explain how I'm communicating with you in your mind. It's thanks to my Divanitas ability, 'Master of Puppets.' This ability allows me to manipulate people's minds."
Guren flinched.
"That's how I manipulated your dream. And that's why we're talking in your subconscious right now. The reason I'm giving you this lesson here is that everything we discuss here is etched into your memory. I'll tell you more about Divanitas later. For now, know this: Anyone can use Remotus and Diffusio. But only the chosen can use Divanitas. Divanitas is Michael's gift to humanity."
Guren began to wonder, "Do I have Divanitas or not?" But one thing he couldn't shake: whether he had it or not, he would become the strongest.
Kris added:
"Oh, and by the way, I used Diffusio to heal your throat. While we're talking here, I was also fixing your inability to speak due to the shock you experienced outside."
Kris let out a deep sigh.
"I guess it's time to go. Staying in a mind this long tires my old body quickly."
Kris began to fade slowly.
"See you outside, Guren!"
Guren shouted:
"Thanks for the lesson, master!"
First, Kris evaporated and flew into the sky, then the surroundings melted into a black mist.
Guren opened his eyes in their garden, lying on Kris's knees.
"Looks like you've had your trauma nap, little lord!" Both Guren and Kris burst into laughter.