Chapter 10: Problem
Jonathan crouched down slowly, his face serious and thoughtful. He carefully took the long, silver tube from his pocket and placed it gently on the ground. The metal shone softly in the morning sun. The air in the garden was very still, and even the rustling leaves seemed to go quiet, as if waiting for what would happen next.
Aiden stood a few steps away, watching with wide, curious eyes. He could feel the faint hum of mana in the air and his own heart beating fast with excitement.
Jonathan stood up and brushed his hands lightly on his trousers. For a moment, he just stood there, looking into the distance as if remembering something very important. Then he turned to Aiden, his voice deep and calm.
"And also," Jonathan said slowly, "remember this. Every time a person advances to a new stage, their body and soul change. They become something more. At Stage Four… there is a huge change."
He paused, making sure Aiden was listening. "At Stage Four, a cultivator gains what's called 'half-immortality.' A Stage Four mage cannot be killed by normal things. Not by swords."
" Not by fire. Not even by a thousand cannons. They can survive things that would destroy any ordinary person. That's because, by that point, their mana and their body have become one. They are no longer fully mortal."
Aiden's eyes grew wide with awe. It was hard for his young mind to imagine such power.
Jonathan gave a small, knowing smile. "Your mother and I… we are both at Stage Four. We have reached that level."
Sara, standing a few steps behind them, glanced at Aiden and smiled a gentle, proud smile. The morning breeze played with her silver hair.
Jonathan continued, his voice taking on the steady rhythm of a teacher. "At Stage Five, one becomes a true immortal. Their body is beyond death. No normal weapon, no force of nature, not even time itself can end their life. Only another immortal could hurt them, and even that is rare."
He paused, looking up at the sky as if remembering old stories. "At Stage Six, one enters a realm mortals can barely understand. They are called Angels. Beings who stand closest to the heavens, closest to the gods themselves. Their mana goes beyond human limits. They can change the world around them with just a thought."
His voice grew deeper, more solemn. "And finally, at Stage Seven…" He looked back at Aiden, his eyes sharp and clear. "At that point, one becomes a true deity. They are the living embodiment of their element."
" They are no longer bound by the rules of nature or life and death. They become the creators of their own element. Only another deity could defeat them… and even then, it would take an unimaginable effort."
He looked directly at his son. "Remember these things well, Aiden. These truths will guide you for the rest of your life."
Aiden nodded obediently, his voice quiet but firm. "I will."
A soft breeze carried his words away into the quiet morning.
Then, Jonathan turned his attention back to the strange silver instrument lying on the ground. His expression became focused again. "Now, we'll test your elemental affinity."
He pointed to the device. "To check your affinity, you must place your hand on the crystal sphere at the end. Then, use the breathing technique I taught you to pull mana from your heart and guide it down to your hand."
Aiden listened carefully, nodding.
"Once the mana reaches your hand," Jonathan continued, "push it into the crystal ball. You'll need to keep the flow steady for a few seconds. When the ball has taken in enough mana, I'll let it flow through the tube."
He pointed to the ten small glass bulbs along the tube's side. "Each of these represents one of the ten elements. The ones that light up will show which elements you have an affinity for."
Jonathan straightened up and looked at Aiden. His eyes were serious but kind. "Now, begin."
Aiden took a quiet, deep breath. "Alright."
He walked forward slowly and knelt on the grass in front of the long silver instrument. The metal felt cool. He positioned himself carefully, back straight, just as his father had taught him.
In front of him, the crystal ball shone faintly. It was perfectly smooth and clear, like a frozen drop of water reflecting the blue sky.
Aiden placed his right hand gently on top of the sphere.
He closed his eyes and began the breathing technique—*five short breaths, three long breaths, five normal breaths*. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Slowly, he focused his mind inward, toward the light green pulse of his Mana Heart.
He could feel it—a warm, alive thrumming deep in his chest.
Carefully, he guided the flow of mana through his body. The energy moved like a gentle river under his skin, flowing from his heart to his shoulder, down his arm, and finally into his hand.
