Training was coming to an end for Isaac under Oran’s tutelage. The amount of time they spent outside after Bridgette’s arrival was the remainder of the daylight and into the night. They practiced down at the small but deep stream that ran through the grounds. A circle of training dummies and a path of rocks that lead to a hidden alcove behind a magic door. The stars shone brightly above their heads and they could see the stars that made up that arm of the galaxy twinkling above them.

Oran watches closely as Isaac tries to stand back up with the help of his large sword. He took a knee in the middle of a combat exercise to catch his breath and without missing a beat Oran slowed himself down to allow it.He reaches his hand out to Isaac but he sees him shaking his head; not ready to give in yet. Oran steps back as Isaac breathes heavily, finally getting back up to his feet and still breathing raggedly.

“I’m not ready to stop yet, Master.” His words were broken up by his breaths.

“Your choice, Isaac.” Oran pulls up his wooden sword that shines with an aura barrier. He was teaching barriers still and how to utilize them as more than just for your own wellbeing.

“Let’s do this.” He says to himself as he pulls the large blade from the dirt and holds it in front of his body.

Oran and Isaac continue with their combat training into the night. Isaac’s eyes shining a bright blue from his irises. The power slowly made its way to the surface over the practice.

Two hours had passed and they had missed the dinner call entirely. This wasn’t the plan at all but with Isaac wanting to keep pushing himself and in the safety of where they were Oran didn’t mind continuing to help him grow further. He was already determined to push himself past the limits he had at this time in his life. A glow of blue comes from Isaac’s body as it flickers around him the more he pushes on. The power within trying so hard to come to the surface.

We’re right at the limit it seems. How am I going to break through that wall? Oran thinks to himself as he watches Isaac struggle to fully grasp it.

A brief glimpse into Oran’s mind reveals a scene from his own training with his master. A young Oran stands in his white martial arts gi across from his master in his black one. It was clear who was the trainee and who was the teacher. The green aura around Oran acting similarly to the one around Isaac in the current time.

“Forgive me, Oran.” His master speaks to him calmly with the sun shining down blocking his face as Oran squints up at him from the sweat in his eyes. “This power within you is going to take more than basic training to manifest.”

“What are you going to do?” A young Oran asks.

“Force it out.” The soothing white aura around his master shifts immediately into black but his calm words remain. “Your power, like mine, is tied to a need for it and not a desire for it. Your desire to learn and grow is there but the power is blocked because you don’t need it while you’re with me.Your body instinctively knows who you can trust and who you can’t. That power you possess is blocking your growth. I’m going to trick it into fight or flight mode. Be ready.”

Oran snaps back to the current time as he focuses on Isaac’s energy struggling to break through the wall. Taking a page from his own lessons and his master, Oran utters the same words. “Forgive me, Isaac.”

Confused Isaac cocks his head to the side, continuing to catch his breath. This wasn’t something that he was expecting to hear. Forgive him for what? Isaac thought to himself.

Without saying anything, Oran’s green aura shifts to deep red as his energy feels more…deadly. The wind blows harshly around them making the trees sway and shake. The water brushes the shore violently and the clouds begin to swirl above them. Sweat runs down Isaac’s face but he still has a stalwart look upon it. He continued watching as he gripped his sword with both hands and held it to the right of him. Isaac watched his master closely confused at why this much power was being used in a training setting but he couldn’t figure it out.

Continuing to watch, Isaac loses sight of him somehow and can’t even feel his presence any more. The energy so far beyond his senses he begins looking around with panic in his eyes. How was he supposed to keep up with this? He couldn’t even see him any more.Suddenly out of nowhere, Oran returns with a quick burst of lightning flowing from his hand and sending Isaac back sliding on his feet while blocking with his left hand to the best of his ability.

Isaac’s left arm drops to his side numb as lightning courses around it before traveling to the ground via his fingertips. He didn’t have time to hold his blade up and barely enough to put his arm up. His mind is racing at what caused this sudden change within his master. This must have been what he asked for forgiveness for. He looks down at his limp arm and tries moving his fingers but only feels tingling sensations from it. Isaac lifts his blade over his shoulder single handedly while taking a posture similar to his teacher’s.

Oran springs back into view for a split second and raises Isaac up with one hand along with the blade. The look in his eyes terrifies young Isaac as he swings his blade down as quickly as he could with one hand. Oran catches it with his left hand and pulls it out of his grasp then throws it behind them to wear it sticks into the ground at the tip of the blade.

