The Burning Fiend

A week later Reynolds received the fire elemental spells from rank seven to nine, along with an advanced qi method with fire attribute. Reynolds was happy, he did not know how long it would take him to reach the saint realm, but he was even thinking that he would become a saint warrior before he could become a saint magus.

Now that he had a qi method, Reynolds asked Linley if his family had information about training as warriors he had left his family as his training was just started and the Ernst Institute did not have that kind of information. Linley was happy to lend him his 'Dragonblood Warrior Manual" which contained comments of saint level warriors of his ancestry.

Another week passed and Reynolds and Linley were about to present his graduation exam. Reynolds insisted on going together hopping that his brother's light will eclipse him and allow him to pass unnoticed. But now that they were facing 30 instructors he thought that his plan backfired at him, normally only four instructors would be present to handle the graduation exam, but all of them wanted to see Linley the dual elemental magus and famous sculptor.

He laughed at himself and decided to just go with the flow. Reynolds was the first to go forward and one of the instructors said. "Reynolds cast the fire-style spell, 'fire serpent'". He nodded and started chanting, a few moments later the fire elemental essence surrounded Reynolds and took the form of a giant fire serpent coiled around him. The fire serpent the lifted its head as if releasing a scream and charged toward the target area exploding after coiling around its target.

"Congratulation Reynolds, you have become a sixth rank fire elemental magus and graduated from the Ernst Institute at 17 years old." The instructor provided him with a card which contained his rank and elemental affinity.

Smiling Reynolds said. "Thank you for your care instructors". He then walked towards Yale and George to join in the fun while watching their third brother impressing the instructors as he flew demonstrating the wind-style spell, 'soaring technique'. By now everyone has forgotten about Reynolds and this was exactly what he had hopped.

He laughed with glee at the face Linley did whin he told he was going to pose for painter and sculptors, well fame had his annoying moments he thought. "Eldest brother I think we should celebrate tonight, I think we should go to the Water Jade Paradise to drink and enjoy life". Reynolds said as he looked at Yale. "Why, fourth brother I think you are right! What better way to celebrated than that!".

George looked at both of them and muttered "perverts", but Yale and Reynolds laughed happily and without shame. Reynolds looked and George and said in a condescending tone. "Second brother I surely do not understand you, but I will never judge you... still, why are you trying to force your ideas on us? We can enjoy life now, perhaps by the time that you want to enjoy life you will find you are already an old man that cannot enjoy much of life anymore".

George was annoyed but decided that they both were lost causes with possibility of saving. Linley joined and the four of them went to eat at one of those expensive restaurants as the day was worth celebrating.

Linley's graduation caused the whole of the Holy Union to trembled as he was pursued by old men from different powers at all time. They were forced to move out of the dormitory and live for a while in one of the hotels within the campus. Reynolds started his discussion with George again when he was admonished for wasting time on the Water Jade Paradise with Yale. "But second brother, why do you think there are hotels within the Ernst Institute if not to invite the students to enjoy life?" George was not able to find an answer to this argument and decided to give up once again.

Reynolds was finally practicing his qi method and he could feel the progress each day, he was in no hurry as he wanted a strong foundation. He had waited for 11 years to start practicing qi, he could wait for a few years for his qi to reach the level of his body and then continue improving. Still it was possible that he ended reaching rank 8 warrior level before the rank 8 magus level.

Now he had two hours of qi practice everyday instead of his earlier warrior training, so his life remaining unchanged at least in training intensity. Yale had already found a villa in Fenlai City for him, it was not in the noble area but it was well located anyway and this suited Reynold more. The less people paying attention to him the better.

He decided to move to the villa immediately to start adapting it for his need, he would prepare the runes to hide aura and energy leakage to practice life and death magics. He arrived at his new house with Yale who was happily serving as a guide, the place had a big garden that could be used for his spear training. The villa was surrounded by 3 meter high walls that blocked the view form the outside providing a peaceful and private environment. The house itself had servant quarters, a hall to receive guest and studio and 3 bedrooms.

Reynolds was specially happy to find that the studio had a secret passage to a underground room that he could use for practicing magic without servants interrupting or watching him. The serving crew included two maids, a chef and there would be always 2 guards at the gate that worked for the Dowson Conglomerate. Reynolds was very happy with his new home and move in the same day.

It took him almost a week to complete the rune arrays he wanted and now he could work train without distractions as during his two trips to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts he had made a small fortune that was enough to live in luxury for more than a decade. During this week he learned that Linley had been kidnaped by the Dark Church and rescued by the Radiant Church, life was more complicated now as they were no longer within the walls of the Ernst Institute. But he was happy that his brother suffered no harm, he also learned that his sculpture would be exhibited for month and then auctioned on a grand event. He would not miss that.

After a week living at his new home, Reynold found that he was about to reach the first rank on necromancy magic and decided to tell the servants that he would be on secluded training for a few days and they should not disturb him. He took this measure because he did not know what to expect for his advance in necromancy magic, practicing meditation for this specific kind of magic had always been painful but seemed to be no danger till now, he was more exited than concerned.

That very night he entered his secret room and activated the necromancy runes to slowly adhere the death magic essence to his soul, it hurt a little as always. But just as he achieved the breakthrough an accident happened, he felt as if his soul was torn apart. He was terrified and hurriedly moved to the life magic rune array and activate it, he felt it was helping but the pain was unbearable and ended losing consciousness.

Unknown to him, the life and death energies within his soul were battling each other as if looking for dominance. Both energies were balanced at rank 1 magus level and were trying to consume each other hurting and healing his soul which seemed to be reducing in size, this continued for two days until the fire magic energy that was dominant in his soul seemed to felt threatened by the battle of the two small magic energies that were consuming its host and devoured them in one instant. The two energies of a rank 1 magus level could do nothing to the energy at the rank 7 magus level and were consumed instantly, but a strange phenomenon occurred as the energies were not burned but assimilated slowly changing the color of his soul from pure red into a grayish purple.

After the color stabilized, death and life energy essence started to converge into Reynolds's soul as moths to the flame stabilizing quickly the death and life magic essence in his body to the peak of the first rank, at this point the death and life magic essence slowed down but it continue to flow into him. Reynolds remained unconscious for another 5 days before finally opening his eyes with a confusion that quickly turned into panic as he starting examining himself.

He found that his soul had changed but there seemed to be no damage, it was slightly stronger than before he entered seclusion and noticed that the life and death magic essence were being constantly absorbed into his body without him needing to meditate. He was very happy but the hunger was getting annoying, he felt he had not eating for a month and quickly made his way to the kitchen to ask for a hearty meal.

He knew that he had been extremely lucky and that he should not attempt anything like that again, luck could not always help him and he may have already spent all the luck that was assigned to him at birth on this crazy endeavour.