Chapter 2: Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion – Chapter 2: Exolsia and Anima

"You make sure to behave, alright?" Gwen wept as she hugged her son, Oscar, tightly.

"Mother, you're going to break my spine!" Oscar flailed his arms, trying to escape so he could breathe. His mother was very emotional and squeezed harder.

Henry managed to separate his wife from Oscar before he could suffocate to death. Her face was messy with tears. Henry held it together better than his wife, but his obsidian eyes were slightly wet.

"Don't worry, Mother, Father! I'll visit the next chance I get." Oscar was also crying but not as much as his mother. He held his parent's hands with a sad smile.

"When I return, I'll be a powerful Exalt and take you both to live without worries."

"Idiot, you'll always be our greatest worry." Henry embraced his son. His stoic, sturdy body exuded a comforting warmth that made Oscar feel at peace.

Oscar turned to the platform in the town square. A large crowd had gathered again today. Even though only Oscar and Isabella were leaving with the Exalt, they still came to see them off.

"Hey, Terr Family." Carlson Thorn arrived with his daughter Isabella. Her face was the definition of excitement, her cheeks were red, and her eyes were frantic.

"Sorry for being a bit late. We just said our goodbyes to Clara." Clara was Carlson's wife and Isabella's mother, who passed away ten years ago.

"It's only proper to visit Clara. She would have been so proud of you, Isabella."

"Thank you, Auntie." Isabella thanked Gwen before glancing at the platform. Lewis had not arrived yet, but she stepped onto the platform more confidently than before.

The crowd noticed Isabella and wildly cheered for her. Some of the youths that were rejected had unwilling looks or scowls. But their parents smacked them to stop that.

"She is going to be a future Exalt. Make sure to pay your respects." The adults scolded the immature youths.

After all, even if it wasn't their children, Oscar and Isabella were still part of this region. They were the future Exalts of the Brilliant Drake Empire. As long as they make a good impression, Oscar and Isabella may remember their roots and share benefits in the future.

"Well, I'll be off!" Oscar waved goodbye to his parents and skipped through the massive crowd onto the platform. Everyone stared weirdly at the large backpack he had.

Isabella looked curiously at the bag, "Why do you have so many things?"

"It's all my books. I have some stories about Exalts, guides on survival, indexes about wildlife." Oscar gave a thumbs up to Isabella, who just rolled her eyes.

"I don't think you would need so many books."

"Nonsense, books are precious in any situation."

Isabella sighed helplessly. Oscar was truly a fanatic when it came to his books that it drowned out anything else.

BOOM

The skies quaked again as an object appeared from the clouds. It had white sails and tall masts. Its bottom looked similar to a boat's hull but had six holes on the bottom that glowed brightly.

"An airship!" Someone exclaimed as the crowd could not move but stare in wonder. They had never seen an airship before. A great device that flew in the air, unfettered by the laws of the world.

It was said that airships were plentiful in the large metropolises of the Brilliant Drake Empire. They were often used for armies, transportation, or for people of high status.

Lewis Walsh was on the ship's deck and jumped off, landing in front of Oscar and Isabella. His eyes barely registered Oscar but lingered on Isabella.

"The Blue Ocean Pavilion granted me the use of this airship for the safe transportation of our new students. What was your name?"

"Isabella Thorn, Great Exalt." Isabella bowed before Lewis and replied politely.

"Ah, Isabella! No need to lower yourself so much. With your great talent, it's only time before you surpass me."

Lewis embarrassingly rubbed his head. He did not speak any lies. Those with Grade 8 were monstrous talents compared to him.

"Well then. Let's go." Lewis took Oscar and Isabella by the hand and flew upward to the airship.

Oscar and Isabella were flustered the whole way up. The sensation of the flight made their bodies tremble.

On the boat, they took heavy breaths as their bodies felt tight. Lewis smiled at their reactions. He experienced similar nausea the first time he took flight.

"If you become powerful Exalts, you will learn how to fly. Come. Your accommodations await."

Lewis led them inside the airship. The halls were sparkling white and lit with crystals. Oscar and Isabella admired the craftsmanship and beauty of the halls along the way.

Finally, they reached a set of doors that revealed a luxurious interior. The bed inside was large and with the whitest cloth Oscar and Isabella had ever seen. The room was grand with an outside view and a water fountain, making a soothing, flowing sound.

Oscar was excited to be in such a room but noticed a strange peculiarity. He turned to Lewis and asked, "I only see one bed, are we meant to share one bed?"

Lewis felt awkward at the question and coughed slightly. "Boy, this room is only meant for Isabella. Your room is somewhere else."

Oscar noticed the discrepancy in how Lewis talked to Isabella and him. He treated Isabella with a tinge of respect and openness. But he did not even note Oscar by name and talked indifferently.

But Oscar kept his complaints inside his mind, but his face scrunched a bit. He could not ruin this chance to become an Exalt just because of a difference in treatment.

After saying goodbye to Isabella, who decided to lay down on her bed and enjoy her room, Oscar and Lewis moved on. As they walked more, Oscar felt weird but kept his mouth tightly shut. Eventually, they entered a room.

"This is your room."

Oscar looked around and frowned. The bed was plain, not as gorgeous as Isabella's, and not even covered with the same quality sheets. There was no fountain or an outside balcony, not even a window to brighten it up.

Oscar took a deep breath and put down his things. He felt his irritation building up and tried to calm down.

"I'll be speaking with the two of them after you've settled in. Meet me outside in 30 minutes."

Lewis did not want to continue babysitting and left to have his own private time. Oscar immediately closed the door and plopped right onto the bed. He left out a huff of air, displaying his frustration.

