I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. I found myself in a dimly lit cave, the air thick with the scent of damp earth. My head was pounding, and my body felt weak and drained. I tried to remember what had happened, but my memories were hazy and unclear.
The last thing I remembered was flying with the golden coat, the wind rushing past me as I soared through the skies. And then...and then something had grabbed me, pulling me down to the ground.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a figure standing in the corner of the room. It was a woman with long, flowing hair and piercing green eyes that seemed to bore into my soul. She was dressed in black leather armor, and a sword hung at her side, its presence both intimidating and reassuring.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to sit up. But a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I fell back onto the bed, my head spinning.
The woman didn't respond. Instead, she walked over to me and examined the golden coat, which was still wrapped around my body. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the intricate details of the coat, her expression a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
"Where did you get this?" she asked, her voice firm but curious.
I tried to remember, but my memories were still foggy. "I...I found it," I stammered, unsure of what to say.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "You found it?" she repeated. "That's impossible. This coat is made from the feathers of the Bastian bird, a creature that's been extinct for centuries."
I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said. "I just found the coat, and it lets me fly."
The woman's eyes narrowed. "You're not telling me the truth," she said. "But that's okay. You'll tell me eventually."
She turned to leave, but I called out to her. "Wait! Who are you? Why have you captured me?"
The woman turned back to me, a hint of a smile on her lips. "My name is Lyra Stone," she said. "And you, Zegglar Harken, are a very interesting young man."
I frowned, unsure of what Lyra wanted from me. Her name rang a bell - the Stones were one of the seven lords of Karydorg, but with little influence in the affairs of state. Why was she here in a school dungeon? High-ranking mages were not allowed to hunt in low-tier dungeons. She could hunt this whole place all by herself with those A-graded weapons and armor she had.
"What do you want with me?" I asked, trying to sound brave. "I am unawakened."
Lyra smiled, her eyes glinting with amusement. "You're not just unawakened, Zegglar. You're a miracle. I've never seen a mage with two magical cores fused into one - a God-tier and a Saint-tier core."
I was confused. "What do you mean?"
"You're oozing with abominable power," Lyra explained. "Something nobody should have, but here you are, breathing air. I'm not going to harm you, Harken. I'm here to teach you."
She stretched her hand forward, and the ropes holding me in place became loose. I tried to get up, but Lyra cautioned me to sit back.
"I'm afraid it will take a while for you to regain your strength," she said. "The technique I used on you is the same the military uses in restraining high-tier beasts and mages."
Lyra instructed me to close my eyes and take a deep breath, to find my core within me. I drew in air and held it in, feeling a calm wash over my body as a tingling sensation began to erupt. My eyes were closed, but I could see gold and particles rushing towards each other. And finally, the purple was encased within the gold.
Lyra instructed me to take another breath, and as I exhaled, I placed my palms out and felt a surge of energy release from my body. When I opened my eyes, I gasped in amazement. Magic fire was floating on my palm.
"It seems your base element is fire," Lyra said with a smile. "Now, we have to find the base element for your second core. Repeat the process."
I nodded eagerly, excited to learn more. As I repeated the process, I felt myself becoming more confident. But when I tried to merge the two cores, I struggled.
"That's enough for today," Lyra said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Let's see what you can do with what you presently have.
We went outside the cave and she smiled at me. Now is the interesting part. You have to hunt do2n as many beasts as you can. Using your magical energy. The more you cast . The more natural you become as a mage. It will be draining. Even when you feel fatigued I want you to continue.
I started with little prey like the horned rabbit and then switched to double tailed blue fox. I had to kill each beast In sight before going for the next. The winged wolf was next with its red glowing feathers. The winged wold was troublesome because they stayed in packs. And when one pack was in danger two or three neighbour packs would merge to annihilate the treat in thier environment .
We found a pack of six winged wolves. The Alpha was a saint tier beast and the beta was a Sage tier. The other four were warrior tiered almost entering the sage level.
The howl of the Alpha made the hair on my body stick up straight. I knew something was 2rong but I could not place it until three packs sprung from the bushes.
Tsk....
I turn to look at my newly found mentor. What do we do?
We fight. Stay close to me. These are not horned rabbit. You can't run away from them when they get mad. You can't kill them not in your present situation. They can also chase you to the skies if you fly .We are doomed