Chapter 106 What If...?
A cold shiver ran down Lucas's spine.
"Wait," Lucas said, "I don't feel well."
Luu turned around and saw that Lucas was pale and sweating. His eyes were wide open, and his face seemed to have turned blueish.
"Lucas!" Luu shouted.
He rushed over to Lucas, who was still conscious but was starting to lose strength.
"Can you hear me?" Luu asked.
Lucas managed to nod.
"You have to calm down, son," Luu said.
Lucas's breathing became rapid and shallow. Luu grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him to make him stand up straight again.
"That's right," Luu said, "you can't faint now! Your body is too weak."
Lucas took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated on making the bird his avatar. He felt his strength returning to him, and was able to lift up his body. The energy inside his blood was flowing out of his pores and into his hands.
The eyes that were usually filled with disappointment finally opened up and started glowing.
"Renexa!" Lucas shouted as he summoned the white phoenix.
The phoenix flew out of Lucas's hands and took off towards the door.
"Even Izek wasn't able to get control of Renexa so far, kid, you're gifted!" Luu said.
Lucas smiled, "thanks."
"Now come on, we don't have much time," Luu said, "we have to hurry before it starts getting dark." Luu lifted the corners of his lips a little, he was happy to see Lucas be able to control Renexa through his mana but didn't expect it to be so fast.
Also, he didn't sense any presence of Izek, which was a bit suspicious in his eyes.
Lucas stood up and followed Luu as if nothing just happened. Renexa that was flying above them was a beautiful sight, and Lucas couldn't help but stare at it.
"Where are we going?" Lucas asked.
"To the second floor," Luu answered, "the main entrance of the house is situated there."
"Why are we even going there, can't we just go back?" Lucas pointed out a question.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure myself," Luu replied, "but it seems that it's the best option for us."
"And where is that exactly?" Lucas asked.
"Let's go and find out," Luu said.
They walked past the shelves and entered a large hallway that was illuminated by dimly lit torches placed along its walls. Luu stopped and turned to look at Lucas, who was behind him.
"This is the second level of the underground city," Luu said, "there is also a third and fourth level, but we won't be going there now."
"How come?" Lucas asked.
"Because the avatar you need is there right now," Luu said calmly.
Lucas turned around and looked at the wall, trying to figure out why Luu was telling him that.
"I mean..." Luu started explaining, "you need to be able to tap your inner power and channel it from there into your physical body. You have to learn how to use your inner self to control the elements. But that isn't what I meant, you see... the avatar you need to control is right there on that wall."
Lucas looked up and saw a painting of an old man sitting next to a wooden table. The painting depicted the same elderly man that was in the picture that Luu showed him when they met each other for the first time. It was the same one that was hidden in Luu's room.
"Who is that?" Lucas asked.
"That's a portrait of Master Gormus," Luu answered, "he was one of the greatest magicians in all of the world."
"So you're saying that I have to become like him?" Lucas asked.
"No, no, no, not at all," Luu said, "in fact, he is not a mage at all. He is a sorcerer."
"A sorcerer?" Lucas repeated.
"Yes, that's right," Luu said, "he has a lot of knowledge about magic but never learned to harness his inner power and master it. That's why he always felt unconfident because he didn't know anything about his abilities."
"But what did he do?" Lucas asked, he wanted to understand better this whole thing.
"Not only did he study the art of sorcery, he was also a scholar," Luu said, "he wrote a book about the history of magic in this world. He's also a big part of this story." He finished his sentence and looked at the painting again.
"He must've been a very powerful sorcerer," Lucas said, "and I guess he had some kind of connection to the Black Wizard?"
"Maybe," Luu said, "not everything is known yet."
"What does it mean to have a connection with the Black Wizard?" Lucas asked.
"You'll understand soon enough," Luu said, "don't worry, it will take a while until you find out how to use your inner power."
"Alright," Lucas said, "so what am I supposed to do then? How can I connect with my inner powers?"
"Use your imagination," Luu said, "go back to the day you woke up and found yourself inside the field with a jelly monster.
"Yeah," Lucas remembered, "that day, I felt something strange, but it was the adrenaline rushing through my veins, nothing else."
"Good," Luu said, "this is still the key to finding your inner power. Use it, feel it, and it will show you the way."
"Alright," Lucas said, "how do we get started then?" Lucas turned to Luu who had his eyes closed.
"Not now, not here, you're not ready to face this avatar." Luu inhaled more air. His breathing sounded harsh and loud as if he was running out of breath.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Lucas asked.
"I need to focus on the avatar's presence," Luu said, "we're going to the second floor."
Luu and Lucas went down the stairs and approached the door at the end of the hall. They both stopped and stared at the door, which was covered in black paint that made it difficult to see anything from the outside.
It was locked, but Luu tried to turn the handle and open the door anyway. Nothing happened, the door remained closed, and it refused to budge.
"It's not working again," Lucas said.
"Just keep trying," Luu said, "it will eventually work."