The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

After finishing his first session of Ein meditation in a long week, Oscar returned to the Outer Hall. The grass's smell, the air's soft breeze, and the bright blue sky contrasted with the bleak prison; it was as if the world was welcoming Oscar back. Oscar continued with a relaxed smile and stopped when he noticed Elder Saul resting on his leaned-back chair.

"Elder Saul. I'm back." Oscar greeted the elder.

Elder Saul opened his eyes and stared at Oscar. "Hmm?" There was an odd confusion in his voice.

Oscar did not know what would make the usually relaxed and unbothered elder react this way.

Elder Saul continued to stare deeply until he finally spoke. "Welcome back, boy. You've made some progress?"

"I have!" Oscar beamed in joy. "I will not be bothering elder any longer. Farewell."

As Oscar departed, Elder Saul leaned back into his chair, but his eyes remained open and focused on Oscar's back. "That is an odd face…." He mumbled. "What happened in that prison?" He was the one who requested to send Oscar to prison, but instead of broken confidence, the boy looked stronger and boiling with conviction. "Oh well. Hopefully, the boy will still mature."

After leaving Elder Saul behind, Oscar finally arrived at the dorms. He desperately wanted to go to his room but had to do one thing first. Inside the cafeteria, Oscar stockpiled an enormous amount of food on his plate as people looked strangely at him, covered in dirt, and his small food hill.

Oscar paid no heed to their strange looks and whispers, devouring the food with a ravenous appetite. The food in prison was mostly a bland paste that barely met the requirements of being food. He craved fresh vegetables, warm bread, greasy meat, and fresh juice.

"Delicious!" Oscar did not mind his manners and let out a shout of delight. In a few short minutes, the food had been eaten clean.

He departed from the Commune with renewed spirits and went to the dorms. His room had not changed at all. The only thing standing out was Frederick's letter on his bed.

"You went on a mission with Emily? Are those two going to be ok?" Oscar read the letter and worried that the two might get into trouble. The biggest source of worry was that those two were like cats and dogs.  "Nevermind. I just need to wait for them."

Oscar put the letter aside and went to wash up. His body was dirty, covered in dirt, and desperately needed a thorough cleaning. The feeling of a clean body was so relaxing that Oscar dropped straight onto his bed afterward and closed his eyes.

…….

Deep in the Abyss Prison.

Warden Draven appeared on the top of the spire. He came out because he sensed an invasive presence. Draven shouted out in a commanding voice that echoed through the lake's depths. "Come out. You dared to spy on my prison. Do you think I would let that go?"

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. But Draven stomped his foot, sending out a clear shockwave that traveled through the waters. It drew a response as the waters rippled back.

"Calm down, Warden of the Abyss Prison. I have come as a guest." A figure shined in the darkness of the waters, revealing itself. It was Elder Saul.

"You're the guest, my master, the Pavilion Master, allowed inside the Blue Ocean Pavilion. I would offer you tea, but you're only here in spirit form."  Draven sat down on a table and whipped out his prized tea set. He took sips of his favorite tea while staring at Elder Saul.

"The rumors about you were not unfounded. A raging beast under the guise of a brilliant aristocrat. Do you think any of those fake fancy actions lessen the beast within?"

"Speak…." The teacup in Draven's hand cracked slightly. "I have no time for old men who waste time wanting to sound profound."

"It's about that boy, Oscar." Elder Saul knew this Warden did not like to play around and went straight to the point.

"That boy who was sentenced here for a week? What about him?" Draven's eyes narrowed within his helmet. Suspicion grew in his heart.

"What happened to him in this prison?" Elder Saul asked.

"What do you mean? You're the one who sent him to prison. Isn't that your responsibility?" Draven taunted. He held no ounce of respect toward this powerful Exalt. Instead, he put down his tea and stomped his foot. "In fact, that is something I wanted to talk to you about. How dare you mess around with my prison?"

The dark waters of the abyss trembled into raging swirls and whirlpools from Draven's rage. The surface of the lake itself was affected. Large tsunamis and whirlpools formed, causing the personnel on the shores to be shocked as they felt a horrifying presence spilling from the lake's center.

Truly a beast hiding behind the dignified mask. The Warden of the Abyss Prison was not an empty title. No ordinary person could run the prison of all the horrible criminals it contains.

"I have my reasons. I advise you to calm down. Tell me what occurred." Elder Saul waved his hand, settling the waters to their neutral and calm state, further perplexing the onlookers on the shore.

"I am the warden of this prison. Responsible for thousands of prisoners. Do you think I would pay attention to a single person's daily life?"

"But you knew the name of the boy." Elder Saul saw through Draven's ruse and probed.

"Why wouldn't I? He's a special case. I like to know everything about a violation before taking action." Draven was even more hostile toward Elder Saul. 'I do want to know what he wants to do with that little disciple of mine. But if I overdo it, this old fogey might get suspicious.'

Elder Saul was a mystery even to Draven. Robert knew a bit more than him but not who Saul was and his purpose; such things were privy only to the Pavilion Master. The only knowledge Draven knew was that there was some kind of arrangement or deal made between them.

"What is your purpose with the boy?" Draven asked.

"There's no need for you to know. Just know I don't do things without a good reason." Elder Saul spoke vaguely, irritating Draven.

