" You can thank me later. "
" WHY WOULD I WANNA THANK YOU?! "
" I wasn't the one who freed you from the water snake. "
" You mean the snake you created to drown me? "
" Yes. "
" It really pisses me off seeing you so unbothered by it all right now. "
Right after voicing his discomfort, Avner then proceeded to ask,
" If you didn't, then who did? "
" You did. "
After Nephthys said that, Avner forgot all about his anger and was overwhelmed by shock instead, which made him stand up in a hurry.
" I DID WHAT?! "
Nephthys also stood up from her crouching position to face Avner.
" Avner, "
she called.
" Yes, Master. "
" Where does our power come from? "
" From the stone of life which lies inside us. "
" Exactly. Everybody has one. "
" Really? Does everybody have one? I thought only mages had a life stone. "
" Some people's chakras aren't seen by the human eye. The stone of life is life itself, so as long as you have a beating heart, you have a life stone. "
" So in other words, everybody is a mage, just not as strong? "
" Wrong. Strength isn't born—it's made. In other words, you need to train to become strong. "
" But I've seen kids that were pretty powerful. "
" You see, our life stone is connected to our feelings and thoughts. That means you need to be able to control your feelings in order to control your powers. You need a strong mind. Most of the time, mind control is harder than physical training. Physical training can make you stronger, but it's useless if you are not able to control yourself. "
" Ok… I guess that makes sense… somehow. "
Avner was a little confused at this point in the conversation, and after all this explaining, she still hadn't told him what he really wanted to know.
" But that still doesn't explain how I freed myself from the water snake, or why I wasn't able to use my powers until this day. Is it because I have a weak mind, or because I don't have enough training? "
" You kept training every day trying to become a mage, and despite that, you never succeeded. "
" Do you really have to be so mean? "
The way Nephthys phrased that made it sound like she was pointing out what a failure he was.
" You never gave up. You always kept trying. You have a strong mind and lots of training. "
Avner felt much better after being reassured. His hard work had been acknowledged.
" Hmp. Of course I did. I am amazing, aren't I? "
" Shut up. "
" Yes, ma'am. "
His confidence ran out the window with just one word from Nephthys.
" Your case is more complicated than that. Someone is purposely blocking your powers. "
" What? How so? "
" There is something like a shield around your life stone. That shield is keeping your powers inside, not letting them surface. "
" So then how did they come out just now? "
" Your shield cracked. It's still there, which means you still can't reach your full potential. "
" Who would want to block my powers? "
" That is something you'll have to figure out on your own. "
" So since the shield cracked because I was facing a life-or-death situation, does that mean the more danger I'm in, the more it will crack? "
" Don't get any ideas. You may actually die if you try something stupid. "
" Says the one who drowned me not too long ago. "
All it took was a look from Nephthys for Avner to stop talking.
" Alright, alright. I understand. I won't try anything stupid, so please stop looking at me like that. "
" Today's lesson is over. Don't be late tomorrow. "
" I know, I know. "
" She really said that? "
" You are missing the point. I'm saying she almost killed me! "
Avner was having a drink with his cousins, Miyeon and Amabilis, complaining about what had happened during his lesson with his new master.
" I wasn't sure at the beginning, but this time you may really be able to finally become a mage like you always wanted to. "
Miyeon remarked.
" That may really be the case. It sounds like your master is no ordinary person. "
Amabilis agreed.
" No ordinary person? What makes you so sure? "
" She was able to see your shield. Not just anyone can do that—only the best of the best. I haven't even heard of someone capable of that, not even Uncle. "
" He's right. Think about it—Uncle always gave you the best mages to be your masters, but they all failed to even see what the problem was in the first place. They all assumed you didn't have any powers, while your new master not only figured out why you couldn't use them, but also helped you unlock them—on your very first lesson. "
After hearing his cousins out, Avner realized something.
He had never doubted Nephthys's capabilities—not even once. Even though he had never seen her abilities, nor asked what she was capable of, he had trusted her blindly.
Only now did he begin to wonder why.
Why did he trust her?