“What did I tell you? Still in the blanket!” Aut boasted loudly, rousing me from my slumber.

“Pure coincidence.” Unn shot back.

My stomach began grumbling. Aut seemed to notice, as he picked me up, and began feeding me that horrific sludge. Choke it down. Choke it down. I want a better . Strong body. Eyes on the prize. It tasted so bad. I was finally full, and Aut stopped.

“Good Ash.” Aut praised.

My body then informed me; it was time to go. This is humiliating. I tried making noises, begging to please be brought to a toilet, but it was all in vain. Being a baby sucks. This is horrible. Aut changed my diaper for me.

“I’m telling you; Ash understands what’s going on around him.” Aut told Unn.

“You are delusional.” Unn snapped.

“I’ll watch Ash for today. Is that fine?” Aut asked.

“Why do you want to watch him?” Unn probed.

“I promised the little guy I’d show him how to properly circulate in his body.” Aut answered.

“Fine. Easier for me anyways.” Unn said exasperated. Why did my parents leave me with her?

“Come on little guy!” Aut declared excitedly as he took me to a new room.

I could only see the ceiling as we moved. It was some odd brick, with the occasional light. Light was a bit of a misnomer; it was some odd glowing stone. It is probably some . We went down a flight of stairs, and into a room with an odd white ceiling. It was some flat surface, but it looked like a single piece. That doesn’t look like drywall though.

Aut set me down on some mat. This room was much brighter than the previous one I was in. I heard some rummaging, and then Aut peered over me. Now that I could see him better, Aut definitely had horns. They were ram like, and his skin was odd. Like, it looked like it was made from clay. His skin was matte, with no shine whatsoever. I wonder what race he is.

“Okay Ash, I’m going to show you how your should flow for proper reinforcement. It might be a little uncomfortable while you are getting the hang of it.” Aut told me.

He placed his mammoth hand on me, and the odd warmth moved through my body. It was different; the feeling was something I was not used to. Aut stopped and looked at me. I tried replicating the sensation. It felt like I was moving the world at first. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. Aut let me struggle for what felt like thirty minutes before he demonstrated again.

Whenever Aut showed me, it felt like something was swirling by my heart, and spread out from there. I focused on where the swirling sensation was. Something was there. Do I have an extra organ? What is that? I tried replicating the feeling again, and it was not working. It felt like I was trying to stir a pool with my finger. My breathing was starting to get heavy. I felt really drained all of a sudden.

“Way to go Ash!” Aut praised.

“What is this?” I asked, but only baby sounds yet again.

I could see Aut looking down at me, but he had squiggles going through him. Actually, everything in my vision was wavy. What did I do? This is not a pleasant feeling. I tried moving, but it didn’t feel like my body responded at all.

“Someone used up all their . It will be a bit uncomfortable, but that was really good Ash!” Aut explained to me.

“Make it stop.” I begged.

“Doesn’t understand what’s going on around him my foot. You clearly at least have an idea of what I’m saying.” Aut told me.

“Yes, please make this feeling go away.” I told him.

“This will make you feel better.” Aut told me.

Aut set something on me, and I could immediately feel an odd sensation enter my body. That warmth is probably . In a few minutes, I felt fine. My body felt like it was brimming with . What did Aut just put on me? It was weird; that felt good. I tried replicating what Aut showed me again. Yet again, it felt like I was trying to move the world again. When Aut did it, there was a clear swirling feeling. After I tried for what felt like an hour, I got maybe one rotation.

Once I spent all my , Aut set something on me again. Whatever it was, it readily recharged my . Once I was topped off, Aut demonstrated for me again. What is he doing differently than me? And this is my body, not his. He is effortlessly doing it too.

We alternated in that pattern for a long while. I had no idea how much time passed. I would attempt to mimic the motion. Aut would set something on me to recharge my . He would demonstrate the proper method. Rinse. Repeat. On the fourth cycle, my stomach began grumbling. Aut didn’t do anything until my was gone. Once my was gone, he fed me the sludge again. Surprisingly, this time, it tasted kind of good. My body felt a lot better as I ate.

“I know, this stuff tastes kind of rough, but it does taste better when you’re exhausted Ash. You are doing really well! You managed three rotations!” Aut told me.

I wanted to reply, but I was busy eating. After I was done, he had to change my diaper. I hate being a baby. This is the worst part. Aut then placed whatever he had been setting on me again. What is he setting on me? Are there any side effects? I finished being topped off and tried again. After several more cycles, someone came in.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING AUT?!” a high-pitched, feminine voice roared at him.

