Left staring into space where the pair of prompts suddenly appeared and subsequently faded away, I try to process what just happened.

U-uhm, I just went up two levels in Mana Weaving at once? Did I unlock some kind of secret technique or something? I doubt it, there was no notification. Am... am I a prodigy? Whatever the case, it happened when I tried to use a Skill my own way, rather than how the Skill said it should be used. I've already figured out the System rewards me for taking risks, does that extend to innovating and improvising?

Holy shit. Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. The System is a Bear Grylls fan!

Jokes aside, this is a huge discovery. I wonder what kind of applications my other skills might have? They're all pretty basic, but I doubt Bounce was intended to be used to help me fight, so maybe that's why it got levels so quickly? In fact, almost every time my Skills have levelled up in combat, besides Pound, it's because I did something risky or inventive with them. Digesting this little tidbit, I keep spooling mana through my body, running my pool dry, then 're-threading' my membrane once it's topped up.

I mean, I've got time. It's only been, what, eight minutes since I decided to wait here underneath my fern? Now that I know I can practice my Mana Weaving without moving or otherwise giving myself away, I have something to stave off the boredom, even if it's mentally taxing. Holding the thread together isn't a problem anymore, but seeing as I don't have to worry about that facet of weaving mana, I end up burning a whole lot more brainpower than I was by trying to mould it into distinct shapes.

There are some directions the mana doesn't mind moving, twisting and sliding nicely, yet other directions are met by obstinate refusal, like I'm trying to press magnets together or bend a joint the wrong way. Naturally, I try to jostle, worm and otherwise nudge the thread of mana in these directions, hoping to figure out what's making it more difficult, but the effort is surprisingly mentally draining.

Still, I'm world class at ignoring everything but whatever is in front of me. Just ask my parents, if you can find them.

After almost two hours I've emptied and refilled my Mana reservoir so many times I've lost count. If I had a brain, it would be hot and smoking, a fact I'm confident in considering I swear I can feel a semi-uncomfortable ghost warmth where I imagine it might have sat within my gelatinous form. Finally, a notification appears, heralding my slump of victory and relief.

[Mana Weaving has reached Level 5]

[Mana Weaving has achieved max level. Advance Skill to [Initiate Mana Weaving], spending 1 Skill Point?]

...Woooo~...

I do my best to celebrate, but my head hurts so bloody much. Can you pull a brain muscle? 'Cos I think I've managed it.

[Initiate Mana Weaving: Improves the skill-holder's capacity to weave mana. Additionally, imparts the capability to discern the Foundations that compose pure mana.]

Purchasing the advancement with one of my two remaining Skill Points, I feel the knowledge rush into me. There's not as much as I expected, though the impression of a cool stream flowing through my brain is extremely welcome. Just as the process finishes up, I feel a sudden twisting sensation, like someone reoriented a tumbler in my mind that slipped out of alignment at some point. All of a sudden, the pure blue mana that I use to see wavers like a bunch of vermicelli noodles wafting in the wind, streaks of mana in various shades popping out everywhere. My vision solidifies a moment later, but the streaks remain, some lighter, some darker, all of them shifting and flowing in their own unique way through the landscape around me.

Okay... I've used it before, but it's an effective response for a reason.

NANI THE FUCK?!

Reading over the Skill description once more, I think I know what's happened to my vision. The Skill says I can 'discern the Foundations that compose pure mana.' Catching my eye on that capital letter, I quickly pull up the [Personal] Profile for the Adult Monster Hyena and write down the Foundational Mana types I remember from that multiple choice adaptation I saw.

Alright, I've got Chaos, Order... was the next one Apathy...? Right, no, it was Atrophy. Then Growth, Matter and the spooky boi, Null. The adaptation called them 'Foundational Aspects of mana', and my new Skill says that the Foundations are what pure mana- which I assume must be the blue stuff -is made from.

Meaning, each of these streaks I can see bound together inside my surroundings is actually one of these Foundational Aspects. Though, it's not really accurate to say they're inside the mana, they are the mana, in the same way a knitted blanket is more than just a collection of threads wrapped around each other.

Actually, that's a really good analogy, I should write that down...

Now that I have a better understanding of what I might be looking at, I notice many streaks are very similar, if not the same. Each one is discernible by shade, and whatever information the Initiate advancement gave me includes which shade corresponds to which Aspect.

Starting at Chaos, a pale sky blue, the Foundations get darker, ending with tiny traces of Null floating through the air, so dark they look like slivers of a moonless night sky. Watching the various shades of mana move, I start to notice patterns and a general 'vibe'.

Chaos is all staccato motion and sudden sharp turns, never following a straight line for long, only to split apart into a dizzying fractal of streaks that twist and flail like innumerable prehensile hyphae.

