Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 110: Raeven Farewell

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 110: Raeven Farewell

"I'm going to release it now. When the formation is lifted, the sword intent will resume its attack." Robert waved his hand around him. The small daggers that encircled him and Oscar shot out of the ground and into his hands.

With their retraction, a small transparent film that covered the area dispersed. It wasn't noticeable earlier, but Oscar felt a slight pressure encompass him like a sword at his throat.

It was the natural air of True Sword Peak that Oscar had not felt in a month.

He stopped focusing on the change and used the Prinstyct. The sword intent should be on the attack soon. He focused his vision on the sword image that was forming.

He never had a clear look at it because of its speed and obscurity, but it revealed itself under the effects of Prinstyct. The sword was made of stone from the blade to the grip. Its edges were dull and cracked all over.

It was just an image, but Oscar could see its fine details. What kind of sword was this?Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

An echo!

Oscar snapped himself out of his curiosity. He saw an echo of the sword moving, sending ripples through the distorted world, and moved his buckler to intercept. The sword intent followed through its echo Oscar had foreseen and was easily deflected.

But it was not the end. The sword intent quickly maneuvered for more strikes.

It swung swiftly, but he was keeping up with it.

It wasn't just the Prinstyct that made it possible. His many spars with Robert had honed his mastery of buckler. His movements were more agile and deliberate than his usual wild swings.

Oscar suspected if not for this, then even with the Prinstyct, he still would have lost against the sword intent. Robert's warnings were wellfounded. He needed strength to utilize the Prinstyct properly.

"!"

The sword intent seemed to have disappeared, but Oscar caught its echoes and turned around. His buckler scraped past the sword intent.

After its failed surprise attack, the sword intent truly dispersed into nothingness. Oscar heaved a heavy sigh. He had almost lost his calm at the last moment and nearly broke his Prinstyct.

"Congratulations. You have finally overcome the sword intent." Robert was watching the entire time with a hint of pride. In a month, this boy had grown tremendously.

Oscar bowed deeply to Robert in gratitude. Thinking back on the past month, he really troubled this old uncle for a long time. He thought about how he was at the start and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Can I ask you something?" Oscar asked to which Robert nodded. "How did you handle being compared to everyone around you as a Grade Three?"

This question was unexpected, and Robert was taken aback. He didn't like talking about himself. However, Oscar was in Grade Four, which made him rethink. In the end, he relented and answered.

"I was jealous and mad at first. There's always the thought, why couldn't it be me? As a member of the proud Raeven Family, why was I singled out of all the others?"

Robert snorted as if mocking his past self.

"That was all useless thought. I fought and struggled against it for so long, but it only made me a bitter person. I only realized after a while that it didn't matter. So what? I'll do it if it takes me twice as long to become stronger. If my Anima is inherently weaker, I'll master it further than others."

The others also departed to their own destinations, except for Abraham and Robert.

It was silent for a while as the winds blew. Abraham sighed and broke the silence.

"I was surprised you agreed to teach him. Was it because he's a grade four."

"Who cares?" Robert floated in the sky. "What matters is that he finished the training." He flew away, leaving Abraham alone.

"He's as reclusive as ever." Abraham stared in the direction of the black airship. "The coming years are most important. This empire's future may as well be in the hands of your generation."

The doors of the Raeven Estate closed shut as Abraham stepped inside.

.......

The journey back was uneventful. Oscar and the others enjoyed the free, stressless time to catch up more about their respective training.

"The Prinstyct? That's incredible." Emly exclaimed.

"It's hard to focus at times and see when using it." Oscar rubbed his forehead. "I also went through a lot of pain."

"To be able to achieve it now is worthy of praise." Celestina was sipping some tea. "I'm an Elite Exalt, so I have it. However, you will have an advantage over other Apprentice Exalts. Also, you'll have more time to master it."

George was particularly interested in it and asked Oscar many questions. Oscar could not answer all of them but did his best.

During this ride back, Oscar shared the copies of the Raeven Family's books he procured with Robert's permission. Celestina was grateful for this, and they resumed their reading sessions on the airship.

This silent session of reading and talking about books was what Oscar had missed for the past month. It was fun as Oscar's worries seemed to have washed away. All but one, Frederick.

He would still think about what to do for his best friend at night. Robert's lessons were deeply engraved in him as he thought about the best route within his capabilities. If he approached this improperly, then he might make an irreparable mistake.

'I can't be too sure, but it's not unreasonable to think I can overpower Frederick. But is beating him down the right answer? How can I convince him?'

There was one event coming up where he knew Frederick had to show up, the next Grand Gathering. Everyone had to participate unless they were Elite Exalts in the Outer Hall. But there was no way Frederick had already reached that realm.

The days passed as Oscar relaxed during the day and thought about Frederick's problem at night.

Finally, the airship arrived at the large walls of gold and sapphire. It landed on the landing pad and docked.

"Thank you for riding with us. May your futures be bright." The captain waved his hat to them.

Oscar said farewell and got off the ship. He finally made it back safely.