The Celestite geode lay on the stone table, a raw and untamed star trapped in a matrix of rock. Its mana pulsed with a chaotic, brilliant light, a cosmic heart beating with an ancient, terrifying rhythm. Beside it sat the vials of purified aether, now a clear, sparkling liquid that shimmered with an otherworldly brilliance. David watched them, his face a mask of focus and cold determination. He had secured the materials, but the real challenge was just beginning.
He had rented a small, secluded workshop in the less-traveled parts of Aethelburg. It was a utilitarian space, stripped of any decoration, with only the bare necessities for his practice: a furnace for smelting, a runic circle for mana manipulation, and a simple cot for rest. It was a space that perfectly mirrored his soul—pragmatic, unadorned, and solely focused on the pursuit of power. He was acutely aware of the risk he was taking. His path was a tightrope walk over an abyss. A single misstep, a moment of lost focus, and his body could be torn apart by the very energies he was trying to control.
The humiliation from Princess Elisa had lit a new fire in his heart, one that burned hotter and colder than before. The encounter with Lord Kael had solidified his resolve. He had to become stronger. The world of Illusion was a place where strength dictated your worth, and he would not be found wanting again. The whispers of his path being a "dead end" would be silenced forever.
He began the process with the meticulous care of a veteran Pill Master. He didn't use the furnace. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the floor, placing the Celestite geode in the center of the runic circle. He then opened the vial of aether-infused reagents and poured a few drops onto the geode. The reaction was immediate and violent. The geode flared with a blinding light, its mana surging out like a raging storm. The workshop shook, and the runic circle, meant to contain the mana, cracked under the pressure.
A wave of intense, chaotic mana slammed into David's body. It was a raw, primordial energy, neither good nor evil, but simply a force of unimaginable power. It felt like ten thousand needles stabbing into his mana core, trying to tear it apart from the inside out. Pain, sharp and excruciating, ripped through his body, causing him to grit his teeth. This was the Aetheric Flux, the legendary chaotic energy he had only read about. It was the price of using such powerful materials.
He did not panic. He had prepared for this. He channeled the resilient will of a Fortress Master, creating a mental and spiritual fortress around his mana core. He was an immovable object, withstanding the irresistible force of the aether. His body screamed in protest, every nerve ending ablaze, but his mind remained a cold, silent bastion. His Knight's endurance was put to the ultimate test, his muscles coiling and contracting as if trying to hold his very essence together.
Hours passed. The Celestite geode began to crack, shedding its rocky exterior to reveal a core of pure, shimmering Celestite. The aether continued to rage, but David's control was unwavering. He was a conductor of a cosmic symphony, a single man taming a storm of creation. He began the final, and most dangerous, step: the fusion. He would not simply consume the Celestite; he would use the Multitalent path's unique properties to merge its essence with his own, fundamentally transforming his body and mana core.
He reached out and, with the precision of a master Pill Master, began to slowly pull the mana from the raw Celestite. He then used the volatile energy of a Mage to break down the Celestite's essence into its most basic particles. Finally, with the will of a Fortress Master, he began to rebuild those particles, weaving them into the fabric of his own mana core.
The fusion was a torment far beyond anything he had ever experienced. His body felt like it was being torn apart and put back together simultaneously. His bones cracked, his muscles tore, and his mana core screamed. Blood trickled from his eyes, nose, and mouth, but he did not falter. He had to succeed. He had to prove them all wrong. The image of Elisa's scornful face and Lord Kael's sneer flashed through his mind, fueling his resolve.
Then, a new image came. Elisa's earnest face, her voice filled with a genuine concern he hadn't heard in years. "You are a genius... You are a wonder, Master David." Her words were a balm, a warm ray of light in the cold abyss of his pain. He wasn't just doing this to prove them wrong. He was doing it for himself. To survive. To be worthy.
With a final, guttural roar of sheer will, the fusion was complete. A golden light erupted from his body, a brilliant, pulsating beacon of power that shattered the windows of the workshop and sent a powerful shockwave rippling through the city. He had done it. He had broken through. The Multitalent path, which was rumored to be capped at Transformation Three, had just reached that fabled stage. The Celestite and aether had become a part of him, enriching his mana core and bestowing upon him a new level of power.
He collapsed to the floor, his body bruised and battered, his mana core drained but vibrant. He had succeeded, but the cost was near-total exhaustion. He lay there, his mind swimming in a sea of triumph and pain, his consciousness fading into a welcome darkness.
---
Meanwhile, in the most prestigious district of Aethelburg, a different kind of storm was brewing. Prince Valerius of the neighboring Kingdom of Auroria, a powerful Transformation Five Mage, was listening intently to a report. Valerius was not like Lord Kael. He was cold, calculating, and exceptionally shrewd. He was one of Elisa's most powerful and persistent suitors, and his interest in her was a blend of genuine affection and political ambition. He had received reports of Elisa's unusual activities—her secret meeting with a low-ranking noble from a minor kingdom.
"So you're telling me," Valerius said, his voice a low, dangerous purr, "that Princess Elisa has taken an interest in a commoner from the Windless Kingdom. A boy who, by all accounts, was a disgrace."
His informant, a nervous-looking spy from his own kingdom, nodded, beads of sweat on his forehead. "My lord, he is no longer a commoner. He has manifested the legendary Multitalent path, a legend that was thought to be lost. He defeated Lord Kael in a confrontation yesterday, and the Princess seems… taken with him."
A cold, mirthless smile stretched across Valerius's lips. The Multitalent path? It was an interesting anomaly, nothing more. A fluke. But the fact that it had captured Elisa's attention was a problem. He didn't see David as a rival; he saw him as an insect that needed to be crushed before it could become a nuisance.
"A legend, you say," Valerius mused, a dangerous glint in his emerald eyes. "Then let us see if this legend can withstand the reality of the Illusion world. A kingdom is not built on legends. It is built on power and influence. Find me everything you can about this 'David William.' His family, his past, his weaknesses. And tell me… what is a good way to publicly expose a fraud? Something that will not only discredit him but also remind the Princess of her place."
He had no intention of using brute force. Not yet. David was a new variable, and Valerius wanted to humiliate him with intelligence and strategy, to show Elisa the difference between a rough upstart and a true power.
As David lay unconscious in his workshop, his body humming with the raw energy of his breakthrough, a new shadow was cast over his journey. He had overcome the impossible, had proven his path was real. But he had just stepped into a battlefield far more dangerous than any he had ever imagined—the intricate and merciless world of political intrigue, where his very existence was a threat to a prince who would stop at nothing to eliminate him.
His peaceful unconsciousness would not last long. The price of his power was not just the pain of the breakthrough; it was the pain of the attention that came with it. And his enemies were already on the move.