Why are you such a waste of space?! Echoed through my mind. That voice was awfully similar to my old mother. Why am I remembering that?

“Lower your voice. Just teaching our new arrival.” Aut retorted.

“How many have you gave him?!” the high-pitched voice demanded. Interesting. That makes sense though.

“A handful. Here’s one of them.” Aut said with a snarky tone. I could tell he tossed one to the new figure.

“Are you trying to kill the baby?!” the voice asked back.

“No, that’s his . We have a decent stockpile of them, so why not use them?” Aut retorted.

“Fine.” The voice conceded.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Aut asked sarcastically.

“Does Unn know you are, wait a second, why does a newborn need ?” the voice probed.

“I’m teaching him . He’s making steady progress.” Aut replied.

“That baby has to be at most a week old.” The voice retorted.

“Ash, show him what we’ve been practicing.” Aut instructed.

“You’re nuts!” The voice snapped at Aut. I will prove you wrong. I like him so far.

I tried my hardest. I was hellbent on replicating the spinning sensation. Spin whatever that thing is. Come on. I felt it begin to spin. There we go. Come on. Wait. When Aut was spinning it, it spun from whatever that place is, not around it like I’ve been doing. I stopped what I was doing and tried focusing solely on where the rotation was happening. Something in my brain clicked. I could feel whatever that was a lot better. After a few attempts, I got it spinning. Not just a little. I had it rotating rapidly, like when Aut showed me.

“What the forl?” the high-pitched voice asked. Definitely a swear word.

“Language! And what did I tell you! Look at that!” Aut proclaimed excitedly.

I did it! I cheered to myself. My body felt incredibly woozy again.

“See Woona? That’s talent!” Aut taunted.

“This is not natural.” Woona replied.

“I think little Ash is tired again. We’ll demonstrate for Unn and call it a day.” Aut told me.

“Okay.” I moaned.

Aut picked me up and carried me triumphantly back to Unn. As we walked, he placed another on me. He was alternating muttering to himself how he wasn’t crazy and praising my progress. I was so happy. I am learning to use ! I have no idea what I’m learning is used for, but I imagine it will come together soon. I was kind of curious what Woona looked like. Is she a human like Unn, or what race Aut is? Is Unn a human? She looks like one. Am I a human now that I think about it? My thoughts were interrupted by Aut throwing a door open with a massive thud.

“Hello Unn!” Aut said happily.

“Why are you throwing open doors?! What if one breaks?! I might be a bit old but I’m not deaf, so you have no reason to be that loud!” Unn snapped at Aut.

I don’t like her. I thought to myself.

“I came to serve you some halpspung.” Aut told Unn. What is halpspung?

“Oh really? How so?” Unn asked.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Ash, a demonstration please.” Aut requested.

I immediately did the that Aut showed me. It was spinning even easier this time around. I got the sensation to really start to spread throughout my body. Take that Unn! There was a crisp slapping sound in the room as I stopped.

“How much did you train him today?” Unn asked, her voice sounding pissed.

“Just a little bit. I told you he could understand what was going on around him. You thought I was nuts! Look, he clearly has talent and was able to follow my instructions!” Aut defended himself.

“And now we have a baby able to use rudimentary . How are we going to keep him from harming himself or another child by accident?” Unn asked.

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Aut answered.

“Obviously.” Unn sighed.

“But he clearly understood what I was showing him!” Aut insisted.

“What about when he renews his efforts to take off his bangle?” Unn probed.

“You won’t do that right Ash?” Aut asked me.

“Maybe.” I agreed.

“See, he agreed.” Aut retorted.

“Ash probably agrees as long as you keep showing him how to use his . He seems to possess some innate desire to use his .” Unn replied.

“Do you know what race our new baby is?” Aut deflected.

“He’s a Beastkin.” Unn answered.

“Really? He doesn’t look like a Beastkin.” Aut checked.

“I guarantee you Ash is a Beastkin.” Unn insisted. She does actually know my parents, so she probably knows exactly what type I am. She’s hiding that fact. I probably should hide that I’m from another world now that I think about it.

“You are pretty good at telling that, so I’ll trust you.” Aut conceded.

Beastkin? Does that mean I’m part animal? I mean, my parents could fly. Am I some type of bird? I wonder what comes with being a Beastkin? When will I be able to fly? What type of do I possess? Everyone seems to get a little on edge when they realize. It’s probably something rare.

“Now what are we going to do?” Unn asked.

“About what?” Aut asked.

“You training a baby to use the start of !” Unn snarled.

“It’ll work out.” Aut replied.

“Aut, how many did you feed Ash?” Unn probed.

“A handful.” Aut answered weakly.

