A week, that was the frame of time that Park had set for Oliver to learn the principles of Sympathy, the very same ones that most in the Academy had spent a life to learn. A reckless task, for who had recklessly entered into the Dim Light, the place where reign the Fae.

— You have been using it since the start without knowing it’s true nature, there for, your weak understandment of the basics has grant you little Strenght —

Said Park holding the wood stick in front of the Runes diagram drawn in the ground.

— Do you remember the first time you used the Rune? —

Oliver thought about the first time he used the Rune, following Arwan’s guidelines.

— I almost injured my shoulder…. I remember, it was an overwhelming strength, but not enough to fight Him…. Schram —

— And then? —

— I started to test more Runes, in more ways, till I discovered the Absortion Rune —

Park smiled from his place

— Along with Hex-linking, that’s actually a rarity… but the only reason a took you serious too —

Oliver felt both flattered and underestimated.

— It may surprise you, but even the Rune you call “absortion” it’s not really what you think —

Park pointed at the diagram

— The strength Rune belongs to a sub-class inside the Life Rune, and it’s one of the first applications a Sympathist learns —

Oliver watched as Park draw the word in the ground, and a line connecting it to the Life side of the diagram.

— Where do you think the “Absortion Rune” belongs? —

Asked Park, making Oliver wonder about it. In his eyes, there was no connection between the concepts layed down in the floor with the Absortion he knew. Perhaps, if Arwan had explain it further in his guide, he would had an idea.

— The Life one? —

Guessed Oliver.

— Buzz —

Replied Park suddenly hitting Oliver’s head with the stick.

— Hey! —

— What you know as “Absortion” it’s actually a subclass of the Death Rune called “Null” —

There Oliver thought about it.

— Although it’s name refers to the action of nullifyin something, it actually works by conducting the Essence of that something back to where it belongs, the Dim Light —

— Essence —

Oliver pronounced by itself.

— That’s it, the very thing of what everything it’s made, a flame, a tree, a God, or even you and I —

— So, it’s like… the soul? —

— Bingo! —

Said Park.

— To treat with Essential things you’ll have to study more about the Spiritual Runes, but there’s something like a rule of thumb for it. Everything has an Essense, and inside this Essense things like memories, physicality and nature are engraved. One can change a few of this at a time, giving the right circumstances, but it never changes completely —

— That seems… complicated —

— It isn’t, once you get used to it, just don’t try to stop a bus praying, that works better with curse type objects —

But Oliver remained confused.

— Anyway’s, what you did with Schram technically speaking was an advanced use of the Null Rune, we talk about it that time int he woods, do you remember? —

Oliver memories about that where already foggy, yet one thing he knew, none of Arwan’s lections had seem so insightful as that conversation.

— Kind of, I remember the Hex-linking, the Holders, and the Meta-body storage thing… —

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— The Totem-Holder pairs, what allowed you to Hold the Essense of Schram’s attacks to use them against him—

Oliver raised his shoulders

— Luck? —

Park buffed

— Or skill, we’re still unraveling that, but so far, Strength without control, and a complete waste —

Oliver stand up, shaking the dust off his clothes, he watched both his hands and asked.

— So, what do you suggest? —

— I’ll teach you the right way to use a Strenght Rune —

There, in the middle of the tournament’s field, Oliver took a deep breath and felt his heart pounding in his chest. As Kiki jumped to the left, he ran through the right, quickly leaving behind the two participants in their ran away.

— Now! —

Screamed Kiki, stopping in front of one of the three beasts.

When the tiger-like creature charge against her, she throw herself out of the way with a strong leap, hitting like a train to the one in the middle. The body of the creature bend itself in a weird twist colliding with the one far at the right,when Oliver realized, both where falling upon him. He raised his hands, and prayed that the whole thing would work. When he received the whole burden of muscles, claws and fangs with a stroke of his arm, aiming one of their sides, he felt how the ribcage of one of the creatures shattered under the strength of his fist, and both where expelled in the opposing direction. The boy gazed at the feat unwordy, looking at the Witch-mark shining in his wrist.

