The golden rays of morning sunlight filtered through the windows of the Augustus estate, illuminating the long dining table where Noah and the girls were finishing their breakfast.
The scent of buttered toast, brewed mana-leaf tea, and warm fruit lingered in the air.
Outside, the breeze carried the chirps of distant mana birds—a rare moment of calm.
Scarlett leaned her chin on her palm, eyes locked on Noah.
"You're not running off again, are you?"
Lyra crossed her arms beside her. "You skipped dinner last night, and now you look like you've made another decision."
Noah smiled gently. "You're not wrong."
He stood, brushing his coat aside. "Starting today, I'll be going into closed-door training."
Layla's fork froze mid-air.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "For what exactly?"
"I want to refine my mana control," Noah said. "With all ten of my elements."
Lyra's eyes widened. "All at once?"
"Yeah."
Scarlett blinked. "How long will it take?"
Noah thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm not sure. But if all goes well… no more than a week."
Both Lyra and Scarlett nodded in understanding.
"Then good luck," Scarlett said with a soft smile. "We'll be training too. Don't fall behind."
"I won't," Noah chuckled.
But before he could turn to leave—
Layla stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the stone floor.
Her voice was quiet and sad.
"You're going to leave me again?"
Noah froze. Her eyes—usually playful—were dim, filled with something deeper.
He stepped toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's just for a few days. I promise I'll be back before the week ends."
Layla bit her lip, eyes lowering. She nodded, but the sadness remained.
Noah leaned in, whispering against her ear, "When I return… let's go on a date."
Her amber eyes lit up instantly.
A smile broke across her face. "Fine. Go and come back soon."
He turned toward the door. "See you all soon."
◇ ◆ ◇
Once outside the estate's main courtyard, Noah summoned a shadow clone. The dark mist curled upward from the ground, forming an identical version of himself.
"Watch over Layla," Noah instructed, voice firm. "If anything happens, notify me immediately."
The clone raised an eyebrow. "Even if she gets moody because you didn't kiss her goodbye?"
Noah's glare turned icy. "Touch her… and I'll erase you myself."
"…Tch. Alright, alright," the clone muttered. "Overprotective bastard."
Noah turned and walked away, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
So what if it's my own clone, no one get to touch my girls.
◇ ◆ ◇
He walked alone into the deepest corridor of the mansion—one even he hadn't stepped foot in before.
It had been hidden away… until his mother once whispered its existence during a rare moment of clarity.
A place said to house the Elemental Room.
Ten minutes of descending spiral steps later, Noah stood before a massive steel-engraved door. The center bore the Augustus family insignia:
A shadow queen riding a thunder beast across an ice storm.
He pulled out the insignia and pressed it to the center of the door.
A low hum echoed.
A mana circle activated, glowing faintly, like a fingerprint scanner—but for his mana.
He channeled his mana into the circle.
Click.
A low groan filled the chamber as the massive door creaked open on its own.
Noah took a cautious step forward—then paused.
"…What kind of absurd security is this? Is there a divine relic in here or something?"
The moment he stepped in, the door slammed shut behind him.
Boom.
"Alright. No turning back."
◇ ◆ ◇
The chamber was ancient—etched in runes, silent and cold.
In the center stood ten towering stone obelisks, each inscribed with one element.
Noah approached them one by one.
He placed his hand on the first.
Fire.
Heat exploded into the air, washing over him.
Then Water. A cool pressure pushed back against the heat.
Then Wind—a gentle whisper curling through the chamber.
Earth—the ground steadied.
Lightning—static surged down his arms.
Light—a radiant hum filled the room.
Shadow—a cold dread swept across his spine.
Nature—a warm, pulsating aura like blooming life.
Space—reality twisted for a moment.
Time—his heart slowed, then raced again.
The air grew heavier—so dense that a normal mage would've passed out in seconds.
But Noah wasn't normal.
He knelt in the center of the room.
"Let's begin."
◇ ◆ ◇
At first, Noah focused on syncing just one element at a time through his core.
The moment he opened his veins—
Fire seared through his blood. His skin flushed, sweat instantly pouring down his temples.
"Like swimming in lava," he muttered.
Then came Water, freezing over his nerves.
"—Grhh…"
The clash between opposites was violent, nearly knocking him out of focus.
But he held on.
Lightning followed—sharp, stabbing arcs dancing through his muscles.
Wind flared next, spinning the mana in chaotic currents, throwing off the balance.
Each new element was like a storm in his veins.
Shadow crawled into his thoughts, whispering self-doubt.
Light tried to cleanse it—but too quickly, too harshly.
Earth resisted the flow, grounding too hard and slowing everything down.
Space twisted his sense of direction—his hands felt distant from his body.
Time broke the rhythm of his own heartbeats.
And finally—
Nature bloomed—he felt roots inside him, expanding, anchoring everything with calm power.
"Focus…" Noah growled through gritted teeth.
◇ ◆ ◇
Three hours later...
His body trembled.
His shirt clung to him, soaked in sweat. His eyes were bloodshot. His teeth clenched tight enough to chip.
Mana poured through his veins like molten iron.
His skin burned.
His limbs ached.
But he kept going.
"I need to make it flow together. Not just hold them... but harmonize them."
Five hours later...
He began to find the rhythm.
One breath at a time.
Each element tuned itself slightly closer to his core.
Not fighting. Not clashing.
But resonating.
Like a symphony, slowly tuning before the performance.
Still… his body paid the price.
Veins bulged across his arms.
Steam rose from his skin.
At one point, he even vomited black blood—corrupted residue from misaligned elemental overload.
"Control... not power. That's the key."
"I won't brute-force this. I'll master it."
Six hours later..
His breathing slowed.
All ten elements now flowed in one unified spiral around his core.
Sweat dripped from his jaw.
His muscles ached, twitching from strain.
His clothes were soaked, his legs numb.
But his eyes—
They glowed.
With the light of someone who had touched the edge of something greater.
He opened his palm.
The elements began to spiral around it like threads of raw energy.
He didn't try to fuse them.
Not yet.
This was just the beginning.
Noah smiled faintly, collapsing back to the floor, chest heaving.
"I'm... not done."
"It was only the beginning."
The real training start now.
To be continued...