After a few days, Verdenia came to see me. She explained that the auramancers had asked her not to interfere while I got used to this place. Leaving a hint that she'd start teaching me about the path of nature in about a week. After our short chat, I decided to go for a river swim.

There was a river just a short distance from the training field. Without much care, my boots came off, and so did the robe, and then I took a deep breath and jumped into the river. The water was cool but not freezing. The river's current carried away the sweat and dirt from the day and some of my stress. The cool water refreshed my body and mind.

Not wanting to waterlog myself overly, I came back out quickly. I extended my sense of touch, using it and the soundscape to find a patch of grass to sit on. My robe and boots were just a few feet away, so I wasn’t worried. The smell of a familiar perfume came to my senses again. Ashari. I turned my head back as far as possible, showing her I knew she was there.

"My quiet Falond, how are you today? I thought I could sneak up on you without you noticing." Ashari's voice was as cheerful as the last time we met. I wondered how she knew my name.

Seeing no reason to let the secret out, I looked at her. Then I looked down at my body, which was only covered by wet clothes. Trying to give an apologetic look, she seemed to get the message.

"Oh, that's not a problem," she said. "It's not a bad view; you're still covered where it counts. Why would you jump in there when you have a nice bath back at the red dorms?"

Unsure of how to explain that I did so to be cleaner for the mindscape hall and to avoid ‘upsetting’ Layla, I made a writing motion to her.

"Paper? I'm sorry, I don't have any on me this time. You'll have to listen to me. A girl needs to share her thoughts sometimes!" Ashari's voice still held the cheerful note.

I wondered why she came here; it was clearly on purpose. The beginner’s field was quite far from the adept area that Ashari must be part of.

"I take your silence as a yes," Ashari stated before beginning to detail her day. She talked about her classes, training sessions, friends, and even some rivalries between the different camps and robe groups. It wasn’t so apparent in the beginner’s field, but the green robes always tried to compete with the white robes. The blue robes try to compete with the red robes. Everyone tried to compete with the red robes, as we were apparently recognized as the elites. This was mainly due to Ulysses being the most selective of all initiators. There were only half as many of us as the next most minor camp, the blue robes.

What grabbed my attention most was Ashari's mention of her time in the Hall of Natures. The elves built this facility, which proved immensely beneficial to auramancers and everyone. While the elves could use it at a lower cost, all three camps were permitted access based on merit. The hall would have grounds that adjusted the elements and, therefore, the weather around the place. This increased the likelihood of aura users gaining new insights and slightly altering the properties of their aura. As for remnants, they would manipulate the weather to match their specific power path, with fire or blood being quite common. As for the elves, experiencing all facets of nature enabled a deeper connection to their way of nature.

Realizing I didn’t know much about merit, she explained in some detail. It wasn’t so complicated; the citadel needed to gain resources somehow. Those who didn’t pass their initiation like me weren’t allowed anywhere. You either learned to overcome your initiation or were stuck here.

Depending on ability, the rest could group up or go alone, gathering resources the citadel needed or removing dangers. We had some outside connections to the nearby elven city of Sunstrike. Sometimes, the more able students would take commissions from merchants or nobles there. Occasionally, a teacher or elder would need a particular resource. For anyone able to fulfill that request, the rewards were plentiful. You could always take specific resources from an eleven commission and turn them in for merits—generally, the more valuable a resource or task, the more merit assigned to you. In return, these merits can give you other resources, opportunities, access to special halls, or privileges.

There was a ranking that also gave a certain amount passively, but it only began at the adept level. Moreover, it didn’t discriminate between tiers or years. Only teachers and elders were excluded. As well as beginners.

Then, her talk took a sharp turn. Almost with the gaze of a predator, she asked. “When are you going to come to my room one of these days? My last tip helped you a lot, didn’t it? Pay me back with a visit!” Her voice was cheerful still but had an edge of seriousness to it.

No matter what, I did owe Ashari. Her tip saved me an immense amount of trouble. I was going to apply it to the touch domain today even.

Today was the sixth day of the week. Apprentices didn’t have off but one day a week, which would be tomorrow. It was more of a free day to focus on our growth. But many saw it as a day to do nothing.

Taking that into account, I wrote in the dirt: Tomorrow.

“Tomorrow? The free day? Fine, but I’ll not let you off if you forget. Remember, it’s room seventy. My roommates will be friendly, don’t worry!” she warned with a happy voice.

Ashari left after our conversation, giving me some time alone. I was dry by then, so I put my robes and boots back on, cleaning off any remaining dirt. Patting myself down for a second, it dawned on me that this was beginning to be enjoyable. Of course, losing my eyes by force pissed me off greatly. But things were changing, weren’t they? That alone made my mood better.

