Paragon of Destruction

Master Zhao was quiet, and Arran spent his time thinking about the journey that lay ahead of him.

Just moments ago, he had believed that would learn magic with Master Zhao by his side to protect him from the Academy and any other dangers he might encounter.

Now, he understood that the journey ahead would be far lonelier and more dangerous than he had previously imagined.

He cast another glance at Jiang Fei. Her earlier spasms and convulsions had subsided, and now she looked peaceful, as if she was merely sleeping.

Arran wondered whether she would join him on the journey to the Shadowflame Society. Master Zhao said he would invite her, but Arran doubted she would agree. She had joined them to become an apprentice to Master Zhao, after all. Now that the man was leaving, there was little reason for her to remain with Arran.

As Arran gave the subject some thought, he wasn’t entirely certain whether he would prefer her to leave or to remain with him.

While it would be nice to have some company along the way, Jiang Fei wasn’t the easiest person to be around. And, he thought, with Master Zhao gone, most of her attention would be on him. He frowned as he imagined Jiang Fei scolding him whenever he slacked in his training.

On the other hand, traveling by himself would be lonely and dangerous. A lone traveler was an easy target for bandits, after all, and on top of that, Arran knew little of the region in which they now traveled.

Aside from that, Arran realized with some discomfort that he would probably miss her company. Even if the two weren’t exactly friends, it was nice to have someone to talk to.

Arran was sunk in thought as he looked up at the night sky, gazing at the bright stars amid a sea of black, the only sound the crackling of the campfire.

Suddenly, a loud gasp interrupted Arran’s thoughts. Immediately, his attention turned to Jiang Fei, and he saw that her eyes had opened.

Her face was pale and there were dark circles around her eyes, as if she had not slept in a week. Yet despite her weary face, her expression was one of delight.

"There’s so much Essence!" she said, eyes wide in wonder. She turned to Master Zhao. "Master Fireheart, can I...?"

"Go ahead," Master Zhao answered.

Without waiting, Jiang Fei got to her feet. A look of concentration appeared on her face, and a moment later, she thrust her right hand forward.

A loud crash sounded, and a few dozen paces away from them, Arran saw a large tree being uprooted, ripped from the ground the way a farmer might yank weeds from a field.

"I’m so strong!" Her expression was one of sheer joy. Again she thrust her hand forward, and again a tree was uprooted.

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After several trees had fallen to Jiang Fei’s magic and the area around them started to look like a violent storm had passed, Master Zhao finally stopped her.

"That will be enough, Miss Jiang," he said. "There are some matters we must discuss now."

Reluctantly, Jiang Fei sat down, her expression making it clear that she was by no means done exploring her newfound powers.

"I think this conversation is best held in private," Master Zhao said. He gestured with his hand, and instantly, Arran could no longer hear either him or Jiang Fei.

Arran scowled.

Master Zhao started to talk, and although Arran could not hear what the man said, he saw a look of surprise appear on Jiang Fei’s face. Surprise turned into what looked like shock, then anger, and he saw her wildly gesticulate with her hands while her mouth moved as if she was shouting at Master Zhao.

The conversation lasted a long time, but all Arran could do was idly watch his two companions. As time went by, the look on Jiang Fei’s face turned from anger to resignation, and she nodded several times as Master Zhao spoke

Finally, Arran understood the conversation had ended when Master Zhao raised his hand and gave it a short wave.

"Miss Jiang has decided to join you," Master Zhao said, his words once more audible to Arran.

"You’d better keep your promise," Jiang Fei said to Master Zhao, a sullen look appearing on her face.

"I rarely break my promises," Master Zhao replied. "Now that you’ve decided, next, I will need to seal your Wind Realm."

"Seal my Realm?!" An angry expression instantly returned to Jiang Fei’s face. "Have you gone mad? It’s one thing for me to journey to the Shadowflame Society, but now you want to seal my Realm?"

Master Zhao calmly told her what he had told to Arran earlier, explaining that the seal was necessary to remain hidden from the Academy while they traveled, but that she would be able to remove it herself in time.

At first, Jiang Fei seemed unconvinced, but when Master Zhao said that undoing the seal would allow her to learn it herself, her face brightened somewhat. Finally, she relented.

"Alright," she said, sighing in resignation. "But if I’m unable to remove the seal..."

"How fast you remove the seal will be entirely up to your talent," Master Zhao said.

At those words, Jiang Fei’s expression hardened with determination, and Arran could tell she was planning to undo it as quickly as she could.

Sealing her Realms only took Master Zhao a few moments, and soon, her face fell as she sensed the effects of the seal.

