Meanwhile.
Deep in the heart of Everdusk Forest, Mizan stood, panting heavily. His body was drenched in a mix of sweat from his exertion and rain that had just ceased falling. Ark stood beside him, watching quietly as Mizan caught his breath, his mind still buzzing from the lessons he had shared about what he learned at the academy.
After a brief silence, Ark hummed thoughtfully, his eyes distant as he contemplated something. Finally, he spoke, his voice calm but sure. "It's definitely possible."
Mizan, still recovering, glanced at Ark, confused. "What's possible?"
Ark met his gaze, his tone steady. "Harmonizing both the brain and the heart core energies together. Having both cores as equals, allowing you to reach both ends of the spectrum."
Mizan froze, startled. "What?" He blinked, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "How do you know?"
Ark raised an eyebrow, as if the answer were obvious. "How do I know? Because I'm like that. Both of my cores are equally developed."
Mizan's jaw dropped. The idea that Ark had achieved something that many had debated for years, something considered almost impossible by most, was staggering. Mizan didn't know how to respond. His mind raced, struggling to process the implications.
After a long pause, Mizan finally gathered his thoughts. "How?" he asked, his voice both curious and awestruck. "How did you do it?"
Mizan didn't question whether Ark was telling the truth. There was no reason for him to lie, and his calm, unbothered demeanor only reinforced that conviction.
Ark shrugged casually. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't know how others managed it. It's not like there's a single right or wrong way to achieve it. And even if there is, I'm not aware of it. Maybe it depends on the individual... or maybe it's just luck."
Mizan's eyes widened. "Others?" he repeated, his voice faltering. "S-Senior Ark, do you mean you know other people who have unified both cores?"
Without answering immediately, Ark walked toward the small cottage he had built. With a simple motion, he channeled his magic, causing the earth beside the cottage to sink half a meter deep, forming a perfect circular pit with a four-meter radius. As he worked, he responded casually, "Yes, I'm not the only one. I know a couple of people who have achieved this."
Mizan barely had time to process that revelation before Ark moved again, this time combining fire and earth magic. He directed an intense, searing heat into the hole he had just created, flames so hot they burned a deep purple. The air wavered from the sheer intensity, and Mizan instinctively stepped back, raising an arm to shield his eyes from the blinding glow. The ground beneath Ark's control shifted and smoothed, as if he were polishing it with an invisible chisel.
Mizan watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what Ark was doing. Yet the older man continued speaking as he worked. "I can't say how others managed it," Ark said, his voice calm amidst the roaring flames. "But I can tell you about my own experience."
After a few moments, the fire vanished, leaving behind a flawless, polished surface within the pit. Mizan hesitantly stepped forward, peering inside. The once-rough earth now had a smooth, marbled appearance.
Before Mizan could ask, Ark extended a hand, making a channel in the ground, directing the nearby hot spring's water to flow into the newly formed basin. The water trickled in, filling the space, then drained out naturally, creating a continuous flow that kept it fresh and warm. It was only then that Mizan realized—Ark had just built a hot spring bath.
Without hesitation, Ark removed his cloak and stripped off his clothes, stepping into the steaming water. But Mizan barely noticed. His eyes were locked onto Ark's exposed body, and what he saw left him speechless.
Though Ark's long hair and beard obscured much of his chest and back, what remained visible told a grim story. His lean, wiry frame was covered in scars—small ones, deep ones, jagged lines stretching across his arms, legs, abdomen, and back. Some looked old and faded, others fresher. It was as if his body had endured a lifetime of inhuman torment.
Mizan swallowed hard, unable to tear his gaze away. 'Just what kind of hellish life had Ark lived?'
Ark leaned back in the hot spring, resting his arms along the edge of the pool as he let the warmth seep into his body. His expression was calm, distant, as if he were gazing into the past.
"The place where I grew up had almost no natural energy," he began. "The world force there was nearly nonexistent." He paused, humming in thought before continuing. "If you want an example, imagine a single drop of water in the middle of a vast desert. Nearly impossible to find, and even if you did, it would evaporate in an instant. That's how little energy there was in that place."
Mizan's eyes widened. "A place like that exists in this world?"
Ark nodded. "Yes. I lived my first twenty years there. Because of that, there was no conflict between my core energies—there was nothing for them to absorb in the first place. Hell, back then, I didn't even know what natural energy was."
He fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, before continuing. "I had no understanding of awakened energy cores. I was just an ordinary person, living day to day, trying to survive like everyone else in that place."
Mizan was awestruck by Ark's story. To think that he had avoided the fate of exploding upon awakening simply because he had lived in a place devoid of world energy... But then, a sudden realization struck him.
"Wait—Senior Ark!" he blurted out. "If that place had no energy, just like you said, then how did your core energy awaken in the first place? As far as I know, you can't awaken your cores unless you're exposed to natural energy, right?"
Ark chuckled lightly. "That's true," he admitted. "A person can only awaken their core energy and start unlocking more of their brain's capacity when they are exposed to the world's natural energy. And even then, not everyone has the potential to awaken, even if they're surrounded by it." He paused, then added with a faint smile, "As for how I awakened in a place without any energy... I don't know."
Mizan blinked in surprise. "You don't know?"
Ark shook his head. "Like I said, back then, I was just an ordinary person. I had no knowledge of energy, cores, or any of these things. I lived my life like anyone else—eating what little I could, sleeping when the sun set, and struggling through each day. Until..." He trailed off, his gaze growing distant.