The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"You make sure to behave, alright?" Gwen wept as she hugged her son, Oscar, tightly.

"Mother, you're going to break my spine!" Oscar flailed his arms, trying to escape so he could breathe. But his mother squeezed harder in response.

Henry managed to separate his wife from Oscar before he could suffocate to death. Gwen's face was messy with tears. Henry held it together better than his wife, but his obsidian eyes were slightly wet.

"Don't worry, Mother, Father! I'll visit the next chance I get." Oscar was also crying but not as much as his mother. He held his parent's hands with a sad smile.

"When I return, I'll be a powerful Exalt and take you both to live without worries."

"Idiot, you'll always be our greatest worry." Henry embraced his son. His stoic, sturdy body exuded a comforting warmth that made Oscar feel at peace.

Oscar turned to the platform in the town square. A large crowd had gathered again today. Even though only Oscar and Isabella were leaving with the Exalt, they still came to see them off.

"Hey, Terr Family." Carlson Thorn arrived with his daughter Isabella. Her face was the definition of excitement, her cheeks were red, and her eyes were frantic.

"Sorry for being a bit late. We just said our goodbyes to Clara." Clara was Carlson's wife and Isabella's mother, who passed away ten years ago.

"It's only proper to visit Clara. She would have been so proud of you, Isabella."

"Thank you, Auntie." Isabella thanked Gwen before glancing at the platform. Lewis had not arrived yet, but she stepped onto the platform with measured and steady feet, unlike before.

"Well, I'll be off!" Oscar waved goodbye to his parents and skipped through the massive crowd onto the platform. Everyone stared weirdly at the large backpack he had.

Isabella looked curiously at the bag, "Why do you have so many things?"

"It's all my books. I have some stories about Exalts, guides on survival, indexes about wildlife." Oscar gave a thumbs up to Isabella, who just rolled her eyes.

"I don't think you would need so many books."

"Nonsense, books are precious in any situation."

Isabella sighed and looked longingly at the sky.

As answering her wish, the skies quaked as a large boat with white sails flew in from behind the clouds. Its bottom looked similar to a boat's hull but had six holes on the bottom that glowed brightly with flames that spun around.

Oscar looked at the large boat with wonder. It was an airship, a great vessel that carried people around while staying in the sky like a bird. He had never seen one before because their village wasn't on the usual path for airships, and they never had any business in the nearby city where a port existed.

Lewis Walsh was on the ship's deck and jumped off, landing in front of Oscar and Isabella. His eyes barely registered Oscar but lingered on Isabella.

"The Blue Ocean Pavilion granted me the use of this airship for the safe transportation of our new students. What was your name?"

"Isabella Thorn, Great Exalt." Isabella bowed before Lewis and replied politely.

"Ah, Isabella! No need to lower yourself so much. With your great talent, it's only time before you surpass me."

Lewis embarrassingly rubbed his head. He did not tell any lies. Those with Grade 8 were monstrous talents compared to him.

"Well then. Let's go." Lewis took Oscar and Isabella by the hand and flew upward to the airship.

Oscar and Isabella were flustered the whole way up. The sensation of the flight made their bodies tremble.

On the boat, they took heavy breaths as their bodies felt tight. Lewis smiled at their reactions. He experienced similar nausea the first time he took flight.

"If you become powerful Exalts, you will learn how to fly. Come. Your accommodations await."

Lewis led them inside the airship. The halls were sparkling white and lit with crystals. Oscar and Isabella admired the craftsmanship and beauty of the halls along the way.

Finally, they reached a set of doors that revealed a luxurious interior. The bed inside was large and with the whitest cloth Oscar and Isabella had ever seen. The room was grand, with an outside view and a water fountain that made a soothing, flowing sound.

Oscar was excited to be in such a room but noticed a strange peculiarity. He turned to Lewis and asked, "I only see one bed, are we meant to share one bed?"

Lewis felt awkward at the question and coughed slightly. "Boy, this room is only meant for Isabella. Your room is somewhere else."

