Following their successful fight, Samantha’s training advanced with a tailor-made workout program designed to optimize her skills and combat effectiveness. She was never going to be the mountain throwing powerhouse Valerie aimed for, but she could be something much more sinister. James possessed many skills and was proficient in a number of hand-to-hand disciplines, magic however was something he never truly dabbled in. He didn’t know the theories, underlining principles or even what it was, just that when some fancy pants wizards cast fireball things burned which was good enough for him. If Samantha possessed any other magical skills, he may have been at a disadvantage but the way her powers manifested seemed to be all physical from lifting, grappling and tethering, as well as a slew of passive advantages. To start, she could see in the dark with perfect clarity, no matter how pitch black her environment. There was also her, to put it plainly, creepy as all heck aura that flooded out from her at all times of the day. Neither James nor Valerie noticed it at first but over the weeks Samantha recovered a pervasive feeling of dread and uneasiness crept into their home with a singular source always at its centre. The cause of their unease meanwhile was none the wiser, she couldn’t feel it nor actively control its effects, she simply exuded waves of discomforting fear. The prevailing theory was it most likely grew in accordance with her physical state and, like trying to halt ones hair from growing, couldn’t be controlled only managed.

Over the course of several weeks, they explored each and every detail of Samantha’s gradually unravelled skillset. Unlike James and Valerie, she possessed a decent pool of mana throughout her body which allowed her to conjure her shadows continuously without tiring or succumbing to any ill effects. Like any physical attribute, a person’s mana reserves could be exhausted if overused and would lead to severe damage not excluding agonizing mana-sickness or death. Mana naturally recovered overtime, absorbed from the surrounding environment or by consuming various alchemical concoctions and even food specifically prepared from the carcass of deceased monsters who themselves were writhe with magical energies. While a person’s mana pool would grow over time as they aged you could also expand it through regular use, unfortunately physical brawlers like Valerie struggled as they did not have a regular outlet for their magic to flourish. Samantha meanwhile had her magical shadows to pull from as well as the passive effects that sapped at her mana near constantly meaning she was never quite topped up but also always steadily growing her stockpile of available magic.

After one particularly tiring day of training, James arranged for Valerie to practice her mana control while Samantha was made to keep up her physical activities. His niece was ordered to constantly throw her knife into the air using as much mana as she could safely expend without going overboard. Samantha meanwhile was struggling to do pull ups from an exposed tree branch some ten feet off the ground. Although neither was in their element, they gave it their all pushing themselves further and further. The occasional side glances between his pupils were not lost on James, it was obvious they were watching the other and trying to surpass them. Taking down their mentor had become a turning point in the two’s relationship and while they weren’t exactly brothers in arms they did find a common ground. Shaky and loose as it might be, it was nevertheless a foundation they could build upon if given the proper motivation. As their teacher, it was James’s responsibility to foster not just their physical, mystical or social abilities but their mental ones too. Admittedly his knowledge was limited to less than reputable topics, but he knew enough to wing a lesson plan. He wouldn’t be a good teacher if he couldn’t walk the walk and talk the talk.

“Valerie! Tell the class what exactly is an Aspect?”

Best to start with the basics, it wasn’t that James didn’t know what else to teach them. Nope, not that at all and any claim to the contrary would result in a harsh detention. Valerie threw her knife as hard as she could, gritting her teeth from the strain in her arm.

“An aspect is power. It’s what gives us strength!”

She answered as she deftly caught her weapon before tossing it again.

“Close, but not right.”

James reprimanded ignoring his niece’s frustrated groan.

“An aspect is more than just power; anyone can find strength through training and studying the mystical arts. An aspect is exactly what it says, it’s part of something greater.”

Or so he had been taught as a boy by the local priesthood. While James never achieved an aspect, he had known several people with the divine born gifts and could attest to their might. An aspect, as James explained with poor understanding, was a particular talent or skill in a given principle. A mage with the aspect of fire could conjure flames without the need for spells or incantations at a fraction of the mana cost regular wizards required. Warriors with the aspect of a weapon, skillset, or mastery would gain strength or advanced techniques when wielding or practicing their given discipline respectively. While some aspects overlapped or could be used by both camps, they were, as far as James knew, divided into the two categories of physical and magical, his pupils the perfect example. Valerie held the aspect of the knife and was several leagues stronger when holding one while Samantha’s magical shadows allowed her to make use of nearly all dark patches in a wide area. Compared to normal warriors those with an aspect were considerably stronger not just because of the skills their power gave but also because simply having an aspect made someone stronger, faster, more durable and with a wealth more mana to utilize. Despite being twice her senior, James and Valerie were nearly on par when it came to their physical attributes with the former coming out ahead purely on his years of combat training and wisdom.