"Since I don't have any answer to your inquiry and you refuse to answer mine, there's nothing more here for you. Leave." Draven said brazenly.

Elder Saul sighed. "I wonder where you get your confidence from. There is a limit to how daring one can be."

"What do I need to fear? You are merely a spirit body. Part of your deal with the Pavilion Master is that you cannot harm Blue Ocean Pavilion's people."

"That is correct. But you can never be too careful." Elder Saul's body started to dissolve into small fragments. It was pointless to continue asking. Elder Saul's visage dissipated into nothingness with those last words. "You have great talent and wit. It's a pity you were sent down here."

"Mark my words. Anyone who dares mess with my prison and the Pavilion will pay the price." Draven did not remove his eyes from the empty place in the waters where Elder Saul was, clenching his hands. The waters shook as a large mass approached the Abyss Prison, and the same large glowing eye, which scared Oscar and the others when they first trekked down the depths, appeared. It stopped near the tip of the spire and stared at Draven with the dead, pale eye.

"It's good that you did not interfere. At our current strength, he would defeat us without an issue. We will bide our time." Draven spoke kindly to the monster of the deep. It was a rare sight to behold. The unknown monster bellowed a high-pitched wail and swam away into the darkness.

'It's a pity you were sent down here.'

Elder Saul's last words stuck in Draven's mind as he turned and left. "A pity? The future will decide that."

…….

Oscar felt extremely refreshed after a long nap in his room. His lethargic self was barely about to pull away from the bed. It was just that enticing.

"Where's Fred? That guy is taking way too long." The letter also mentioned his departure time and the expected duration of the mission. It was a one-day mission to kill some Blood Baboons.

His stomach grumbled, interrupting his thoughts. "I guess I'm eating dinner alone."

After a heaping amount of food for dinner, Oscar sat outside. 'I need to wait for the next batch of Ein Amassing Elixir. With two elixirs, I should be certain to breakthrough.'

The next distribution was two months and a half later. Each subsequent level required a vast amount of Ein that was not possible for someone to absorb by meditation, even with Grade Nine Exolsia. There always needed to be a catalyst that induced the advancement of Exalts.

Oscar thought about how else to improve. He thought about his 'Stone Gaze', 'Flowing Mountain', and 'Awaken'. Maybe it was best to set up a schedule for himself.

'Wait? I still need to learn my shield.' He had forgotten the 'Obsidian Glass Buckler' he bought before being forced into prison.

"To the library!" There should be a manual on how to use a shield. Also, he missed reading books while in prison. Oscar hastily made his way to the Neptune Archives, passing the familiar sights he missed.

"Hello, elder librarian!" Oscar greeted the old librarian and gave her a basket of cookies he swiped from the Commune.

The old lady was surprised to see Oscar and smiled. "Welcome back! Where were you for the past week? I thought you had finished the mission earlier."

"It was not the mission but something else. I couldn't come by at all." Oscar stuttered a little. He didn't want to spread the fact he got sent to the Abyss Prison.

The old librarian gazed at Oscar in interest. She scrutinized him all over.

"Elder?" Oscar wondered if he had said anything wrong. Maybe she was already suspicious of something. Does she know he was imprisoned?

But that was not the case. The librarian acted like this because of the princess, Celestina. She wanted to look closer at this person who had somehow gotten the princess's attention.

'He has a skinny body, but I can see a hardened layer of muscles. His hair and eyes are a nice black. But he's not that handsome. Average. Not to mention his Grade Four Exolsia.'

"Excuse me? I need your help with a book." Oscar could tell the librarian was distracted by something and wanted to change topics.

The librarian snapped out of her thoughts and awkwardly said, "Right. Sorry about that, Oscar. What do you need?"

"I need a book on shields."

"Shields? That's an interesting choice. It should be in Section G-5-2-3." The librarian checked their listings and found the subject of shields in that area.

"Thank you! Enjoy those cookies." He went on to his destination.

'At least he's a good kid that enjoys books.' The librarian lamented as she saw all the books in her sight. The students barely come here other than for spells; it pained her to know most of these books would never be read. Oscar and Celestina were a rarity and a breath of fresh air for her.

In Section G-5-2-3, Oscar found a plethora of books on shield usage. It was a great haul, and his heart trembled in excitement at the feeling of the pages. Oscar's face was full of contentment as he excitingly piled up books in his arms. "I missed this feeling."

He took the books to a secluded table deep in the Archives as he did not want to be interrupted while reading. His eyes read a book line by line as his hands quickly turned the pages with a wide smile on his face. However, his joyful session was cut off when someone sat before him.

With a slight expression of annoyance, Oscar tore his eyes away from the book at the intruder. However, his eyes soon widened in shock. In the seat in front of him was the Princess of the Brilliant Drake Empire, Celestina Lovre Dragnar.

'What is she doing here?' He rubbed his eyes to ensure he wasn't hallucinating and pinched to ensure he wasn't dreaming. He stared at the large pile of books on her side of the table. There were various books on plants and swords, but the varied storybooks caught his eye.

Barely anyone came to the library to read, and no one other than Oscar would waste their time reading a story.

"What?" A clear, pleasant, yet assertive voice snapped Oscar's eyes back to Celestina.

"Sorry?" Oscar almost failed to get this word out.

"What's interesting about the books I have?" Celestina asked. Her emerald eyes locked onto his obsidian black eyes.