The Greatest Sinner

"Evan, this is Sector Zero, a place where only teachers and the most outstanding students can live. There are no stores, forges, or alchemy shops, only dwellings." Draven said calmly.

The young man nodded and followed him. Evan wasn't really surprised by the size of the mansion itself, Marcel's estate was much larger and looked more luxurious. But, Evan understood that there was no point in having a huge house if the building of the Academy of Magic was nearby.

Location that was the most important thing here. Each of the areas of the city was quite large. For the same reason, if you lived in zone three, it would take you quite a while to get to the Academy.

After a while, they reached Draven's house. It wasn't much different from the others, neither in size nor in luxury. An ordinary, cozy house, but in the best part of city.

Draven and Evan went straight to the second floor. They entered Draven's study. There was anything unusual here: a pair of leather chairs, a massive wooden desk, and two bookcases at the sides. 

In the center of the room, there was a small round table, where after a couple of seconds Draven placed two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Draven sat across from Evan and poured them both whiskey. Draven's spatial ring then glowed and a large platter of assorted cheeses and smoked meats appeared on the table.

"These are my favorite cheeses and the meat of the Wild Sabretooth. Help yourself." Draven said calmly.

Evan took a sip of whiskey. He had never had such strong drinks in his life. He liked the aftertaste and the warmth that spread throughout his body.

"I see you liked it." Draven said calmly.

Evan smiled and nodded slightly taking another sip. At that moment, he wasn't thinking about anything, he was just enjoying the beautiful view out the window. In the distance, there was a view of part of the city and the beautiful scenery.

<It only took me a couple of months to get from prison to the Academy of Magic, pretty good. Still, I still have a lot to learn about this world. >Thought Evan looking at the birds flying by.

"Evan, I'd like to talk to you about your fight." Suddenly said Draven.

"Аh?"

"I think you noticed that you had an unusual sensation in the last minutes of your fight."

The young man nodded as he walked into the "Gust", he had indeed changed a bit. Evan was curious to know more about it. He had entered the "Gust" once before, but no one had seen him at that moment, which meant Evan still didn't know what had happened to him then.

"Evan, you've entered the "Gust". It's a state in which the emotion experienced by a magician becomes something material and amplifies him. Not everyone can enter the "Gust", it's an amazing power. In other words, if you hadn`t entered enter the "Gust" then, you would have definitely lost." Draven said seriously.

For a while, Evan said nothing. He was slightly surprised by Draven's explanation.

<Hmm, did Roland also come into the "Gust" then? Then I can see why he became considerably stronger in an instant>.

"I get it, but what do you mean when say that emotions becoming something tangible?" Evan wasn't quite sure what that meant.

"Evan, you are a magician, so even your emotions are imbued with mana and have a certain power. For example: when an ordinary person is full of rage, it's no surprise that he becomes stronger. But, he had those powers at the beginning, he just unleashed them in a fit of rage."

Draven took a small sip and continued: "When a magician enters the "Gust" he surpasses himself. I hope that's clear."

"Yes, I take it, is it impossible to enter the" Gust" of one's own volition?"

"Yes, it is. It all depends on the situation, the magician himself and his emotions. It's all very complicated."

"I see." Evan answered briefly and took another sip. He was surprised that such power existed in this world. 

<Emotion is a real weapon here, it's amazing.> Thought Evan.

"Speaking of which, there's something else I'd like to talk to you about. Evan, did you break through your second "Barrier" during the test right?"  Draven calmly said.

Evan understood that it was not unusual for a powerful magician like Draven to realize that Evan had broken through the "Barrier." But, Draven said exactly which "Barrier" Evan had breached.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, don't make that face. In terms of magic, you're like an open book to me. I want to talk to you about the "Splash."

"Аh?". This was the second unfamiliar term Evan had heard in the last few minutes.

"It's a phenomenon that happens when a magician breaks through the "Barrier". It looks different for every magician. It's too early for you to think seriously about it now, but I advise you to pay attention to what happens around you during the "Splash."

Draven continued: "You could say that "Splash" is part of your essence and the power you get in the future if you get stronger. It can either change over time, or it can always look the same."

"Hmm, that's pretty hard to understand. Can I give you an example?" Evan said calmly.

"Well... you know that Zak mostly uses fire element spells, right?" Draven slowly said.

The young man nodded. In all his time in Mossy Vulture he had never once seen Zak use any spells other than fire spells.

"Now, as far as I know, once when Zak broke through one of his "Barriers", he was in the woods. That's when the fire spread throughout the grove and the forest burned to the ground."

Evan didn't answer anything. Then he remembered his battle with Roland and how a small lake suddenly appeared beside him. Evan thought it was some kind of spell, but it looked like he was wrong.

<Hmm, water appeared next to Roland during the "Splash", and Zak's "Splash" caused the whole forest to burn, that's...>.

"Why do you say it's too early for me to talk about "Splash", isn't it just an outburst of the elements?"

Based on Draven's words and the fight with Roland, Evan decided that "Splash" was some kind of indicator of the element that best suited the magician. Zak had told Evan that every magician chose the element he liked best, so Evan thought that "Splash" might indicate that.

Draven smiled and calmly replied, "That's why I'm saying it's too early for you to think about it. Of course, you could say that during the "Splash" the magician emits mana that transforms into a certain element. But, to say "element" is not quite right. When you get strong enough you'll understand."

Evan answered nothing and continued to listen to Draven.

"As I said earlier, you should be paying close attention to what's going on around you during the "Splash". Since you're a newbie magician, the changes shouldn't be severe. Perhaps fire will erupt around you, the wind will increase, or streams of water will appear, and so on."

<Hmm, then what happened the two times I broke through the "Barrier"? It wasn't at all like what Draven is talking about.>