The arid sands of the Shurlana Desert, home to various small settlements such as Saranhell, had an area of approximately 3.78 million square miles. Due to the particular demands of the biome, such as uneasy terrain, an abundance of Shura, and the intense fluctuations of temperature, travel was incredibly impractical. The only consistent way to traverse the massive desert was a designated caravan that would come every 60-90 days, depending on travel conditions.

  Given the time between Ereth’s arrival and the acquisition of the Drezha stone, the crew had roughly 15 more days before the caravan would arrive at Saranhell. Until then, they had no choice but to rest in Saranhell and acquire more resources.

  Abraxas opted for his classic style of monster hunting to make money for the crew. The large concentration of Shura was practically a feast for the black knight, as he could not only earn wealth from the citizens of the settlement, but he could also be of use to Ereth, his leader. He had no particular talent in food service, health, community service, or any skill that did not involve killing. He was a sword first and foremost, and he would put that talent to use.

  Adra spent most of her time attending to the people of Saranhell while teaching Ereth the principles of magecraft to Ereth, who had taken a particular interest in the art.

  Today, they stood atop a hud house with minimal clothing or protection.

  “Hot…”

  The piercing heat of the sun’s rays drained the young man of his vitality, reducing him to a lethargic chunk of flesh. Adra, on the other hand, hardly cared for the heat. In fact, it seemed like she literally could not become hot at all. Not even a single bead of sweat adorned her brow.

  “Don’t tell me…you’re actually fine right now? In this heat?”

  Adra gave the boy a smug glare, as though she had definitively proven herself superior to her leader. “What’s wrong, boy? Can’t handle a little heat?”

  “I’m from a pretty moderate environment. These extreme temperatures are just too much for me.”

  “Well, I suppose that's to be expected from a pampered child such as yourself. How immature. How childish! Women won’t like a man without ample tact and discipline. You mustn’t show your weak side so easily!”

  …What do women have to do with this? Ereth considered proposing the question to Adra, but he quickly dismissed it.

  “Listen up! Today I’ll be teaching you the principles of foundation magecraft!” She proclaimed loudly.

  ———

  “Magecraft can be separated into two distinct categories — Internal Magecraft which relies upon the user’s own energies to perform spells, and External Magecraft which relies on the external world.”

  Adra gave her lectures with emotive expressions and hand gestures, like a teacher giving a passionate speech to her students, while Ereth fanned himself off while drinking from a water canteen.

  “External Magecraft can be considered ‘commoner’ magecraft intended for the less skilled or talented. It often relies on abstract symbolism, scripts, tomes, patterns, rituals, or physical objects to perform spells. My divination at the Ne’fari den was an example. It’s relatively easy to perform due to its low barrier of entry, but its material nature also lends itself to complexity. Think of it like a math formula. 1 + 1 = 2, anyone can understand that, but once you become more proficient in magecraft, you’ll start running into equations like F?? = Σ?≠? (G m? m? / |x?? ? x??|3)(x?? ? x??).”

  “...What?”

  Adra sighed, as though she were talking to an idiot, “The equation itself doesn’t matter. You just need to know that it can get complicated. Honestly, I don’t think External Magecraft suits you. Not only do you have an unusual amount of natural talent, but your brain doesn’t have the mental capacity to memorize formulas and equations.”

  …Did she just call me an idiot? Ereth thought, before quickly dismissing the idea.

  “For now, let’s focus on Internal Magecraft. It’s far more suited for physical fighters like you. Sit down in a lotus position.”

  “Alright.”

  He obeyed Adra’s commands, though the boy was a bit confused with the methodology.

  “Steady your breath and mind. Start from the flow of energy in your stomach, and spread upward towards your sternum and into your arms and head.”

  Ereth closed his eyes and released the tension in his body, allowing his internal energy to flow freely.

  “Now imagine a certain image of great importance to you, and I don’t mean anything as mundane as your favorite takeout spot. It has to be something that matters more than anything in the world.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Matter more…than the world?”

  Though Ereth gladly went through with the exercise, he found the task to be quite difficult. His attachment to the living world was meddling at best, and the closest human bonds he could conquer up were that of Adra and Abraxas. This isn’t to say that he didn’t care for them entirely, but their time together was limited, to say the least.

  It has to be something that matters more than anything in the world.

  Those words were his guiding key. If he could not imagine anything of ‘this’ world that captured his heart, then he would have to imagine ‘another.’

  “...”

  His mind went to the Eternal Twilight, a land of endless sea and sky. The sun would never set, yet never rise, remaining in neverending equilibrium. The towering, stationary bookshelves floated in the air, casting obnubilating shadows over the land. At the top of the grassy hill stood a man with a sword as gold as the shining rays of the sun. His long blue hair flowed in the wind. One could say he met the gold standard of a hero.

  “Father…” Ereth whispered subconsciously. What emotion did the man elicit? Awe? Joy? Sadness, or perhaps nostalgia? Ereth grasped at the thread between himself and his father, the man known as the Immortal Sword Saint.

  His body emanated a bright blue glow, reminiscent of the clear blue sky.

  “So your energy is blue. That’s a pretty basic color, but it’s by no means bad. You can open your eyes now.”

  Ereth followed Adra’s commands, opening his eyes in profound surprise.

  “What…is this stuff?”

  Adra let out a long drag of her cigarette, before releasing the smoke in a steady breath. “That is the Contour of the Heart — an energy source present in all intelligent life.”

  “Contour? So you mean like the outline of the heart? Does it have something to do with my emotions?”

  “Bingo. You’ve got a better head on your shoulders than I thought. The Contour of the Heart is something akin to excess, like the smoke created from an open flame. It is one of the closest expressions of the soul, but as the name implies, it isn’t perfect.”

  Ereth got up from the lotus position, stretching his limbs slowly and deliberately as an athlete would.

  “Hey Adra, do you mind if I try something real quick?”

  “...Yeah? Sure, why not. ”

  He picked up a pebble the size of the tip of his pinky finger and cocked his hand back. His body twisted, following the flow of energy from his shoulders to the tips of his toes.

  BANG-A sound reminiscent of a high-caliber sniper shook the very air itself. The pebble went flying at an imperceptible speed, clearing the clouds above in an instant.

  The clamoring masses of Saranhell turned their gaze towards the source of the sound, believing themselves under attack. They chatter, panic, then stop, realizing that a threat had not occurred, but an incident.

  “S-Sorry everyone! Didn’t think I’d make so much noise! There’s nothing wrong here. I apologize for the disruption.”

  He performed an exceptional Dogeza (土下座), earning the forgiveness of the people. They disbanded, the crowds dwindling down to a handful of individuals.

  “What the fuck was that?!” Adra screamed in panic, holding her large hat in place.

  Ereth looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers, feeling the energy coursing through his veins. “Definitely an improvement, but it’s still not close to my peak.”

  A bead of sweat dripped down Adra’s cheek. “If this can’t be called your peak, then I can’t help but be a little terrified of you, ya know…”

  The young man laughed wholeheartedly at her concerned comment, as though he were a child who had found a new toy. “You really are amazing, Adra! To think that you know about something like this - it’s really impressive!”

  “Don’t try to smother me with flattery.”

  “No no, It’s true! I could have never imagined a power like this in my old world.”

  “Well, if you think that, then how about we get to training. I’ll teach you the basics of magecraft before the caravan to Yvcalr returns.”

  With a triumphant gaze, Ereth replied, “Alright, give me your best shot!”