The Lone Wanderer

In the end, Percy managed to brew a couple healing potions by nightfall. In fact, things went even more smoothly than he’d originally expected. He only wasted a handful of mushrooms before learning to extract their essence properly. If he’d known it would be this easy, he would have brewed some before fighting Rambert. If nothing else, they would have made his trip home less unpleasant.

That said, his yield was still much lower than he’d like, but he figured it would climb rather quickly as he brewed more doses tomorrow.

‘I shouldn’t use more than a quarter of my stash.’ he decided, taking a mental inventory of his newly grown resources.

According to his calculations, that should get him a few dozen doses. That would be plenty to last them for months, assuming they didn’t get into too much trouble. He could always brew more later, if they ran out, though he’d rather save most of the mushrooms to experiment with the other type of potions.

Satisfied with his plan, he was about to pack his stuff away for the night, when he heard another knock.

‘Hmmm? Grandpa again? Have they finished training for today?’

Tossing his blindfold back on, just in case, he made his way to the door. Opening, he was surprised to see somebody else standing there, however.

“Uncle Galahad? What brings you here?”

While their relationship wasn’t nearly as strained as it used to be, he didn’t expect to get very chummy with his uncle either.

‘Weird, but ok.’ he shrugged.

Admittedly, Percy had a bunch of things on his plate, but he didn’t mind taking some time to see what his uncle wanted from him. Of course, he didn’t exactly appreciate being bossed around like a kid. Then again, Galahad was a few centuries older than him. At least, he hadn’t detected any hint of his uncle’s previous disdain towards him just now…

***

Come morning, Percy reached the agreed upon location, finding Galahad already there waiting for him. He was meditating on a mat by the centre of the room, an empty vial sitting by his side.

‘Wow. He’s punctual, if nothing else.’

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Percy also downed two doses of Aurora Dew. Next, he sat opposite his uncle, silently accompanying him in his cleansing session. It wasn’t until half an hour later that both of them were done.

“You must be wondering why I called you here.” Galahad spoke, opening his eyes.

Percy didn’t say anything in response, but he did toss him a ‘duh’ glance back.

“When Father taught me Circulation, he asked me to thank you for the art. And to apologize for the way I’d treated you.”

“Huh, is that why you brought me here?” Percy chuckled. “Too embarrassed to be seen apologizing to a Red-born?”

“No.” Galahad replied calmly. If he took any offense from that jab, he didn’t show it.

“I brought you here because I don’t believe in empty words. I’d rather speak with actions.”

“Meaning?”

“Starting today, I’ll spar with you for two hours every morning. Until the lotus blooms, at least.”

Hearing that, Percy couldn’t help but crease his brow. He didn’t doubt the experienced Blue had a lot to teach him, but he struggled to imagine himself lasting a second against his uncle. Even the weakest Blue on Remior was currently an insurmountable obstacle for him, let alone somebody at the top of the grade.

“I know what you’re thinking, but these won’t be regular spars. I have a very specific objective in mind.” Galahad said. “Of course, I won’t force you to do it against your will, but I believe you’ll be grateful for these lessons sooner or later.”

“Domain?” Percy asked, having realized something.

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Galahad nodded, confirming his guess.

“Based on what you’ve told us, you seem to be capable of fighting Greens. Unlike Greens, however, I doubt you can withstand a Blue’s domain.”

Domain was the special ability that all mages unlocked as soon as they advanced to Blue. Its greatest advantage was that it didn’t require a shred of mana. Fuelled entirely by its owner’s willpower, it was best known as an efficient and powerful tool for subjugating those significantly weaker.

Of course, domains were much more than glorified flyswatters. If one was sufficiently skilled with theirs, they could potentially incorporate it within their magic too, allowing them to employ their domain against equal or stronger opponents. If used correctly, it could potentially tilt the scales of a difficult battle in one’s favour.

“You want to prepare me to fight against Blues?” he asked.

“Not exactly. If you end up targeted by a Blue, you and your girlfriend will die, regardless of what I teach you. Simple as that.”

“Then, what’s the point?” Percy asked, not disagreeing with Galahad’s assessment in the slightest.

Suffice to say, he wasn’t under the delusion that he would be able to hold his own against a Blue anytime soon. Even if he ignored the existence of domains entirely, the colossal gap between Greens and Blues wasn’t something he could bridge in the foreseeable future.

