Newfound skills
status:
Requiem_of_the_moon_Kaito's status [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1151356427802263637/1159458140509712404/Requiem_of_the_Moon_Rifts_of_Destiny_KAitos_status-2.png?ex=6531188a&is=651ea38a&hm=f3e5d74476b662995280de9a5b0d6e00117b6e93c37d7fbf573918f3841c1b36&]
There are some new skills which I think I didn't have before. [Spirit calling(lesser)], [Thread manipulation], [Lunar clairvoyance]. [Life resonance] might be the circle of life skill where we expand ourselves to feel the life around us.
'So from those three, let me try [Lunar clairvoyance] first. I just need to think about the skill right? Screaming my skill like an anime protagonist would be .... embarrassing. Here goes nothing.'
As soon as I thought of the skill, my vision expanded and shifted. My perspective now shifted to the sky and with the sky as the vantage point I could see everything down below like a bird's eye view. The vision was limited to a circle of around 2 kilometers with me at the center. This vision overlapped with my existing vision.
'So it's like an eye at the sky huh or, according to the description, an eye of the moon. Quite handy. I could sometimes tap into this vision during my training but I could never consistently use it. It was always activated by accident and I had no idea what actually triggered it. Even if I mimicked the scene where it had previously activated, it would only seldom activate it. Glad I now have a method for consistent usage. I was already at my wit's end.'
[Spirit calling(lesser)] was to be next and at the subsequent moment, I saw a wobble in the space in front of me. It wobbled like a ripple going through the tranquil surface of the water. Right then from that shimmering gateway emerged something that leaped gracefully from the space's ripples as if it was playfully jumping out of a pristine pool. Its appearance was utterly enchanting, a cat-like creature with the most endearing eyes I had ever seen. The fur was a soft blend of pastel colors.
lesser_spirit_Aria [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1151356427802263637/1159444811389095996/Requiem_of_the_Moon_Rifts_of_Destiny_lesser_spirit_Aria.jpg?ex=65310c20&is=651e9720&hm=72a98ac28e6d3a6e9bb77b71e835ab6db93050ef8a3385b421e8767d11ad06a1&=&width=437&height=875]
Just as the cat made the appearance a name came floating in my head as if someone uploaded a bunch of information in my brain. I then knew the name of the lesser water spirit. Its name was Aria. Of course, that specific individual in front of me was not Aria. It's like calling a dog a dog instead of its name. A name has to be given. The spirits can be given a name but it comes at a cost.
Naming your summons means sacrificing a part of your soul. The soul will heal naturally with given time but the name signifies a bond. That is why Beastmasters are very careful about the beasts they named, the same goes for the necromancers with their undead as well and many other classes as well. A name cannot be simply given either, a considerable amount of time must be spent with them. Thus the name signifies both an emotional and spiritual bond. But the individuals that are named are significantly stronger than those without, so advantages and disadvantages come hand in hand.
Back to the present situation, Aria was looking at me with its tail swaying. As Aria materialized fully into our realm, she bobbed along like a bubble in the air, almost weightless, its adorable eyes were gleaming with intelligence and curiosity as it patiently waited for me to say something.
"Hello" I began, "my name is Kaito Tsukiyo, I will be your summoner from today. Please take care of me."
My thoughts raced, 'Dammit, I've been watching too much anime lately. What kind of generic introduction was that?'
After speaking these words, I couldn't help but inwardly chastise myself for delivering what felt like a clichéd and overly formal greeting.
But as I continued to look into Aria's captivating eyes, I saw a spark of recognition and understanding. I was answered with a soft "meow", her voice a gentle melody, and at that moment, an unspoken bond was formed between us. Aria's presence felt more clear to me. It was as if she now found a firm footing in the physical plane.
'So this is what it means to be a summoner.'
I felt a growing desire to witness Aria's abilities firsthand.
"Aria, I'd love to see some of your abilities. You're a water spirit, right? Would you mind demonstrating what you can do?"
She blinked slowly, her feline features hinting at a mischievous intent. With a stretch of her paws, she conjured a small, shimmering sphere of water hovering just above her paw.
As I watched, the water sphere began to change shape, morphing into intricate patterns that danced and swirled like a mesmerizing ballet. Aria manipulated the water effortlessly, creating masterful figurines of animals, flowers, and other intricate designs. With a graceful flick, she sent a tiny jet of water dancing into the air. The droplets sparkled like liquid diamonds reflecting the sunlight as they arced gracefully before falling back to Earth.
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Aria then exerted a bit more effort, she summoned forth a torrent of water from the air and sent it hurtling down a large rock a little distance away. It cleanly bore a hole through the rock.
While Aria's abilities weren't overpowering, they were undeniably beautiful and enchanting. Being a lesser water spirit, I didn't expect anything too extravagant or over-the-top abilities. I think at my current capacity I can summon five more Arias at the same time. But baby steps. Caution is also necessary. I don't want to end up a dried husk with the spirits draining my mana all at once. Magic in this world doesn't book any room for forgiveness.
"Thank you for answering my summons Aria. I will be sure to call on you later."
