He pointed to the first item before drawing his hand back with a shake of his head. “A short explanation first, I suppose. When I first heard how you had chosen the elemental cores, I had the idea of using something similar to figure out what yours might be. Now that we know what you did wasn’t just a fluke all the better.”

He pointed to each of the items in turn. “Each of these is attuned to a different aspect of the darkness-based elemental attribute, which is what I understand you used.”

Nate nodded.

“Good, the idea I had was whichever one resonated with you would be the one that was either the same, or closest to what you chose. This will only work because of what you are able to do with the elemental cores.”

“I just need to hold them, then?”

“Do whatever allowed you to distinguish the differences between the various cores before.”

What he had done before was mostly instinct. He hadn’t felt like it was something he was in control of. Nate had no idea if there was a method for him to even jumpstart the process if it didn’t do it automatically.

Deciding it wasn’t something worth worrying about, it would either work or it wouldn’t, he grabbed the first item. It was a small pyramid-shaped thing that fit in the palm of his hand.

As soon as he was holding it, he could feel that there was indeed a similar reaction to what there’d been with the cores.

“Is there a core inside this thing?” He asked after a moment.

George grinned and slowly nodded. “It was the easiest way to create items of this nature. We identified all the possible elemental cores and then stored them inside figures such as this one. Over time, the entire figurine becomes somewhat elementally attuned to whichever element is stored inside it.”

Nate thought it over for a moment and shrugged. It worked, but only for someone like him. “Why bother creating these, if there was no one-“ He stopped talking. That wasn’t right. He wasn’t the only one who could tell what element a core was. That hadn’t been what excited everyone. It had been his ability to know what element best fit the girls who hadn’t formed their own cores yet.

He set the object back on the table. “It doesn’t feel right. There’s a different sort of energy inside it than what was in the elemental core I used. How come my teacher at school didn’t know about these?”

George slid the next one toward him. “Not many people know about these. They were only created within the last couple of years and haven’t become widespread yet. I guess you might even say that what we have in front of us is part of the first batch not made for testing purposes.”

Nate went through three more of the differently shaped figurines, before hitting one that felt closer to what he needed. “This one is closer to what I need. It’s not quite right, but it’s almost there.”

George took it back from him and flipped it over to look at the writing on the bottom. “Interesting. The first few I had you touch were all variations on the more common options you might be associated with. Shadow, darkness, etc. This one, however, is more uncommon. It’s void attributed.”

Nate quirked his brow and leaned back. “You mean that those random energy cores that Jace managed to get his hands on somehow had an uncommon one in them?”

“It’s possible, odd I admit, but no, that isn’t what I mean. Whatever energy core you used might not have been a perfect fit. Take this, for example.” He picked up the first figure Nate had held. “This one is shadow. Depending on how compatible you are, you might have used an energy core of this nature to awaken. Meanwhile, your elemental attribute could lean towards something else still. Do you understand?”

“I think so. You’re saying that whatever energy core I used might not have been a perfect fit for me. It could have been a rare one, or it could have been something common, like your shadow one there.”

“Exactly. I could explain the process in more detail if you want, but I think it would be better if we simply continued instead.”

Nate took a fifth statue from George and gasped as an immediate connection formed between him and the core hiding inside it. “Oh,” He practically moaned in delight. “This one is it.” He blinked deliriously as George gently took it back from him. “Which one was that?”

“A problem, that’s what that one was.” He began packing each of the figures away with a hard look on his face. “Nate, Niall, Nina, tell no one about this! Do you understand?”

Confused, they each nodded in turn.

“George, what’s wrong? What was the element inside that particular statue?” Niall asked, pulling his wife and son close.

The guild master put the last object in his bag and zipped it closed with an angry jerk on his hand, tearing the zipper completely off. “It was dimensional energy, the same stuff that created the dimensional zones and keeps the portals open. If anyone ever learned what Nate’s attribute is, well, being a guinea pig would be a pleasant outcome. The only good thing is there is no one else that I know of at least, who also possesses this elemental attribute. That means no one will know what to look for.”

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“It also means I won’t have a proper meditative art either,” Nate said with a sigh. He knew why he had that element; it was what the wrist computer needed for the dungeons. However, having that knowledge wasn’t making his life any easier at the moment.

“That is very true, and this isn’t something that I would suggest creating on your own, either.” George tapped at his upper teeth while he thought over the problem. “Using a void or shadow art, might work. They won’t be perfect, but they’d be better than the neutral one the school will have you use otherwise.”

The discussion shifted from there to the plan for the expedition the next day.

“What weapon were you thinking of having him use as his secondary?” George asked.

