Tao's parents would sometimes visit other families and take their children with them, or other families with children would come to visit them. Whereas in the past the mother usually held Tao on her lap, now she took care of Inya and encouraged Tao to play with the other children. One of Reyte's older sisters had a girl Safia's age, Yangita, and a boy Tao's age, Tamas, so it seemed ideal to let them play together while the women talked among themselves.
"Wife, I'm home!" Safia exclaimed, standing in the doorway.
Not again this... Tao wanted to crawl into the ground.
He stared at his companion in misfortune, a boy with light brown hair and an insecure expression on his face who seemed to have completely surrendered to his fate.
It could have been worse, at least this time I'm not Mum, Tao consoled himself.
The two girls played the parents, while the boys were assigned/imposed the role of the babies. Tao decided to relax and use this time for training.
The forest spirit claimed that the boy's spirit power was now almost completely blocked. The lesser spirits had also left him, so Tao now no longer stood out among the others. He accordingly developed a new training program for himself.
* Cultivation of spirit power reserves
* Developing meridians (channels of spirit power)
* Increasing the body's resistance to the spirit power
* Enchanting body parts.
* Influencing matter with spirit power (wordless magic)
* Seeing/sensing spirit powers and spirit beings
Tao could no longer deplete his reserves of spirit power by letting it freely out of the body or by learning magic, it would again attract the attention of the spirits. This made it difficult to fulfill the first point, as it was hard to deplete his spirit power reserves by other methods. Difficult, but not impossible.
Every day Tao concentrated a huge amount of spirit power and spread it throughout his body from the top of his head to his toes over and over again, persistently increasing the amount of concentrated spirit power and forcing it to move faster. Although the channels of spirit power were not real organs in the body, they certainly existed physically because the boy could feel their resistance in his body. When Tao reached the permissible limit, it felt as if something like arteries and blood vessels were burning from overload.
Along with the development of spirit channels, the Tao made greater efforts to make the body resistant to the influence of spirit power, or more accurately, to accustom the cells to a concentrated amount of spirit power when it affects the tissues of the body. His muscles were able to absorb the greatest amount, but gradually the boy made progress with other organs such as the eyes.
"Soldiers enchant their muscles to move more nimbly and attack with more power, right?" Tao had once asked Eleya.
"Not just soldiers, some magical beasts and monsters too." The forest spirit added.
"Also, they use spirit power to develop senses. Like our dog did."
"Yes."
"Is it possible to strengthen brain function?"
Eleya was silent for a moment before answering.
"....it depends on what you want to achieve."
"Stimulate brain activity to be able to think better, faster, for example?" Tao explained his idea.
"The whole body can be influenced by the spirit power, but I wouldn't recommend touching the organ that underlies your mind and consciousness."
"But you did when you linked the barrier to breathing." The boy objected.
Damn, I thought about it again... he realized that for a while he would have to breathe again and maintain the barrier consciously.
"Yes, but it was only on one part of the brain, which is responsible for instinctive activity. If you try to strengthen the part of the brain that is responsible for your thinking, your consciousness, it can lead to unpredictable consequences. You may lose your mind. Or lose the ability to influence your spirit power with mind at all."
So, it is possible, just dangerous, Tao concluded.
He decided to obey the spirit of the forest and do not touch his brain, at least for now.
The most effective way to deplete the spirit power reserves faster was to strengthen the muscles. The technique was based on tensing the muscles while using the spirit power, which made the action several times stronger. Tao usually did this by tensing his muscles while sitting on the ground, especially when other people were around. It was not very interesting, even if the muscles felt the effect, because they would tingle afterwards. But even when the boy was alone, he couldn't practice cool punches and kicks for long. Yes, Tao's arms and legs could move faster than was normally possible, and he could also feel the power in the movement, but when he repeated the kicks and punches for a long time the boy felt pain not only in his muscles but also in his ligaments and joints, which did not go away so quickly.
"Is it possible to strengthen the physical constitution of the body with the spirit power?" Tao asked Eleya.
"It's harder than a simple pulse of power in the muscles. Most mortals use a technique called sinsura instead."
Tao had heard the name from his father.
"What does it do?" he wanted to know.
"Invokes the the spirit power to reduce physical trauma to the body. Strengthens the bonds between tissues."
"Can you teach me that?"
"Yes, but I can offer something even better - a technique that will strengthen the bonds permanently."
"Won't that make me too stiff?"
"Not if you also train flexibility and agility."
Tao didn't know how much he could ask of his body. He had heard that babies heal scars and regenerate tissue faster. It seemed logical, but he hadn't read it in a scientific book, so he wasn't 100 percent sure. Tao remembered hearing, though, that a baby's bones might be softer than an adult's. In his case, the spirit power was a factor that could change a lot - the boy had recently allowed this power to act on his brain.
