Dropping off Yuri, and Cecilia into deeper regions of the Night Canyons, his master took Alnea to another canyon, one that was more suitable for his next phase of training. In size, it was little larger than the canyon they had picked up Cecilia from, and quite possibly, was also a little more dangerous. However, the danger of the canyon had no relations with him whatsoever. At least not at the moment.

For a while, he just had to focus on what his master was going to teach. And by the time he would be done with his special training, the canyon would pose no danger to him. Still, in a sense, with the oppressive air trying to stifle, and suffocate him, the canyon was perfect for his current training. At the very least, it could help him adapt to the deeper regions of the Night Canyons.

Unfortunately, the canyon was just as dark as the other canyons he had been in, not giving him much chance to figure out the details of the canyon. Like the number, or the kind of Oren Beasts around him. His master’s presence had driven them all into hiding. While the darkness of the canyon had kept its terrain hidden from him. To know more of the canyon, he would have to take a tour of it himself. But later. Not at the moment.

At the moment, he was sitting on a bed of Blood Sucking Grass, enjoying the feeling of being prickled by hundreds of grasses underneath him. Unlike their ferocious name, the Blood Sucking Grass were not a ferocious species of grass. Rather, they could be barely counted in the category of precious herbs. A little larger than normal grasses, these blood sucking grasses were shaped like the mouth of Oren Beasts, with edges sharp enough to prick the skin of normal humans.

That, along with their ability to rid the dishes of the tangy, and foul smell of blood was what earned their name, Blood Sucking Grass. The sharp edges of these grasses though, failed to break past the barriers of his black robe. But that was to be expected. After all, his robe was sewn personally by his master. As such, all that the grasses did, was massage his sore bums.

“This is such a good place, master,” Alnea said. “You should have brought me here earlier.”

“You like the massage of the grasses so much?”

“Of course,” Alnea said, before coughing to correct himself. “The sense of danger. I meant the sense of danger pervading this place… This can really help me stimulate my potential.”

“So, you like the sense of danger?”

“That’s right!” Alnea said, in a righteous, and confident tone. “Only those Wanderers who constantly walk along the edge of danger can reach the top of the world. And I want to create a new top, a new peak of the world of Wanderers. Just walking along the edge of the danger is not enough for me. Only if I create my own path through danger, would the sense of danger have any meaning for me.”

“Well said,” his master said, looking at him with an amused smile. “But can you implement your words into your actions?”

“…I don’t understand what you are talking about, master.”

“Let us see… Imagine that you have completed your daily training, and are going to meditate. But as the night wears on, you slowly drift into your sleep—

“That… I cannot help it, master,” Alnea said, with a rather bashful face. “I am trying to replace my sleep with meditation, but it takes time…”

“No worries,” his master said. “Just answer my question. What would happen if you were to drift off into your sleep while trying to meditate?”

“…I would probably tumble down to the ground?”

“And what would happen if you would be meditating on this bed of grass?”

“I would fall asleep on the bed of grass…”

“And what would happen then?”

“I would sleep?” Alnea said, looking at his master in confusion. “After all, the robe is protecting my body…”

“Right, I forgot to mention it to you. I have deactivated some of the Glyphs on your robe. From now on, it will not protect your face, your hands, or your back. At least not when you would be meditating. I would still activate them for you when you would be fighting. But when you are on the grass, then…”

“…You brought me here to help me replace my sleep with meditation?” Alnea said, looking at the accursed bed of grass with a place face. “…I would probably bleed to death, master.”

“Do not worry,” his master said. “Your master is a capable Healer. I will not let anything happen to you.”

“Fate, Day, and the Space series of the lineage of Time… Along with the lineages of Creation, Destruction, and even Life… Just how many lineages are you proficient in, master?”

“…Do you want to know my secret?”

“…No,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “I was just a little curious. That’s it. If it is a secret… then leave it at that, master. It would better for you to not tell me. Some of your enemies are Supreme Wanderers, after all. What if they use some divination to pry into your secret?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Silly child,” his master said, ruffling through his hair. “My enemies… They have not been able to do anything to me for over a hundred years. How can they do anything to me now? Do not worry about me. As for my secret… I will tell you everything… my past, my enemies… and all my other secrets. But at the right time. Right now, knowing those secrets will only harm you. So, if you wish to know my secrets, then grow strong enough to protect me. Only then will you qualified to know those secrets.”

“I will,” Alnea said, brimming with confidence. “Soon, I will grow strong enough to protect all of you.”

“Good boy, I will be waiting for you,” his master said, chuckling at his confidence. “Now, shall we come back to what we were talking about?”

