Queltsom:

I left the bedroom and headed back to the room where Lady Eileen had fought, or rather, smashed, the guards earlier. I heard something scraping on the floor at a consistent interval, so I figured she was cleaning.

"Hey, ma'am. Can I go somewhere where I can test my new power?", I called.

"Oh, do you know your way? You'll find the entrance to the garden on the right side of the balcony, opposite the door to the kitchen after you enter it.", she said.

"OH, thanks! I remember the way to the kitchen from my visit with Brel, so I can find it. But aren't you worried I'll destroy all the plants?", I asked.

"Hahaha, the plants are going to be fine. Brel did a really good job with the defense formations, so don't worry about hurting them. Besides, there are others watching over the garden.", Eileen said, sounding amused.

"Oh, ok, thanks again!", I repeated before scurrying off.

I followed the path I remembered all the way to the kitchen, then headed right and forward, as I'd been told. I opened the door and stepped through. I followed the echos of distant pressures until I came across a door. Opening it, I was immediately assaulted by the fragrant smells of the plants and their still, unmoving pressures. Further more, I heard some buzzing from flying insects, which gave off a surprisingly powerful pressure. That must be what Lady Eileen meant by 'others watching over the garden'.

I noted that my pressure sense had a range of 10 feet in all directions. It wasn't huge by any means, but it would work at close range, although my enemies would see me well before I could sense them, so I had to increase my range somehow. Regardless of whether I knew whether my pressure sense would benefit from it or not, which I didn't, I still had to reach my mind foundation. And to that end, I'd need another form of Kota conductivity since my conductors were gone, so I had to start working on my cultivation if I wanted to get new conductors. But now, it was power testing time!

I tried summoning the weird power from before, but it didn't work. I tried recalling what it felt like to hit Brel before sleeping or when I incapacitated the guard earlier. The former I couldn't recall clearly, likely because I was too angry to think about what I was doing, while the latter was like a weight pressing down on something and affecting it. It was as if I lifted something with my hands, but more intensely, like I was lifting that thing from afar and with far more force. My head suddenly tingled, as if I were just brushing on something important. But what was I thinking about? Anyway, it wasn't like simply controlling things remotely with my mind; that would be telekinesis, but it felt good for squeezing down, prepelling things—that sort of more potent action that required more power, more weight. I tried calling on that feeling while reaffirming my understanding, and something inside me moved. It was so slow that I doubted whether that was the same power I had manipulated when I had been angry at Brel, but it moved, and my hand started to convulse as the energy entered it, giving it the strength of a club or a hammer. My hand shook, urging me to release that power. As more of that energy seaped in without stopping, I panicked and lost control over it. It shot out of my hand all at once, a wave of power that made a whooshing sound and rustled the leaves of the plants all around me. It wasn't the air itself, but something that was moving the air. I felt the telltale signs of an oncoming headache, but I ignored them and tried again. Remembering the feeling of the energy, I summoned it back. Expecting the convulsions, I sent it to my hand, ready to rip the air apart with a powerful force. My head tingled again, but I swung my Titan's Fist.

*Swoosh*!

I felt it this time—a vibration in the air. The floorboards creaked, the plants rustled more intensely than before, and the air rippled with my punch. I was exerting an unnatural physical force over everything around me, and that force was produced by this weird energy rather than coming from gravity itself. This force was enough to agitate the wind and produce a very slight shockwave! I felt the pain in my head intensify, and I grunted in agony, but at the same time, a slight warmth spread throughout my body, easing the pain slightly. I instinctively knew that I understood the power of my essence seed in its basic form. Wait a moment. What in the Void is an essence seed? How did I get this power? Yet another thing to ask Kerrio about when he awoke, I guess. I reached out to summon my force energy again, but felt a gaping hole where the energy should be. Fearing the worst, I sat down and meditated. The energy of the plants here wasn't as abundant as back in the forest outside, but I drew power from them never the less. I felt a hint of that converted mana Kor told me about, but also something else. It felt so good when I drew it into myself! It rejuvinated me and felt very soothing, but there was only a little of it, quantity-wise. Not wanting to steal from the plants, I only drew in those wisps that escaped from them. They weren't as potent, but they were good enough for me. I quickly felt my force energy tick upwards at an unprecedented rate, and over time, my force pool reached its full capacity again. I was truly lucky to stumble on this energy.

