Hahaha! Who would have thought the all-powerful Aris—the woman who refused to take a disciple for a hundred years—would have a soft spot for a kid who hasn't even earned an Eclipse mark yet?"
"It is strange, isn't it? It's as if Gray and she are closer than we know."
"Well, they are Master and disciple."
"Rhapel, the Capital has announced the date of the competition. Are you not interested?"
"Master," Rha'pel replied, "the children of the Capital are far too weak. It would be bullying for me to attend. In fact, it would be a shame for any disciple of the Eclipse to participate."
"But Gray is going."
"Gray is different," Rha'pel said firmly.
"Hahaha!" Oric laughed. "What I am really interested in is the next Battle of the Eclipse."
"Yes," Rha'pel agreed. "I'm looking forward to it as well."
◆◇◆
The news of the Capital's competition date spread like wildfire. Among the common people, comments surfaced about why the noble families would announce the event so early—usually, such public declarations only happened three or six months prior.
No one truly understood the reason, but the early notice sparked immense excitement. It meant more time to prepare, a chance to enter the Academy, and most importantly, the grand prize: whatever the winner desires, so shall they receive.
◆◇◆
Days had passed, and I felt as though I had recovered. I stood up to practice my wind staff art, and when I felt no internal pain, I knew I was ready.
Sigh. I still don't know why Master wants me to train my technique with the staff. This is much harder than training with the double swords.
Eventually, I left my room. I should check on Rha'pel. He's the only friend I have here.
I went to Rha'pel's quarters but couldn't find him. It was strange, until I crossed paths with Lord Oric.
"Good afternoon, Lord Oric," I said, bowing deeply. "Please, do you know where Rha'pel is?"
"Haha, Lady Aris's disciple! You don't need to be so formal," Oric replied. "Rha'pel is training."
"Oh, so he's training for the upcoming competition in the Capital?"
"Hahaha, not that. That is a walk in the park. What he is training for is actually much more dangerous."
The look on his face told me everything: this was about the Eclipse. It was something I felt I should know.
"If I may ask, what is he training for?" I was curious; it seemed there was so much I still didn't understand about the Eclipse.
"When you see your Master, ask her. Perhaps she will explain it to you."
"But I really want to—"
Before I could finish, a surge of energy passed through me. I felt a sudden, visceral fear, like a beast wanting to tear me open.
"Kid," Oric said, his voice cold, "it seems you don't know your place. You might be the disciple of Aris, but you are not a disciple of the Eclipse. Now leave this place and go back to your Master."
I fled, using the movement of the wind to run as fast as I could. So strong, I thought. It seems I am not yet accepted here.
◆◇◆
The sun shone bright until a shadow suddenly eclipsed it. A figure stood in the sky, positioned directly in front of the sun as if the star were merely his shadow.
"Why did you scare that kid like that?"
His voice was kingly, echoing through the air as he held a hand-fan to his mouth.
"How many years has it been since we last met? You haven't changed a bit, Lord Aurelian—or should I say, Eclipse Phase Three?"
Vroom!
"Hahaha! You have entered the sixth core? Impressive! I'm actually looking forward to this Battle of the Eclipse."
"Who is that kid?" Lord Aurelian asked, looking curious.
"That kid? He is Lady Aris's disciple."
"What! You mean she finally took a disciple?!"
"I was as shocked as you were."
"Oh, interesting. I don't think you noticed, but that kid is special," Aurelian noted. "He has three colorful threads of soul energy. He must have a dual essence core."
"Three colors? I only see two. How can there be three?"
"How can you see it? A fifth-core like you? Weakling, haha!"
"Hahaha, don't you worry. I will reach the sixth core soon."
"Sigh… Fifty years. The time has come again for the Battle of the Eclipse. Now that we've all taken disciples over the last fifteen years, it's going to be interesting. Three years left… I hope Lady Aris can keep her Phase Two position."
◆◇◆
After leaving Oric, I noticed another presence nearby. He hid himself well, but my perception had grown sharper.
"Greetings, Master."
"Sit. Today I'm going to—"
"Master, I have something to ask." I realized too late that I had interrupted her. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You can speak."
"Today I went to see Lord Oric and Rhapel. It seems Rhapel is training for something other than the competition. Do you know anything about it?"
Master looked at me, and for a moment, I feared I had overstepped.
"The Battle of the Eclipse," she explained. "Every fifty years, we of the Eclipse come together to fight. But this time is different; the disciples are fighting as well. Most of them are already at Stage Four. I imagine that is why Rhapel is training to form a Stage Five core."
"The disciples are fighting? Does that mean I'm fighting?"
"No, you are not. You are my disciple, but you are not an Eclipse disciple. You haven't received your Eclipse mark, and besides, you are far too weak to participate."
"Oh." I began to understand why she hadn't given me the mark yet.
"Focus on your training for the competition. Your goal is the Soul Flower, not the Eclipse mark. Recently, your soul energy has increased because another seal broke. Your energy levels are far beyond what a foundational core should have. Today, I am going to teach you about the cores of essence and how to form them."
After a long lecture on cores and soul energy, I gained a deep understanding. Normally, it takes a child ten years to develop a strong foundational core. I felt a moment of hopelessness—did I really need seven more years?
"Normally," Master continued, "it takes ten years for a single essence core to develop, and another ten for a dual core. Но you are different. Because of your vast soul energy, you need to form your second core as soon as possible to avoid soul fatigue. Honestly, I'm shocked. A boy who couldn't use soul energy before now has the fastest foundational core growth I have ever seen."
I smiled. Master placed her hands on my back and whispered, "Now, guide all the energy to your core. I will assist you."
I closed my eyes and used the technique she taught me. I first circulated the energy from my essence to improve the flow of soul energy.
"Good!"
Then, I slowly moved everything toward my core. It was difficult at first, but Master's guidance made it smooth.
"Very good. Now that you have gathered it in the core, use a little soul energy to form a thread."
I followed her instructions, turning my soul energy into a thread facing downward.
"Master, I've done it."
"Good. Before we continue, can you see the colors of your energy?"
"Yes, I can see them."
"Perfect. Now, the next step: divide the soul energy and distribute it through the newly formed thread to form another core beneath it. This will take time. Move slowly."
I did exactly as she said, dividing my double-colored soul energy inside the essence core and passing it through the thread. Suddenly, my soul energy began to leak out.
"This fragrance… yes, you are doing it perfectly. Keep going. Go faster if you can."
As Lady Aris helped Gray form his second core, she could clearly see the colors of his soul energy.
Something is wrong, Aris thought. Gray has three colors of soul energy. How can there only be two?
"Master! There is a dark energy pulling me! It's… it's—"
"Gray!"
I fainted. I could feel myself falling into a Soul Void. In the worst cases, one might never wake up.
Lady Aris used her energy to harmonize with the dark force, pushing it downward. The more energy she poured in, the more the dark energy seemed to swallow her own power. She didn't mind; she kept pouring her strength into him, suppressing the darkness.
After a long struggle, she successfully suppressed the dark energy. I felt a bit better.
"Mas…ter." I opened my eyes to find I was resting on her lap. I felt weak, and I could taste blood in my mouth. "Master, did I succeed?"