Four years had passed since Andrew started Xaryus and Zadius' gruesome training. His methods were harsh but their physical and magical strength had soared over the years.
Over this time, he had imparted upon them various swaths of knowledge he had deemed essential for his "Blades".
Bestowing upon them a surprisingly accurate and vibrant education on the world they inhabited; Etherios.
He explained that all persons must undergo an awakening before they can be called sorcerers. He stressed on the fact that no matter how talented one was, they should never bet their life on their spite.
"True strength is derived from your skills as a warrior. Your spite only strengthens that foundation"
That was the phrase Andrew had pounded into their minds at the start of their training.
His first teaching was how sorcerers develop their cores. He explained that cores naturally develop as sorcerers grow older and when they utilize their spite.
Another method of developing one's core was through absorbing the cores of slain monsters or magical roots and elixirs filled with highly dense mana.
Upon absorbing said mana into their body, each sorcerer has a natural rate of conversion. Their bodies naturally absorb mana and convert a portion of it into Kel.
Kel was a purer form of mana that saturated a sorcerer's core until it reached its peak state.
Upon reaching that state, they would undergo a breakthrough and their core's rank made a leap. Said leap increased the amount of mana the core could store as well as the density of mana within the sorcerer.
However, each sorcerer had a wall that they could not scale by just saturating their cores.
***
Cores were briefly mentioned in the parts of the book they had already read, so Andrew simply built upon what they already knew; they're a type of spiritual organ that each sorcerer possesses and acts as a container for both their mana, their spite and their stigma.
The ranks for each core state are separated into eight stages and each rank is referred to as Inept, Adept, Expert, Master, Grand Master, Exalted, Legend, Mystic, Apex and Ascended.
***
His second teaching was showing the brothers mana circulation, which was a method that sorcerers used to draw spite from their cores to enhance themselves.
After the boys showed great progress in mastering mana circulation, their training suddenly became more rigorous and life threatening. Andrew was pushing them way beyond their limits.
When he had learned that the two of them not only possessed stigmas, but they also possessed stigmata, he was ecstatic as if he had just found a mountain of gold.
Although the words that expressed their 'stigmata' ability were dull, the mere fact that it was there meant everything.
"They're truly gems… their father was right." Andrew thought briefly as he looked on at Xaryus and Zadius sparring, with very sharp daggers.
By the third year Xaryus and Zadius became accustomed to Andrew, solely because he was the only person they had interacted with for the last few years. As time passed, they hated him less and less and had grown complacent.
But even that was short lived.
Halfway through their third year of captivity, Xaryus and Zadius had become rather capable in using mana circulation to enhance themselves physically as well as utilize the boons granted to them by both their spite and stigma.
***
During the fourth year of their captivity, Zadius had turned fourteen and Xaryus, thirteen. To commemorate the occasion Andrew had purchased personal weapons for them.
Xaryus received an iron short sword and an iron dagger, whilst Zadius received two iron long daggers and a set of throwing knives.
Expectedly, they were conflicted at the "Gift" they got from Andrew, they had already known all too well that it would come with some sick and twisted catch.
However, they couldn't help but feel a sliver of joy at the sight of a gift. Many years ago, they would have rejected something as barbaric as weapons.
But they had been molded by Andrew over and over again, their past selves were now faint visages of their present. The only thing that had remained was a deep and well-hidden hatred for Andrew.
Xaryus and Zadius humbly accepted their gifts with conflicted emotions littered across their faces.
"Go, rest." Andrew commanded with a soft smile.
***
Xaryus and Zadius were laying down in the room they had woken up in so many years ago. It was much cleaner and more comfortable than it was before.
They each had their own beds which weren't in great condition, but it was still better than the conditions of their previous home.
Xaryus had slowly fallen asleep, tired from the day's vigorous training schedule.
Zadius on the other hand couldn't help but stay awake, there was an uneasy feeling resting on his shoulders. He was accustomed to such thoughts, oftentimes his mind raced when it had no reason to.
