Aaron's entire body shook under the insane pressure seeping into his very bones, his blood vessels popping like balloons as the seconds passed.
His unfocused gaze, which reflected not a thought in his mind, stared straight at the elderly eyes of the youthful man, the orange pupils contracted like a fox.
The snapping of muscle and tearing of flesh began to ring from the boy's body, the sheer domination of being under the full scrutiny of a King taking its toll.
While Aaron's protective measures might've been effective in a normal scenario, when met with an excessively aggressive response, like during combat, and even more so against one significantly stronger, they could be shattered instantly.
All that kept Aaron from disappearing from the world in particles of crimson dust were the three forces that pushed him forward.
Penelope's entire soul compressed itself, activating the emergency protocol and consuming mana from the coins in his secondary pouch to turn it into lifeforce.
Not only her, but the unlikely companion, the Naelith, also resisted the powers of the King of Mystery—even in its weakened state, it was still an Apex terror after all, a creature capable of threatening even the Kings to some extent.
Finally, the most powerful of the trio, a being as ancient and mysterious as the Ghostships themselves, the deity within his head, acted without mercy.
It had reached a breaking point, sensing as Aaron's very soul started decomposing into nothingness, a feeling so ravaging and wretched that even his near-complete death on Sea Fallen could not compare to it.
If Aaron Grimstall's soul was erased, a portion of the deity's power would also vanish without repair, a cost too high to accept.
Therefore, resolving to apply the most disastrous of available countermeasures, what rested within the young boy's mind entered the heart of his consciousness.
Time itself stopped in the auditorium, the only things able to exist in the altered reality being one Aaron Grimstall and two, Cauron Thorn.
There was a pause as the orange-haired man opened his eyes wide, information flowing into his mind at a rate impossible for a normal human to comprehend.
It was the only way to satiate one cursed by the power of knowledge that surged through his veins.
Similar to Javier Flock, who had been jinxed by a god to never be able to interact with mana again after failing to uphold his Divinity Contract, Cauron had sourced a pact of unstable ability, driving him into a corner.
Cauron J. Thorn, the fourth-ranked Sea King in the world, was required by an emblematic pact to never be ignorant on a topic.
Each person in the world could be assessed easily—anyone he met, he could simply sense with a glance and determine their mana quantity, emotions, and whatnot, allowing him to remain within the terms of the contract.
However, with Aaron Grimstall, the moment he had seen him in the papers after the first exam, he had felt an immediate pain in his chest.
There was nothing, a blockade separating him and the boy behind the figurative mask he wore in the images.
He tried for weeks, utilizing each and every information channel at his disposal to dig up things about the boy, whether it be his family, his past, or even his date of birth.
However, all that could be found was closely guarded by the Hunters' Guild, their president blatantly refusing to reveal any sum of knowledge to the genius researcher.
Lord Thorn had planned to encounter the boy in the city, to find out something—anything—about the boy and then recede from the tournament like a shadow.
The only reason he had even agreed to host the exam within his newly constructed arena was for this purpose, and now, that which he had desired flowed into his mind at rapid speeds.
Opening his mouth to speak, he found that time had restarted, the pressure he had exerted on the boy gone, and the child sitting normally as if nothing had happened.
Furrowing his brow in confusion, he muttered something quietly under his breath.
"Aaron Grimstall. Born January 10th on the island of Strava. Descendant of the Grimstall family, no information on their immigration to the Sea of Dreams, or any sea, is recorded anywhere in the world."
In the front row, people attempted to lean in to hear his words; however, they were stopped by the guards who lined the stage.
Looking up at the blond-haired boy slowly, he noticed a smile creeping along the boy's face; however, it wasn't of the child's volition.
For without even using any magic to determine its origin, the King knew without a doubt that it wasn't anything human that contorted the boy's face at that moment.
Never before had he struggled so much in finding information about a person; the new feeling of curiosity seeping into his old bones once again.
Taking a deep breath and gazing over the audience as a whole, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Aaron's body twitch, his consciousness returning in a daze.
Nodding his head at the challenger's recovery, he could finally begin his presentation, the tug of what had occurred still lodged in his perfect memory.
An enigma of science…
…
Aaron's mind was foggy as he stared at the speaking man letargically, his memories of the time between when he sat down and now completely erased.
