Akathos P.O.V.
“I hope going through the ward wasn’t too uncomfortable. Physical reactions are normal for the non-awakened.” I said trying to sound as welcoming as possible to the sitting Ikrei.
“It is tolerable.” He replied.
I could tell he was keenly looking at me. This is the normal reaction upon meeting an elder than doesn’t look like a wrinkly man. People think that we all are a bunch of old fogeys.
“You expected an old looking man, Ikrei?”
“Yes to be honest, I’ve heard that some of you guys are centuries old.” He clearly was a little thorny to voice that out loud.
“There are conditions to everything but in general we are old, very old. Nevertheless, the sooner you attain your cores, the more of your youth you can preserve. In my case, I look like a thirty-year-old to you.”
“I see.” The kid wasn’t being too forthcoming with his answers.
“The ward you passed through allows us to have a completely private conversation and also serves as a spatial magic device, it creates a magical area. Which in this case, is this study room, more space than physically available. All very convenient when managing resources. Within this sealed space no prying ears and eyes can enter without my knowledge. You can never be too careful with the matters we will discuss.” I said reassuringly.
“Eternal life, reverse aging?” Ikrei asked.
A poignant question. I’m glad some of his perceptiveness remains.
“No, just extremely long lifespans. We are bound to the Will of wills; the Will binding prevents it. We already have our peculiar reincarnation cycles; we can always try again in our next lives if we are steadfast.”
“That can bring its own complications, am I right?” Ikrei questioned.
“Yes it can.” I gave him an approving look.
“I thought freedom was the ultimate maxim of the Will?” Ikrei was looking expectantly for a clue.
“Freedom to be the best version of ourselves not to undo all the restrictions upon life in this world. Superseding your creator is far from easy, not that it would stop others from trying. It is in human nature to always want more. The discussion would be endless if we keep at it. For now, please place your hand on the orb artifact, Ikrei.”
A crystalline floating orb materialized in front of Ikrei, He was apprehensive to say the least. Seeing a Will infused soul artifact for the first time hovering in front of you would scare anyone. Specially, if you didn’t know what it was.
“This space is entirely controlled by me Ikrei. This orb is a very unique creation, solely birthed to aid the Andurin. Please trust me, go ahead.”
With eyes full of reservations, he placed his hand on the orb. I extended my hand and touched the sagecraft with my index finger.
“ANAM KALIN DES GLAOH!”
The warded space was filled with pure white light. For an instant our souls interconnected. That was all I needed, I started laughing with glee. In the space of ten breaths the room had regained its previous state. I waved my hand and the orb disappeared from sight.
“Hello junior, welcome back.”
It took a few moments for my disciple to reacclimatize from the jolt.
“What happened?” Ikrei asked.
“I’ve confirmed that you are you. I know you have countless questions but please indulge me this time. Tell me everything about yourself, we got several hours before midnight.” He was clearly unsatisfied but still nodded at my words.
He began narrating his life since he had a comprehensive memory of it, that is, he was about five years old since he began learning how to hunt. He didn’t remember moving from the central continent to the western continent. He didn’t understand why would anyone would go live in the Malgrunian kingdom. I explained to him that we were reallocating resources to execute a long term strategy and his parents volunteered.
Some Kotari are willing to sacrifice one life for a better start in the next one, the typical leg up. This was the case with his parents, they died for the cause, we will not forget them. I ‘ll make sure of it.
He kept telling me about his early years, how his parents would disappear for days on end sometimes. How he was taught how to hunt and how to keep his Andurian lineage a secret. How he grew up with very few friends if any until an almond shaped eyes boy stopped by their house to sell some wofer rabbits. It was endearing to hear how his life gained some color thanks to this new found friend.
“How can an Andurin operative go undetected for years on enemy territory? A normal person as a spy I understand, but you get where I am going with this, right?” Ikrei interrupted his storytelling to question me.
“It’s complicated but to put it succinctly there are three types of awakened: the ones that are blessed by the gods, the ones that are naturally sensitive to mana and the ones that can choose what type of awakening to have. This third type can be both, blessed by the gods and mana sensitive. Following me so far?” I asked Ikrei.
“Yes, I think so.” He sounded a little unsure.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“There are processes to seal the awakened energy of either kind. You can seal mana or seal the connection with the gods. It is far more complex than this but in principle your parents sealed their connection with the Will and appeared as awakened hunters thanks to their mana affinity. Again, it is much more than this but you will learn this later through your classes.” I answered.
“Classes? I’ll be attending a school?” He was surprised.
“You are not the only one under special conditions here. We need to accommodate them as well. I’ll explain later tonight at the gathering. Now tell me about your knowledge of the arts and your failed awakening, be specific, every detail matters.” I urged him.
“Hey wait! My parents were mana sensitive? Does this mean I can be a Magi?”
“It depends on your affinity levels but yes you could cast spells in the future, we will see.”
“Fire, fire!” Ikrei was playing around making shooting sounds as his palms moved.
He still is a teen at heart since his previous life memories are non-existent right now. I smiled.
I looked him in the eyes and he resumed his recounting of the events.
Ikrei went over the training he endured under his father up until he was twelve when his parents disappeared. He was taught the basic ten forms of the Reika, he added that Krigsain was teaching him modified versions of the permutations available. Then he detailed the meditation exercises he had practiced, many were tailor made by his mother and father, very unorthodox when compared to the standard Andurian practice.
