It's currently day four of training with Kezess. And I have to say he is a surprisingly good teacher, despite his focus being on how I used aether and not what I was doing with it. Day two had been spent on activating the first phase of Sylvia's will with speed and efficiency, something I thought was already accomplished back in Zestier but the asuran lord was of a different opinion. The part that rubbed my pride the wrong way the most was that he was right, the improvement I experienced in a single day was staggering.

Unfortunately for me that meant moving on to practice actually using the art granted to me by Sylvia. Said practice consisted of me running around the room with Kezess swinging a mana reinforced charwood stick at me, the whole point being to teach me how to identify what strikes I could actually use the force canceling art on and which ones I should dodge. And wasn't the threat of pain a powerful motivator for me to learn. Needless to say, my healing factor worked overtime that day.

That same day Sylvie and I finally decided that despite the dangers it could bring, telling Kezess some of the things I have learned to do with aether to earn some brownie points would leave more paths open for the future. We thought over what I should tell him and came to the conclusion that for now I was only going to reveal the extent of my self healing and Godstep. Since my affinity is for spatium it wouldn't be impossible for me to learn an art of the branch by myself.

So now here I am seated in front of the most dangerous being in the world, about to reveal some of my secrets.

"Now then, what is it that you wish to talk about?" Kezess asked before I could start speaking.

"It's about aether. I'm sure you noticed how fast I was healing yesterday." I receive a nod in confirmation. "The thing is, that's not all I'm capable of when it comes to aether usage. I actually learned an art on my own before coming here." This statement got Kezess attention.

"How so? And what is it?" He asked, trying to mask his interest but the changing shades of purple in his eyes betrayed him.

"It started with me developing a technique for instantaneous movement. As I practiced this technique and used it in combat, I eventually felt the knowledge for the aether art fall in place in my head. What it does in essence, is allow me to see pathways in space and when I step through one of them, I arrive at the destination in an instant. Basically short ranged teleportation with my current proficiency." I finish and wait for the dragon lord to react in any way.

After a few minutes of silence there is finally a response. "I see. And why reveal this now."

"The reason I kept this hidden so far is because Sylvia told me how some dragons tend to be when it comes to this subject. Some are even willing to kill for the knowledge while others might see me as a threat for not being an Asura." I answered while throwing a jab at Kezess' past actions and keeping my true intentions to myself.

"I cannot deny that some of my brethren would go that far. But now that you are under my protection, only the fools will bark and nothing more." He pauses for a moment. "With that said I would like a demonstration of such art. It is a very different method from what my daughter used."

Giving him a nod, I get up from my seat and let aether flow towards the godrune. Seeing the aetheric pathways I feel for the one that will take me to the other side of the training room and take the step, appearing on my minted destination facing Kezess on the other side.

As I made my way back, I noticed how the gaze of the dragon lord lingered on my sternum for a fraction of second before he addressed me. "A very useful tool to possess, one that will be put to the test once you're back from the Mapellia clan territory. But for now we resume yesterday's practice."

And that's how day four was spent, more running around trying not to get beaten with a stick. And I hate to admit it, but the way Kezess went about chasing was extremely efficient, like every move was calculated to bring the most out of me and ensure mistakes were only made once. By the end of it I was confident enough to use force canceling in battle.

Day five was when we started all about Realmheart physique and how I've been inefficient in the way I use it. Though the way he said it might as well translate to 'you're doing it wrong' which I definitely disagree with, but kept it to myself.

Kezess started by asking me to move the ambient mana but without absorbing or trying to form any spells, explaining that it's possible for a mage to use mana even if it wasn't purified in the core first, albeit in a very limited manner. Useful in a pinch for sure, but not powerful enough to tip the scales in a fight.

Towards the end of the day we moved on to shaping the ambient aether using both my mana and the aether 'in my body', as he said it but at this point I'm convinced he figured out I had an aether core and is just not saying anything.

Day six was pretty much the same as day five but with a bigger focus on aether manipulation and how to use it to enhance spells. One unforeseen benefit from this training with Kezess was how it helped extend the duration in which Realmheart physique resonated with the godrune of the same name. While it still wasn't something that lasted long, I would like to think a two minute improvement was quite significant considering the only thing I got by myself was a few seconds.

The one thing I was not prepared for was day seven. I expected something like using everything I learned throughout the week in just one day to make sure I could incorporate every lesson into my fighting style. What I didn't expect was for Seele to swing a sword at me while throwing spells left and right with enough force to one shot the average silver core mage while only being allowed to use force canceling and the flimsy barrier Kezess taught me on the first day.

And to rub salt in the wound, Kezess looked like he was having fun watching me run for my life. I was going to get back at him for all he did in the past to the Djinn and the elfs, but now it's definitely a bit personal.

After what felt like an eternity, the overgrown lizard finally called an end to my 'test' as he called it.

"You have done well today Arthur. Continue honing these skills you learned from me and Agrona's mutts won't be a threat to you. Now return to your room and rest as tomorrow you and Sylvie will be going with Windsom to the Hamadryad territory."

I nodded and thanked Kezess for his time before leaving. I reached out to Sylvie through our bond to see how her day was leading to us talking for quite a bit. Once I finally laid down in bed I made a mental note to contact Tess when the next portion of training began, as I had a feeling it would be very much like when Windsom just threw me in a forest, so no risk of anyone noticing the ring I wear is a communication device.

I just hope there won't be another demon leach situation, but I suppose that's for future me to deal with.