"Oliver, I'll leave the house in your hands."
"Worry not Mistress, I'll make sure that nothing interrupts your training with Little Will."
Celine nodded her head and proceeded to go downstairs. She had just made the finishing touches for her planned two-months training with her disciple, and only conversed with Oliver to give him some orders while she and William went into seclusion.
"Do you think that William will be able to endure it, Mistress?" Oliver inquired. "I still think it's too early for this."
"We're on the same page, Oliver," Celine paused her footsteps before nodding her head in agreement. "But, time waits for no one. The sooner Will finishes his training, the less worried I'll be when he leaves Lont."
The Parrot monkey sighed. Oliver knew that Celine was right. This was the only way to boost William's strength with the limited time they had. He just hoped that the boy would be able to endure the training that Celine had specially prepared for him.
-----
William was currently in the living room. He was waiting for Celine to finish her conversation with Oliver. After hearing that they would go into seclusion for two months, the young boy felt anxious and excited at the same time.
Due to his uneasiness, he paced around the room in order to calm his nerves for the training that was about to come.
A few minutes later, he heard Celine's footsteps coming down from the stairway and immediately stopped his anxious pacing. He stared at his beautiful Master, while trying to keep a calm expression on his face.
"Are you ready?" Celine asked.
"Yes.," William replied. "We can start anytime, Master."
"Good." Celine nodded and beckoned for William to follow her.
The two entered the basement together and headed to a secret passage that William had never seen before. Celine didn't say anything as he led her one and only disciple to a small room that was devoid of anything.
It was just an enclosed space, yet William could feel energy fluctuations around him. Celine gave him a reassuring smile as she waved her hand.
In front of them, a silver door appeared out of nowhere. The beautiful elf casually opened it and motioned for William to enter.
The boy obeyed without asking any questions. William knew better than to question his Master about every little thing that she did.
Just beyond the door, a blue ocean and sky--that spanned for as far as the eye could see--surrounded William on all sides. He scanned his surroundings, but didn't feel anything unusual except for the fact that this reminded him of his Sea of Consciousness.
"Master, where are we?" William asked.
"We are currently inside a divine artifact called Eternity," Celine replied. "This is the place where we will be spending close to four years together."
"Huh? Master, what do you mean four years? Aren't we supposed to only stay in seclusion for two months?"
"Yes and No. In the outside world, we will only be spending two months in seclusion. However, inside this divine artifact a day is equivalent to only an hour on the outside world. Meaning, a single day outside is equivalent to twenty four days here."
Celine patted the boy's head, "In the span of three years and nine months, you must learn how to manifest and use your Aura. Do I make myself clear?"
"If I am unable to learn it?" William inquired.
Celine smiled sweetly. It reminded William of the days where he was tortured until he almost went crazy. The boy knew that he better do his best to learn Aura Control or else he was going to regret it.
"Come." Celine sat crossed legged on the "ocean" and made a gesture for William to follow suit.
William understood her intention so he immediately sat cross legged, facing her. He had already prepared himself mentally, so he waited for his Master's order attentively.
"The password to raise your sensitivity is 'Exceed Break'," Celine explained. "Take note that after you activate the runes, your body's sensitivity will increase a hundredfold. If you want to cancel its effects, just say 'Exceed Off'. Do you understand?"
"Yes." William nodded.
"Very well, activate the seal," Celine ordered.
"Exceed Break." William muttered.
Just as soon as the words left his lips, the runes that had embedded themselves inside the boy's body glowed in unison. William immediately felt a drastic change in his senses as his mind was overwhelmed by the sensations that washed over his body.
"We will now proceed with the first phase of your training," Celine said via telepathy. Since William's sensitivity had now increased by a hundredfold, she was afraid that her voice might be strong enough to shatter his eardrum. "For now, focus to see if you can feel any form of energy in your body."
William closed his eyes and focused his attention on his body. It didn't take long before he could hear and feel the beating of his own heart. Soon, the thumping sound resounded in his ear like a steady rhythm.
As the boy listened to his heart, he felt that his consciousness was turning hazy. What he didn't know was that his consciousness was starting to merge with his body when Celine's voice reached his mind.
"Do not lose yourself and let your mind wander," Celine cautioned. "Focus and comprehend the flow of energy in your body. Let that guide you to better understand the vessel that houses your soul. Only then will you be able to feel the Aura that envelops your entire being."
William followed Celine's instructions to the best of his abilities, but aside from the steady rhythm of his heart, he couldn't perceive anything else. More like, his heart was overwhelming his other senses and prevented them from sensing anything else.
Celine looked at the young boy in front of her with a knowledgeable gaze. She had also undergone this training and fully understood what William was going through.
A week passed, within the divine artifact, Eternity, and yet only seven hours had passed in the outside world.
William was still sitting cross legged as he tried to feel any form of energy that surrounded his body. He had made very little progress within the past week. There was a time when he felt a strand of energy flowing over his arms, but it disappeared after William lost his concentration.
He had tried to grasp that same sensation again, but the feeling had eluded him for days. Finally on the eight day, he felt something at the tip of his fingertips.
The red-headed-boy channeled all of his concentration on that spot as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. William tried to grasp the elusive form that was struggling at the tip of his fingertips with every bit of willpower he had.
An hour passed, and the boy's body was already drenched in sweat. He did everything within his power, but still failed in the end.
William's body almost fell forward due to exhaustion, but Celine had been prepared to support his body using magic.
"E-Exceed Off," William muttered as he panted for breath. Sweat streamed down the side of his face like a river, as he clenched his fist in frustration.
"Let's take a break first," Celine said as she placed an orange potion in front of William. "Here, take this nourishing supplement."
William thanked Celine and slowly drank the potion. This potion was a nutritional potion that Owen had made for the two of them. Its purpose was to prevent the two of them from feeling hungry for a week, while still gaining sufficient nutrients to allow their body to function properly.
"Master, how long did it take you to feel the Aura in your body?" William inquired.
"Five days," Celine answered.
"Five days…" William felt depressed. It had already been more than a week and he could only barely feel the aura in his body. He finally realized that his Master was truly exceptional, among the Elven Race.
"Don't feel down." Seeing William's expression, Celine decided to encourage him. "The only reason why I was able to learn it that fast was because I was born a genius. For ordinary elves, it takes them at least a month or two before they succeed in understanding the flow of their Aura. But, I believe that you can learn it faster. Afterall, you are my disciple. "
"Master, is there another way?" William inquired. "If there is, even though it will be painful, I am willing to do it."
"Hoh? Are you sure about that?" Celine smirked. "Do you think you can handle it?"
"I don't know if I can handle it or not, but I won't know until I try."
"Very well. I'm also curious if you will be able to endure it as well."
-----
Ten minutes later…
William's laughter resounded within the world of Eternity.
If others were to hear it, they would think that the one laughing was truly very happy. However, reality was different. William was currently laughing with tears trickling down his face, snot running down his nose, and saliva dripping at the corners of his mouth.
Clearly, Celine's alternative way to help William feel his aura made the boy completely lose his marbles.