CHAPTER 53: THE PATH TO GREATNESS (1)

"Old man, I caught a snake!"

I finished everything Excafol asked me to do and the end results were, from what he said, to be expected. My hands went white, shining silver, red … a festival of colors. I can use all elemental attributes of Angas, even darkness if I find out how. We finished around the same time as yesterday. But this time, I was fully resolved on catching something. I found a snake inside a hole and managed to catch it and kill it without being bitten.

When I bring it back and show it to Excafol, he opens his eyes like he saw a monster, then he just looks back at the fire and laughs. What? I wasn't supposed to catch those kinds of things? I did as Selene told me and remove the skin. When you know what to do, everything becomes so easy. I bring it to the fire but Excafol laughs even harder now.

"Do you know the name of that snake?"

"No. Why? Does it matter?"

"Well, not really. Just that its meat is poisonous. So good luck eating that."

"What!!!" I look at the piece of meat in my hands and indeed, it is not a bright red but more like a purple-red. But, wait, the assassin taught me how to craft poisons, can't I use that?

"Old man, I know how to craft poisons. Can't I use that to craft antidote as well?"

"Well, poisons and antidote are not quite the same. But, you could learn. I personally don't know anything about poison craft so that another area where you will need to advance alone. Now, the book." Excafol hands me the black book. When I take it, he starts reading the translated version I wrote yesterday.

***

After about two hours, I reached the page where I had stopped before starting the mind training.

'Now that you have prepared your mind, we will start with a simple exercise. Take a piece of wood and try to-'

Ah, I already did that with Excafol today. So, I am back on track somehow. Let's see what he says after that.

'You should at least be able to see a change of colors on your hands. That's the proof your Angas is working. Now to manifest them, you must first understand the principle of aura. Displaying your aura is a basic thing for people using physical Angas because feeling your internal energy and controlling it is easier. It's like having a stream moving around and then defining its path. So you can start from there. Elemental aura, however, needs you to absorb external energy from nature's energy and coated it around you. It is a painful process in the beginning but just like when you have tried to awaken your Angas, you must get past the pain. At the academy, they will tell you that all you need to do is to feel the energy flowing around you and make it flow towards you. IT'S JUST BULLSHIT. YOU CAN'T FORCE THE FLOW OF ENERGY, YOU STUPID MONKEYS! THAT WOULD DISRUPT BOTH YOUR INTERNAL FLOW AS WELL AS NATURE'S FLOW, CREATING AN EXPLOSION INSIDE YOUR BODY. A lot of people with potential got crippled because of those fuckers. Just thinking about it, ARGHH! Anyways, you, reading this book, if you ever get the chance, give a good slap to those bastards for me, will you?'

The author of this book has a serious problem with the eternal academy. I wonder why. My stomach is grumbling too much, but at least I have advanced a lot for today. Excafol is still reading, he is so focused I don't think he can see he is drooling. Wait, he is really drooling!!! Is he also hungry?

"Old man... Old man!!"

"Hm! Hm! what?"

"You are drooling. Are you hungry?"

"No, no, don't worry about it. And you can take the bread there, it is better to eat it than let it rot." Saying so, he goes back to his reading like I am not even there.

Thanks, old man, you are a good guy after all. I take the bread and put it in my mouth in a hurry. But the damn thing is so hard I almost broke my teeth biting it. I look at the old man who sets me up but he is completely unfazed. Anyway, it is food, so I will eat it. I take my dagger and cut the bread into very small size portions then I gulp them down.

"Phew, I needed that." My stomach is still grumbling but at least now, I feel something inside it.

***

It's time to practice what I just learned. I sit down in a corner of the room, close my eyes, and try to focus on my body, to feel my blood flowing in my veins, my breathing, everything that could help. After a few seconds, I open my eyes and I am back. Back to that white empty space. That guy is there again. He really looks like me.

"Ah, you are back. How was it? Did you like it?"

"What are talking about? Who are you?"

"Ah, not this again. You really are not that smart you know? I told you already. I am you. I am your ego, your subconsciousness, or whatever you want to call me. So, how was it?"

"How was what? That Roar thing?"

"Yes, did you like it? I thought about the name for a while and I really think I did a good job. You can praise this one for that!"

The me who is not me sticks out his chest with a big smile. Does he really think that name is good?

"Since you are me, what should I call you then? Also, what is this space? How do you even exist? How did you give me that power?"

"That's a whole lot of questions. Hm, let's see. You call me TWO. Since you are the real one, I will be the second so Two is fine."