After that whole ordeal with the Red Dragon.
Levy resumed his brutal training under Vladimir, while Theodore buried him in theory, books, and endless magical principles.
Two years passed like that.
Two long years.
------------------------------
Inside the Morozov estate.
Lisa Morozov stood outside Levy's door, dressed in an elegant red-and-black gown. Her hair was perfectly arranged, even her makeup flawless. She had been preparing since early morning.
She knocked.
"Levy, are you there?"
Silence.
She sighed and knocked again.
"Levy~"
Still nothing.
Her eye twitched.
"Fine. I'm coming in."
A burst of wind magic erupted from her palm.
Bang!
The door flew open.
Inside—
Silver hair drifted gently in the wind flowing through the open window.
Levy sat in the center of the room, wearing loose training robes and a pair of wireless headphones.
Even Lisa paused.
She saw the densely packed mana surrounding emanating from Levy.
For a moment—
She simply watched.
It was a spectacle.
It was beautiful.
Levy floated several feet above his bed.
But that wasn't the strange part.
He was upside down.
Completely inverted.
Perfectly still.
Lisa folded her arms.
"…You're doing this again?"
Levy's eyes slowly opened.
'It's really a wonder... seeing those eyes.' Lisa thought inwardly.
Levy who had albinism had natural white hair and red eyes, but as he trained over the course of 2 years, his once red eyes turned purplish until it eventually turned pure ocean blue.
A deep ocean blue.
Clear.
Vast.
Like the sky after a storm.
'We even had to get him red contact lenses so the neighbors, and his peers wouldn't notice the change.'
Even his white hair had changed, catching light like polished silver.
'It's still unbelievable,' Lisa thought.
Levy casually rotated in the air and drifted upright before descending to the floor.
He pulled off his headphones.
"Mom?"
Then he blinked.
"Oh. Right."
'Ever since Theodore launched that product in his company, he's been constantly using it everyday.' She said looking at the wireless headphones Levy was using.
"You do remember what today is, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"You know, this is a big day for you right?" Lisa uttered as she went through Levy's closet.
"Uh-huh..." He simply replied.
Lisa sighed.
'These past 2 years, spending most of his time with grandfather made him pick up his behaviors and attitude!'
Indifference.
Dry sarcasm.
And a short temper that surfaced when people wasted his time.
'Where has my sweet angel baby gone to!' She thought as she clasped at Levy's clothes.
"Wear this."
She tossed him a neatly folded set of clothes.
"We're leaving in an hour. Start getting ready."
"Yes, mom~"
Levy stretched lazily and began changing.
As he buttoned his shirt, he spoke quietly.
"Status open."
[Magic Mastery System]
Name: Levy Tobias Morozov
Physique: 9.49 → 17.21
Mana: 23.179 → 44.991
Elemental Nature: Wind (S-rank), Lightning (C-rank)
Magic Skills:
Active Skills:
> Wind Gale Palm (D-rank)⁺
> Windblow Breakthrough (D-rank)
> Razor (C-rank)
> Bloom (B-rank)⁺
> Gale Mantle (E-rank)
> Zephyr Step (D-rank)
> Windstorm (B-rank)⁺
Passive Skills:
> One With The Wind (S-rank)⁺
Every skill represented sweat.
Pain.
And in some cases—
Experiences he would rather forget.
Some of Vladimir's training methods were… excessive.
Levy rubbed the back of his neck and picked up his headphones again.
'I forgot to ask mom if Grandpa Vlad came bac—'
Suddenly—
ZZZT
A violent jolt surged through his body.
Levy froze.
It felt like lightning had struck directly into his nerves.
His pupils contracted.
The air itself seemed to tighten.
Someone—
No.
Something powerful had just arrived.
It was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.
And it was close.
------------------------------
Morozov Estate — Basement
Deep beneath the mansion, the basement sat in near-total darkness.
It was a room dimly lit that not even the moonlit light could pass through his windows and the only source of light was a candle by his table.