"This is terrible," she said with a miserable look. "I can’t feel any Wind Essence at all. It’s like I’ve lost my hands."

Arran was surprised to see her normal confidence all but gone. Without the use of magic, Jiang Fei suddenly looked lost, even vulnerable.

He did not have time to ponder the matter any further, because at that moment, Master Zhao spoke again, this time addressing both of them.

"I will leave at first light," he said. "But before I go, I have some parting gifts that may ease your journey, if only a little."

With that, Master Zhao took out two small bags, which he handed to Arran and Jiang Fei.

"A bag?" Arran asked. A bag hardly seemed like something that would be helpful in his travels, especially one this small.

At the same time, Jiang Fei exclaimed, "It’s a void bag!"

"Correct, Miss Jiang," Master Zhao said.

Turning to Arran, he explained, "These are what’s known as void bags. Each of them has a small, empty Realm of its own, which you can use to store goods. Go ahead and bind it."

"How do I do that?" Arran asked.

"Just infuse them with a bit of Essence. These bags are unbound, so taking control of them will be easy."

Arran did as the man said, sending forth a small strand of Shadow Essence — the only type he could use, now that his other Realms were sealed. Immediately, he felt a connection grow between himself and the bag.

Surprise filled Arran when he felt himself become aware of what was inside the bag. Although it was small on the outside, inside he could sense a space roughly the size of a large room.

Moreover, the space inside the bag wasn’t empty. Half of it was filled with food, clothes, equipment, jugs — filled with water, he guessed — and other goods. At a glance, the supplies would be enough to last several months, at the least.

With a thought, he asked, "Can it hold people?"

"Not if you want them to stay alive," Master Zhao said with a chuckle. "People and animals cannot survive inside the bag’s Void Realm, although plants can."

"Then how do I take things out of it?" Arran asked. If the bag killed everything that entered it, he wasn’t about to stick his arm inside — not to mention that most of the bag’s contents weren’t in arm’s reach.

"You control the Realm inside the bag," Master Zhao said. "With a bit of effort, you can control the contents. Give it a try."

Arran once more focused on the bag, and to his astonishment, he found he could easily move its contents using just his thoughts. With a little push, he was able to make a piece of dried meat come flying from the bag.

He grabbed the meat and took a bite, finding that the taste was completely normal.

"Inside the bags there are travel supplies," Master Zhao said, "as well as a small bit of gold. It isn’t much, but it should allow you to travel in comfort."

Curious, Arran once more focused on the bag’s contents.

After a moment, he found a large chest. He used his mind to open the chest, and his jaw almost dropped when he saw what was inside. What Master Zhao called "a small bit of gold" was a fortune, enough to buy not just a farm, but an entire village.

"That’s too much!" he said, shocked.

Master Zhao shrugged dismissively. "To mages, gold isn’t particularly valuable. But during your travels, you may find you need it."

Arran nodded, speechless. Briefly, his thoughts turned to Riverbend. The fortune Master Zhao had casually handed him was enough to buy half the town, if not more.

"Finally, I have prepared some scrolls and spells for you," Master Zhao said. "Inside the bag, you will find a number of Realm Scrolls, as well as some scrolls and books containing various spells. Should you open any new Realms, I’ve also supplied each of you with about a dozen Realm Opening Pills, although I urge you to master your current Realms before opening new ones."

This time, it was Jiang Fei who was shocked. "A dozen Realm Opening Pills?!" She almost shouted the words, and her eyes were wide in astonishment.

Arran gave her a puzzled look. The gold had not even surprised her, yet a dozen pills did?

Seeing Arran’s stare, she said, "Don’t you understand? Each Realm Opening Pill is a treasure, easily worth a dozen times as much as all the gold in the chest, if someone was foolish enough to sell one for gold!"

Hearing those words, Arran’s mind went blank. The gold-filled chest had shocked him, but this... this was beyond his comprehension.

"You can use these gifts however you wish," Master Zhao said. "But I suggest you do not mention these possessions to others. Doing so would bring unwanted attention."

Both Arran and Jiang Fei nodded, grave expressions on their faces as they understood the danger. If a handful of gold was enough to get knifed between the ribs by a robber, the kind of wealth they had now could draw entire armies.

With a thought, Arran took his two most prized possessions — the book Adept Kadir had given him and the green amulet he had looted from the bandits — and stored them inside the bag. Then, he carefully hid the bag inside his robe.

"With that behind us, it is time for me to leave," Master Zhao said, standing up. Arran could see he would waste no time in departing.

"Before you leave..." Arran said. "Will we see you again?"

For a moment, Master Zhao was quiet.

"With luck, we will meet again," he finally said.