Chapter 138 - Revelation

Chapter 138: 138 - Revelation

The training ground stayed quiet after Evelyne spoke. Several soldiers farther off were still watching them after the Lightning Bolt, though Adrien no longer cared. His mother was right, since nothing she had just seen made sense if he was treated as an ordinary Mage.

He dismissed Umbral Root and glanced at Ariane. She had not said a word since the Six-Star spell hit the target, and her face made clear she had reached the same conclusion.

"I think it’s time I explained something. But not here."

Evelyne did not push. She simply nodded, and the three of them left the training grounds together.

They returned to the manor and took one of the smaller private sitting rooms. Evelyne closed the door behind them while Adrien stood near the window, working out exactly how much to give them. His Path and his Talents had grown too visible to keep hidden after what they had watched him do.

"My Path isn’t Mage, or at least, not only mage."

Ariane frowned at once. "What do you mean? You cast spells. You’re obviously a Mage."

"It’s still a magic-focused Path. It’s just not the normal Mage Path."

"Then what is it?"

"Absolute Magus. It’s a Unique Path."

Ariane stared at him blankly. "A what?"

She clearly had no idea what he meant. Evelyne said nothing and watched him far more closely.

"A Unique Path. As far as I understand it, it doesn’t follow the normal restrictions of an ordinary Path. Mine is called Absolute Magus."

Ariane leaned forward. "So what’s the difference between yours and a normal Mage?"

"A normal Mage has limits. Affinities, Aspects, what they can naturally use and learn. Absolute Magus doesn’t restrict me like that. I can learn any Affinity and any Aspect, as long as I understand the spell and meet the requirements to cast it."

Ariane’s expression changed slowly. "Any Affinity?"

"Any."

That was when the meaning appeared to reach her. Frost, Lightning, Mist and Flame were only where it started.

"My Path also gave me Talents. The first is Absolute Comprehension. That’s why I learn spells so quickly. When I watch someone cast, I can understand the structure much faster than I should."

Ariane looked at him for several seconds, then toward the door, as though the training field were still in front of her. "This morning."

"Mother showed me how she was shaping Fireball and Flamethrower properly. Absolute Comprehension helped me understand what she was doing."

Ariane’s shoulders dropped. She had spent days on Flame with Evelyne, and Adrien had watched for a few hours and closed most of the distance.

"So I can’t actually catch you."

Her voice came out quiet rather than bitter, and Adrien did not insult her by pretending otherwise.

"If we’re talking about learning magic, probably not."

Ariane looked down at her hands. She had been competing with him since his Awakening, and she was only now realising the contest had never been even.

Evelyne finally spoke. "How many Talents did your Path give you?"

"Three."

That pulled Ariane’s attention back at once. Evelyne’s expression barely moved, though the room grew noticeably quieter.

"All three came from Absolute Magus?"

"Yes. Absolute Comprehension is the first. The second is Bottomless Core. That’s why my mana reserves and recovery are abnormal. The third is Absolute Mana Sense. That’s why I can detect mana, spells and people from distances I normally shouldn’t be able to. But that was the one you already knew because it was the public."

Evelyne stared at him for several seconds. "What ranks?"

"SSS. All three."

Ariane’s head came up sharply. Evelyne stayed exactly where she was, turning the answer over before she spoke again.

"On the day of your Awakening, the device only showed one SSS Talent. The other two never appeared."

"No."

"Why did you hide something like this from us?"

"I didn’t want to put either of you in danger. One SSS Talent was already enough to attract attention. Three of them, together with a Unique Path nobody seems to know much about, would make things worse. If the wrong people knew you had information about me, they could use you to get it."

Evelyne’s expression eased. "Thank you for thinking about us, Adrien. Considering what had happened to this family and the position we were in at the time, keeping it quiet may have been the right decision."

She paused before asking the obvious. "Why didn’t the Awakening device show everything?"

"I don’t think it could. I think there was simply too much for it to process properly."

Evelyne weighed that for a moment, then nodded. "That would make sense."

Ariane had gone quiet again while they talked. She sat staring at the floor, visibly deflated, until she suddenly lifted both hands and slapped her own cheeks lightly. The sound brought Adrien and Evelyne around, and Ariane pulled in a breath before straightening her back.

"Fine. Then I’ll find something else I’m better at."

Adrien looked at her. "Something besides magic?"

"Something. I don’t know what yet."

"I’ll wait for it."

Ariane nodded once, apparently satisfied with that, and a moment later she stood and left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Adrien alone with his mother.

Evelyne watched the door for a few seconds before turning back to him. "I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of anything like your Path."

"I’ve met talented people. I’ve heard stories about people born once in generations. But you may genuinely be the most gifted person I’ve ever known or even heard about." Her expression warmed. "And I have the good fortune of calling you my son."

Adrien had no answer ready for that. Evelyne stood and came closer, her face turning serious again.

"But abilities like yours will affect more than just you. The stronger you become, the more weight your choices will carry. You will be able to do things other people cannot, and that means your mistakes can hurt far more people too."

She rested one hand briefly against his shoulder before continuing. "Keep getting stronger. Learn everything you can. Just make sure you grow into someone capable of carrying what comes with it."

Adrien met her eyes and nodded. "I will."