The other initiates stared at Arran as if he had told them he had never seen the sun.
"You don't know what stages are?!"
Arran could not see who spoke, but the voice sounded dumbfounded. From the looks on the initiates' faces, it could have been any of them.
Adept Kadir turned toward the initiates. "All of you, get back to your training," he said in a firm tone that allowed no argument.
Reluctantly, the initiates followed Adept Kadir's command, although several of them shot curious looks at Arran. It was obvious that his words had shocked them.
"Did I say something wrong?" Arran asked Adept Kadir, feeling uncomfortable.
The man turned toward Arran. "Not wrong, exactly. Follow me, we should talk."
Arran followed Adept Kadir to a small room at the side of the training hall. Inside were a desk and some chairs, but little else. The stone wall
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 12
Arran narrowly dodged the sword slashing at his head, then countered with a quick thrust to his opponent's chest. His opponent parried effortlessly, in a single slash knocking Arran's sword aside and striking Arran's ribs.He staggered backward, rubbing the painful spot where he had just been struck."Demon's balls!" Arran cursed. "Brother Amar, how do you do that?""Just a bit of luck, Brother Wei An," Initiate Guha said. Grinning, he added, "Luck, and a slow opponent."It had been over a week since Adept Kadir had told Arran he would ask Grandmaster Windsong for a Wind Realm scroll, but the man had not broached the subject since then.Moreover, since that first day, there had been no sign whatsoever of either Master Zhao or Windsong, and Arran had been left with nothing to do but practice with the initiates.At first, Arran's initial display had brought him
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 13
Arran looked at the scroll that lay in front of him. It looked much like the ones he had seen before, but this time, he would have to open the Realm it gave without the aid of Master Zhao.With a deep sigh, he picked up the scroll and began to study it.The characters were completely different from the ones on the scrolls that gave him his Fire and Shadow Realms. The strokes were thinner and sharper, almost as if they had been written by someone using his pen like a sword, slashing the paper with ink.As he read the scroll, he felt the familiar tingle of Essence. Now that he was more familiar with Essence, he could sense that the type held within the scroll was lively and turbulent, like a strong autumn breeze.He pondered it for a moment, understanding that the scroll must be infused with Wind Essence. Drawing the Wind Essence from the scroll into his body, he thought, somehow created a connection b
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 14
When Arran reached the training hall, he found no one inside. Of course there was no one there, he thought — he did not know the time, but the sky was dark and the monastery grounds were empty. It would be either very late at night or very early in the morning.He briefly considered heading to the cottage where Adept Kadir lived, but then rejected the thought.While he was eager to show Adept Kadir his newly opened Wind Realm, he very much doubted the man would appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night.After a moment's thought, he headed to the room where he had stayed before he was sent to the Realm Opening Cell. It was in one of several buildings that housed the monastery's initiates, and as he entered he took care not to wake the others.He found his own room empty, with the bag that held his belongings placed in a corner. The room itself was not much different from the one where
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 15
"Grandmaster Windsong!" Adept Kadir banged his fist against the hardwood door for the third time, and still, no reaction came.He shook his head with an annoyed sigh, then opened the door and stepped inside. Arran quickly followed him.The first thing that caught Arran's eye once they entered were the bottles. There were dozens, most of them empty, scattered all across the room. It was as if half an army had spent the night drinking in the chamber.At the far end of the chamber stood two couches, with a small table in between. Grandmaster Windsong and Master Zhao each occupied one of the couches, and on the table, Arran saw a board of stones.As they entered, Windsong raised his head. "Adept Kadir? Why are you disturbing us?" He sounded irritated, and it was clear that he did not welcome the interruption."This could not wait," Adept Kadir said. "Master Fireheart's apprentice is
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 16
Arran looked at the monastery in wonder. From where he stood, it looked like a miniature.The journey up the mountain had taken them the better part of the morning, and now, they were on the side of the mountain, a thousand feet above the monastery and the town.The view filled Arran with awe. It was like standing on top of the world."Not scared of heights, are you?" Initiate Guha grinned. The young man navigated the narrow mountain paths with terrifying neglect, and several times, Arran had been convinced he would plunge down into the depths below."I've never been up this high," Arran said. "It's…" He lacked the words to describe what he felt."You'll get used to it," Initiate Guha said with a grin.Initiate Jiang silently glared at them. Ever since Adept Kadir had come to take her and Initiate Guha away from the other initiates her mood had been fo
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 17
A leaf floated in mid-air in front of Arran's face. He used a sliver of Wind Essence, and it slowly floated a pace away from him. Another touch of Essence, and it came drifting back. Again he used some Essence — a sudden gust of Wind hit the leaf, tearing it apart and sending the shreds flying in the distance."Why do you keep doing that?!" Jiang Fei scowled at him. "Stop using so much Essence. You're moving a leaf, not trying to blow down a house!"Arran sighed. While he tried to restrain himself, he still found it hard to control the Essence he used."You must keep practicing," Jiang Fei said, sounding exasperated. "Your strength is useless if you can't command it."Arran nodded apologetically. He tried his best, but although he had improved a lot these past few months, he was still far from reaching the level he needed to reach.Over the past months, as the three initiat
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 18
Seeing the Academy mages, Arran froze in fear. He had dreaded this moment for months, and now, just when he thought he was finally safe, it had arrived."We need to warn Grandmaster Windsong!" Jiang Fei said, her voice hushed but filled with urgency."Follow me," Amar said. "I know a faster way to the monastery."Without waiting for an answer, he started walking toward one of the side streets, with the other two following closely behind him. Arran desperately wanted to run, but he knew that doing so in sight of the Academy mages would draw their attention. And that, he knew, would bring disaster.They turned a corner and, as if by unspoken agreement, all three of them immediately set off at a run. Amar was true to his word, and they reached the gates of the monastery in less than a third of the time it would have taken otherwise.When they arrived, covered in sweat and panting fr
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 19
When Arran saw the smoking wreck of the building he had been in only moments earlier, he was certain that Master Zhao had died.Yet in an instant more earsplitting blasts sounded, and although the smoke of the ruined building prevented Arran from seeing much, a sudden wave of fire shot out from amid the ruins, hitting another nearby building and sending scorched wreckage flying in all directions."We have to go!" Adept Kadir called out. "It isn't safe!"As if to illustrate his words, a bolt of lightning shot toward them from the smoke, striking a tree only a few dozen paces away. The tree instantly exploded with a thunderous crack, and torn shreds of wood went flying everywhere.Arran and the others immediately started to run, desperate to get away from the destruction behind them.They had run several hundreds of paces when a huge object crashed into the ground in front of them.