“Do not dare feed him another one until he is older.” Unn ordered Aut.

“Yes ma’am.” Aut said.

“I don’t mind if you want to watch him, but leave that bangle on him, do not feed him to power him up until he is older, and show some restraint on what you teach him.” Unn snapped.

“Why do you seem extra annoyed about this?” Aut probed.

“What do you mean?” Unn asked.

“You seem extra annoyed about me showing Ash something.” Aut replied.

“I’m just concerned about teaching him too much when he’s a baby. Do not forget what his is.” Unn retorted.

“Fair point.” Aut conceded. Can you just say it out loud? I want to know. My stomach began grumbling again.

“Sorry if I’m a bit tense, but please think before you act.” Unn lectured Aut.

Aut lifted me and began feeding me the baby formula again. It does taste better when you’re tired. It’s still nasty. Unfortunately, soon after, I had to deal with some immense humiliation. I despise this part. Aut set me in the crib and swaddled me into a cloth prison. I was too exhausted to use to try and remove the bangle.

“I’ll go take care of the evening lessons for the older children.” Aut told Unn.

“Okay. Thank you for watching Ash today.” Unn replied.

“I’ll watch him again tomorrow!” Aut informed Unn.

“What’s your goal?” Unn asked Aut.

“What do you mean?” Aut asked, feigning ignorance.

“You hate babies and little children, yet Ash you seem to like.” Unn pressed.

“I think he shows great promise.” Aut answered.

“You want to see how strong he can get.” Unn snapped.

“So? What’s the harm? He possesses a capable of it.” Aut told Unn.

“It would be interesting, but I am not risking a kid getting crippled for that ambition.” Unn replied.

“There’s a balance.” Aut told her. Note to self, just because someone is helpful to me, doesn’t mean they’re after my best interest.

I was tired, and just laid in the crib, listening to what was around me. Unn tirelessly worked on something. I heard ruffling of paper. She probably is doing paperwork. Is this her office? It was hard for me to get a sense of the layout looking only at the ceiling. After a bit, I fell asleep.

*

My days fell into a bit of a rhythm after that. Apparently, I was quiet for a baby which made them a little concerned. After hearing that, I tried practicing saying words to little avail. It at least made them less concerned about my behavior. Aut would teach me daily. To help counter Unn’s edict on not feed me , he taught me how to more efficiently use my . Aut was surprisingly strict given physically I was a baby.

I think four months had passed by this point. It was hard to tell time. I barely could tell the layout still. I stayed in the same two rooms for the most part. If I wanted to, it was possible for me to remove the bangle now. I had yet to fully slip it off. I need a window of time by myself to fully slip it off. Unn maybe spent thirty minutes total with me in the entire four months.

Currently, I was wiggling my arms with as Aut showed me. It was surprising how easily I was moving my limbs around. Aut was cheering me on. I can’t tell if he wants to help me or is using me to achieve some goal. It might be a combination thereof. It’s helpful though what he’s been teaching me. I wanted to slip the bangle off and start testing using my for something other than .

I wondered what other staff worked here. I knew of Woona; never got to see her. I pretty much stayed exclusively with Aut. Whenever I started using my , the sensation in my body was getting more intense. I really didn’t notice at first, but after the first month it was getting noticeable.

“That’s my Ash! Way to go!” Aut was cheering.

By this point, I was able to maintain the for roughly an hour. After I ran out of , Aut helped me practice some words. He was playing typical baby games occasionally as well, like peek-a-boo.

“Forl!” I tried saying. It was sounding closer to the actual word.

“Fooo fooo waaa waa!” Aut replied to me. I am trying to swear, but you don’t know that.

We went back and forth like that. It was fun. Aut is at least fun to interact with. I wanted to be mobile again, to be able to talk properly, and to take this blasted bangle off. After playing with Aut a little, he slipped off the bangle. What? He took it off?

“Let’s train your a little while you only have a bit of .” Aut told me. YES!

“Yes!” I yelled excitedly.

“Try exerting a little like this.” Aut instructed, making some lightning crackle by his finger. That is really cool!

I tried exerting a little bit of from my finger like he did. That’s when I made an important discovery: was a completely different skillset than using . There was nothing. I could get my flowing, but I kept reinforcing my body rather than exert it.

After what was likely a few hours, I hadn’t succeeded once. My was slowly recovering from my earlier practice. More didn’t make it any easier. No amount of effort seemed to make it work. COME ON! EXERT! It didn’t help. I tried wiggling my arms around, seeing if that would help. Obviously, it didn’t work.

“It’s okay Ash! You can do it!” Aut cheered on.

