The elements are, wind, water, fire, earth, metal that is found in the earth, and wood that grows out of it. These are the foundation of the world in which we live. The building blocks of the material plane.

The wind signifies freedom. Those who wield the wind are drawn to it because they long for freedom. Air is tenacious, tumultuous, and dangerous. It can be calm when left undisturbed but chaotic when angered. The welkin is the dominion of one who wields the wind.

Make no mistakes. Ambient essence is NOT wind essence. Even a Blank can tell the difference.

Jerome stopped. Was this book for kids? This wasn’t what he was expecting. He was expecting a little more science than philosophy. And even the details sounded incomplete to him, like someone had knowingly taken out some vital information. He sighed and continued reading again.

Water is subtle, yet dangerous. It is no gentle giant like the giants of House Baelor. Water would crush one at the depths of the sea, the pressure too hard to bear. Those who wield water are drawn to it because they seek a better way. Water needs not be forceful. But it can be when it is angered. It is the gentlest of things that can be seen and touched, yet can cut through steel with the precision of a knife through butter!

He couldn’t agree more. If one had proper machinery, one could build a waterjet that uses water to cut through even diamond. The water had to be passed through a jeweled nozzle that was extra narrow, though. This would allow for coherence and prevent overheating. And the pressure would be at least 30 times that of a power washer.

He continued reading until he got to the forces. That was when things started to get interesting.

The forces are results of laws and principles of the universe. There are many forces but little is known of the vastness of the universe and its laws. Unlike essence which can only be sensed, the forces take things a step further. They affect the senses when in close proximity to them. The forces, like you have guessed, are more powerful than the elements.

Sword force stings the eyes and prickles the skin. It is sharp as a blade. Scholars say the principles of sharpening a blade is what it means to apply sword force. The edge of the blade is always imbued with sword force until it dulls.

Huh. Finally something about their scholars. So Vorthe had researchers of sorts then. Guess they were far ahead than I thought.

Lightning is fast, hot, and destructive. Like sword force it prickles the skin and raises one’s hairs on end. But it goes a step further, able to paralyze the muscles and destroy nerves and delicate organs. A decision to absorb lightning into the body must not be taken lightly.

Darkness is the most mysterious of all the known forces. Tis the most elusive of all the forces. It consumes, suppresses abilities, veils information, suppresses and veils the senses, paralyzes a target, and so much more. Even masters shudder in fear when face to face with one who wields this mysterious force.

Jerome stopped. He couldn’t help but remember his nightmares about the different strangers whose lives he seemed to relive. They all ended up in the northern mountain range, flying up an ominous mountain unlike any other he had ever seen.

He looked to his left and a strange feeling arose in him. An urge to go North. Jerome shook himself awake, unsure of where that feeling came from. Albeit, he knew where it led. Memories flashed in his mind — thirst, a thirst for blood, ripping into the flesh of strangers and consuming their blood for sustenance. He shook himself awake again, goosebumps rising on his skin. Jerome refocused his attention on the book once more, turning another page.

Shadow must not be compared to darkness. Some wield shadows as an extension of themselves. But tis a pale reflection to the parent force.

Light is perhaps the most powerful of the forces.

The book ended all of a sudden.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered. Vorthe didn’t want to reveal what they could do with the light, he reasoned. How hypocritical!

He snorted and picked up the other book but sighed with fatigue. He found he was tired already and needed to rest, but he didn’t want to leave the book here. Jerome stood up to go.

That was when he felt malicious eyes on him. He tensed up looking around. He couldn’t pinpoint the direction of the gaze. As if the person was moving around him in circles.

“I know you’re there,” he said out loud. His voice bounced around the shelves, coming back to him. The silence became stifling. He stood there wondering whether the person would show their face.

Whoever it was, they were hesitant to face him. He could sense it. Jerome turned around in a slow circle as he took in the whole section of the library. The quietness almost grated on his nerves. But the lighting from the crystals on the walls gave him a sort of comfort.

If he ran, the person might attack. So he stayed, putting on a strong front. His heartbeat continued to soar as the moments passed by. His body began to shake slightly from fear and anticipation but he did his best to stay calm.

After a while of nothing happening, the person gave up. He felt the malicious gaze leave him and he relaxed. He walked away from that section of the library, heading for the front desk. Jerome got to the front desk and went through the process of registering the book he wanted to borrow. He thanked the librarian and left.

The moment he got to his room, his fatigue seemed to grow tenfold and his eyelids became heavy with sleep. Jerome hit his bed like a log and dozed off.

He woke up to find that it was night already but the moon had not crested the horizon. He had only slept for the better part of a quarter of the day. Bringing out the book he borrowed from the library, he went to his reading table to put on his oil lamp.

He’d moved back to his own room in Kilian’s Palace after his first session with Layla. Since then, he had been getting daily visits from the healer to speed up his healing. Memories of his time here reading Ms. Tara’s responses suffused him. Tears streaked down his cheeks as he remembered his promises in his letters. Yet he had failed to fulfill them. He sniffed, wiping the tears away.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I’ll avenge you,” he muttered to the darkness, “even if it’s the last thing I do. When I’m strong enough, I’ll go find him and he’ll pay.”

With a flick of a finger, he flipped the cover and started reading.

The body of a sacred artist is a miracle of nature. Man becomes what he never was at the initiation. Receiving into himself, something no different than another organ. But one that is very fragile at conception, yet a very important function.

The unstable core grows and integrates more with its vessel, quickly becoming a part of it. At the core formation, a Sprout is born and they must learn to wield their essence outside their body as an extension of themselves. The newly evolved Sprout has a denser core. Their essence is also a lot denser and more volatile than a Blank’s.

