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As for the fish she had caught, Skye didn't feel any precious need to keep it as a souvenir or a pet. She readily agreed with the "sentence" Fini had passed upon it, her mind already racing with culinary possibilities—would it be better steamed, braised, or perhaps roasted over an open fire?
"We're heading to the next destination tomorrow," Fini reminded her, pulling her out of her deep thoughts about fish recipes. The spring break holiday only had two days left; if the next location didn't pan out, he would have to wait for the next opportunity to continue his search.
Hearing Fini's words, Skye snapped back to reality and asked casually, "Where are we going tomorrow?"
"Puerto Rico!"
The following day, Fini and Skye arrived in Puerto Rico. To be honest, the place didn't seem to have many unique features at first glance. Even the capital, San Juan, looked like a modest, quiet town that lacked any sense of bustling prosperity.
"So, where to now?" Skye asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she gazed at their new surroundings outside the hotel.
"Let's just wander around for a bit first!" Fini replied somewhat distractedly, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.
Ever since they had set foot in San Juan, the needle on his compass had begun to shift. This indicated that they had finally reached their destination—the place where Skye would eventually awaken her powers was likely hidden somewhere within this very city.
The place seems to be underground, if I remember correctly... Fini looked down at the pavement beneath his feet, then back at Skye, who was peeking around with curiosity. He decided not to tell her just yet; it wouldn't be too late to explain once everything was properly prepared.
Fini kept a silent watch on the compass's guidance while leading Skye on a tour of the city. Eventually, they stopped at an old fortress near the docks. Looking at the weathered stone of the ancient castle, Fini knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Kree ruins were located directly beneath them.
However, in the end, Fini chose not to inspect the underground site. He was worried about triggering something unexpected and decided it was better to remain cautious for now.
A day later, the two boarded a plane to return home. Fini had actually toyed with the idea of just opening a portal to get back, but considering that both of them had official exit records, it might be risky to bypass the return procedures. He decided to play it safe and stick to the airplane.
The return trip was equally uneventful. It seemed that, aside from the chaos-prone New York City, the rest of the world was actually quite peaceful.
After this trip, Skye's mood had significantly improved, and her old, spirited personality had returned. The only real change was that she now seemed to have a clear goal in sight; she even took her daily training sessions much more seriously than before.
Seeing Skye work so hard, Fini was naturally unwilling to fall behind. Once the holiday ended, school life resumed without a hitch. With his grades, he might not be the absolute first in his class, but he was certainly among the top tier. However, his progress in the mystic arts at Kamar-Taj was hitting a bit of a slump.
"I'm done! I'm not learning this anymore!" Fini grumbled, slamming his book shut in frustration after another failed attempt at an astral projection. He felt as though learning the Sling Ring portals hadn't been nearly this difficult.
"You are being too ambitious," Mordo said, walking over with a frown as he watched Fini's outburst. "Fini, you are truly not ready for such advanced magic yet."
Fini sighed quietly, unsure of how to explain. In truth, he really did feel like giving up on this particular path. Even if he managed to learn it, how could a half-baked level of astral projection help him deal with a monster like the Abomination?
"Yeah, I get it. I'll try learning it again later," Fini replied to Mordo. He knew he wasn't suited for this spell right now, especially since astral projection required immense mental focus—something that made it difficult to even use his 'Golden Great Expansion' as a support tool.
"You're still young; you have plenty of time. Why are you in such a rush?" Mordo asked, puzzled by Fini's intensity. He always felt like Fini's magical studies were driven by a very specific, hidden purpose.
"Time waits for no one!" Fini answered with a touch of melancholy. If things remained unchanged, he had ten years at most to prepare for Thanos. Furthermore, he knew that even a small mistake on his part could accelerate that timeline. How could he not be anxious?
"?" Mordo looked at him with a face full of question marks. Just as he was about to press further, Fini cut him off. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that. Let's spar!"
"But I have to go guide Kaecilius on some magical theory issues in a bit," Mordo replied, shaking his head.
"Man, you've changed!" Fini looked at Mordo with a look of mock betrayal. In the past, Mordo had never turned down a sparring match. Now, Kaecilius had only been there for a short while, and Mordo was already starting to say no. Was this a case of 'out with the old, in with the new'?
"I've... changed?" Mordo stood there, stunned, not quite understanding the slang or the tone.
"He's so talented, just let him teach himself!" Fini continued shamelessly. "You should be more concerned about a hardworking little mage like me!"
"..." Mordo stared at Fini, speechless. In the end, he gave in to Fini's demand for a duel. After all, a quick spar wouldn't take too much time, and since both of them knew their limits, it wouldn't interfere with his teaching schedule.
But Fini was Fini. Knowing Mordo's next appointment, there was no way he would let things go so smoothly. He personally hoped Kaecilius would learn his magic as slowly as possible; that way, if he ever turned traitor in the future, he would be easier to deal with.
Therefore, during the ensuing spar, Fini exerted every ounce of his strength, specifically targeting Mordo's face. After months of grueling training at Kamar-Taj, even if Fini hadn't made a breakthrough in high-level spells, his overall combat prowess had improved steadily. He had gone from losing most of his matches against Mordo to winning quite a few, especially when he was actually trying.
Consequently, by the end of the fight, Mordo was standing there with a bruised and swollen face, glaring at Fini.
"I'm a fool, truly," Mordo muttered, struggling to open his eyes through the swelling. "I clearly knew you didn't like Kaecilius, so why did I even tell you I was going to see him?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I just didn't hold back in time, that's all," Fini said, turning his head away, unable to look Mordo in the eye. However, the corners of his mouth were twitching upward. Thanks to the protection of Incursio, Mordo hadn't managed to leave a single mark on him.
Looking at Mordo's pitiful state, Fini suppressed his grin and offered some hollow comfort. "Don't worry, they're just flesh wounds. They'll be gone in a few days."
Mordo didn't say a word. If it weren't for the fact that he could no longer beat Fini through ordinary means, he would have insisted on another round of dueling right then and there.
Having successfully sabotaged Kaecilius's progress for the day, Fini's frustration over the astral projection spell vanished. Even after he opened a portal and went home, the smile on his face didn't fade.
Time flew by, and soon it was early March. After giving up on his spiritual magic for the time being, Fini threw all his energy back into "grinding for experience." Thus, the combat maniac of Kamar-Taj returned in full force.
The only difference this time was that he was sporting the title of 'Silver Knight,' and whenever he found himself unable to win a ground fight, he would immediately fly into the air and start playing dirty.
"Just admit defeat, Master Daniel! You can't win against me," Fini shouted from mid-air.
He was currently hovering above a bald sorcerer named Daniel Drumm. As the protector of the New York Sanctum, Daniel was exceptionally powerful; it was he, after all, who had first led Fini to Kamar-Taj.
"Master Fini, you can't do this every single time!" Daniel yelled angrily from the training ground. There weren't many sorcerers at Kamar-Taj who could fly. While there were anti-air spells, they were incredibly difficult to land on Fini, who could maneuver with the flexibility of the Buku-jutsu (Sky Dance).
"I don't care! I'm not coming down until you admit you've lost," Fini called back loudly.
In reality, with Fini's current strength, he wasn't necessarily a match for Daniel in a fair fight. However, he had already fought two other sorcerers in a row and was severely low on stamina, which is why he resorted to such tactics to secure a "win." After all, the system granted more experience for a victory than a defeat. Fini didn't know if this counted as exploiting a glitch, but for the sake of XP, he was willing to be completely shameless.
(End of Chapter)