This was not the first time that Alnea was seeing an Aspect Well. But this was the first time that he was seeing his Aspect Well. The Aspect Well that he had dug with his own resolve. Thus, even though he had seen quite a few Aspect Wells in Yuri’s Spirit World, as he saw the shimmering layer of golden light, with a tinge of black, rippling like water, almost on the verge of overflowing from the well that he had dug, he could not help feeling a little excited.
Despite the fact that he had dug the well to be even more than four hundred metres, giving it a width of around fifty or so metres, the layer of light covering the well had come right up to its top, matching the level of the ground. If the well had been any smaller, then he might have had to either make do with his Aspect choosing to go with the lower range that it had mentioned, filling up just one tenth, maybe even less, of the well that he had dug, or would have had to start all over again…
It was for the best that he held on till the end, Alnea thought. Even if it was just temporary, slashing his memories into the depths of the Origin Sea with all his resolve, only to learn that all his efforts, and sufferings were meaningless, would surely have left a seed of doubt in his Heart. A doubt, which in the future, might have come back to haunt him. At the very least, it would have definitely come to disturb him every time he dug his Aspect Well, leading him to commit even more mistakes.
Fortunately, things had not went down towards the worst case scenario. It had cost him almost all of his Spirit Power, testing his resolve to its limits, but in the end, he did it. He had dug his first Aspect Well. He had finally created a home for his Aspect. A large, and shiny home. One that his Aspect liked very much, and kept sharing its happiness with him, promising to protect him. To guard him. And to be his weapon. To be his sword.
Chuckling at his Aspect, Alnea reached down towards the Aspect well, and brushed his fingers over the water like surface of light, which rippled in response, parting ways for his finger, forming waves around them, just like how water would have. Unlike how water would have reacted though, the golden light from the well climbed up his finger, tugging him to jump into the Aspect Well, and play with it. His Aspect… it was quite funny.
Promising his Aspect to play with it some other time, Alnea waited for the golden light to recede from his fingers, before pulling them out of the well. Just like his Aspect, he was also feeling a little reluctant to leave, but it could not be helped. It was time. Bidding farewell to his Aspect, he withdrew his Senses from his Spirit, leaving his Spirit State, and opened his eyes, just as his master opened hers.
“How did it go?” his master asked, hiding her worries from him. “Did you succeed?”
“Yes,” Alnea said. “Yes, I did. I am now, officially, an Initial Stage False Warrior.”
“Silly child,” his master said, shaking her head. However, even she could not hide the slight curve of her lips, and the pride in her eyes. “Did you face any problems?”
“…It cannot be termed as a problem, but I did face something strange, master.”
“What was it?”
“Everything went smoothly in the beginning. But when the time to dig the Aspect Well came, something strange happened. Instead of giving me just one set of range to dig the well, my Aspect gave me two set of ranges to choose from, with the second set being at least ten times as large as the first one.”
“Two sets…” his master mumbled, with her countenance changing abruptly, going from a smiling face to a solemn look in the flash of a moment. “How did you choose?”
“…I consulted with Yuri, and came to the conclusion that it would be best if I chose to dig a larger well.”
“…How large exactly?”
“…Around four hundred to four hundred and fifty metres in depth, and around fifty metres in width.”
“…That is indeed a large well,” his master said, with a complicated light flashing across her eyes. “Fortunately, the Aspects matches perfectly with your Heart, otherwise you might have faced some problems.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“…What kind of problems, master?”
“The kind that the Whitebud Patriarch, and Heterodox Wanderers faced when they attacked, trying to kidnap you.”
Alnea’s face paled as he heard his master’s words.
“You mean…”
“Losing control of your Aspect, and becoming Enthralled.”
“But I… this is just my first Aspect, master! And this is the first day of my Wandering.”
“I know,” his master said. “And that is why you should remain even more wary of your actions.”
“But… how? Why? I don’t understand, master. Why would I lose control of my Aspect the day I get it?”
“Because it has advanced to a higher Stage.”
“Advanced to a higher Stage? It can do that?”
“Of course, it can. And not just your Aspect, but all the other Aspects can do the same.”
“But… that would mean that everyone is always in constant danger of losing control of their Aspects…”
“Theoretically, yes, everyone is in danger of losing control of their Aspects. Practically though, it is almost impossible. Or at least, it is not supposed to happen. Advancing to a higher Stage… it is very long, and cumbersome process for Aspects, that takes thousands of years, if not longer, to complete. Much longer than the general lifespan of Wanderers. By the time the Aspect complete their advancements, the Warriors would be long dead. Besides, there are ways to suppress this advancement till the time the Wanderers are strong enough to handle the advanced versions of the Aspects.”
“Then, my Aspect…”
“Yours is a special case. From how you described things to me, it looks like your Aspect was already on the verge of completing its advancement when it met you. Or maybe it already had. In any case, when it gave you two choices, it was basically asking you if it should complete its advancement or not.”
“…Should I have chosen to dig a smaller well, master?”
“…It would not have mattered much,” his master said, shaking her head. “Although you could have supressed the advancement of your Aspect, it would have created some dissatisfaction within Aspect, which in time, could have resulted in the Aspect backlashing against you. That would have been even more disastrous. You are a Warrior now, a proper Wanderer. You cannot afford such backlashes.
“So, no matter what you chose, trouble would have come knocking on your doors anyway. Rather, I think that your decision to dig a larger well was right. It allowed you to gain favour from your Aspect, and strengthen your bond. That, in conjunction with how your Aspect is in perfect alignment with your Heart, should keep things under control for a while. Still, taming such a strong Aspect as your first Aspect, should I say you are lucky, or unlucky?”
“…What’s the strength of my Aspect, master?”
“A four hundred to five hundred metres deep, and fifty metres wide well… you can guess the strength of your Aspect on your own, can you not?”
“I…”
“…Is this also a work of fate?”
“Master…”
“Master…”
“Forget it,” his master said, heaving a sigh, before smiling back at him, and ruffling his hair. “You do not need to worry about it. Just try not to let your emotions run wild for a while, and get used to your new Aspect.”
“…Yes, master.”
“You did not face any other problems in digging your Aspect Well, right?”
“…No, master. I did not.”
“That should be enough for the day then,” his master said. “It is getting late, and you should be tired, both mentally, and physically. Go, and rest.”
“Rest?” Alnea said, glancing at the sea of the Blood Sucking Grass underneath his bums.
“Why? Are you afraid?”
“No,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “But I think we should not associate meditation with rest. At least not for a while.”
“Stop grumbling,” his master said, chuckling at his overdramatised expressions. “This is for your own good.”
“I know,” Alnea mumbled. “But that does not mean that I have to like it.”
“Alright, we will call it just meditation. Happy?”
“…Is that a question you should be asking from someone who is about to get his blood sucked by plants, master?”
“Then just try not to get your blood sucked.”
“But that’s impossible!”
“Stop grumbling, and just get to it.”
“…Alright,” Alnea said, making a torn face, while in his Heart, peace and Serenity washed over him. Seeing his master smile, that was best remedy to any, and all of his wounds. Especially since most of the memories of her smiling face had been slashed into the Origin Sea while he was laying his Roots. At the moment, there was nothing more precious than her smile. If he could see her smile, what was the small price of getting his blood sucked by a few strands of grasses?