After a while, they had to go to the amber energy control class. This class was very similar to the basic energy control class as it was situated in a mystical amber lecture hall. The contents of the class were essentially a carbon copy of Thorne’s earlier red spectrum class.
Essentially, the way to gain better feeling and control over amber energy is to endure. Be it running until failure, lifting heavy weights, or enduring constant attacks. Of course, the higher the intensity one endured, the more in tune they would be with their own energy.
This class was longer than its red spectrum counterpart as the teacher, a fat human man, allowed questions to be asked. Of course, the hundreds of novice students took advantage and kept asking question after question.
Most were basic, such as what activities were most efficient to help feel and control the energy or how to know when to not go too far in training.
Thorne sighed and leaned back into his amber-cushioned seat, bored. He nudged Zal lightly, “Are these people even serious about training.” He was fed up with the constant questions geared towards making the path to controlling energy easy and painless.
“Some people don’t know pain and don’t want to ever know pain.” He whispered back, “Many people are only here because their families forced them.”
“Hmm,” Thorne grunted noncommittally. He did not understand. How could one with such an opportunity just give it up because of some little pain?
‘Wait, didn’t they experience pain during awakening?’ Thorne realized, his eyes widening. He remembered Graald had told him that geniuses experienced that horrible burning for dozens of minutes.
Thorne voiced his doubts, “How could they never experience pain if they went through the awakening.” He shuddered slightly, remembering the sensations of his body burning and shifting.
“Simple, they make them unconscious during it,” Zal answered nonchalantly.
Wait, what.” Thorne almost shouted, causing some students to give him annoyed looks. He lowered his voice back to a fast whisper, “I was told if you go unconscious during the awakening, you die.” He muttered furiously.
Zal chuckled and looked at him, amused; “Well, you were lied to.”
‘That bastard Graald’ Thorne’s face was livid, imagining the beast of a man gloating to himself.
Zal quickly broke his trance of anger with his following words; “Though it is best to stay awake. Falling unconscious means it will take longer to properly feel and control your energy.”
Thorne calmed slightly and even felt somewhat grateful.
‘Well, he may have done it for jokes, but it helps me grow stronger, and that’s all that matters.’
The class soon ended, with many departing students grumbling over their need to participate in body-breaking activities. Thorne and Zal were relatively calm about it.
“What do you plan on doing, Thorne,” Zal questioned.
“Great wilderness.”
“Oh, great wilde—!” Zal stopped in his tracks and accidentally bumped into another amber spectrum student.
“Great Wilderness, The, Great Wilderness! How are you going to survive that!” Zal almost shouted, his veins popping and his bronze face burning up.
Thorne shrugged, “Is it that bad? Master Khal’s sending all red spectrum students there.” He glared at Zal, “I was actually going to ask you what it is before the girls, of course.”
Zal laughed boisterously, “Well, I suppose the will of the grey spectra has struck! You ruin my fun, and in return, you die!”
Thorne looked back at the cackling Zal, his face deadpan. “I will not die.”
“You probably will,” Zal smirked. “The great wilderness is full of beasts even adepts cannot kill, and the weakest beast you’ll face will likely be equal to a mid-novice.”
Thorne frowned slightly. He had read in the manuals that to reach mid-novice grade, one must master internal energy control and be able to use their energy to perform basic external techniques.
‘If they can use external techniques, this will be especially difficult.’
“No, don’t worry, they won’t be able to hurl a fireball or something of the like at you.” Zal said, reading Thorne’s frown, “There will just be powerful beasts, and many will likely rip you to shreds.”
Regaining his slight smile, Thorne closed his eyes and tried to imagine the number of wonderous enemies he would face; “Oh, don’t worry, Zal, I’ll be perfectly fine.” In his imagination, he slashed a black saber visually through the torso of one of the beasts, killing it instantly.
Thorne immediately fell asleep upon arriving at the dorm, entering the bliss of a peaceful sleep. He woke up early and started his new routine. Shower, food, books.
Thorne was already vastly misinformed about his new life. Hence, he decided to read the cultivation novels and attempt to understand the vast journey he had stepped foot upon.
Thorne learned that during the first grade of cultivation, there were three substages. The first was the aptly named beginning stage. All cultivators automatically reached this stage as soon as they awakened.
"The beginning stage is simply characterized as possessing energy in your body. However, that is not where this substage ends; more advanced beginning-stage novices form their own pathways and can have some limited control of their own internal energy. To break through to the middle stage, one must be able to externalize their energy and start producing energy using their spectrum crystal." The book read.
