Fire lanced through Leaf’s body. The red Core at his center swelled with power, stretching and bulging as he struggled to keep the energy within contained. Even with his eyes closed he could see it clearly, a mass of red light that was barely maintaining the shape of an orb. His heartbeat thundered against his chest, its arrival bringing with it a new swell of power that he struggled to contain within. He grit his teeth as needles slowly dug into his brain, still maintaining the hold on his Ether as the size of the Core grew, the heat that it gave off like a brand digging into his heart. The pain was familiar to him, so much so that it’d become commonplace, but on this day there was an intensity to it that was unlike anything he had felt before. He made an effort of will to dull his own senses, but today such methods did not appear to take effect.

“Deep breaths Leaf, you are almost there.”

He could not see his companion, but the Awoken could tell from the deep, yet gentle tone of the voice that Helbram was at his side. The man who helped him along this path of Awakening, who had always encouraged him to press on.

Leaf wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.

“It bloody hurts…” he grumbled through his teeth, muting its usual biting ring.

“And complaining about it will get you nowhere,” Helbram countered in a firm tone, “you are free to whine once I say so.”

Leaf made a strangled sound, but contained his temper, using it as fuel to maintain the hold on his Core. He heeded his friend’s words and took in a deep breath, synchronizing it with the slow, but powerful beat of his heart. As he did, he could feel everything grow distant. Helbram’s voice faded first, the encouragement of his companion nothing more than a dull ringing at the corner of his mind as focus overtook him. The pain was still there, but softened, similar to the distant feeling of a wound wrapped in bandages. With its intensity dulled, Leaf could focus more upon his Core itself. When he first awakened it, it was nothing more than the size of a marble.

Now it was nearly four times that.

Surprise was the first thing that came to him as the realization dawned upon him. He’d Cultivated his Core nearly every day since he found it, but the growth of it was so minimal with each individual session that for the longest time he believed he was making no progress. In this state of what he hoped was focus, he finally knew how far he’d come, and it was that revelation that spurred him on. The hold on his Core tightened, stabilizing its misshapen state as he let the fire within burn. He continued his slow but steady breaths, his heartbeat thundering against his core like a hammer against heated steel. His perception of time vanished, and what may have very well been an eternity passed as he lost himself within the flow of Cultivation. Before, it had always ended when he felt like he could hold on no longer, like he lost hold of the bindings of a wild beast. Now, it was as if he was gently reining in a horse, knowing that it could gallop no longer. As the fire within him stilled, he released hold over his Core.

Power swept through him like a tide, his dulled senses replaced by ones even higher than the ones that he naturally possessed as a half elf. A wooden room expanded around him, his green eyes able to catch sight of every grain within its flooring, walls, bed frames and furniture within their simple yet sturdy make. Gooseflesh trailed along his skin as he felt more… aware, like he could feel even the slightest disturbance to the air around him, knowing exactly where such disruptions would be even if he was not looking in its direction. It was that which told him of Helbram’s presence, and he could feel the very air shift around his companion’s hand when it rested on his shoulder.

“Congratulations Journeyman,” the smile was clear in Helbram’s voice, “You may now consider yourself of the Second Layer.”

Leaf tilted his head, “You could see?”

Helbram nodded, “Like a beacon in the dead of night.”

The Awoken looked at his hand and clenched his fingers, “It’s strange… I felt like I was about to be ripped apart, but then it all settled like it wasn’t such a big deal in the first place.”

Helbram walked in front of him, pulling a chair from the room’s desk. Even without his armor and in simple clothes, the man always held a large presence, one that was granted to him by his taller frame and wide shoulders, but at the same time there was a subtlety and precision to the man’s movements that betrayed an underlying grace to it all. One that Leaf had grown aware of not only from the time they’d spent together, but also aided by his newly enhanced senses. His companion's blue eyes were narrowed as he took a seat and rubbed his freshly shaved chin, the calluses on his hand all the more apparent as Leaf’s eyes caught sight of them.

“Hmmm, your expression did calm down towards the end there,” Helbram said, “usually you look on the verge of dying,” he smirked, “or passing a particularly foul meal through your body.”

Leaf rolled his eyes, “Would you rather I actually shite myself instead?”

Helbram chuckled, “Well it would be an interesting method of Cultivation, that is for certain.”

Leaf grumbled.

“Now now, let us not get all frowny on such an occasion,” he paused as he ran a hand through his brown hair. It was normally cut short, but had grown out a few inches during their travels in the Winter, adding a bit of roughness to the normally well kept man. This was in contrast to Leaf’s own wolf-like darker brown hair, which, through his newfound sensitivity, he could feel poking the back of his neck. The sensation was equal measures surprising and irritating, and the thought to cut his locks entered his mind for the first time in a long while.

