Chapter 26 : Confrontations
Itekan turned slowly and looked at Aitken carefully. He could feel the aura of death all around him again. His blood ran cold, but he forced himself to make eye contact with Aitken.
"Run... I'm not going anywhere," Itekan said, looking Aitken squarely in the eyes.
The two stared at each other intently, neither giving an inch. It felt as if their lives depended on this confrontation.
What Itekan did not know was that he had unconsciously released a burst of shadow energy to counter the suppressive aura Aitken was leaking.
Aitken's smile grew wider as the two continued to face each other. Itekan felt his spiritual energy fluctuate as their clash intensified. In his mind's eye, he suddenly felt the egg crack again. In fact, under the influence of their battle, the egg seemed to crack continuously, with the being inside feeding on the spiritual energy emitted.
"I-itekan..." Rose said softly, causing the two to stop immediately. The ground beneath them had begun cracking.
Aitken burst out in laughter. He turned to leave.
"Very good... Very good. At the very least, it won't be boring," he muttered as he walked away. When he reached the entrance gates, he turned back and looked at Itekan, who was still staring at him.
"Watch your back. From now on, I will—" Aitken slid his hand across his neck, still smiling.
Itekan, watching him, had no idea why this man was after him, but he knew one thing for certain: Aitken was dead serious. Despite his seemingly joking demeanor, Itekan could sense the threat behind it, and he couldn't help but wonder why.
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The second class started soon after, and Itekan, upon entering, saw Aitken at the front. Their eyes locked as Itekan walked in. Itekan sat at the other end of the class.
Itoyea came down and sat next to him, with Binturu not far behind.
"Hey, Itekan, what's up?" Itoyea asked, noticing Itekan's pale face.
"Not—do you know that guy?" Itekan asked, pointing at Aitken. When Itoyea saw him, he frowned.
"What about him?" Binturu asked, noticing the concerned looks on both their faces.
"He irks me," Itekan said, his eyes never leaving Aitken.
The rest of their break passed, and soon it was time for their second class. Itekan left to attend it, leaving Itoyea and Binturu behind.
The second class of the day was Spiritual Energy: Its Manipulation and Reconstruction, taught by a large but young man. He introduced himself as Tedorinzu Allasta.
In this class, Tedorinzu explained the technique of spiritual energy condensation.
"This is a technique used to purify spiritual energy, and this act increases the potency of any technique involving spiritual energy," he explained.
As the class progressed, Itekan understood the concept better. His father had helped him in that regard, and he also felt it whenever he interacted with Headmaster Kime. His spiritual sea always seemed to become more refined, and his spiritual energy grew purer.
As all fifty students sat crossed-legged in the lotus position, Tedorinzu observed their meditation. A few of them did it incorrectly, and he corrected them, helping them enhance their forms for better meditation.
Among the fifty students, only 12 did it properly. Though there were a couple of inconsistencies, it was acceptable for a first lesson. However, among the 12, Tedorinzu noticed two students who stood out: one was a purple-haired boy with dark marks on his face, and the other was a black-haired boy with a star tattoo beneath his eye.
Their meditations were the best in the class, with no exceptions. Tedorinzu found it hard to believe they were first-year students, let alone mere trainee heroes. It seemed as though they were competing with each other.
Oblivious to the instructor's gaze, Itekan faced his own battle. He and Aitken had seemingly begun a competition. Itekan would purify his spiritual energy, and Aitken would make his purer. Itekan would increase his absorption rate, and Aitken would seek to outdo him.
The tension between the two became tangible, and the very atmosphere seemed to thin out under the weight of their spiritual energy absorption.
Itekan started to feel the strain on his spiritual sea core. He was pushing his sea's boundaries with the amount of spiritual energy he was absorbing. After all, he was only a 3rd-ring cultivator, and he felt as if he might crack at any moment. But suddenly, he felt his spiritual sea level increase. He had broken through—he was now a 4th-ring cultivator.
As his boundaries expanded, he felt something else: the egg in his mind's eye was hatching. The spiritual energy fluctuation had cracked the egg to the point of hatching.
Itekan knew that if he continued, the egg would be born here, in class, which would be uncomfortable for both him and the baby. So, he stopped—rather, he reduced his absorption rate, conceding to Aitken, who noticed the absence of Itekan's spiritual signature.
Aitken opened his eyes slightly to check on his opponent. Itekan was nowhere to be found. He was slightly disappointed by Itekan's absence, but his lips curled into a knowing smile. He was getting stronger—perfect.
The second class lasted another two hours, and soon it was over. The students dispersed for their own activities, but Itekan was nowhere to be found.
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His father had warned him that the 12-horned beak's child's form is induced by the type of spiritual energy they absorb. Normally, hatching would not be a problem. However, the one Itekan possessed had a mixture of four different types of spiritual energy.
Author's Note: From now on, I'll be referring to Spiritual Energy (SE) and Spiritual Sea (SS) to save time and reduce repetition.
This made the hatching process more complicated. Before, Itekan would only have to meet the conditions for one specific type of SE. But with four different types, he had to ensure the conditions for each were met.
Itekan made his way to Kime's office, the spatial ring containing the egg's physical body in his hands. As he arrived, he stared at the massive doors before him. Squaring his shoulders, he knocked.