色戒无删除版

The guardian deity was silent for a moment as if he was pondering if he should tell them or not. It was something he had seen in the past. He thought that it already happened because of that incident a thousand years ago and yet those words came to him again. The guardian himself was not even sure if it would be happening this time.

"Duke Galahad Blackwell, this world has started to fall. We may survive now but the future has always been bleak. If one may find a reason to spare this world then we shouldn't worry but if one may find a reason to destroy this world then we may not survive. The future is not set in stone, no matter how small the hope is, we may have the chance to change it." The serpent's voice became a whisper in the air that brought chills to both Ezio and the duke.

"Is this a prophecy?" Duke Galahad asked after he stilled his heart. Those words were already engraved in his mind.

The serpent did not answer. Galahad waited for it to speak but it never happened. He was not entirely sure as to what the serpent was talking about or who the serpent was pertaining but there was a vague feeling in his heart.

"This young man is with you, who is he?" The serpent instead asked and avoided the topic about the prophecy.

"He is Ezio Constantine, a companion of the Rigel," Galahad introduced. Since the guardian doesn't want to talk about it, he decided that he won't pursue the matter.

"A 'dimension walker', how convenient that someone like you is by his side. It must have been fate that let you meet him. I hope that you will make the choice that will satisfy you and won't leave you regrets." The serpent was again talking in cryptic words that made the young man confused.

He was pondering about the prophecy he just said and now he was talking in a mysterious way again. What made him uncomfortable though was that he was talking about him. It felt like he was giving him advice but there was something more behind his words.

"I don't understand…" he trailed off while his focus was on the painting of the guardian deity which felt more and more like it was alive the longer he looked at it.

"You'll understand when the right time comes." The serpent's voice faded until not even his presence could be felt inside the room.

Ezio looked at the duke with a frown on his face but Galahad could only shake his head. Even he himself was confused by the words from the serpent. He was also in a state of confusion that he couldn't think about what the guardian had told Ezio.

They remained in a stupor inside the shrine for at least ten minutes before the duke finally decided that they should return to the manor. At the mention of going back, Ezio's eyes widened because he actually forgot about that matter because he was too caught up with the conversation between the duke and the guardian. He hastily walked outside of the shrine to try and create a gate that will lead them back to the manor.

As expected, his first attempt was not successful. He tried again for the second time but he still failed. Galahad saw that he was becoming more and more anxious every time he failed. His anxiousness was messing with his control over his mana and his magic that was why he kept on failing.

"Don't be anxious. I know that you are under pressure right now but you need to focus. You'll only disappoint yourself and him if you don't calm down. Emotions play a strong influence in how we control our mana and how our magic will be." He walked up to the young man and patted him on his shoulder.

He could feel the tension on his body with that one tap. He was so stiff that whenever he circulates his mana inside his body, it abruptly stops which also resulted in the magic spell not materializing. If this continued it would take them ages before they could go home using a gate.

"Anger will make your magic stronger but there's also the possibility of you losing control over your mana which could make you go berserk. Obsession will help you perfect your magic and mana control but it will also cause you to feel stagnation. Anxiousness will give you the drive to improve but it will mess your mana flow and your magic won't manifest. On the other hand, calmness will give you the opportunity to explore more and think more. These are just examples of emotions affecting magic." He slowly explained and with those words Ezio finally stopped.

He took several deep breaths to calm the fast beating of his heart. He even closed his eyes so that he could concentrate. The duke was right, it would not help him if he continued to be anxious. He was worried that the master would be thoroughly disappointed with him so the feeling of rush overwhelmed him.

Galahad took a few steps away from Ezio and watched from the side. He could tell that the young man had not received proper guidance while he was learning magic. He was not even taught of the basic trait of magic. The tower must have perceived him to be important just because he could use space magic but as to teaching him how to use it, they did not do it.

After internalizing what he has heard, Ezio slowly felt for his mana core and slowly drew mana from it. He slowly pulled a strand of mana from his core and started to circulate it in his body until it reached his fingers. In the air in front of him, he raised his hand and pointed at nothing in particular.

A red magic circle slowly appeared out of thin air but it was still unstable. It was a bit hazy and the lines were not clear. Ezio frowned because he could feel that his spell was not working so the magic circle broke.

He did not stop there though, he drew out mana once again and circulated it then just as the first time he almost did it, a red magic circle appeared but this time it was bright. Ezio continued to circulate his mana to sustain the magic circle until at last a gate appeared.

Ezio opened his eyes and was surprised because a gate was really in front of him. A proud smile bloomed on his face because of the success he achieved. His smile was contagious that even the duke couldn't help but praise him.

"That was excellent. You learn fast and you should keep in mind that your emotions will determine what your magic will be once it manifests," the duke reminded him.

He was able to overcome his bottleneck at that moment but if he slips up again, then it would become more frustrating for him. He looked at the gate that appeared before them and with regards to appearance it was more pleasing to the eye because it looked like a gate. The door to the gate opened at that moment and the swirling black unknown behind it was still the same as the ones that Rigel created.

"Thank you, your excellency," the grin on the young man's face was bright and innocent. "I hope that my master would be happy that I can already make a gate."

Galahad laughed for the first time because of Ezio's enthusiasm, "You shouldn't have your hopes up. As far as I have seen, your master is not easy to please."

The smile on the young man's face faltered but he still maintained it, "Well, you are right about that, your excellency but I will still look forward to it no matter what his reaction will be."