Well, learning these skills wouldn't hurt, Tao finally decided.
Learning sinsura and ways to rise physical endurance of his body joined the curriculum.
Tao hadn't stopped learning magic completely, though, he had just greatly reduced the extent to which spirit power was used for it. According to Eleya, no one would pay much attention if a boy spread from his body a small amount similar to that used for household magic. Unfortunately, for the time being it seemed impossible to affect water, even a single drop, with such a small dose.
"This is because the nature of your spirit power is not suited to affect water. Most people use so-called artificial spirits to do everything for them. Only true magicians can consciously alter their spirit power to directly influence the elements." Eleya explained the reason.
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"But how did I manage that before?" Tao wanted to know.
"Apparently you managed to alter some of your spirit power closer to the nature of water. Most of it was wasted though and was easily visible to the spirits..."
"How to change the nature of the spirit power?"
"By understanding the element or power that you want to associate with. It changes you, but in return gives you power over it."
"I don't understand," Tao confessed.
"I'm talking about the spirits. And those clothed in flesh that live long. Rarely can any of the human bond so closely with any of the elements or basic forces of the world."
"But I got a little bit." The boy objected.
"You moved water droplets, it's not the same as stirring up the seas or summoning storms." Eleya seemed to smile.
"Still, if I learn, I'll get better, right?" Tao insisted.
"Yeah, but don't ask me how to bond with the water element."
"But you're a forest spirit, aren't you? Can't you teach me how to grow flowers and stuff?"
"Maybe... but later in the future. Growing flowers won't help you defeat our enemy, Tao."
"But what will?"
"I will say... when the time comes. For now, concentrate on increasing your reserves of spirit power, meridian development, attune the body to the spirit power, and rise in physical endurance."
Tao sometimes considered the idea of pushing the forest spirit to reveal its plans but understood there was no point in annoying Eleya and straining their relationship. Despite everything, including the sometimes-questionable methods of his ally, the boy felt that he was getting stronger.
He continued to question Eleya from time to time about how to change the nature of the spirit power and tried to increase his control over the water drops.
The boy's efforts to sense spirit power and spirit beings were even less successful. The Eleya didn't know how to help or didn't want to, so Tao basically worked on his own. He had figured that the first step would be to feel his own spirit power. The boy could feel it moving inside him when he concentrated a large amount, but only because the spirit power was interacting with the body. If the spirit power left the body, Tao could not see it, smell it or otherwise feel it. He was not about to give up, though, and kept wracking his brain on the matter.
"Say aaaah!" Tao was interrupted from his thoughts by his temporary 'mom.'
The girl pretended to feed the boy with a tiny wooden spoon. Unlike Safia, whose hair fell loosely over her shoulders, Yangita's light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and gave the impression of a tidier, older child. She was also gentler, according to Tao.
He obediently 'ate' from the spoon, for which the girl praised him. Yangita then tried to feed her brother, who showed less enthusiasm but still participated in the game.
"Good boy." The girl smiled.
12... no 15 years later, maybe you'll make a good wife, Tao joked in his mind.
Despite the sometimes embarrassing situations, he didn't mind playing with his sister or the other kids. This allowed him to forget about his worries and fears for a while. On the other hand, Tao also thought more about how different he was from other kids. Tao hoped that as he grew physically, his intelligence would no longer be strange in the eyes of others, allowing him to live a normal life. Keeping so many secrets was... exhausting.
"Good boy." Yangita also praised Tao as he 'ate' from the spoon again and even stroked his head.
No, I am not. But thanks anyway, the boy smiled sadly.
***
"Night lights! Night lights!" Safia kept repeating.
"Aye, aye, we're going." The girl's father tried to calm her down.
"Be careful." As usual, Sofra urged caution when they were going far from home.
"It's all right, there's nothing dangerous for miles around. I took care of it." Indres assured.
"Anyway..."
"Let's go see the night lights!" Safia continued to jump in excitement.
"Are you sure you want to stay home? It's warm outside, Inya will feel fine." Indres said to his wife.
"No, the climb will bother her. Besides, if she starts crying, it will scare the fun out of the others." She shook her head in the negative.
"We won't be too long but, don't wait us back. If you feel tired, feel free to go to sleep." Indres said, opening the door.
"That's what we'll do. Have a nice evening." Sofra smiled and patted the heads of the two older children.
As far as Tao could make out, on some summer nights, special lights appeared briefly over the forest, which the villagers loved to watch. This was not the first time for Safia and she looked very excited about what was to come.
Fireflies? Or something like that? Tao guessed, but as usual refrained from asking unnecessary questions.