Freaking out from this form his master has taken, Isaac digs deep feeling the coursing electricity wrapping around his body. He wasn’t desiring his power to be unlocked any more; he was needing it to be unlocked. Oran had successfully triggered his fight instinct as Isaac began screaming from the pain of the volts going through his body. A burst of white energy erupts from Isaac’s eyes and mouth as he screams causing Oran to drop him on his feet while slightly sliding back on his own. Then bursts even further creating a beacon in the sky that draws attention towards their location.

The white energy settles and only shines in his eyes as he stares down Oran. He lifts his left arm up and moves it as if it was never way numb to begin with. The sword raises from the ground and returns to Isaac’s hand narrowly missing Oran who dodged it without looking just by moving his neck and head.

“Good.” Oran says with a smirk on his face.

Isaac ignores the praises and charges in with his massive blade. He begins swinging it even faster than before with a blue streak following each swing.He plants his feet then pivots on his right to swing his blade faster and harder. Oran blocks with his hand catching the edge of the sword as if it wasn’t sharp. The power dissipated from Isaac following that strike as he fell to his knees in an exhausted state. The shine in his eyes fades out revealing his blue eyes still filled with nervousness and now exhaustion and worry.

Oran kneels down before him and smiles as he offers him a hand. “Good job, Isaac. You’ve finally pulled forth the power that was inside of you. I’m sorry I had to put that fear into you and I hope you can forgive me for doing so.”

Isaac takes his hand and nods while they stand up. “What did you do exactly?” Confusion was clouding his thoughts about what had just happened? “I thought you were going to kill me.”

He chuckles nervously and puts his left hand behind his head, ”Just a lesson I remembered from my training. My power, like yours, was blocked behind a wall that I couldn't break through. My Master explained it to me before he did but I think because I knew what he was doing it took longer to break. The power we have isn’t tied to a desire for power but a need. I forced your body into fight mode to reach that power and break the wall within.” Oran places his hand on Isaac’s shoulders, ”I promise you that you are safe here. I just needed your body to reach that point to continue your training. You should have access to your powers more.”

“I appreciate those words from you. However, knowing it was training only I don’t think there is a reason you need the forgiveness, Oran.” He said quietly while looking around with a sigh. “You did what you set out to do and you knew how to stop yourself.”

Oran nods his head, ”Of course I do. I was trained pretty well by several people to some degree, at least. Using that amount of power here is only for show. If you were like the other trainees here though I wouldn’t have had to do it.” He pulls Isaac off the ground and grabs the large sword after standing up. “I’ll carry this for now. Let’s get some food in you to help give you some energy and I’ll give it back.”

“That’s fair enough, Master.” Isaac’s legs shake as he tries to walk but the exhaustion is impeding his movements and ability to stay awake. His eyes flutter with tiredness from the use of his power and the unlocking of his potential. He stumbled as his eyes closed.

Oran reaches out and catches him with his right arm while holding the sword in his left. He chuckles softly and tosses the passed out Isaac over his shoulder. Come on, kid. I’ll take you to bed so you can rest a bit.

Feeling the power that was put out earlier, Bridgette walks towards where it came from and sees Isaac being carried by Oran. She hadn’t seen him do something like this in many years since his first trainee. She had always been attracted to his compassion and care for others, especially since she knew that while the matters with Ren were personal, it was also to help the world. To her, Oran lived up to his namesake of Verdell and was carrying the legacy forward on his own. That legacy was something she hoped to be part of and her earlier comment about wanting the name wasn’t as much of a joke as it seemed to be.

“How’s he doing?” She asks as she walks up to Oran.

“Overall, he’s alright just a bit tired. Scared him though so that was fun.” Oran chuckled to himself nervously. “Had to break that wall down. He has potential to be a great defender of these worlds. I just hope he doesn’t go down the same path as Raziel.”

“What path did Raziel go down, Oran?” Bridgette is intrigued by his response. It was as if she was in journalist mode like she was going to write a paper for a book about him. “What happened?”

“Let’s just say that Raziel ‘Razor’ Moro went down a path into darkness without heeding my warnings. It’s a quick path to power but without restraint you can end up manipulated or corrupted at the least and destroyed at the worst. There is a delicate balance you have to take and you should never go straight dark without a back up in the light, for your own good.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind.” She steps behind Isaac and moves his hair out of his eyes for a moment. “He’s really passed out. I think you should take him to the library and let him rest upstairs.”

