Seed Of Speed

After he made his goodbyes to Quicksand, Diego rushed to Konto Tower with his [White Lightning Array]. Although his plan to get noticed by the higher ups of the sect obviously worked, he was now worried it worked a little too well as the eleventh floor was rumored to be where the Lead Grand Master of the sect lived and managed the all of the decisions for the sect. If anyone had the ability to sense the Godpower contained within his body, it would be either the Lead Grand Master or the Great Founder.

Thankfully, after Diego came up with the dead master to explain away his sudden increase in power back in his clan, Katalina had created an artificial memory of the event. She assured him that, unless someone had reached her level of understanding of the Mind Arts which was very unlikely on a minor world, no one would ever be able to tell anything was wrong with the memory.

Upon reaching the red sandstone tower, Diego slowed to a normal walk, but to his surprise, his master, Shadowbolt, was waiting next to the main door. She did not say a word and just motioned for him to follow her. Her face looked neutral, if not cold, as normal, but after the two months studying under her, Diego could see the excitement in her eyes which released a bit of his fear.

Shadowbolt led him to a different set of stairs than the commonly used ones by the students and then up. Despite the fact that he was more than physically fit enough to climb all of the stairs, he still could not understand why people that could create a boat that could fly through the air, still had not created anything like an elevator. Those complaints aside, he quickly reached the eleventh floor with his master and followed her into a large meeting room.

Eleven people, of various ages, sat around a large, round table, watching the fight between Quicksand and himself play out across the table. They only looked away from the hologram-like projection when Shadowbolt took her seat at the table. Diego stood slightly behind and next to her when all the eyes focused on him, but it was the gaze of one man, in particular, that made him feel as if he was stripped b.a.r.e in front of him.

Compared to every person he had ever seen since waking up in this world, this man had the most normal skin color he had seen, a pale, rosy color that most Caucasians had while his black hair had turned salt and pepper due to time. He wore a set of loose, unadorned gray robes that could not hide the muscular build underneath. He gave off no feeling of power, but that just firmly solidified Diego's assessment that the man was the Great Founder of the Konto Sect, since he could even feel a sense of pressure from his master.

"Brightmelody, welcome! The other Grand Masters and I were going over your impressive fight. Quicksand may be the most junior of the core disciples and did not take the duel as serious as he should have, your power is still quite notable since you did not rely on your Soul-Singer abilities. I would be very interested in seeing what pushes you to the point of relying on them, or if they can even be used while you were fighting," the old man, sitting to the right of the Great Founder, said with a light smile.

"Apprentice Shaman Brightmelody greets the Grand Masters and Great Founder," Diego said as he placed a hand over his heart then touched his forehead and bowed respectfully. "To answer your question, I can use Soul-Singer abilities while fighting thanks to my cloning spells. I refrained from using them while sparring in the arena, so that I could focus solely on my martial strength."

The Grand Master who had spoken chuckled while the others remained completely silent. The 'video' of the fight rewound to just when it started, and Diego used his [Speed Clone].

"Watching your duel, there were a few spells we could not place. While normally, that would not be something we would pry into, the fact that you have only been here learning magic for two months is quite strange. This cloning spell, for example… no one, including the Great Founder, were able to see through this spell. It was as if you were truly in two places at the same time," the old man said.

"It is a special cloning technique my master taught me before entering the sect," Diego answered with a bow.

"Firesand?"

"No, before I joined the sect, I stumbled across a stroke of great fortune and found myself in a Legacy Tomb. The man inside and I talked for a time before he imparted some techniques directly into my mind which I am still in the process of deciphering," Diego explained.

"A Legacy Tomb?" the old man said, surprised.

This also got a reaction from everyone within the room as everyone sat up with more interest. The old man nodded to one of the few other women in the room aside from his master, who turned her face to look at Diego.

"May we see your memory of the event?" the woman asked.

::Say yes, and stay relaxed. I will handle everything else::

"Yes, Grand Master," Diego said with a bow.

The woman stood up and walked around the table to stand next to him. She placed a hand on the top of his head and both of their eyes closed in unison. A few minutes passed before she removed her hand and their eyes reopened. She pulled out a white jade token and waved it over a symbol on the table.

The image of the duel was quickly replaced by a room with black marble floors and walls and a series of blue wood columns. Katalina had used the knowledge he had collected from the library to fill in the blanks and even given the 'old man' a form that if the right people looked into it, they would discover he was Daz Dumin, Symphony of the Rain, one of the most famous Soul-Singers belonging to the other faction. Being a bard, he did not fight much in any of the wars between the greater factions, but he was well known and respected on both sides and loved taking on disciples, so he became the perfect cover once Diego's own bard abilities presented themselves.

The memory played out as if they were watching through Diego's own eyes. Little things had been added into the memory, helping to create the realistic feeling while also being clues to help identify the identity of the man, like the two-necked ki'ta resting against the back wall or the teapot that had a design of stormy clouds. The memory faded after the old man placed his index finger against "Diego's" forehead.

"I'm not able to access any of the information the avatar gave him, but there is definitely a wealth of information resting behind a unique mental barrier unlike any that I have ever seen," the woman said then walked back to her own seat.

"Thank you for sharing this memory with us, Brightmelody," the Lead Grand Master said. "Well, we did not call you here just to pick through all of your secrets. Although we had already planned to add you to our core disciples once you reached the adapt rank due to your Soul-Singer abilities, your martial ability shows promise for someone without a true master. Those spells you used against Quicksand at the end in particular were very impressive. If you had used them before he activated his [Scarlet-Gold Skin], you would have been able to easily kill him, and the Thunder-based spell was even able to penetrate that defense, albeit minimally.

"I will take this chance to formally offer you a position as a Core Disciple of the Konto Sect. While accepting this position will take away a lot of the freedom you have been given in, the sect will pour countless resources into you to strengthen your body, masters will work with you on a daily bases to improve your martial and magical understanding, and you will be given the opportunity to explore the unique Void Passages that appear throughout the desert."

As tempting as the offer was, Diego knew better than to take it outright. The sect had very loose rules for its members which was why he had agreed to join in the first place, but the 'loss of freedom' worried him.

"What all does it entail to become a Core Disciple?" Diego asked.

The Lead Grand Master chuckled and nodded his head in approval. "Core Disciples are expected to stay within the sect when not out on duty throughout the desert, but this also means giving up any clan duties you may have. Eventually, you would be asked to become one of the pillars of the sect, once your strength is great enough."

Diego frowned and responded, "I am expected to be the next Patriarch of my clan. While I am honestly not too fond of the idea, it is my duty to ensure the clan's safety and strength… Would it be too much to ask that my brother be given a master that suited his ability and also be given some help from the sect to increase his overall strength?"

"His brother is Tovao Telryn, a martial student admitted the same day as Brightmelody," Shadowbolt added as she swiped her white jade token across a rune in the table.

The image of Tovao appeared where the duel and memory had been playing before as well as a list of his information.

"I can agree to such a simple request. We will find him an appropriate master and let him undergo the first baptism for free, but after that, he must use his own efforts," he agreed.

"Core Disciple, Apprentice Shaman Brightmelody greets the Grand Masters," Diego replied formally.

"Good! Shadowbolt shall remain as your magic instructor, but Swordflash will become your martial instructor and will oversee your baptisms. We expect great things from you, Brightmelody!"