With time, you will understandâthat was what Aleda said when Kyle asked how he could choose both options.
He wasnât given the chance to ask further. The woman urged him forward, pushing him into the next phase of trainingâthe first conscious interaction with Genesis.
"You have left the control of Godâs Eye to your helper, havenât you?" Aleda asked.
Kyle nodded.
The reason was obvious to her. His control over magic was terrible.
"Let me ask you something, Kyle." She turned to him, arms crossed. "What is your perception of Genesis so far? How do you see it?"
Kyle paused, thinking for a moment before answering honestly. "Like a weapon? I mean, it helps me fight Knull residents."
Aleda sighed. "That answer disappoints me. Think again. Consider everything your power has given you."
Kyle was forced to think deeper. As she said, Godâs Eye had not only been useful in battle. After a short silence, he spoke again.
"Hmm... maybe like a feature? It helps me keep track of my surroundings."
Aleda pressed her fingers against her brow. "You are mistaking Genesis for your blessing, cadet. Your Genesis is not that limited."
Kyle hummed thoughtfully. "Then... is it fuel? Something that powers my abilities?"
Aleda let out another quiet sigh before finally revealing the truth.
"It is a part of you. Not a feature, not fuel. Just like your arms or your brain, it exists within you and functions like any other organ. So first, stop treating it as something separate."
Kyle nodded slowly.
Right... he was a magician now. He had to accept that.
Then she continued, "Do you realize the method you are using right now is similar to archery?"
Kyle waited silently.
"When you practiced archery, your aim improved naturally, didnât it? Right now, Godâs Eye is your archery."
Kyleâs brows lifted. "Then wonât I learn to aim this way?"
By aiming, he meant using Genesis properly.
But there was a flaw in his understanding.
"Can you truly learn to aim if your teacher is constantly adjusting your posture and correcting your arrowâs direction?"
Kyle fell silent.
With the systemâs assistance, it felt less like learning and more like playing a gameâpressing buttons and letting the skill execute itself.
Aleda stepped closer. "Let me show you how to improve your aim on your own." She paused, then said, "Extend your hand."
Kyle blinked before raising his left hand.
Aleda took it gently. Her soft fingers wrapped around his, but it was not the touch itself that captured his attention.
"What is... this?" he murmured.
A warm, tingling sensation spread through his handâfull, alive, almost overwhelming.
It felt as though he was being massaged by something divine, far beyond anything human-made.
It was... too soothing to let go.
"Do you feel this? This is my Genesis. The more control you gain over it, the smoother and more natural it will feel."
Kyle gave a wry smile. "I can already imagine mine grinding like sandpaper." It wasnât that he lacked control. He simply didnât possess any of it yet.
"Why donât we find out?" she said.
She raised her other hand. In an instant, it twisted and morphed into grotesque, corrupted claws. The warmth that had wrapped around Kyle vanished, devoured by the chilling energy radiating from her transformed limb.
Kyle stiffened. "What in the world..."
"Go on, touch it," she said teasingly. "Donât worry, I wonât bite."
He didnât laugh.
Instead, he looked at her with clear wariness.
What exactly was this woman?
Still, he slowly raised his hand and extended it toward the claw.
The moment he drew close, the cold, suffocating aura pouring from her inhuman hand was met by something else.
Warmth.
It seeped out from his own skin, pushing back against the chill.
Kyleâs eyes widened.
He could see it.
A faint golden layer shimmered over his hand; calm, quiet, yet firmly protective.
He stared at it in awe before asking,
âYou arenât helping me, are you?â
[No, host. You are on your own.]
Aleda spoke with a faint smile tugging at her lips,
"That is your golden limb at work. It senses that you are unconsciously drawing closer to Absence, so it raises a protective barrier to maintain balance."
Somehow, Kyle found himself growing fond of the golden limb, drawn to how instinctively and relentlessly it moved to protect him.
"And there... you have it." Aledaâs hand suddenly returned to normal.
Kyle let out a quiet sigh of disappointment as the warmth faded along with it.
"I know exactly how to train you now," she said. "Getting you used to that sensation wonât take long. So, letâs begin."
She placed her hand on his shoulder.
In the very next instant, the world around them shifted.
...
"Huh? What?" Kyle gasped.
He found himself standing in a grey space.
No... this time, it truly felt like a box.
He could see the walls clearly, along with the sharp vertices where they met, enclosing him within a confined, artificial space.
Just thenâ
"Gaaah!" he cried out in agony.
His body collapsed to his knees as a crushing force slammed down onto his shoulders, making his vision blur and dim.
He clenched his teeth, enduring it.
Slowly, the pain began to ease, as if something was covering him from above, shielding him from the overwhelming pressure.
Aledaâs voice echoed through the space.
"This is what it feels like to stand in a room filled with high-grade Knull residents. The Absence here could have torn you apart if not for your golden limb."
Kyle let out a strained chuckle. "You really have an extreme way of testing my abilities, donât you?"
Aleda hummed, a playful note in her voice. "Well, you needed a crash course, so here it is."
Kyle groaned.
The pressure had lessened since the initial impact, but it still weighed heavily on him. It felt like holding a loaded barbell across his shoulders, forced into a squat he could not escape.
And as if that wasnât enoughâ
Grrr...
A beast emerged in the distance.
It resembled a hound, its form twisted and unnatural, its eyes glowing red with murderous intent.
Kyle stared at it for a second before muttering,
"Ah, fuck my life."
°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.