As they moved through the hallways, students parted naturally to make way for Clarisse.
After a brief moment of silence between them, Clarisse glanced at him "How is it? Are you adjusting well within the Academy?"
With a nod, Brandon replied "Yeah... I am doing good so far."
Clarisse hummed under her breath "I see..."
As they continued walking, Brandon suddenly asked, "Senior, do you have a Master who trains you?"
Hearing this, Clarisse looked at him for a second before speaking, "Yeah, I do... Aveline Tenebraux, one of the Empyreans."
Huh? Brandon was dumbfounded to hear this 'An Empyrean personally training her?'
For Clarisse to be personally trained by one… it says volumes about her potential.
Looking at his reaction, she spoke "Though she is mostly busy because of her duties..."
Wait... Aveline.
Brandon's gaze squinted 'Is it that woman who came when I first came to the Academy? Charlotte's friend?'
Seeing his thoughtful expression, Clarisse asked, "What's wrong? Did you also receive an invitation from someone powerful to train you?"
Brandon let out a quiet sigh before nodding his head "Yeah... still wondering about accepting it."
Clarisse tilted her head slightly "Makes sense, considering you're the only male Awakener. Naturally, many powerful figures would take an interest in you."
"You may not know... but it is a huge prestige to get trained by S+ rank awakeners."
"Many students in the Academy would kill to get trained under a powerful awakener..."
Brandon just stayed silent upon hearing this...
Clarisse continued walking beside Brandon, "One of the greatest merits of having a powerful Awakener as your Master is the real combat experience you gain under their guidance," she explained, glancing at him.
"Combat experience?"
Clarisse nodded her head "Yeah. Theory and controlled sparring are essential, but they can only take you so far."
"The true growth of an Awakener comes from actual battle. And most powerful Awakeners… own their personal dungeons for training purposes."
Brandon's brows rose slightly. Personal dungeons?
Seeing his expression, she elaborated, "These dungeons are either ones they personally cleared and claimed or ones given to them by the Government due to their contributions."
"Some even have natural rupture zones under their control. Training in such environments means you're constantly facing real threats and abberants."
Brandon processed that information "So… instead of just training in a controlled environment like the Academy's etheric fields, I'd actually be fighting real monsters," he muttered.
Clarisse's lips curled slightly "Exactly. And not just any monsters... strong ones. Ones that would tear apart any regular student."
Brandon let out a low breath.
Fighting actual aberrants as training? That's a different level of experience entirely.
Clarisse continued, "With that kind of environment, not only will you gain real combat experience, but your rank will increase much faster. You'll be gaining constant battle exposure, forcing your ether to evolve at a rapid pace."
Brandon nodded slightly. That part made sense.
In normal circumstances, an Awakener's rank increases through sustained combat, ether refinement, and overcoming powerful foes.
If he trained under someone like Naevora, who could provide him with a battlefield at all times, his growth would skyrocket.
"But that's not all," Clarisse added. "There's another factor... techniques."
Brandon turned his head toward her "Techniques?"
She gave a small nod "Most high-ranking Awakeners have their own unique etheric skills, some of which they developed themselves."
"Masters might pass down their personal techniques to their disciples, giving them access to powerful abilities that aren't publicly available."
"And, if you're lucky, you might even inherit one of their artifacts."
Brandon's eyes widened slightly. Artifacts?
Items imbued with powerful etheric signatures, relics left behind from past battles, or specially crafted weapons designed to channel ether in ways normal weapons couldn't.
Some were legendary in status, capable of destroying entire battlefields.
Clarisse continued to explain "And there's one more major benefit. Financial support."
"Most high-ranking Awakeners are backed by organizations, families, or even entire nations."
"Their personal wealth is enormous. If they accept a disciple, they usually ensure that disciple has the best resources... ether refinement materials, high-grade equipment, specialized training regimens… even personal connections to influential figures."
Brandon gave a soft nod as both of them made their way to the Headmistress room.