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"What's with this blatant favoritism. Is having a Grade Eight Exolsia that different from Grade Four?"

Oscar knew there was a difference in talents in all fields. Like how some folks were better bakers than others. But eventually, they all reached the same level through continual practice.

He decided to clear his mind and rest until he had to meet Lewis.

~Thirty Minutes Later~

Oscar and Isabella stood on the airship's deck. They could see so far into the distance of mountains and forests on top of this ship, an endless view. Oscar felt it was a pity he could not just stare out all day.

"Now then. I'll explain some of the basics of Exalts and answer your questions." Lewis, who was waiting on the deck

Oscar's eyes shone after hearing this. Even though he felt indignant at his treatment, he never let that affect his eagerness for knowledge.

Lewis continued, "As you already, the Exolsia core allows you to become Exalts. What you don't know is why there are different grades."

"Yes, having Grade One Exolsia core means you can practice to Exalt status. But it is maddeningly long and tough to advance."

"Advance?" Oscar asked.

"There are different stages of an Exalt, grouped into different levels. Each level means being a stronger Exalt and having a longer lifespan. Exalts advance from one level to the next."

"All Exalts start from the Apprentice Level. They are not much different from ordinary mortals and have 100 years of lifespan. But they are stronger and can utilize spells."

"As an Apprentice Exalt becomes stronger, they reach a point to advance to the Elite Level. An Elite Exalt has 150 years of lifespan."

Oscar stopped breathing from everything Lewis had said. To think Exalts were separated like this. Of course, Lewis was not finished.

"After Elites are the Knight Exalts. It is the rank where you can fly like me. They have 200 years of lifespan. Then there are the Marshall Exalts with 300 years of lifespan. Lastly, there is the King Exalt with 500 years of lifespan. King Exalts can overturn mountains and oceans with a flip of their hand."

"Are King Exalts the last stage?" Oscar posed another question, but Lewis was unbothered. Fresh recruits often had many questions.

"There are rumors of more powerful Exalts above the King Exalts. However, I do not know what they are. Also, such a level is far from where you and I are. So it's not necessary to talk about them."

"Then the grade of the Exolsia core we possess means how fast we can progress from one level to the next?" Isabella asked.

"Exactly." Lewis praised. "Suppose a Grade One would take ten years to progress. A Grade Nine can do so in a tenth of the time. But Grade Nines are extremely rare. Perhaps one in a million can have just talent. However, Grade Eights are not that far behind." He looked at Isabella with great interest.

"Grade Fours are not slow, but they aren't that fast either. The issue always comes that you try to progress but eventually, you have no more time to get stronger and simply pass from old age."

Oscar clenched his hands. He did not think there would be such a difference in the Exolsias. No wonder Lewis favored Isabella. She had a superb chance of becoming a powerful Exalt in a short amount of time.

"As long as I progress before my lifespan ends, I still have a chance, right?" Oscar was not deterred.

Lewis was shocked to see Oscar's calmness and determination. Usually, so many lower grades lament their luck and try to make excuses.

"That is extremely tough. Also, even if you managed to progress at the tail end of each lifespan, there is still one glaring difference between Exolsia cores."

"Each Exolsia core also has an Anima that represents it. This Anima is the form of your soul. It could be an animal, plant, or tool. The grade of Exolsia represents the strength of the Anima. Suppose there were two people with the same sword anima. The one with the higher grade would easily overwhelm the other."

Oscar and Isabella were once shaken by the new information. There was so much about Exalts and Exolsia core that they did not know.

"In battles of life and death, the difference between Anima can make the winner. That is the main reason why higher grades are coveted. They progress faster, and their animas are powerful."

"Sir, how do we find our Anima?" Oscar never saw anything like a spiritual Anima anytime in his life.

"When you first become an Apprentice Exalt, the form of your Anima will be clear."

Isabella could not help but wonder about her Anima. Since her Exolsia was Grade Eight, the Anima would be wondrous. Her elated thoughts were cut short as she remembered the boy next to her.

'Poor Oscar' She looked at him with a look of pity.

Oscar crossed his arms in deep thought. He racked his head about the problem of Anima and finally asked, "How do I overcome the difference in Anima?"

Lewis stared at Oscar for a while, which made him uncomfortable. Was this question inappropriate, or was he just wrong?

"Anima isn't the end all be all of Exalts. Exalts also use spells and strategies to defeat their enemies. Anima helps out in the power of your abilities, so the ways to outdo a higher Anima would be to have counters against its specific type or to have a deeper mastery of Anima."

"A deeper mastery?"

"Back to the sword anima, suppose the higher grade sword anima could only perform simple pokes while the weaker sword anima could do several strokes and techniques. The weaker one could win. Of course, Anima doesn't exactly work like that, but this is a good example to follow."

"The deeper mastery means, the more a person understands and utilizes their Anima together in their fighting. You'll learn what that means in the Blue Ocean Pavilion."

Lewis cleared his throat. "That is all I have to explain to you. We will arrive at the Blue Ocean Pavilion tomorrow. So get some rest."

He departed to his room, leaving Isabella and Oscar behind on the deck.

"I'll be heading back." Isabella felt awkward with Oscar after learning all the differences between their grades.

"Don't worry about what he said. I just need to work ten times as hard, right?" Oscar cheekily smiled at Isabella, who slightly smiled back. She did not say anything else and returned to her room.

Oscar was all alone on the ship's deck. The day was still young, so the two suns were slightly above the horizon. He grabbed the rails and looked straight down to the ground. The trees looked so small, like small blotches of grass.

"I'll just work harder." He mumbled to himself. Although he initially did not want to be an Exalt, he felt a surge of ambition pushing him onward.

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