The silence following Elara's question weighed heavily in the room. Adrian had prepared for this moment, crafted responses and deflections, but her words struck deeper than expected.
His composure cracked when she spoke of A-Rank Defenders achieving something similar. The revelation unsettled him in ways he hadn't anticipated.
"So... this wasn't just me?" Doubt crept into his normally unshakable voice.
Elara's expression softened, though her tone carried the gravity of truth. She moved closer, her presence both comforting and intimidating.
"Few in humanity ever reach such a stage, Adrian. The ability to manifest their affinity outside the body, shaping it into an aura that transforms combat itself."
Her golden eyes studied his face as she continued. "It's no simple feat. Many A-Ranks, even those with decades of mastery and deep comprehension, fail to manifest their affinities."
Adrian's jaw tightened. The weight of her words settled over him.
"To succeed is rare," she said quietly. "A sign of power far beyond normal measure."
He listened in silence, his mind racing. The phenomenon he had triggered was tied to something greater - Manifestation. But his heart resisted the implications.
"Then... does that mean I manifested my affinity?" The question escaped before he could stop it.
Elara shook her head firmly, her expression growing troubled. "No. What you showed me wasn't the same."
She stepped closer, her mana sense extending toward him like invisible fingers. "I felt your mist, but it was incomplete, unbalanced. Not full."
"It felt like a... pseudo manifestation."
The term hung in the air between them. Adrian's pulse quickened at the uncertainty in her voice.
"Even I have never heard of such a thing before," she admitted. "But my instincts tell me this was not true manifestation."
"Show me your mist"
At her request, Adrian raised his hand. Mana split into countless threads, each becoming a different affinity before coiling together.
The white-grey mist unfurled over his palm, swirling faintly. Its hunger gnawed at his mana pool.
Elara responded in kind. Her light affinity manifestation flared to life, a radiant aura of pure light that filled the room with warmth and undeniable authority.
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The difference struck Adrian. His mist carried fragments of light, threads of other affinities woven together, but compared to his mother's manifestation, it was weak.
Incomplete. A mere shadow.
"This," Elara said, her voice resonating with power that made the walls hum, "is true manifestation."
Her aura pulsed once, and Adrian felt his own pseudo-manifestation waver under its presence. "Yours... is close, but not yet whole."
She dismissed her manifestation, and the room felt dimmer without its radiance. "A pseudo-manifestation."
"Even I am only at the beginning stage. Manifestation has levels, depths I myself have yet to reach."
"Across all of humanity, only a handful have mastered it."
The weight of that revelation settled over Adrian. He was walking a path that even legends struggled to traverse.
Elara's expression darkened with maternal concern. "Adrian, this changes everything. Even a pseudo manifestation sets you apart."
"People will notice. The Organization will notice."
She reached out, almost touching his face before stopping herself. "You won't remain just a child any longer."
Adrian clenched his fists. The truth of her words cut deeper than any blade.
He had revealed too much, too soon. But what choice had he possessed?
Let his teammates and defenders die while he preserved his secret? Never. If survival meant exposing part of his truth, then he would bear that burden.
Breaking the tension, Elara's tone shifted to practicality. Her shoulders straightened as she stepped back into her role as an A-Rank Defender.
"Lysara will be returning to the Organization's headquarters soon. As part of duty, she and I must deliver a full report of the battle."
Adrian's stomach tightened. The Organization meant scrutiny, questions, powerful people who might see through his carefully constructed facade.
"Since you were directly involved, I have no choice but to take you with us." Elara's voice softened, returning to that of a mother rather than a commander.
"Don't worry. I'll handle everything. You only need to accompany me."
Her hand found his shoulder, warm and reassuring. "Once it's done, you'll return to the Academy."
Adrian caught the protective note threading through her words. To her, he remained a boy, still her son, no matter how far his power had grown.
He didn't argue. Mothers never stopped seeing their children that way.
"When do we leave?"
"Three days. Lysara wants to ensure the outpost is fully secured before departure."
Adrian nodded, his mind already working through potential complications. Three days to prepare for whatever awaited at headquarters.
In the meantime, He visited vanguard members, Helena, and other defenders he got to know in the outpost and checked their conditions.
After three days, Elara and Adrian stood on the boarding platform of Aranthor's outpost. Lysara's sleek airship gleamed in the morning sun, its hull crafted from reinforced alloys that caught the light like polished silver.
The vessel stretched nearly two hundred meters, its streamlined design speaking of both speed and luxury. Blue energy coursed along its edges in intricate patterns.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Lysara approached from behind, her water affinity creating a faint mist around her boots.
"The Torrent is one of the Organization's fastest diplomatic vessels."
Adrian studied the ship's elegant lines. Everything about it screamed authority and power.
"How long to headquarters?"
"Eighteen hours at full speed." Lysara gestured toward the boarding ramp. "Shall we?"
The vessel lifted into the skies with a low hum, its engines cutting across the clouds with barely a tremor. Adrian watched through the observation deck as the outpost shrank below them.
Soon, only endless sky surrounded them as they set course for the beating heart of humanity's power.