Time passed, and I turned 12. I chose the first day of spring as my birthday, though I didn’t know my exact date. Aster used to call her bread ‘bread cake’; I wish she could see me now. That thought made Eline’s lavender spring cake taste bittersweet.

“Happy birthday, Leo; here is a little something for you.

But it was the first proper birthday celebration in my life; that alone was like a dream. I even received a birthday gift from Eline:

A pair of leather gauntlets.

I put them on and planned to keep them on, much to her amusement. The fresh leather smelled wonderful, and the tough material, with pockets for iron plates, enhanced my training and defense.

It was nothing special, according to Eline, but even so, it was my most prized possession.

Eline asked me about weapons I wanted to use before, but I mostly evaded that topic and told her punching feels the most natural for me.

I just had to test them, so we went outside, and I took a few swings at my training bag. They felt amazing; I could hit harder without the worry of an injury; my happiness was overflowing, and I had to express it with a hug.

“Thank you so much, mom; I will treasure them.”

Eline, who returned my earnest hug, froze for a moment, but then her arms tightened around me a bit.

"No, Leo, I thank you, my son.”

In the middle of our shared moment, Eline suddenly separated from me and faced towards the forest while getting rid of her dantals.

“What happened?”

“I suddenly felt something, but focusing closer, it was just an animal; let us go inside.”

The day after my birthday, Eline surprised me with something I was waiting for and was pestering her for some time.

“Now that you have the minimum strength required, you can accompany me to the forest to gather material and hunt.”

After months and months not going past our garden with that one exception, I finally could venture in the forest. I was excited like when I first left Elines house but more confident as my strength that I worked hard for was palpable.

I put on my gauntlets, leather armor, and a backpack while Eline had a staff in her hand with the tip wrapped in cloth.

“We will only gather herbs and berries today; hunting comes later, and I only use traps and do not actively hunt often. You learned a lot in theory, so now it is time to wear it with your own eyes and stay vigilant; one wrong step can lead to injury or worse.

Always listen and do what I tell you; animals and even some plants can be very dangerous. Here this pouch contains a few things that can help you when facing strong beasts; that thing you so recklessly opened last time is also there, so be careful.”

"Thank you, and that was an honest mistake. Let us not talk about it.”

The memories of my tearing up and coughing during one of our more practical lessons came to my mind, but I quickly suppressed them with a red face.

We left the familiar environment of our garden and ventured into the forest. There was a narrow path that allowed us to walk without much difficulty. The air was fresh, and the forest beamed with life; various insects and birds were making their presence known.

Trees with leaves of various colors grew all around. The dense vegetation and a lot of food made this the ideal home for many animals.

Not too long after Eline stopped me as we came across the tell-tell sign of the first animal she made sure I recognised.

With the trees back having small circular scratches on them, it was clear this was the territory of the infamous Assassin squirrel!

Looking around, I spotted one of them nearby.

A small creature with green-brown fur and a stinger-tipped tail rarely hunts on the ground, preferring to ambush from above.

It mixes various plant toxins to paralyze its prey, then waits for the poison to take effect.

While those small pack animals are not as deadly for adults, for children, they can be fatal if untreated.

What is interesting about them is that they often lurk around places where Tripgrass grows and use it as a helper during hunting.

Eline whispered:

“What would you do, Leo?”

I answered back as quietly as possible.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Avoid if possible; if they see you, run!”

“Exactly, I could kill them, but they are not worth the trouble and are actually quite beneficial for the forest and keep its balance. Remember, if you make an enemy of even a single one of them, the whole pack will hold a grudge for life.”

I was extra careful, as the thought of small, enraged furballs chasing me in the forest while aiming their stingers at me was not pleasant.

We went around and successfully avoided them. A little further, Eline showed me the places where her medical herbs usually grow, and then she checked one trap she laid nerdy aimed at rabbits and ground birds that live here.

Eline uncovered a cage hidden in the bushes, revealing a small, reddish-furred Firefox staring back at us, wild and unafraid.

“'This wasn't meant for you,” she sighed, noting the rabbit bones scattered inside.

A fox... despicable creatures... reminding me of them, it should be disposed of or it!

I don't have a weapon; a branch should do; it must die! Eline picked up that something was wrong.

“Leo! What is happening to you? Why are you looking at something like that?”

She had an expression; my expression must have been a dark and scary one.

“It is nothing; it just reminded me of something unpleasant. Think nothing of it.”

