Julius sat cross-legged on the flat surface of a wide stone, deep in meditation. His breathing was steady, focused. All around him, the forest pulsed with quiet life. Yet in his mind's eye, only the golden orbs existed—fifteen of them, tiny, glimmering specks of pure nature energy. They hovered in his mental space, spinning gently like stars in a distant galaxy.
The sun crept higher in the sky, slowly nearing its peak—noon approached. Yet the sweat trailing down Julius' face had nothing to do with the heat of the sun. It was the strain, the burden of channeling and molding the nature energy that soaked his shirt. Every second pushed his body closer to its edge.
Around him, the trees whispered their thirst into the wind, yearning for rain. The rocks beneath were steadily heating under the sun's gaze. And yet, the stone Julius sat upon remained cool—untouched by the rising temperature. The reason was simple: nature energy.
The Grand Mage, seated some distance away under a swaying tree, was silently channeling moisture to its roots. The tree responded, granting its broad shadow to Julius and his stone. In return, nature energy swirled gently, keeping Julius protected from the heat.
Julius breathed heavily. His black shirt clung to his body, and his trousers, belt, socks, and shoes were all damp from the effort. Still, he held on.
The Grand Mage sipped from a gourd calmly, watching the boy with quiet amusement.
Suddenly, Julius opened his eyes, his body soaked in sweat.
The Grand Mage spoke, "So is this your limit?"
Julius grinned and replied, "Of course not. Don't underestimate me, old man."
Without hesitation, he pulled off his shirt, revealing a lean but defined musculature—one carved not from weights or weapons, but by nature itself.
The Grand Mage tilted his head, "The nature energy has shaped your body muscles in a pretty amazing manner."
Julius blinked, "What do you mean?"
"The more progress you make in absorbing nature energy," the Grand Mage explained, "the more your body develops in accordance with it."
"Woah, I see." Julius murmured, mildly stunned.
He sat again, this time with only his white undershirt clinging to him, and closed his eyes.
The golden orbs slowly began to return, one by one. A few minutes passed and they all gathered—fifteen, just like before. But fatigue clung to him now, heavier than before. Every so often, one or two orbs flickered and vanished. Then, they'd reappear.
He was at his limit.
The Grand Mage whispered to himself, "This boy… does he truly believe he can defy the will of nature energy? It has rejected him. And still, he presses forward. Not even I could change that decision in my lifetime."
Then, something changed.
One more golden orb flickered into existence.
Sixteen.
Julius opened his eyes and collapsed backward, half of his body draped over the stone, panting.
"I did it…" he wheezed, "The amount increased from fifteen to sixteen."
The Grand Mage's eyes widened. He stepped forward in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
"I increased the nature energy from fifteen to sixteen."
"Stop joking. Nature energy is sacred. We do not make jest of it."
"I'm not joking. I swear it."
"Sit back on the stone. Let me examine."
Julius nodded and resumed his position. The Grand Mage stepped behind him, placing the tip of his staff gently on Julius' back and closed his eyes.
Nature energy flowed from him into Julius, forming a conduit. Through it, he could sense the precise amount of energy the boy carried—just as he had during their first training session.
And now, the count began.
One… two… three… twelve… fourteen… fifteen…
...Sixteen.
The Grand Mage's eyes snapped open.
"How is this possible? No mage in generations has ever accomplished this. How did you do it?"
Julius shrugged, "Nothing special. I just imagined the number rising. But it drained everything I had."
The old man stared in disbelief.
"From imagination alone… This child… he's a monster."
Julius looked up at him, smirking.
"Why are you sweating more than me, old man? I'm the one who's exhausted."
The Grand Mage quickly regained his composure.
"Nothing important."
"Alright, then can you heal me up so I can try again?"
The mage coughed lightly.
"No. Your training is done. We'll continue tomorrow. Rest for today."
His staff tapped the ground as he turned.
"But we've barely made it halfway through the day. I still have hours left in me."
"Push yourself further and you'll destroy your own body."
Julius sighed, "Fine."
He stepped off the rock and looked back, patting it with a smile.
"Thanks for the help." Then he glanced up at the tree, "You too."
Picking up his shirt, now draped over his arm, Julius and the Grand Mage began their walk back toward the palace.
The air was hot and fast, drying the sweat from Julius' body as they moved. The forest seemed to hum in agreement—training was over for now.
But something unexpected awaited them.
Outside the grand palace gates stood a carriage unlike any other. It shimmered gold under the sun, adorned with elegant floral carvings. Two radiant white unicorns, with flowing pink manes and spiraled golden horns, stood hitched to the front.
The carriage wheels glinted like gold. A closed window faced Julius' side.
The Grand Mage stopped in his tracks.
"The Queen and the Princess have arrived."
"Who?" Julius asked, confused.
"You'll see. Just follow me—and don't do anything foolish. The Princess is... volatile."
"Old man, what are you talking about?"
"Just come."
Julius followed behind, glancing at the carriage in awe.
"Woah… it really is made of gold."
He reached out to touch its polished surface when a sharp, haughty voice rang out.
"What do you think you're doing to my beautiful carriage, insolent creature?"
Julius turned, startled.
"Huh?"