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Aspects were not a complete advantage however as they could be restrictive or even detrimental in some cases. While his niece did not suffer the drawback, James had known people with aspects who couldn’t wield anything but their powered-up weapon or suffer a major disadvantage. Valerie was still strong without her knife and could utilize other tools but the difference in strength was noticeable with and without her preferred weapon. Samantha unfortunately did suffer a major drawback as she had to be very specific about what constituted a shadow. After much trial and error, they were able to determine she couldn’t conjure tendrils from other living creature’s shadows bar her own and it had to be a shadow not darkness. In essence her power could be broken down to requiring the obfuscation of light, not the absence. In total darkness or at night she couldn’t conjure anything unless a separate light source was casting a shadow. It was a considerable pitfall that meant she was only effective for half the day, but it could potentially be relieved through the acquisition of another aspect. There was seemingly no limit to how many a person could possess, only that they were extremely difficult to acquire.

“Samantha, roughly how many people could have an aspect at any given time?”

James enquired to the still struggling to pull herself up shadow user. She was red in the face and breathing rapidly as she dragged her head up and above the tree branch.

“O-o-one!”

She announced dropping down to hang limply, content that she had achieved her pull up goal for the day.

“I’m sorry?”

James beckoned causing Samantha to remember she had been asked a question. She brought her hands to her face and attempted to recall the figure she was told. She tried snapping her fingers upon remembering but made no sound except for a surprised yelp as gravity too remembered to kick in and pull the free-floating girl roughly to the ground. Rising unaffected from her fall with twigs and leaves stuck in her blonde mess of a hairdo, Samantha answered.

“One in uh… a million?”

James nodded at the obvious guess of an answer. Aspects were exceedingly rare with only about one in a million able to achieve a single one let alone gain any more. There were exceptions or those who had lived long enough to acquire the coveted power, but they were even rarer cases or natural born prodigies. Aspects had no rhyme or reason for how they were handed out, the most popular theory was they were based on inspiration and dedication. Practicing your sword techniques or magic discipline for years might yield the power just as much as picking up a sword one day, declaring you would be the greatest warrior, and then immediately receiving the boon. There were other ways of gaining an aspect such as being passed down from a mentor or teacher however the means by which such a feat was achieved is a highly kept secret that only a handful are privy too. The infinitely easier and much more dangerous option would be to find an artifact or temple. Objects and places of power can, by means still yet unknown, soak up mana for centuries until a passerby happens upon them and acquires an aspect through dumb luck. This method is often considered a pipe dream by most and more often than not comes with some major drawback such as a suit of armour that grants the aspect of Armour but can never be taken off.

“Good to see you’re both listening to my teachings. Samantha, back to the tree.”

His pupil groaned but followed his orders using a shadow tendril from the trees canopy to hoist herself up like a sack of potatoes. Their theory lesson continued for another hour covering various topics and subjects with varying degrees of depth. Their teacher’s knowledge could be accurately equated to a large pond: vast but very shallow. When the day’s training finally concluded both Valerie and Samantha were exhausted, the former clutching at her sore arm and aching head while the latter was toiling face down and spread out in the dirt like she was trying to make a mud angel.

“Hmmmm, hmmmm hm hm?”

Samantha muffled out with her mouth full of grass. Valerie turned a perplexed glare onto her classmate before asking politely.

“What did you just call me?!”

Raising her head and spitting out a number of blades of grass, Samantha repeated her question.

“How did you get your aspect?”

Neither asked once during their previous theory lessons but the question had sat at the back of Samantha’s mind for some time. Puffing out her chest, Valerie confidently stated.

“I put in the work, dedication, effort and honed my craft is what I did.”

For the briefest of moments Samantha looked on at Valerie with wonder and amazement which the boastful girl drank up until her uncle dispelled the blatant lie.

“She threw her knife at me after having a fit and got the aspect.”

He announced while gathering up wood for the hearth and turning away to avoid Valerie’s dismay. He was still her uncle, and it was his duty to be supportive and bit of a prankster when the moment arose, otherwise he did not deserve the title. Ofcourse, it was perhaps a grossly underwhelming description of the event in question. While yes Valerie was acting out in a fit of rage after having lost yet another sparring match against her uncle, she did do something she had never done before. She flipped her knife, gripping the blade between thumb and index finger, and launched the blade as hard as she could which resulted in the weapon flying through the air like a buzzsaw nearly slicing her uncles ear off. She had never tried throwing her blade in such a manner and it could be argued she was “inspired” to do so in the loosest terms possible. No rhyme or reason indeed. At the time, both James and Valerie were shocked she obtained an aspect at all as the two could have gone their whole lives having never met another aspect holder. That is until Samantha strode into their lives.

“What about yourself?”

James asked of the shadow user, trying to shift the topic of conversation so as to ease his niece’s growing embarrassment. Valerie jumped at the lifeline also enquiring about Samantha’s origin. The topic of conversation rose to a seated position and rested her head on her hands as she thought about how exactly to answer the question at hand. Both James and Valerie waited with baited-breath hopeful they would get a real, genuine and sensible answer from the perplexing girl. They were sorely disappointed.

“I had a vivid dream about my death.”

Both of Samanatha’s onlookers jaw dropped from the nonsensical and barely explanatory answer. They shared a look that conveyed all that needed to be said; that is so Samantha.