Oscar noticed the discrepancy in how Lewis talked to Isabella and him. He treated Isabella with a tinge of respect and openness. But he did not even note Oscar by name and talked indifferently.

But Oscar kept his complaints inside his mind, but his face scrunched a bit. He could not ruin this chance to become an Exalt just because of a difference in treatment.

After saying goodbye to Isabella, who decided to lie down on her bed and enjoy her room, Oscar and Lewis moved on. As they walked more, Oscar felt weird but kept his mouth tightly shut. Eventually, they entered a room.

"This is your room."

Oscar looked around and frowned. The bed was plain, not as gorgeous as Isabella's, and not even covered with the same quality sheets. There was no fountain or an outside balcony, not even a window to brighten it up.

Oscar took a deep breath and put down his things. He felt his irritation building up and tried to calm down.

"I'll speak with both of you after you've settled in. Meet me outside in 30 minutes."

Lewis did not want to continue babysitting and left to have his own private time. Oscar immediately closed the door and plopped right onto the bed. He left out a huff of air, displaying his frustration.

"What's with this blatant favoritism? Is having a Grade Eight Exolsia that different from Grade Four?"

Oscar knew there was a difference in talents in all fields. Like how some folks were better bakers than others. But eventually, they all reached the same level through continual practice.

He decided to clear his mind and rest until he had to meet Lewis.

Oscar and Isabella stood on the airship's deck. They could see so far into the distance of mountains and forests on top of this ship. Oscar felt it was a pity he could not just stare out all day.

"Now then. I'll explain some of the basics of Exalts and answer your questions." Lewis, who was waiting on the deck

Oscar's eyes shone after hearing this. Even though he felt indignant at his treatment, he never let that affect his eagerness for knowledge.

"You are most likely aware of the different grades of an Exolsia Core. The higher the grade, the faster and better the core can absorb Ein. But the other benefit is the advancement." Lewis said.

"Advancement?" Oscar asked.

"Every Exalt can be categorized in particular realms or levels. Exalts advance from one realm to the next. Each subsequent advancement means becoming a stronger Exalt and having a longer lifespan."

"All Exalts start from the Apprentice Level. They are not much different from ordinary mortals and have 100 years of lifespan. But they are stronger and can utilize spells."

"As an Apprentice Exalt becomes stronger, they reach a point to advance to the Elite Level. An Elite Exalt has 150 years of lifespan."

"After Elites are the Knight Exalts. It is the rank where you can fly like me. They have 200 years of lifespan. Then there are the Marshall Exalts with 300 years of lifespan. Lastly, there is the King Exalt with 500 years of lifespan. King Exalts can overturn mountains and oceans with a flip of their hand."

"Are King Exalts the last stage?" Oscar posed another question, but Lewis was unbothered. Fresh recruits often had many questions.

"There are rumors of more powerful Exalts above the King Exalts. However, I do not know what they are. Also, such a level is far from where you and I are. So it's not necessary to talk about them."

"Then the grade of the Exolsia core we possess means how easily we can advance from one level to the next?" Isabella asked.

"Precisely." Lewis praised. "Grades already determine the speed of progress, but it also determines how easily one can advance. Pretend that there is a wall that blocks you from moving forward. Advancement is like trying to break through this wall; higher grades can tear down the walls better."

"Grade Nines have the easiest time in advancing to the next realm. Lower grades may require far more effort to break through that wall. However, Grade Eights are also quite good." He looked at Isabella with great interest but then turned to Oscar with a sigh. "Grade Fours are not slow, but they aren't that fast either. The issue is the wall. Some lower grades spend their entire lives unable to advance and die."

Oscar frowned; he did not think there would be such a difference in the Exolsias. No wonder Lewis favored Isabella. She had a superb chance of becoming a powerful Exalt.

"As long as I progress before my lifespan ends, I still have a chance, right?" Oscar was not deterred.

Lewis was shocked to see Oscar's calmness and determination. Usually, so many lower grades lament their luck and try to make excuses.