“I thought that and then wondered where you would sleep then.” Oran replied. “We were supposed to lock the mask away but I don’t think that’s going to happen now.”

“We have plenty of time. I’m not leaving any time soon and I don’t think with you training young Isaac here, you’re leaving either.” She said calmly as she gripped Oran’s hand around the hilt. ”We’ll worry about that when the time comes.”

“But what about your room for the night?”

“I’ll sleep in my old bed since no one is using it and I’m a teacher as well.” She laughed softly beside him. “You both missed dinner by the way.”

“I know we did.” Oran stated and began walking towards his private library. “He wanted to push himself and then we hit a wall I had to tear down.”

“I see.” Bridgette replied.

Bridgette walked with Oran back to the library as he carried Isaac on his shoulder. They chatted about what to do about food when she told him that she had saved them dinner. She opened the door to the library and Oran entered first. He leaned the sword against the wall and began carrying him upstairs. She waited downstairs and sat at the large desk with a book in front of her and two plates of food that were covered.

Oran laid Isaac down on the bed upstairs and nodded his head softly. This was just the start of Isaac’s power and he knew this from experience. He wasn’t sure if this was even his own limit to his power but he did know that Isaac would be the same kind of well of energy that he was. Knowing that the lives of people with powers like his were destined to encounter struggles and possibly lose their lives, he knew that he’d have to train Isaac up as best as he could to keep him alive. He hoped his experience in fighting powerful foes and learning from powerful mentors would be enough to keep Isaac on a strong path of learning and knowledge.

Rest up, Isaac. You have definitely earned it and maybe tomorrow I’ll take you out of here for a bit so you can see more of this world. Oran thought to himself as he watched him for a few minutes before heading back downstairs to enjoy a bit of time with Bridgette.

While Oran was upstairs with Isaac, Bridgette decided to set up a second chair since she was sitting at the desk so he could sit next to her. She set the chair up and heated the food up over the fire for him before he returned down stairs. After everything he had done during training she wanted to make sure he ate something and was going to look after him like he was looking after Isaac. She continued to set the utensils out beside his dome covered food after it was heated.

On the desk she had a history book out and was reading through it. She looks up to see him coming down the stairs and motions with her left arm and hand to come sit down beside her. With a soft smile on his face, Oran joins her at the desk where he sees the food has been heated up entirely and is waiting for him.

He sits down beside her at the desk and kisses her cheek, ”Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiles back at him before returning to the book but she’s not done questioning him yet. She reads from the book,”Verdell had a sword that was unique, only he could use it. The sword has long been missing and no traces of it have been found.”

“Is there a point to this, Bri?” Oran asked.

“Yes, do you know where it is?” She replied with a blunt tone. “You’ve been all over this world and to others. You had to have come across something.”

“No, I don’t know where the sword itself is.” He stated.

She gives him a confused look, ”That was very specific wording. What do you know?”

Oran chuckled lightly as he watched her face change so quickly. “I don’t know where the sword itself is but I do know where part of it is.” He reaches into shirt and removes the necklace he was wearing then hands it to her. “I don’t know what this piece does exactly. Whether it is just an emblem for the blade or if it had some other purpose.”

She watches his face closely and sees that when he holds the emblem in his hands his eyes shine with a golden hue in the flecks of his irises. This was a detail that not even he noticed when it came to the necklace he was wearing. The piece resonated with his energy and his person. Bridgette placed her hands on the side of his face and looked into his eyes closely. With a bewildered look on his face Oran just looks around the world as she turns his head from side to side then kisses him quickly, finding his confusion adorable. “Your eyes have a golden hue to them when you hold that.”

“Really?” He sets it down then looks at her. “What about now?”

“It’s gone.” She watches him pick it back up and his eyes shine again. “It’s back.”

“Huh. That’s really interesting. I’m glad you caught that.”

“It definitely helps to have another person around.” She rolls up his sleeve to see his Triquetra tattoo. A slight shimmer surrounding the emblem on his arm as well. “I wonder if these symbols are connected because they’re in your mind, body, and soul. This tattoo also shines when you hold it.”

Oran chuckled lightly, ”Not often enough my body is explored.” He said jokingly.

“Get us some doors and we can make it happen more.” She laughed.

