"Teach me how to fight,"

Archie implored, dropping into a bow that left Mechanic and Deadbeat taken aback.

As Archie bowed, the mammoth disintegrated into sand, blending into the dune, liberating its soul.

"Stand up, kid. We’ll discuss this once we've left this place,"

Deadbeat assured, tucking the Mammoth’s egg stone into the horse’s saddle bag.

Archie lifted his gaze to find Mechanic astride the horse, a mammoth tusk dangling from the horse’s flank. She smirked at him, a look of triumph in her eyes.

Archie returned her smirk with a stern glare and hoisted himself onto the horse. As they set off, the gusty wind died down and the sun climbed to its zenith, the clouds gradually dispersing to reveal the harsh desert heat.

A few hours post their encounter with the mammoth, they sought refuge in a small cave amidst the desert to address Archie’s request.

"Tell me, kid, what do you want?"

Deadbeat probed, despite having a clear idea of Archie's intentions.

"I want to be strong enough to survive a battle with that mammoth," Archie confessed, prompting a snort of amusement from Mechanic.

"In the life of a Rift Runner, that mammoth is nothing more than a cockroach. If you were to encounter its superior, you'd probably die of shock."

"Enough, Mechanic," Deadbeat interjected, casting a warning glance at Mechanic before turning back to Archie.

"Even though I hate to say this, Mechanic is right. That mammoth is one of the weakest in the Rift Runner's path."

Archie's fist tightened, determination seeping into his voice as he declared, "Then teach me to handle the strongest creature in the world."

" Dad, he is an idiot like you," Mechanic teased, sauntering away to start a fire.

"I like your tone, Archie," Deadbeat countered.

He raised his left hand, revealing a blue glowing watch on his wrist. He tapped the watch’s central screen.

"WOOSH!" A whirl of blue lights sprang to life around his wrist, causing Archie to recoil. "What is that?"

"It's nothing much, kid. You'll learn all about it when you visit the Rift Guild,"

Deadbeat replied casually, his fingers dancing over the swirling blue lights on his watch.

Archie watched closely as the lights separated into compartments, each containing different menus. Deadbeat swiped up, causing one menu to disappear and another to take its place.

After a few swipes, Deadbeat selected a menu bathed in blue light, causing a series of overlapping blue lights to swirl around his wrist.

Archie was fascinated by the lights, which reminded him of a planet encircled by rings.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

After a few more swipes, Deadbeat selected one of the blue menu lights.

"WOOSH!" Suddenly, a gun materialized above the blue menu light and began to hover above the watch. Deadbeat snatched the gun and tossed it to Archie.

Archie caught it, marveling at its sleek, modern design. The gun had a black grip and body, offset by red illuminated parts along the barrel and around the cylinder. It was unlike any gun Archie had ever seen.

He noticed the cylinder was devoid of bullets. Archie pondered what to do with this gun and Deadbeat stated,

"Go ahead, shoot your Ethereal."

"What!" Archie was confused by Deadbeat’s simple explanation and turned to Deadbeat.

"What am I supposed to do with this? I don’t know how to shoot Ethereal with it."

" Sorry, sorry, I forgot you're new to this. This gun, it gathers and shoots your Ethereal," Deadbeat explained.

These types of guns, known as 'Ereal' Guns, are used by beginners to control their Ethereal and project it.

Deadbeat elaborated on how to shoot, "When you gather your Ethereal in the gun, it stores in the cylinder and shoots through the barrel."

Archie was still confused. "You must be mistaken, I don’t have Ethereal yet. The ROT Trail said Unknown Ethereal."

"Kid, Mechanic had a similar Unknown Ethereal result. You need to understand, you wouldn’t be a Rift Runner if you didn’t have Ethereal," Deadbeat reassured Archie. Until now, he had believed he didn’t possess any Ethereal, based on the ROT result:

[Specimen: Archie]

[Blood Type: O+]

[Age: 15]

[Type: Non-Graded Ethereal]

[Non-Graded Rank: F]

[Nature Encounter: Unknown? Ethereal]

Deadbeat instructed Archie to prepare to shoot the gun. "Gather your Ethereal in the gun and shoot."

Archie closed his eyes, visualizing his Ethereal gathering in the gun, and squeezed the trigger.

"CLICK!" Nothing happened, only the echo of Archie’s trigger pull filled the air as he pressed it repeatedly in frustration.

"Kid, kid. Calm down, you won’t learn anything if you're frustrated," Deadbeat soothed Archie, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Deadbeat offered a peculiar analogy to help Archie understand, "Think of your Ethereal as saliva."

"Huh!" Archie was taken aback, but Deadbeat continued,

"You gather your saliva inside your mouth and spit it out, just like that, imagine your Ethereal."

"I’m lost," Archie admitted, overwhelmed by Deadbeat's unconventional teaching method.

"Dad, stop with your weird explanations," Mechanic intervened, having observed the entire exchange from a distance.

"What are you talking about? You learned how to use your Ethereal because of that," Deadbeat defended himself, genuinely confused.

Mechanic sighed and corrected him, "Mom taught me how to use Ethereal. I ignored your teachings as much as I could."

Archie turned to Mechanic, "Can you help me here?"

Mechanic seemed uninterested in Archie’s request but responded nonetheless, "Take your position and close your eyes."

Archie complied, standing upright with his feet shoulder-width apart, gripping the gun with both hands, and closing his eyes, hanging onto Mechanic’s every word.

"You are a pot. Ethereal is nothing but water inside. You can either pour it out slowly or dump it all at once, based on your decision. But it doesn’t matter how much you try, if the vessel is small, you can’t hold a single drop. So, feel the Ethereal as an outsider, like a parasite living inside you, try to control it and put…"

Archie felt a shiver run down his spine, Mechanic's voice gradually fading into a whisper until it disappeared entirely.

Archie opened his eyes to find himself standing on a surface of golden water, providing just enough support for him to stand. Darkness enveloped him.

Despite not knowing where he was, Archie felt a sense of peace. He looked around for an escape, but found nothing but the golden water swirling beneath him, casting a soft glow on the surroundings.

Archie wandered for a while, until he stumbled upon a rift glowing in mid-air.

Archie approached it, hoping it might transport him back.

Archie reached out to touch it. In an instant, the Ereal gun materialized in his hand, but he continued his motion to touch the rift.

As the gun’s barrel made contact with the rift.

"SWHOOSH!" The rift spiraled and was absorbed by the gun. Archie relaxed, a smirk spreading across his face, as he pulled the trigger.

"BANG!"