When Atlas could see again, the devastation laid out before him was catastrophic to the point where he was shocked that a human could be the cause of it.
It was a stark contrast. From utter annihilation in front of them, to a lush green forest behind, Radon truly was dubbed the Heavenly Tempest for good reason.
There was a gigantic crater, easily tens of miles across, that was hundreds of meters deep. All that was left of the area was strewn rubble, debris, and the underbelly of the ground.
"Aren't you afraid of attracting a high-level monster, sir?" Atlas asked curiously, for such a high display of power definitely risks bringing unwanted attention to oneself.
"Boy, we aren't even more than a hundred miles from the capital. Do you think they would let any strong beasts exist here?"
He then raised his hand once more, circles appearing again, and said:
"Healing Deluge."
Clouds began to form in the sky for miles around, light shining through the gaps between them. A light rain started to pour down, yet strangely, ignoring the two in the sky.
At a visible speed, plants began to regrow on the ground, and the forest slowly came back to life. The only indication of Radon's attack was the massive indent in the ground, still discernible despite the newly regrown vegetation. The clouds also dissipated, as if they were never there, leaving the sky cloudless once more.
"Like what you saw, kid?" Radon asked with a grin.
Atlas could simply nod, for words did not do it justice.
"Alright, let's head to the place I want to train you. It's a former Underworlder base, the elves specifically, that got raided. It's in ruin, but it's crawling with beasts," said Radon before they moved again, appearing above a huge structure that looked like an oak tree, yet was made entirely of glass. Many sections of it were cracked and shattered.
It was the height of a skyscraper, and much thicker. Atlas could see beasts moving within.
Suddenly, Atlas found himself able to walk in the air. Previously, he was floating at the whim of Escobar and Radon, but now, the air felt as solid as a floor.
"Sit down," said Radon, proceeding to sit down on a non-existent chair made of wind, while Atlas sat with crossed legs.
After sitting down, he found a sheet of paper floating in front of him. It was, more accurately, a sheet of parchment, slightly yellow and frayed on the edges, devoid of markings.
"This is an Essence Tome," said Radon, gesturing at the paper. "It is also Underworlder technology, just like the Crimson Telekhnu that you used to awaken. The first Emperor of the Grahan Empire found it in a base he destroyed, and he used it to access his essence."
Atlas connected the dots, recognizing the red obelisk that had awakened him. But then, a question came to his mind.
"What's essence?" he asked.
"To understand essence, you must understand mana, for they go hand in hand," Radon began. He used pure, dark blue mana to draw an incredibly intricate model of the human body in the air.
"Mana, as you know, is a form of energy that is used to cast spells and strengthen our bodies. It, in simple terms, can only affect the physical world. But through this tome, the first Emperor discovered that there exists another plane of reality, the spiritual plane."
Atlas was attentive, for this was information he probably would not have learned until the Academy, and he was sure he would be able to use it to his advantage.
Radon continued, "Think of the spiritual plane as the counterpart of the physical realm, where only the spiritual equivalent of everything, living and nonliving, can dwell. Where there is mana in the physical world, there is essence in the spiritual plane."
"Now, to the information relevant right now. Every human possesses a core, the location in oneself where their mana and essence are located." He added a small, glowing, and spinning sphere where the sternum was located.
"Essence, however, deals with the soul and its three parts, which consist of: Our Psychora, which is the durability; Our Eidetic, which is the memories the soul has collected in its lifespan; and our Axiom, which is our intent and personality."
He looked at Atlas, who had entered into deep thought from the information overload, and chuckled.
"Got all that, kid?" Radon asked, snapping Atlas out of his contemplation.
"So, where would the identity of the affinity be held in my soul?" Atlas asked, curious, since he could not discern anything from the information he had acquired so far.
Radon paused for a moment before responding. "There isn't necessarily a place. You must enter the spiritual plane and meditate in complete seclusion using your soul body, upon yourself, until you reach enlightenment. That's the way me and the Emperor did it, at least," he said before leaning forward.
"How long did it take you to realize your affinity?" Atlas asked inquisitively.
Radon chuckled before answering. "It took me two days. The Emperor did it in twelve minutes, the fastest I've ever heard of."
Atlas was shocked. Was there really that large a gap between someone with Celestial potential versus someone with an Arcane potential? Or was it simply that the Emperor's mind was unmatched? Were there other factors in play? Atlas did not know, but being the competitive individual that he was, hearing of the Emperor's accomplishment lit a fire in his belly. He desperately wanted to beat the Emperor, to prove that he was the best.
"When can we start?" asked Atlas eagerly. His mind was raring to go, and he wished to prove his dominance over all others. He did not know why he was like this, but saw no harm since it only served to motivate him.
"Slow down, boy!" said Radon, though he could see the ambition on the boy's face.
"You have to learn how to use mana first! How are you going to activate the Tome otherwise?" he exclaimed.
"Alright! Let's get it started then, old man!" Atlas said with a grin.
Radon was shocked. 'Old man?' he thought to himself. 'Who the hell does this kid think he is?'
Atlas was surprised as well. The only other person he was comfortable with was Charlie. How did this old man wiggle into his heart?
Radon stood up. "Old man, huh? You're calling me, Celestial Radon Hemisphere, the Heavenly Tempest, Head of the Royal Paladins, General of the East, an old man?" He said everything in a deathly low whisper.
"You need a good beating!" he reached towards Atlas. "Back in my day, we were beaten if we misbehaved!"
Atlas scampered back on all fours, putting on the most pitiful face he could. "Please no, sir! I'm sorry! You wouldn't want to hit a cute and innocent boy like me, would you?"
At the same he thought while grinning internally, 'Back in my day? And he says he isn't old! Hehehehe!' Atlas, at his core, was still immature. He may have seemed bleak before, but that was because his prospects did not hold much promise. But now that his ceiling was so high, life was looking up for him!
Radon backed off, but not before giving him a good chop to the top of the head. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Stop making that face. You look like a toad."
Atlas smiled. "Yes sir! Can you help me channel mana now?"
"Fine...but, brat! Watch how you speak to your elders next time!"
Atlas thought to himself, smirking on the inside, 'He literally calls himself an elder! What else does he expect!'
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright, I'm going to inject your core with some pure mana. From there, just imagine pathways running through every part of your body, and you'll create the routes in your physique that will allow you to use spells," said Radon, highlighting trade-like routes running throughout the entire floating mana model.
"It shouldn't be too hard considering that you have an Arcane level talent," Radon added.
"Ready?" Radon asked.
"Yes," Atlas said resolutely, reading his mind.
Radon placed a hand, wreathed in a dark blue glow, on Atlas's sternum. Suddenly, Atlas felt a jolt hit that exact spot. He could feel his mana core! It felt as if he was discovering an organ that he always used but never felt.
And the energy, the energy! He was feeling more invigorated and powerful than he ever had in his life!
Immediately, recognizing his straying thoughts, he moved to the second step of the process: forming his mana pathways.
He imagined tree-like roots spreading throughout his entire body, extending from his newly formed core.
Slowly, his pathways took form, with Radon observing the entire process.
Atlas's eyes snapped open. The euphoria and strength he felt were flowing through his body like liquid fire.
He had done it! He had formed his core and pathways! He had become a Dormant!
He had become a true Awakened!