Reaching the door, Clarisse looked at him "This is as far I could escort you."
With a smile he replied, "Mhm, thanks."
Clarisse gave a slight nod before turning away, her long white cape swaying slightly as she disappeared down the corridor.
With that, Brandon took a breath and pushed open the doors.
At the center of the room was a massive ornate desk and behind the desk, Esmery was sitting.
However, his attention was immediately pulled elsewhere.
He glanced at Naevora who was casually sitting on top of the desk.
Sighing in his heart, Brandon took a step forward "You called for me, Headmistress?"
Esmery nodded, gesturing toward one of the seats in front of her desk "Take a seat, Brandon."
He complied, settling into the chair.
As he did, Naevora let out a soft chuckle "You're finally here, boy," she mused, her voice smooth yet teasing.
"I was wondering how long you'd make us wait."
Esmery looked at Brandon, interlacing her fingers atop the desk "I assume you already know why you're here."
Brandon exhaled slightly "I can take a guess."
His gaze flickered to Naevora before returning to Esmery "This is about the training offer, right?"
Esmery gave a slow nod "Yes. Naevora has expressed interest in taking you under her wing."
Looking at Naevora, he asked "I get it that you are strong... but why me? Just because I am the first male awakener?"
Naevora looked at him for a second before nodding "Yeah, that too... I am really interested in you and also your mimicking abilities."
"I watched you fighting in the training ground, your sparring, and your yesterday's fight too."
"You are mentally strong and you have good instincts to fight... and you don't break under pressure."
She leaned closer to him "You are not scared to fight up close, which I really like about you."
"I also heard reports from that student that back in Rupture you helped her. What was her name again? Calistra?"
"She said, without you, you three might have died there."
"She said something like... 'Even in the rupture, when he barely understood his own abilities, he fought directly, using his instincts to dodge and counter rather than retreating in fear.' "
With a sigh, Naevora leaned back "And I think under my training I can really sharpen your abilities even more."
"Oh, and definitely I get the thrill of training the only male awakener..."
After hearing all of this, Brandon took a soft breath contemplating about it 'Even Aunt Elize asked me to accept her...'
Raising his gaze, he looked at Naevora and gave a nod "Alright..."
Naevora was excited and got down from the desk before patting his shoulder "Good desicion, boy."
Esmery interjected at that moment "I expect you to keep the Academy's rules in mind, Naevora. Brandon is still a student here, even if he's your apprentice now."
Naevora waved her hand dismissively "Yeah, yeah, I got it. No lethal training inside the Academy walls, no excessive injuries that hinder class attendance, and no throwing him into an actual battlefield without approval. Blah blah blah."
Brandon frowned "Wait… 'lethal training'?"
Looking at him Naevora just smiled "Oh, don't worry about that. You'll find out soon enough."
-_- That did not reassure him.
Esmery let out a deep sigh "I trust you to uphold your end of the agreement, Naevora. Brandon Kael is very important... If anything happens to him, you will face Charlotte's wrath."
Naevora felt a shiver run down her spine thinking about Charlotte "Yeah, yeah.. I know.. the whole world is watching him after all."
With a slight cough, she turned to Brandon "Now then, let's talk schedule."
Brandon was surprised but then he nodded anyway "Hm? Alright."
Naevora crossed her arms "I hope you weren't expecting some soft introduction period. Training starts today."
"First, I need to see your limits." She stretched her arms above her head before cracking her knuckles.
"Everything I saw before was just a glimpse. I need to see what you're capable of at full force. That means…"
She grinned "We're fighting."
Brandon gave her a blank look 'Is this bitch serious?'
Esmery sighed again "Naevora, if you're going to challenge him to a spar, at least do it in the designated training grounds."
Naevora rolled her eyes "Of course, of course. I wouldn't wreck your fancy office just to test him."
She glanced back at Brandon. "I'll be waiting at Arena Six."