Inside, Oscar could not see a single thing. Not a single spark of light could be seen. He tried to struggle and get up, but the guards had bound his hands behind his back.
Suddenly, a snap echoed in this empty room. All around the walls, lamps were alight with green flames. Oscar was shocked that the floor was not the usual stone but a clean dark marble, reflecting his appearance.
"You're a troublesome person, aren't you?"
Oscar saw the Warden, Draven, seated behind a large fashionable table with artistic engravings of waves and tides. The warden elegantly poured some tea from a pure white pot.
"Want some tea?" Draven held a cup in Oscar's direction, but Oscar was too far away to take it. It was obvious that the Warden was joking around.
"Master…." Oscar dryly said.
"Ah, my young, temporary protege. You dared to attack a prisoner in the Ataer Pits. If it were in the cells, I would not care. But anyone who walks into the Pits is a precious resource that can mine the ataerstones. Tell me why?" Draven swiped his hands, making the table disappear, and crossed his legs.
Oscar smiled, "Master instructed me to defeat John, but you did not specify if I had to do it in the cell or fight him head-on. What I did was within the bounds of your instructions."
"Hmm." Draven tapped his fingers in thought. "I guess I should have been more rigid in my wording."
"Perhaps Master will be more prudent in these matters in the future. But it is the truth that I passed, right?" Oscar was still weary on the floor, but his words did not lack vitality. The situation made him feel like all the pain had been worth it.
"Fine. I can't go back on my word like a criminal. You've passed."
"Thank you!" Oscar felt a surge of relief. The exhaustion and the cool, comfortable feeling of this marble floor made Oscar fall asleep.
"Hey…." Draven said coldly, unable to believe that Oscar had fallen asleep in his office. "Do you think this place is somewhere your dirty body can do whatever it wants?"
Seeing that Oscar had no response, Draven sighed loudly. Oscar's body started to float in the air with Draven's power. The peaceful look on Oscar's face made Draven feel weird.
Where in this god-forsaken prison would you find someone with such an expression?
"I can't say you did well, but it was a task accomplished. I'll let you rest before we start the training. Kekeke" Draven and Oscar disappeared from the room, only leaving Draven's mild cackles.
…….
Great Elder Robert was meditating in his private training room in a secluded corner of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. His peaceful elderly face was content.
Elders enjoyed the benefits of training inside the places with the best amount of Ein. The greater the rank, the better the rewards. But, very few could enjoy the benefits that Great Elder Robert had.
However, Robert was rudely interrupted by a scrolled-up message that appeared above his head, dropping lightly on top of his white hair.
"Who has the gall?" Robert grabbed the scroll, engraved with the seal of the reverse Blue Ocean symbol. It was the symbol of the Abyss Prison.
"Only that crazed fool, Draven, has the power to slip a message through the wards like this." Robert's brow furrowed, thinking about Draven. As the Warden, Draven was on the same level of authority as Robert.
The two were the pillars that held up the Blue Ocean Pavilion alongside the Pavilion Master and the Grand Commander. It was a pity Draven was insane, making him an unpredictable loose cannon. The Pavilion Master sent Draven to the Abyss Prison to be the Warden, partly to keep him away from the affairs of the Pavilion; it seemed the perfect fit as Draven felt right at home handling all the various prisoners.
Robert grumbled as he opened up the message. For the past day, Draven had sent a torrent of messages, harassing and insulting him about the decision on Oscar. He expected this message to be the same and opened it with little enthusiasm. But when he read the message, Robert could not help but shout, "What are you doing, Draven?!"
…….
Draven hummed with a bit of satisfaction. That hateful Robert should have gotten his message by now. It's a shame he could not see the wrinkled face contort in an uproar.
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The low humming woke Oscar up in a cave illuminated by a torch in the middle. To his surprise, Oscar felt his body was extremely light and pain-free. He studied his own body and found all his wounds were closed, his fractures reset, and his bruises cleared.
"I've treated your injuries. You are completely fine now." Draven tossed Oscar a bag. Inside it was a couple of rations.
Oscar held the precious food in his hands. The fight for the rations was brutal in this prison, yet he received so much. Oscar prostrated before Draven with a grateful heart. "Thank you, Master!" His voice was hoarse from waking up.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have the excuse to harass an old idiot. Take that as a reward."
"Old idiot?"
"No need to know. Eat, and we will start."
The ravenous Oscar ate his food without restraint. It was like a wild beast tearing into its morsel. The unmannered display made Draven wince from how inelegant it was.
He began to ponder teaching Oscar some manners or not.
After devouring the rations completely without a speck of food left, Oscar rubbed his stomach in contentment.
"Disciple." Draven's words sparked Oscar into action. He immediately stood up straight and at attention.
"Yes, Master!" Oscar did not want to continue making a bad impression on his master.
"What was your name?"
"My name is Oscar Terr."
