The next month went by in a blur for both Levi and Paige.

Levi was sparring every day, and in the evenings, he meditated.

His meditation was seeing a lot of progress. He'd realized at a certain point that the third, mysterious energy was something like his own essence. It fed everything, from his mana and stamina to even his body's strength and health.

He theorized that the way it seemed to flow into the center and then back out at a higher quality was part of the spiritual symbiote's process. It seemed to just disappear and reappear. It had to be moving into another dimension. One where the symbiote lived, Levi guessed.

He tried to help this process by pushing more to the core, but it wasn't easy.

After days of working with the essence, Levi realized he could make his core itself move. It could not actually move from its location at the center, but he could rotate it. As he willed his core to spin, he realized something. Almost working like the reverse of physical reality, as the core spun faster, the essence being pulled into the core began tightening around it, quickly becoming part of the core itself. The essence that was being released from the center, from whatever extra-dimensional space was there, rapidly formed into orbiting rings.

From those rings, the 'webbing' stamina trails and 'lace-like' mana trails spread out. It was the essence that powered them. As the rings of essence tightened, the trails of mana and stamina seemed to become more substantial.

Levi wondered what that would look like when he was affected by Parched Soul. He also wondered what would happen when the lower quality essence had all been refined through the center. He suspected the essence of the rings would collapse inward somehow and become the new core.

Overall, this meditation landscape looked like some surrealist interpretation of the cosmos. Levi knew it was his own mind conceptualizing everything rather than a true reflection of reality, but it still looked insane. It was beautiful but...insane.

After that discovery, he found that his stamina and mana seemed to be more effective and responsive after meditation. And the core would remain spinning for quite a while afterward. As long as he meditated every day, it never stopped.

Over the course of a week, he realized that the core was retaining more and more speed, and he could probably neglect meditation for days without worrying about it slowing.

He'd also experimented with applying the essence in the ways he used his stamina and mana. He found it was extremely difficult and required the application of willpower and infusing it with intent. But, it worked. And, it actually felt more potent. It just wasn't nearly easy enough to attempt in combat. It was something he planned on working on, though.

The spars had gotten intense. Most people had adapted to the brutality of all-out spars, and with healers and healing potions on stand-by, the only time they'd felt like they'd had anything they considered a close call was when Iara had cleaved almost completely through Craig's torso, from collarbone to hip.

Everyone had been a little shaken up, even Craig, but it turned out fine. It seemed there wasn't really anything healing spells and potions couldn't handle. They'd all probably gotten a little too comfortable with severed limbs. Removing someone's legs or arms had begun to be considered standard tactics, with discussions of techniques often exploring ways to do just that.

Cutting off someone's head was still considered off-limits, and no one wanted to be the volunteer to test it.

They'd also started some team sparring sessions. Maddy's team had become the one to fear. With her crowd control spell and the ranged attacks of her and the archer on their team, everyone had to learn some new tricks to counter them. Joe had taken to using a shield.

Levi had started using mana to create barriers. It wasn't much harder to learn than pushing mana into his mind or using it as a protective coating over his body. It was a little tricky to figure out that he had to shape the mana with will and intent, but it was still much more responsive than his essence, as if it naturally sought to find an intent to bend to.

He'd applied the barriers in two ways. One was as a shield for bigger attacks. The other was as stepping stones when Maddy turned the ground to mud, so he could remain mobile.

He'd also expanded on his mana coating. He'd found that mana was only expended when it was used to absorb damage, and what remained could be reabsorbed without loss. He'd started coating his entire body in a protective mana layer through the duration of fights.

He'd eventually gotten skills related to each of his mana related techniques, making them easier to use and more efficient.

Levi had also started training with his dagger, both in melee and as a throwing weapon. The easy skills he'd gotten for that had helped keep Parched Soul reset.

His fighting methods had shifted into a highly defensive dodge tank type style. His ability to quickly dodge or deflect attacks, his improved stamina allowing him to outlast other fighters, and his ability to use a mana shield for bigger attacks had all put him at an advantage fighting defensively and wearing out his opponents.

Even Joe tried to end fights with Levi as quickly as possible or face an inevitable loss. And they were pretty close to an even match at that point, with Joe never getting an easy win and losing about as much as he won.

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Overall, he'd only had to suffer the debuff a few days over the course of the month.

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Paige had lost track of the days after a while. Momma-cat had taught her how to hunt a large variety of animals. Paige was personally not a fan of the smaller rodents, and rabbit and squirrel were her favorites. Nutria rat was a close third.

She was definitely going to need to ask for some form of dewormer when she finally made it back to Grace.

Thinking about Grace made her think of Levi. No matter how long had passed, her crush lingered. She felt like it was a lost cause, but she planned on talking to him and trying to build a friendship when she got back. Time had given her a little perspective on it.

Hearing movement, she refocused. She was lying on a limb lounging. But, as always, she was on the hunt. Waiting.

