Chapter 71: Steps Forward.

Chapter 71: Steps Forward.

If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to /cornbringer

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz

Y'all won double release for this week, it will be for Friday. But fear not! Y'all can get double release today if we reach top three!!

----------------------------------------------------------------

[Adam C. POV]

The sun had barely risen, casting long shadows across the field as I stood before Warrod, the old man who hired me to train me.

His wrinkled face held a knowing smile as he observed me, sizing me up, and in his eyes, I could almost feel like he could see straight into my very soul.

It was uncanny sometimes.

"All right, young man, let's see what you can do," Warrod said, with a chuckle.

I nodded, then slowly drew my blade from its scabbard. The air around it seemed to crackle with energy, before a brilliant white light shot out from the edge of the sword in an arc, making its way toward him.

"Hmm," Warrod murmured, blocking the attack with a tree he created without even moving. "Powerful, yes. But as I thought, your control is lacking. You have so much power that you basically skipped over the first few hundred steps most mages have to learn." He looked at me, his eyes piercing. "That being said, you have a... quite scary potential, but you've only just scratched the surface of what you're capable of."

I knew that.

Having said that, Warrod led me through a series of exercises, beginning with simple visualization techniques.

He told me to imagine my power as a raging river, wild and untamed. My task was to picture myself standing in the midst of the torrent, learning to bend the water to my will, guiding it without being swept away.

A bizarre exercise if you asked me, but I trusted his method.

So, taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused on the image he wanted me to paint. At first, I felt nothing, but as the hours went by, things started to change.

And before I knew it, I felt the energy within me begin to respond. It was like trying to hold onto a wild animal, so much raw power and chaos.

I had meditated with Zanryuzuki before.

But... never alone.

I had never felt the depths of my power without Zanryuzuki being there to serve as a filter.

No wonder I had almost killed myself.

I had basically asked my Zanpakuto to release a stream of bombs into my body, expecting things to go right.

"It seems you already managed to visualize what I told you," Warrod said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "You're a natural, I must say... I have to admit that I kind of expected this phase of the training to last a few more days, maybe even more."

"Thanks," I replied, keeping my eyes closed, but smiling at him.

"Well, now that you can grasp that image, it's time for the next step on the list," Warrod chuckled, walking toward me, his steps echoing across the place. "Meditation through visualization."

The next part of his training was... more complicated than I thought based on his words. The thing was I had assumed the next part was simple meditation, which I was pretty good at if I do say so myself.

But alas, it wasn't.

In Warrod's words, in order to set myself on the right path, I needed to learn how to let go of the thoughts and emotions that clouded my judgment and fed the chaos within me.

Fairy Tail's up-and-coming star.

A kid, barely beginning his adolescence, had managed to take down a God, at least according to the reports, I would still need to confirm things, but until proven otherwise.

I had to admit.

That was most impressive.

I smiled darkly to myself as I imagined the potential this young boy held. Perhaps I could use him in my organization, perhaps there was a place for him in the world I wanted to create.

It was still too soon to tell.

From what I could tell, he was still under the protection of an old friend, Warrod, and although I knew that I could easily deal with him, it seemed best to leave things as they were, at least for now.

Lost in thought, I eventually made my way to a dimly lit room where I found young Ultear sitting cross-legged on the floor, her nose buried in the book I had given her.

Good.

As I entered, the room fell silent, and Ultear looked up at me with wide eyes.

I could sense the fear in her, but I paid it no mind. Fear was a natural response to power, and I had plenty of that to go around.

The fact she felt fear meant that she wasn't stupid, and that would prove useful in the future.

"Ah, Ultear," I said in a deep voice, breaking the silence. "How is your reading progressing?"

She jumped at the sound of my voice and quickly stood up, clutching the book to her chest.

"It's going well, Master Hades," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

I chuckled to myself at her nervousness. "Excellent. I trust you are learning all that you need to know about the Arc of Time?"

Ultear nodded her head fervently. "Yes, Master Hades. I still have a long way to go, but without a doubt the knowledge in this book is incredible."

I walked over to her, towering over her small frame, and gently took the book from her hands. Flipping through the pages, I could see the intricate diagrams and ancient symbols that I had spent years studying, thinking that behind them I would find a solution to Mavis' situation.

I can't believe how naive I was.

I find my past... unbearable.

"It is indeed," I said, nodding my head in approval. "But remember, nothing is ever as good as advertised, so you would do well to expand your horizons, not now, but in time."

Ultear nodded again, her eyes fixed on the book. "I will, Master Hades. I promise."

"Good," I replied, handing the book back to her. "Now, I have more pressing matters to attend to. Carry on with your studies, Ultear, I expect great things from you."

As I turned to leave the room, I could feel Ultear's eyes following me. Despite all the time she had been here, she was still scared of me, despite the lack of reason.

Needless to say, I didn't care.

Fear was a necessary tool in my line of work, after all.

With a dark smile on my face, I continued down the corridor, my mind already moving on to my next plan of action.

Soon, I would wake Zeref up from his slumber, and with it, I would finally learn the root of all magic, and rule the world!