“I’m on it.” Oran replied quickly.

For the next hour, Oran and Bridgette chatted while looking over the book and while he ate. She recreated the design on Isaac’s blade on paper to make some additional flyers for what her contacts should be looking for. The Merrix-Verdell Triquetra design was going to be hard to find in this world in all its vastness. They both hoped that this image of it would help find the twin to Isaac’s.

Oran sat down on the floor against the wall and just held the emblem in his hand while she sat between his legs and leaned against him holding his left hand. While she held his hand and he held the emblem she felt his energy surging through his body as if to amplify his bloodline. She felt it in his pulse and his energy but to him it felt natural and unnoticed. Bridgette was beginning to wonder if he was the original just reincarnated or if he was just even deeper connected to it than they realized.

During that time, Isaac had been peacefully sleeping or at least peaceful where his body was concerned. His mind was restless running through the scenario trying to figure out what happened in that flash of power. He had felt invigorated and rejuvenated. Stronger and more aware. His body was healed of any minor wounds and numbness as if it wasn’t there. He woke up with a bit of sweat on his forehead but was overall in perfect health, just exhausted. He sat up in the bed and could feel the energies downstairs knowing his master and Bridgette were right below him. This was the clearest his senses had ever been and he could feel a deep well of energy inside of Oran and inside of himself.

Isaac turned his body and placed his feet on the floor then realized he had no shoes on and the armor on his shoulders were taken off. He looked around, grabbed his boots from the side of the bed and slipped into them before heading downstairs. He chuckles to himself seeing the two of them together looking up at him to make sure he was okay but he was more entertained by how they were sitting. “Getting cozy in here?”

“When you’re practically alone for an hour, a lot can happen.” She replied to him with a wink of her eye and a smirk on her face.

“That would be too much information for me. Ma’am I am a teenager.” Isaac retorted with a sarcastic laugh. “What happened?”

“I thought that was TMI, Isaac?” Oran said jokingly.

“Okay, guess it was my turn to walk into a comment like that.” He chuckled lightly. “What happened outside? Why am I so tired?”

“Tapping into a deeper power is a tiring experience. You’re luckier than most though, you managed to get a swing off before the initial burst faded off. So you know, congrats.” Oran retorted. “It still didn’t do anything to help our training battle but it helped you reach your next level strength and that was the plan.”

“I love that you said he was lucky and then told him it didn’t help.” She leans her head back and looks up at him. “That’s not very productive for his thoughts.”

“He’s exhausted, Bri. Nothing is productive right now.” Oran chuckled.

Isaac sighed deeply hearing that both of them were right but he knew that Oran would find a way to push the strength back out of him in training. “I’m going to go with being exhausted and then get back to being productive after resting, since training will get the power back.”

“Good man!” He replied excitedly.

“Shut up, Verdell.” Bridgette retorted. “How about I make you exhausted too?”

“Still a teenager!” Isaac shouts above them both. “As a teenager, I am constantly hungry so do we have any food here?”

“By the fireplace because she plans ahead.”

“You’re welcome.” She replied.

“Thanks. I’m going to eat this real quick then head to my bed. Can I leave the sword and armor here for the night?” Isaac asked in an exhausted voice.

“Of course. I’ll bring you here to grab them before our trip tomorrow. I’m not saying where we are going but it’s still training and it’s still necessary.” Oran explained to him as Isaac grabbed his food to start eating. “A night of rest will help you feel better after you finish eating of course.”

Isaac looked back at him with a mouthful, his cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel as he chewed slowly while looking at Oran. The food was just not going chewing like he wanted it to due to having too much in his mouth. Bridgette tosses a bottle of water to him. He catches it, drinks it down, and swallows the food in his mouth, finally. “What is the plan you have?”

“To get you out of here for a bit.” Oran shrugged. “I already said I’m not telling you where we’re going.” He chuckled softly to himself as he became a tool to help Bridgette stand back up. “She set up a history lesson that involves us traveling around. I will tell you that I’m going home to look at the town and you’re coming with me but other than that it’ll be a surprise.”

Isaac is pleasantly surprised and nods his head in agreement with the plan. “I think that’s great. I’d like to see more of where you grew up. Is your master there?”

Oran shakes his head,”My master isn’t even in this galaxy my friend. If he ever feels the need to stop by he will though. I like to think that he believes enough in me to handle my own home galaxy.”

