Noki gripped the tree with all his might as he dangled from a branch twenty-feet in the air. He wasn’t much of a climber, which is why if it were up to him he would be anywhere but here, but had the unfortunate luck to run into Mion and his lackeys.
“I told you I could toss him,” Mion said to the two boys, “ that means you owe me five talons each.” The two boys reached into their side pouches and each pulled out five triangular prisms.
“You don’t even need them,” a boy said
“True,” Mion replied, “ but you need to learn to never try your betters.” As Minion laughed and his friends chided him, Noki’s grip became more tenuous. Mion looked up at the dangling boy, “Just let go, that height isn’t tall enough to kill you.”
That would have been true for the other children of the village, they’d all activated their tera a long time ago, but Noki wasn’t like them; his body would break against the root of the tree, especially one so close to the Red Forest. Noki tried to kick a leg up onto the branch, but the slight movement caused his right hand to slip and leave him holding on with one arm.
“This is it then,” he thought to himself before looking towards the horizon. His village, Watercliff, was a top massive plateau that overlooked the Red Forest. From his vantage point, he could see all the way to Queen’s Embrace, the heart of the Queendom. With his strength finally depleted, Noki closed his eyes as he fell towards the ground.
“Noki!”
His eyes opened when he heard the familiar voice say his name. Sure enough, it was Baira and she was already streaking through the air to meet him. Her white robes covered Noki’s view, but when the wind stopped whipping around his head, he knew he was back on the ground. Baira lowered Noki to the ground and looked him over.
“Are you ok? Did you break anything? If you did, I can probably fix it.” Baira grabbed Noki’s sleeve and pulled it up his arm,exposing his dark skin. She then moved his unkempt, black hair away from his forehead. “Nothing out of the ordinary, just a few cuts, let me see the other arm.”
“I’m fine,” Noki said as he hurriedly pulled his arm away, “ I didn’t-”
“Hold that thought.” Baira turned around and faced Mion. “So you ditched lessons today, just so you could pick on Noki? How unbecoming of the Head Chief’s son, you could have killed him!”
“Who would care? He’s a drain of the village’s resources,” Mion said. “If it wasn’t for his father, he would have been left in the Red Forest.”
Baira’s white robe started to flutter yet there was no wind. “That’s too far, Mion. Dishonoring a Delver is like dishonoring the queen herself.”
The red leaves around Mion’s black tabis slowly lifted from the ground and swirled around him. “The real dishonor was having a son like that. 15 years and his tera isn’t even strong enough to sense. He’s lucky his father is dead, otherwise he’d have killed himself if he had to see his legacy being tarnished like that.”
Noki saw red. He got off the ground and darted towards Mion, heedless of Baira’s protest. Mion stood rooted to ground, not even trying to protect himself. Why would he? Unlike Noki, Mion had tera, the energy of life, flowing through him and had already refined his body to Stone Soul. When Noki’s fist collided into Mion’s body, crimson sprayed as the sound of bones breaking rang through the air.
“Noki!” Baira moved to her friend in both shock and horror. Two of his bones had ripped through the back of his hand, yet Noki didn’t even seem to mind. No, his eyes were focused on Mion and his arm was still pressing against his chest. “Noki, stop. You’re going to make your injury worse.”
“Oh it’s too late for that,” Mion said as he looked down at Noki, “he just struck the son of the Head Chief, you all saw that right?” He turned to his friends and they shared their agreement. “Well, then I seek compensation for the injury I suffered.”
“That’s enough, don’t-”
Mion slowly tapped Noki’s arm with the back of his fist, shattering it as if it were glass. Pain raced through Noki’s body and tears threatened to pour from his face, but he would not let out a single hint of pain; not in front of Mion.
“Oh so you think you can take hits from me? I wasn’t even trying just now.” Mion pulled his arm back, preparing to strike with the full power of his Stone Soul. More leaves rose from the ground and even his lackeys started to protest.
“Mion, you’re using too much tera, the other villagers will sense you,” warned one of the boys.
Mion lowered his fist and opted to kick Noki into the tree, causing the red leaves to fall over his body. “Next time, I’ll be sure to make you scream,” Minon said before turning to walk towards the village. His two friends said nothing and followed behind him, leaving a panicked Baira and a deathly quiet Noki to themselves.