And beside it—
Sat Theodore.
He quietly flipped through an old diary.
The pages were worn, their edges softened by time.
He adjusted his glasses and read a passage aloud under his breath.
"…The Great Elder insists on training my son however he pleases. At this point, I'm honestly afraid of what he'll make the boy do next…"
Theodore paused.
A small smile crept onto his face.
"…But what frightens me even more… is that my son truly might be a peerless genius."
He leaned back slightly.
"I remember writing this," he murmured.
"It feels like it was just yesterday."
The candle crackled softly as he turned another page.
Fragments of memories filled the dim room.
"...oday he learned how to cast his spells!"
"...e Great Elder taught him one of the Varnhagen family's famed techniques! The windblow breakthrough..."
"...evy is undoubtedly a genius, where rookies take a month, he manages it in a few tries!"
Theodore let out a quiet, dry laugh.
Pride warmed his chest.
But alongside it—
A small hint of guilt.
For years he had tried to hide Levy's brilliance from the world.
As if delaying the inevitable.
"Time really does move quickly…" he murmured.
"It's almost his Ceremony of Age."
The Age of Ceremony is an important tradition of the Varnhagen clan, it is where a mage's life can take a drastic turn. Mages of the family that turns 10 will undergo a baptism that grants the individual their way of manifesting their spells.
Additionally, at that ceremony, Vladimir would formally announce Levy's existence to the entire Varnhagen clan.
'Right… The Great Elder still hasn't returned.'
Vladimir had left weeks ago, saying only one thing:
He was "preparing."
Tok. Tok.
The sound echoed faintly in the basement hallway.
'I was preoccupied, I ldidn't even notice them!'
Theodore's eyes lit up in the dark as he probed the presence who knocked behind the door.
Mages naturally emit mana signatures whenever they manipulate mana or they use magic. Like a fingerprint, every mage's signature was unique.
Recognizing another mage's mana signature is a basic of the basics.
It was also the reason why there were very few mages who tried using their magic for illegal businesses, since it was easy for the Associations to be track them down.
Theodore scanned the presence beyond the door.
…And frowned.
'Who's this?' Theodore did not recognize the mana signature at all, which inevitably put him on guard.
He spread out his mana perception even more, sensing that Lisa was still upstairs.
That much was certain.
It appeared that Lisa wasn't able to detect the anomaly seeing that she wasn't on high alert.
But the figure behind the door remained.
He further widened his search, he found Levy.
And Levy was-
BAMM!!
"Ack—!!"
A scream erupted from the hallway.
Followed immediately by another voice.
"Who are you!?" Levy's voice could be heard behind the door.
THUD. THUD. WHAM!
Along with some beatdowns.
Theodore blinked once.
Then hurried to the door.
He pulled it open.
And froze.
Levy was absolutely demolishing someone.
He was beating this kid to a pulp with the Wind Gale Palm.
The victim looked about twenty years old.
Right now, however—
He looked more like a training dummy.
It was a spectacle if anything.
Levy handed him that 2 piece combo;
As he weaved left and right, the op tried fighting back, but Levy's hits were cracking the air each time he punched.
He was standing on business.
Left Jab.
Right Cross.
Step in—
Uppercut.
"AUAGH—!"
The young man's head snapped back.
He couldn't even raise his guard.
Theodore stood quietly to the side.
Watching, 'this kid...'
The beaten stranger spotted Theodore and desperately mouthed:
"Hel—"
WHAM.
Levy smashed him straight back into the floor.
***In Theodore's mind.***
'He's really improved, that's supposed to be the Wind Gale Palm, but he's integrating it into his fists as well as his kicks... is that even the Wind Gale Palm at that point?'
The stranger tried grabbing Levy's waist.
Levy answered with a sharp knee.
CRACK.
Straight into the nose.
Blood sprayed instantly.
Levy exhaled sharply through his mouth—
Using a small application of Windblow Breakthrough to increase the distance between them.
