The Abysmal Territory

[14]

Dalton taught his students advanced techniques with his students since a month had already passed. They’re already using the new training ground that the villagers created.

“Dismissed!” Dalton said.

“Saki, let’s head over the forest to start the ceremony to the birth of part of my power,” Teiko said.

“Of course! Remember that I wouldn’t freeze the time since it would have the effect of unleashing your power. So you better make an excuse for your little sister,” Saki replied.

“Fine, fine,” Teiko said.

Teiko approached Taiya as she finished having her own cool down.

“Taiya, I’ll be out for some time in the forest. Since I know that I’m far behind on Dalton’s class, I thought of doing extra workouts,” Teiko said.

“I see, don’t overexert yourself. I’ll let Dalton-sensei know about this just in case,” Taiya replied.

“I’m fine with that. But don’t tell anyone aside from him about this and would you also tell him not to find me in case it's necessary? It also goes with you,” Teiko said.

“Okay, just be careful,” Taiya said.

“Wow, I never thought that you have the ability to deceive other people. Maybe we could go on the route instead of releasing your power,” Saki said.

“Hey, that’s not good, alright? And that kind of deception will not work on monsters,” Teiko replied.

Teiko and Saki went to the middle of the forest.

“Are you sure that no one will be able to find us here?” Teiko asked.

“Of course! And even if someone approaches, I could sense their presence even if they're still far away,” Saki said.

“Okay, that’s reassuring. So, what do I need to do to unleash my power?” Teiko said.

“You just need to stay put. I’ll be the one who will do a lot of work and all you need to do is endure the pain. You’re really sure about this, right? We can’t change this plan if we already started or else your power will consume your life force,” Saki said.

“Yes, don’t mind me. I’ll not become a hero if I don't endure this,” Teiko replied.

“The maximum amount of power we can release is up to five percent, how much do you want us to unleash? I suggest below one percent since your body is very feeble,” Saki said.

“I think I could endure two percent, I don’t want to waste so much time,” Teiko said.

“Okay, then after I count to three and after that be prepared for the upcoming pain,” Saki said.

“Understood, I think I could do this perfectly,” Teiko said.

Teiko sat on a flat stone and waited for Saki to signal. With Saki's hand movement, a magic circle is being drawn to where Teiko is sitting.

“Then, here we go. On the count of three! One, two, three! Go!” Saki shouted.

On Saki’s signal, light flows from the magic circle to Teiko’s body. Teiko shouted in pain and it can be seen that his body is experiencing too much pain.

“STOP!” Teiko exclaimed.

The light disappears and the magic circle also dissipates.

“Okay, I told you, that’s too much for you. At least you’re able to endure it for about two seconds. You’ll have to endure that pain for about five minutes before you can obtain the power,” Saki said.

“Eh?! Can my body endure that?” Teiko asked.

“Hmm. I don’t think so but of course you’ll be as close as to a dead person. No worries, I could heal you but what you need to endure is the mental pain that it will bring you. I don’t have any magic that could help you recover from that so remain sane as possible,” Saki replied.

“Okay, this time do me half percent of the power,” Teiko said.

“Relax, we will do that later. For now, rest first. We have two hours before the sun sets so let’s not be too hasty about this,” Saki said.

“If you say so,” Teiko replied.

“Condition your mind and your body, I’ll give you ten minutes to do that. I know for sure that you cannot endure releasing one percent of your power and forget about two. I just did that so you could experience it and it might help you to condition your body,” Saki said.

Teiko lied down to where he was seated before. He looks up to the sky and closes his eyes to have a focus. It is immediate as a way to condition his body.

Ten minutes have passed and Teiko is still lying down.

Maybe I could do it this time. Teiko thought to himself.

“Just believe in yourself,” Saki said.

“Hey, Saki. If I could obtain half a percent of my power, would I be able to close my mind?” Teiko asked.

“Of course, even with a little bit of power, we will already be able to do that,” Saki replied.

“I see, I thought that a large amount of power and mana is needed to do that,” Teiko said.

“What you have said is true. The reason we can do something like that is because you got so much power in you. So, are you ready?” Saki asked.

Teiko sat and closed his eyes. He declared, “I’m ready.”

Saki flew around Teiko and started unleashing his power. The magic circle appears as well as the light that flows on Teiko’s body. Teiko shouted as he endured the pain.

“Stop!” Teiko said.

Saki stops the magic and approaches Teiko. She said, “At least you last for about 30 seconds.”

“What the hell is this? Even a percent less than one is too much for me to handle?” Teiko exclaimed.

“That’s just how powerful you are. Remember, with great power comes great suffering. It’s not only about this type of suffering so be prepared,” Saki said.

“Then I’ll just have to do half of the last time. Let me rest first, I felt that I’m close to dying this time,” Teiko said.

“You have to do this or else you wouldn’t save anyone outside of this sanctuary or even save yourself,” Saki said.

“I know that. That’s why I’m doing my best,” Teiko said.

Teiko lied down and clenched his fist. He looked at Saki and asked, “How long will it take us to go to the Hamori Mountain?”

“You’re thinking about that even if you’re undergoing this thing, huh? Anyway, the answer to your question is more or less about one thousand days,” Saki said.

Teiko was shocked and got up. He exclaimed, “Thousand? That’s more than three years! Is that the fastest way possible?”

“Of course that’s not the fastest way. But that’s what we will try to achieve. You need to at least have that kind of experience before we go to the abysmal territory. And we will also try to unleash your power during the travel so that’s not really too long,” Saki replied.

“I see, so you already thought about it. That means, we should go as soon as possible. In a month, maybe?” Teiko said.

“That’s still too early. You’re gonna spend two years here so we could also test your power against your friends and also, fifteen years old is the minimum requirement before you could have your trial,” Saki said.

“How about finding the stone of Maverick? That’s not an easy task, right?” Teiko asked.

“Don’t worry, I also accounted for that thing in the three years of travel time,” Saki answered.

“Then, I’m ready to try unleashing my power again,” Teiko declared.

“This will be the last time for today, is that alright? I'll heal you to make sure you’re not hurt physically anywhere” Saki said.

“Yes! Since I know that I’ll be able to handle that this time,” Teiko said confidently.