Baira immediately went to Noki and placed her hands on his chest. She had also acquired a Stone Soul Body, as all students in Watercliff do, and learned how to use tera to heal wounds. Baira forced her tera from her body and into Noki’s, accelerating his healing to supernatural levels. The cracks in his chest started to disappear, along with any internal injuries he may have suffered. Once she confirmed his breathing, Baira moved to work on his arm and hand. The arm took more tera since she had to not only heal the injury but also remove Mion’s own tera from the injury; foreign tera can cause serious injury if not taken care of.
“Are you an idiot, Noki? Striking a Stone Soul Body without any tera of your own? You’re lucky to be breathing at all!” Baira was always bewildered by the sort of luck Noki possessed; sure he wasn’t deemed worthy to teach due to his lack of tera, but he somehow always suffered far lesser injuries that should have normally been possible. She once found him still on the floor after he accidentally ingested a leaf from the sanguine lily, a poisonous plant that taints the blood; he only had a stomach ache for a few days.
“My father was a Delver,” Noki said weakly, “ that means he was strong enough to leave the village and go into The Wilds.” That was one of the few things he was told about his father by the Head Chief. When he was a child, his father had brought him to the village and left one day without any notice.
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“I’m fully aware what Delver’s are,” Baira said as she finished healing Noki, “ they’re emissaries of the Queen and act on her behalf in The Wilds, I’m the one who told you that.”
Baira stood up and extended a hand to Noki and he looked back at her. How many times had he had to look up at her warm, light brown face and grab her hand? “Well,” Noki said as he politely, yet deliberately refused the gesture, “ If I’m gonna be a Delver, then I can’t back down to anyone, even if they’re a Stone Soul or the son of the Head Chief.”
“It takes more than just guts to be a Delver.” Baira gestured for Noki to follow her back to the village after allowing him a moment to dust himself off. “All Delver have to be at least Diamond Soul to be considered and have no less than two Aspects.”
“I know that, just like I know that Delvers have to be 18 years of age.”
“Do you know why?” Baira brushed a thick, green branch out of the way and held it in place so Noki could pass through. When he was in front of her, she released the branch and it recoiled back in place, shooting its green leaves through the air. “It’s because that’s the ideal age to start Ascendant Arts.”
“Right…Ascendant Arts,” Noki said as he took a few more steps ahead of Baira. The familiar greenery and distant sound of running water meant they were approaching the village entrance. “ That’s when you start to align your tera with one of the Ascendants in order to mimic their abilities, right?”
“Oh, so you do pay attention when I tell you things.” Baira took a half step and blurred past Noki, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. The black haired girl turned to him and pointed, “ If you know so much, then what’s your plan? I hope it's not mixing these into an elixir.” She turned over her free hand to reveal a small, black pouch with strands of red grass poking from the top.
Noki instinctively reached for his side and searched his person. “When did you? Give that back.”
“Do you even know what this is?”
Noki ignored the question and tried to get the pouch back, but Baira kept his at bay with one arm. The way she could effortlessly thwart his efforts was not unlike a parent keeping an unruly child away from their favorite toy or snack. “ The tera coming from this would make for a powerful elixir, I”ll give you that,” Baira continued as Noki struggled against her iron like arm, “but this would destroy you. You understand that right? Tera like this would overrun your body and, if you’re lucky, only transform part of your body to grass.”
“I can handle it, I’ve handled worse,” Noki said, still determined to get the pouch.
“No you haven’t.” Baira gently pushed Noki away and caused him to stumble several feet backwards until he lost his balance. She then looked towards the village and cursed underneath her breath. “Sessions are starting back up. Look,” she turned back to a seated Noki, “let me make the elixir for you, I’ll have it done by midday and we can meet in the cove.”
Noki wanted to protest, but in truth he had no reason to. Baira, for reasons still unknown to him, had always tried to help Noki ascend. It was her notes from school that even allowed him to understand the fundamentals of tera, ascension and aspects. Still, not being able to do it himself pained him almost as much as his previously broken arm. “Fine, but don’t be late this time. I almost got caught by Jahn.”
Baira lazily raised her hand and made a gesture that resembled a thin crescent moon, though Noki understood it as the symbol for a current. ‘Go with the flow’ was the message intent and Noki hated that; only the weak go with the flow because they aren’t strong enough to power through it. “Oh, before I forget,” Baira said, “these are the notes from the morning session.” She tossed a tightly bound scroll with red string at him. Without saying another word, Baira blasted down the path and disappeared within moments.
