Progress

With the help and advice of his master, Aeneas has improved his combat capabilities day after day. The boy would stare at his master for a few minutes before attacking. Observing every little movement be it a twitch of the old man's cheeks as he smiles or the swaying of his hair.

Aeneas would dash imagining that he was seeing things move at a slower pace as if he was using the power of his Zeal. Every swing of his wooden sword was calculated including a prediction of the old man's movement.

After three weeks, the boy's movement had become more polished. His every swing would only miss Silas by a whisker and the Zeal of the Wise Serpent on his right eye would sometimes glow for seconds.

Silas knew that the student he took was smart both in combat and in conversations. But in the three weeks he taught him, the old man had come to realize that Aeneas was a genius.

One morning, Aeneas woke up without the presence of his master. Although it was a daily occurrence, Silas would always return at the same time every day. Yet he was late by an hour this time. 

Worried, Aeneas wanted to look for him. But, he didn't want to disobey Silas's order not to leave the forest. He became more anxious when Silas didn't return after another hour. Aeneas went outside the hut and waited where the open area meets the trees and towards the direction to exit the small forest.

The boy was relieved when he heard someone approaching. He knew that it was his master by the way he walked, and unknown to him, the Zeal of Ophiuchus was glowing.

When Silas emerged from the trees, "Master, you're quite late," Aeneas said.

Silas smiled, "Why are you waiting there? Are you that famished?"

Aeneas looked at the old man with a grin, "Well you are two hours late, anyone would be this hungry."

With a chuckle, "Brat, you should've hunted your food," Silas replied.

"But, didn't you say not to leave this place?"

"I told you not to leave the forest. You are free to venture just inside of it."

Aeneas walked to Silas and took the food from him. He sat on the ground and began devouring everything. At the same time, Aether jumped out of his shadow. The curious creature went close to the boy's food and smelled it. 

"Aether? Do you want to eat some now?"

But after smelling the food Aether would move away and scratch its head like it always does.

"When's the last time that thing ate?"

Aeneas turned to his master. He was still chewing his food when he shrugged towards him as his answer. Then, the boy swallowed his food and said,

"I have never seen him eat."

Silas activated the power of his Zeal and stared at Aether. But as always, he couldn't see anything aside from the dark veil surrounding the creature. Even its next movement was almost unpredictable. The dark veil seemed to make even mana disappear. To Silas, Aether was the only anomaly he had ever encountered that he couldn't understand.

"That thing either hunts in the dead of night or doesn't need to eat to begin with."

Aeneas glanced at the little beast and then back at his master.

"But, I have never heard of a creature that doesn't need to consume food. How can that be the case?"

Silas brushed his beard with his hands, "Neither have I. But from my observation, I think it's absorbing mana as its food."

Aeneas was close to finishing his food. He nodded his head in response to his master's words.

"Will I be able to see mana as well when I learn to use my Zeal, master?"

"You were able to see something that even I couldn't for a long time, surely you will."

The boy knew that Silas was talking about him seeing chaos. They had talked about it a week ago and Silas confirmed that it was indeed chaos. Though he saw it before as well, it wasn't as dense as what Aeneas described.

After eating, Aeneas couldn't help but ask about the other pouch Silas was holding behind him. It was a bit bigger and didn't seem to have food inside of it.

"Ah. Right," Silas muttered as he handed the pouch to Aeneas.

Aeneas uncovered the thing inside. It was some sort of contraption the boy didn't understand at first.

"It's headwear. I thought it might help you."

The item was a light metal formed into a hat with a short rod around the right side of the wearer's face. It could be strapped around the chin and the rod has a mirror attached to the end.

Aeneas wore it and saw the reflection of his right eye that bears the Wise Serpent's Zeal.

Silas explained that Aeneas must've still been unable to grasp his reality of being a Zeal-bearer. Since he lived his life thinking he didn't have one, that belief might still linger and could be the underlying reason why he couldn't use his Zeal at will. Silas thought that seeing it himself for a long time could be of some help.

