As Dekai spoke, the air around them changed. It was as though Dekai's every mood affected his surroundings. The mood instantly became serious as the five stood straighter than before. Atticus had also instinctively followed their actions.
"This is the fourth summit. After this, you are only one step away from graduating," Dekai announced.
Atticus scrutinized the five and saw that none of them moved an inch and were listening attentively. This was odd, considering they must have heard it before.
Dekai continued without pausing, "You must all wonder, especially if your brain is the size of a peanut, that the fire element is only about unleashing destruction so why are we creating constructs? But that is nothing short of blasphemy."
Atticus could sense a lot of anger in Dekai's tone. Clearly, it was a sensitive topic.
The butt of Dekai's walking stick slammed the ground as he continued, "The fire element is so much more than simply burning things to a crisp. It's life. It has been with us from the beginning, even though none of us could utilize it then. Fire is…"
Atticus's mouth couldn't help but twitch as he listened to Dekai go on and on about the fire element.
No one needed to tell Atticus; he knew that the man loved the fire, how could he not be when he was speaking with so much passion?
The others didn't seem surprised by Dekai's behavior, as though they were already used to it. Atticus listened to Dekai's ramblings for a while, and even he was getting tired.
However, Dekai eventually stopped, "Let me stop here, I'll continue later." The mood seemed to become more relaxed as though Dekai had just let out some steam.
The butt of his walking stick hit the ground. "Now let's get to the main order of business. Why do we ask you to do all this?"
"Atticus," Dekai suddenly called out, startling him.
'What does he want?' Atticus met Dekai's stare with a confused look. The situation felt weird, as though he had suddenly been called and asked a question in class.
"I would like to hear what you think. The fire element is so much more than just creating and utilizing constructs, so why is that all you need to do to reach the highest summit in the sanctum?" Dekai asked.
Atticus paused, comprehending the question as soon as it was spoken. He could see the underlying meaning in Dekai's words. 'To reach the highest summit and not to graduate, huh. So it's different on the 5th summit then,' he thought.
Regardless, a thought was all he needed to dissect the possible reasons for what Dekai had just mentioned. "From the creation to controlling and performing arts with the constructs, it encompasses everything you would need to learn about the molecules that fire originates from. We would become more proficient in controlling these molecules, making it easier to learn other ways of utilizing them."
"Good!" Dekai grinned and hit his walking stick on the ground.
'Oh, not bad,' Duran threw a glance at Atticus, intrigued. He had gotten it all on his first try, which truly wasn't something he expected from a 16-year-old.
While Cerron silently clenched his hands, he was impulsive and hot-blooded by nature. If it had been anyone else and not for the current situation, he would have already attacked. Plus, that man was currently hovering in the aegis above them.
Joana and the two others showed no visible reaction.
"You're correct, Atticus. And as you have probably guessed, the fifth summit will be different. Time will tell if you ever reach there," Dekai said, adding inwardly, 'I have no doubt you will.'
"The fire element has endless possibilities, and not even I have exhausted the ways it could be utilized. It all depends on your connection with the molecules and your imagination," Dekai explained.
"Now for the test of the fourth summit, it is simple. During the first, you learned how to create a construct; in the second, you learned how to create one in record time; and in the third summit, you created one that could move. You will require all of this knowledge and skill to attempt and pass the fourth.
"Now that you are six in number, you will all be paired up into three pairs. Each pair is to do battle with each other, but you will only do so with the construct you created. It doesn't have to be in the shape of Master Magnus. Do what makes you comfortable.
"There are no winners or losers; this is simply done to make you train your control. To pass the test of the fourth summit, you must do battle with your instructor and at least land a single hit," Dekai continued.
"Yes, Atticus?" Dekai gestured for Atticus, who had suddenly raised his hand to speak.
"We must do battle with our instructors. Mine is…" Atticus began.
Dekai grinned, already understanding where he was going. "That's right, your instructor is me. As usual, I look forward to what you'll display. Good luck," Dekai burst into flames before disappearing from the scene.
Atticus stood silently, his mind racing with all sorts of thoughts. 'Looks like this fourth summit will take time,' he thought, unable to see himself landing a hit on Dekai. Regardless, he wasn't going to waste time thinking about something unnecessary.
'How do we decide our partners?' Atticus pondered.
The cold gaze on Cerron morphed into a small smile as his gaze landed on Joana standing by the side. He straightened up his robe, and his eyes turned firm.
With confident steps, he started approaching Joana but couldn't get far as fire ignited above their heads, taking shape into the numbers 1 to 3, with two individuals having an identical number.
Cerron narrowed his eyes, seeing the number 1 above his head.
"Oh look! We're the same number," he heard Duran say from the side, and his heart gripped. He really hoped it wasn't what he thought.
He turned slowly, his teeth gritting hard as he saw the number 1 above Duran's head. 'Shit, it looks like it was done by Master Dekai himself. I can't ignore it,' Cerron realized.
Atticus turned and found his partner, the beautiful and calm Joana, and immediately approached her.