In the end, Percy managed to brew a couple healing potions by nightfall. In fact, things went even more smoothly than heâd originally expected. He only wasted a handful of mushrooms before learning to extract their essence properly. If heâd known it would be this easy, he would have brewed some before fighting Rambert. If nothing else, they would have made his trip home less unpleasant.
That said, his yield was still much lower than heâd like, but he figured it would climb rather quickly as he brewed more doses tomorrow.
âI shouldnât use more than a quarter of my stash.â
he decided, taking a mental inventory of his newly grown resources.
According to his calculations, that should get him a few dozen doses. That would be plenty to last them for months, assuming they didnât get into
too
much trouble. He could always brew more later, if they ran out, though heâd rather save most of the mushrooms to experiment with the other type of potions.
Satisfied with his plan, he was about to pack his stuff away for the night, when he heard another knock.
âHmmm? Grandpa again? Have they finished training for today?â
Tossing his blindfold back on, just in case, he made his way to the door. Opening, he was surprised to see somebody else standing there, however.
âUncle Galahad? What brings you here?â
While their relationship wasnât nearly as strained as it used to be, he didnât expect to get very chummy with his uncle either.
âMeet me in the third training room by sunrise.â the man spat before walking away, not bothering to elaborate.
âWeird, but ok.â
he shrugged.
Admittedly, Percy had a bunch of things on his plate, but he didnât mind taking some time to see what his uncle wanted from him. Of course, he didnât exactly appreciate being bossed around like a kid. Then again, Galahad
was
a few centuries older than him. At least, he hadnât detected any hint of his uncleâs previous disdain towards him just nowâŠ
***
Come morning, Percy reached the agreed upon location, finding Galahad already there waiting for him. He was meditating on a mat by the centre of the room, an empty vial sitting by his side.
âWow. Heâs punctual, if nothing else.â
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Percy also downed two doses of Aurora Dew. Next, he sat opposite his uncle, silently accompanying him in his cleansing session. It wasnât until half an hour later that both of them were done.
âYou must be wondering why I called you here.â Galahad spoke, opening his eyes.
Percy didnât say anything in response, but he did toss him a
âduhâ
glance back.
âWhen Father taught me Circulation, he asked me to thank you for the art. And to apologize for the way Iâd treated you.â
âHuh, is that why you brought me here?â Percy chuckled. âToo embarrassed to be seen apologizing to a Red-born?â
âNo.â Galahad replied calmly. If he took any offense from that jab, he didnât show it.
âI brought you here because I donât believe in empty words. Iâd rather speak with actions.â
âMeaning?â
âStarting today, Iâll spar with you for two hours every morning. Until the lotus blooms, at least.â
Hearing that, Percy couldnât help but crease his brow. He didnât doubt the experienced Blue had a lot to teach him, but he struggled to imagine himself lasting a second against his uncle. Even the weakest Blue on Remior was currently an insurmountable obstacle for him, let alone somebody at the top of the grade.
âI know what youâre thinking, but these wonât be regular spars. I have a very specific objective in mind.â Galahad said. âOf course, I wonât force you to do it against your will, but I believe youâll be grateful for these lessons sooner or later.â
âDomain?â Percy asked, having realized something.
Galahad nodded, confirming his guess.
âBased on what youâve told us, you seem to be capable of fighting Greens. Unlike Greens, however, I doubt you can withstand a Blueâs domain.â
Domain was the special ability that all mages unlocked as soon as they advanced to Blue. Its greatest advantage was that it didnât require a shred of mana. Fuelled entirely by its ownerâs willpower, it was best known as an efficient and powerful tool for subjugating those significantly weaker.
Of course, domains were much more than glorified flyswatters. If one was sufficiently skilled with theirs, they could potentially incorporate it within their magic too, allowing them to employ their domain against equal or stronger opponents. If used correctly, it could potentially tilt the scales of a difficult battle in oneâs favour.
âYou want to prepare me to fight against Blues?â he asked.
âNot exactly. If you end up targeted by a Blue, you and your girlfriend will
die
, regardless of what I teach you. Simple as that.â
âThen, whatâs the point?â Percy asked, not disagreeing with Galahadâs assessment in the slightest.
Suffice to say, he wasnât under the delusion that he would be able to hold his own against a Blue anytime soon. Even if he ignored the existence of domains entirely, the colossal gap between Greens and Blues wasnât something he could bridge in the foreseeable future.
