Chapter 20: Fondling With The Ring

Weeks passed in rare peace.

The wind brushed gently against Aden’s long hair as he sat below his master, his posture straight, expression attentive yet restrained. Fallen leaves drifted across the training grounds, settling briefly before being carried away again—much like the thoughts Aden kept carefully contained.

“After our training sessions, I’ve come to some sort of understanding about your resonance state.”

Aden’s ears perked up.

His eyes remained fixed on his master’s as silence stretched between them.

“Your growth follows the conventional scales of this world… partly.”

Aden’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his words.

“I’m sure you noticed this during our spars, but your deviations into that state of madness has become more controlled, yet despite your restraint, your strength remains steadily increasing.”

Aden nodded, his expression unreadable.

Kaelthorn spoke longer than usual. Aden listened as his master dissected his condition with an openness he rarely showed. He explained refinements in footwork, subtle shifts in attack timing, defensive patterns meant not to suppress Aden’s power, but to guide it.

Aden remained silent throughout this time and absorbed whatever he said, simulating everything his master said to him in his mind.

“And remember, your most fatal flaw lays within yourself.”

A soft exhale reached Aden’s ears. When he looked up, he noticed his Master was watching him closely.

’There’s that look again…’ Aden thought as he stood on his feet.

“Your lessons are profound as usual, Master.”

With those words, Aden bowed and took two steps forward before his Master’s words stopped him.

“There’s an issue, Aden.”

Aden’s expression changed as he faced the large back of his master.

They looked a little slouched, the wind blew against his large frame, but the fringes of his fur cape remained stationary.

“I intended to keep this away from you, but things have become a little troublesome the past few weeks.”

Aden had already returned to his previous position, a certain urgency in his steps as his heartbeat increased.

“What happened? Are we in danger?”

Kaelthorn nodded, a small stick manifesting in his hand as he begun chewing intently on it.

“It would seem some people are after your life and one of them after mine…”

Aden tilted his head slightly. The casualness in his posture vanished, replaced by a hardened stillness. A cold glint passed through his eyes as he listened.

“There were five more attacks in my territory, but they were handled. But regardless, I can tell that this is merely a prelude to what is to come.”

Aden sighed heavily, his hands clenching the soil below him as his mind raced.

’Why am I still being hunted? Wasn’t this body dead? But what’s the deal with Master being hunted too?’

Aden picked up a loose branch and stuck it between his lips as he fell deep into thought.

’These people must be strong, but no one’s stronger than Master. Yet again, for Master to speak of this means things are not as simple as it seems.’

“Go have some rest, there’s no point in reasoning useless things. Your strength should be more than enough to dispose of the children.”

Aden finally broke out of his thoughts at his master’s words.

He wanted to say something, but the slow shake of his master’s head stopped him.

Aden wordlessly stood up and walked to the back of the cabin with swift steps.

Aden sat at the pavement behind the cabin in a locus position and took two deep breaths before he fixed his eyes on the ring that lay on his finger.

Over the past weeks, nightmares had plagued every moment of rest—strange symbols, whispers spoken in a terrifyingly familiar voice, surfacing whenever he was alone and leaving him questioning his sanity.

His master’s warning solidified the unease already gnawing at him.

He had to breach the ring.

Whether it held answers or only deeper danger no longer mattered.

The air twisted slightly as he released his resonance, funneling most of it into the ring.

Since his breakthrough, Aden’s control had sharpened considerably. Compared to his early days after reincarnation, his resonance now moved with precision rather than force.

He was confident he could handle most high-ranking beasts in the jungle with relative ease.

Exhaling through his nostrils, he pressed his energy firmly against the invisible barrier.

A low rumbling sounded before a blast of energy flew forward and collided squarely with Aden’s face.

Letting out a small groan with a twisted expression, Aden reassumed his position and tried once again.

This time, he tried a different approach.

Rather than bombard the ring with massive amounts of energy, he attempted channeling tiny strands of it into the ring.

Multiple strands flowed into the ring at different angles, each driven with careful precision as they penetrated the surface.

The force field remained sturdy, but there was no backlash despite how long he fiddled with the restriction.

The strands grew thicker immediately as they pulsed through the ring.

Veins surfaced softly on Aden’s head as he struggled to maintain concentration and find the ’key’ to opening the ring.

Aden increased the density of his energy once more and pushed fiercely.

A small crack finally sounded in his head.

’Yes!’

Aden’s expression was determined as he infiltrated that crack and expanded his energy spontaneously.

The glass shattering sounds grew louder and the restriction posed less resistance.

Over continuous trials, the restriction finally fell apart.

A smile formed on Aden’s face, elevating his handsome features to greater heights.

He infused part of his consciousness into the ring and studied the internal environment.

If he had eyes, they would widen to their limit.

The sheer size of the room reminded him of a castle. Golden floors reflected the curved ceilings and golden furniture that rested in the center of the room.

Two books rested on the center table, each bound in a black and red covering, with a sun and moon symbol engraved on them respectively.

His consciousness grazed their surfaces and a burning hot and numbingly cool sensation flowed through him immediately.

He shrinked away from the table as his energy flickered visibly.

He circled round the table a few times in a studying pattern before wandering down the castle.

A large door opened automatically as he passed by it. Without a second thought, he passed through the opening and went further down a hall.

The hall stretched on endlessly with every movement taking a portion of his energy. Luckily, his reserves had increased so he had more than enough time to explore.

A stairway led him downstairs and a golden shine that shot through the centre of the stairway drew his attention.

He went off the stairs and ’jumped’ down to the source of the light directly.

His energy flickered heavily once more— this time not from fear, but from shock and sheer excitement.

’Weapons!’ he screamed internally.

His form went through every inch of the treasure trove. Axes, gun–like weapons, swords, Sais, bows and even war hammers slightly similar to the one his Master carried, were all present in abundance.

His form rotated above the spot multiple times in celebration before he flew upwards and out of the ring’s domain.

’I have to tell Master about this! Taking care of those fools will be a breeze!’ he rejoiced.

Retuning to his body, the smile on his face turned into a frown immediately.

His eyes scanned the environment for any changes, but found none.

But his heightened senses told him differently.

The air was different— not the air itself, but the resonant energy that resided within them.

’Someone else is here— no, multiple people.’

His eyes grew sharp as he jumped off the pavement and through an open window into his master’s room that faced the front of the cabin.

“Master isn’t here…”

“I sense him nearby, but there’s—!”

His body ducked without warning and a knife whizzed past his head and buried itself deep into the wooden building.

Aden didn’t have time to think as he jumped out the room, his body turned as he escaped in order to ascertain the general position of the assailant.

Two cold pairs of eyes met his, as he flew out the room and rolled on the ground expertly.

His energy flared as he stood in a battle stance, his fists coated in transparent white energy as he watched them dissapear into the darkness of the roof of the cabin.

The chirps of birds prevented the silence from becoming deafening, but they had no effect the growing sense of danger that welled within Aden.

“I will find you, and I will kill you,” Aden muttered as he vanished from his position.

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