Come to think of it, it felt similar to the energy Lady Eileen had used in her Verdant Sovereign form, but this one was calmer and more peaceful. Whatever this energy was, it had an extremely powerful effect on my force energy recovery speed. If I didn't draw that energy, I'd have to wait for days before I could use force again, but luckily, I did!

Force energy back in a usable state, I began once again. This time, I tried narrowing it down to a single spot. It didn't want to listen to me. The power was somehow more greedy, wanting to affect the whole place. I tried to force it, but a few more attempts told me that trying to force it would be difficult at best. So I only did what I could, flinging force attacks at the air to see how little I could use that would still deal damage. My goal was to minimize my power use to maximize sustainability in a fight. I wouldn't want to run out of energy before my enemy did, after all.

Whenever I drew the energy from my stores, wherever they were, the energy came in tangled chunks, and I had to waste time taking only what I needed and returning the rest, with some of it leaking out in useless ripples. I noticed that with every motion of the energy, it started to slowly untangle and become easier and easier to control. I performed a titan's fist infused with force energy, then quickly tried to follow up with a punch storm, but the force energy was still too slow, ruining my rhythm. I was more or less satisfied with my current progress. The force energy was still too slow, but I was sure that with time, I'd get the hang of it.

When I thought about the energy being slow, I felt a tug from somewhere close to where I drew force energy from. I inspected the place and found something like a new muscle I could flex. I flexed it to its maximum intensity and instantly blurred forward, falling hard, face first, to the ground. A falling ability? No, that didn't make sense! Why would I have an ability that makes me fall faster? Wait, faster? Is it speed? My head tingled, and I tried flexing it a small amount. I attempted to move and misjudged the speed at which I was running, almost getting my feet taken right from under me, but I balanced myself at the last second. I quickly started to feel soreness in that speed muscle, so I let go, and the pain slowly subsided. So, I had a pool of force energy I could control and shape as I wanted, well, not yet, but theoretically, of course, and a new muscle that lets me increase my speed. Could I speed up the force energy? I didn't want to risk it, so I tried something else instead.

I drew on my force energy and distributed it all throughout my body. I immediately started to feel heavy and clunky, with that same sense of strength surging through me. I stepped forward, and my foot made a quiet boom, sounding like the footstep of some giant beast. I flexed my speed muscle to what I judged to be half of its maximum strength, and I felt like I could run faster now. I spun in place, testing the new speed. I was capable of increasing my weight and the intensity of the impact I had on things while being able to run at my normal speed. I decided to name my first force technique Force Shell! I felt the pain intensify the longer I ran, and I let go of the speed muscle. My Force Shell cut off on its own, and I fell to the ground, moaning in pain. It was still power-hungry, though. Another thing to try increasing would be the size of my force pool, or perhaps the efficiency of force energy.

Done with my training for today, I stood up, dusted myself off, and walked out of the garden-turned training space, heading back through the kitchen and striding back to the bedroom. Surprisingly, before entering the door, I sensed two pressures enter my range. Who was with Kerrio? I focused on my hearing and could make out two distinct breaths. One person was sleeping while another was not. It didn't sound like a snore. It was just like any breath, different from that of a sleeping person. I entered the room, and Lady Eileen spoke. In hindsight, I should have realized that Lady Eileen would be there. Who else would be in Kerrio's room other than her?

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"Welcome back, Queltsom!", she said brightly.

"Thanks! I discovered two new powers I could use in battle, but I'll have to train more with them. They seem very useful, though!", I said.

"Impressive!", she commented.

"Oh, and your verdant energy is really nice; I love it!", I added. She gasped.

You let verdant energy enter your body? The potentially violent interaction between it and your path could have killed you!", she said in a loud whisper.

"But it didn't,, I pointed out. "Also, I don't have a path yet. My teacher told me to make my own path by studying my own aptitudes and affinities and generally finding out more about myself. I still don't understand most of it, but what can you do?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you know about paths. Your teacher must have been very knowledgeable. But I'm confused as to why they haven't passed down their own path to you as a heritage,, she asked.

