66 A Mother's Gift 4

Ri looked over at Dyon expecting to see a demoralized boy, but all she saw were sharp eyes radiating endless battle intent.

'is that?... it feels like he's manifesting an aura… but he hasn't reached essence gathering yet…'

A bit apprehensive, Ri continued, "did I mention that many of these geniuses know at least 4 wills…"

Ri was hoping that that would snap Dyon out of his state, but all she heard was a cheery laugh.

BOOM!

Dyon's demonic will skyrocketed, swirling madly among the fluttering snow and white lights. His body emitted a dark aura, that flickered in blacks and blood reds.

'he's manifesting his demonic will here?! Is he trying to get himself killed?!'

But, Ri's worries were unfounded. The mere fact the demonic will was fighting against the purity of the surroundings was enough for Dyon's comprehension to deepen. Ri could only watch in astonishment, realizing how wrong she was that Dyon couldn't use this space to improve his demonic will.

Dyon finally retracted his aura after about half an hour with a broad smile on his face.

Ri was shaken, 'he didn't manifest a true aura… not yet… but, that's about as close as you can get without stepping into the essence gathering stage of energy cultivation…'

"Thank you, Ri. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have understood the sovereign path of my demonic will."

Ri trembled, 'the sovereign path? How cocky does this guy need to be to have a breakthrough in such a path while I'm trying to destroy his confidence?!'

Ri could only shake her head, chuckling bitterly, "*hmph, men."

Dyon only smiled as he continued to meditate in the room. Ri was again surprised by his level of focus. Just like the human world, it was impossible for anyone to focus on a singular thing for so long. Your mind would inevitably wonder, or you would get stiff and bored. But, this didn't seem to apply to Dyon. It was like he could stay in this state for forever.

'maybe this has something to do with his innate aurora?...'

Ri had heard that innate aurora's made array alchemy much more manageable, not because of a power boost, although that was the case too, but because it helped you to learn and retain things better. This was also part of the reason why array theory and alchemy had separated. It was impossible for most to master one even with an entire life, let alone two. This was why array alchemy was rare even in the Elvin Kingdom. Ri was a special case since her mother's purity path aided her in reaching better focus in addition to a blood line she also received from her mother. But, even here, formation guilds were separate from alchemy guilds.

Soon, it was the dead of night. Dyon continued to meditate. With his increased soul power and being only a step away from the 5th stage, his need for sleep was considerably less. If you included the fact his impurities were being washed away by the atmosphere, then he could stay awake for even longer.

'once I step into the 5th stage, I'll be able to finally manifest my arrays as true objects that can be sustained without my feeding them. That'll upgrade my array alchemy to an entirely new level. But, I feel like I've been neglecting my alchemy… Also, I've never even been formerly ranked as an array alchemist, maybe I should do that.'

Dyon's thoughts were interrupted by a sleep Ri, "I'm going to get some sleep," she said pulling out a few cushions and blankets, "tomorrow, since you want to be here for a while, I can take you around. If you want to improve, you should consider joining the academy I'm a part of. There aren't any rules against non-elves joining since there's never been a precedent, but, if I recommend you, they won't say anything. Plus, those old fogies at the formation and alchemy guilds should be taught a lesson," she said chuckling mischievously as she slowly fell asleep.

Dyon chuckled at the devious nature of Ri, 'you're so fiery, but you didn't even hesitate to fall asleep near a man you've only known for a day. You must really have a deep trust in your mother,' Dyon thought with a smile. It hadn't escaped Dyon's notice that the fact Ri could survive here meant that her heart was also pure.

After Ri fell asleep, Dyon happily took out his device to read through the messages Madeleine had sent him. After that, he began to practice using Celestial Deer's Rend. He had been at the peak of the 4th stage for the majority his 6-month training regiment and was nearing the 5th stage. Although he thought this was slow, he had no choice but to take it one step at a time.

Dyon gritted his teeth as his skin reddened from strain. But, if you looked closely, a slight tinge of excitement played his features.

**

In the dead of night, near a small village on the outer skirts of a large Elvin city, shadows were shifting in the darkness.

"The Norville family is truly an odd bunch…" spoke one of the shadows, a bit of contempt layering his voice.

"if they're odd, what does that make you for accepting their money?"

The shadow had no response, so he could only sigh.

"Just shut up and focus on the scouting. We need to find exactly which children have been orphaned and who haven't. The campaign ended pre-maturely, so the Norville family wants this done now. They've even paid extra in all their excitement.

Whichever homes you see lack an accompanying adult, mark them down. We'll have to deal with this before the bureaucrats get involved."

The shadow could only resign himself. Although the Kingdom was filled with occurrences just like these, he had a family to feed too. He could little afford to not take this job. But…

"what do you think are the odds of the government helping them afterwards," he couldn't help but ask.

The leader of the group sighed, "if it makes you feel better, this may be the best course for their lives. They'll receive training in a singularity type technique, and if they're talented, they'll have a prosperous future. The Royals aren't in a place to go against the wishes of such a powerful family, and the other powerful families just don't care… even if everyone knows what's going on, there's no real evidence. And truthfully, even if there was evidence, it would be ignored…"

A shadow who was listening to all of this near the back of their 5-man party was confused. He wasn't sure what was going on at all. All he was told was that they were responsible for transporting orphans to a new place, so he had no choice but to tap on the shoulder of the shadow near him.

"what… what happens to them?..."

The shadow turned to him and whispered in a faint voice, "Norville means desire in our ancient language… you figure it out…"

The group fell silent, a heavy atmosphere reigning. The soft rustling of the wind through the dark forest did little to help their moods as the continued to skirt around the small villages… marking down homes… knowing that every note they made was signing a child off to a life they didn't choose.

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Seems Ri doesn't believe in Dyon too much. Yet, despite being Dyon's age too, she thinks she's an exception? Interesting :)

Looks like the Elvin Kingdom is more corrupt than anyone would like. Now we've mentioned two families, the Eostre family and the Norville family. It'll be interesting to write about all the political spars, conspiracies and scandals :) hope you enjoy!

Also... Ri is definitely going to be one of my favorite characters... I have a thing for blue haired girls. If you don't think Vivi Nefertari from one piece, Levy McGarden from fairy tail, and Megumi Tadokoro from shokugeki no soma, aren't all best girls... you'll have to fight me

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