Lights-out time arrived very quickly. Aelion made one last round of the place and stopped in the control room where UGAEL stood motionless, observing the floating black prism.
"He, there is a room available if you want to rest," declared the young man to her.
She mechanically turned her head and answered him, "My body does not need to rest or sleep. I was designed as such, so there is no need for you to worry."
Aelion simply nodded. He could correct her on this, but he already had enough to assimilate today. He went back to his room and made sure to block the door to avoid an intrusion from Seraphina. To top it all off, through his administrator rights, he denied her access to his room after having ordered his assistant to activate the hallway and the fog.
Tomorrow would be a new day. That's what he believed, and yet, upon waking up, he felt rather sad. The outside was still plunged into darkness. For him, who was used to a changing climate, a sunbath, and a starry sky rising every day, observing this monotonous situation made him gloomy.
It was true that the manor was particularly well-lit, equipped with chandeliers; however, he needed natural light.
"Hey Aelion, are you awake? It's time for your training. By the way, why did you close your door? I can't open it," she said while knocking and pulling the door, hoping it would open in vain.
"I am already awake; give me a moment, I'm getting ready and coming down."
"Oh, I see. Hurry then."
It was a good idea to refuse her access; at least I know I can prevent her sudden entries.
Aelion proceeded to disable the firewalls he had set up jointly with UGAEL, who had already deactivated the hallway. In the bathroom, he refreshed himself properly and cleaned his face. On the way, he encountered the automaton who greeted him before starting its morning patrol to ensure there were no problems.
[ Hello ]
He instinctively knew that it wasn't the system; it was the goddess again who had passed through her intermediary.
"I tried to contact you yesterday but received no answer."
[ I am quite busy most of the time, you are not the only one addressing me your prayers. Even though I make it a point to prioritize you, I cannot do it every time. However, I will always contact you during my free time.]
He was rather amused by the scene and her response. One could say she was a goddess, yet the impression she gave was closer to a civil servant or a company director.
Standing in the main hall was not the best place to talk; even if no one saw the messages, it would be disturbing. So he preferred to go to the third-floor office.
Seated comfortably, he could continue.
"I need your help regarding Twin Destiny."
[ Sorry, that is impossible. Indeed, I did not expect you to find that room, but I cannot give it to you... ]
"Why? I really need it," he exclaimed, surprised.
[ Do you not know what a mausoleum and a memento are? I did not create this weapon to be used; it is in remembrance and memory of someone… So abandon any idea of wielding it. You have everything you need in this manor to prepare yourself and even surpass your expectations! Even UGAEL is a blessing; she can forge whatever you want. ]
"That is still not enough! Haven't you seen when that thing attacked? By the way, what was it? Where is the manor, after all? I almost died; fortunately Seraphina was there. Actually, it's because of her and the others who will arrive that I need this sword," Aelion replied insistently.
[ They are the remnants of certain tortured souls… Do not worry; everything will be fine now that UGAEL is activated! Sometimes the most dangerous place in the world can become the best fortress. I do not see why you need it. From what I have seen, you are doing rather well. You two got closer faster than I expected; who would have thought she would succumb so quickly to her desire in that room! To the point that she trained you. You also received very interesting abilities. ]
"Y-you saw?!" he stuttered, embarrassed and flustered.
[ In the finest detail. I told you, nothing to be ashamed of. Listen to me carefully: you are already on the right path with Seraphina. The others may be even worse or strangely cooperative like her. Do your best, acquire knowledge of everything you can, use everything at your disposal without reserve. You have the means to become very strong, to the point I wonder if I made a mistake. So, do not touch Twin Destiny and do not let yourself be limited by logic; you can achieve heights you cannot even imagine. You have no limits… Do not forget: magic is visualization. ]
Despite the goddess's words, he had still not given up on the two-handed blade. Aelion had not always been able to obtain what he wanted as a child; however, once an adult, he had always fought and worked hard to obtain and offer himself what he desired. This sword would be no exception.
"That sentence… I feel like hearing Seraphina," he stated, chuckling. "If possible, could I have a pocket dimension with unlimited storage?"
[ That is normal; I govern the concept of magic! ]
Then came the void. No answer to his request; once again, she had left without saying goodbye.
It really feels like an overworked CEO.
This discussion was not useless, as he now understood what he had to do. But before that, finishing his training was essential.
Upon joining Seraphina, who pouted at him first for his delay, she noticed his sad and tired aura and did not hold it against him. They quickly began the topics of the day: reinforcement, shielding, and blood manipulation.
Reinforcement was a simple concept since Aelion already used it through a skill linked to black blood, so he modeled the process to reproduce it with pure mana. The same applied to shielding, which he had seen many times in fictional works from his world—externalizing his mana and giving it a defensive shape. However, Seraphina took care to correct him, noting that he had to imagine the details to add and the form that, to him, constituted the highest defense.
She ended the lesson with blows she used to prove the fragility of his shield. The most serious topic followed: blood and its manipulation.
The vampire explained several things:
First, the types of blood. According to her experience, every being had a particular type of blood possessing unique properties. Some were more suited to rigid object materialization, others to creature shapes, and others to more abstract things. Since her body contained almost all existing types of blood, she extracted only the ones she needed.
Next, the mana cost depending on usage. If Aelion had to summarize this method in a crude way, it would be called recycling. Indeed, using one's own blood or that of an opponent to execute a spell consumed less mana and provided good efficiency. Moreover, it was always better to reuse previous blood from an attack than to cast a spell that generated blood from mana.
"I don't really have this problem because my body contains a fairly large quantity of blood, but for you, it would be better to use your own blood. Otherwise, generating blood each time for a spell would drain you completely. Even more so because your blood is abnormal—you won't be able to use your opponents' blood," Seraphina declared, insisting on this method.
And at last, the final point: visualization in materialization. It might seem strange, but the more precise and detailed the materialized object was, the less mana it consumed, whereas the more crude and vague it was, the more mana it required to maintain. Aelion finally understood why, during their first training session, the seat Seraphina had summoned felt extravagant and arrogant. A throne for a queen.
Finally, nothing is left to chance, I see.
"Well, now that the lesson is over, what do you say we—"
Aelion interrupted her before she could make her suggestion and answered immediately:
"Sorry, I can't. I already have something very important planned."
"Oh." Seraphina seemed a bit dejected and sad, her gaze fixed on the floor in defeat.
Seeing her like this pained him, but quickly, he approached her and kissed her on the cheek, and for the first time, a red tint colored her cheeks.
"Don't worry; I'll tell you everything," he declared while leaving and heading toward the library.
His goal: to create a suitable weapon.