“I’m sure he does. I still hope to meet him one day though. Maybe he’ll teach me something you can’t.” Isaac stated with passion just hoping for a chance to learn more or learn anything from someone who taught his master.

“Given the time and circumstances of our future; he may show up if circumstances become to dire for us to handle.”

“I hope he shows up for other reasons that aren’t negative.” Isaac replied hopefully. “I feel confident in your teachings and you that we’ll be able to handle anything that comes our way.” He yawns before he continues, "I'm going to head back to my room and I’ll see you for our trip.”

“Be careful on your trip back since you’re still obviously exhausted.” Bridgette added.

“Follow her advice but yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.” Isaac replied politely with a bow as he exited the library after hearing them say good night back. He made his way back to his room slowly just taking in the outdoors at night since most trainees weren’t allowed to be out this late at night.

Halfway to his dorm room, he sits down on a bench close to the entry way just to take a minute to catch his breath still feeling exhausted from earlier. He could feel his energy growing within his body and it was the first time he was able to do so. Isaac looks to the sky and watches the stars above him. A star larger than the rest shines bright blue and he looks at it longingly. That was his homeworld where his family and friends were located. The life he left behind to train his body and mind to be able to harness his own power and protect those he cares about. They were only a year into training and he still had more to go. After a short rest he continued the rest of the way to his dorm room to lay down and contemplate the day ahead and the day of training he had.

Bridgette and Oran lock their door and head upstairs to sleep and enjoy each other’s company. As they lay on the bed after changing clothes, Bridgette cuddles into his arms and chest as he kisses her forehead. His eyes close as he scans the world around them with just his energy. The grounds of the guild were clear from all hostile threats and everyone was where they were supposed to be. Oran’s energy pinged Isaac’s and then he sent a ping back to confirm. The three of them had a long day ahead of them tomorrow and we're overdue for some rest. Oran and Isaac from their training and Bridgette from her traveling.

Meanwhile in the mountains in the northern part of the world; a man in a black and red lined cloak tinkers with chemicals and flasks. His concoctions boil over a fire and his hands radiate with energy. A dark aura surrounds this man that feels even more dangerous than Ren Raiju. His hands are fast and accurate and highly skilled with the motions he’s using. He was talented in this field as he had several places of work going on around him.

“A pinch of salt. A scoop of calcium. Half a vial of water. Life force and essence.” He pours a red liquid into the concoction. It mixes in and congeals into a small ruby colored pebble in the base of the round-bottom flask. He blows out his candles near the station he’s working at and the pebble raises from the bottom then disintegrates causing the mixture to glow within the flask. “Almost ready.” He lifts it up and swishes it around before setting it down again.

The man moves to another table with a map on it. A pendulum hangs above it as he focuses his dark aura into it. The pendulum begins swinging wide and then into a circle. “Show me where the Mask of Ren is. Show the remains of Ren Raiju and his energy.” The pendulum swings rapidly as it circles a map of the world around the border. It pulls in after a few minutes of swinging wildly and dangles above a very specific location.”I see…he has it. It will be heavily guarded, I assume but I’ll send a special gift to Oran Verdell.”

Two figures sit at a table to the side as if waiting for their orders. Their eyes glowing a similar red to the concoction that was just made. The two men are Shade and Razor, the Moro brothers. Eclipse and Raziel, the same Raziel that was trained by Oran before his current student Isaac.

“Take this supplement to add more power to your current skills. This should be more than enough to take out Oran Verdell and remove him from this world.” The man says calmly while handing the two of them a premade dose of his powerful concoction.

“When do we leave, Master Veran?” Eclipse asks in a gruff and deep voice.

“You will leave tonight since it will take you a few days to reach the guild from here. The gates are locked to this region and it would take someone like Verdell or of similar ranking in the guild to unlock them.”

“Yes Master Veran.” Raziel replied.

Eclipse and Raziel were coming after Oran and anyone associated with him due to their orders. Were they being manipulated or was this from their own wills? There was so little that was known about what their plans were and what their abilities were at this point in life. The real question was who was this Alchemist known as Master Veran? Why was he looking for the Mask of Ren and how was he going to get it? What would they do to retrieve the mask? Were the people at the guild in danger? Would they be stopped before harm came to civilians? Oran was going to have his hand full when it came to taking on these three potential adversaries and one of them was his own past student. The damage would have to be mitigated for less damage to save people.