“It could be that you have developed, or stumbled upon, a Technique,” Helbram surmised.

Leaf’s ears perked up, “Developed eh? Guess I’m more talented than I thought,” he rubbed his upper lip, unable to contain the smug smile that twisted it up.

His companion snorted, “Your talent has never been in question, but I am afraid I must dampen your pride just a bit.”

Leaf moved from his position on the floor to the bed across from Helbram, “What do you mean?”

“If you have developed a Technique, it is most likely one that has already been found before,” Helbram explained, “Cultivation has been around for so long that any Technique that is the result of pure happenstance has been documented in some way shape or form. Any new developments on that front are ones made by rigorous experimentation and testing.”

Leaf crossed his arms, “Right, then this really was a stroke of luck.”

“Perhaps not, what have you noticed most since your Core expanded?”

The Awoken tapped his chin, “That’s jus’ the thing, it’s everything. Without even focusing my Ether, things that would have taken me a while to even notice are just present in an instant. It was almost too much at first, but as it’s settled it's more like the wool has been pulled from… well, all of my senses and I’m feelin’ as I should’ve been.”

Helbram leaned back in his chair, “Interesting… unfortunately that does not narrow it down much. Techniques that increase sensitivity and focus are numerous, though the scale at which they do so does vary,” he closed his eyes, “And from my very limited knowledge I could not possibly tell which one of those you have stumbled upon, unless…”

“Unless?”

“Ether is a rather… nebulous type of energy, one that can be defined by many factors, and one of the major ones is bloodline,” Helbram looked Leaf in the eye, “were we to know your parentage, we might have some insight as to what Technique you may have naturally trended towards.”

Leaf’s eyes narrowed, “Then I guess we’ll never know.”

The man held his hands up, “Of that I am fully aware, I just thought it appropriate to tell you,” he stood up and pushed the chair back under the desk, “With that speculation done, I do believe we have more important matters to tend to, namely telling our companions the good news.”

As Helbram walked towards the door of their room, Leaf focused his Ether into his eyes, granting them a red color as he peered towards his companion. It took far less effort to do so compared to his previous attempts, and felt as easy as breathing. The Awoken brushed off any implications of that and gazed at the center of Helbram’s body, towards his Core.

He was well aware that his friend was unable to Cultivate, it was something that Helbram was always open about, though he did not bring it up that often. As a result, the man’s Core was difficult to spot due to its size. It was like looking for a singular grain of sand on the floor, yet Leaf had grown familiar enough with the task that he could generally locate it fairly quickly, and with his newly enhanced focus it took even less effort this time. At the center of Hebram’s chest sat a glint of pale white, like a stray star fallen from the night’s sky. Over the months that they traveled, its size had remained constant, but with his newfound awareness Leaf expected Helbram’s Core to be more defined in his eyes. In some ways, this was true. The Core’s form, a misshaped speck of white, was all the more noticeable, but as the Awoken was more aware of his own larger core, he couldn't help but think the light of Helbram’s energy was growing weaker.

Dimmer.

“Helbram,” Leaf started.

His friend turned around and gave him a quizzical look. The man’s features betrayed no effect that his Core’s condition could have produced, and it was that which gave Leaf pause. Was there something going on with Helbram’s Ether, or had Leaf’s own recent elevation and clarity made him see the Core as it always was?

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Had his newfound power made him see Helbram’s own as lesser?

“Something wrong?” Helbram asked.

Leaf shook his head, “Thank you, for guiding me this far.”

His friend snorted, “I just gave a few pointers. Where you stand is due to your efforts, Leaf, and where you will go is dependent on that as well,” he smiled, “and I have a feeling that will be quite far indeed, you are quite the bull-headed one, after all.”

Leaf chuckled and shook his head, “Takes one to know one.”

“Heh, I suppose it does,” Helbram cracked the door open, “I shall go on ahead, take a moment to rest if you need it.”

Leaf focused on his friend’s back as he left the room. The man always held an upright posture, and maintained that as he vanished from Leaf’s sight, leaving the Awoken to his thoughts.

Not once had Leaf ever seen envy in his friend’s eyes, heard the knife of spite in Helbram’s voice. The man would always provide advice when asked, granted guidance when he thought it most appropriate, and with each step the Awoken took forward Helbram would always be the first one there to congratulate him on his progress. In return, all he could do was watch as Helbram struggled to summon an amount of power that came to Leaf as easy as breathing. Watch as the man kept pressing on with no sign of progress in sight. Never did Helbram lash out, never did he get angry.

So why, in a moment that should be nothing but triumph, did Leaf feel guilt stab at his heart?

