The woman who appeared in front of them was calm and composed. Despite the fact that she had literally just been transported in front of them with fire, there was no ripple of surprise on her face, as though everything that happened was normal.
Instead, the one who showed a hint of shock had been Atticus. The man had teleported her here using fire! Since when could fire teleport people?
If it had been the woman who achieved this feat and teleported herself, Atticus wouldn't be as shocked. But the old man had literally manipulated fire and teleported her here.
Dekai stifled a chuckle, seeing Atticus's obvious shock. He continued speaking,
"She will explain the dos and don'ts of this school and also show you around. Our classes will start immediately once you reach the second summit. I wish you good luck."
Dekai hit the butt of his walking stick on the ground, instantaneously combusting before disappearing from the scene, leaving an intense heat in his wake.
Atticus stared at where he had been moments ago in slight amazement. It would seem as though everything he knew about the elements was very superficial. There was a whole world of things he had no idea of.
"Follow me."
Atticus came out of his thoughts as he heard the woman, turning his gaze towards her to see her retreating figure.
He shook his head, forgetting all the questions he had for now and walked forward to catch up.
Atticus had been standing outside the gate all this while, just a few steps away.
He hadn't thought anything of it before, but as though to announce the change, as soon as Atticus crossed and passed through the open gate, a wave of hot air hit him like a tidal wave, its force and temperature so high and searing that Atticus was almost blown backwards outside the gate.
However, Atticus was no pushover. A crimson glow enveloped his legs as he planted his foot firmly on the ground, and akin to an unmovable mountain, he stood his ground.
The intense wave subsided, but its scorching temperature remained. However, Atticus was still standing inside the gates.
Atticus caught the slight shock that appeared on his guide's face before she immediately regained her composure, facing forward and continuing her steps.
However, she wasn't the only one who was shocked. Atticus's interaction with Dekai had been very brief, and by the time they finished, the other individuals had just stood up from their bow to witness the newcomer's actions.
"He's so young, what is he doing here?"
"Look, he passed the test on the first try. Who is he really?"
"Did he come with our paragon? Could he be one of his grandchildren?"
"The sanctum keeper said his name is Atticus, right? Then he has to be the only child of the family head!" a more perceptive person amongst those gathered around speculated.
They were each at the master+ rank. It was very easy for them to hear what Dakai had been saying to Atticus.
"But wait, shouldn't he be at the academy then? He entered last year, right?"
"Yeah! And did I hear that correctly? The sanctum keeper would personally teach him!?"
Whispers and chatter permeated the space as eyes focused on Atticus, wondering what a 16-year-old boy was doing in a sanctum.
"Young master, it's him," one individual at the back lines turned towards a handsome man with a thin sharp gaze and a powerful aura and said.
The man didn't offer any response and simply stared at Atticus. However, the man standing beside him could feel the surrounding temperature increasing.
He was clad in the same simple robe littered with flames like most of the people present. But unlike most, he had three distinct shapes of fire that lit up on the back of his robe. His white hair was tied into a simple ponytail, and he had a long sword hanging on his left waist.
The other individuals around him, apart from one, stood at a significant distance away from him as though they were each trying to avoid him.
The man stared at Atticus with no emotions in his eyes before shifting his gaze to the woman leading him. His expression didn't change, but those who knew him well would notice that his demeanor softened a bit.
A few seconds passed before he turned and walked away.
'She knew about it but didn't say anything,' Atticus silently noted that small fact. Without saying anything, he moved forward, observing the crowd of people who were looking at him with intrigue.
Atticus noticed that there were two distinct groups of people amongst the crowd.
The first were the individuals with simple robes littered with yellow flames. They each appeared to be in their early and late thirties, and the others were clad in a pure red robe and appeared significantly older, around their sixties.
Despite being the focus of attention, Atticus had never been one to cower. He walked steadily, his figure exuding effortless confidence.
A smile appeared on Magnus's face as he watched the unfolding scene from high above the sky.
The Aegis airship was orbiting above the sanctums, and Magnus was currently floating on top of it.
A chuckle escaped his lips as he replayed the shocked look on Dekai's face when Atticus overcame his control of the temperature and the subsequent smile of approval.
The next couple of days would surely be entertaining.
Atticus caught up to his guide and silently walked beside her without saying anything.
Everything around him was red. The ground was so scorching hot it appeared as though there was lava underneath a single layer of earth. The temperature seemed to be increasing as he moved further into the sanctum.
The walk was weirdly silent, and this was mainly because there was a slight distance between the gate and any structure, so his guide apparently hadn't seen any need to say anything to him.
Despite the distance, Atticus could still vividly see it up ahead: a procession of stairs stretching upwards into the sky. The path was marked by five distinct peaks, each one a milestone in the ascent.
"Those are the five summits," Atticus's gaze sharpened as he suddenly heard his guide finally speak.
She paused slightly before continuing,
"Consider these summits as stages you must reach and overcome before you can claim to have truly graduated from the Fire Sanctum."