(Planet Tithia, Leo's POV)
After concluding his meeting with Chaosbringer, Leo headed straight to Tithia, since that was where he was supposed to report for his next round of skill training, this time directly under the First Elder.
So far, he had learnt the skills from Twelfth, Eleventh, Tenth, Ninth, Fourth and Second Elders.
With the First Elder's skill being the seventh of the group.
'I wonder what the First Elder is going to teach us?
I hope it's a cool skill considering his seniority....' Leo hoped, as he reported at the Tithia training grounds, where Veyr was already waiting for his arrival.
"Ayy, yo, Cuz.... What's up?" Veyr said, as he dapped-up Leo and sized him up with a smile, looking completely rejuvenated compared to when he was just back from the war.
The First Elder arrived not long after, his white robes trailing behind him as he walked with a slow deliberate pace, his face carrying that same artificial cheer that felt less like warmth and more like the polished veneer of a politician who wanted everyone to like him.
"Ah, if it isn't the Shadow Dragon and the Dragon himself... what a privilege it is for me to host you both here today," the First Elder greeted, his tone bright with false enthusiasm as his eyes lingered a little too long on Leo before flicking toward Veyr.
Leo said nothing in return, though his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as Veyr gave a faint nod, and the First Elder, sensing their muted reception, carried on without pause.
"Today you shall be introduced to one of the Cult's closest guarded secrets, a skill that has saved the lives of the Dragons more times than even the strongest sword or shield ever could, as today, I'm going to teach you the unparalleled technique called the [Sixth Sense]."
He paused, letting the name hang in the air, as though the mere mention of it was meant to inspire reverence, yet Leo only tilted his head slightly, curious but unimpressed, while Veyr leaned forward with genuine interest, his eyes bright as he waited for more.
"The [Sixth Sense]," the First Elder continued, clasping his hands behind his back as he began to circle the training ground, "is instinct sharpened into certainty.
It is a whisper of survival that cuts through all deception and leaves no room for hesitation.
In other words, it is the ultimate alert system that jolts its wielder to danger before danger ever truly arrives."
He explained, before snapping his fingers sharply, as from the side an assistant hurried in with a wooden table, the surface covered with neatly arranged objects wrapped in cloth.
"Now watch carefully, for words cannot capture what this skill truly means."
He said, as from the pile, he drew forth a heavy opaque helmet, thick enough that no light could slip through the narrow slits.
"This," he explained as he slid the helmet over his head, "blocks all vision and sound. Once it is on, I am blind and deaf."
"I'm putting this on for the sake of demonstration, as the rest will be explained by my assistant..."
The first elder said, as he secured the helmet, his voice no longer audible now.
The assistant then stepped forward once more, producing a pair of polished silver cuffs etched with binding runes, and clamped them around the First Elder's wrists with a faint click, their glow confirming what Leo already sensed—that the cuffs were the mana suppressing kind, which would ensure that the elder could not use any mana based perception techniques.
"As per the First Elder's instructions, Lord Dragon and Lord Shadow Dragon, you both may pick up three daggers each and stand fifty meters away from where he is now.
Once at that distance, you may throw those daggers any time you please, with any amount of speed, and at any trajectory.
However, for safety reasons, please refrain from attacking his vitals."
The assistant instructed, as Leo exchanged a quick glance with Veyr, who grinned with the competitive spark that always came so naturally to him.
Without a word, the two of them stepped back to the measured distance, their hands closing around the dagger hilts as they readied themselves.
"Ready?" Veyr called, spinning his dagger once before flipping it to grip the blade and leave the blunt end free.
"Ready," Leo answered, his arm already cocked back.
The first dagger cut through the air, followed almost instantly by the second, the twin projectiles whistling with speed as they shot toward the blindfolded Elder.
Yet, at the very last moment, the Elder tilted his head just enough for the first dagger to whip past harmlessly, while his body twisted with fluid precision to let the second scrape nothing but air.
"Oh?" Leo muttered, his eyes narrowing, as Veyr let out a sharp whistle.
They tried again, this time staggering their throws to strike from different angles, but once more the Elder bent and swayed with uncanny grace, weaving between their strikes as though guided not by eyes or ears but by something deeper, something primal.
Even when Leo released his final dagger with a deceptive feint, curving the throw with a flick of mana, the man still avoided it at the last instant, his movements jerky but sure, like a marionette dancing to strings only he could feel.
The daggers hit the ground behind him, each one harmless.
"As you see," the assistant said calmly, his voice echoing across the training hall,"The First Elder does not need sight, sound or mana to know where danger lies. The skill warns him. It tells him when harm approaches, and his body responds before thought can even catch up."
Veyr's eyes glittered, clearly impressed, while Leo kept his face neutral, though inside he acknowledged the value of what he had just witnessed.
But the Elder was not yet finished, as he jerked his palms in a pre-determined motion to signal to the assistant that he may start the second act now.
"I will do it at once...."
The assistant whispered to himself as he hurried forward with a tray carrying ten glasses of water, their surfaces trembling faintly as he set them down on the table.
Setting it down, he then produced a glass vial from his sleeve that seemed to be filled with a clear liquid, that he then handed over to Leo.
"Lord Shadow Dragon, you may put the poison into whichever cup you like. Mix them, shift them, do whatever you wish. Make it as difficult as possible."
He instructed, as Leo glanced at Veyr, who shrugged with an easy grin, and together they uncorked the vial, pouring its contents into one of the cups before swapping their positions around the tray several times until neither of them could easily tell which cup held the danger anymore.
Satisfied, Leo nodded, and the assistant set the tray in front of the Elder, who, still blindfolded and bound, reached out and began to run his hands gently over the glasses.
He paused at one, his fingers hovering just a fraction too long before pulling away. He touched the next two briefly, then circled back to the first again, as though something within him was sounding an alarm.
He tapped thrice to signal his choice, as the assistant retrieved the cup and sniffed carefully before bowing low in confirmation.
"Correct, this is indeed the glass with poison"
He confirmed, as Leo exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought, while Veyr clapped his hands together with boyish excitement.
"Man, that's insane. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't use mana, and he still figured it out," Veyr said, his grin wide as though he had just witnessed a miracle.
At this moment, the assistant uncuffed the First Elder, who then lifted the helmet free, his hair damp with sweat yet his expression triumphant, as if to remind them both that what he possessed was one of the Cult's most important secrets.
"This is the legendary technique [Sixth Sense]," he said, his tone cocky now. "It is not a weapon for killing, nor a skill for boasting. It is survival distilled to its purest form, the ability to endure when all else fails. Learn it well, for without it, no Dragon lives long enough to carry the weight of destiny."
The First Elder warned, as Leo remained quiet, his gaze steady as he absorbed the words.
He could already feel how much this skill would mean for him, not only as a warrior but as a target for countless assassination attempts, as having a skill like this in his arsenal could definitely increase his odds of survival significantly.
(More chapters in Buyers Club for TMT)