He followed after Helbram, pushing those thoughts to the side for now as he entered a small wooden hallway. Though The Tree’s Root called itself a tavern, its size was that of a slightly larger house, and its small number of rooms only added to that. As a result, the Awoken nearly stumbled into Helbram as he turned from his room’s door, the man still standing outside the only other room in the hallway. He was peering through a cracked door, and when Leaf gave him a confused look Helbram merely put a finger to his lip and pointed into the room. He stood to the side as Leaf peered through the small crack in the door, letting him feel the gentle flow of cool air, one that did not possess the harsh bite of Winter, brush against his face.

Aria sat on a bed, her eyes closed and legs crossed as her brow was furrowed in concentration. A light blue aura radiated off her body, one that fluttered the white dress -her favorite- that hung from her still too thin frame. The girl’s skin was pale, and her features were fair enough that should she ever sit still, it would be easy to mistake her for a doll. This was only emphasized by her long, flowing white hair, which was a far cry from the unkempt look it once held before. This was due to the efforts of the two women who stood in front of her.

While Jahora’s possessed a small stature -a little less than half the size of Helbram, to be precise- there was an air of liveliness about her that granted her a presence that, in Leaf’s own opinion, was overwhelming at times. The near permanent smile that quirked her small lips up only served to support this impression, as well as the sparkle that danced in purple eyes that were slightly too large to belong to anyone but a gnome. Her larger pointed ears were perked up as well as she pumped her fists in excitement, a gesture that was difficult to see under the robes and coat that she wore, but one that shook the pigtails and bangs of her blonde hair as she appeared to vibrate in place.

In contrast, Elly stood at their side with a much more composed air, dressed in robes as well, though with a looser design for ease of movement. A pair of spectacles rested on her pointed nose, their thin frames rounding off her usual sharp, golden eyes as she tapped her finger against her full lips. Her silver hair was tied back in a singular ponytail that trailed down to the middle of her back. This, and the loose bangs over her forehead, were typical for her as she peered at Aria and the notebook in her hands in equal measure, muttering to herself as she scribbled notes into the book’s pages. In contrast to Aria’s own pale skin, Elly’s possessed a gray, nearly black shade, one that nearly matched the night sky itself - a color that was a trademark of the Dusk Elves. Her ears were longer, and pointer, than Leaf’s own given that she was of full elven blood, and their wiggle betrayed the anticipation that she was feeling under her guise of composure.

The aura drifted from Aria’s skin like mist, though unlike the Ether that was running through Leaf’s body, he recognized this as Aether, an energy drawn from the environment itself, serving as fuel for spellcraft. It was an art that was more familiar to the two women next to the girl, and their eyes were focused towards her hands and her head. As Leaf followed their gaze, he noted that he could see the aura around those areas try to condense, forming vague semblances of rings. One was focused around her head and the other around her wrist.

“Concentrate Aria,” Jahora encouraged in her usual light tone, “you can only choose one or the other.”

“Yes, talented as you are, there hasn’t been a spellcaster that has ever formed two Circles at once,” Elly said, her voice carrying a refined cadence behind it.

A frown pulled at Aria’s lips, and the rings around her head and wrist both flared before blinking away, taking with them the aura that surrounded her. Her eyes opened, revealing the frosty blue of her irises.

“It’s hard to choose,” she said as she fiddled with the amulet around her neck. It was an overly embellished design of an eye overlapping a moon, no larger than a coin yet garish enough to be noticed from across the room. The mark of Velendel, the Watcher.

“There are merits to both,” Jahora admitted, “but whether you follow the path of a Mage or a Weaver, you can rest assured that both of us will help you to the best of our abilities.”

“Indeed,” Elly agreed, “though it is not entirely out of the question to blend the two, but that would require possession of two or more Circles.”

Jahora walked up to Aria and held her hands, “So no need to try and split your attention. Focus on one thing at a time and the results will come to you yet.”

The girl nodded, “I want to try one more time.”

Both Elly and Jahora smiled at her, “Try as many times as you need.”

Leaf looked to Helbram, both sharing a nod before closing the door.

“I suppose the news can wait,” Helbram remarked.

Leaf shrugged, “It’s not a big deal anyway.”

Helbram clasped his shoulder, “Nonsense, we will make sure to celebrate properly later,” He tapped his chin, “At a time where Aria would not be in charge of four drunks, preferably.”

The Awoken snorted, “She’d spy on us anyways, no matter how late it’d be.”

Helbram laughed, “Most likely, but we can make an attempt at being responsible adults, can we not?”

“One of us will.”

“Pft, fair enough. For now, can I count on our irresponsible one to check on Bessie?”

