“What?” Cecilia said, exchanging incredulous glances between him and his master. “You have already become a Warrior?”
“Taming an Aspect on your first Wandering,” Yuri mumbled, donning just as shocked a face that Cecilia had, fixing her wide eyes on his face, before using the rings to add, “Is this the surprise you were talking about.”
“How is it?” Alnea asked, not bothering to hide his grin, or his laugh. “Did you like it?”
“…Ilea’s crown!”
“Language Yuri, language,” Alnea said, before turning towards Cecilia. “Yes, I have indeed become a Warrior.”
“Poros’ skin!”
“Now, now, don’t use such crass language, Cecilia.”
“Poros’ fangs, is this the time to mind my language? You have become a warrior, a Warrior! That too, on your first Wandering. And I have been Wandering for a whole month. A whole Poros snaking month! Even then, I have yet to tame my first Aspect.”
“At least you have comprehended a Mystery.”
“…Am I talking about Mysteries here? Damn it, I am for a Warrior’s clan, for Poros sake! This does not even make sense.”
Chuckling at Cecilia’s face, drowning in her own doubts, Alnea turned towards his master, and smiled at her, before bowing down towards her. “Thank you for your guidance, master,” he said. “It would not have been possible without you.”
“Do you think I need your comfort?” his master said, shaking her head. “I have been guiding both you, and the girls. And I know you better than you know yourself. I cannot say anything about the other paths yet, but solely on the path of Warriors, be it grasping Martial Styles, or taming Aspects, your performance has been far better than the rest. And this is possible only because of your own efforts. And your talent, of course. As I had thought, you were born to be a Warrior.”
“I still cannot believe it,” Yuri said, before turning towards his master. “How is this even possible, big sis Nyssa?”
“Anything is possible within the Origin Sea… but as you said, taming Aspects on his first Wandering is truly a little baffling… It is obvious that this involves some of his secrets though, so there is no need to ask him. Instead—
“The secret is not too big, master,” Alnea said. “I have already told you all of my secrets, so there is not much for me to hide anyways. It is just that I don’t know if you will be able to believe what happened with me in the Origin Sea.”
“…Did something really happen with you in the Origin Sea?” Yuri said, looking at him with a hint of worry.
“There is nothing to worry about,” Alnea said, giving Yuri a reassuring smile. “Do you still remember what I told you about how I laid my Roots?”
“Of course,” Yuri said, with his master nodding from the side. Only Cecilia remained confused, feeling a little left out. To rid her of her confusion, Alnea gave her a brief overview of what he had told his master, and Yuri. In a much less dramatised fashion, of course, hiding some of the more crucial details from her. Not because he did not trust her. But because his master had explicitly told him not to mention about his dreams, and the memories of the other Alnea, to anyone else.
The more people that knew a secret, the easier it would be for the secret to be divulged. Even if the people he had told would not reveal it to others, there were still other ways to find the secrets. Like the Mysteries of Fate, or the Mysteries of Time. Even the Mysteries of Good Fortune would work at times. Thus, it was necessary for him to not only not share his secrets with other people, but also to never say them aloud. Or who knew which Wanderer might overhear his words. It was always best to be cautious.
“…just as I was about to get ejected from the Origin Sea, and be forcefully returned to our world, I took another Oath to always play with the Aspects whenever they wanted to play with me. They had helped me lay my Roots after all. And had also played with me…”
“…I did not know whether the Aspects would still remember the promise… the Oath that I had made with them. Whether they would still want to play with me, or not. But as I entered the Origin Sea, I noticed that the Aspects, which were darting all around in a random manner, doing whatever it is that they do, all stopped after sensing my presence, and surrounded me, greeting me.
“From their enthusiasm, and the way they were treating me, I knew that they still remembered the Oath that we had made. I asked them if they still wished to play with me. And all of them answered that they did. So, we played, just like how we had played over a year ago. And before I knew it, my Spirit Power had already depleted to around twenty to thirty units. I knew that it was time for me to go back. And though I did not get to do much in the Wandering, I was glad that I got to play with the Aspects. That was enough for me.
