The next morning, Astraeus reported not to the standard training facilities, but to a location deep within the guild hall he hadn't known existed. Guildmaster Crane met him at a heavily warded door on Sub-Level Two, a section of the guild reserved for Masters and above.
"This is where your real training begins," Crane said, pressing his hand against a large rune on the door. It glowed with intense power, and the door swung open to reveal a corridor lit by softly pulsing essence crystals. The air here was different—heavier, saturated with a latent power that made the hairs on Astraeus's arms stand up.
"These are the Master training facilities," Crane explained as they walked. "The enchantments here are centuries old, designed for mages who operate at a level far beyond what you've experienced. You will have full access to these facilities as part of your accelerated development program. We call it the Ascension Protocol."
They stopped before a circular room with a complex runic array etched into the floor. "This is a combat simulation chamber. It can create realistic scenarios using hardened essence constructs. You can fight Voidborn, bandits, rival mages—anything we can program into it. And the constructs can fight back. They can cause real pain, draw real blood. The only thing the chamber is programmed to prevent is your death. Injury, however, is an excellent teacher."
Astraeus looked at the empty room, then back at Crane. "What's the first lesson?"
"Survival."
Crane activated the chamber, and the room transformed. The stone walls flickered and became a dense, dark forest. The air grew cold, and the scent of pine and damp earth filled Astraeus's lungs. Then, from the shadows of the simulated trees, three Lesser Voidborn emerged. They were constructs, but they looked, sounded, and felt real.
"You have one hour," Crane said from a viewing platform above. "Survive."
The Voidborn charged, and Astraeus's training took over. He didn't panic. He didn't freeze. He moved, his new essence-conductive short sword in hand, his mind already assessing the threats.
He met the first Voidborn with a barrier, deflecting its charge, then countered with a blast of fire. The second he engaged with his sword, his movements fluid and precise, following the combat forms Marcus had taught him. The third he kept at a distance with spheres of force, preventing it from flanking him.
It was a brutal, relentless hour. The constructs were faster and stronger than the real Voidborn he'd faced, their attacks perfectly coordinated. He took hits, his arm was slashed open by a clawed hand, and his essence pool dipped dangerously low multiple times. But he adapted. He used Kha'Zul's tactical advice, his own growing instincts, and the techniques he'd learned to not just survive, but to win.
When the hour was up and the simulation ended, Astraeus was on one knee, breathing heavily, his body bruised and bleeding, but he was standing. The three Voidborn constructs lay dissipated on the floor.
[SKILL IMPROVED: BASIC COMBAT TECHNIQUES (65/100 → 80/100)]
[SKILL IMPROVED: INTERMEDIATE ETHEREAL MANIPULATION (65/200 → 75/200)]
Crane descended from the viewing platform, a small, glowing potion in his hand. "Well done. You have excellent instincts and a remarkable capacity for adaptation." He handed Astraeus the potion. "Drink. It's a Master-grade healing potion. It will restore your essence and heal your injuries."
Astraeus drank, and the potion's effect was immediate and overwhelming. A wave of warmth spread through his body, his wounds knitting closed, his depleted essence pool refilling instantly. It tasted like honey and lightning.
"That was just the combat portion of your training," Crane said. "Next is essence control."
He led Astraeus to another room, this one containing a single, large, floating crystal that pulsed with raw, untamed magical energy. "This is a resonance crystal. It amplifies any essence directed at it. Your task is to maintain a stable connection with it for one hour, without letting the feedback overwhelm you. It will teach you control on a level you can't achieve through normal practice."
The second hour was a different kind of battle. It was a mental struggle, a contest of will against the crystal's chaotic power. Astraeus had to use the essence flow techniques Marcus had taught him, guiding the energy, soothing it, harmonizing with it instead of trying to dominate it.
By the end of the hour, his head was pounding, but his control over his essence had sharpened to a razor's edge.
[SKILL IMPROVED: INTERMEDIATE ETHEREAL MANIPULATION (75/200 → 90/200)]
"Finally," Crane said, "dimensional theory."
He took Astraeus to a private study filled with books and scrolls, many of which looked even older than the ones in the restricted library. "You will spend two hours here each day, studying texts that are not available to the general guild. You need to understand the nature of the enemy, the structure of reality, and your role as a Reality Anchor."
He handed Astraeus a book bound in dark leather. "Start with this. It's a treatise on complementary diversity, written by the first guildmaster. It argues that true strength comes not from singular power, but from the integration of opposing forces. Light and dark, order and chaos, creation and destruction. Understand this, and you will understand the nature of your bond with the Demon King."
He wants you to accept me, Kha'Zul noted. Not just as a tool, but as a partner. A necessary counterbalance to your own nature. He's smarter than I gave him credit for.
Astraeus spent the next two hours reading, and the concepts in the book resonated deeply with him. It spoke of how fire and ice, when combined correctly, could create something stronger than either element alone. How light needed shadow to have meaning. How life and death were two sides of the same coin.
He was the Reality Anchor, a force of order and stability. Kha'Zul was a Demon King, a being of chaos and destruction. Separately, they were powerful. Together, they could be something more.
When his five hours of training were complete, Astraeus was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life. But he was also more powerful, more knowledgeable, and more determined.
"This will be your life for the next year," Crane said as he escorted Astraeus back to the main guild hall. "Every day, you will be pushed to your absolute limit. You will be broken down and rebuilt, stronger than before. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Astraeus said, his voice hoarse but steady.
"Good. Now go rest. Your training begins again at dawn."
Astraeus returned to his room, his body aching but his mind clear. The Ascension Protocol was brutal, but it was exactly what he needed. It was a path, a plan, a promise of the strength he would need to face the coming storm.
He looked at his status screen, a testament to the day's progress.
[LEVEL: 7]
[HEALTH: 150/150]
[ETHEREAL ESSENCE: 100/100]
[STAMINA: 100/100][ATTRIBUTES:]
•Strength: 13
•Agility: 15
•Intelligence: 22
•Wisdom: 13
•Constitution: 14
[SKILLS:]
•Intermediate Ethereal Manipulation (90/200)
•Basic Dimensional Sealing (30/100)
•Basic Combat Techniques (80/100)
•Basic Essence Constructs (15/100)
•Resonance Seal (Dimensional) (25/100)[GUILD RANK: JOURNEYMAN (RANK 1)]
He was growing. He was learning. He was becoming the weapon the world needed him to be.
And he had 364 days of this left to go.
He smiled.
Bring it on.