“Won’t be long before I reach middle Bronze,” Astor’s annoying voice disrupted Adion’s meditation.

Adion opened his eyes to look at him. Astor was sitting cross-legged on his bed, looking at Adion with a smug expression.

“You said you were stronger than me back at Lermen, right?” Astor continued, “I have no doubt I’ll be able to make it into the diamond class. You think you can make it? You’ll have to advance to middle Bronze at the very least before you can have those thoughts.”

What an idiot.

Adion had spent a week on the ship now. Most days, Astor would keep to himself. But at times, he would start talking out of nowhere. Adion knew he wouldn’t shut up for a while once he started talking.

“I’ll make it,” Adion said, closing his eyes again, “Thanks for worrying.”

“Tch, as if I was worried,” Astor snorted, “Not many manage to reach middle Bronze before Cyalis, less so with over a year to spare. I doubt you have the mentality.”

How can someone turn out so pathetic? Didn’t he receive an education or something?

“I hope I’ll see that Alan there. If the Imperial family hasn’t taken care of him already,” Astor muttered, “I’ll make sure he pays for what his family has done.”

“You’ll have to be a lot stronger than middle Bronze for that,” Adion commented.

“I’m a lot stronger than him, and my family is still Noble. I can get people to move,” Astor said, “I might ask Sellitha. We will be spending a lot of time in the diamond class together, after all.”

Does he want to die? Adion threw Astor a warning glance.

Astor noticed Adion’s cold look and smiled in triumph.

“Haha!” Astor laughed, “I’m only joking with you, Adion. She is engaged to be married to another man, after all. I gave up any thoughts as soon as I heard that. Don’t tell me that you haven’t heard?”

Adion just smiled at Astor in response.

He gave up just because of that? I feel sorry for his future wife.

“What’s that smile for?” Astor asked, “I thought you had aspirations about Sellitha, too? You’re so happy to see her get taken by another man?”

And now he’s asking to die again.

“Last I checked, she wasn’t taken by anyone,” Adion said, “But I guess she never wanted to look at you, even less talk to you. So how could you know?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Astor asked.

“Whatever,” Adion shook his head. Astor was really getting on his nerves, but he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing him riled up. So Adion got up from the bed and headed out of the cabin.

“Yeah,” Astor said, “Whatever.”

Adion closed the door behind him and breathed to calm down.

Should I just beat him up a little? But I’m not sure I could do that without using my powers. So I would have to kill him. Maybe I should…No, just get some fresh air.

Adion headed up on deck and noticed it was dark outside. He made his way to the railing and leaned over to see the ship cutting through the water, getting closer and closer to Ellia.

I really can’t wait to get there.

It wasn’t only an issue of having to deal with Astor’s random bouts of talking nonsense. Adion couldn’t train the way he wanted with so many people around. Maybe he could risk it if he had a cabin for himself, but as it was now, he had to stick to meditation. 

It wouldn’t be a problem if he could keep it up throughout the day, but it had diminishing effects as Adion exhausted his Will. Manipulating mana and pushing it into a full core to ever so slightly expand it was tiresome work. 

Back in Lermen, Adion would only spend a few hours each morning on meditation and then practice his other abilities. He felt that was the optimal way to increase his strength. But how could he teleport or practice his volatile space with so many people around? And his aura training would surely alert anyone paying attention. 

The only thing Adion could safely do was hide his strength and element deeper. It was something, but he couldn’t tire himself out entirely. He needed to keep up hiding his aura well throughout the night, after all.

Adion would spend some time just pondering concepts each day now. It hadn’t given any results, but grasping concepts was slow work that couldn’t really be forced. 

He had also thought some more about a possible runic device that could help him teleport. Adion had held some interest in runes before, but now he felt he should really find a way to combine his unique abilities and runes. Just finding a way to teleport long distances would make his time at the Academy worth it. And who knows what else he might stumble upon in his research.

I might be able to make runic devices that can recreate my abilities with any kind of mana. That would be a great safety to leave with my loved ones. Maybe I could even make something that gave anyone the ability to teleport, just like the formation at the Remori manor. I’m sure Sell would love that.

Adion noticed that it had started snowing. He looked up at the sky and let the snowflakes land on his face to melt. 

