"Why do I need to go to a lower realm?" Alex kept edging toward the door.

"It's safer there, any injuries you get won't be permanent. Nothing should be able to harm your soul. If your power goes out of control or you run out of it, I have more control over what happens to you there." Lucius forced himself to stay where he was.

"That's not reassuring at all. How do I know you won't f*ck with me when I'm defenseless?"

["Alex, calm down."]

"Calm down Alex."

["If he tries anything, I'll be there to help."] Her voice took on a lighter tone. ["You'd be surprised what I can do now."]

Lucius hid the orb back in his pocket. "I'm not that kind of guy, and if I wanted to 'f*ck' with you, I could right here and now and there'd be nothing you could do to stop me." Lucius sprang forward and put Alex into a choke hold and pinned him on the floor. "You can't even use power yet."

[Angel! Do something!]

["You're fine. He's just trying to demonstrate how silly you're being."]

Alex grit his teeth as his face turned red.

Lucius loosened his hold, backed away and held out his hand toward Alex. Alex pushed himself up and glared at Lucius, ignoring the helping hand offered to him.

Lucius appraised the look in Alex's eyes. [Perhaps there's some hope for this kid after all.]

Alex continued to ignore his hand and just sat there glaring. [Why didn't you help me Angel? Are you unable to do anything?]

["You can't rely on me to do everything for you Alex."] Angel said in a flat tone. ["If you don't want to be manhandled like that again, you need to learn what Lucius is trying to teach you."]

Lucius crouched in front of Alex with an exasperated sigh. He dug into his pockets again and pulled out the orb. "Come on, let's get this over with." Alex gave the orb a very unpleasant look but didn't back away this time.

Lucius narrowed his eyes, "It won't be as bad as you think. Here." He grabbed Alex's arm before he could pull it back and placed the orb in his palm.

...

Alex cried out as the familiar spinning sensation enveloped him, but he didn't black out like he usually did before. His pale face took on a shade of vibrant green and his skin tingled and sparked with energy. He stumbled and nearly fell as he frantically looked around. All around him was a very flat, expansive grassland that extended as far as his eyes could see. Harmless looking clouds drifted along in the soft blue sky.

[Where are we Angel?]

["It's just as he told you, we're in a limited artificial world. Also, I seem to have access to the rules of this miniature world."] Alex jolted when Angel said that. ["I can probably take us back to the Commons at any time so don't worry."]

Alex let out a huge sigh of relief and relaxed his tense back. As he did so, a large spark of electricity shot off from his elbow and struck the grass next to him.

"Ah!" Alex jumped back and away from it with a start. "The h*ll was-?"

Lucius's booming voice interrupted Alex, "Whoa, that must have been power you drew from the old man's amulet."

["Haha, so even Lucius calls Zeus 'the old man'?"]

"What the h*ll do you mean!?" Alex yelled up at the sky.

"One moment as I adjust a few things." Alex could here Lucius struggling with something. "There, that should do it. Right then, Alex!"

Alex flinched, "Wha- what?"

"Hold on, let me turn my voice down. Ok. Alex, remember the feeling you had when that spark of power shot off you. It may come in handy in the future."

"I wasn't doing anything when that happened."

Lucius materialized on the grassy plain in front of Alex. "No matter, you'll get the hang of it." He rubbed his hands together. "Let's start your training."

Lucius clapped his hands together and the world changed. Stone pillars rose up from the ground and were connected by low walls. They came together to form a courtyard similar to the room they were in before being transported by the orb. In the middle was a circular platform accessible by stairs that circled all around it. A giant glass sphere rested in a shallow depression at the center of the platform. A gentle rain fell from the suddenly heavy clouds and put out the small fire.

Alex had been through a lot but couldn't help gawking at everything around him. "Incredible."

Lucius pulled a large round shield out from the ground and wrapped a red cape that materialized out of thin air around himself. "Walk up and place your hands on the giant sphere. You'll be taken inside of it and I'll feed you power."

Alex knitted his brows together as he looked at Lucius. "What's going to happen once I'm inside?"

Lucius walked forward and ushered Alex along, "I'll feed you power until it goes out of control again. I've made it so Zeus's amulet doesn't bleed power and spark as it did a moment ago. We wouldn't want it to lose any more charge."

Alex tried to slow down but was being pushed along by Lucius's outstretched arm. "Are you sure this will be safe? What happens if I die in there?"

"You'll be fine. I've already changed the rules of death in this space." Lucius smiled and bobbed his head a bit, "It would be inconvenient if we lost new recruits during such basic training after all."

"What's the point of this? Why are you trying to make my power go out of control?"

Lucius pushed Alex up the steps, "I'm going to give you power and you're going to try your best to feel it coursing through you. I figure the easiest and most straightforward method is the best, and that is to overcharge you."

"Let's do this another time." Alex tried to duck under the arm at his back.

"We're here now," Lucius grabbed his shoulder and flung him at the sphere, "So just get in there."

"Ah-!" Alex put his arms out to cushion the impact but passed right through the glass and began levitating within the sphere. "How the h*ll?"

"Hahaha, surprised? I told you I control everything that happens in this place." Lucius waved his hand in front of the sphere. "Now relax and focus on everything you feel."

The sphere burst into life, emitting bright lights and electrical discharges at Alex. Lightning struck the sphere and Alex glowed a vibrant blue. His face was scrunched up and his mouth was open in a silent roar as power invaded his body and coursed through him. Outside, Lucius held the shield toward the sphere and backed all the way to the low walls.

"He's feeling it now," Lucius observed Alex with a rueful grimace. "Any moment."

Alex let out a primordial scream and a huge bolt of lightning pulverized a stone pillar along the edge of the courtyard.

Lucius jumped behind the wall next to him and kept his shield up. "Whoa! I'll never get used to that haha!"

Another bolt struck the wall next to Lucius and he stopped laughing. "That should be long enough."

Lucius waved his hand again and the sphere began to dim. Alex was charred black and his hair was long gone. There was nothing protecting his modesty either. "Crap, he passed out." Lucius looked up and a bright waterfall spilled from a heavy cloud and covered the sphere.

Lucius inspected Alex's condition and nodded. Then his avatar froze. Outside of the artificial world, Lucius walked out of the training room while holding the sphere. He looked at the attendant that walked up to him, "I need Haruka again."