She hardly had to use Share Trait to use Mama-cat's senses. Over the time she'd been with Mama-cat, she'd gotten her own skills for hightened senses of smell and hearing. She primarily only used Cat Claws and Cat-like Reflexes at that point.

She'd also gained her first physical manifestation. Cat eyes. She was pretty damned happy about that. She was excited when she finally got to see herself in a proper mirror instead of looking at her reflection on the surface of water.

But more importantly, the physical manifestation had the function as well as the form. She'd luckily retained her color vision, but in low light conditions like she was currently in, she lost a lot of her ability to see color.

'Still,' she thought as she watched the whitetail buck slowly make his way into her sight, 'great trade.' Even in the near dark of the forest just after the sun had set, she could count the tines on his antlers.

She shifted her body, preparing to fall on the buck as he grew near. Below her was his scrape. Paige had watched a doe piss in it the evening before. It was still early in rutting season, but he'd be way too worried about chasing a doe to notice her above.

Not that it would have mattered. Her Sneaking had reached Advanced. She sometimes wondered why it was called Sneaking and not Stealth, but assumed it was probably because she hadn't actually tried to camouflage her appearance in any way. She was literally just sneaking.

Paige continued to readjust her position as the buck approached.

When he was finally in position, Paige lept. It was more of a deliberate, silent fall than a pounce. She'd learned that some animals could react to the sound of her movement before she even reached the ground.

As she fell, she drew back her paw--er, hand--and as she landed, she struck. Slapping the buck directly on his rump and sending him off terrified. The lesson hadn't required she kill the buck, after all. She just had to show she could if she'd wanted to do so.

She grinned after the buck as he sprinted and lept through the forest.

"Very well done, daughter," she heard Mama-cat say from above. "I believe we could track him down by just following his droppings."

Paige laughed. "Was that a joke? That's the first time you've ever told a joke."

The bobcat made her way down the tree, leaping from branch to branch. "Yes, well, I have been experimenting with your other traits. I have to say, humor has been unexpectedly pleasant."

"Well, I'm glad you at least found something about my human qualities you think isn't entirely useless."

"Well, if it comes from you, I suppose it can't be entirely useless." Mama-cat gave her an unflinching stare for a moment, then she looked down and away. Paige knew something was wrong. Mama-cat's gaze never flinched away. Ever.

"Mama-cat, what's wrong?" Paige asked, throat tight.

"Nothing at all. Everything is perfect. You are perfect. Now follow me."

Paige followed as she was told. Mama-cat said nothing as she made her way through the woods. Paige noticed her saunter was slower than usual. Paige's chest tightened. She knew something was wrong. She sniffed the air. She smelled something different about Mama-cat. It smelled like fear, but not quite. Paige's heart thumped in her chest.

After a while, the woods opened into a clearing. No, a large pond. Mama-cat jumped up onto the fallen log at the bank and stared over the pond. Moonlight rippled on the surface.

"Sit," Mama-cat demanded.

Paige wordlessly did as she was told, though her heart felt like it was folding in on itself.

After a long silence, Paige finally spoke. "What's going on, Mama-cat?"

Mama-cat didn't answer immediately, but after another stretch of silence, she finally answered. "Do you know why I decided to raise...to teach you?" Mama-cat asked.

"N-no." Paige's voice felt small. She wanted to scream and make Mama-cat tell her what was wrong. But her fears already crept in, tight around her throat.

"When I was younger, I had a litter of kittens. I remember how the feeling, the urge, to protect and nuture took me. I was excited about their future. But, one was born still and unmoving. The other, I...had give him a merciful end.

After that, I mated many times. I never again had kittens. I always wondered what it would have been like to raise them into something I was proud came from me.

You gave me that. It has been the greatest gift. Far more than your humor or the colors. Greater than any shared power."

Mama-cat finally turned her gaze to Paige. "I still think your concept of friendship is stupid and pointless. I will never know what it means to have a friend. But I do know what it is like to have a daughter I am proud of. Thank you for that."

"Thank you, Mama-cat," was all Paige could manage. She felt the tears and tried to keep them from spilling out.

"It is time for you to go, now. It is the way of life. It is the way of my kind. You know our nature," Mama-cat continued. "Do you recognize this place?"

Paige looked over the water. "Yes. It was where I was swimming when you approached me. It's where you agreed to teach me." Paige felt the tears pouring down her face, now. She kept her voice level.

She knew what she'd smelled on Mama-cat, now. Grief. This was the end of their time together. It was something she knew would happen. But it still... sucked. It hurt.

"Yes. This is the place." Mama-cat stared over the water for a moment. "You have to go back to your kind, now. But before that, can you do me one last kindness?"

"A-anything, Mama-cat." Paige tried to keep the sobs out of her voice.

"Will you go swim and let me watch you for a while. I want to remember and celebrate the moment I decided to make you my daughter."

As Paige swam out, she couldn't help but continue glancing to the shore. Every time she looked, Mama-cat was there, watching with her unblinking gaze.

And then, inevitably, Paige looked back to the shore and Mama-cat was gone.