Aria vanished just like how she came through the ripples of space.
'The spiritual plane, I wonder if I can also travel through that plane in the future.'
The last of the active skills was [Thread manipulation].
As I focused on the skill, I watched in awe as intricate threads extended from my fingertips, so thin and translucent that made it hard to even notice, though to my eyes with the help of the skill it was glistening like silver. With careful thought, I willed the threads to move. They responded gracefully, weaving through the air with a fluidity that seemed almost magical. I marveled at how effortlessly I could control their movement, directing them to form intricate patterns. I could send my chi through the threads which made them stronger and extended the range I could deplot these threads. Sending chi through the threads made me capable of finer manipulations.
'Attack potency may not be much but I can see a lot of utility. Another great skill.'
'Now what's left? Ah right, the [Archery meditation]. It's a passive skill and it enables me to tap into a meditative hyper-focused state whenever I am wielding my bow. It can be turned ON or OFF. Thank god it's a toggle-based skill. Life would be dull otherwise.'
Now due to the stat rearrangements, my stats have shifted quite a lot. My Willpower has soared to 4, the second highest it could be. My Dexterity remains the same at 3. Although my Strength and Intelligence have dropped one each. Since I augment much of my strength through willpower either way the strength drop might not matter much. And now since I am a summoner I don't; necessarily cast any magic, my summoning is pretty much instantaneous, and archery and thread manipulation make up my kit so a drop in Intelligence won't hurt me much as well. What's most important Stat to me would be the Willpower stat as it directly corresponds to keeping my summons in check and that is already at 4. With the two stat points lying around I could even make it 5.
My agility went up by one point so that's a plus and my unique stat has Prana. An additional energy source that is much more potent than Chi. Something that can be only wielded by a spiritual entity. I suppose 1 Prana point might be equal to 10 Chi points in terms of quantity though I have no concrete evidence of it. I just instinctively feel that it is correct. For an analogy, Prana can be likened to a diamond while Chi is akin to coal. Diamond has a density of 3.513 g/cm³ while coal has a mere 0.3 g/cm³. The things they can do differ and hence I cannot just substitute Chi with Prana and hope that my skills will become substantially stronger. That will require a further study on the properties of Prana. Guru would perhaps know more. Most likely.
'But wasn't Unique stat supposed to quantify my expertise with the abilities that are granted through grace points?
[Eunoia, explanation regarding the unique stat being Prana please.]
Eunoia subsystem [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1151356427802263637/1159463419674636369/Eunoia_subsystem.png?ex=65311d75&is=651ea875&hm=3ae3bdac7ce24c2b78059aca0c6696bc28005fcc7e859271d6b87c56ae8ed2d5&=&width=1751&height=465]
'I see, I see.'
'Well, it has already been some time. I should return back to the gurukul.'
I decided to return and I made my return unhurriedly, wanting to test out my new body and becoming more familiar with it. After all who wants to get into an accident right after achieving something and all their efforts bore fruit? My body has changed, this feeling of my own body feeling alien to me after taking the Spirit path might imply this body of flesh and bones might no longer be just a physical body.
---
The road back was quite uneventful, with each step I took I was regaining the familiarity with my own body. It no longer felt alien to me. As I walked, I noticed the subtle changes in my perception. The rustling leaves and the distant calls of birds now felt more vivid, as if the world around me had come to life in a way I had never experienced before. It was as though I had gained a heightened sensitivity to the natural rhythms of the forest. I decided to use [Lunar Clairvoyance] in my [Automation] slot to get more familiar with the skill itself and also since this was my only active skill which did not consume chi or physical stamina. It was likely a talent. A skill that people are born with. I of all people did not think I would get a talent with me being an otherworlder and all that. But I'll take the benefits I get without whining.
Eunoia would maintain my skill perpetually unless I ask it to stop or if I swap it with another skill. Coupled with my heightened sensitivity, a vast array of information flooded my brain. I remembered that I could give Eunoia some basic commands with the automated skill as well. I immediately asked it to tone down the visual activity from the skill. I immediately felt relief as the numbing headache went as soon as it had come. I still retained the vision of course but much less information was being sent to my brain all at once. It was sort of like going from an 8K resolution to 720p HD.
It was a bit tough to maintain two visions at once and as time went on I quickly became more tired. I had to take rest and seek shade under the trees many times during my trip back but I did not even once shut off the skill except during sleep. Whenever I rested I brought down the resolution from 720p to 360p and when it became too tough I lowered it to 240p. This skill was a part of me furthermore apparently my inherent talent therefore it would be in my best interests that I master it as soon as possible. However, I did find an excellent survival skill through this. I could ask Eunoia to stop the transmission of information to my brain while I slept and to wake me up if something approaches. However, I did have to go super specific and had to endure many trials and errors as it pinged me when every ant or a drifting leaf came around the radius of a 10-meter circle around me.
Sometimes I wanted to treat it like a morning alarm clock and just let it ring away while I just slept. An ability that I mastered during my childhood but I had to scold myself awake as that would go against the whole survival skill training with Eunoia.
'It seems there is a long way ahead. FIGHTING.'