I tried with a bit more fervor. It was not working. Come on. I felt the swirling sensation by my heart again. It’s how you start . Is it the same for trying to exert it like Aut showed me? I tried focusing on my body a bit. I felt the rotating sensation in my body. After a few minutes, I began spreading my through my body again. This is . After that, I focused into a point in my palm. I tried exerting my through that point.

There was good news and bad news. Good news, this time, it worked. Bad news, it came out like a bullet that hit Aut. He dodged it mostly, but the bullet of clipped his shoulder. He winced in pain, and his skin look like it was rotting and carved from the bullet. Aut put the bangle back on me, picked me up, and carried me back to Unn’s office. He wasn’t saying a word, and just grimacing. How did my do that? I wonder what I have. I was set down into the crib, and I heard chuckling.

“Does hurt?” Unn asked mockingly. ? That sounds awesome!

“Just a bit. Can you please heal it?” Aut asked, trying to keep his voice level.

“I warned you, keep the bangle on.” Unn taunted.

“I was teaching him , and once he depleted his I wanted to show him how to use more proper . He accidentally shot his out rather than just get a bit out.” Aut explained.

“Why shift from ? I thought you wanted to see how far you could teach him?” Unn probed. I could tell she still hadn’t healed Aut.

“I’m starting to run out of ideas of what I can show him while he’s still a baby.” Aut explained.

“What?” Unn asked, losing the mocking tone.

“He’s learning too fast.” Aut replied.

“What do you mean?” Unn pressed.

“Ash, can you show Unn what we’ve been working on?” Aut requested.

I did as Aut requested. I waved my arms around too, showing everything. Unn’s eyes went wide, and then glared at Aut. From what I could tell, Unn was furious. He’s just been showing me . Did he do something he shouldn’t have? Unn looked absolutely seething.

“At some point, did you think, maybe, just maybe, you went a little too far?” Unn snarled at Aut.

“He was learning so well!” Aut defended himself.

“How did you get a baby to learn to that degree?! He’s four months old!” Unn snapped.

“Well, he can’t really move around, or crawl yet, so I’ve kind of hit a wall.” Aut replied. Unn looked ready to stab Aut.

“So you moved to teaching him ?” Unn asked. Her face was turning crimson.

“What’s wrong with him learning some ?” Aut probed.

“His ! He’s a baby with no concept of how dangerous it is!” Unn growled.

“He should learn to control it a little bit.” Aut mumbled.

“And what if there’s another accident?” Unn asked.

“You can heal me.” Aut replied.

“Sure. Sure. And what if he accidentally hits you somewhere a bit more critical than your arm?” Unn checked.

“I’ll be in a bit of trouble. We have to teach him somehow. It’s more dangerous for him to have no idea how to control his .” Aut retorted.

“He will need to be taught. Stop trying to make a monstrous baby.” Unn snapped at him.

“Ash should be taught while it’s easy.” Aut replied.

“It’ll be easy while he’s a child. There’s no need to keep pushing this Aut.” Unn told him.

“We should teach him! He can learn!” Aut retorted.

“What could you possibly teach him at this point?!” Unn demanded.

“There’s some more I could teach him, but I was trying to branch into a bit.” Aut answered.

“Like what?” Unn pressed.

“ like .” Aut elaborated.

“Why would a baby need to know ?” Unn snarled.

“He can.” Aut mumbled.

“You just want to see the how strong you can get him before he can even walk.” Unn snapped.

“Imagine someone trained from being a literal baby! It’s an exciting prospect.” Aut pointed out.

“It’s a recipe for disaster.” Unn shot back.

“I would like to learn more.” I interjected. It was mostly incoherent baby noises.

“See, he agrees with me.” Aut retorted.

“Of course you are going to say that! He is probably just making noises.” Unn replied, looking at Aut like he was an idiot. I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Is he sticking his tongue out at me?” Unn asked.

“He is!” Aut retorted between fits of laughter.

“This is the strangest child ever.” Unn muttered.

That’s because mentally I’m not one. I thought to myself.

“Teaching him is dangerous until he understands how dangerous his is!” Unn snapped.

“There has to be some middle ground here. Please. He has talent.” Aut begged. Unn let out a long, dramatic sigh.

“I’ll permit only and methods of . No teaching him , period. That is only going to end in someone being maimed or killed.” Unn conceded.

“Yes!” I cheered.

“Thank you! Now for the love of the can you heal my arm.” Aut cheered before wincing.

“Sure.” Unn told him, before healing the damage.

“That’s much better.” Aut sighed, sounding immensely relieved.

“I’ll only be doing that three more times, so use them wisely.” Unn warned.