Guiding myself by the soundscape and other senses over to the mindscape hall, I soon found myself there. The peaceful atmosphere immediately calmed me and sharpened my focus. Though the hall was filled with people, all were deeply absorbed in their trance or thoughts, making it eerily quiet.

Finding an empty spot, I again sat down with only nature and solitude. Reflecting on my experiences, I remembered how stumbling upon the Moth in the clearing had completely turned my life around. The Moth had changed everything for me; however, it was me who sincerely wanted that change. That desire is why the Moth gave me a chance in the first place.

Getting into the right frame of mind, I slowed down my breathing, syncing it with my other senses. My focus became not on what was around me but on what was already with me. Before I knew it, I was back in the mindscape for the first time since the elven underground prison. The last few times, this hall didn’t get me there.

The gigantic tree and the Moth dominated my mindscape; this time, she materialized far more solidly. My intuition told me the Moth was a woman, and I wasn’t sure how. Chains were leading deeper into my mindscape. Covering it was a deep mist; even if I walked forward with my spirit, the fog moved out of my reach.

Suddenly, the Moth landed on my brand. She began to absorb all my aura and the essence of nature around me. My senses started to fade, which was unexpected. But the thoughts of the Moth were being sent to me to trust what she was doing. So, I did.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Then, a cocoon of light wrapped around the Moth, a combination of my aura and the essence of nature. It got me thinking: What would introducing another path to power do to a world beast? Was it a positive or a negative thing? Perhaps one of the elves or the elders had some knowledge about this, but truth be told, I didn't trust them enough to share what was happening. The only person I might consider sharing this with was Verdenia, but I wasn't sure even then.

Adding to my uncertainty, my suspicions about Elnara grew, and Verdenia was around just before my memory gap. Did she know what happened? Was this why I'd only seen her once since crossing the portal?

Meanwhile, the light cocoon began to change, taking a more human shape over a short period. Out came something that felt and sounded human, but not entirely. It would be difficult to describe, especially since even in my mindscape, I was blind. The feedback from the soundscape, aura perception, and now touch domain through my feet could only tell me so much.

Even being able to tell the moth was enveloped by a cocoon was feedback from the soundscape, and my ordinarily pitch-black vision became a lighter shader. Soon after, a cracking sound echoed through the mindscape. A limb, or something similar, began to push against the cocoon, breaking it apart. It took a moment for the soundscape, touch domain, and aura perception to make sense of the aftermath.

When they did, I was left astonished. The Moth had transformed into a woman. Sure, she still had moth-like characteristics, but to me, she ‘looked’ more like a slightly modified human. And then she dropped another surprise. She began to speak.

"You're not planning to go mute on with me, too, are you? I did grant you a second chance at life," she said.

I would have been blinking in disbelief if my eyes weren't practically sealed shut. My shocked expression must have given me away as she commented, "What? You didn't know that we world beasts can take this form if we want? Considering you don't have a competent teacher, I'm not surprised. That boy, Hadrian, has little teaching ability. But don't worry, you have me now. Those infants pretending to be auramancers don't compare to me."

Her voice was dry and occasionally cracked like she was either learning to speak or reacquainting herself with the process.

"Now, speak to me, Falond Conmor."

My throat felt parched, likely due to disuse. Could I break my vow that easily? Even if the Moth hadn't asked for this, was it time...?

No, not yet. I shook my head at the Moth. She didn't seem thrilled about my decision but didn't press further.

"I’ll let you do this for now," she conceded. "But know this: if you ever want proper guidance on the gift I've bestowed on you, you'll need to speak with me. And don't forget to thank that kindly elven woman for me. This nature's essence has been quite beneficial."

That reminded me, what would happen now that a world beast had taken part of another path to power? Would it forcibly meld the two together even further? The Moth was part of me, after all.

"That's not my name," she corrected, as if reading my thoughts. "The core of the world merely shaped my appearance. I am Mundara, named by Gansia itself."

So she could read my thoughts. But considering she was part of me, and this was my mindscape, was it really that shocking?

"And you, Falond Conmor, are my Electi. You are the blade I shall sharpen."

As she spoke, my mind began to fog, a wave of intense fatigue washing over me.

"My transformation has taken a toll on your mind, my Electi. Revisit this mindscape when you are ready. There is much I have to teach you, and time is not on our side."

My trance was shattered, and a throbbing headache set in. It didn't take long to figure out why. There were only fumes of aura in me, and not even enough for the subconscious processes of the soundscape anymore. My body was beyond exhausted. The terrifying feeling of actual blindness returned. My senses felt sealed off, even worse than the average person's. Sweat trickled down my face, and I felt light-headed.