Wiping his eyes slowly, he heard the faint sounds of the Naelith and Penelope awakening as well, their own thoughts cluttered and worried.
『Aaron… We need to leave… That wasn't good… Really not good… That could've… We almost…』
It sounded as if her breath hitched, a force holding a chain to her throat to prevent her from continuing, the Naelith's frightened screams shouting through his head.
"NAELITH! NAELITH! NAELITH!"
Obviously not in the right state of mind, the creature continued to yell its own name until it was silenced by the unknown being, which was settling back down.
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, the blond-haired boy tried to organize his thoughts and realized what was going on.
I cannot know what happened. That thing won't allow it.
Pursing his lips, he smiled slightly, a dim glimmer of hope appearing beneath his despair.
That means it's afraid. Afraid that whatever I could hear would do something that would alter its plans.
Closing off his clouded mindscape for a period of time, he focused his attention on the Sea King ahead of him.
As expected… The pressure on the barriers is nearly enough to break them… If he attempted to shatter it himself, they wouldn't hold in the slightest.
Thinking of the terrible, yet unlikely possibility of being targeted by the King, he relaxed in his chair, burying his head in his cloak.
Wait…
He looked down, then up, scanning his appearance.
Where did the disguise go?
There was a moment of panic before he realized that it must've vanished after Cauron's entry, the amount of mana needed for maintaining his defenses forcing the mimicking ability to terminate.
Loosening up again, he finally began to listen to what the surprisingly young-looking Sea King had been explaining.
"As I stated before, magic isn't as restrictive as many lead you to believe. For instance, take this man in the front here."
Pointing towards one of the guards, he raised his hand slowly, a stream of mana exiting his palm rapidly.
Instead of hitting the man, it bounced harmlessly off his armor, a shocked and terrified look twisting the ordinary man's face.
"You see, it was deflected by what is commonly referred to as the Basic Trifold of Mana Conservation. This system, while being complicated in nature, isn't truly as impressive as I have made it out to be. When I exude mana from my own core at the same frequency as the man down there, they cancel out."
Holding a blazing cylinder of flame in one hand and a dripping ball of water in the other, he pressed them together, yet there was no sound of the water evaporating or the flames hissing.
A wave of shocked gasps swept through the audience as they witnessed the two elements converge, both unharmed and remaining separate.
"Here, when two elements of opposite frequencies are mashed together, nothing occurs. For you all who had just heard me say that they needed to be on the same frequency, this might seem unfeasible; however, what if I told you that both solutions can be possible?"
Smiling and clapping his hands together, a rush of men mobbed the stage, setting up a small table with various artifacts.
"Take this map, it's a class one artifact that does nothing but glow when nearing the spot marked on its surface."
He opened it wide, showing it to everyone in the room.
"When I apply mana to it, it will activate its power. This is common knowledge, of course; however, when the frequency of mana shifts, you'll see an unusual phenomenon occur."
Summoning both the fireball and water sphere back into his hands and placing them directly atop the paper, the crowd watched in disbelief as the three items disappeared in a flash.
"When two objects of the exact same frequencies mix, they deflect off one another. When two objects of opposite frequencies meet, nothing occurs. However, when combining a third variable into the mix, they simply cease to exist."
Grabbing a piece of chalk from the table behind him, he began to scribble on the board, reading out everything he wrote.
"Objects on the same frequency seldom interact, making this entire presentation useless in practical terms. Similarly, when attempting to understand how mana and our cores function together, we come to the simple conclusion that reliably controlling frequencies in real-life situations is not viable. Therefore, with this in mind, there is a need for alternative solutions."
He stopped writing, turning towards the audience with a smile.
" That brings me to the most important discovery in my recent work. I believe and would thoroughly attest to the existence of a secret form of mana that is invisible to any form of detection. This theory I have proved through the medium of my Ghostship, its powers able to draw upon the very formation of this world and life itself."
Putting down the chalk, he adjusted his glasses as he continued.
"In conclusion to this rather introductory and basic speech about my latest discovery, the frequency of mana can allow us to temporarily create an access point to a space with this new mana, which I have designated the name of 'Forever Magic'. And, as the name suggests, the spells cast with this form of mana are nigh eternal."
Looking into the crowd who gazed at him with awe and confusion, he smirked before noticing the thoughtful expression across a certain blond boy's face.