“You are so generous.” Aut retorted.

“I could not heal it at all and have you try to find a clinic able to heal that .” Unn pointed out.

“Why are you like this?” Aut asked.

“Some of us try not to train literal babies in their . We try to teach them to speak and wave their hands.” Unn snapped.

“I am trying to speak.” I shot back. Unfortunately, it was baby sounds.

“I am mixing that in there as my compatriot is trying to say.” Aut defended himself.

“Why do you act like you understand that baby?” Unn asked with a sigh.

“Give me five Ash.” Aut ordered as he raised his hand up to me. I gave him a tiny baby high five.

“I got you!” I cheered.

“See, he understands.” Aut replied.

“The sky is made of candy.” Unn stated as she put her hand in front of me. I refused to give her five.

“Ash, one more time.” Aut told me again, putting his hand back out. I high fived him again.

“That is the strangest child in existence.” Unn declared.

“You’re just jealous he likes me more.” Aut retorted.

“No. I’m done with this conversation. Please take Ash to his crib or get yourself shot with his again.” Unn informed him.

“Yes ma’am.” Aut replied.

I was brought back to the room Aut taught me in. I wonder if he’s going to show me more. Aut set me down before doing some stretches. After Aut stretched enough, he sat down in front of me, producing a needle.

“Alright, now to show you .” he said happily.

The needle made me uneasy. Aut put his hand on me, and I could feel how he made go along my body. I began moving my to mimic him. It was odd feeling it along my skin. Interesting. It was like making plates on my skin. I shifted it around, seeing if I could make threads out of it. It worked. Huh. I tried weaving them over the plates, making a sort of chainmail. My head instantly began hurting immensely. What?

Aut was looking at me completely slack jaw. He was blinking a few times, looking at me with an expression I didn’t recognize. My head was agonizing. What did I do to make my head hurt this bad? I made some noises, but I was in agony.

“Wow. What frightening instincts.” Aut stated.

“Oh yea. The headache that comes with doing that. Sorry Ash. Here you go.” Aut told me, placing his hand on me. I instantly felt relief from my head.

“It’s amazing. You seem to have the sharpest instincts I’ve ever seen. How do you understand me so well?” Aut pondered. Because I’m mentally not a child. I made some baby noises in response.

“Now, try again, but this time stick to just the basic version.” Aut instructed.

I put my back along my skin. Aut gave me a few seconds before taking the needle and poking me with it. To my immense surprise, the needle harmlessly bounced off my skin. That’s useful. He smiled. Now, is that thread idea of mine applicable to other avenues? I tried forming a knife out of my . Aut looked perplexed at me, until his skin looked pale upon realizing what I was forming.

“Stop!” Aut roared. I immediately stopped, flinching a bit. Stop wasting money! It’s been months, why am I remembering that?

“How were you forming a knife?” Aut muttered.

“I was curious if I could.” I answered. Unfortunately, it still only sounded like baby noises.

Aut helped me practice a bit more by poking me with the needle a few more times at random intervals. The one attempt felt much harder than the others. is awesome. I exhausted my , going until I was on the verge of a massive migraine. Aut brought me back to the crib, and I could hear Unn was working on paperwork.

“Can we talk for a minute?” Aut requested.

“About what?” Unn inquired.

“Ash.” Aut answered.

“What has you worried about your mini apprentice?” Unn asked mockingly.

“He nearly formed a knife out of solid . When I showed him , he almost figured out how to manifest .” Aut explained.

“Really?” Unn checked.

“Really. His learning curve is staggering. I know I said he seems to grasp what’s around him, but it seems beyond that.” Aut confessed. I might have gone a bit too far. Crap

“He might just have a strong . Ash could have just seen a knife in passing and tried replicating it.” Unn told Aut.

“That makes sense. It’s just his and-“ Aut rambled.

“Stop. Just accept he’s like this. It’s fine.” Unn interjected. She’s defending me? Why is Aut suddenly not okay with this?

“Fair. I was just taken aback at how many things he put together in an instant.” Aut explained.

“I understand.” Unn replied.

“I’m going to go shopping tomorrow, I’m bringing Ash with me.” Aut told Unn.

“That’s fine. Have a good night.” Unn told Aut.

“Good night. Good night Ash.” Aut replied as he left.

“Good night.” I started, but it was just baby noises.

I laid in my crib, staring at the ceiling. I’m probably the oddest baby in the world. What world is this? Mizor I’m assuming is a state, or territory. I still wondered if there really was a floating city above where I was. I have so many questions. Unfortunately, I had no way to ask them. Eventually, I fell asleep in the crib.