–Spectronia–
Behind the veil of existence and non-existence lies a realm that governs the laws of creativity, a space where the intangible takes shape. In the dusky light of a barren plateau atop a mountain, two figures faced off in a heated struggle. One, a bald man with an uneven beard, his skin emitting a faint, ghostly white luminescence. Dark bags below his weary eyes, and his attire was a strange mix of mediaeval robes, loose yet battle-worn.
His body hovered slightly off the ground, moving with the unnerving grace typical of his kind, the Miltos. As he unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches, his every motion was silent, save for the whoosh of air displaced by his attacks.
Opposed to him stood a youth, draped in a poncho that swayed with each of his evasive maneuvers, the modern clothing beneath contrasting with the traditional garb. The youth struggled to dodge the relentless barrage of blows, every kick and punch grazing him, forcing his body to twist and contort to minimize the damage. His teacher, unwavering in his assault, floated effortlessly, his translucent skin blending into the evening twilight. The faint glow from his ghostly form gave him an ethereal, almost otherworldly presence as if he were a spirit haunting the air, relentless and unyielding.
“Hey, you can ease off now! Enough,” he said, shifting and trying to catch his teacher's blows. “I’ll decide that you just focus on not getting hit,” his master said and soon after sped his drilling which then started to become too much for the young Cadryn to bear and he got knocked to the ground in a final kick to the abdomen.
Holding his stomach, he looks towards the evening sky, as the clouds blocking out the rays of the sun start the move. Quickly sitting up, Cadryn is greeted with the face of his master Singo floating in front of him. “What?” Singo said, staring at him “Can’t take anymore?”. “Obvious enough,” he said sneeringly, “Every day is too much for me, I’m tired of it.”
“How else will the MasterBuilder be fit for combat if he isn’t taught how to fight?” Singo asked, extending a hand to pull his student to his feet. As Cadryn rose, he sucked in deep breaths, wincing as he pressed a hand to his abdomen, trying to ease the throbbing pain.
“That was a good thump,” Cadryn groaned, rubbing his stomach. “I don’t get how they say you Miltos are weak.”
“No, I’m just Miltan,” Singo chuckled, his ghostly form flickering slightly. Cadryn raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.
“What’s the joke? You’ve got weird humour, you know that,” he said, staring at his teacher.
Singo’s chuckles faded, and he folded his lips tightly, trying to stifle the laughter, now feeling a tinge of embarrassment.
“Alright that’s enough for today,” Singo remarked to Cadryn looking down at his tattered clothing, figuring he rather not cause his mother any more fussing as his mother would surely have him start paying for clothing for him. “Come on, can’t have your mother worry any longer.” they both walk off taking a narrow path down.
As they both travelled down together, Cadryn took in the sight of the mountain range, filled with various greenery of trees and scrubs. As he begins to open another smaller pair of eyes below his two main ones, he’s able to see the wildlife, hidden among the trees, the birds pitched, and the deer trotting below he slows and tries to take in a view that he’d surely miss.
Singo, who had at first not realised that Cadryn had stopped to take in the view of the wilderness, stopped and asked him, “See something?” “I’m going to miss all of this in the capital,” Cadryn says to him, his eyes still veering down the valley.
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“Well, take in as much as you’d like,” Singo says to Cadryn as they both take in the view of all the greenery. Turning to him, an idea strikes him, and a smirk begins to form on his face. “Flying lesson?” he turns and asks the young Cadryn, whose second pair of eyes close as he turns and faces him.
“Like I taught you before, focus your mind on the core of your body and imagine yourself floating in the air,” Cadryn's mentor tells him and he begins to float higher. “Easier for you to say, you can already fly” Cadryn responds in a quick and witty manner, but then proceeds to follow his master’s instruction to focus.
“Floating and flying aren’t the same,” his master proclaimed trying not to be irritated, “Just do what I told you to do Cadryn.” Upon hearing this, Cadryn lets out a small snicker to the disapproval of his already annoyed teacher.
Only needs to ask his body for a specific action for his spirit to allow, and he begins to slowly levitate above the terrain’s trail, opening his eyes he sees Singo and the ground below him, he now focuses his spirit to allow his body to hover over the ravine.
Witnessing his student take flight he takes pride in his achievement as his mentor. A prodigy he considered him, compared to all his other students, he always liked working with the Talestrians—especially those of the MasterBuilder lineage.
The one thing he despised about them was their overestimation of their own strength, as he saw Cadryn make revolutions in the air he became a little worried for his safety, “Cadryn, stay over here you’re going too far,” he uttered knowing if anything happened to him, his mother would rip apart his frail body.
“Race you back to the ridge!” an enthusiastic Cadryn said no sooner after that flying off before Singo was able to condemn the idea. Left there unable to speak, he soars off taking pursuit of the stubborn Cadryn. As opposed to his now disgruntled teacher, with this newfound ability, Cadryn was enjoying the view of the landscape below spreading his hands apart, enjoying the breeze pass around his body.
He has always longed for this feeling of freedom, wondering to himself. Despite everyone’s expectations of him following in his ancestors' footsteps, he just wanted to experience a life where…
“CA–R–N!” Despite the noise coming from the strong gust of wind around him, he hears a muffled voice coming from behind him looking back to see Singo quickly catching up, he slows down.
“What’s the matter with you? I didn’t tell you to take off,” Singo said furiously to his student. You’ve just learnt how to do spirit control this year, yet you’d rather make a fool of yourself.”
“Sorry this is just something different,” Cadryn replied to him, to which the already irritated Singo just shook his head and motioned for both of them to head to the ground, to which both of them did just that.
Coming to the ground they managed to land in a bountiful farmland, a small but wide valley surrounded by a cascade of mountains, the two began to talk about what Cadryn had just done.
“I don’t think I need to remind you,” Singo said trying to warn him.
“About the dangers of spirit usage,” Cadryn replied snobby to his teacher, who tried brushing off his student’s witty mannerisms, “You’ve told me it’s a rare skill.”
“And why is that?” he questioned. “It can mess you up,” Cadryn remarked “But I prefer it over magic any day.”
“Well, you don’t possess knowledge of the arts, so I’d understand why,” he explained, placing his hand on his shoulder. He began to assure him, “Believe me, you, you're as good as you are already. At your age, most combatants haven’t touched your level as yet.”
“Though, by the time I was a wee kid, I had already known more than you,” Singo said, as Cadryn’s eyes began to squint at him. “Because you were taught the arts. No one wants to even speak of them in this day and age,” Cadryn retorted, “It’s a shame.”
.” “I could only wish I was born a generation later,” he uttered, “It would’ve been nice to make almost anything you want.” Hearing that Singo had to state his mind, “Look…, although you’d like that for yourself. The Guardians would never be wrong, after all, you hate reading, when was the last time you went to the museum,” to which Cadryn looked to the sky and groaned, “It’s quite easy for you to blend in, that’s something to be happy for.” Removing his hands from his shoulders.
“To town?” his teacher inquired, to which Cadryn gave him a simple nod of approval.