Ruins

"Long time no see, Newt!"

Standing across the lake, Green spoke softly. Carried by his Mental Power, his words reached the far shore.

The group opposite him reacted at once, looking around warily. Then, seeming to remember they were inside the Academy, they relaxed and searched for the source of the voice.

They soon spotted Green on the opposite shore.

Surprise crossed Newt's face. He shook off the women around him and walked toward Green, a hint of relief in his steps.

As a gifted apprentice and a potion maker, Newt had not been bothered too much during his apprentice years. Only after becoming a Formal Wizard did he learn what trouble was.

Female Wizards pursued him relentlessly, especially women from Wizard lineages. Some pestered him nearly every day. They were Formal Wizards too, and they always greeted him with smiles, leaving him worn out from dealing with them.

Today, he had barely left the Potion Laboratory when a female Wizard from the Telina Family latched onto him. She had followed him all the way to the lake, where he had unexpectedly run into Green, the man who had saved his life during his apprentice days.

As Newt hurried toward him, Green could clearly see exhaustion in his eyes. Green sensed the complex, powerful fluctuations of his Mental Power. Newt was plainly practicing an Advanced Meditation Method too. The female Wizard behind him had much simpler, weaker fluctuations; she had clearly used Transcendent Water.

"Green, it's been ages! I never expected you to become a Formal Wizard so soon. Congratulations!"

Newt could scarcely believe it himself. After learning about Advanced Meditation Methods from his Mentor, he had discovered that Green's Mentor, Lilian, practiced one as well. He knew Green's Meditation Method demanded an enormous amount of time. He had never