Paragon of Destruction

When Arran awoke, he immediately felt a flood of Essence within his body. It took him a moment to recall what happened, and when he did, he was relieved that he had survived the ordeal unscathed.

He was lying on the grass, surrounded by trees, but he found himself covered with a blanket. When he sat up, he saw that Lord Jiang was sitting on the grass next to him.

"Finally awake, are you?" Lord Jiang said with a chuckle. "It took you long enough."

Arran groaned in discomfort. His body still felt tired, and he was tense from the pressure of the Essence inside of him. Although there was no real pain anymore, the constant pressure made just sitting tiresome, as if he was constantly holding up a large weight.

"How long will this last?" he asked, feeling slightly miserable.

"You will gradually start to feel better," Lord Jiang said, "and the worst of it should be over in a few hours. For now, eat something. It will help you recover."

Arran saw that there were half a dozen plates filled with various kinds of food on the ground next to Lord Jiang, most of it meat. Tired as he was, even eating seemed like too much effort for him to handle. Yet just as he was about to say that he wasn't hungry, he felt his stomach rumble.

"You haven't eaten in three days," Lord Jiang said, with a look at Arran. "Eat. You need it."

Arran started to eat, reluctantly at first. After just a few bites he felt the familiar warm glow of Natural Essence, and the weariness in his body seemed to melt away like snow before a fire. As his fatigue disappeared his hunger grew, and before long, he had already finished half the food Lord Jiang had put out.

He could sense that the glow of Natural Essence was unusually strong, and with a start, he realized that this food was even more potent than the feast they had eaten when they first arrived at Lord Jiang's estate.

"Is this…?" he began.

"I thought that after the past days, you could do with some extra support," Lord Jiang said with a smile. "These are some of the finest pieces from my personal stock."

Arran understood the value of what he was being given, and he accepted the gift gratefully. He knew that right now, it was extremely beneficial to him.

"Thank you," he said, bowing his head.

"Just enjoy it," Lord Jiang said. Laughing, he added, "It will be quite a while before you taste something like this again."

Arran dug in again, though he ate more slowly this time, savoring both the taste of the food and the sensation of Natural Essence flowing into him and replenishing his body.

Finally, he finished the last of the food. He stared in wonder at the empty plates, amazed at the amount he had just eaten. By sheer volume, it was enough to feed a small family for a week.

Lord Jiang nodded in approval. "Good," he said. "With that, you should have an easier time recovering."

"I can feel the effects," Arran said. "Now that I've eaten, maybe it's time for me to test out my power?"

He was eager to find out just how much Essence he could draw with his newly unsealed Realms. From what he could tell, it should be far more than before.

Lord Jiang laughed. "Don't be impatient. Before you start using magic, you need to give your body time to recover. Spend some hours using the circulation technique, and after that, you can go toss around your magic."

Arran nodded. "How long do I need?" he asked. Although he knew Lord Jiang was right, he was still impatient to test his powers.

"Two or three hours should be enough," Lord Jiang said. "I have some business to take care of right now. You focus on strengthening your body, and when I return, we will see what you can do."

As Lord Jiang left, Arran sat down and started practicing the circulation technique.

After just a few moments, he knew Lord Jiang had been right — as he used the technique he could feel his body shedding the last of the fatigue he had felt earlier, regaining the strength he had expended. His body eagerly absorbed the Natural Essence that had been contained in Lord Jiang's precious foods, and soon, he felt better than he had even before the seals on his Realms were broken.

By the time Lord Jiang returned, Arran felt completely renewed, as if he had just enjoyed several months of rest.

Lord Jiang gave him a glance. "From the look of you, I'd almost think I've been too generous with the food," he said with a laugh. Then, he added, "But you must be impatient to test your power. Want to give it a try?"

Eagerly, Arran got up. "Can I?"

"Go ahead," Lord Jiang said. "Just be careful not to overextend yourself."

"I will," Arran replied. Then, he raised his hand and started directing Fire Essence toward it.

"Turn around," Lord Jiang said. With a laugh, he added, "As strong as you are now, I don't want you throwing your power toward the buildings."

Arran did as the man said. Then, once more, he started gathering Essence within his hand.

At first, he had some difficulty. It had been many months since he last practiced with Fire, and it took him a little while to regain his old level of control.

After a few failed tries, he finally succeeded, and he was shocked at the amount of Essence he held. While it wasn't as much as what he had controlled right after he took the ten Realm Opening Pills, it was still many times more than he had held before that night.

He looked toward Lord Jiang. "Can I…?" he asked, feeling a bit hesitant.

"Go ahead," Lord Jiang replied. "As long as you throw it in that direction."

Arran grinned eagerly. Then, with a surge of effort, he thrust out his hand, expelling the massed Essence all at once. The utter power of it almost overwhelmed him, but his will held strong, and a raging mass of fire rushed forth.

It was the size of a small house, but although the sheer size of it shocked Arran, what truly amazed him was the effect.

The mass of fire soared through the air, flying at least a hundred paces and completely obliterating the trees and shrubs in its way. In its wake, all that remained was a vast scorch mark, as wide as a road.

Arran stared in disbelief, and he felt a wide grin appear on his face.

"Don't be too satisfied," Lord Jiang said. "While you're handling a tremendous amount of magic, right now, it lacks the focus needed to have true power. Mages of the adept level and beyond could easily withstand it."

Arran was disappointed, but he knew Lord Jiang was right about his lack of focus. Even before the battle against Stormleaf, he had trouble controlling and focusing his Essence. Now that he had far more of it, his control had only weakened further.

"No need to look gloomy," Lord Jiang said. "You have all the power you could want — enough to match even the strongest adepts. Now, all you need to do is practice."

Arran looked again at the scorched earth before him. With a frown, he asked, "Is there somewhere else I can practice? I don't want to ruin the estate."

"Don't worry," Lord Jiang said. "As long as you stay here, it doesn't matter. I will be leaving soon, and by the time I return, everything here will have long since regrown."

Arran felt a brief moment of sadness when he remembered that he would not be here for much longer, and that he would have to travel to the Shadowflame Society by himself.

With a shake of his head, he forced himself to suppress the feeling. Right now, he needed to practice, and there was a lot of work he had to do before he left.