Order isn't quite opposed to Chaos like I expected, but there's a momentum to its crisp angles and firm lines, pulling others along with it, that none of the others possess.

Atrophy seems to drift and ripple in and out of focus, like a cloth so sheer it's almost see through at the right angle. It doesn't have momentum like Order, but there's a conceptual weight to it in how it's always there if I look hard enough.

Growth moves in big curves and swirls, often forming whirlpools with other Aspects, spilling out into spiralling branches that spill out into spiralling branches, and so on.

Matter is by far the most solid. How shocking. It doesn't move, so much as extend, its progress bringing to mind a crystal forming branches, lines and lattices. The other Aspects surround it like clothing, probably because it looks like everything from the trees and grasses to the water of the lake are thick with it.

Null, on the other hand... I can't even tell whether this Aspect moving or not. Sometimes I see it drifting through the water and on the wind, and other times I peer in closely, only to feel like I'm looking out the window of a car rocketing through the night at unbelievable speeds, the fact that the rest of the world is moving around it the only reason that this gap in the curtain of reality has been revealed for a brief moment.

Paradoxically, the various Aspects don't seem to take up any space, many often overlapping or literally occupying the same space no matter how I look at them with both versions of my mana sense. How I can tell them apart is beyond me, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I soon realise that certain mana Aspects are more prevalent than others. Growth, Matter, and Atrophy Aspected mana are everywhere, following the shape and pull of either Order or Chaos, or sometimes both. Null is there as well, but it's only visible every now and then, instead perceived as a motion beneath the others, as if the mana all around is a curtain billowing in the wind, Null being felt as the knowledge that there is something behind the curtain.

With that supremely unsettling analogy, I finish 'penning' my thoughts in the [Personal] Profile. Mana seems to respond to Intent, so who knows, maybe recording my thoughts and impressions on my understanding of these concepts like this will help me down the track.

Curious to see how my Initiate Mana Weaving Skill has improved my control, I go through the method of structuring a tendril for my mana thread, coax out some mana, and gape.

Tethered inside the membrane is a scintillating weave combining each Aspect, entwined in perfect equilibrium with each other into a single strand of pure mana. The term 'mana thread' makes a lot more sense now, this isn't an arbitrarily designed wad of magic dough, each individual Aspect has been worked into the others in such a way that they form an interlocking structure, like those carved jigsaw puzzles you have to pull apart to solve.

Moving it around tentatively, I can locate and influence each strand of Aspected mana individually, feeling them attempt to shift and twist in their own way with each motion. Now I understand the reason behind the thread unravelling before, I wasn't able to exert my Intent evenly and ended up destabilising it. Trying to mould it like I've been practicing, I can see how some Aspects don't like moving in certain ways, or pull against each other when I try to twist them. Forcing it is like trying to pull a pair of trains on different tracks through a complicated station after chaining them tightly together.

Well, colour me impressed Mr. Attenborough. This is clean as a whistle, whoever's cooking these Skills up, my compliments to the chef. I focus in, seeing how the different Aspects interact with each oth-

A dull throbbing pain bubbles up within my metaphorical head, the strain I put myself under to reach this point making its presence known with gusto. Argh, okay okay, alright! Dissolving the membrane and letting the mana thread fray, I whip my currents around in an effort to dispel the surging headache, to no avail. Uuugh, time for a break. I've already made huge strides on the path to unravelling the mysteries of magic, my thicc brain deserves a rest.

I wonder if my unknown stalker has left yet? I haven't seen so much as a rustled leaf nor a ripple in the water to indicate the presence of another living thing besides me and the plants. If whatever it was is still around, it's got spades more patience than I do, I can't stand another minute sat here with nothing to do.

I move to crawl out from beneath the fronds of my hiding place when I get a strong feeling of unease, like I'm about to walk into a pair of open jaws.

Oookay, where did that come from? Looking around, nothing has changed, both the forest and the lake placid and undisturbed. Everything is quiet and still, like it has been for the past two and a bit hours...

A frosty current courses through my core when I realise what's wrong with that observation. Where are all the monsters? This place should be filled with them, I've never heard it so quiet and still for this long outside of my stronghold up in the tunnels. I'd slap myself right now if I wasn't terrified of moving. How could it be occurring to me just now that this is a water source, there should be a whole herd of monsters drinking and posturing around these banks, so why aren't they here?

Is it something to do with the water itself? It doesn't look poisoned, though to be fair, I can only see the mana so that point may as well be moot, but I doubt the grass would grow right up to the edge if that were the case. It didn't take me too long to get here from the tunnel, so it's not like this lake is out of the way, new monsters must come here all the time. I haven't seen any, but that doesn't account for the absence of the monsters that live in this forest.