Before the man could recover—
Levy spun.
Then, he quickly opted for a spin hook kick to the head.
'It's over!' Levy thought.
But—
The kick stopped.
A thin layer of wind shield shimmered around the man.
Levy's eyes narrowed.
'This spell!' His mind began racing.
'He managed to get in the estate without alarming any security, meaning he sneaked inside either by climbing over the walls or by flying in (?) Then that presence from earlier was from him (?) But he's not that strong to be categorized as a great mage or anything (?) But then again he could have some allies with him... which is highly improbable given that I only sensed his unfamiliar mana signature.'
Then another thought struck him, 'But he used Gale Mantle which is a technique of the Varnhagen family...'
"In conclusion..."
"I have no idea how that happened."
**this happened in 0.001 seconds.**
"...so who are you?" Levy asked calmly.
The battered stranger trembled.
"You—You brute!!"
Levy and Theodore both stared at him.
Completely expressionless.
Blood streamed from the man's nose and mouth.
Panting heavily, he struggled to speak.
"I—I'm your cousin!"
He coughed violently.
"Jayden Leo Varnhagen…"
He lifted a shaking finger.
"…The soon-to-be heir!"
Theodore and Levy both stared at him.
Same blank expression.
Same silent reaction.
Their faces practically said:
"…Is that so?"
Jayden kept going.
Levy took a moment to process what he had heard. Then he spoke casually.
"So that's why Grandpa Vlad said the next Varnhagen generation was hopeless."
Jayden's face twisted instantly.
"The FUCK did you just say?!"
A nerve had clearly been struck.
Levy simply gestured openly with his hands, baffled.
Jayden pointed a shaking finger at him.
"Who the hell do you think you are!?"
Levy looked at him with genuine amazement.
'This guy just got beaten half to death… the audacity.'
"I don't even know why I was sent here to pick you up!" Jayden spat. "The son of a runaway and some unattributed mage!"
And at that moment, Levy's aura changed.
'!!'
The air in the basement suddenly felt heavier.
Jayden froze.
His voice stopped mid-sentence.
Even his breathing stalled.
The change lasted only a moment.
But Theodore saw it clearly.
The shift in Levy's eyes.
"Should I kill him?" He muttered.
"Levy! Don-" Theodore shouted.
"I know, Dad. I know."
Levy nodded calmly.
Jayden forced out a laugh, though sweat poured down his face.
"Hah! I knew it! You don't have the balls to—"
Levy raised a finger to his lips, "Shhhh~"
The sound died instantly.
It was the same spell Vladimir would use to shut people up, it was the first magic spell that Levy had experienced in his life.
Vladimir had never taught it to him.
Levy had simply… figured it out.
"Levy!" Theodore called again.
But Levy was no longer looking at him.
"Dad," he said calmly, "when I asked if I should kill him… I wasn't asking you."
He turned slightly.
Looking to the side.
"Should I?"
A voice answered from the shadows.
"So you knew I was here."
Levy nodded.
"Yes."
"Grandpa Vlad."
'The reason the mana signature felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time was because Grandpa Vlad was with Jayden, the unfamiliarity stemmed from Jayden.'
The air warped slightly.
And Vladimir stepped out as if emerging from thin air.
"Great Elder!" Theodore jumped in surprise.
Jayden's eyes widened in horror.
"Hm—! Hmrrph—!"
Still silenced, he tried to scream.
Nothing came out.
Vladimir looked at Levy.
"You asked if you should."
He shrugged lightly.
"Do what you want."
Theodore's heart skipped.
'If the Great Elder allows it…'
Then nothing that happens next will be blamed on Levy.
Jayden panicked.
He scrambled to his feet and tried to run.
But there was nowhere to go.
It was a basement.
The only exit—
Was the staircase.
And Levy stood right in front of it.
'Now…', Theodore thought nervously.
'Now... how will you fare against your first kill son?' Theodore was worried, he knew this was a test by Vladimir to Levy if he had what it takes to live as a mage of the Vladimir Family.
