Markus and Bailey were in Charlotte's office. The tension between them was thick.
Helen was waiting outside out of curiosity.
"About what happened last time… it was nothing personal. Just testing your limits and you can't know where the camp is." She said, trying to cut the tension
"Okay…" he said, still tense
"You did good- by the way. I've had learners and even learned who did worse than you." She said, trying to praise him
"I advanced to learner that same day you know… I learned the principle of wind." He said, trying to make conversation.
"So you had everything ready except the principle. Good for you. Care to read the scroll?" She asked
Markus took the scroll out and opened it, reading its contents.
"I am so screwed…" he said, dropping the scroll to the ground and taking a seat. He dropped his head in his hands, thinking of what to do.
Bailey picked it up and read:
"Dear Markus Windwave,
I am sending this scroll through my hand due to its important contents.
Recent reports indicate you have been doing well and have even made a friend, the illegitimate daughter of the current Aquabourne patriarch. Quite a match.
I hope you have kept your identity secret. We would not want another incident similar to the Jurens, would we? You would also face consequences for any further occurrences, therefore I recommend discretion.
At the time of writing this, there have been a total of 23 attempts to either kidnap or kill you during your time at the Tuatri Academy. This is due to a traitor within the royal palace. She has been removed.
From now, everything should become calmer. Therefore, I expect you to be completely focused on advancing to the learned rank by next year. And to the expert rank a year after that. Do not disappoint me.
In exchange, for every rank you advance, you will gain one favour from me. For advancing to the learner stage, I shall give you a hint on your next advancement.
Submission is more than trust. Do not submit just your essence, submit your body entirely. Should you wish to make an essence weapon, it is not essence you submit. It is your body you submit to essence.
I expect you to learn weapon manifestation within a month with this information. Failing to do so would be disappointing.
Yours truly,
Elizabeth Crystallia."
Bailey too fell silent. A scroll from the very Queen of the kingdom. A secret identity which caused the fall of a viscount family. A need to accelerate rank advancement.
And if that was not bad enough, he now had to learn what many slowly developed through a couple, if not several, years… in a month.
"Do not disappoint me… but should you fail to do the impossible, I'll be very disappointed! What flipping logic is that!" Markus shouted in frustration
"Good question… are you any closer to feeling it out?" Bailey asked
"No… at this point I need to grab a wooden sword and just coat it with essence and 'submit my body entirely'. That can work right?" He pondered
"Potentially. Although the question is if you can coat a wooden sword. Have you tried?" Bailey asked
"No… I was mostly just…" Markus tried to explain
"Hanging out with your little girlfriend?" Bailey asked with raised eyebrows and a funny look
"Wha— she's not my girlfriend! We were just learning from each other- we'll mostly me from her but—" Markus rambled
"You're a teenager now, we really should expect the dumbest stuff from you. But as an imperial vessel, Markus, you really should be more focused."
"Yeah yeah- but I really was just learning techniques from her! Look! Now I can make wind tentacles from my hands!" Markus let out some essence extend and wave around.
"… you idiot!" Bailey said, facepalming
Charlotte had walked in at the same time when Bailey told him to be focused.
"You idiot!" Charlotte said before putting herself between Markus and Bailey
"What??" Markus asked, confused why the two women called him an idiot.
"If you can create tentacles then you can make a weapon you fool!" Bailey said at the same time as Charlotte
"Bailey did not know you were an imperial vessel!" Charlotte said at the same time as Bailey
"Oh- OH!" Markus said, concerned.
"Relax. I suspected it. And the letter confirmed it. Markus' blunder just hammered the last nail in." Bailey said casually.
"Don't do anything stupid Bailey—" Charlotte said, cautious.
"Relax. Unlike those ancient relics old men- I do not have much against imperial vessels. They're just kids who've done nothing wrong. Plus- even if I were to act- do you think that I would dare when I just read a viscount family is dead and her majesty is watching over him?" Bailey said, with a weird casualness
"What!" Charlotte said as she snatched the scroll.
"So… we're good?" Markus asked Bailey
"Yeah. But I wouldn't do something wrong if I were you. I've killed imperial vessels who were 18 or older and had done evil deeds. As long as you do no substantial wrong, you will be safe." She said, more serious this time.
