Axel settled beneath the shade of a tree. "I'm ready," he said to Olorith, who stood behind him.
"Good," Olorith replied. "Let's not waste any more time." He placed both hands firmly on Axel's back. "I'm starting now."
A strange energy began to flow into Axel. His body grew unbearably hot, and within moments, a wave of searing pain tore through him.
"Argh! This pain!" Axel cried out, clenching his fists.
"Yes this is the pain I previously mentioned before, we have 5 more of these to go through, the brain, the palms and the soles of the feet, the one that we just unblocked was at the center of your chest so 6 total "
Axel upon hearing this steeped himself
Watching from the sidelines, Ash grew anxious as he heard his brother's cries of pain. Noticing his concern, Korthok spoke up.
"You should take this time to get acquainted with your new bond," he suggested calmly.
Ash turned toward the Mimonk standing beside him.
"Korthok's right," he murmured. "Axel's pushing himself to master his powers… I should do the same."
"Hey, mister monkey! Since we're going to be together from now on, we should get to know each other," Ash said with a friendly smile.
"I'm not a monkey and I have a name," the Mimonk snapped, crossing his arms.
Inwardly, he sighed. I'd love to get away from this kid… but if something happens to him, it'll affect me too. Guess I'd better stick around and keep an eye on him.
"…The name's Zaru," he said reluctantly.
Korthok watched the brothers closely, a satisfied grin forming on his face. Good, good… the stronger the bond between master and spirit, the stronger they'll both become.
"Arghhh!" Axel cried out in pain.
Olorith, struggling to keep him steady, raised his voice. "Almost there! This is the last one you're doing splendidly!"
Sweat streamed down Axel's face as he clenched his teeth, refusing to give in. "Just hurry up and finish already!" he shouted through the pain.
A searing wave of pain shot through Axel's body, sending him sprawling face-first onto the floor.
"This boy is remarkable," Olorith murmured, observing him. "Normally, opening the veins is done over several sessions, hard to believe he managed it all at once." He crouched beside Axel. "You alright there, lad?"
Summoning the last of his strength, Axel forced a weary smile and gave a thumbs-up.
"Good good, I'll go get some refreshments" try to regain some strength in the meantime "Olorith walked away smiling
Ash ran over to his brother helping him to his feet, " how was is, did you finally unlock your powers"
Axel responded "yeah I think so , I can feel energy flowing all through my body, it feels great"
Olorith returned with the refreshments and tossed a bundle of folded clothes at Korthok. Smoothe black leggings and a smooth long sleeved T-shirt
"Put these on. If you're staying here, you can't just walk around naked."
The boys burst into laughter.
"I respect whatever traditions you follow," Olorith added dryly, "but in our country, we wear clothes."
Korthok let out a reluctant grunt but complied, clearly not thrilled about it.
Watching Korthok don the clothes, Olorith nodded approvingly.
"Hmm… that's the under-armor of my people's warrior uniform. With your build, it suits you perfectly."
Turning back to the others, he continued, "Now then, back to the main subject. Axel, how do you feel? You should sense your mana flowing freely through your body by now."
Axel looked down at his hands, eyes wide with excitement. "Yeah… it's exactly like you said! I can feel it I want to start using it right away!"
Olorith smiled at his enthusiasm. "Excellent. For your first lesson, try focusing all your mana at the tips of your fingers and toes."
Axel closed his eyes, focusing intently on the task at hand.
I just need to focus… he thought. It feels like I'm pushing water through my body… I just have to guide it to the right points.
As he concentrated, the others watched in awe. To their surprise, faint streams of purple energy began to swirl around Axel's hands and feet, growing darker with each passing second.
Then, without warning, the ground beneath Axel gave way. Two void-like holes swallowed his feet, anchoring him in place.
Startled, Axel's eyes flew open. "W–what's happening?!" he shouted, glancing down in alarm. Seeing himself sinking ankle-deep into the floor, panic surged through him. "Help me! What's going on?!"
Olorith's lips curved into a dark, knowing smile. "If I devote myself to training this child… he might just become the strongest mage ever recorded."
Ash and Korthok rushed to Axel's side, each grabbing one of his arms, struggling to pull him free from the strange void holding him down.
Olorith's expression shifted from sinister to delighted as he clapped his hands together gathering everyones attention. "Your training begins tomorrow," he declared, a gleam in his eyes. I've made my decision, he thought. I'll teach the boy everything I know. The fact that he's human doesn't matter in the slightest.