After half an hour of meticulous selection, Ren had separated the hundred best crystals, each one gleaming with promise.
“Ready?” he asked Min, who held the first crystal nervously in his trembling hands.
“What if it doesn’t work?” his snake coiled more tightly around him, scales shifting with anxiety. “What if the extract isn’t enough?”
“It will work,” Ren placed a drop of extract on the crystal, which immediately began to glow with a more intense bluish tone, like sunlight through deep water. “Your snake is freshwater. It needs the essence of plants that grow in its natural habitat, not marine components that would only contaminate its energy. How many times do I need to tell you that?”
Min swallowed hard while Ren helped him sit in a comfortable position, adjusting his posture with practiced movements thanks to the experience he got with Taro.
“Breathe deeply and manifest your snake in your body,” Ren instructed as Min held the overcharged crystal. “When the pain starts, keep the energy flowing toward your center. Don’t let it stagnate in your extremities.”
“Why does it have to hurt so mu… ARGH!”
Min clenched his teeth as the crystal’s energy flooded his system. His scales blazed with unnatural intensity.
“Because we’re using the maximum concentration your body can handle,” Ren watched attentively, his mushrooms pulsing while analyzing the energy flow. “Maintain control. Guide the energy like a river, don’t let it overflow.”
“A very hot river,” Min growled, sweat beading on his forehead. “That’s boiling my insides.”
“Oh, come on,” Liu smiled from his bed, his night bat casting flickering shadows from the ceiling. “It can’t be worse than when you tried to eat that extra spicy curry.”
“Shut up,” Min gasped between breaths.
“Focus,” Ren corrected Min’s posture with gentle but firm hands. “The energy is accumulating in your left shoulder. Make it flow.”
“Everyone’s falling to the dark side,” Liu sighed dramatically. “First Taro with his impossible evolution, now you suffering the same with the pain method. What’s next? Will you tell me mushrooms are the future?”
“Mushrooms are the future,” Ren and Taro responded in unison, just before Min let out another grunt of pain.
“Traitors,” Liu shook his head, though his smile betrayed his amusement. “You’ve been corrupted by the Lord of Mushrooms.”
“I can’t…!” Min started trembling, his scales taking on an alarming blue tinge. “It’s too much!”
“Yes, you can,” Ren held his shoulder firmly and helped him circulate his mana slightly. “Your snake is processing the energy well. You feel this flow? You just need to hold on a little longer.”
The minutes crawled by while Min struggled to contain and direct the torrent of power coursing through him. Each second felt like an eternity until finally, the last trace of energy was absorbed. He collapsed backward, panting heavily.
“That was…” he breathed heavily, his scales slowly returning to their normal color, “horrible.”
“But effective,” Ren smiled, pointing to the new markings on Min’s skin that shimmered like sunlight on water. “Your snake is responding better than expected.”
“Great,” Min stretched out on his bed, every muscle aching. “Only ninety-nine more torture sessions to go… How the hell do you handle 10 times this amount?”
♢♢♢♢
The first rays of dawn were filtering through the window when Klein heard knocking at his door.
He had barely slept a few hours, his mind churning with worries that refused to let him rest.
“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me?” he growled from his bed, his fangs partially manifesting in response to his irritation.
“Lord Klein, I’m very sorry, but…” the servant’s voice sounded unusually nervous.
The door opened before the servant could finish his apology.
Klein sat up furiously, ready to unleash his accumulated frustration, but the words died in his throat.
“Kassian?” his older brother’s name came out as a surprised whisper.
“I see you’re still charming in the mornings, little brother,” Kassian smiled as he entered. At twenty-two, he was already as tall as their father, carrying himself with the same aristocratic bearing.
Klein jumped up, his mood shifting instantly. “What are you doing here? Did you hear about the tournament? You didn’t need to…”
Kassian raised a hand, silencing his younger brother.
“Don’t think so highly of yourself. I’m here for other matters.” His smile remained, but there was something calculating in his eyes. “This ‘friendly tournament’ is merely a convenient coincidence.”
Klein tried to hide his disappointment.
For a moment, he’d thought his brother had come to support him, like in the old days.
“Although since you mention it,” Kassian continued, his tone becoming more serious, “you better not disappoint our father. The family has enough… complications lately.”
Before Klein could respond, Kassian turned to the door. “Enter.”
A boy Klein’s age entered the room. His posture was rigid, like he was standing for military inspection, every movement precisely controlled.
“This is Harold,” Kassian introduced him with a casual gesture. “He’ll soon be your classmate. Father arranged his admission as… a special favor.”
Klein studied the newcomer. There was something in his way of moving that suggested formal training, a soldier’s discipline in a student’s uniform.
“I want you to give him a general overview of how things work here,” Kassian continued. “You know, the unwritten rules, the hierarchies… the usual.”
“Why me?” Klein frowned. “There are others who could…”
“Because I say so,” Kassian’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes hardened like steel. “Or would you prefer I tell father you’re refusing a simple favor?”
Klein clenched his fists but nodded. “As you say, brother.”
“Excellent,” Kassian patted Harold’s shoulder. “I leave him in your care then. And since I’m here, I suppose I’ll stay to watch your match with the little Starweaver.”
Klein visibly tensed.
“Oh, did I touch a nerve?” Kassian laughed softly. “Relax, little brother… This activity is extracurricular. Though I hope you remember what’s at stake in the final exams. The Goldcrest family cannot afford… unnecessary setbacks.”
With those words, Kassian headed toward the door. “Harold, stay a moment with my brother. You have much to discuss.”
The door closed, leaving Klein with his new “companion” and an additional weight on his shoulders. As if he didn’t have enough pressure already.
Harold remained silent, waiting for instructions. Klein observed him for a moment before sighing.
“Sit,” he finally ordered.
The sun continued its inexorable ascent. In a few hours he would face Luna, and now he had this new… “favor” to further complicate matters.
‘A Goldcrest shows no weakness,’ he reminded himself as he began explaining the academy’s complexities to Harold. ‘No matter how much pressure there is.’