“…Yes, master,” Alnea said, with his face flushed completely red from his embarrassment. “We were talking about replacing my sleep with meditation.”

“Do you know why we have to do that?”

“…Because we are more alert of our surrounding when we are meditating. And if done right, then meditation can be more relaxing than sleep.”

“You got parts of it right,” his master said. “The most important reason though, is that you have become a Wanderer now. You do not just have to train your Spirit. You also have other things to do, like Wandering the Origin Sea, and practising your Martial Styles. Soon, once you comprehend the Mysteries of the Origin Sea, part of your time will be directed towards experimenting with those Mysteries, and creating Arcanas. Not to mention the time you will spend carving, and practising Glyphs.

“Gradually, as you advance on your path, the time you will be left with to spend in your meditation will keep decreasing. And before you know it, you would find that you have no time to meditate. But that will just be the beginning. Without any meditation, you will not be able to reflect on yourself, or temper your Heart. And without tempering your Heart, all your other training would be meaningless.

“In the end, if you do not replace your sleep with your mediation, then you will soon find yourself unable to balance your training, and will fumble in your ways. As a Wanderer, you need to learn how to manage your time, and balance your training in an all round way. Besides, would it not be embarrassing if you become a True Wanderer, yet still cannot replace your sleep with meditation? After all, there are people who can do that even when they had yet to become Seeds.”

“…That does sound embarrassing,” Alnea admitted. “I will try my best.”

“Even if you do not wish to, with the grasses biting into your body every time you fall asleep, you would still be doing your best,” his master said, inciting an awkward laugh from him. “Jokes aside, are you ready for the next phase of your training?”

“I am.”

“Whether it is the Spirit Forging Art, or the Martial Styles, you will have to face quite a bit of hardship while practising either of them.”

“I am not afraid.”

“…Soon, you will also have to make some choices about your path as a Scholar.”

“…I have been preparing for my choice ever since I first learned about Glyphs.”

“…And most importantly, you will have to learn how to create Arcanas.”

“…That is the thing that I am waiting for most eagerly, master.”

“Good,” his master said. “You should remember your resolve, and never waver in your conviction. No matter how touch things get, you must always believe in yourself. Do you understand?”

“Yes, master!”

“…Your Spirit Power is still exhausted from your Wandering, so let us begin with Martial Styles. Do you have problems with that arrangement?”

“No.”

“Then shall we begin with the Martial Style?”

“Yes, master.”

“What are the five types of Martial Styles?”

“Armour, Weapon, Summoning, Casting, and Auxiliary.”

“And the eight specialisations?”

“Strength, Speed, Defence, Agility, Stamina, Stealth, Sensory, and Auxiliary.”

“Of them, what type, and specialisation of Martial Styles do you know?”

“The eight specialisations of the Auxiliary type.”

“And what are the types that you are left to cover?”

“The Armour, Weapon, Summoning, and Casting types of Martial Styles.”

“At least you have not forgotten the basics,” his master said, nodding at him. “Earlier, I was planning to begin teaching you Martial Styles in a random manner. But since you have already tamed a Martial Style, we might as well make use of it. Tell me the characteristics of your Aspect.”

“To guard, to protect,” Alnea said. “That is the concept that the Aspect is based on. However, the concept is slightly different from the tradition sense of ‘guarding’, or ‘protecting’, and is a more aggressive form of it. In simple terms… it is based on the principle that offence is the best defence. Or that to guard, it does not mean to allow others to attack, and then defend passively. In fact, guarding, and protecting something means annihilating anything that dares to touch the things I wish to protect...”

“…I can see why you chose this Aspect. It truly does suit you, and your Heart.”

“…That, and I also think that the Aspect is related to the Mysteries of Day, and Night, master.”

“That much is obvious,” his master said, nodding along with his words. After some thought, she added, “What is the form of your Aspect?”

“…It is currently in the form of a shield, but it can easily change into the form of a sword, or a barrier, if needed.”

“A sword,” his master said, shaking her head with a wry smile. “Is this another trick of fate?”

“What do you mean, master?”

“A sword… Of all the weapons, I am most proficient in swords. And it just so happens that your first Aspect can take the form of a sword. Even if I do not wish to, I cannot help but think of it as trick of fate.”

“Fate... A trick, or a curse, master?”

“Do not think too much into it,” his master said, condensing her Spirit Power into hands to flick his forehead. “Focus on what we have to do. A shield, a sword, and a barrier. Armour, Weapon, and Casting. Your Aspect suits these three types of Martial Style. Which one do you wish to practice first?”

“Swords,” Alnea said, without any hesitation. “It does not matter whether it is a trick, or a curse. I will not allow anything to take you away from me.”