“Of course, I was plannin’ to do that anyways,” Leaf said as they walked into The Tree’s Root’s main hall. Unlike most of the taverns they’ve been to, this one was decidedly empty, so much so that the tavernkeep himself was not at the bar, letting the random assortment of wooden chairs and tables feel more akin to an abandoned building. The pale light of Winter’s morning leaked through the tavern’s windows, granting the place an almost ghostly appearance, one that would have rang true were it not for the sounds of people outside.

“Going to check on your armor?” Leaf asked as they made their way to the door.

“Indeed,” Helbram said, “Or what could be restored of it, anyway.”

“I would be surprised if they could do much with it. It got beat like an angel hurtling through the Hells.”

“You would be surprised,” Helbram said, “small as this town is, its people are surprisingly skilled," he pushed the door open, “I shall be back soon.”

Leaf followed his companion out of the door, but rather than march directly into the streets like he did, the Awoken took a moment to stretch and look over the main street of Geldervale. Rather, the largest of only a handful of roads that trailed through the semblance of a town. Its streets were without the usual paved cobblestone roads of more developed villages and instead were composed of packed and worn earth that could only result from countless footsteps falling onto a single path. Geldervale’s buildings reflected its young age as well, with most of its buildings having been constructed from wood harvested from the forest that surrounded its boundaries, a common trademark of many a town that decided to settle within the sea of trees that was the Freemarks. Even with their simplistic construction, however, there was sturdiness to their make that betrayed a refined skill of whoever built them.

With Leaf’s enhanced senses, these signs only became more evident. The wood of each building was cut thicker, more uniformly to allow less gaps between their planks. This gave the structures a distinctly hardy look, and their slanted roofs were of a similar make, which was a far cry from the usual flimsiness of other buildings he had seen in his travels through the Freemarks. The people of Geldervale seemed to reflect the robustness of their architecture, walking about the village and greeting each other as if the cold was but a mild inconvenience. Even as an Awoken, Leaf still wore his coat and only wrapped it closer to him as he stepped outside. After he’d had his fill of the village, he made his way to the back of The Tree’s Root, where a simple stable stood, its doors fully closed to keep the warmth of the animals inside its boundaries.

Or, in this case, a single animal.

As Leaf opened the doors of the stable, Bessie stirred. The Auroc had fallen asleep in a pile of hay, strands of which clung to her thick fur coat as she stood up. She was large, standing up to Leaf’s chest in height and at least two of him in width, but as the bovine approached it was with a tenderness that one assumed only smaller beasts possessed. Beady eyes peered at him through her fur lined mane with what he knew to be both affection and expectation.

Leaf snorted, “Oh you need me to feed you do you? Though I expect its not hay you’re wanting, is it?”

Bessie nudged him with her snout.

“Ok ok, just give me a moment.”

He stepped back from the bovine and made his way to the party’s wagon, which was parked right next to the stable. It was a vehicle of magitech make, evident by its lack of wheels and, were it active, by the large crystal that sat in its undercarriage. When powered, it would levitate with the assistance of Aether, though in its inert state it now just rested flat on the ground. Its metallic cover provided ample protection from the elements, which meant that the two apples Leaf fished from one of the barrels within still held a firm feel in his hands. As he walked back to Bessie, he held one of the apples in the crook of his arm and with a firm twist and small amount of Ether, easily split the other in half with his hands. Smirking to himself, he took a bite of one of the halves and savored its crisp sweetness. He held the rest of the fruit out for Bessie to snack on, which the Auroc did with a happy grunt.

As he finished off his half of the apple, he scratched Bessie behind one of the small horns protruding from her mane, which made the bovine bellow in satisfaction as she nuzzled against him.

“There we are,” he said as he ran his hand through her mane, “Gods you are tangled up, you need a good brushing, don’t you?”

The bovine showed no further reaction as she finished the fruit in Leaf’s hand, allowing him to be more aggressive in his petting.

A whimper broke their peace.

Leaf’s hands stopped as he heard the noise, his ears twitching as another whine followed, directing his attention to the forest that stood only a stone's throw away from the stable. Keeping silent, he pushed Bessie back and exited the building, closing the doors behind him. He approached the trees, keeping his steps light as he approached the source of the sound. He peered over the forest’s shrubbery, and was greeted by the sight of two wolves.

Two wolf cubs, to be precise.

They were of differing coats, one of pure white and the other of the deepest black. Both held blue, nearly white eyes, and both were only around the size of Leaf’s forearm. The white cub lay on the forest floor, the source of the whimpers as blood matted its fur red, its coat too thick to reveal the severity of its injury at a glance. The black cub stood over the fallen one, its ears perked up as it scanned the area around them. As Leaf pushed through the shrubbery, it spun around, meeting eyes with him for a brief moment.

And then it growled.