Kaelen woke to a morning that seemed ordinary. The sunlight streamed through his window, and everything felt calm—almost too calm. He got up, refreshed, and joined his family for breakfast.
As they were eating, his father placed a letter on the table. "We received this yesterday," he said, opening it carefully. "It seems the academy has postponed classes for a few days due to ongoing construction for expansion."
Kaelen's eyebrows rose slightly. "Expansion?" he repeated.
"Yes," his father continued. "New wings are being built, magical wards installed, and dimensional classrooms finalized. Delaying the semester ensures they can complete defenses, safe housing, and practice areas, and install anti-corruption or anti-spatial anomaly wards."
Lyra perked up, her green eyes gleaming. "So, no classes for a few days? Yayyy. Guys visit selianna's house??"
Allaric said with a shrug. "Id really want to visit Selianna at her house. She's only my group member, though; I have no personal interest in her. But ask Kaelen—he might be interested."
Their mother, Elliria, perked up at the comment. Lyra smirked slightly and leaned toward Kaelen. "You coming, Kaelen?"
Kaelen paused for a moment, thinking it through. Lyra's smirk deepened, and she added with slight impatience, "Aww, come on, what's there to think about? She was worried last day, and…" she tilted her head teasingly, "…you can even hug her again."
Hearing this, Elliria chimed in with a teasing lilt. "Ohh~ hug again, eh?"
Kaelen waved his hands defensively. "It's not like that." He resumed eating and added, "If you want someone to tag along with you, I'll come."
Lyra grinned knowingly. "Of course you will… hehe~"
Kaelen sighed inwardly, shaking his head, and they all continued breakfast. After a few moments, he asked Lyra, "So, when are we leaving?"
"Couple hours," Lyra replied. "I want to get ready. You should, too."
"Yea, yea," Kaelen muttered. He then called for Sophia. "Can you get my dress ready."
Elliria leaned toward Lyra, whispering with curiosity, "Sweetie, you have to tell me about this girl after you return, okay?"
Lyra nodded politely. "Of course, Mother."
Once in his room, Kaelen called out to Founder. "Hey… can you duplicate skills I already have?"
"Yes, Master," Founder replied. "Which ones would you like me to duplicate?"
Kaelen grinned slightly. "Duplicate Aether Rejuvenation and Cardinal Flame."
"Affirmative… duplication complete."
Kaelen's eyes sparkled. "Now, use Synthesis on Aether Rejuvenation and Cardinal Flame. I want to create something like… Phoenix Flame."
"Attempting… successfully synthesized Aether Rejuvenation and Cardinal Flame."
A window appeared in front of him
[Synthesized a New Skill]
[Name: Phoenix Flame]
[Tier: Unique]
[Abilities:
- Regenerative Flame: Heals user or allies on contact while burning away impurities, curses, or minor afflictions. Healing scales with magicule reserves and mastery.
- Purifying Blaze: Burns corrupted energy, dark magic, or lingering malice. Effective against cursed enemies.
- Phoenix Burst: Retains offensive properties of Cardinal Flame. Can form beams, explosions, or sweeping arcs.
- Aether Infusion: Rejuvenates body, repairs minor injuries, stabilizes allies temporarily.
- Phoenix Rebirth: At peak mastery, can sacrifice flame intensity to fully restore self or allies, even near-fatal conditions.
- Moldable Form: Flames can take any shape user desires.]
Kaelen leaned back, satisfied. This experiment actually worked…
He immediately moved on. "Founder, replicate Cardinal Flame and Primordial Ingestion, then synthesize them."
"Understood, Master."
A moment later, another window popped up
[Synthesized a New Skill]
[Name: Devouring Flame]
[Tier: Unique]
[Abilities:
- Life-Force Consumption: Flame latches onto enemy life force, devours vitality, magic, and spiritual energy.
- Eternal Burn: Persists indefinitely as long as target has essence, damaging even souls.
- Essence Assimilation: Devoured energy partially absorbed by user, strengthening them.
- Eternal Blaze: Cannot be extinguished by conventional means. Only skills of Upper Unique tier or above can stop it
- Hellflame Chains: Flame can manifest as serpent-like or chain constructs to bind enemies.
- Soul-Burn Effect: Scorches enemy consciousness, causing immense pain].
[Drawback:
- Soul Recoil: Burns a fragment of user's own life force. Overuse risks severe exhaustion or long-term damage.]
Kaelen stared at it. "This… is broken. Way too broken. But there are drawbacks this time, huh…" He chuckled softly. "Well, I guess this is another trump card, excluding Dragon Form v1."
A knock at the door interrupted him. "Young master, your dress is ready," Sophia announced politely.
Kaelen thanked her, changed quickly, and prepared to leave. Well, new skills ready. Only left is a weapon and armor… need resources for that, later.
Soon, Lyra joined him, and they headed to Selianna's house.
The Thalorie estate was far less extravagant than the Caelthron's, the remnants of a fallen noble family. It didn't bother either sibling. They waited politely until the door opened.
Selianna's mother, Seraphina Thalorie, greeted them warmly. Inside, they spoke with Selianna, her parents, and learned she had a newborn younger sister.
After catching up, Kaelen, Lyra, and Selianna went shopping. They ate, wandered the streets, and as they walked, Kaelen spotted a small accessory on display—a beautiful blue pendant necklace. He bought it and handed it to Selianna.
Lyra's teasing tone cut in immediately. "Awww, where's a gift for your sister? What, only for your love?"
Selianna blushed slightly, and Kaelen replied, defensive but calm, "I brought this because I thought it would match her. Seriously. I'll buy something for you if something catches my eye."Lyra waved a hand dismissively. "Yea, yea, yea."
After shopping, they returned Selianna to her home. On the way back, Elliria was already waiting, eyes sparkling with curiosity. Lyra explained the pendant story, teasing Kaelen mercilessly, and he quickly slipped away to avoid further teasing.