There's nothing much to say about the apprenticeship process. Salomon was deeply grateful to Master Hamil. For the next few years, due to the Sorcerer Supreme's educational plan, Salomon's daily schedule was Kamar-Taj – Hong Kong Temple – Boxing Gym – Hong Kong Temple – Kamar-Taj, waking up at dawn every day.
Salomon got along best with the guardians of the Hong Kong Temple, and the reason was simple: it was a matter of taste. They thought "white people" wouldn't eat beef offal, but Salomon could devour a whole bowl… after all, those who can eat are not bad.
Salomon was also impressed by his ability to return to his student routine. Since starting work, he'd close his eyes after work and be up by daybreak.
It was wonderful to be young.
But for a body still only in the single digits, such a burden was a bit much. Fortunately, the power of the saint was slowly taking effect, and Salomon had grown taller, stronger, and more responsive than children his age. During this time, the Ancient One also diligently nurtured Salomon's cultural education, offering him a steady stream of language courses: Hebrew, Sanskrit, Greek, Old English, Celtic, and more—all necessary for reading grimoires. Salomon endured pressures unbelievable for his age. He had seen the memories brought by the stigmata and knew that the apprenticeships of the great wizards consisted of copying scrolls and attending classes. Which wizard tower even taught melee combat? He had no intention of imitating the mage warriors of the Inner Sea, fighting with a blade in one hand and a spell in the other.
Furthermore, Baron Mordo had secured Salomon's citizenship, forcing him to evade British child rights agencies. They were trying to find him an adoptive family and send him to school. They had reportedly already contacted an elderly woman to adopt him.
But Salomon had no desire to enter the magical world only to be sent to elementary school again.
Fortunately, the Sorcerer Supreme also adhered to the principle of "just enough is enough." After five years of close combat training with Salomon, until he was ten and even his senior brothers in the gym were no match for him, the Sorcerer Supreme began to train Salomon in the magic of Kamar-Taj and Vishanti. Salomon had long awaited this day, and he was not content with just cantrips.
"I don't know if you should accept the test," the Ancient One said in the quiet room. "But you know how Kamar-Taj acquires magic… but you are different. You are born with magic."
The Ancient One did not want Salomon to be trapped in Vishanti's contract like her. This model of the master providing magic to the caster and the caster serving the master could quickly improve the combat capabilities of Kamar-Taj's mages, but in the long run, they would be subject to the master's control.
This was understandable, for even Vishanti could not control human desires. They feared the emergence of a sorcerer capable of bringing disaster to Earth and therefore sought to sever Kamar-Taj's potential for power at its source. The Ancient One, however, enjoyed a small advantage. As the first to sign a contract with Vishanti, Vishanti's demands were relatively undemanding, leaving her with ample room for development.
Therefore, the Ancient One prepared something for Salomon—a silver ring inlaid with a sapphire. The ring immediately caught his eye, not because of the gem, but because of its magical power… like Sauron's Ring…
"But the problem is, even your innate magical power cannot match Vishanti's boundless energy… I can bear the initial backlash of Vishanti's magic for you, but besides this ring, there are two others. Together, we need to fully control Vishanti's magic." The Ancient One pushed the ring toward Salomon. "But after this, you must face the test alone."
"I will do it, Master." Salomon bowed his head and saluted the Sorcerer Supreme. Just as he lowered his head, a mark appeared on the Ancient One's forehead, but it quickly disappeared.
"Begin. Put on this First Ring of Celestial Energy," the Sorcerer Supreme said. Salomon nodded, carefully lifting the ring between his thumb and index fingertips.
There was no abnormality, no burning sensation—everything seemed normal. Then Salomon put the ring on his right index finger. The ring, originally unsuitable for children, automatically reduced its diameter, tightly binding Salomon's index finger.
The Ancient One did not relax. She quickly reached out and expanded the mirror space, covering the entire Kamar-Taj on the mountainside.
"Thief!" A loud roar echoed from the sky, and a massive tiger's head materialized from the void. Its eyes shone with blinding light. Under Hoggoth' immense pressure, the Sorcerer Supreme's mirror dimension began to crack.
"Thief! Where are you?"
The mark on the Ancient One's forehead was fully revealed, but no one except Salomon could see it. Under the Sorcerer Supreme's protection, none of the mages of Kamar-Taj noticed Vishanti's wrath.
"Teacher…"
Salomon fretted. He wondered what price the Ancient One would pay for this. Although the Ancient One had adopted him for her own purposes, the Sorcerer Supreme was still his teacher. The Ancient One didn't respond. Salomon saw the Sorcerer Supreme's sweat dripping from her chest. He could only sit down cross-legged and meditate, following the basic teachings of Kamar-Taj.
He imagined ten rings of different colors in a dark space. Salomon hadn't deliberately arranged the rings, simply placing them in a certain order from lowest to highest.
He imagined the first, lowest ring emitting light. This was self-hypnosis, but also meant to unfold the stigmata.
In his imagination, the ring gradually radiated a glow of orange, olive, reddish-brown, and black (black, of course, being the absence of color). Outside, a surge of magical energy rose from his body, converging on the ring.
The Sorcerer Supreme gradually felt her pressure ease. This wasn't because Vishanti had extinguished his rage, but rather because Salomon was gradually taming the magic within the ring. The unique magical properties of the stigmata constantly countered the intense heat of Vishanti's magic. Without them, Salomon would have been quickly roasted.
Hoggoth looked around but couldn't find the thief who had stolen Vishanti's magic. His rage grew even more intense. Even though he had become the Trinity, Vishanti was still essentially a big cat—a magical big cat. He possessed immense patience. When he noticed the magical fluctuations within the ring gradually fading, he gave up his pursuit.
Anyway, there were still two rings, and the thief would appear sooner or later.
The Sorcerer Supreme opened her eyes tiredly and watched Salomon wake from meditation.
"How is it?" asked the Ancient One.
"I don't know, but… when I opened the first stigma, the magic power in the ring was tamed." In fact, Salomon was also a little confused. He had opened the stigma only to fight against the burning sensation caused by the ring, and he was also prepared for the memory shock that followed—but it didn't happen. This time he could browse those memories very gently, chewing and absorbing them slowly, and his own magic power also suppressed Vishanti's ring.
"It seems that my guess was right, Salomon," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "You do have the Ten Rings."
-End Chapter-
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