The moment it reached his palm, he exhaled slowly and let it go.
Mana surged out of his hand—invisible but powerful. The crystal ball under his fingers suddenly woke up.
It began to glow.
At first, the light was faint, just a soft shimmer deep inside the sphere. But then it grew brighter, swirling and spinning like a tiny vortex. Aiden felt a strange pulling sensation, as if the sphere was alive and hungry, drinking his mana eagerly.
It felt like a whirlpool had formed inside the crystal—pulling, devouring, consuming his energy.
He clenched his teeth but didn't stop. He kept the breathing steady, just as his father had said. The sphere pulsed faster and faster until, finally, it shone with a bright, steady light—a sign it was full.
Jonathan, who had been watching silently, nodded. "That's enough. Pull your hand back now."
Aiden obeyed, carefully lifting his hand away.
The moment his hand left, the sphere's light changed. It stopped swirling and became a calm, neutral glow. Inside the instrument, a faint stream of light began to move. It traveled smoothly down the long silver tube.
Aiden, Jonathan, and Sara all leaned forward slightly, their eyes following the soft glow as it moved past each of the ten small glass bulbs. The mana flowed gracefully, passing one bump, then the next.
As it traveled, the light entered each bulb—and one by one, the glass bumps began to flicker softly.
Then, something very strange happened.
The light passed through *all ten* bulbs… and when it returned to the starting point, the entire instrument began to hum. It vibrated softly against the ground.
Jonathan's eyebrows drew together. "That's odd…" he murmured, mostly to himself.
In the very next moment, they saw something even more impossible than anything before. It was more bizarre than Aiden becoming a cultivator at age seven. More unbelievable than his undetectable Mana Heart.
What they saw was this:
Every single bulb on the tube—*all ten of them*—began to shine.
Not just a flicker. They lit up brightly, one after another, until all ten glowed with a brilliant, steady light.
Aiden's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen anything so dazzling, so unreal.
Jonathan and Sara stood frozen, completely still. Their minds could not process what they were seeing.
Every element… had lit up.
Not one or two. Not even four, which was the highest number ever recorded in the world.
*All ten.*
The air around them began to tremble. The grass bent under an unseen force. A faint vibration rippled through the ground. The glow from the bulbs grew stronger, brighter, until it was hard to even look directly at them.
Jonathan's eyes narrowed to slits. His voice was a stunned whisper. "This… this is impossible…"
Sara's lips trembled. She took a small step forward, her voice shaking. "All… all ten elements?"
Aiden didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind was blank. His heart pounded violently in his chest. A deep, instinctual feeling screamed inside him that something was terribly wrong.
And then, before any of them could move or speak—
**BOOM!**
The instrument exploded.
A deafening blast tore through the quiet garden. A wave of raw energy erupted outward. The air rippled like water. Shards of silver metal and shattered glass flew in every direction. A brilliant flash of multicolored light—red, blue, green, gold, white—filled the entire yard, forcing all three of them to shield their eyes.
The shockwave ripped through the grass, scattering dirt and debris. The ground shook faintly under their feet.
When the blinding light finally faded and the dust began to settle, a deep, ringing silence fell.
The instrument was gone. Only smoking fragments and glittering dust remained, scattered across the garden like sad, broken stars.
Aiden stood frozen, his heart hammering against his ribs. Sara's face was pale as chalk, her eyes wide with pure disbelief. Jonathan, though he looked calm on the outside, could not hide the flicker of deep, unsettled fear in his eyes.
He had seen many impossible things in his long life.
But never this.
Their son had not only become the youngest mana cultivator in history.
He had just made the affinity instrument—a tool used for generations—explode into dust.
Even if the instrument had been faulty… this was too much. Too strange. Too wrong.
It was a problem. A very, very big problem.
Author's Note: Guess what the problem with the instrument was, and write it in the comments to let me know, and stay tuned for more chapters.