Malrik grinned as he considered Adyr's question.
He himself was a Rank 2 practitioner—it had taken him years to reach that level.
"You're still so young, and you're already aiming for Rank 2... You've got a terrifying future ahead of you," he said with genuine admiration.
The king and the lords standing nearby, still quietly listening, exchanged stunned glances. Malrik might not have been the strongest practitioner in existence, but he was widely regarded as a hero and a prodigy in his own right. To hear someone like him openly praise another's potential was rare—shocking, even.
Adyr replied modestly, "I'm just asking. Doesn't mean I can do it."
Malrik held his gaze for a moment, then began to explain.
"If you're planning to reach Rank 2, the first basic step is finding a Spark compatible with that rank—and more importantly, one that aligns with your current path. You're an Astra-path practitioner, so you'll need a Rank 2 Spark from the Astra domain."