"Got it…" Markus said, looking at Charlotte's expression which grew pale.
"Weapon manifestation… in a month… right…" Charlotte said, contemplating life.
"Rela—" Bailey tried to say
"If you tell me to relax one more time I will lose it." Charlotte said with a hurried angry tone
"Okay- do not panic. If he can create tentacles out of wind then he should be able to consolidate them and create a weapon within a month. Probably-" Bailey said, shrugging her shoulders
"Probably… ugh— Bailey you are interim headmistress in my absence. Markus, pack your stuff, I will train you myself." Charlotte said
"Stop and think. The academy was just attacked and the headmistress disappears? It's a bad look. I will take Markus, his little girlfriend and a wind elite I know to train him." Within a month we can drill it into him.
"She's not my—" Markus said before a familiar voice shot through his head
"Ha- I haven't seen servants scramble to fulfill the will of their lord like this in ages! Although it was from the other end-" the voice laughed
'Looks like someone's back' Markus thought to himself
"Hmmm… okay. Do it." Charlotte said, dismissing them.
Markus and Bailey went out.
Bailey looked at Helen and caught her up on new developments.
Within a minutes hours, Markus and Helen were standing side by side.
"This next part sucks- it's better if you don't fight it." Markus said, exposing his neck by bowing his head forward
"What are you talking about—" was all she managed to say before a red flash whizzed through and knocked her and Markus out
Bailey grabbed the two kids and left immediately.
Within a few hours they were in a familiar cabin. This time, there was another man, Trian.
By the time Helen was up, Markus was already unpacking.
"Hey- what happened! Where are we!"
"Cabin for special training. This is where I was during those months." Markus said casually.
Bailey and Trian came in from outside.
"Good, you're both awake. Trian, you take Markus. Helen, you're coming with me. For this next month, you will both be training seriously and advancing in one element or another. Markus your target is weapon manifestation. Helen, your target is fluid attacking. Let's get to it!" She shouted.
Things moved quickly from that point.
Trian was a tall man with black hair and a sharp jawline which could probably split rocks. He was tall at 190cm and had a crazed aura.
"You can call me Trian. Show me what you can do." He said simply.
Markus stood before the man and showed his shell, wind constructs and basic attacks. Then he created a tentacle out of wind.
"How did you create it?" Trian asked with a raised brow
"I imagined my arm longer and applied the imagine of a tentacle." Markus said with a shrug.
"…sure. Here is a basic wind blade, commit it to memory." The man said, showing Markus a simple long sword which was made of grey faint swirls.
It was very simple yet it seemed powerful.
Markus learned the shape and created the tentacle. Then it began to change shape and shrink in one moment and dissipated in the next moment.
"No. You are controlling what you already submitted. You need to imagine that your hand becomes the sword. But for now, take it in small steps. Instead of a tentacle, make a sword handle." Trian said
Markus created a shell and changed its form to a handle.
"… are you making armour or a sword handle?" Trian asked
"A sword handle?" Markus said
"Then why are you making armour and then transforming it. Through transformation you are stressing your essence and it crumbles. Your rank is not nearly high enough for you to produce malleable essence." Trian said, shaking his head at Markus
"Oh… Instructor Nuune always said I should extend my shell into different shapes. That's how I began weapon manifestation." Markus said
"That idiot. Rank 3s— Learned and above, can only begin to change the shape of essence! She only began weapon manifestation as a rank 3 and only got the hand of it at rank 4! That little beast mostly used her hand for combat until she became an expert." Trian said, facepalming
"Oh… so I'm too advanced for my rank?" Markus said with a smirk
"Well- yes. Anyway- stop creating a shell and use your head to imagine the shape. Then use your control over essence to let it take that shape and for the final stretch, trust that it will take the right shape. That should allow you to make at least the handle and everyday you can advance slightly." Trian said with a approval nod
Meanwhile Helen and Bailey were in another area.
"So what are we doing?" Helen asked
"Training you will be much simpler. Just keep attacking until you have nothing left." Bailey said with a smirk