H-He's looking straight at me…
Aaron's pulse increased; however, contrary to what he believed would happen, the King winked lightly, beginning a new discussion of great interest to the boy.
"Alright. I have talked enough about the theoretical principles, so, for the remainder of our time today, we will talk about magic in and of itself."
The crowd surged in response to the man's words, a couple of muffled cheers erupting from random sections of the audience.
"Settle down now."
Silence immediately resounded through the room without even the need for magic, the man's presence commanding enough to pour cold water over the enthusiastic few who yelled.
Positioning himself behind the podium, he raised his finger, casting an illusion into the air that reflected real words.
"One of the key concepts of magecraft is the idea that anyone has the latent ability to use the resource we call mana. With the exception of a rare few without even a core, mana runs through all of us, and with that, we can maximize our potential through it."
The translucent letters hovered in the air for a moment, but gradually started vanishing, making space for his next words.
"The four elemental types are by far the easiest to master. Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, each with its own unique purpose in the ecosystem we call life. Earth is the balance that resides in our cores, grounding us in reality and not letting us rush past our limits. Fire is the uncontrollable vigor that burns within our very essence. Water is the gentle relaxation that soothes rapid spikes of backlash into a manageable degree that allows for the mana to refill. Air, the final of the elementals, is what holds all of these together, a binding magnet that connects these forces, creating a balanced product that can create various combinations of spellcraft."
He paused briefly to take a deep breath, but quickly picked up where he left off, his enthusiasm never letting up for a moment as he talked about the world at large.
"These four elementals are all branches of the Sun that provides for all, the only form of magic that cannot be learned by humans except for the King of Wishes himself. Now, if you've ever visited the healers in the hospital, then you know of Holy Magic, a sacred art typically practiced in the Churches and Sects of the world."
He paused, searching the crowd for anyone who might be related to the clergy, shaking his head when he found none.
"Holy Magic is utilized simply by having pure intentions in what you are attempting to accomplish. As to what is actually considered 'pure', well, that is left up to the user, allowing even those who attempt to maim or murder to use the holy arts if they believe it is of pure intent. This was used in the Crusades of 2900, where the Knights of Crimson massacred over three thousand civilians who stood in opposition to their force."
Tilting his head downward in a silent prayer, he did not stop his lecture.
"Darkness Magic is the opposite of Holy Magic; however, just like I spoke of earlier, opposites can still cancel out. In this case, Darkness Magic can only be used with negative intentions in the heart. Thus, as long as somebody believes that they are to commit an evil deed, they will be able to use this power. Holy and Dark Magic are impossible to use in quick succession; a cooldown of a week in between each type is typically recommended to prevent extreme backlash."
Taking a short hiatus from speaking, he walked back to his podium and grabbed a container of water that had been provided for him.
Downing it in one go, he breathed in and out slowly, beginning the second half of his speech about magic.
"To get back to what I said about Elemental Magic previously, this type of magic lacks the capabilities to use offensive spells explicitly. While you could likely injure someone with Fire Magic or Earth Magic, they are not effective when used in such a way. If I shot a fireball at someone in the crowd, when struck, the burns they would incur would only be of the second degree, not even reaching the third!"
Subconsciously holding one of the flames in his hand, he watched as the crowd shifted uncomfortably, a laugh coming from his throat.
"Alright. Now that I have explained the most basic of spellforms. How about I discuss the type of offensive magic often outlined in the flashy news headlines related to powerful figures in the world?"
Watching the audience nod, he began in full.
"These forms of non-affiliated magic come under the domain of what we like to call Sea Magic, or in other words, the most common form of magic. Spells range from the ability to disguise oneself to obliterating an entire city with a blast of erasure magic. When this type of magic is discussed, many will add the word 'magic' behind various terms. These, of course, are not official classes as recognized by the scientific community. Therefore, if it does not fall under the Elemental Magic, nor what I like to call Intention Magic, then you can classify it as Sea Magic."
Holding his arms out at his side like a performer, he watched as the crowd applauded the end of his speech, his breath ragged from talking.
"Now hold on. Before you leave, I would like to outline one last thing."
A sly smile curled up from the side of his lips as he uttered the final words before his next lecture.
"I'll now tell you all about the most dangerous magics. Divine Interference."