This must be aura depletion. It's not too much different from mana depletion. Growing up in a family of mages meant early childhood education was a must. My knowledge of some of these things came from those days, the books and tomes in the old library that smelled of strong Kanewood and Lilac. Strangely, I had a family of mages. Yet, thinking about them, I could do so clearly, but my feelings associated with them were…. gone. Why didn’t I have mana like them?

This vow of silence was starting to get in the way of things; was it right to continue it? I did it as an act of defiance, but was it still worth it if it held me back? Despite my defiance, missing out on the best possible teacher may end up being a colossal regret or worse.

That nagging feeling in the back of my head was persistent, growing stronger as the effects of aura depletion deepened, and my headache pounded harder than ever. I was thinking about missing out on training the touch domain and the Moth; sorry, Mundara becoming a human. Or, well, whatever she was. She mentioned something about teaching me aura, too. I had to look forward to that. A few breaths made me begin to recharge my aura.

A hand was felt on my shoulder. Instinctively, my heart thundered. I hadn’t sensed them at all. Of course, this current state of mine had me practically helpless for a bit longer. Then, the thundering continued as another hand got on the other shoulder. Then, a hood of some sort was felt being put around my face.

Seriously? Did they think this blindfold was for decoration? Folks, I’m already blind. Damn, they couldn’t have chosen a better time, could they?

This couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? The timing was too perfect. Ropes were put around my hands. They had some absorbing property, as my aura wasn’t regenerating. That wasn’t true for the brand, however. How was no one else seeing this happen?

Muffled voices echoed around me.

"Do you have him under control? Why didn't you gag him?"

“This one took a vow of silence, and Prophane wouldn’t let sound out either.”

"Well, I'm feeling generous. Let's help him stick to it."

My tongue got pulled out; then, an experienced incision was made. He cut my tongue enough to practically cripple my speaking ability, at least for a while. Then, a needle came to my voice box and out instantly.

I guess it wasn’t just a vow anymore. What did these people want from me? Were they even people? Who did I piss off this time? Could I ever get a damn break?

"Hurry up, let's move. Get him to the interrogation room and confirm he's the one the oracle foresaw."

"These aura pests are irritating, always crawling around in the dark."

“Too bad we can’t just blink out of here.”

"Stop your whining. We're moving now."

"Prophane, your magic's still keeping us hidden, right?"

A grumble of agreement answered. So that's how they'd gotten this far without detection. Prophane? I'd heard that name before... My heartbeat hammered in my ears. From the sound of it, these guys were mages or at least people who hunted aura users. Calm down, having my thoughts race wouldn’t help anyone, least of all myself.

What was going down? A kidnapping, it seemed. But why? Something about an oracle, from what I could piece together. What did I have control over? My aura was locked up, and my body was suffering from depletion. But the brand was still pulsing strongly. My experience using the path of nature was nearly zero, especially in its purer form. A bit of aura recovered during those few seconds, but that wasn’t even close to enough. This hood was sealing my ability to recover aura as I usually did through breathing.

Seeing no alternative, I started subtly circulating nature’s essence in my body. The three were taking me to someplace off the citadel grounds. The distance they had gone couldn’t be too far, maybe slightly past the training grounds. Many mountain peaks surrounded the citadel, and there could be other entrances besides the cave, but I didn’t know them.

Either way, the upper echelons had set up preventative measures against long-distance movement magic. I guess this wasn’t the first time this sort of thing happened. They were still in the middle of transporting me. Knowing my senses were practically all sealed. There was only one thing to do: figure out what this brand of nature’s essence could do.

To see results quickly, I started testing, trying to control nature's essence as I did aura, but it wasn't as effective. Then, a memory of Verdenia's giant tree technique struck me. I visualized the tree, treating it as an extension of my body. And sure enough, the issue of directing the power to different parts of my body was resolved.

They had carried me quite a distance from the citadel but not excessively far; only an hour had passed when they tossed me to the ground. The air was significantly chillier here, suggesting we were underground or high up on one of the surrounding mountains. On the way, I hadn’t figured much out with the brand. Wherever its power was sent, it would heal quickly, and my connection around me was more profound, but I wasn’t notably different. My senses didn’t increase at all. Maybe it was used another way? But how?

“Haul him to a holding cell. Our elusive rat has finally been cornered," a feminine voice ordered. The tone was vaguely familiar. As I lay against the damp, cold ground, replaying the sound in my mind, a few moments later, it came to me.

It was Velexa.