âWell, to start with, I want to drill into your head how important it is to avoid provoking a Blue in the first place. If you keep going down this reckless path, youâre going to get yourself in serious trouble. Beyond that, maybe this training will bear fruit a few years down the line.â
Percy nodded. Heâd do everything in his power to avoid being targeted by a Blue, but it wouldnât hurt to be able to at least
move
inside a domain. Either way, getting trained by the most talented Blue in the province was definitely a unique opportunity.
âSo, how are we going to do it?â
âItâs simple, really. Iâll unleash my domain on you, and youâll do everything you can to
not suffocate
. Bonus points if you can stay on your feet.â
Percy was about to ask more questions, but his uncle never gave him the chance. The very next moment, a powerful pressure descended upon him, squeezing the very air out of his lungs. Landing on his knees with a muted thud, Percy struggled to even lift his eyes enough to look at his uncle. He knew that there was nothing happening to his body
physically.
This was all in his head. But it didnât make it any less real.
âHow come heâs such a prick even when heâs trying to be nice?â
Percy smiled wryly. Or tried to, at least. Even twitching his lips was quite a slog, given the circumstances.
Of course, this wasnât his first time experiencing a domain. He was quite certain that the Starry Queen had employed one against him, back during his escape from the Fungal Spire. In theory, his uncleâs domain shouldnât even qualify as a breeze compared to a Violetâs. Then again, heâd never felt the queenâs domain directly. Just whatever cheap knock-off she could manifest while possessing the Starry Knight.
âBetter focus on this, or heâs going to laugh at me.â
he shook the pointless thoughts out of his head.
Gritting his teeth, he dragged the tip of his thumb across his palm, before pulling the faintest sliver of soul mana from his core. Repeating the exact set of actions that had allowed him to break free of the queenâs domain the previous time, he stabbed himself with a hastily crafted construct, using the pain to clear his mind. Standing up was still difficult, but the jolt of agony
did
allow him to take a breath, at least.
Greedily inhaling one mouthful of air after another, he slowly pushed more and more mana into his channels, activating his boosting art. It took him three times as long as it usually did, but Synchronization eventually took effect. A wave of power washed over him, as his body transformed in its usual manner.
Percy lifted his eyes just in time to catch a hint of surprise in his uncleâs expression. With some more effort, he managed to climb back to his feet, failing to suppress a smug grin.
âInteresting.â Galahad muttered.
Percy couldâve sworn he saw the faintest shadow of a smile tugging at his uncleâs lips for a moment there. But it was gone the very next instant.
âI guess I donât have to hold back.
Not as much, at least
.â Galahad added a second later.
Before the words even left his mouth, a second wave of pressure slammed onto Percy. It took him by surprise too, sending him face-first into the floor even more forcefully.
At the same time, his uncleâs domain felt entirely different from before. It was several times stronger, of course, but that was merely the beginning. Beyond the sharp increase in the sheer
quantity
of the pressure, its
quality
seemed to have taken a drastic shift too.
Percyâs muscles grew numb, as a jolt of electricity ran up and down his skin, prickling his flesh. All the hair on his body stood on end, as he could even smell a blend of ozone and charred wood mixing in the air, wisps of smoke coming out of the floor.
Percy was about to call his uncle out for cheating â he wasnât supposed to add mana to his domain. But he held himself back upon failing to spot a single mote leaving Galahadâs core.
âSeriously?! Is this still just his domain?!â
Unlike before, the pressure had evolved into something tangible â directly affecting the environment. Percy had some difficulty believing that one could accomplish this solely with their presence. But there was no denying the facts.
âWhat you experienced earlier was nothing more than the most basic domain. All Blues get that right after advancing. A veteran can take it much further, however. We can infuse our very understanding of magic into our domain, giving it new features. What youâre feeling is my lightning affinity giving a different flavour to the domain, stunning and burning your body.â
A splitting headache thrummed within Percyâs skull, as he struggled to register his uncleâs words. Just like that, the domain had grown over five times as troublesome, to the point that his previous tricks werenât enough to snap him out of it any longer.
Of course, Percy had heard about domains before, but it wasnât until now that he truly understood how terrifying they could be. He smiled bitterly, Galahadâs demonstration having made one thing crystal clearâŠ
âUgh⊠Itâs going to be one hell of a month, isnât it?â