Nameless King

Wain and Gisle discussed various issues for a while. They touched on important topics, and now Wain better understood how things were going in Last Light.

The organization was growing, and the people were getting stronger. Every day the number of those who had awakened Soul Altar increased. They were on a path of strength.

Cities gradually filled with infrastructure. Among those who activated Soul Altars were several people with Craft Soul, together they were returning the cities to their former appearance.

Many people had already returned to their usual pace. They no longer had to worry about monsters, they could work and grow in their field of activity.

"All in all, it goes something like this." Gisle muttered, "Of course, the situation is still far from ideal, there are many problems, but compared to how it was in the first weeks, we have made a huge leap in development."

"I see... By the way, who's the strongest in Last Light right now?"

"Well... it's obviously Maria. I don't know how she does it, but she's already pretty much met all the conditions to start the third evolution. Zero isn't far behind either, but Maria won the last time they fought."

"Huh, that's actually pretty fast."

"Of course, Forgotten is also extremely strong, but I can't completely count him as one of us. He's a close ally, but he still has his own goals and pursuits. He only helps us sometimes. Luar, Agnes, Teresa, and Grut are strong, but I've never seen Luar serious yet, so I'm not sure how strong he really is."

Wain nodded.

"Of course, myself, Elsa, Vineta, and Ailot, as heads of cities, are holding our own. Like Maria, I will soon be able to begin the third evolution."

"I see. One last question before I go, where is Eva?"

"Did you miss her?" Gisle smirked.

"Well... I haven't seen her in quite a while, so I guess that's okay. After all, I'm not a robot."

"Unfortunately, she's not here right now. She took over her Void a few days ago and hasn't shown up yet. She's probably busy."

"Good." Wain stood up, "If I find out anything, I'll let you know. See you later."

"Of course, I'll look forward to it eagerly."

...

Wain arrived at the training ground. Irma, the villagers, and Teresa had already left it and headed toward Elsa. Only three people remained there.

Agnes and Osvald were practicing. He was telling her how to move, where to hit, and how to use her power most effectively. Luar watched them closely from the sidelines.

"Osvald, are you ready? It's time you finally taught me this technique."

"Yes. Agnes, would you like to go to my Void? While Wain practices, you will practice with me."

"Of course, I'd be honored." Agnes said respectfully.

During their fight, Agnes had a complete change of heart about Osvald. He no longer seemed ignorant, though strong, to her. She realized that he was a true master, Osvald's experience was immense. Studying with such a man was a stroke of luck, and Agnes would take advantage of it.

"Go ahead, then."

"Wait." Luar said suddenly, "Can I come with you?"

"Huh, I kept wondering if you would decide to come over or keep standing on the sidelines."

"So?"

"Come on. You're going to train with this girl. You need a different approach, you're different from Agnes, that's good. It'll be much more interesting."

Osvald waved his hand as a spatial rift opened. They stepped inside and found themselves in Osvald's Void.

"Agnes, Luar, stay here, get ready for training. I need to talk to Wain in person first." Osvald headed toward the room where they fought the first time.

"Damn, how does Wain know this man? Isn't that amazing?" Leon muttered.

"He travels, and it's obvious he's meeting new people. Maybe we should do that, too."

"Possibly... but so far, it's pretty complicated. I can't be calm when I know anything could happen at any moment. He's not a traveler, he is a journey." Luar sighed.

...

"Osvald, how long will it take me to learn this technique?" Wain asked him.

"I don't know. It just depends on you and your skills, but it's not a particularly difficult technique. On average, it should take a talented fighter a week to learn it. You'll probably do it faster, in five or six days."

"Okay, let's get started."

"I see you have a serious attitude. That's what's needed. First, release your aura, about half of what's possible."

Wain nodded. The air rippled, and Osvald felt the pressure on him.

"Great, now slowly release the energy out of you until you reach a third of the total. Do it carefully, or you might hurt yourself."

Dark energy burst out of Wain, at first in small amounts, it was like threads, they slowly grew and gradually increased. The process was quite lengthy. It took Wain more than ten minutes to release about one-tenth of his energy.

'This is harder than I thought it would be,' Wain inwardly muttered.

He had to contain the energy so it wouldn't dissipate. He didn't have to lose a particle, he had to stay concentrated at all times to do so.

"Not bad. There's still some left." Osvald nodded.

There was a dark cover around Wain. The energy was floating in the air but not far from Wain. He was like a planet with asteroids circling around it.

"Done. What next...?" Wain said with difficulty.

"You've already seen everything. Bring that energy back, but don't absorb it. Make it settle, turn the energy into a form you're comfortable with. It doesn't have to be chains, anything."

"Okay... let's try it."

Wain sighed as the energy headed toward him. The energy stopped at his shoulders for a few seconds, then reached inside.

"Damn. It didn't work."

"Huh, that would be weird if you did it the first time. Okay, you figured out how it works. I'll be back tomorrow. Ask for help if you need it." Gisle left the room.