Alonzo arrived back at the church. The moment he entered, Alonzo was greeted by a lively atmosphere. Kids were running, screaming, and enjoying their childhood, but the moment Alonzo entered, they stopped, and the situation became awkward.
"Welcome back, benefactor!" greeted Irina as she slightly bowed her head ,she was trying to imitate a noble manner.
Alonzo nodded his head and went past her into the basement.
Behind him stood the kids, looking at his back.
"He's so rude. Can't we kick him out?" asked one little kid.
"Don't be silly, Eddy. He's the owner of this place; how can we kick him out?" said Irina as she patted the kid on his head.
John looked coldly at where Alonzo had stood before but didn't comment ,he was displeased by his attitude!
Alonzo stood in his empty room and started meditating. He would attempt to break through.
'I need your guidance throughout this process, and keep in mind I will destroy you if you try anything funny,' he communicated to Ludociel.
'Don't worry. After all, I am powerless next to you, just a shell of my former glory!'
Alonzo took a deep sigh and started the advancement. 'I first need to decide which element to align myself with.'
After a few minutes of thinking, he decided the best action for his purpose would be space, since it would help him achieve his revenge. Void would be the second-best option; it was a very powerful element meant to destroy everything, but highly impractical when it came to long distances and fast traveling. As for darkness, he didn't even consider it. He would rather choose a rare element so he could develop his own path.
'First, locate your space organ!' said Ludociel.
Alonzo wasn't shocked. Organs were directly proportional to the number of affinities a person had; each affinity had its own organ it was situated in.
Alonzo was a little startled about what he should do to locate it but was quickly helped by Ludociel.
'Try to conjure a spell that has the element you have chosen and watch your body. See where the power of the spell comes from!'
Alonzo conjured space manipulation with his eyes closed and closely watched the movement inside his body. After thirty seconds of watching, he had finally found the organ that had the space element affinity—it was in the left lung.
He stopped casting and started concentrating all his mana in the left lung, precisely filling it entirely.
'Also, with the help of the respective organ, spread the mana throughout your body!' instructed Ludociel.
He did exactly that. He was so focused that he missed the subtle movement of Ludociel.
Alonzo managed to fill his entire left lung, after which he used the help of the lung to fill his entire body with mana. Alonzo was covered in sweat from the strain.
But suddenly, he realized something wasn't right—not the advancement, but the movement of Ludociel. He was trying to take over his body!
Yet he couldn't deal with him now; if he forcefully stopped the process, he would die.
Ludociel got inside Alonzo's brain, but to his surprise, he was met with resistance. Alonzo was in a bad spot; he was passive while Ludociel was actively attacking him.
Yet his expression didn't change. He focused even harder on filling his body with mana.
In the final moment, when he almost advanced to green core, someone entered the room, which almost broke Alonzo's concentration.
It was John, the boy, who wanted to confront him.
'Damn it.'
Alonzo tried to regain his focus but puked blood out of his mouth.
Ludociel, after seeing this, attacked even harder.
'I cannot die, not now. After everything I have been through, I will not be denied. I will continue to persist!' Alonzo said to himself.
A sudden strength beamed inside him—the same strength that appeared on the day he ripped the intruder's arm off.
'What the fuck?' Ludociel was caught off guard.
"Hello? I have a few things I want to tell you!" John was unaware of what was happening. He also ignored Alonzo's order not to come inside the basement.
Alonzo didn't respond. So John slowly approached him and wanted to touch his shoulder when suddenly he was thrown to the wall by a burst of wind emitted by Alonzo's unmoving body.
"What the—" John's words were cut short because he coughed blood from the impact.
Alonzo stood up, but something was different about him. His aura changed. From an already dangerous aura, he now gave off the vibe of a beast. His eyes changed from sky-blue to crimson red. His hair changed from short white hair to long silver hair that reached his waist. His already white skin became pale—but not sickly pale; his skin was filled with vitality. Alonzo stood up from his meditation position. He was taller; from being merely one meter tall, he now stood at approximately one meter and twenty centimeters. He looked down to inspect his body. His clothes were shredded, and his mask fell off his face, being shattered in the process. He was well-built—not bulky, but fit. He turned his eyes toward the ring.
'So you have chosen to betray me?' said Alonzo sarcastically.
'Impossible! How did you manage to advance despite being distracted and attacked mentally?'
Alonzo didn't reply, just used the draining grab to put Ludociel on the brink of death. Screams of his agony resounded through their mind link. Alonzo then threw the ring in a corner and faced John, who was struggling to stand up.
"Now, what did I tell you about not disturbing me while being down here?" said Alonzo as he narrowed his eyes.
"What just happened?"
"None of your concern. But keep this in mind—you're indebted to me now!" said Alonzo as he used his shadow to move John out of the basement.