Unless they came here once and avoided it ever since, I realise with a shiver. If the water isn't contaminated, which I can't verify without endangering myself, and monsters that come here don't come back...

Where do the ones that never leave go?

There are no carcasses around, no taste of fetid monster guts in the grass. The only place they could be is under the water.

Oh swell, a lake monster. How very Lord of the Rings. If only I had a convenient escape route to call my friend.

Suddenly, as if response to my lamentations, I witness movement for the first time in hours. From the middle of the lake, a small shape inches out, barely distinguishable from the hole it popped out of. As it crawls forward, the only reason I'm able to keep track of the shape is by the contrast of its movement against the stationary backdrop of roots as it descends into the water, its passage making nary a ripple in the smooth surface of the water.

What the heck just crawled out of that little island? Does it live in the tree? I've been staring up into its branches often over the course of my vigil, trying to spot something hiding up there, but maybe I should have paid more attention to the roots.

Taking stock of the spur of soil and rock completely overtaken by a large tree, its roots spilling out of the soft earth to dip into the lake, I wonder how deep the roots go. It looks similar to a mature fig tree, but I can't see any fruit on it, not that I'd have much luck in picking them out at this distance. I started looking it over when I suddenly got the level up notification for Stealth, so I hadn't paid it much mind until I settled down to wait.

Looking at the spot where the shape entered the water, I trace its path to the shore... looks like it'll come out on the righthand side of the lake if it travels in a straight line. Making a decision, I creep a few meters back into the trees and crawl over to where I think it'll pop out. It didn't look all that big, so I should be able to take it, so long as I watch the unidentified monster closely and don't underestimate it.

I worry I won't make it in time, but after ten minutes of carefully straining my stealthiness to the max, I arrive at the point where I think it'll emerge. Hiding in a hollow between a pair of roots coated in thick moss, I settle in to wait. If there is a monster in the lake, I wonder why the little one took a dip? Does it have some way to sneak past it, or is it too small to be worth the effort? If it's the latter, maybe I don't need to fear the water either.

Five minutes later, I'm starting to wonder if my mysterious target has been eaten, there's been no sign of movement so far and I'm getting bored again.

No! Come on, discipline Luke. Discipline! It doesn't matter that the seconds feel like minutes, you can do thi-!

The surface of the water ripples a short distance down from my position, cutting my pep talk short. One of us overshot a bit, but it's no matter, I can still see... them..

Did I not say just before that I wanted an escape route to call friend, I ask myself numbly, watching a slime's smooth membrane breach the surface of the water. Mr. Attenborough, were you listening? Can you answer prayers? Even if you can't, I want to say thanks, just in case.

Enrapt, I watch every wobble as the little guy crawls across the grass, making a beeline for the trees. Actually, now that they're closer, I can see that the slime not even fifteen meters away is noticeably bigger than me. It must be an Adult, some quiet part of me remarks into the echoing emptiness of my thoughts.

Alright Luke, be cool. You don't want to spook them and ruin your first chance at interaction with another of your kind, just make your presence known.

But again, be cool.

Circulating a current through my mass for calm, I slowly nudge my way out of my hiding spot, actively staying upright so the larger slime can see me coming. At the first twitch of movement from me, the slime freezes, going so still I could be forgiven for thinking they just up and had an instantly fatal heart attack, regardless of their lack of the requisite organ.

I hesitate, but push through the response. Coming out from between the roots, I crawl into full view and come to a stop, unable to prevent myself from bobbing up and down in expectation ever so slightly. Observing the other slime closely, I watch their membrane shift minutely, like they're loosening their metaphorical shoulders. Then a ripple of light plays over their surface, a shimmering code ripe with meaning that the slime in me interprets as a question.

"You are here. Why?"

I just about burst out in tears. Oh lordy, Mr. Attenborough, I can feel the waterworks coming on. Fighting- and failing -to keep the rippling streaks in my membrane that are slime tears under control, I realise I have no idea how to reply. We obviously don't use mouths to speak, but I haven't noticed myself glowing when I give myself pep talks either. What do I do? I can't just not reply, the pause is already getting awkward. I can see the lights, so are they some kind of mana related Skill? If so, I don't have it, and I think I would have unlocked it by now after seeing that first slime if that was the case, I don't want to leave them hanging, what if they think I'm going to attack them, I don't want them to think I'm some kind of cannibal or-!

"Calm down," the slime pulses firmly, crawling closer. "Don't understand. Too complex. Too fast."

"Wait, I was talking that whole time?"

"Yes."

"...Oh."