'What the hell?' David thought, staring at the messages he was getting from a friend.
David furrowed his brows as he tapped open one of the messages.
BREAKING: Logan Mercer, heir to the Mercer legacy, appears publicly for the first time in 18 years.
Attached was a photo. Logan, standing at the podium, holding the mic with one hand.
David stared at the image on his phone. His smirk faded instantly.
There was no mistaking it. Logan Mercer, dressed in a suit and no longer malnourished, standing on a podium with full media attention on him.
"No fucking way."
He zoomed in, heart rate picking up. Logan's eyes looked colder, but he recognized them. He'd seen that face hundreds of times before.
"That loser... that's Logan Mercer?"
His friends glanced over. One of them, confused, asked, "Wait, you know him?"
David didn't answer.
Instead, his mind went back to the last time he'd seen Logan. At the time, he was beaten badly, laying inside a puddle of vomit on the ground.
'Shit,' David thought, a sick feeling settling over him.
"I have to go," David said, blood rising to his head.
"Why? What's up?" Tiël asked, noticing David paling.
"Check the news yourselves," David answered, already rushing off campus.
"Dumbasses," he cursed to himself as he ran to his car. 'I need to talk to dad immediately.'
As he stepped on the gas, panic set in. Everything was starting to click.
'Teacher James being banned from teaching and unable to take any other jobs,' his mind raced. 'Logan's disappearance coupled with the rumours of a massive flying shuttle going over the poor side of town.'
He slammed the car door shut and ran into the house.
'I'm screwed,' was all that was going through his mind.
"Dad!" David shouted through his villa.
Getting up from a couch, David's father looked confused but walked over at a rapid pace.
"What's going on, David?" he asked, inspecting him for any injuries.
"I've got a problem," David said, slowly explaining what had happened.
As David continued, his father's face began to pale.
David's father didn't speak for a long time after he finished.
The silence in the room felt heavier than anything David had ever experienced.
'Surely dad can save me from this,' David prayed, even though he knew it wasn't true.
"You idiot," David's father cursed silently.
A few hours later, Logan finished meditating and got ready to go to his bed.
'Tomorrow morning I'll be breaking through,' he thought, staring at the ceiling.
Falling asleep peacefully, Logan had no idea how much panic and fear he'd sown back at his old school.
It wasn't just David and his friends who feared for their lives. No, after the rumours spread, even unrelated students who'd seen Logan get bullied were scared.
The next morning, Logan woke up early again.
After washing up, he sent Silas and Edric a text, asking them to come over and help him during his breakthrough.
Yesterday, he'd continued cultivating until he felt a full feeling, as if he couldn't improve his core any further.
'That was the signal,' Logan thought. 'Now I have to stimulate my core with large amounts of energy from my affinity, then I'll consume both the Orchid and Lotus at the same time.'
While outside mana sources weren't necessary to break through to a new core grade, it was preferred to have some.
'The more energy you can reinforce into your core, the stronger you'll be after all,' Logan thought, smiling as he grabbed two metal boxes.
A minute later, Edric and Silas both stood outside his door.
"Good morning," Logan greeted, letting them in.
"Good morning," Edric said, walking in while Silas gave a nod with a large smile.
"So, are you ready for this?" Silas asked, sitting down on Logan's couch.
"As much as anyone can be," Logan answered, sitting down too.
A short silence fell, with Logan staring intently at the two boxes.
"You are going to have to breakthrough in your training room though," Edric said, snapping Logan out of his thoughts.
"Alright," Logan nodded.
"High-ranking affinities usually affect the environment during breakthroughs," Silas said knowingly. "And you don't want to switch rooms again, do you?"
Logan smiled, scratching his head. "I'd prefer not to, yeah."
Another short silence fell before Edric spoke up.
"Alright, do you want to get started then?" he asked, standing up.
"Yes please," Logan answered, feeling slightly nervous.
"The first time is always the best," Silas started, smirking as he stood up. "But before we start, there are a few things you should know."
"As you channel energy into your core, the pain will begin," he said, smiling. "Especially since your affinity is of such high level, expect a lot of pain."
"Once you push past that moment of pain, you have to eat the Orchid and Lotus and focus deeply on expanding your core," Silas continued as they walked to the training room.
"After expanding your core until you reach your limit, you have to pour all the energy into the core's walls to strengthen them."
Logan nodded, sitting down on the training floor.
Silas and Edric each placed a box beside him.
Opening the boxes, the temperature started increasing rapidly while a fierce aroma spread through the room.
Taking a few steps back, Silas had one final remark.
"Don't worry about getting too much energy from the flowers. Your affinity will eat up all the remaining energy when you can't get rid of it anymore."
With that, Silas and Edric stepped back, unsure what kind of reaction Logan's breakthrough might trigger.
Staring at the floor in front of him, Logan mentally prepared himself for the breakthrough.
'I got this,' he told himself, exhaling sharply.
He gestured to Edric and Silas that he was ready. Closing his eyes, he focused deep within himself until his consciousness stood before his core once more.
'This is where it really starts,' Logan thought, putting his attention on his affinity.