"That is extremely tough. Also, even if you managed to progress at the tail end of each lifespan, there is still one glaring difference between Exolsia cores."

A screeching roar echoed through the sky as Lewis was about to speak. Oscar and Isabella were shaky and fell to the floor, looking around in fear.

In the distance, a large creature flapped its wings with tremendous force, creating large gusts with each swing. It was covered in black feathers and had a large beak, but it oddly had six talons.

"An Exalt Beast. They are our counterparts, beasts of Ein. I must have made a mistake in the direction and steered the ship into a danger zone." Lewis frowned; he was too delighted in having found a Grade Eight talent that he neglected his duties. But he soon smiled as this provided an opportunity.

"This creature is the Six Talon Abyss Crow. It is quite powerful." Lewis chuckled at the frightened pair. "This is a good opportunity; let me show you rather than explain."

As the Six Talon Abyss Crow flew high, another piercing cry resounded before the beast dove straight for the airship.

Lewis put out his hand, and an incredible vortex of flowing substance gathered around. Oscar was confused because it was blazing like flames at times but also surging and smooth like water.

"This is the Ein, and now see this."

The substance that was the Ein gathered and collected into Lewis's hand before it took a form. Before the bewildered gazes of Oscar and Isabella, it became a two-sided axe. The blades of the axe were wide, and the handle was long.

The Six Talon Abyss Crow staggered in the air before coming to an abrupt stop mid-dive. One could see the fear that was laden in its pale eyes.

"Too late!" Lewis threw the axe, and in an instant, the crow's head was split from its body, spewing out a torrent of blood. With a wave of his hand, Lewis kept the blood from spilling on the boat, and it fell to the distant ground. In his other was a large orb that he quickly put away.

"This is the other aspect of an Exalt, their Anima." Lewis showed the axe to the pair, and it suddenly faded away, disappearing. "The Anima is yourself, another form of your soul and being. It can be anything like weapons, beasts, and more. My axe anima is connected to me and wholly my own. However, its power and quality are limited by my Exolsia grade."

Oscar focused his attention on every one of Lewis's words.

"The grade of Exolsia represents the strength of the anima. An anima of a higher grade is intrinsically stronger and more capable than a lower grade."

"In battles of life and death, the difference between Anima can make the winner. That is the main reason why higher grades are coveted. They have fewer barriers to advancement, and their animas are powerful."

"Sir, how do we find our Anima?" Oscar never saw anything like an anima at any time in his life.

"When you first become an Apprentice Exalt, the form of your Anima will be clear."

Isabella could not help but wonder about her Anima. Since her Exolsia was Grade Eight, the Anima would be wondrous. However, she remembered Oscar next to her.

'Poor Oscar' She looked at him with a look of pity.

Oscar crossed his arms in deep thought. He racked his head about the problem of Anima and finally asked, "How do I overcome the difference in Anima?"

"Anima isn't the end all be all of Exalts. Exalts also use spells and strategies to defeat their enemies. Anima helps out in the power of your abilities, so the ways to outdo a higher Anima would be to have counters against its specific type or to have a deeper mastery of Anima."

"A deeper mastery?"

"How a person understands and utilizes their Anima together in their fighting. You'll learn what that means as you continue your path as Exalts."

Lewis cleared his throat. "That is all I have to explain to you. We will arrive at the Blue Ocean Pavilion tomorrow. So get some rest."

He departed to his room, leaving Isabella and Oscar behind on the deck.

"I'll be heading back." Isabella felt awkward with Oscar after learning all the differences between their grades.

"Don't worry about what he said. I just need to work ten times as hard, right?" Oscar cheekily smiled at Isabella, who slightly smiled back. She did not say anything else and returned to her room.

Oscar was all alone on the ship's deck. The day was still young, so the two suns were slightly above the horizon. He grabbed the rails and looked straight down to the ground. The trees looked so small, like small blotches of grass.

"I'll just work harder." He mumbled to himself. Although he initially did not want to be an Exalt, he felt a surge of ambition pushing him onward.