He was relieved but he still couldn't let his guard down justbecause his disciple was behaving. The tower lacked information about him and of what he had been doing for the past years so he can't just trust the young man.
"Where is he now?" The Magus asked after much thought.
His familiar replied, "He is currently attending one of his classes."
The Magus stood up with the intention of visiting his disciple. He left the Hall of Saints and went straight to the Hall of Time. He hid his presence so as not to disturb any of the classes that were going on.
He found the right door and silently entered through the opened door. He stood on the corner near the door as he looked for his disciple. Cygnus noticed the Magus the moment he entered the room but paid him no mind.
He acted as if he did not notice his master's presence. Nothing changed from how he was doing as he acted the way he always does. The class finished and magic training was next.
Disciples of any of the Archmage's in the tower were actually not required to join any of the classes or the training. It was the reason why the number of apprentices dwindled after the exam. In Cygnus's case, since the Magus was a bit busy, he still diligently attended even though he looked so bored.
They entered the usual training room and took the usual place he always takes. After he sat down on the bench, a group of apprentices came with sneers on their faces. They looked him up and down before whispering with each other.
"Why is the disciple of the Magus Maximus still joining us peasants? Is it because you were abandoned?" One of them took the lead to speak.
His voice was full of ridicule that the others with him started to laugh. He was not oblivious to the rumors going around. According to the rumors, he was abandoned by his master.
It has been more than a week after the exam and yet they haven't seen him train with the Magus. None of them had even seen the Magus visit his disciple and because of that, he was labeled as an abandoned disciple. He didn't mind though because he knew the truth, but to come and confront him with such a low-level accusation was beyond his patience.
"Abandoned? I wasn't. I even had the chance to enter the Hall of Saints and talk to my master personally." Cygnus answered while shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, is the Magus Maximus someone you can easily meet? Why would he waste his time in coming here to visit me and if he ever did, he will only come for one reason, that is because I am his disciple. He won't even take a glance at you peasants."
He was smirking and took pleasure from watching their faces turn black and blue. Cygnus could easily read these kinds of people even without a glance at their thoughts. They thought that they could use him to catch a glimpse at the Magus Maximus and maybe to even catch his attention.
"Ambitious as you are, if you can't beat me or even surpass me, you won't even catch the attention of my master. Not in a hundred years." The confidence and dominance in his voice traveled through the entire room.
The other apprentices who were watching from the side shivered and took a step back. They turned back and did not gave the man another look. It was better for them to not associate themselves with the man. The way he talked and acted was too intimidating.
Out of words to say, the group left with fritted teeth and clenched fists. They were already warned by the others to not continue what they were planning and yet they still insisted. Now that they had a first hand experience of what Rigel Ginehart could do, they won't be hasty anymore when facing him.
The Magus who had been watching from the side couldn't help but shake his head. His disciple's manners were a bit questionable but his words couldn't be refuted too. He was really different from his father and brother.
After that, the training proceeded naturally. Cygnus was not an active participant and would only meditate on the side but the instructor didn't mind. In his mind, Cygnus was already proficient and he didn't need any instructions from him.
During the afternoon, a messenger from the Magus came to look for Cygnus. The other apprentices were so jealous that they couldn't hide the look of envy from their faces. He stood up and walked past the group who were ridiculing him that morning.
He followed the messenger towards the highest level of the tower. The messenger only stayed at the entrance and didn't go in with him. Cygnus found the Magus waiting for him in front of his study.
"You called for me master," Cygnus spoke up after he came up to the man.
"Yes," the magus turned around, "I want to see what you can do."
Cygnus grinned as he became excited at the man's words. See what he can do, he will show him what he can do. The Magus started to walk away and into a different direction. Cygnus followed behind.
No exchange of words happened between the two of them until they came to a wooden door. The moment the Magus opened it, Cygnus saw an empty arena. Since they were the only people in there, the arena felt so wide.
"This is the training ground at the Hall of Saints. It has not been used for many years now. You will be the first," the Magus waved at the arena and noticed his disciple's awe.
"You have something like this but you aren't using it?" Cygnus walked inside and let his magic sense swept through the area.
"You'll be using this room from now on. Whenever you want to train you can freely come so that you won't need to join the others," the Magus explained.
Since he already had a disciple, he should at least make time for him. It wasn't an entirely bad idea to get one for himself, that way he could pass on his legacy. The only problem was that he was a Ginehart.
But that can be rectified, he would make sure that the young man would become loyal to the tower. He would start with the contract he signed. He narrowed his eyes at the man's back before making up his mind.
"Why don't you show me your lightning magic first," the Magus spoke.
He walked towards the center of the arena and gestured for Cygnus to attack. He grinned as the black lightning appeared on his palms. Cygnus crushed the lightning and attacked the Magus head on.
Cygnus opted for a hand-to-hand combat which surprised the Magus. He thought that his disciple would use long ranged attacks. He blocked the fist that appeared in front of him then he used his palm to counterattack but Cygnus shifted his body to the right and avoided the attack.
The next strike that Cygnus released was imbued with the black lightning. His every punch and kick were all incorporated with lightning. His movements were also fast and precise. If the Magus didn't know how to defend then he would have suffered injuries already.
Their exchange of palm and fist strikes filled the room with lightning and sparks. Cygnus was enjoying their exchange but he was getting bored. He attacked once again with a left and right jab followed by a kick which the Magus avoided.
Once he stepped back, a lightning strike from above went straight down to him. The strike caused dust to rise and there were some pieces of the ground that flew out. As the dust subsided, there were already holes on the ground that were created by the lightning. There was also a golden light at the center that enclosed the Magus.