Nate’s parents shrugged. “We still haven’t decided, and he hasn’t mentioned a preference either.” All three turned to him.

“Well, it needs to be longer than a sword. I wouldn’t mind something like a bow, it’d just be more items to carry and train with. It’s not something that I could use this weekend, which is fine.”

“I’d suggest the spear, but Lindsay is already using a variation of that,” Niall commented, standing to clear the table.

“What are the secondary weapons you and mom use?”

“Your mom’s secondary weapon is a falchion. The shorter length and heavy blade help her do more damage than normal when needed.” Her normal weapon was a bow, while Niall’s were bladed tonfas. “My secondary is throwing knives. I always wear a full belt of them and then spend a lot of time trying to recover the ones I’ve thrown. They work well, but they’re also a fair bit of work.”

“That sounds like an interesting option, but having to constantly retrieve the knives sounds annoying.” Nate followed the group into the living room.

“There’s no pressure to decide right away. Part of the purpose behind these weekend expeditions, when utilized correctly, is to prepare you for the future. That includes helping you choose your next weapon. Some cultivators use this time as a glorified camping trip and never do anything during their trial period. Needless to say, that won’t be the case for you.” Nina finished with a playful wink at her son.

There was never a chance his parents were going to simply let him skate through the expeditions. It wasn’t in their nature, not that it was in his either.

“What time are we leaving?” Nate asked them, not bothering to sit down.

“Since it’s everyone’s first time, we’ll want to head out fairly early so we can go over everything. Your school will handle a proper orientation, but we still need to ensure you three are prepared for our time out there.”

“Speaking of which, I should probably go pack and get some sleep. George, it was nice seeing you again.”

The guild master hopped up to pull him into a quick one-armed hug that somewhat shocked Nate. “I’m glad everything seems to be mostly working out for you, but you need to be careful. For whatever reason, your body seems determined to be different.” He said loud enough for them all to hear. “Your life can either be relatively quiet for our times, or one that is full of danger and be hunted constantly. I’ve seen too many young masters like Jace that have let a small amount of power go to their heads. It never ends well, and you have far more to lose than they did.”

Nate was familiar enough with the concept to know what he was talking about. If he pursued power and visibility, then people would come after him and dig into his secrets as a matter of course. If instead he did the opposite, the odds of him leading a quiet life would be higher.

It was obvious, yet so many people seemed to miss it. The reminder was nice.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I don’t plan on sticking my neck into other people’s business. Everything that has happened has been a little out of character for me. If I hadn’t gotten involved with and to know the girls, I would never have gotten anywhere near this.”

“Hmm, that’s very true. In that light, everything that has happened is because of me. After all, I am the one who mentioned you in passing to Aden.”

Nate was quick to shake his head. “I appreciate you mentioning me. Having friends again is nice. I hadn’t even realized how lonely I was until they upended my life. Besides, none of us can be blamed for what Jace did.”

George stared at him for a few seconds. “You are surprisingly mature for someone your age. You know that, right?”

“Am I? I haven’t been feeling like it lately.” Nate shifted his feet and stepped back. “Anyway, mom, dad, I’ll see you in the morning. George, don’t be a stranger.”

He hurried upstairs before he could get waylaid again. His mind was filled with thoughts of what he had just said to George. They might have sounded like empty pointless words, but he had meant them in that moment.

Looking back on how he had been acting lately, his decisions had been a lot more emotional than rational. Of course, no one ever said that maturity meant rational thinking, but in this case, it had gotten him thinking. Had he really been that starved for friends and company? Been that lonely?

Years of being stuck in his house, sick and alone. Then coming here and still being alone must have had a larger effect on his mind than he thought.

He couldn’t really claim to be his previous age any longer, but he also couldn’t claim to be his current physical age either. It was a mess.

Nate spent a few minutes making sure he was packed for the weekend, his mind still constantly spinning in circles.

Stripping down to his shorts, he climbed onto his bed and quickly checked the dungeon screens. The beasts were still making their way to the first floor, though the rate had decreased significantly from earlier.

Of more interest to him was the group of cultivators currently trying their luck near the entrance of the dungeon. He would have thought that it was rather late at night to be entering the structure, but what did he know? Then again, what did they know?

How much information about the place had managed to trickle into the ears of greedy idiots?

His concern was stopping the beasts from coming through the portal. As long as the cultivators didn’t interfere with that, he wouldn’t actively move against them. As soon as they got in the way and started destroying traps again, well… All bets were off the table.

They weren’t invited guests and would be actively working against the higher goal he had given himself.

Nate quietly changed the signs outside the dungeon to reflect the new rules before entering in his avatar. He didn’t want there to be any doubt in these people’s minds about what would happen if they broke the rules.