Think

"You can always talk to you; just keep that in mind. I was asking you, What do you think we should do?”

I held back my anger and listened to Eline.

‘It’s young, but its fur could fetch a light orange Ether coin. Should we let it go or harvest its pelt?”

*Harvest*... it fought even in a desperate situation with no escape.

“That sounds like too much trouble, and I am tired; let it go.”

“You have to do it; pull this lever here and it will open up, then put breadcrumbs and vegetables inside.”

My slow steps were noticed by the fox as it lunged at me too, but then when I outstretched my hand, it went into the furthest corner of its small cage, trying to avoid my perceived attempt to seize its life.

I opened the cage, and after a moment of hesitation, it slowly approached the exit. One last sniff towards me, and it sprinted into the bushes, not to be seen again.

Eline wore a coy smile the whole walk back home with swift steps, she exuded newfound youthfulness that I did not see before, my steps also felt lighter, her enthusiasm was contagious, and my body demanded that I exercise more…

Three months went by and I could punch one of Elines sturdy earth walls until it crumbled while my evasion training progressed to me being able to evade many simultaneous attacks.

I took a bath after today's training and saw in the mirror someone I barely recognise.

My once meager and thin body was muscular and full of strength. Even after a training session that would make me faint, only a few months ago I stood strong. On the other hand, I made no progress on advancing my Ether core.

As I am still stuck on the light orange expert stage, just a small step away from reaching the dark orange core. The bottleneck was something I just could not overcome easily, no matter how much I tried.

Finally, after pestering Eline for days, she succumbed and gave me key advice.

“Each core stage aligns with a specific emotion the best. For orange, it’s power and greed. Your mindset affects the abilities you awaken; offensive or defensive inclinations can influence their kind and your personality too."

“That is it! I wanted to attain power more than anything else before forming a light orange core. Why did you not tell me about it sooner? I could have focused on it more.”

I was really unhappy that Eline withheld this crucial information from me. Then I saw her moving her hand in a very familiar motion towards my forehead.

I knew a stinging flicker was coming and closed my eyes in anticipation of it, but then I felt a tender sensation instead of the usual pain. Opening my eyes wide, I realized that Eline patted my head. I could feel how blood rushed to my face, bathing it in a deep shade of red.

“I did it to protect you, my little Leo.”

“Protect me? Why? How?”

“Forcing your core to advance too soon can be risky and affect your personality. Greed and a strong desire for power may take root within you.

Those people are referred to as having ether madness. I saw that happen countless times: people that forced their light orange core to form and later advanced to dark orange core while having insufficient foundation and control changed for worse in many aspects and even went partially or utterly mad.

Another downside is that it will hinder their progress in the future. They generally plato at the peak dark orange or red core stage, which responds to anger or deep affection the best.”

“I see, there was something like that. I did not realize how many things can go wrong in the process of forming and advancing one's core. Sorry for doubting you, Eline.”

She patted my head again gently and smiled.

“Good news is that I think you are more than ready to advance your stage. Meditate and focus on the desire for power; be greedy for it but do not lose yourself; remember why you want to obtain it; it is but a tool; use it but do not let it control you.”

She did not need to say it twice, as I immediately did just that. Sitting in a lotus position and holding a half-empty orange Ether coin for good measure, I closed my eyes and focused on my breath and the Ether in my core.

Flashes of my escape returned, fear and anguish morphing into a raw desire for power—no, I needed more. Just when it almost overwhelmed me, Asters, Poppys, and Eline’s faces came to mind. For them, for my promise, I needed this strength.

My core pulsed and expanded, a burning force that I commanded: Obey!

My veins were overflowing with Ether and felt like they were on fire.

The pulsating stopped after a few moments, and I looked at Eline with my dark orange-shining eyes.

I was mentally tired but very satisfied.

The progress I made was immediately rewarded in the form of a hug from her and an examination that resulted in her confirming that while I had more Ether than normal, everything was fine.

Eline was genuinely happy for me, and we celebrated till late.

As I lay down, my smile faded hearing Eline's muffled cough. It was becoming harder for her to hide, and her complexion looked pale. Yet my questions earned only a forehead flick in response.

Next morning I received a mandatory day off. No training allowed!

Which was a bit frustrating since I could not wait to test my new powers and limits. But just one stare from Eline made me agree. In the morning, Eline told me something that excited me but also made me a little nervous.

“Today I will go to the village, and you will be accompanying me, Leo.”

Another trial appeared in front of me.