“This is what happens with all the freedom the members have. The capriciousness of the Will.”
I felt a slight headache when I said that. I should watch my words more carefully.
The boy continued detailing a couple of joint meditation formations he had picked up by watching his parents and how to make diluted and mana tear based concoctions. His parents were definitively from the central plains, some of these practices have been abandoned in Kotar.
“I’ll have to visit there personally to see how the Andurin are managing things over there, a matter for another time.”
The tale got to the part I was most interested in, the awakening. I interjected and questioned here and there just to be clear of the situation. He proceeded to relate how Freslia had found him and the days they traveled through the beast forest. The pummeling he had taken was making him a very resentful person, he clearly stated. Finally, he went over the time of rescue by the princess and the brutal training regime on the Zurian ship.
“This Teng guy, your friend. He sounds very interesting Ikrei.” I congratulated him.
“Having one true brother is something to be happy about.” He smiled in return.
“Tell me, what is your father’s name my boy?”
He looked confused, like someone had hit him with a rock.
“I can’t. I can’t remember!” He was visibly shaken.
“You seem to have lost some memories when communing with the Will. Take your shirt off and turn around, I am going to check something. Everything will be fine.”
I took out my acupuncture needle set from my temporal space ring. When Ikrei saw the needles, he intuitively understood. I proceeded to place the needles on his back and readied myself for an energy transfer.
“Inhale, exhale, meditate as you have been taught, follow the flow of energy.” I ordered.
After several minutes of guiding him through the meditation I had a clearer view of the crux. Rearranging everything, we sat back to talk some more.
“You have what is referred to as ethereal dissonance. Your energies and your body are severely out of balance. To not complicate matters, think of it as a living entity within your awakened energy that is trying to kill you.”
Ikrei looked like he needed a more precise explanation urgently.
“Think of a clogged pipe. The flow of water is disrupted by mud that’s coming from another connection and preventing the water from flowing freely. Eventually, if the pipe is clogged fully, the pipe will break.”
“You are telling me I am dying, right? Right?! How long do I have?” He inquired seriously.
“A little over a year at this rate, I believe.” I told him honestly.
“Why is this happening to me? Was it the orgon, the cave?” He looked furious and restless.
“I’m not completely certain but I’ll tell you this, you were my Kotari, my direct disciple. We deal in things others dare not attempt. The fact that you are here with me is already a great benevolence of the Will. A standard awakening is out of the question. You need to awaken by other means, we will have to force it if you want to live.”
“Can you speak plainly and tell me straight up. I want to know.” He had anticipation in his eyes.
“There are more things at play than what I can tell you. The world is a cosmic game and there are rules we are not privy to. We are away from prying eyes here but not entirely from the power of the gods. You don’t want to invite that kind of trouble.”
“You are not going to explain further are you?” He angrily worded.
“For now, I won’t. When you awaken I will.” I nodded.
“Fine, at least explain why I am getting such a beat down.”
“The standard awakening means detaching yourself from all desires, feelings, needs and the like. To need nothing, to want for nothing, only you and existence, this allows you to connect to the origin, in our case, the Will.”
“Remember the searing pain when you tried to awaken? The fact that you don’t remember your father’s name?” I pressed again.
He nodded in agreement.
“That’s the interference. And don’t you dare mention it at any point, keep your mouth shut! The moment you speak of it; you will be in trouble. If you want to deal with it, you are going to withstand such interference and push through. Starting this very moment, you are not to speak about your ethereal dissonance with anyone but me inside this place. Once you awaken, the presence of the Will, will allow you to eliminate the interference.”
Ikrei wanted to say something, he opened and closed his mouth reflexively.
“The essence of your connection to the energies of the world, be it mana, the gods or whatever are your thoughts and feelings, they create energy. They exist in your soul, outside of your body, the body is just a vessel. Therefore, we are going to strain those feelings and thoughts to the extreme. Only then can you overcome your awakening.”
“Haven’t you been resentful of the Claimere? Isn’t she someone fearsome? Good! We will push you even further from now on. Love, peace, hate, fear, regret, desire and the Will. This is the core of true mastery. You will train to master your emotions alongside your Kotari arts. As they say, mind over matter and soul over flesh.” I spoke with conclusiveness.
With a wave of my hand the ward opened again, the oval shaped entry point shined and vibrated. Darin walked through the magical rift.
“Take your brother here and help him eat and rest. We will gather at midnight as prepared. And Ikrei, until you can bear the consequences, tell no one who you are or that I am your master. We will make arrangements around this inconvenience.” I looked sternly at Darin.
“By your order, Lord Akathos.” Darin saluted and motioned for Ikrei to depart.
“It’s good that we found you.” I told Ikrei as he nodded again before leaving.
The ward closed and a thin adjacent door to the study unlocked.
“You heard everything. Do what needs to be done. I’ll be overseeing.”
“Congratulations on your new appointment, Lord Akathos.” A properly attired Freslia waved to retire.
“You lost against five Zigurs? Even if there were ten you should have dealt with them. Your claws need considerable sharpening. From tomorrow on, we train in the third underground circle starting at midnight.”
Her eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.
“This is not a settling of accounts Lord?” She queried in a worried tone.
“Of course not. Like master, like disciple. No disciple is above the master and the master is to do as it is demanded of the disciple, I have always liked that Zurian proverb. Let us all strive together.”
I couldn’t help but smile.