The mage world was simple.
A world where the strong devoured the weak.
Jayden looked at Levy who was smiling menacingly by the stairs.
Then—
He vanished.
Jayden's eyes widened.
"Hrmph?!"
For a brief instant, all he felt was a cold sensation.
His sensation went numb.
The warmth of his body was dissipating.
He fell down, knees first, then by his head.
By the time his body hit the floor.
He was already dead.
It happened a bit too quickly.
Jayden Leo Varnhagen was going to be pronounced dead in a week; time of death: May 9, 1992 at 10:21 A.M.
His cause of death: Cardiac Tamponade.
Levy stood still, staring at his hand.
His fingers were stained red.
Vladimir spoke first.
"How do you feel?"
Levy blinked, "I don't know..." He simply answered.
Theodore frowned.
"You don't know?"
Levy looked at his hand thoughtfully.
"It was just…"
He flexed his fingers slowly.
"I expected it to be harder."
Silence filled the room.
"I thought it would be… more dramatic."
"Hm!?" Theodore was stunned.
'Fascinating!' Vladimir thought to himself.
"That killing instinct," he chuckled.
"You remind me of Lisa."
Levy's eyes widened.
"Mom?!"
"Yes."
Vladimir nodded thoughtfully.
"She gave me almost the exact same answer after her first kill."
"Please stop bringing up the past, grandfather!"
Lisa suddenly stormed down the stairs.
She marched straight to Levy.
Wiping the blood off his face.
"Honestly! We have an important ceremony to attend!"
She weaved several hand signs with one hand.
Wind gathered instantly.
The blood stains vanished from Levy's clothes.
"So your first kill was your cousin as well..." Lisa trailed off a bit as she was fixing the creases on Levy's clothes.
"You too mom?" Levy asked.
Lisa's eyes turned dark for a moment.
She flashed a psychotic grin.
"Well~ she was a bitch anyway."
Then she just smiled, like nothing even happened.
Levy knew that his mom was at least a very strong mage, given the fact that she used a non-orthodox way of casting spells. Hand Weaving spells.
There's different ways of manifesting spells, Incantations which is the most common and popular among mages; Vladimir is one such example.
Delineation which draws Magic Circles to manifest magic which is fighting for it's position with Incantations.
Hand Weaving which is very rare and only very few mages try to do this type of magic manifestation.
'So mom was like that huh?' Levy thought to himself.
"Shouldn't we get going now? I think we're going to be late?" Theodore looked at his pocket watch, worried about the time.
"Don't worry about it, they won't start without me there, we'll take our time." Vladimir said as they walked towards the empty yard.
"You can't carry all of us while flying right?" Levy asked even though he knew the answer.
"Of course not, well we will be flying. But not with magic." Vladimir clarified. "Right, Levy when did you learn my original magic: invocation of silence?"
Theodore and Lisa also looked at Levy.
To which he answered, "I just tried it, just then."
'Righttt....' All three had the same dumbfounded look.
"That was a nice combination, son." Theodore said to Levy. "You used applications of the Wind Gale Palm into your fists and kicks, then Windblow Breakthrough to create distance. You even used Zephyr Step to get behind him to finish him off."
Theodore was quick to analyze Levy's actions.
"What'd you expect? I taught him that's why!" Vladimir stated.
After a minute, a chopper landed on the Morozov estate.
It was Wilson flying the helicopter.
Sitting comfortably in their seats.
"Let's go." Vladimir commanded.
"Status open." Levy muttered very silently.
[Quest - in progress (99.99%)]
Practice Asha Circulation Method for 1 hour daily
Duration: 5 years
Reward: +20 Mana
Failure Penalty: -10 Mana
Five years…
That took longer than expected.
Levy closed his eyes.
He inhaled slowly.
Mana began circulating through his pathways.
Ting!
[Quest - in progress (100.00%)]
[Quest - Complete]