The Inner Odyssey-Chapter 165: True Manifestation

Within the confines of a certain garden, a cross-legged figure sat in silence. Light snow fell from the sky, blanketing his figure. The young man had his eyes closed, his expression calm and indifferent.

It appeared as if he was meditating.

Time passed, one small snowflake at a time.

...Eventually, a soft cry broke the idyllic scene.

The young man’s figure twitched. A moment later, a black blur slammed into him.

Opening his sole eye, Alden greeted Ignia with a warm smile.

’How are you, little one?’

He gently stroked her head.

The little phoenix nuzzled his finger, responding with a burst of infectious excitement.

’Yes, yes. I’m happy to see you too.’

He chuckled.

Satisfied, Ignia then proceeded to lie on his lap, making herself comfortable.

The Keeper’s Apprentice allowed his adorable familiar to do as she wished; after all, he had to make up for the time he had not spent with her because of the Tournament. That, and he had also planned on taking a break soon, anyway, so he didn’t mind that she had interrupted him.

A cold, icy gust suddenly blew through the garden.

The leaves of the small tree rustled, whispering as snowdrift spattered across Alden’s face. The young man casually removed the flakes with one hand, while the other softly petted Ignia.

Sitting cross-legged in the cold, he remained unbothered, circulating his mana to ward off the invasive chill.

As Alden relaxed, he couldn’t help but recall the duel.

A few days had passed since that fateful day. During that time, Alden had just focused on consolidating his foundation and digesting his gains - particularly with regards to how he would use his skills.

While he did that, the rest of the Sanctuary was in an uproar.

Not just because of Alden’s impressive display, but also because the news of a new Chosen of the Divine Sovereign had spread like wildfire. Many merchants and even several Noble Houses from the Territory of Wind rushed to establish ties with Caelum, offering gifts in the hopes of building a connection.

Strangely, they seemed more eager to impress the illusionist than they had with Celeste. Perhaps that was because there was no Alistair to rebuff their attempts. Perhaps they thought Caelum was stronger, since he possessed a more combat-oriented Magic Class.

Perhaps they saw Cece as a mountaintop flower, and thus, unreachable.

...Whatever the case was, it irked Alden a little.

Not the least because the Zephyr Clan had also moved swiftly, formally inviting Caelum to join their clan. Doubtless, because of his affinity for wind and illusions.

The newest Chosen of the Divine Sovereign had gracefully accepted the offer, now becoming an honorary member of the Zephyr Clan. However, Alden knew that title was a ruse. For all intents and purposes, Caelum would be treated as a fully fledged member; the Zephyr Clan’s attempt at maintaining the current political status quo was all just for show.

Yesterday, Morrigan had sent him a letter updating him on the progress of the second half of his Paladin Exam. Apparently, the Stonewardens were still deciding on which of their members to send, so the undertaking would be pushed back a little longer.

That suited Alden just fine. After all, it meant he had more time to train.

Speaking of training...

Alden shifted his perception inward, gazing at the lightless expanse of his core. It rotated silently, drops of pitch-black liquid travelling through his mana veins as he continued to circulate his mana.

However, the exterior of his mana core had undergone a visible change.

Alden estimated he was about halfway in terms of purifying his core and the magical implement reflected that. One side of its lightless expanse appeared more polished, similar to a gleaming crystal, while the other half seemed muted, full of impurities.

Purifying his core was tedious and required a lot of concentration, even if Alden had become more adept at the process.

Still, he was pretty satisfied.

It had been almost a month since Alden’s first attempt in the cave, and he was making steady progress. He would have made more headway, but he had to let his mind rest and recover his energy at certain intervals.

At times, Alden struggled to suppress his impatience.

However, he reminded himself that the higher one travelled up the ranks the longer it took for them to progress. Compared to the [Apprentice] stage, where all one had to do was use their mana, the requirements to progress from an [Adept] to an [Expert] were far more strict, as well as requiring greater and more active participation.

That said, Alden counted his lucky stars - if there were any, considering the nature of the celestial firmament and the repulsive beings populating it -, because he still had it relatively easy.

Apparently, ascending from an [Expert] to a [Master] could take years, and even then, there was no guarantee one would ascend even if they waited all that time.

...There were other factors at play, or so Alistair had said.

Alden just had to take things as they came, which he fully planned to do.

The Keeper’s Apprentice inhaled a frigid breath, removing any unnecessary thoughts.

A sense of calm returned to his mind.

Then, he shifted his attention, his sole eye locked onto his surroundings. Within his gaze, the shadow of an infinite number of golden threads appeared. To Alden, it felt like these strange, magical threads covered the entire world.

He could sense there was an order to their chaos, but he was still much too weak to make sense of it.

What he did know, though... 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Was that this strange phenomenon belonged to Morrigan’s Art.

In fact, it could be considered its true manifestation.

Ever since he had received the Art, Alden had struggled to unlock and decipher its facets.

Like his Magic Class, it possessed stages of its own.

Before the Tournament, he had gained access to the ghostly world and an increased sensitivity to his senses. Both were extremely rudimentary, though, and only really brushed the surface of what the magical Art could do.

As Alden focused on one of the golden threads connected to him, a faint vibration travelled through it, heralding a small stream of information directly into his mind. It depicted a pitch-black avian form circling the garden, wisps of steam clinging to her figure.

In the next moment, Ignia, seemingly having had enough of remaining idle, flapped her wings and shot off into the air. Alden suppressed a smile at her actions.

He was still getting accustomed to his new sight - his gut told him this was an extension of the ghostly world, albeit upgraded to encompass the vividness of reality.

Alden could essentially glimpse a heartbeat into the future in greater detail. He could also grab a hold of the golden thread and affect his surroundings, just like he had done at the end of the duel to shatter the bindings Caelum had imposed on him.

However, Alden believed repeating that again was extremely risky.

In fact, he was quite fortunate to not have suffered any backlash. After all, he had no idea whether touching the thread would affect everyone involved in the vision, or just the items, objects, or individuals he wished.

At his current level, Alden had no way to control the distortion.

There was also the question of the accuracy of his brief glimpse into the future. The Keeper’s Apprentice did not delude himself; at some point, he was bound to come across an existence that could not only counter his Art, but also render the brief snippet useless.

That was why Alden had no desire to rely so heavily on such an abstract concept like the future.

It could be changed... would be changed, if Alden had any say in it.

After all, he would do anything to prevent that from coming to pass, no matter the cost.

A grim sigh escaped his lips.

Alden shook off the morbid thoughts.

Then, slowly, he shifted his attention towards Ignia and scrutinised her avian figure.

...A curious light appeared in his sole eye.