After disclosing all information on his gifts Warren and Robert discussed some of the particulars before ending the session.

“Warren, your appraisal is pretty straightforward and has many uses. For now, focus on your second gift. It seems very abstract, but I think it holds even more potential than appraisal. Also, don’t go around telling everyone that you’re such an anomaly. Having some cards to fall back on is always better.” Robert said with his scholarly serious voice.

After agreeing to Robert’s request Warren left the office and started making his way to his own chambers. His mind was constantly processing the information he had gathered about his gifts. Trying to figure out how to proceed learning about his second gift.

As if in a trance he arrived at his chambers, not even knowing how he got there this quickly. He had been so focused in his mind that he lost track of his own movement and simply walked there on automatic pilot.

He gave himself a slap in the face to wake himself up thoroughly. Afterwards, he heard some giggling down the hall, he hadn’t taken notice but 2 housemaids were cleaning and had seen him slap himself in front of his door. Blood ran up to his cheeks as he cursed himself for being so foolish.

He then quickly entered his room, wanting to bury himself in his bed and forget his foolishness.

However, before he could do so, he found some of his purchases stacked against his desk. Because of this he quickly regained his calm.

“I need to find out more about my gifts…” Warren mused. He then proceeded to his bed, crossed his legs and started to once more feel the energies around him. On the way to his chambers, he reckoned that it was best to get familiar with that state wherein he could feel the energies.

He quickly once more found himself feeling the energies. He felt more familiar with these energies then when he first entered this state of trance.

Warren first checked his inner energy once more. His mana was still the same as before, smoothly and slowly circulating through his body. For some reason, Warren felt happy as he felt his mana move.

After confirming everything was the same he started to reach out to those energies outside his body. Trying to interact with them. After some time he felt as if his consciousness was reaching out from his body. This feeling felt very unreal, almost as if an invisible membrane was stretching out to the energies around him.

At first, he felt some panic, as it was a very unnatural feeling. But as the fist nature’s energies started to interact with his consciousness he quickly calmed down and felt elated.

Without even knowing how a very primitive connection was established between him and that particular energy. He started feeling the earth, nature, every ant in the garden outside his room. He could smell the earth, feel the earth.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Warren didn’t know, as he was in a trance. But every tree, every grass, every ant, any lifeform in a hundred meter around his room grew more lively, more vibrant.

As Warren connected deeper and deeper to this feeling he could now distinguish the different energies in the air. The most familiar energy was the earth’s force. It was robust, lively, full of life.

After indulging in these rich feelings he then let go of this connection, however, he now felt deeply familiar with this nature’s force. As if a friendship was made in the moments they interacted.

Because of his deeper understanding, he now could vaguely distinguish and feel the differences between the energies around him.

He quickly started to approach a silvery quick, erratic moving energy. The feeling it gave was that of wind, of movement. He tried connecting to this energy, but however, he tried he could not connect to this energy.

Because of this discovery, he retracted his consciousness, while he tried he was quickly approached by a still, lifeless form of energy. One that immediately felt sinister, hateful and spiteful. He immediately felt a threat from this energy, he urged himself to return to his body quicker.

This feeling immediately made him feel endangered. He hadn’t felt this aggression from this energy before. He had taken note of its dangerous aura but had ignored this sense of danger!

Now the energy was quickly moving in on him like an assassin! Warren didn’t know what would happen if he would come to interact with this force, but he felt that it was definitely best to retract with all he had!

But Warren was only just slightly late! As the energy crashed into his consciousness he felt his hairs stand up on his body, his body went on high alert. His mind screamed danger. The feelings of emptiness, loneliness, darkness, anger and murderous intent crashed on his consciousness.

He felt as if he was getting torn apart as every cell in his body tried to resist the incoming danger.

Only after a split second his mind snapped back in action and fought back against the invader.

Even though he could still feel the deathly aura he could once more retreat back slowly, while fighting the energy.

As he struggled he suddenly noticed the lively fresh aura of the earthly energy that he had connected with the earlier approach. It crashed into the dark aura and as tore straight into it. As the earthly aura reached him he could feel concern and worry radiating from the earthly aura.

He instinctively reacted that he was fine, and it seemed the energy understood as it formed a barrier against the deathly aura, gently protecting him from the dangerous aura. Warren had struggled against this dark aura but it seemed like the earthly aura was a natural nemesis to the deathly energy.

As he almost had retracted his consciousness back in his body, a small flicker of dark aura rushed past the earth aura. He could feel the Earthly aura emotions immediately flaring up. The small speck of aura immediately crashed into his consciousness.

However unlike he had thought this time the aura didn’t feel dangerous or murderous. It almost felt like the aura was pretending to be an innocent, misunderstood entity. As Warren pondered about this change in perception he somehow started to feel a connection to this dark energy.

Strangely enough, without his consent, he started to understand this energy more and more as his consciousness and the dark energy interacted. The bigger source of energy also stopped slamming into the lively earth aura.

It seemed very calm and almost a happiness could be felt through the connection with the dark aura. As if it had accomplished his goal. It was no longer aggressive, it just floated around.

As the connection grew deeper, the atmosphere around the mansion started to change. The temperature dropped a couple of degrees and the mood of people seemed to be slightly negatively influenced. If anyone saw Warren now, they would see the darkness in his eyes spreading.

His pale face and dark eyes made him look like a monstrous existence. A faint bloodthirst could be felt emanating from his body.

Warren, however, felt warm and cozy as he started to gain a stronger connection with this deadly aura. His mind felt elated, he somehow started to feel more relaxed with the idea of death and dying.

He felt death was very natural. It was a natural occurrence for every living being to die at one time. Death was part of the cycle of life. As this line was repeated in his mind a couple of times, the dark energy in the room started to emanate a very pleased feeling. As if he was happy he was finally understood.

As Warren lingered in this feeling for a while, he felt no threat anymore from the darkness. He even felt familiar with it. As the earth energy also interacted with him, as if inquiring if everything was fine with Warren, he felt like elated. As if he found a very wonderful new world to explore.

He was excited and happy, it was a great feeling to have this familiar feeling, he thought. He then pulled his conscious back in his body after saying a quick farewell. He didn’t know if the energies understood, but it just felt right to do so.