— Till now you have been “pushing” with Strenght, like a kid without any idea of what his doing, therefor, the amount of Strenght you’re actually capable to aling into your attacks it’s greatly underused —

Had said Park

— From now on, think about it like a stream, hold it like a water tap, and release it only when you make contact, with a fist, for example. —

Tha explanation alone made Oliver remember a whole bagage of martial arts movies.

— I can’t teach you martial arts in one day, but the science of this is alike, integrate your mind and body into your movements, and you’ll get better sooner than later, Sympathist make great body fighthers after all —

After that instruction, Park had commended him to do a hole in the ground only by punching it. When the night came, the whole was big enough to fit the wooded cabin both where staying in. And the still unhealed wounds in his knuckles stood as a witness. But punching the ground was far different than trying to punch tiger-like faenic creatures. To start, the ground couldn’t bite your head off.

When Oliver tried to found Kiki, she was already standing on top of the third creature.

— Watch out, it’s not over yet —

She said, throwing a look to his right.

There, one of the two beast left was standing, looking at him mancing, with a hunter attitud. Yet, now, the view of the beast didn’t look as astonishing as the one laying next to it, lifeless. For Oliver, to think that he was able to take down such a creature, was impossible. Yet, that was the type of person he had become, a Sympathist, they called it.

— Do you need a hand with that? —

Asked Kiki from her place, already crouched, like the beast. Ready to attack.

— I’ll do it myself —

Answered Oliver.

How often did it happened? that a boy mostly raised inside books, series and stories of figures fighting against the most incredible beings ended up becoming one of those figures. Surely, to face that fact, was an enemy as big as the creature in front of him. For such a problem, it’s solution was straightforward. To fight the beast, was to defeat it’s unwillingness to believe, having proof himself worthy already.

— Just a little courage Oliver, that’s all it takes, right? —

Said the boy to himself, his mind set on the image of a stream, his fists the tap that hold the energy from being released. And he felt again like in the forest, fighting Schram. His body filled with strength, his head light, his eyes focused. But there was something different from that moment, and he wasn’t able to recognice if it was because of the Witch Mark, or his new set of mind. But he felt in control, he felt that he understood. So when the creature jumped towards him, Oliver’s feet where able to react. He was like a deer, out in the field.

The dust flew from under the beast claws, removed by it’s enormous body, that twisted over itself to reach him one more time. Oliver jumped again, and being out of its reach, tried to amulate Kiki, charging against it with his own body. The got expelled, and rolling over its back stood annoyed a few meters ahead. He had to wait the right moment to release the streamin halt.

— Do it quickly, we don’t have that much time —

Said Kiki, with a provoking smile in her face.

Oliver then took cover, as the creature jumped over him, and he rolled through the ground. The creature was fast, but he probably was faster, something he still had to find out. So it became a bet with himself. As Park had stated, the Witch Mark worked as an enhancer for Sympathist. The question was, how far went that? the bet was simple, either he would be faster, or hard enough to endure one of the creature’s attack. So he squared himself up, holding the stream inn his right arm. As soon as the beast charged, he answered back.

The beast jumped, and Oliver sneaked under it again, but maybe more intelligent that it’s nature may advert, the beast twisted like a whirlwind and reached him with his fangs. The boy scaped, barely by an inch, enough to touch the beast stomach, and release the long-contained stream. A rain of papers, tiny strings of fiber bend and crashed, fell over the boy’s head as a result. The very essence of the beast, just folded paper.

Panting after the interchange, Oliver saw both the other creatures in the sides, also gone. The mystery of why there where no corpses in the area, even without someone trying to solve it, got an answer. This creatures where made of something else.

— Not bad, but still a bit stiff —

Said Kiki approaching

— And you also open your guard like A LOT —

Then Oliver watched his left arm, stained red by blood.

— Shit, that’s not good —

— I’ve seen worst to be honest —

Said Kiki taking Oliver’s right arm

— Look —

There where now two stripes across his forearm

— You’re already in —

Kiki smiled

Then the earth moved under their feet, and a sounding call reverb inside their minds. It was no quake, the changing of the field under them.

— What happens? —

Asked Oliver.

— Well, I’d say the true fight is about to start —