"Oh yeah, she is smart. Also, I don't know why she didn't give me her path. She taught me some skills like Kota control, meditation, and knowledge about a lot of beasts. She also said that powerful sects and clans followed a specific path that had been explored and improved over generations, giving them a clear road for growth, but she didn't tell me her path or pass it down to me. I even asked her, and she said, and I quote, 'A Dragon Carves His Path. The best path for you is the one you forge with your own hands,, I said.

"Oh, how odd. Does she like dragons?", she asked jokingly. "Or perhaps she follows a draconic path?"

"She is a dragon,, I clarified.

"I'm not sure if you are joking back or speaking seriously, but I'll go along with it,, she said, sounding slightly confused. Why did people always sound confused when talking to me? It wasn't like I was saying something weird or anything.

"Anyways, can you use the energy?", she asked a moment later, sounding curious.

"No, I can only restore my force energy with it,, I said excitedly.

"Force energy?", she asked in interest.

"Here, let me show you!", I said. I drew my force energy, focused it into my fists, and then punched the air, causing a small breeze to cover the room and impacting the air with a whoosh.

"I can also turn heavy to ram hard into my enemies and do all sorts of things. I only tested the simple stuff, like covering my fists with it and distributing it throughout my body to enhance my strength. It's still too slow to use in combat, but I've noticed that it's improving as I use it. I also have a weird muscle that lets me increase my speed. I can't use that in combat yet either, but I can see how both of those powers can be used together. Well, I can't actually see since I'm blind, but yeah,, I said, chuckling at the last joke.

"Ahahahaha, you have a sense of humor, I see! Congratulations on discovering those energies. Essence seeds are interesting because their energies are so out of the norm that nothing else can replicate them without a similar seed,, Lady Eileen giggled.

"Wait, you know what this is? Can you tell me what it is and how I got it?", I asked eagerly.

"You got it when Kerrio fed it to you. He bought it from the system, which said that essence seeds stabilized one's spirit. Essence seeds are unique creatures who can grant their hosts special powers in exchange for a constant absorbtion of their life energy. You could consider them a form of cultivation. The draw on life energy is negligible, and you could always get more from cultivating,, she told me.

"Oh, life energy isn't a problem for me yet. Besides, I like my essence seed, so I think it deserves that life energy for giving me the powers of force and speed,, I said, and I sensed something from somewhere within myself. Both the area where my force pool was stored and the speed muscle reacted with a feeling of gratitude. I couldn't exactly describe the feeling, but that's what came to mind.

Raiga:

"Beast tide stampede up ahead. F-grade and e-grade Hurd of Nartox: around 44 mid-f-grades, 29 high-f-grades, and 6 low-e-grades! Raise the alarm, quick!", one of the scouts called from one of the watchtowers stationed around the city defenses.

"Alright, I'm on it!", a caller answered from below. He hurried east, towards the voice amplification field.

"Call to arms! Call to arms! There's a beast stampede up north, a hurd of Nartox between f-grade and e-grade. Call to arms! Call to arms!", he said, and his voice reverberated throughout the whole city. The crowd burst into action. Most fled back to their homes, and only a few remained. Those who were defenders gathered around the defense office, awaiting orders. Soon, another voice boomed.

"Team Hotstorm and Team Blightstalker, gather around and unite! Fall into your roles and pair up. High initiate Raeven and senior defender Valerie will join you. Raeven will be among the casters, while Valerie strikes from above!", officer Henry West said. Two individual groups of people separated from the remaining crowd and met up with one another. Some wore heavy plate armor, some wore leather armor, and others wore caster robes and cloaks. The archers and casters gathered up in the backline to strike from range, while the tanks and damage dealers moved to the front lines, with the quick and stealthy strikers slightly behind them and to the sides. Then two figures joined them. One was an older woman riding atop what looked like a flying horse made of light. The second one was a boy who looked 16 years old. He wore ruby-red robes and a crimson medallion on his neck. The croud roared in protest, throwing insults at him and saying that a boy like that had no business fighting beasts and that he was going to kill them and die in the process. That soon changed when Valerie looked at him and smiled. They all stopped muttering to listen to what she was saying. She was pretty well known for being a genius, after all.