“Bidding farewell to the Aspects, and promising to play with them later, I turned around to leave. But the Aspects stopped me, saying things like how my world is dangerous, and how they will come with me, before they all started swirling around me, forming a whirlpool of sorts, asking me to choose one of them. Even I did not understand what was happening. I just knew that I had to choose my Aspect. My first Aspect. That I was going to become a Wanderer.
“However, even before I could rejoice at that fact, the Aspects started communicating with me one by one. Tens, or probably hundreds of Aspects all formed a connection with me, telling me about themselves, while they too learned more about me. And… I don’t know if this is just my imagination, or something that was real, but I felt that I could have formed a connection with any one of them. That I could have tamed any of those Aspects had I wanted to.”
“…I hope your curiosity did not get the better of you,” his master said, looking at him with a solemn gaze. “Choosing Aspects… it is a very important decision for Wanderers. If the Aspects that you choose clash with each other, then it can cause an imbalance in your Aspect Ocean, and Spirit World. Once that happens…”
“I know, master,” Alnea said. “I saw all those Heterodox Wanderers turn into Enthralled Wanderers right in front of my eyes. How can I make such a simple mistake then? Though I felt that I could have chosen any of those Aspects, I did not. The Aspects became a little sad after I did not choose them, but they understood me, and knew the importance of my choice. After a brief communication, they all made way for the other Aspects.
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“Just like that, I kept searching for the perfect Aspect, going through over a hundred or so of them. Only when I found an Aspect that matched perfectly with my Heart, and my intentions, did I stop. The Aspect… It is the perfect Aspect, master. At least for the current me. Not only does it fit my Heart, but it also matches with my Roots. And it is not a very aggressive Aspect either. The moment I found the Aspects, I did not hesitate in taking it as my first Aspect. Unfortunately, by the time I returned to my Domain, my Spirit Power had fallen below ten units, and was not enough to dig an Aspect Well, so the Aspect is still resting with my Spirit right now.”
“There is nothing to worry there,” his master said. “Cases like Yuri are very rare. Most of the Warriors first rest their Spirits before digging the Aspect Wells for their Aspects. But your experience… it truly does sound a little unbelievable.”
“A little?” Cecilia added from the side. “More like completely unbelievable. Playing with Aspects… The Aspect taking initiative to come back with you… and a compatibility with so many Aspects… If I did not know you, then I would have definitely thought that you were lying.”
“That is indeed the case,” Yuri said, nodding along with Cecilia, before looking at him with a smirk. “But I guess that parts of it are a little believable. Ignoring your Wandering, and playing with the Aspects… only someone as naive as you can do that.”
“I am not naive,” Alnea said. “I was just keeping my Oath… and the Aspects were also friendly. Not to mention that they helped me out when I needed them. Besides, playing with them is fun. Why can I not play with them?”
“That is the problem,” his master said, as a frown forced its way to her face. “Why are the Aspects so friendly to you? Helping you when you were laying your Roots… that could be ascribed to their duties. But then playing with you, and even going so far as to initiate communication with you on their own… Aspects do not behave like this normally. Now that I think about it, even back when they helped you lay your Roots, the price that you had to pay for it…”
“That’s right,” Alnea said. “I never got to know what the price they were talking about was. I had planned on asking them when I met them next, but I completely forgot about it while playing with them. Maybe I will ask them tomorrow—
“There is no need,” his master said, shaking her head, losing the frown for a solemn look. “The price… Maybe, even your affinity with the Martial Style is also because of the Aspects. They did create that… Anyways, your Roots have already been laid, so you do not need to worry about the price. Just focus on Wandering the Origin Sea.”
“But the Aspects—
“I think I have a clue about their behaviour… I will need to think more about it, and do some research of my own. At the same time, you will also need to learn Martial Styles of all the types that you have yet to learn. But like I said, you do not need to worry about anything. Just keep doing what you have been doing, and leave everything else to me. Besides that, try to keep your relationship with the Aspects as it is. Maybe, you can even try to get more friendly with them. But do not disappoint them. Or anger them. Do you understand?”