Coughing and wiping away the dust from his eyes, Noki picked up the scroll and stood up. “Another one, I wonder what it says.” He prepared to open the scroll, but then thought better of it. As a Null, one devoid of or unable to use tera, he was forbidden from learning any of the tera-based disciplines. According to Baira, it was because Nulls can’t send tera to the Mind Kulda to guard against psychic intrusion; basically someone could just steal the knowledge straight from their mind. There was danger of that, Noki knew that Baira wouldn’t risk both of them being expelled from the village, but he could wait until he was home to read. He lifted his black shirt and tucked the scroll in his waistband before continuing towards the village.
Watercliff Village was a peculiar area. For starters, it had no formal entrance or signposts and was only identifiable by its two, fifty-foot tall trees that stood on either side of the natural path towards the village. Past that, there was a sharp decline that led to the village proper; an amalgamation of wood and stone dwellings that looked both natural and man-made, and copious amounts of water. Each house, no matter the size, was built on a foundation of raised stone that somehow floated in place, and yet could support the weight of dozens of homes without so much as causing a ripple in the water.
To the right of the living area was the school where Baira and everyone else went. Noki tried to learn the name of it, but since he couldn’t go there he just decided to call it the Fight House. The Fight House was on its own separate piece of stone but could be a village unto itself. The only thing Noki could see of it were its wooden walls that stood thirty feet high, and the series of stone steps that lead up to it. Sometimes when he was leaving the village, he would see students limping out of its gates and wonder just what kind of training could harm a Stone Soul Body.
Noki made his way down to the village proper and, as usual, was ignored by everyone. He would often have to move out of someone’s way or risk getting injured, but today seemed different. The residents of Watercliff always moved fast, but today it seemed as if they were moving with a purpose. “Oh, that’s right, the Divination Ceremony is this week,” Noki thought to himself. He also thought about what kind of aspect Baira would have, but a boy moving at faster than normal speed nearly crashed into him, shaking him out of his thoughts.
“Stupid Null, watch where you’re going,” the boy said.
Noki stifled his anger and bowed at the boy. He was at best, 9 years old, but he would most likely possess an Earthen Soul, the first level of Physical Ascension. He would be able to fight with the strength of an adult at minimum and, judging by his child size white robes, was headed to the afternoon sessions at the Fight House. “ My apologies, you just moved so quickly that my eyes couldn’t keep up.” Noki made sure to keep his face pointed towards the ground so that the child wouldn’t notice the change in his expression. “ I do hope my carelessness didn’t hinder you in any way.”
The boy scoffed and ran away, but not before muttering ‘pathetic’ underneath his breath. Noki inhaled sharply through his nose, straightened himself out, and walked as fast as his enraged body could take him. He made his way past a crowd of more children, who thankfully granted him a wide berth, and to the edge of the village. A massive waterfall spilled out into a crystal blue lake that seemed endless in its depth. The namesake of Watercliff Village, the Ceaseless Waterfall is said to be a remnant of the Celestial Age. Its neverending waters eroded the stone top of the plateau, creating a massive lakebed where Watercliff was founded. All of this majesty was ignored by Noki however, who decided to swim to the middle of the lake and dive down to the cove.
Noki had discovered this location during one of his tasks for the village. He was an incredible swimmer and so it was ordered that he would dive into the lake and chart the underwater tunnels. Watercliff had a series of tunnels underneath the foundation that often held minerals that were useful for crafting weapons and even elixirs. He dove down to a depth of twenty feet, turned right, and swam another twenty before surfacing at the end of a tunnel. Noki pulled himself out of the water and immediately started to feel his way through the darkened cavern. The wall was wet to the touch, but after a few moments of fumbling around, he found what he was looking for. “As always, thanks Baira,” he said to himself as he removed a loose section of the wall and grabbed a stick. He broke the stick in half and an orb of white light emerged from the center.
Nulls cannot use any tera of their own, but it doesn’t mean they can’t interact with it. Baira had created an elixir that used spirit bulbs as a basis and combined her own tera with it. Upon breaking, the tera reacts with the elixir and reforms into a spirit bulb. With her current level of tera, it would last for the next two hours. Without wasting any time, Noki took out the scroll and began reading.