Aurus stood silently as William writhed on the floor, his body convulsing in pain. Three elderly men appeared behind him, watching the scene with a mix of interest and amusement.
"I'll never understand the teaching methods at your academy," said one of them, a white-haired man with a short braid. "You people use brutal techniques… though I have to admit, they work."
"Not for everyone, Agis," Aurus replied without looking away from William. "Only for those who have the potential to surpass their limits."
"Sounds interesting," added the second elder, a burly man with a sly smile. "I'll stick around to see how long the boy lasts."
William twitched like a fish out of water, eyes wide and foam at the corners of his mouth. Aurus frowned and stepped forward.
"It's time."
He knelt beside William, firmly gripped his shoulders, and placed his right hand on his lower back.
"William, listen carefully. I know you can't move, but your mind is still awake. Repeat what I say inside your head—and more importantly, feel how I guide the mana through you. Try to mimic that sensation while reciting the incantation. Focus on my voice."
He inhaled slowly and began to speak.
—Shaelun vora elentis, kal'dar en mureth. (Let the mind be calm, let the soul open.)
Aurus's voice was deep and precise, each syllable like the strike of a metronome, keeping a steady four-beat rhythm. It was as if life itself responded to that tempo.
Deep in his mind, Angel was triggering alerts one after another in chaotic sequence… until the cadence of Aurus's voice silenced them. William, still trapped in the darkness of his consciousness, clung to that voice like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood. He repeated the incantation mentally, imitating the flow of mana he felt coursing through his body. Each word was a command, and each command a march: the mana obeyed, aligned, and let itself be guided.
It was like watching an army organize to the beat of a drum.
—Chaotic flow stabilized —announced Angel—. Detecting sudden increase in cortical activity… initiating neural assimilation protocol. Requesting permission to activate code N001.
—Activate it —William ordered mentally.
And then everything changed. William began to see himself from the outside, as if his consciousness had separated and was floating above his body. Through Angel's perspective, he saw his brain lit by thousands of glowing points, like every neuron had been set ablaze by that strange energy. The energy was overwhelming—well beyond any prior threshold.
But William didn't feel fear. Inside his mind, it was as if he were submerged in cool water. A deep calm surrounded him. Peace. Serenity. No pain. He remained there, not knowing how much time had passed.
"Congratulations, Aurus," said the third elder, an elegant man with a soft voice. "The boy you found has the makings of a mage."
"He understood everything far too quickly, Thalor," Aurus replied. "There's no doubt—he'll be one of us soon."
"A shame you started this here instead of on the central continent. You might've achieved even better results," commented Merion, the burly one.
"You're wrong," Aurus said, shaking his head. "If we'd done this on the continent, the ambient mana would have shattered his mind. Out here on the open sea, the air is less saturated."
The three elders continued talking for hours while William lay unconscious. When he finally opened his eyes, the four of them were watching him with curiosity, like scientists studying an exotic creature.
"Your mind must be a little scrambled," said Aurus with a faint smile. "Don't worry. Rest. Tomorrow, when you wake up, come to my cabin. We'll talk."
"Understood…" William mumbled, tongue thick in his mouth as if his brain was still rebooting.
He staggered back to his bed, barely keeping his balance, and collapsed onto the mattress. As soon as he hit the sheets, he fell into a sleep so deep he didn't wake up for an entire day.
During that time, his companions, the crew, and even some of the noble girls began to worry. They were used to seeing him training every morning at sunrise, sweaty and determined—a constant that marked the start of the day.
When William finally woke up, he felt brand new. Reborn. As if he'd slept for three days straight after weeks of exhaustion.
"Angel, show me a playback of what happened yesterday," he said as he sat up.
—Displaying log… from the previous day.
William blinked, confused.
"A whole day? I slept an entire damn day?"
The image projected in his retina showed his body collapsing on the deck. Then, mana began pouring into him through every pore, his clothes doing nothing to stop it. Angel had tried to seal his pores using pressure, but it was useless. Mana wasn't physical—it didn't belong fully to this world.
The video continued: Aurus appeared, touched him, recited the incantation… and the mana began to move as if following orders. Most surprising was how all the energy concentrated in the brain, as if that had been the true target all along. Every word of the chant had a purpose, and the flow responded precisely to its rhythm.
"Angel, analyze the event and show me the changes to my body."
—Displaying analysis...
A holographic image of William's brain appeared, with thousands of glowing dots like stars. Some clusters formed patterns resembling magical diagrams.
—The user's body has been altered, but I have no reference for comparison. The energy called "mana" is now stored stably within the brain. Additionally, your body continues to passively absorb and compress mana every time you repeat Aurus's words. Protocol N001 has been activated to unconsciously replicate the flow. This allows continuous training—even during rest. Long-term benefits appear promising.
"Perfect. Keep the protocol running, but monitor everything closely. I don't want any surprises."
—Understood. One final note: assimilation has reached 50%. The Eternal mode can now be unleashed with significantly more power. The user's brain can sustain it for a full three minutes without collapsing.
William clenched his fists. That was an incredible improvement. During his last fight against the nobles, Eternal had lasted barely a minute… and it had nearly broken him. Three full minutes could change everything.
"This… is going to be useful."
He smiled to himself. Something inside him had awakened—and there was no turning back.