So instead of worrying, he simply stretched out his hands and played with the shadows around him.
As he passed his hand through the darkness, the shadows became tangible like a loyal servant happily grasping at their master's hands.
His control over his [Herald of Shadows] ability had grown much stronger, but he was still limited in what he could do.
***
At the dead of night, the entrance passage of Andrew's underground base slowly opened.
Five pairs of footsteps sloppily stepped down into the dark main chamber, each of the intruders slowly crept their way towards the door to Xaryus and Zadius' room.
They had no way of knowing that they were walking into a den of beasts that had been kept from civilization and nurtured against their will for many years. All for a single purpose…
To kill.
Slowly, the five intruders moved through the darkness as quietly as they could. They were already on high alert because the heavy metal door to their target's room was wide open.
As they moved closer, the room came into view and Xaryus and Zadius were nowhere to be found.
Shocked, they began to whisper amongst themselves.
"Where are they?!"
"Is this just a sick joke?"
"Can't we just leave, I don't wanna do this?"
"Run away if you want, I'm not risking my life."
"Andrew said it was an easy j-" The apparent leader of the intruders was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.
There was a swift whistle, then the sound of a liquid splattering across the floor. In another moment the young man had abruptly fallen to the ground, his head rolling to the feet of another figure.
"Andrew sent you?" Zadius asked.
The four remaining figures were utterly shocked, their jaws ajar.
A young man with grey hair and tired black eyes had stepped out of the embrace of the shadows nestled in the chamber.
He held two long daggers in his hands, one of them covered in fresh blood. His gaze was sharp and filled with indignation
"I'm not surprised, seeing as how Andrew went to so much trouble setting the stage." Zadius thought, observing how much the chamber had changed while they slept.
All of Andrew's belongings were long gone and he was obviously nowhere in sight.
Now, it was only them and the intruders.
It was obvious what Andrew wanted them to do. Zadius closed his eyes for a moment before raising both his daggers, "I'm so tired of this…"
Quickly, two of the remaining intruders rushed towards Zadius and swung their weapons at him recklessly. Neither of them was able to land a proper attack... Zadius easily parried the first attackers blow and grabbed the young man by his collar.
He shifted his weight pushing his hips into the intruder, throwing him over his shoulder and slamming him into the hard stone floor.
The force of the blow shook the second attacker; his friend couldn't have survived something like that.
"I don't have time to worry about him, I could be next!" the second attacker screamed internally, raising his sword up into the air and dropping it down unto Zadius with all the force he could muster.
Suddenly, just before his blade bit into Zadius' flesh, the sound of metal rang out in the chamber. The intruder's blade was repelled by an iron short sword, and standing between them was a young boy with black hair and yellow glowing eyes.
"How did he stop me so easily!?" the intruder thought.
"What are you doing!? Help me!" he suddenly shouted at the last two people behind him: still shaken by their leader's sudden death.
Seemingly brought back from their shock, the last two intruders entered the fray, but they were no match for Xaryus and Zadius.
The boon of strength Zadius gained from his [Kin of Shadows] ability whilst within shadows was well beyond the scope of the intruder's capability. On the other hand, Xaryus' boon of strength was much more noticeable.
Spite Ability: [Solaris]
Spite Description: You are a vibrant star destined to suffer endlessly to save others, however, Law cries out at your suffering and eases that pain with a blessing; as a blade and an emissary of light, your body has been made to harness powerful energies.
Using his [Solaris] ability by speaking its name, Xaryus was able to harness a powerful swath of light-like energy.
It could be used to further enhance his physical traits and even coat his weapons in searing light. The former of the two altered the state of his eyes, giving them a bright yellow glow.
In just a few moments, the chamber beneath the quiet city of Rosa was littered with bodies and blood. Standing above them were two young boys that had killed people for the first time.
Something that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.