"Oscar, you are now the temporary disciple of this honored self. To be truthful, I expected you to defeat John after waiting and gathering your strength." Draven started by scolding Oscar. "You were far too reckless in challenging him too early. If not for your unexpected attack, you would never have defeated him and made me waste my words."
Oscar nodded in shame.
"Your attack on the solar plexus was quite a good idea, but you lacked an understanding of your opponent's strength. Never take such a fight without having some backup or trump card." Draven paced over to the end of the tunnel, patting the craggy walls. He assumed a stance, prompting Oscar to recall when the Warden used his pickaxe.
In a flash, Draven's fist slammed into the rock wall, smashing a large crater with cracks spilling outward.
Oscar was shocked by the display of power, but what caught his eye were Draven's feet. The ground had caved in under the warden's feet. The section of the ground where the Warden stood had become a small crater.
"What did you see?" Draven turned to Oscar, who felt a tremor down his spine.
It was the same line of questioning as before. Oscar answered instantly before Draven could approach him. "Your feet smashed into the ground!"
"Not bad." Draven's tone lightened. "Do you know why the ground under me became a mess when I was simply throwing a punch?"
"Please teach me, Master!" Oscar was enthusiastic about learning.
"I'll tell you later." Draven shot down Oscar's request. Before Oscar could ask, Draven brought his finger to his lips, silencing him. Oscar closed his mouth and waited for Draven to speak. "That attack did not use a single speck of Ein. It was purely by my own body, although I held back tremendously. If I had gone all out, this entire cavern would have collapsed into dust."
Oscar looked at the large crater in awe. An attack without Ein was that devastating.
"We have six days here. I'll tell you after the first set of training we will do. First, let's get you out of those chains." Draven flicked his hand, and the chains that bound Oscar vanished.
The sudden loss of weight nearly made Oscar lose his balance. But, the feeling of liberation made Oscar so happy he could die. The deer anima inside him pranced around his core in joy from being freed from the bindings.
This respite did not last long as four black bands appeared on his hands and feet. Oscar crashed to his knees. These wristbands and ankle bands were heavier than the cuffs and chains.
"These bands are thin yet heavy. They are perfect for training." Draven was about to continue until he saw Oscar circulating his Ein to overcome the weight. "I can't let you do that."
Another thin band appeared, but this time, it went on Oscar's neck. It was unlike the other four; it was lighter than a small pebble. However, Oscar felt his core was locked up again, and his deer anima whined feebly as the chains bound it.
"My disciple. You will complete this training without your Exalt powers and Ein. Otherwise, you might as well go back to your cell."
"I…understand." Oscar forced himself back up and stared at Draven with a look of determination.
Satisfied with Oscar's display of tenacity, Draven snapped his fingers, and a large box of small vials came out. "These elixirs are worthless to Exalts. All they do is help recover your muscles. But for you, they are a godsend. Drink one."
Oscar took a vial of red elixir and downed it in one gulp. It had a weird taste like it was full of sour lemons, but the elixir was amazing! Oscar felt his strained and torn muscles get back to peak condition.
"Your torn muscles naturally recover to be stronger than before. Do you think all those prisoners are strong for no reason?" Draven explained. "This elixir hastens that natural process by a thousandfold. Drink it anytime you can no longer move. You'll be back up instantly."
"What is this elixir called?" Oscar was shocked at the effects of this elixir. If he could get some for his father, it would help the farm.
"It is the Hytr Elixir. You cannot even consider it a grade-one elixir. I asked for a large stock for you."
Oscar looked at the vials and felt something was off. What kind of training requires so many elixirs for muscle recovery? The realization dawned on him. The heavy bands and these vials were a clue of the Warden's training.
Draven brought out a shovel and handed it to Oscar, confirming Oscar's suspicions.
"Dig."
"What?"
"Use this shovel and dig deep. Dig a pit that stretches as far down as possible. Don't worry about food and water. I'll toss them down to you."
Oscar stared at Draven's helmet-covered face, unable to say anything. The shovel was much heavier than the pickaxe. It forced him to hunch over to keep it from touching the floor.
"Is this alright, Master? What if I break a bone or worse?"
"I can heal your wounds as I did before, and these elixirs are here for a reason."
What an insane maniac! Oscar was in disbelief at Draven's style of teaching. No one in their right mind can think of breaking their student down and healing them to keep breaking them down.
"This is my training." Draven's tone darkened. "You shall start now."
Fearing punishment, Oscar put all his strength into the shovel and stabbed it into the ground. Not even half the shovel was in the dirt because of Oscar's powerless arms.
Oscar strained everything in his body. His legs quivered from how tight his muscles had gotten. He lifted the shovel and tossed the small amount of dirt aside.
Draven observed and said, "No rest. You only have six days. Keep going."
With no way out, Oscar stabbed the ground once more.
Draven's training had begun.