A dark skinned boy with short white hair rolled to the side, dodging out of the way of a hammer strike and popping back up to his feet in one fluid motion.
He pushed off the ground and crossed the short distance between himself and his target, before punching out as hard as he could.
A mystical swirl of translucent energy layered over his fist, and as it landed on his opponent's torso, a dull boom resounded. However, Darion didn't budge an inch, not even registering the punch as his knee was already flying towards Aethan's head.
Aethan's eyes widened, and he moved back, his palm driving forward and parrying the knee strike smoothly.
"That's cheating, Father!" Aethan groaned, a cold look in his eyes.
"It's not cheating," Darion responded. "I'm just making use of my advantages."
A frown crawled up Aethan's face, and his eyes flashed with a red light for a split second.
Darion laughed uproariously upon seeing Aethan's reaction, dropping his hammer to the ground and causing the earth to quake.
Aethan turned out to almost be like his other sons. Hotheaded and impulsive.
He would make some irrational decisions sometimes, but that didn't mean he was dumb. He was only young and didn't have much experience. Besides, it had only been a few months since he awakened the Narok's bloodline power, so he was still new to a lot of things.
His father knew precisely how the power worked, so he had done just enough to give his son the strength to move.
The Narok bloodline power was unique. Only one Ability had been discovered so far, which was draining a target's Blood Essence through touch, but it was enough.
Blood Essence Extraction came with multiple perks.
One of those perks was gaining an affinity for an Element after accumulating enough Essence of the said Element from the absorbed Blood Essences.
This was not only a sure way to become an Arcane Sorcerer, it was another way of improving one's affinity and mastery of any Element.
Darion knew all these, and he took advantage of it. He brought the bodies of recently killed beasts to Aethan, allowing him to absorb their Blood Essence and start accumulating Elements while getting better.
Gaining an affinity for an Element wasn't as easy as it sounded though. It took time, years sometimes —according to his father.
But that wasn't his father's concern at the moment. Aethan could figure it all out by himself in the future, but firstly, he had to absorb enough energy and vitality, using the Blood Essence Extraction, and get a body strong enough to produce a core and start Cultivating, and practicing Martial Arts too.
This, he did, and after a month or so… Aethan took his first step.
Martha's joy knew no bounds on that day. She beamed with joy, so much so that she lost control of her Element for a second, making her body glow like a miniature Sun.
Darion felt proud and half fulfilled. His son was well on his way to becoming one of the strongest people in the Kingdom, the Empire even.
"Cultivate while I prepare for our next hunt," Darion said after he was done reminiscing. "Your brother will return in a few days, and I need you to be ready for your journey."
Aethan's eyes glowed with excitement upon hearing the last sentence.
The last few months had been hectic for him. Mostly because his father was preparing him for his journey to another part of the Kingdom, a place where most children of his age were sent.
The Eclipse Sect.
The Eclipse Sect was founded by Aeris Valen, a powerful dual affinity Ninth-Circle Mage.
He was spoken off as an infamous legend, known to dabble into Forbidden and Cursed Magic. He had long created the Eclipse Sect before the discovery was made, but because the Sect had produced formidable Warriors and Mages over time, it was left to thrive 'on its own'.
The Nobility and some organizations seeked to have ties with the Sect, but the Eclipse Sect shunned everyone, powerful and influential or not.
The Sect's authorities knew that they only wanted to take control of them and their resources, to train soldiers of their own. This led to a situation where the Nobility and organizations had a grudge with them. And though this grudge was unwarranted and petty, since it was general, they secretly were the enemy of all large organizations and Nobles, except the Mercenaries and a rare few.
On the surface though, hiding all of the enmity behind, it was one of the two best organizations for the study of Magic, Martial Arts and Totembeast Binding. The other organization being the Shardbinder Academy, an Academy created by the Nobles, Guilds and Church working together.
They did so in order to have a place where their own scions and future Warriors were trained.
Since the Eclipse Sect decided to cut themselves off from them, they would prove that they weren't needed.
Aethan sat on the ground in the silent meditation, his concentration reaching its peak.
His control over Aether, the magical energy used for casting spells and techniques, was superb. It was on par with First-Circle Mages, when he wasn't even one.
To become a First-Circle Sorcerer, one had to form their Aether Core. This Core was where their Aether was stored, used for casting spells and performing techniques.
Aethan was very close to creating his Aether Core. He had accumulated a lot of Aether and stored it in his body, which he was using to temper it.
His brother taught him a technique he could use to build his foundation properly. The technique was quite simple. It used the Aether in his body to pressure his organs, and energy pathways, forcing it to grow and adapt.
The technique was used by most, and it proved effective over multiple generations.
The technique not only made Mages physically stronger than they were meant to, it also made Warriors more adept at controlling their Aether for circulation and using techniques.
Aethan's mind sunk into his body, and he began pooling all the Aether stored within his body towards a region in his lower torso.
The effects on the surroundings were miniscule at first, as he performed his task diligently, but a tornado of energy soon began to rush around him, whipping the air and raising dust.
Martha peaked through the window to see what was causing the surge of Aether, only for her to see a black matter oozing out of Aethan as he sat on the ground, his brows furrowed in concentration, and his body quivering in fatigue.