"It's quickly made so it wasn't great. But it will do its purpose."

Aeneas was moved. He showed his master a Panteran bow and thanked him. It also removed any speck of doubt the boy had towards the old man. 

With a smile, "Go rest, we will begin after a few hours," he said then walked towards the hut to read.

Like always, their training started with combat. Silas noticed that the boy's movements had become far more sluggish than it was yesterday. He knew that it was due to the headwear he gave. The boy's attention kept switching back and forth between the old man and the reflection of his right eye. 

Silas began to question whether the headwear would help the boy or would only do more harm to his progress than good. He was thinking all of these while dodging his student's every attack.

After a few hours of combat, the two sat on the ground with their legs crossed. The second part of their training was to observe the surroundings. To see every little detail with all of their senses. The feeling of the wind and the small things it sways, the whispers of the grass and leaves, and the combined smell of everything. Silas also wanted Aeneas to keep trying to use his Zeal in the second part of their training. The old man noticed that although the boy kept looking at the reflection of his eye, he looked more relaxed when compared to earlier in their combat training.

"Kid," Silas said.

"What is it, master?"

"I think it would be best for you not to wear that in combat training and only use it for the rest of the day."

Aeneas nodded, "Understood," he replied.

After that, Silas would go to the city to fetch their food and they would share a meal for lunch while also having conversations about various topics. Then after hours of rest, they would repeat the two-part training in the afternoon till the sun sets.

Days passed in the blink of an eye. Aeneas grew a few centimeters taller and his black hair became long enough for him to tie it on the back. But, none of it was on the boy's mind, he even forgot what day it was or the fact that he turned fourteen weeks ago. All he could think of was his progress. It was subtle at first, but with the help of his master, Aeneas could now also tell how much he had improved.

Five months after he was taken as Silas's student, Aeneas was now capable of using the power of his Zeal at will. Although he could use it only for a few minutes, the combat training against Silas was now more of a proper one, with the old man also wielding a wooden sword and hitting back.

Every day was a day of progress. Aeneas never felt as alive and motivated to become stronger and be the hero he always desired.

One day in the afternoon, Aeneas asked his master a curious question he had had lingering in his mind for quite some time now.

"Does our Zeal not come with the ability to wield elemental magic?"

Silas answered with a question, "Have you seen me cast one?"

Aeneas shook his head, "No."

"You said you have visited the village where the bearers of the Great Wolf's Zeal live. Have you seen them use magic?"

The boy shook his head again, "No. But similar to you, it doesn't mean that they couldn't. It could be that just like you, they do not want to show it to others."

Silas smiled, "Good," he replied. The old man paused for a brief moment before he continued, "All Zeals come with magic of the elements with them. You've heard of rumors about using magic through Zeals as the reason for the madness haven't you?"

Aeneas nodded, "Yes," he replied.

"Words of a friend had made me realize that it could be true, or at least might hold some truth to it."

"What did your friend say, master?"

The old man grinned, "Magic born from the Zeals isn't true," he said then showed his right index finger. After a few seconds, a cinder appeared floating atop the same finger.

"Seeing this, do you think our element is that of fire?"

Aeneas repeated his master's words, then said, "Are you perhaps casting magic without using your Zeal?"

Silas chuckled and told the boy that he was correct.

"But how could magic from the Zeals not be true?"

"Right? That's what I also thought. But once that friend taught me to cast magic without relying on my Zeal, I somehow understood what he meant."

"That being?"

"True magic is not something that just appears with simple thought. It is something born from one's understanding of the complex world. The ability to turn mana into something similar yet different."

Aeneas has his mouth wide open. He had the feeling of understanding his master's words but also couldn't grasp the entire meaning behind them.

"Master… You still haven't answered my question about the element of our Zeal."

Silas laughed aloud, he activated his Zeal and before Aeneas knew it, darkness enveloped the both of them.

"It's the element of darkness."