"Hello, young Raeven. I've heard a lot about you. You are new here, yes?", she asked.

"Yes, ma'am,, he answered politely.

"Then let me introduce myself. I am Valerie Ventree, a senior defender from the Caster Division. I specialize in the wind element. Meet Glimmer, the flying horse. She's not actually a horse, but the form of the horse is suitable right now. Her species is actually called formless light elemental. Let's defend the city together, my boy,, she said.

"Pleasure meeting you, senior. I am high initiate Raeven Urnus, also from the caster division. I use the fire element. I have fought some beasts before, but never ones as strong as what I believe we are going to face soon,, he said. "Greetings, glimmer!", he nodded at the elemental. The creature blinked at him, looking down at him with soft, welcoming blue eyes.

"Let us not waste time. Teams, form up. Raeven, casters!, she pointed at the line of robed figures. Raeven hurried toward them, and she prepared herself. The two teams of fighters gathered up in an orderly formation, and they moved in front of the glowing defensive shields to intercept the onrushing tide of beasts.

"Wind Booster.", Valerie sent a brown-green light towards Raeven, which sank into his forehead and enhanced him with wind Vaq. Then she knelt down and gripped a handful of small stones. She constructed a small wind blade to use as a carving device and started drawing runes. Various collections of stones were arranged in circles of different sizes. One array was supposed to amplify every kind of energy imaginable. Another increased the sharpness of bladed weapons and the blunt force of blunt weapons and fists, and yet another array surrounded everyone with an invisible Vaq shield to add some semblence of protection. She ordered Glimmer to split herself into different points of light and position all the arrays in the right place, then made an additional stone that had only two runes. domination, and will. She charged that one particularly well so she could gain control of every array in the vicinity. That way, she could manage every inch of her part of the operation. She didn't care about that old geezer's orders. Even if she was the strongest and could finish the beasts rather easily, she wasn't going to waste an opportunity like that. She'd rather the trainees learn how to handle those kinds of situations and get some experience than help them. Heck, she was already helping them by amplifying their Vaq attacks, weapons, and fists. She wasn't going to do anything else for them. Not even for Raeven.

"Why aren't you falling in line, Ventree?", a mocking elderly voice said from a distance.

"That stupid little whelp of an old man...", she thought to herself. She always wants to sabotage me, even in the most dire of circumstances. What is he doing here anyway?".

"Hey, Genius Girl, are you deaf now? Fall in line or I'll tell the officer about your insubordination,, he said. "Wah?", he suddenly yelled.

*Crack*! A whip suddenly struck the man from behind.

"Owwww, it burns, it burns! Who did this to me? Show yourself or face the consequences!", he said, and he was answered with another whiplash. Valerie looked up from her stone formations and saw a flying red wip circling over Imori's head, almost as if it were a bird of prey. Imori growled.

"I said show yourself..."

*crack*!

"Why don't you shut up and be the one who falls in line, you bastard? Can't you see the bloody runes?", A man's deep and growling voice spoke through the whip. It was Vorn. Valerie smiled.

"She's amplifying our attacks, unlike you stupid dumbbag, barking for your master like a bloody little dog.", Vorn's voice continued to come through the red whip, the man not showing himself.

"You dare say that to me? I am Imori Bananar! Who are you to talk to me with such disrespect? Where are you? Stop hiding like a coward and show yourself!", Imori barked.

"Now why would I do that? Are you dumb? I guess you are indeed very stupid. You're dumb, a dog, and a bloody bastard. What an awful triangle! Only your useful ability prevents you from becoming a square or a rectangle. I'm not sure which one applies to your unique case. Unique in its stupidity, might I add? I haven't decided on which geometric shape would represent your sides,, Vorn mocked. Then the whip vanished, and Valerie sensed another runestone fall in besides her arrays. That was perfect. She saw the frontliners tense up, and she knew that the time was near. She soon felt the vibration of tens of stomping hooves, and she readied herself. She had to execute this perfectly. Amplify their attacks, enforce order among the group, but not reveal that she was even doing anything except what the old geezer told her to do.