“Well, to start with, I want to drill into your head how important it is to avoid provoking a Blue in the first place. If you keep going down this reckless path, you’re going to get yourself in serious trouble. Beyond that, maybe this training will bear fruit a few years down the line.”

Percy nodded. He’d do everything in his power to avoid being targeted by a Blue, but it wouldn’t hurt to be able to at least move inside a domain. Either way, getting trained by the most talented Blue in the province was definitely a unique opportunity.

“So, how are we going to do it?”

“It’s simple, really. I’ll unleash my domain on you, and you’ll do everything you can to not suffocate. Bonus points if you can stay on your feet.”

Percy was about to ask more questions, but his uncle never gave him the chance. The very next moment, a powerful pressure descended upon him, squeezing the very air out of his lungs. Landing on his knees with a muted thud, Percy struggled to even lift his eyes enough to look at his uncle. He knew that there was nothing happening to his body physically. This was all in his head. But it didn’t make it any less real.

‘How come he’s such a prick even when he’s trying to be nice?’ Percy smiled wryly. Or tried to, at least. Even twitching his lips was quite a slog, given the circumstances.

Of course, this wasn’t his first time experiencing a domain. He was quite certain that the Starry Queen had employed one against him, back during his escape from the Fungal Spire. In theory, his uncle’s domain shouldn’t even qualify as a breeze compared to a Violet’s. Then again, he’d never felt the queen’s domain directly. Just whatever cheap knock-off she could manifest while possessing the Starry Knight.

‘Better focus on this, or he’s going to laugh at me.’ he shook the pointless thoughts out of his head.

Gritting his teeth, he dragged the tip of his thumb across his palm, before pulling the faintest sliver of soul mana from his core. Repeating the exact set of actions that had allowed him to break free of the queen’s domain the previous time, he stabbed himself with a hastily crafted construct, using the pain to clear his mind. Standing up was still difficult, but the jolt of agony did allow him to take a breath, at least.

Greedily inhaling one mouthful of air after another, he slowly pushed more and more mana into his channels, activating his boosting art. It took him three times as long as it usually did, but Synchronization eventually took effect. A wave of power washed over him, as his body transformed in its usual manner.

Percy lifted his eyes just in time to catch a hint of surprise in his uncle’s expression. With some more effort, he managed to climb back to his feet, failing to suppress a smug grin.

“Interesting.” Galahad muttered.

Percy could’ve sworn he saw the faintest shadow of a smile tugging at his uncle’s lips for a moment there. But it was gone the very next instant.

“I guess I don’t have to hold back. Not as much, at least.” Galahad added a second later.

Before the words even left his mouth, a second wave of pressure slammed onto Percy. It took him by surprise too, sending him face-first into the floor even more forcefully.

At the same time, his uncle’s domain felt entirely different from before. It was several times stronger, of course, but that was merely the beginning. Beyond the sharp increase in the sheer quantity of the pressure, its quality seemed to have taken a drastic shift too.

Percy’s muscles grew numb, as a jolt of electricity ran up and down his skin, prickling his flesh. All the hair on his body stood on end, as he could even smell a blend of ozone and charred wood mixing in the air, wisps of smoke coming out of the floor.

Percy was about to call his uncle out for cheating – he wasn’t supposed to add mana to his domain. But he held himself back upon failing to spot a single mote leaving Galahad’s core.

‘Seriously?! Is this still just his domain?!’

Unlike before, the pressure had evolved into something tangible – directly affecting the environment. Percy had some difficulty believing that one could accomplish this solely with their presence. But there was no denying the facts.

“What you experienced earlier was nothing more than the most basic domain. All Blues get that right after advancing. A veteran can take it much further, however. We can infuse our very understanding of magic into our domain, giving it new features. What you’re feeling is my lightning affinity giving a different flavour to the domain, stunning and burning your body.”

A splitting headache thrummed within Percy’s skull, as he struggled to register his uncle’s words. Just like that, the domain had grown over five times as troublesome, to the point that his previous tricks weren’t enough to snap him out of it any longer.

Of course, Percy had heard about domains before, but it wasn’t until now that he truly understood how terrifying they could be. He smiled bitterly, Galahad’s demonstration having made one thing crystal clear…

‘Ugh… It’s going to be one hell of a month, isn’t it?’