Uncle Ail shook his head and smiled.
“We haven’t had many members at all, and we don’t have much to offer. But, we’ll be a family here. I won’t tolerate any nonsense. It takes years of study to succeed here. It’ll be slow. But, if you work hard, you’ll see that there’s no other secondary occupation that can compare.
“We’re defenders, healers, and fighters. We’re romantics, demons, and gods. There is no comparison. A blacksmith can only forge. An herb expert’s best use is in their tea. A beast tamer spends their time in shit filled stalls. There is no occupation as noble or as important as ours.”
Uncle Ail looked up with a serious expression, almost as if to tell Dyon he meant every word he said. He was pleasantly surprised to not find any disbelief in Dyon’s eyes.
Since Dyon had decided to do something, it would of course have to be the best. He didn’t find Uncle Ail’s words to be too over the top at all, though he did feel the old – or rather middle aged man was more eccentric than even he had assumed initially.
This wasn’t because of Uncle Ail’s determination, but rather because his choice of words just felt… stale. Almost as though he had been teleported from 20 years in the past and hadn’t quite caught up with today’s language just yet.
Uncle Ail, not knowing Dyon’s true thoughts, felt very pleased with himself as he continued.
“Tell me about your experience so I can see where I should start you off at. Eli has quite a bit of understanding about plants because of his family, so he can already be considered half a 1st common level array alchemist. That meaning that he has all the necessary knowledge for the alchemy portion, but not the array portion. Although his plant knowledge surpasses the first common level, he hasn’t met the other requirements.”
Dyon pondered for a bit, “I have read and memorized every book on plants and arrays in this school. So, my knowledge should cover up to the 5th common level of array alchemy. I’ve awakened my Aurora and can also form my Aurora Flame already as well.
“Oh, and I’m proficient with three 1st common level arrays.”
The Aurora Flame was a special construct of the Aurora and could be considered to be the manifestation of its energy. Unlike other flames, the Aurora Flame didn’t have any intrinsically offensive properties, nor was it even hot.
Depending on the wielder, an Aurora Flame would have many potential abilities called ‘Characteristics’. That said, a universal Characteristic of the Aurora Flame was its Healing Characteristic. It was this Characteristic that allowed Array Alchemists to splice and mend together Herbs without issue.
Dyon looked up from his thoughts to find Uncle Ail and Eli looking at him like he was some sort of zoo animal.
“Which family do you come from…?”
Uncle Ail was under the impression that Dyon was just a commoner. What noble from a prestigious family would ever come to their faction?
But, it was easier to believe that Dyon was from some prominent family than to believe he could awaken his Aurora and Aurora Flame without guidance. Just the expense required alone would be astronomical. Even Uncle Ail had only partially opened his Aurora to this point.
Dyon smiled and said nothing. Instead, he flicked his wrists, letting 3 complex array spin across the top of his hands.
“What kind of nonsense is this? Are you trying to play tricks with my eyes? I’m not as old as I look you know.”
Eli tugged on Dyon’s shirt and whispered, “You shouldn’t use array plates to try and fool Uncle Ail, Dyon. His eyes are sharp.”
Eli quickly tried to help Dyon. They were the only two students in this faction and he didn’t want to lose a potential friend so quickly. He knew his Uncle’s temperament and Ail most definitely wouldn’t allow Dyon to keep playing around like this.
“Array plates?”
“Of course, you’re using array plates,” Uncle Ail said in disgust, “How else could you form arrays so quickly? If you want to flaunt your riches, do so somewhere else. I only accept those who are serious about learning.”
Dyon came to a sudden realization, “Oh, I understand.”
Instead of speaking further, Dyon placed his hands in front of him and his eyes flashed with a golden light.
“WHAT?!”
“Innate aurora…” Eli whispered in agitation.
A complex array began forming in front of Dyon. Lights swirled as the gentle hum of soul energy filled the air. The lines thickened and thinned. They crossed and diverged. The starting point of the drawing seemed to come from 8 separate origins, almost as if 8 minds were working on finishing the array together.
“This… the split minds drawing technique… He’s barely past 16, how is he doing this?”
‘With this technique, at least I won’t need to stand for hours doing one formation. I can only split my mind 8 ways for now, but hopefully I’ll be able to do more in the future.’
Half an hour later, the hums ceased and a deathly quiet filled the room. But, before anyone could comment, chimes that seemed to come from the Heavens resonated with the array. The array began to shake with happiness, bowing to thank its maker.
“This… It’s the Perfection Realm.”
Uncle Ail didn’t know if his eyes and ears were deceiving him, but he seemed to get younger by 10 years. His eyes shone with a bright light he hadn’t had in decades.
When an array perfectly resonated with Heaven’s Intent, the bells of the Realm of Perfection rang. This wasn’t held to just array alchemy, this occurred for every secondary occupation when a task was complete to such an extent. Although Dyon only received one chime, and it was restricted to just a few kilometers, the fact he used the split mind technique and just his age alone, in fact, was enough to shock anyone.
Outside the room, the whole school vibrated in resonance with the chime. Everyone looked up, having no idea where this was coming from.
…
Patia-Neva looked up from his desk, a look of disbelief coming across his face.
…
Delia wiped sweat off her brow while holding her sword steady, trying to feel the vibrations of the chime.
‘Who was it?…’
…
Madeleine looked past her uncle and to the monitor, watching Dyon’s golden hued eyes with curiosity. A smile crossed her fairy-like features as no one could tell what she was thinking.
Libro closed his eyes and shook his head, “Monster…”
…
For those brief moments, the entire Academy seemed to have come to a grinding halt. Everyone basked in the beautiful sound, wondering just who it was had succeeded in the impossible.
…
Back in the room, Uncle Ail and Eli looked happy beyond words.
“This is the resurrection of our faction!” Uncle Ail stood in agitation.
“Although you haven’t been officially recognized by an Array Alchemy Guild, your level of expertise is at the very least at the peak of the 1st common level. And that’s probably an underestimation,”
Eli couldn’t hold back his smile. For some reason, he felt very happy right now.
It was only long after the two calmed that Uncle Ail began to ask questions.
“Wait, if you could do that, why would you use array plates,” Questioned Uncle Ail, “It’s not good to rely on them you know.”
Dyon scratched his head awkwardly, “I didn’t use an array plate. I just simplified the array so I could draw it in the least amount of time. I can’t afford a good cultivation technique right now, so I wanted to learn array alchemy to protect myself.”
The look on Uncle Ail’s face was priceless. He shook his head as his lips trembled into a bitter smile.
“I guess it’s really true. Not everyone is born equal. You geniuses will be the end of me.”
Dyon raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling uncle Ail wasn’t talking about him anymore.
Uncle Ail shook his head, “It’s such a shame to waste such a well-made formation, regardless of the fact it only took you a half hour to make. Here,” Uncle Ail handed Dyon a formation plate.
Dyon looked up in surprise. Then a grin spread across his face.
“This should sell for quite a lot, right Uncle Ail? Let’s turn the school upside down.”
Uncle Ail looked at Dyon like he was looking at a monster. But then he smiled too.
“It seems like the heavens haven’t forgotten about our little faction.”