The smell wafted through the room and filled every inch of the air. Erend, Aurdis, and Saeldir were still covering their noses and mouths because of the stench.
"How long should this smell stay?" Erend asked, feeling he had reached his limit because of the smell.
"A little bit more," replied Saeldir. "I can't stand it either but we still have to endure it."
As the smell grew thicker, the auras around Arty, Billy, and Adrien's bodies which were originally bluish now turned brown.
The brownish aura looked like smoke coming out of their bodies. It was as if something inside their bodies was burning.
Erend, who actually wanted to end this as soon as possible, had to wait. Because Aurdis and Saeldir also said that he should wait a little longer.
After one minute - which felt like forever - passed, Saeldir finally took out a bottle filled with another liquid from his cloth bag.
Saeldir opened the bottle and immediately poured its contents. However, the clear liquid in the bottle didn't fall to the floor but floated against gravity.
Saeldir stretched his hand forward. The clear liquid moved forward following his command towards Arty, Billy, and Adrien.
The clear liquid absorbed all the brown aura around the bodies of the three of them. Little by little, the disgusting smell that was around them that filled the room was also getting less and less.
Aurdis, who realized the process, began to open her hand that was covering her nose. She let out a long breath that completely portrayed relief.
"You can open your hands already," said Aurdis.
Erend looked at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Aurdis nodded her head with a faint smile. "Well, the smell hasn't gone completely but it's much better than before."
Erend decided to believe in Aurdis and opened the hand covering his nose. It turned out that what Aurdis said was true. The smell hasn't completely disappeared but it's getting better.
When Erend looked ahead, he saw the clear liquid floating around Arty, Billy, and Adrien turning a little murkier.
"Did that liquid absorb all the dirty substance?" Erend asked.
"Yes. But we can't use it right away because we have to wait until enough of the substance has accumulated," Aurdis answered.
The brownish aura was coming out more and more from the bodies of the three of them. Until finally all the clear liquid floating around them became completely cloudy.
Saeldir immediately took the bottle where the liquid had come from and put the liquid that had turned brown back into the bottle.
Only now did all that disgusting smell disappear completely. Tightly sealed in a bottle Saeldir immediately put in his cloth bag. He didn't want to hold the bottle too long.
"After this process, their bodies will become more adept with Magic. However, after that, they will have to control their lust to continue using Magic. Now that's going to be something tougher."
Erend glanced at Saeldir after he said that.
"So, with an adept's body, their desire for Magic will also be even greater?" Erend asked.
"Yes. That's what caused the problem in the early days of Magic's awakening. Creatures who have just experienced how extraordinary Magic's power is will be addicted to continuing to use it," Saeldir said gloomily.
Erend remembered the three men he beat up yesterday. They were probably the ones unable to resist the temptation of their newly acquired powers.
Knowing that they have Magic powers, they think they can get away with it after committing a crime.
Or maybe it's because madness has corrupted their minds too deeply so they can't control their desires and lose themselves.
Its indeed something that is very dangerous if left unchecked.
Erend looked at Arty, Adrien and Billy who were still closed in meditation.
The time for them to have a hard time controlling themselves would also definitely come. Erend had to prepare for that moment.
Hours passed in the dojo room until finally Saeldir and Aurdis think that today's training could be ended.
The sun, which had begun to set, sent a yellow light into the room.
Arty, Adrien and Billy opened their eyes. They blinked for a few moments trying to retract their senses which seemed to have gone elsewhere.
"How is your feeling?" asked Erend.
"I feel..." Arty said. She frowned trying to wrap her mind around what she was feeling right now. "I don't know... uhh... refreshed?"
Arty also turned to Billy and Adrien. Her gaze told him that she wanted to hear their opinion.
"Well uhh... I feel that way too," Billy said.
"I feel like a part of my mind has been removed and something else has been patched in," Adrien said.
"Yeah." Billy nodded. "I feel the same way."
"Don't worry about it. It's nothing dangerous," said Saeldir, trying to calm them down.
Saeldir and Aurdis said that it was time for them to end today's session.
But Billy has another question that is quite troubling.
"Wait a minute!" Billy raised his hand. "What are we going to do with the creatures that might enter our dreams? Just like the crazy woman who entered my dreams that night."
Hearing questions from Billy Aurdis and Saeldir exchanged glances. From their glances, Billy could see a kind of anxiety.
"About that... I have an answer. However, it's not a good answer and it's also not certain," Saeldir replied.
Saeldir's answer made Billy stiffen. Arty and Adrien felt the same sense of tense.
Even Erend, who actually didn't feel the direct effect of the threat, turned his head with a worried look.
"What's that?" Erend asked.
"It's likely a being from somewhere called the Chaos Realm."
Silence fell on the room after those words left Saeldir's mouth.
Even Aurdis seemed to be feeling the same fear and anxiety as the rest of them.
She already knew that was what Saeldir would say. Yet she still showed signs that she was surprised.
Arty, Billy and Adrien looked confused and scared at the same time.
"W-What is it that?" Billy asked. "Sounds like a dangerous place."
"Indeed," Saeldir replied while turning to Billy. "It's a realm created from all sorts of bad things in the world so of course it's a dangerous place."
"Our record about that place is also very limited. Just like the record about that cursed tree," Aurdis added.
Erend immediately realized how dire the situation was this time. If the Elves didn't have enough records on that, then it was certain that that problem was something serious.
"It's possible they entered this world because of Magic awakening," said Saeldir.
Billy exhaled loudly. "Again, everything stems from Magic awakening, huh."
Once again the room fell into silence. After a while, Erend said. "We should focus on the most obvious problem first. That is training the Magic of the three of them."
"And then what?" Billy asked. "What if a crazy woman, or whatever it is that came to Captain appears in our dreams again?"
"You said that that woman was afraid of my Dragon power, right?" Erend said.
"Yes."
"In that case, as long as I'm with you there won't be any problem," Erend said while looking at the three of them.
They finally come to an agreement where they will stay at Erend's house for a few days.
That's probably a very good idea for Adrien who has a family. However, if staying at home would put him and his family in danger, of course Adrien would prefer to leave.
That day, the practice session ended. Aurdis and Saeldir returned to their world while Billy and Adrien went to their respective homes to say goodbye to their family and pack the things they needed.
~~~
President Julius is enjoying dinner with his family at their home. The dinner was going warmly with some small talk brought up by her two teenage daughters.
One of his daughters is named Sarah, who is now in the third grade of high school.
Another daughter, Ruby, is still in the second year of middle school.
Julius enjoyed this moment because it was a rare moment when he could spend time with his family amidst all his business as president.
Julius tries to forget for a moment about the incident at the Apple Project experiment site, which was supposed to be promising project but has now only become a rubble in the middle of a jungle.
Suddenly, Sarah's spoon fell when she was about to put food in her mouth.
Julius, Ruby, and his wife Rachel turned to Sarah with confused looks.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Rachel asked with a worried evident in her face.
Tubu Sarah emits soft white smoke. Ruby who was sitting beside her felt the smoke touch her and she immediately jumped away.
"It's cold!" Ruby said with shocked eyes looking at her older sister.
Julius immediately alerted. "Stay away from her."
"Honey, what's going on to our daughter?!" Rachel asked.
Julius looked at Sarah with eyes full of disbelief.
'What the hell?'
He lost for words. Could it be, it's because of Magic?
~~~
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