The body of such a sacred artist has spent time building and strengthening ‘channels’ — pathways for more essence to reach the depths and extremities of the ‘sacred body’. With every rotation of one’s core, essence is pushed into the channels, into the limbs and can soon be summoned outside the body.

One must however, take care lest one destroys one’s channels. Essence from the core of a new Sprout can become too hard to bear the first few times.

The first step is to rotate one’s core to match the beat of one’s heart. Increase the rotation to two in one heartbeat. Increase the rotation as it gets comfortable per heartbeat. The essence that moves out of one’s core would feel heavier and more potent.

Jerome thought about this and cycled slowly for a bit to match his heartbeat. Pain slowly crept into his body but he bore it for a while. As he listened to his heartbeat, the quickening of his pulse slowed and his rotation slowed to become bearable.

His essence didn’t feel heavy or more potent than it used to. Did this mean something was wrong with him? Was he weaker now? He had no idea but knew that was a really bad place to be. He took a deep breath and shoved his worries down, continuing the book.

There is need to make a complete circuit, through the body and back to the core as oft as possible. This activity strengthens and widens the channels, making it capable of withstanding the potent essence.

~~~

With everything he’d learned from the books, Jerome decided it was time to absorb from the Sunfire stone and give himself an edge in the upcoming adventure Rihal talked about. He would rather be out there searching for his family though, but he’d still need power for that. He just hoped the adventure wouldn’t take too long.

And maybe I could find some very powerful treasures. He touched his heart to feel the rhythm of the beat. Suzie was inside him somehow. How it happened, he had no idea but wanted to find. Yet he didn’t know who to trust with such information. Or he knew but didn’t want to… Jerome hurled the thought away before its completion in his head.

His door squeaked open and in walked Ash.

“Aren’t you supposed to be training?” Jerome asked as she walked into his room. This was the first time Ash was visiting since he left his supposed infirmary. She plopped down onto his bed and looked around, taking in his utilitarian room.

“Small,” she said.

“Ahem,” Jerome coughed lightly. “I don’t need a big room.”

“Mine’s just a bit bigger, but that’s because I bunk with Layla,” Ash smiled. “And she said to observe you so you don’t strain your body. Though, I admit I’ve been a bit busy lately.”

He smiled with a nod. “I know my own limits, though.” Jerome took out the Sunfire stone and sat on it. His head almost touched the roof of his little room.

“What is that?” Ash asked curiously.

“You’re about to find out,” he said, absorbing the stone’s essence. Slowly. More so as not to embarrass himself than hurt himself. The essence from the Sunfire stone trickled into his body and Ash gasped as she sensed the attribute.

“I’ve only ever read about one of these. Where did you get it?”

“Pilgrims’ Keep,” he said with his eyes closed. “But I almost lost my life to obtain it.”

“That’s incredible,” she said almost in thought. “A Sunfire stone is a really big deal to a Blank like me, Jerome. You’re gonna tell me about it later. I’ll just sit here quietly and watch you cycle.”

“That reminds me,” he said, opening his eyes. “Can you cycle on command?”

“What do you mean, ‘on command’?”

“I mean like anytime you feel like. Or do you need to get in the right frame of mind before you can cycle?”

She answered him by rotating her core and absorbing the ambient essence in the air with ease, a proud smirk gracing her beautiful face.

“Heh. Show off.”

Her smirk turned into a smug, big grin. She was Blank already, which meant he missed the days when she was Drudge. That gave him a little pang to his heart. He had missed an important time in the life of his only friend.

Only friend, Jerome thought with a sigh. But he firmed his heart. For now. I’ll find the rest of you. Soon.

“Well, you became Blank and never knew what it was like to be Drudge. So…”

Jerome shrugged, smiling. “What was it even like?” he asked.

“I was always very hungry,” she said dryly. “I had to eat at least six times a day.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Yes, it is. And sometimes, it was never enough.”

Jerome chuckled. “I only ate once a tenday as Blank.”

“Talk about cheating. I have to eat once every fiveday as Blank.” Ash gave him a cute pout.

Jerome chuckled happily, feeling the tension leave his body. “Let me meditate for a while,” he said and Ash let him be.

~~~

The Eastern Part of the Royal Estate. Farryn.

Idrel Vorthe

“Are you sure you weren’t followed?”

The library attendant jumped at his voice. Idrel enjoyed his fear for the bit of time it lasted, almost feeling like he could soak it up to power himself. The rich essence in the air also helped to give him the illusion of power as he drew upon it. They stood in the shade of the forest of trees in the eastern part of the Royal Estate, away from prying eyes and ears.

“Y-yes my lord. No one followed me,” the library attendant said with a deep bow as he shook in fear, his right hand to his chest.

“Anything I should worry about?” he asked. The attendant did his best not to look at the shadows obscuring him, still with his head bowed. Idrel was a master of the shadows and he loved the mystery it wove around him — and the power.

“No, my lord. Lord Rihal’s disciple has been moved back to his bedchamber in Lord Kilian’s palace.”

“Good. From now on, you’ll report all of his movements to me. A time will come when you’ll do more.” Idrel let a bit of his aura wash over the Sprout like an invisible weight. “Do not fail me…er, what was your name again?”

“F-fifteen, my lord,” fifteen, tried and failed to stifle a groan.

“Yes. Do not fail me,” he vanished from his spot in the shadows but made sure his next words reached fifteen, “or the overseer will be the least of your worries.”