It shouldn’t be too long before we arrive. A few days at most. I can stick through it. And I guess I do advance slightly faster than before. The moment I feel my core is filled to the brim, I’m pushing on ahead to Silver. I should have more than enough Will to handle it.

“What are you doing wandering around this late, kid?” A voice sounded from Adion’s right. Adion turned to see it was Captain Gyll. He had seen him around a few times during the past week but never talked to him.

“I’m not wandering around, though?” Adion said and looked at the Captain with a confused look.

“Haha!” Captain Gyll laughed, “You got me there. So, what are you doing up here? Couldn’t sleep?”

“I didn’t even realize it was night,” Adion said, “No window in my cabin.”

“Ah,” Captain Gyll said, “Of course. It’s hard keeping track of the day after a few days down there. Anyway, you’re quite strong for someone so young. You that Tyllen kid? I heard we had one onboard.”

“No,” Adion shook his head, “He’s in my cabin, though. Making sure my trip is a nightmare.”

“Oh? Didn’t think a Tyllen would have the energy for that,” Captain Gyll said, “Not after what happened.”

“Well, he seems to believe his parents are alive and well in Ellia,” Adion said, “So he makes sure to muster the energy to be annoying a few times each day.”

“Hehe,” Captain Gyll chuckled, “Sorry about that. Lot of people wanting to get out of Dorbarta so we don’t have much space.”

“It’s fine,” Adion said.

“You don’t seem like a Noble yourself,” Captain Gyll noted.

“I’m not,” Adion said, “Just from a family clan. Not used to how delusional Nobles can be, I guess.”

“You’re right about that,” Captain Gyll nodded, “But this is their world. So their delusions often turn to reality.”

“How so?” Adion asked, curious about what Captain Gyll had experienced to make him say that.

“When I joined the Melorian Sailing Company, I dreamed of one day sailing to the Shattered West,” Captain Gyll explained, looking out across the dark water, “That part of Shiora had always intrigued me. I grew up hearing about our settlement there, Marisma. I wanted to be a part of the mages exploring the unknown, mapping out this continent once and for all.”

“What happened?” Adion asked.

“Reality,” Captain Gyll answered, “The sons and daughters of Nobles were put into those positions. Didn’t matter if they had never even spent a day on the sea before. I was put on merchant ship after merchant ship. Eventually, I ended up here on the Trident, sailing it up and down, year after year. I used to think that it was all temporary. But I’m almost 60 now and still high Silver. Probably won’t ever reach Gold. It’s a painful insight, you know. That this is all there will ever be, not a stepping stone to something greater as you once thought.”

“Hmm,” Adion mused, “Not sure you can blame that on the Nobles. If you really want to sail to the Shattered West and explore, you can. No one’s stopping you.”

“Hehe,” Captain Gyll chuckled once again, “Harsh words from someone so young. I would have done so if there was a possibility, of course. But the Melorian Sailing Company keeps a tight grip over that area. Anyone seen going there on a ship that isn’t theirs won’t ever be sailing back.”

“They can do that?” Adion questioned.

“The powerful can do whatever they want,” Captain Gyll shrugged, “Maybe if the other Kingdoms expressed an interest in a united front, they would have to make way. But that isn’t the case.”

“Huh,” Adion said, “Still, sail somewhere else if you’re tired of the Trident. Sail across the Crimson Sea and see what lies beyond.”

“That would result in an even quicker death than heading for the Shattered West, I’m afraid,” Captain Gyll said, “But I see your point. I guess I always could find somewhere interesting to set sail toward. I have enough money saved up for a decent ship.”

“Then go,” Adion said, “Instead of depressing your passengers with these stories.”

“Hahaha!” Captain Gyll laughed, “Sorry about that. I’ll listen to one of your depressing stories in return.”

“Not in the mood for sharing,” Adion said, “You can tell me something about Ellia if you want. I haven’t been there.”

“Not much to say except that it’s a giant city. Beautiful too. A lot of Nobles, though, so you would do well to watch yourself so you don’t step on anyone’s toes. You never know who could be the nephew of a brother-in-law of a grandmother who is a Silver mage in some branch of a Noble family.”

“I’m not planning on staying long, so hopefully nothing that bad will happen,” Adion said.

“You heading to Cyalis, I’m guessing?” Captain Gyll asked.

“Yeah,” Adion nodded.