‘Hmm, so I suppose I am the weakest of the weakest.’ Thorne thought to himself retrospectively. He couldn’t control his energy; he could barely feel it and did not even have a basic idea of what his energy pathways should be.
‘I have lots of work to do.’ Thorne got up and, with Zal, headed to his first class, where he would supposedly receive his new, personal catered weapons.
“Everyone, your weapons are being transferred to your spatial storage. Once you have acquired your weapons, go to the nearest guide. They will direct you to the specific tutor designated for your given weapon.”
The voice resounded within the desert area, flowing into every student’s ears. Thorne excitedly opened his spatial storage, anticipating his new weapons.
‘Wow,’ Thorne was dumbfounded. Sitting in his spatial storage were two thin elegant sabers; they stretched an entire arm’s length, the curved blade glinting off the bright sunlight. Running along the edge of the blades were amr and red streaks which immortalized the blade's in Thorne’s image; the blades resonating with his energy. No, the blades resonating with him.
“Wow, those are something.” A low whistle sounded next to him as Zal examined his new blades. “Though I did think you would get something like me.” Zal brandished his newly acquired weapon, a Roman-like long spear that retracted in his hands, becoming any length he desired. In his left hand, Zal held a bulky shield with a sharpness coating the circumference of the defensive tool.
“I thought so as well,” Thorne said quietly, his eyes not leaving his sabers. “But these are perfect, truly perfect.”
Zal gave Thorne a strange look, “You good? You look like you found love.”
“I’m just admiring a masterpiece.” Thorne chuckled lightly.
Zal shook his head, not wanting to pick the mind of his strange roommate; “Sure, whatever. I’m going to go find a guide.”
“Oh, yeah… sure,” Thorne muttered, still enraptured by his blades.
“Celestials be damned, he’s a freak.” Zal walked away looking for a guide, creeped out by Thorne’s apparent obsession with his blades.
Thorne did not look for a guide; he stayed still, gazing into the intricacies of the blade, trying to understand why he felt so enthralled and connected to them.
He could finally feel his energy. He knew he could not control his spectrums yet, but Thorne knew that his energy was all but begging him to be used in tandem with the blades.
“Interesting isn’t it.”
Thorne snapped out of it, quickly looking around. Emptiness. No one was left; all that remained was the still sand and radiant heat beaming from the looming star.
‘Wait, that was Master Khal’s voice, was it?’ Thorne looked around once again, and sure enough, there he was. His metallic figure and red runes were so eye-catching, yet they had skirted Thorne’s fervent gaze.
“I will be your teacher, as I am the only one who can teach you the power of these specific blades.”
Thorne took a hasty step back, shocked by the notion of being taught personally by a grade three destruction master. He quickly overcame his shock, however, “Why?” Thorne asked plainly, “Why am I given these blades, and why are you the only person who can teach me?”
Suddenly, two black blades of almost identical make appeared in Master Khal’s hands. He held one of them up to his runes, “You see this? The red lining on the blade is identical to my own runes.” He stated, “Why do you believe this is?”
Thorne looked at the runes and then at the blades. Sure enough, they were almost identical; the runes and blade even emanated the same destructive energy. “Because the blades… become part of you!” Thorne exclaimed, his eyes widening upon realizing it.
Master Khal nodded slightly, an imperceptible hint of approval manifesting in the slight head bob. “Exactly, the blades become you, and you become the blades.”
Thorne desired to ask questions, but the massive Master Khal continued, “The blade and your energy will eventually become inseparable.” He gestured to Thorne’s amber and red blades, “Right now, your blades are nothing to you; both you and the blades crave each other, but currently, that’s impossible. Only when you become a master of your internal control will you be able to wield these blades to a barely satisfactory level.” Master Khal stated.
Thorne’s eyes widened; while he was uninformed and stupid regarding facets of this new world, he did know from talking with Zal that weapons are almost always tools. Nothing more. Master Khal proposed a notion where the weapon is more of a companion.
“Before that, you must know how to wield the blade first.” Master Khal stated, “Right now, you may have a great weapon, but you cannot wield it without the fundamentals.”
Master Khal looked down as he pulled out a small disk, a futuristic watch.
“Hmm, so, for the next…three days, you will not attend any classes, and I will teach you personally how to wield the dual sabers.” The master's shadow in the sand seemed to loom more prominently, “Then you will travel to the great wilderness, and you will train there.” The shadow overcame Thorne, covering him, “By yourself until you master internal energy control.”
Thorne gulped upon hearing his own death sentence, and he couldn’t hold his words.
“Oh shit.”
