CHAPTER 8
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The hermit’s words lingered in my mind for days: You’ll have to discover it for yourself—in battle, in conflict. The idea of the Analyze skill fascinated me, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized how essential it would be. Power alone wasn’t enough. I could wield the elements effortlessly, control the Aetheric Flow with precision, but I wanted more than just raw strength. I needed to know my enemy’s weaknesses before they even moved. I needed to break them down, to see them for what they truly were.
But how would I learn this ability? The hermit had given me no real guidance, only vague mentions of combat and experience. I couldn’t afford to wait for a battle to stumble upon it. I had to force the skill to emerge, to discover it through sheer will.
The next morning, I stood in the clearing, my mind set. The air was cold, the forest quiet, but inside me, the Flow hummed with anticipation. Today, I would find a way to Analyze. I would push my abilities further.
The hermit watched me as I stood there, eyes closed, focusing on the world around me. I wasn’t just trying to feel the Flow this time—I was trying to understand it on a deeper level. How could I use it not only to cast spells but to break down everything around me? I needed to see through the surface, to perceive the hidden structure behind every object, every person.
"Today," I said quietly, "I’m going to learn something new."
The hermit’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t respond. He was used to my ambitions by now, even if he didn’t agree with them.
I extended my hand, summoning a ball of fire, but this time, I didn’t hurl it at the ground or toward a target. I held it in place, watching the flames flicker and dance. I focused, trying to see beyond the fire itself—to understand its composition, its nature. How was it formed? What fueled it, beyond just the Flow?
The fire roared in my hand, burning hotter, but I didn’t feel the heat. My mind was elsewhere, tracing the lines of magic that held the flames together, the invisible structure that made them burn. The more I concentrated, the more I could see. It was as if the fire had layers—complex, intricate layers that I had never noticed before.
I closed my eyes, pulling the image into my mind. If I could do this with fire, I could do it with anything. I could break down the world around me, see the weaknesses, the strengths, the underlying magic that connected everything.
When I opened my eyes again, the flames were still there, but I saw more than just fire. I saw how the fire existed, how it interacted with the air, the energy that fed it, the points where it was weakest.
"Analyze," I whispered, the word slipping from my mouth before I could even think about it. That’s what this was.
I let the fire dissipate, my heart pounding in my chest. I could feel the knowledge settling into me, the ability solidifying. I had done it. I had unlocked the skill.
The hermit approached, his eyes cautious. "What did you just do?"
I looked at him, my confidence growing. "I learned how to see."
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His brow furrowed further, but I could see the question forming in his eyes. Before he could ask, I raised my hand again, this time summoning a stone from the earth. I didn’t just lift it—I analyzed it. The structure of the stone appeared in my mind instantly, as if I had always known how it was formed. I saw its density, its weight, the cracks and weaknesses within it. I could see how, with the right amount of pressure in the right place, the stone would crumble.
I closed my hand, and the stone shattered into dust.
The hermit’s eyes widened, but I wasn’t looking at him anymore. I was focused on the new power coursing through me. Analyze. I could break down anything, anyone. It wasn’t just about seeing weaknesses. It was about understanding everything—the magic, the structure, the very essence of what made things exist.
"You’re moving faster than I expected," the hermit said quietly, his voice filled with a mix of wonder and concern.
"I told you before," I replied, turning to face him. "I don’t have time to waste. I need to be ready. For the demon. For whatever else comes."
He nodded slowly, but his expression remained troubled. "You’ve learned much, but you must be careful. This power… it can be dangerous if you rely too much on it."
I frowned. "Dangerous? Why?"
"Because when you learn to see the world like this," the hermit said, stepping closer, "you stop seeing it as real. You see only the flaws, the vulnerabilities. You stop seeing people as people. You see them as puzzles to solve, obstacles to overcome. That can change you."
His words gnawed at me, but I pushed the doubt away. I wasn’t worried about changing. I was worried about being strong enough. The world didn’t care about who I was. It cared about who was strong enough to survive, who was strong enough to take what they wanted. And I would take everything from the demon that destroyed my life.
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Over the next few days, I practiced the Analyze skill relentlessly. Every time I summoned an element—fire, water, earth, or air—I studied it, breaking it down in my mind. Each time I cast a spell, I understood more about the magic itself—how it was formed, how it interacted with the Flow, how I could make it stronger.
It wasn’t just about casting spells anymore. It was about mastering them, making them perfect. I could see how to manipulate the smallest details, how to tweak the magic in subtle ways to make it more efficient, more deadly.
The hermit continued to watch me, but his silence spoke louder than words. He knew I was moving too fast, pushing too hard, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t like him. I didn’t have the luxury of time. I had to be ready—ready for the demon, for the fight that was coming.
One evening, as the sun began to set, I stood in the clearing, practicing with the elements. I summoned fire, then extinguished it with water. I raised pillars of stone from the earth, then shattered them with wind. Each movement was precise, calculated. There was no wasted energy, no unnecessary effort. I was learning faster than I had ever imagined.
But there was still more to learn.
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One night, after a particularly intense training session, I sat by the fire, my body aching but my mind sharp. I could feel the magic in the air, the Flow surrounding me like a comforting presence. But something was missing. I had mastered the elements, I had unlocked Analyze, but there were still skills I had yet to discover—abilities that could push me further.
That’s when it hit me.
I needed a way to manipulate my enemies, not just with brute force but with subtlety. I needed to control them without them even realizing it. And then, I remembered the small, almost playful skill I had stumbled upon weeks ago—the ability to make someone slip. It had been an accident at first, just a way to distract an enemy. But now, I saw its potential.
I focused, drawing on the memory of the skill. I could feel the Flow shifting, the way it connected to everything around me. And with a flick of my wrist, I sent a pulse through the earth, just enough to shift the balance of a nearby stone. It wobbled, then fell, like a person losing their footing.
A smile crept onto my face. Slip. It wasn’t just a distraction. It was a way to toy with my enemies, to make them doubt themselves. I could make them stumble, lose focus, and then strike when they were vulnerable.
I looked down at my hands, feeling the surge of power within me. I was ready. More than ready. The demon had no idea what was coming.