“That’s nice. Wish I had been talented enough to go there in my youth. Make sure to make the most of it,” Captain Gyll advised.

“I will,” Adion said, “Do you know how long it will be before we reach Ellia?”

“We’ve been lucky with the weather,” Captain Gyll said, “As lucky as you can in winter at least. If we keep going at our current pace, we should reach Ellia in about five days.”

That’s a little longer than I expected. 

“Don’t look so down,” Captain Gyll said, “It could have been a lot worse. And I’m sure a knock on the head will get that Tyllen guy in your cabin to keep quiet. You would probably want to hurry out of Ellia, though. If his parents are there, you won’t meet a good ending.”

I didn’t think about that. Should I just kill him? No. People would know it was me, and it would reach his parents. I don’t want any more enemies than I already have.

“We were already planning on leaving Ellia straight away,” Adion said, “Is it easy to get on a ship to Cyalis or anywhere close?”

“Should be,” Captain Gyll nodded, “But…Well, we’ll see when we get there.”

“What do you mean?” Adion asked.

“Just rumors,” Captain Gyll said, “When we were stopping at Coreff, it was nowhere close to the scene at Dorbarta. But there were still more people looking for a ride to Ellia than usual. Nothing had happened in Coreff, but apparently, Dorbarta isn’t the only city in turmoil, and word about it is spreading.”

“You mean something like an attack on a Noble family? Why? Was this all coordinated?” Adion asked.

“I don’t know,” Captain Gyll sighed, “It’s been a tumultuous couple of years, hasn’t it? If the Fire Phoenix doesn’t do us in, I’m sure we sapi will get the work done.”

This is bad news. Thankfully, Benji is a quick thinker and made us all get out of here. I just hope Ellia is normal and we can leave the Delovan Empire behind us.

“Maybe it was us who ended the Age of Wonder, too,” Adion said in response to Captain Gyll.

“That wouldn’t surprise me, I guess,” Captain Gyll murmured. 

“Well, thanks for the talk, Captain Gyll,” Adion said and turned to leave, “It’s so cold I actually prefer a cabin with that bastard.”

“Hehe,” Captain Gyll chuckled, “Good luck, lad. I hope you can last the journey without strangling him.”

We’ll see.

Adion headed back to his cabin. Once he got there, he was greeted with the unpleasant sight of Astor sitting on his bed, meditating. 

Hopefully, he’ll keep quiet for now.

Adion sat down on his bed and started practicing his aura control, pulling it closer to his body to hide. He had progressed to an amazing degree after eating the Merillian Soul Peaches, but there was still room for improvement.

“I’ll get to join the Shields, you know,” Astor suddenly said.

Why!? 

“I’m sure some other House will want you, though, don’t worry. I don’t know much about the bottom-ranked Houses, but at least one of them is sure to accept you,” Astor continued.

I think Benji has mentioned the Houses. What did he say about the Shields again?

“Whatever House I join, I’m sure we’ll do better than you,” Adion said.

“Hahaha!” Astor laughed, “The Shields haven’t dropped from first place in forever. And as a middle Bronze Noble in the diamond class, I will become an essential member. Set for life. Your only hope is to reach Silver during your time there and get to serve as a guard for some Noble.”

“You know, I think you might be the most pathetic person I’ve ever met, Astor,” Adion looked to Astor and said.

“What did you say?” Astor said, looking at Adion with furious eyes.

“And I’ve met some pretty pathetic people. In a way, it’s an accomplishment,” Adion continued.

“You think you can get away with talking to me like that?” Astor calmly asked, staring at Adion.

“What are you going to do? Want to see if you’re actually stronger? I’ll just sit here and let you have the first attack,” Adion said.

Astor got to his feet, staring down at Adion, who was still sitting calmly on his bed. Adion didn’t feel any fear. He could freeze Astor stiff with just a thought.

A few seconds passed with the two staring at each other. But eventually, Astor turned around and left the cabin. Leaving Adion alone to gloat. 

But it didn’t take long before Adion realized that things easily could have gotten out of hand.

What was I thinking? Using my powers would mean I would have to kill him. Or accept that word about my ‘Gift’ spreads. I really shouldn’t lose my cool like that.

Adion lay down on his bed. Miserable about the current situation.

I usually sleep with one eye open, but I think I’ll have to sleep with two open tonight. I really can’t wait for us to arrive in Ellia.