“Yes, master!”
“…Alright, other than that, did you encounter anything else within the Origin Sea?”
“Anything else… Now that you mention it, I did encounter something strange, master. The moment that I entered the Origin Sea, I felt something from within the depths of the Origin Sea calling out to me. As if it was a part of me, desperately wanting to come back to me… To become a part of me once again.”
“Is that so,” his master said, falling into her thoughts, with a golden light flashing in her eyes. That light… Was she angry? But at whom? At what?
“You do not have to worry about that feeling… It could be a way for the Origin Sea to tempt you. Just ignore it for the moment, and try to stay away from it. Do tell me if that feeling becomes stronger though.”
“Alright, master…”
“Good. Now, since your Spirit Power has reached the False Rank, there are a few things that we need to talk about. Like I had told you earlier, you will be training with me in the near future. At least until you get used to the new Sprit Forging Art, and learn some Martial Styles.”
“Then what about us, big sis Nyssa?” Yuri asked. “Will we be staying with you too?”
“What are you two going to do by staying with me? Do not think that I have forgotten the show that you put on earlier. Since you think that you have grown too strong for the canyon that you were in, I will send you to different canyon, where even the weakest Oren Beasts would be at the advanced phase of their Adolescent Stage. Dealing with them, and some peak phase Adolescent Stage Oren Beasts… you should not be ‘bored’ anymore, right?”
Not being ‘bored’ would be an understatement. Fighting Oren Beasts in the peak phase of their Adolescent Stage would be far too tough, even for Yuri. Before she could grumble about her new training arrangements though, his master stopped paying attention to her, and turned towards Cecilia.
“Do you also want to stay back, and train with Alnea?”
“…I am happy with my current training.”
“Of course, you would be happy,” his master said. “Using Oren Beasts as pillows while trying to comprehend, and make analogies of the Mysteries… You are too brazen. Even if you can easily conquer Oren Beasts, you must never let down your guard against the Night Canyons. That is what both your sister, and I have told you. But it looks like you have forgotten all your lessons. Just like Yuri, you also need some pressure. Do you have any problems if I shift you to deeper canyon?”
Unable to refute his master, Cecilia could only hide her flushed face by looking downwards, and mumble, “I understand, Lady Nyssa.”
Unlike Cecilia though, Yuri was not afraid of his master, and dared to speak up against her tyranny.
“Why are you so angry, big sis Nyssa?” Yuri said, pouting at his master. “Is it because what Alnea said about the Aspects?”
Alnea stared at Yuri with wide eyes, before hastily turning his head away from her. He had been planning on helping her, and Cecilia out by speaking for them to his master. But that would not work, not anymore. As such, he could only stare into the darkness of the canyon, pretending to be oblivious to the storm that Yuri had caused.
“…Maybe I am indeed a little angry,” his master said. “But are any of the things that I said wrong?”
“No…”
“Officially, only Alnea is my disciple, but I treat you two just as I treat him. Like my disciples. Do not let your emotions take hold of your actions.”
“I am sorry, big sis Nyssa… I did not mean it like that. I was just saying that because you seemed a little angry…”
“I may have been a little angry, but I never let my emotions cloud my judgements. Especially since my decisions will concern your life, and future as Wanderers. You two have advanced very quickly, and that is not entirely a bad thing. But lowering your guard against a Forbidden Area, just because you have not faced any dangers in a while, can have dire consequences. Especially with the recent developments in Rianra, things can turn dangerous at any moment, without any prior notice. And I may not always be there to help you out in such situations.”
“What are you talking about, master?” Alnea said, interrupting from the side. “You are omnipotent. There is nothing that you cannot do. And there is no situation that you cannot save them from.”
“…I was keeping the news from you in fear that it may put you under undue pressure, but it looks like I was just overthinking.”
“What news?”
“So be it. Since all three of you think that the pressure you are facing is not enough—
“I never said that!”
“It is time for you to learn of the dangers creeping up on you.”