He was alone now. Alonzo wanted to test his newly acquired powers, but this place was not ideal.
So he went to the forest. Outside, it was already nighttime, making it hard for him to be seen. Alonzo arrived at a desolate place and tried to teleport a tree. His first attempt wasn't so good; he only managed to move the space around the tree. But the second time, he exerted all his strength and managed to teleport it ten meters away from him. Alonzo was pleased with this power. Afterward, he instantly teleported himself fifteen meters in front of him. This range greatly exceeded the previous one, and he didn't lose as much mana as before.
'This is only the beginning,' he said to himself while looking at the stars. Without realizing it, he revealed a genuine smile—the first one since he came here. It looked like his hard work was finally paying off, but his journey wasn't done; in fact, it had just begun. Alonzo practiced until early morning, not even sleeping or meditating.
After he realized the time through the position of the sun, he knew he needed to go to the guild for the team's meeting.
But first, he needed some clothes; those on him were ragged, and his mask was broken, exposing his identity.
He climbed on top of some buildings and saw a clothing store in the distance. Alonzo wanted to use his space affinity to steal those clothes, which he did fairly easily and didn't attract attention to himself.
He now wore a black tight costume that looked more suited for an assassin. He didn't bother to cover his face and went to the guild hall.
On the way, Alonzo caught the looks of many people. Most looked at him weirdly and cautiously, but he didn't bother with them.
He arrived in the Overwatch gathering room; he now had his own chair to sit on. He was the only one present except for Morok.
"You seem changed. Your features and even demeanor are nothing like before. I won't ask, but I advise you to be careful—you've exposed your identity. Now it's bound that people will greet you with hostility!" warned Morok while he analyzed Alonzo.
"I will keep this guidance in mind."
Soon all the members gathered. Each of them saw Alonzo's transformation, but none expressed their opinion except Isah.
"What have you done? You look so different, and the magic around you is weird!" said Isah, concerned about him.
"It's all right. I have just advanced!"
Isah calmed down and didn't pursue the matter, seeing Alonzo didn't give further information.
"I will distribute each of you a mission. Times have changed; people are commissioning more and more missions!" said Morok as he gave each their respective mission details.
Morok finished assigning missions to the older members of the team, but when he reached Alonzo, he stopped and thought for a little, then said:
"You will be assigned as a helper—a representative, you could say—to participate in the Empire war in the south with the small kingdom Kamus. You will be given further details at the designated location!"
Isah jumped from her seat and protested:
"You're sending him to his death! Why would—"
But she was interrupted by Alonzo.
"It's okay. This mission fits me!"
She wanted to say something but stopped herself.
'I should allow him to make his own decisions, not interfere with his free will!'
Morok slightly laughed and said while touching his white beard:
"So it's been decided. Dismissed!"
Alonzo decided he would head there overnight. First, he wanted to deposit his herbs and stuff he didn't need in his basement and instruct the kids in his house.
As he stepped outside the guild hall, he was intercepted by Isah with her arms crossed.
"What's the matter with you?" asked Alonzo, confused.
"What's the matter, you say? The matter is you've been cold to me since the time I first met you," said Isah, displeased.
"I am sorry, teacher. I never meant to be cold to you; it's just the exterior I show," Alonzo lied through his teeth.
"Disappointing," said Isah as she simply left.
Alonzo was never good at acting, but it seemed he would have to learn how to act if he wanted to get stronger.
After Isah left, Alonzo went back to his house to prepare for his departure.
He went past the motel that was in front of the guild, but Alonzo could feel someone staring at him. He turned around to meet Leia's gaze for a split second, after which they broke eye contact. Alonzo didn't think much about it and went on his way.
Soon he arrived at his destination. The kids inside didn't look as playful as before when they saw him; they actually looked scared and cautious. 'It seems the boy told them about the incident regarding my advancement!'
"Gather around me!" commanded Alonzo.
They didn't argue, but they looked unwilling as they did as he said.
"Listen, I will be away for a few days. I want you to purchase these things!" said Alonzo as he gave them a long list.
Irina took the list and looked at it weirdly.
"But sir, I can't read!"
This stunned Alonzo. He forgot those were beggars who didn't have any basic education.
He sighed in defeat and thought of another way.
"Just go to the guild hall and ask the person there to read it out for you. His name is Mike!"
The kids nodded in unison.
"Also, Irina is in charge. Listen to her. Some cleaning wouldn't hurt, so start cleaning if you wish to stay here!"
The kids looked at each other but didn't disobey.
Alonzo left them after giving some further instructions and slept. After all, it would be a long journey; he needed rest. Meditating is also a form of rest, but if you need to fully replenish your strength, you need sleep ,meditation is not enough.
Alonzo woke up from his improvised bed and did some morning stretching. After which, he went on his path to the Kamus kingdom.