Indres and the children were not the only ones heading out of the village in the late evening hours, when the sun was already setting. Many families did the same, Reyte with her relatives, Eigar with his grandchildren, and many others. All climbed higher up into the hills above the village, away from the forest but with a better view over the valley.
"Tao, how are you feeling? Want me to hold you?" Indres asked.
"No! I can go!" the boy claimed.
Safia also seemed full of energy, scrambling up the hill under her own power.
Tao had decided to use this opportunity to strengthen the physical endurance of his legs by releasing the spirit power into them. He felt tempted to use the spirit power to give himself more physical strength, but refrained. Not only would it interfere with increasing the fortitude of the tissues, but it might also reveal too much. The boy still didn't always have precise control over the amount of force he used and could accidentally jump too high. This would not be easy to explain to his father, who still had not given up all suspicion of Tao. The boy sometimes felt strange looks from Indres, so he was extra careful in his training not to show anything strange outwardly.
The villagers stopped at various places among the rocks. Indres and his children, however, climbed higher than many others. When Safia got tired, her father took the girl in his arms. Tao continued to climb under his own power, despite the strain he felt. Physical endurance training had just begun, and the boy did not yet know the technique well. He reasoned that it would also take time before he produces tangible results.
Despite these difficulties, Indres was finally satisfied with his altitude and stopped.
"Has it started yet?" Safia asked in a sleepy voice.
It looked like the girl had fallen asleep in her father's arms.
"No, not yet. Sit down, and rest. You too, Tao." Indres pointed to a rock nearby with a flat surface.
The boy obeyed happily. Although he had passed the challenge, his small body protested the effort. The stone was still warm from the sun during the day, so it was quite pleasant to touch it when the night air got cooler. Like his father and sister, Tao's gaze turned to the forest in the distance. The sun, though setting, still cast a twilight glow on the horizon, allowing the sky to be distinguished from the forest level. The two moons were round and clearly visible, further illuminating the night sky. Tao chuckled to himself, realizing how little he had thought about these celestial luminaries in two years, given the first, shocking impression.
The family didn't have to wait too long as the anticipated event began.
"Look! Night lights!" Safia exclaimed jumping to her feet and pointing a finger.
A single distant pale blue light appeared above the treetops and began to circle around. Soon it was joined by many other lights in all different shades - yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, green and every shade in between. Some seemed brighter and seemed to gather around themselves smaller ones.
After the flight... they really do look like insects, Tao guessed.
No one would explain, but the boy didn't complain. In his mind, this light show was fabulous in a way, fitting into a world where strange animals and magic existed.
Speaking of magical creatures...
"Hello. Surprising to see you out so late." Tao heard a familiar voice in his ear.
"Uhm..." the boy replied vaguely.
He stood up from the rock and walked a little further away from his father and sister so that he could speak unhindered.
"I'm not going to practice now; I'm watching the night lights," Tao explained.
"What is it?"
"You don’t, see? In the south above the forest."
"Not like humans, no."
Tao tried to explain quietly and quickly about the flying lights above the treetops.
"You want to watch the insects fly." Eleya wanted to make sure she understood correctly.
"Aha."
"Why?"
"It's... pretty?"
Eleya said nothing more, but Tao thought he sensed from her not only a lack of understanding but also a kind of tacit disapproval. Perhaps he was just imagining it.
Around each of the larger lights were several smaller ones in different shades, but somehow the colors were not random, but rather compatible and complementary. One by one, groups of lights began to rise higher into the sky and fly in different directions away from the forest.
"So... you don't want to practice now?" The forest spirit questioned.
"No, I'll show you next time what I learned," Tao promised.
"Funny how those with the least time often act as if it's endless... But I can be patient. Rest tonight."
"Thank you." The boy replied curtly.
Eleya's appearance had spoiled the mood a little, all the more so as gradually most of the lights had gone. True enough, one group headed for the mountains to the north and flew almost over the heads of the spectators, also the Tao family. The boy could hear a sort of tiny flapping of wings, but could only see the multi-colored lights with his eyes.
"How many!" Safia cried excitedly, reaching towards the sky with her little hands as if hoping to snatch the passing lights.
As they passed by, the surroundings grew darker. For a while, the eyes could still follow the lights in the distance, but soon they were too far away.
"No more?" Safia seemed sad.
"The night lights will return next year. Then we will be able to see them again." Indres promised, patting his daughter's head.
"Next year? When will that be?" The girl still didn't quite understand this unit of time.
While her father tried to explain, Tao thought how little he really knew about the world he lived in. Apart from abstract things like politics and history, he hadn't even known about the night lights next to his village.
This world offers more than magic and monsters. I shouldn't forget it, the boy told himself.
***