Named Chapter # 4
1
John could smell the cinnamon from his mom’s breakfast long before he stepped into the kitchen where she stood by the sink, staring silently out the window. The bowl of food in question sat forgotten and unappreciated next to the sink. Its presence was just an obligatory nod toward the ritual that was breakfast.
He could see the dark rings around her eyes even though she faced almost entirely away from him. John knew before she spoke the reason for her discontent. The subject was coming up more and more often. Despite his reluctance, he let his mother speak her piece.
“It’s been almost a month. I don’t want to give up hope, but it’s starting to seem like…”
John was at his mom’s side before she could finish the thought. He pulled her into a hug. She wanted to stay strong in the faces of her kids, but John could feel her trembling under his touch.
“I’ll find him. I haven’t given up. I didn’t want to raise any questions before gaining some prestige. But I’m getting stronger every day. Soon I can investigate without fear of jumping off the deep end.”
He didn’t know what else to say to her. He knew no words would ease the loss and pain she was feeling. John felt it too, but the ache was dulled. It was like his drive to progress himself had placed a numbing ointment over the wound that was his father’s unknown fate.
“It’s not a matter of finding him John. I know your father is more capable than most. If he’s alive, he will eventually come back. My worry, and the thought that keeps me up at night, is-”
“Is me,” John finished for her.
She looked into his eyes, her own filled to the brim with tears. He knew he was right. And he knew his mother had good reason to worry.
But what could he do? The situation was impossible. Either he went to the garden, or she did. Since his mom spent her life as a middle school teacher, her adaptability in a dangerous situation was naturally lower than average.
“I will come home. I promise you. No risks, no surprises. This is how it has to be.”
He left his mother standing there, quivering with suppressed emotion. The ache in his chest at causing his mother such distress threatened to debilitate John. His fists clenched so tightly that they ached as he passed the many Kumani on his way to the transition station.
It was a good thing that both his parents had taught him self control. Otherwise, he would have found the nearest sharp object and attempted to force it as uncomfortably as possible into the alien manning the transition pad. He was sure he would quickly die, but the urge almost convinced him it was worth it as he thought of the state his mother was undoubtedly in back home.
With eyes cast down, John moved through the line. He shook in fury the whole time. When it was his turn to step onto the pad, he had to force his gaze to remain fixed on his feet, lest his restraint crumble.
2
John went straight to the transition station for Lunar Radiance. As he was approaching the pad though, something strange happened. The pad denied his access.
John furrowed his brow and looked to the pedestal. It started to blink. Before John could wonder what was happening, the whole pad flashed, and Jules stood there.
The man looked haggard. He had scruffy facial hair, and his eyes had bags under them, like he hadn’t slept in days. John looked at him in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” John asked.
“I just finished. Took me five days. But I finally passed the trial. Look,” Jules pulled a small, rolled parchment from his pocket.
The edges were lined in gold trim. The scroll appeared more decorative than practical. When he took it though, John’s eyes widened in surprise.
It wasn’t just some rolled up words. It was a detailed method to learn something called Grass Dance. From the depictions, John could tell it was an enhanced level body cultivation focused on the feet. It was meant to outlast an opponent through evasion.
“I’m impressed. Have you been in there testing for all this time?”
“I had to finish it. Thank you for showing me this place. I’ll bring more genes here when you have them. There is so much to learn. Have you finished your trial yet?”
“Mine is advanced. It’s proving more difficult than I would have guessed. But I’m making progress.”
“It must be really tough if a guy like you is having trouble.”
“What do you know about me?” John asked with a smile.
“I know you’re more talented than me.”
“So, what’s with the scroll? I thought passing the trial meant you learned the skill?”
“Sadly not. It just means you’ve earned the right to learn the skill. Should have guessed since the sign says, “Cultivation Scrolls”. But I don’t see any reason why someone else couldn’t study the scroll and learn it too…”
“Is that a proposition I’m sensing?”
“I’ll let you study mine if you let me look at yours when you get it.”
“No way. Lunar Radiance is much more valuable than Grass Dance.”
“Okay… well then I’ll trade it for an advanced gene.”
“How is that any different?” John laughed.
“Because by the time you finish your trial, an advanced gene should be as easy as passing the trial of Grass Dance.”
“You have a very strange mind Jules. I will think about it. But you should consider that after learning Grass Dance, you might be better equipped to fight more evolved creatures yourself. You should never rely on others to gain strength.”
“I will consider that. I have to go now. I probably have a dozen letters to read. Your gene scheme is starting to gain some traction. I’ll send you the details when I have them sorted out.”
“Sounds good.”
John nodded a farewell to Jules before turning to the transport pad. His trial materialized around him in seconds. John knew the secret now, but he was still determined to try the test without the lunar boost he would receive after hours.
Previous attempts made the first two obstacles child’s play. John paled at the third obstacle, but he still decided to give it a try. He tried to feel the energy of Lunar Radiance in his legs.
There was a cold chill in every breath that he took. For the first time, John tried to consciously feel the energy moving from his core to his legs. Slowly, he felt the tingle move to his feet.
John knew he was probably imagining the results, but he couldn’t help feeling some confidence in what he was about to attempt. As he ran toward the wall, he could feel himself grip it unnaturally. His grip only lasted for the first two steps though, and as his third step slipped down the wall, he made a clumsy jump over the gap.
John just barely reached the bar at the base of the platform. He worked his fingers for everything they were worth to wrap around the bar. His right hand slipped off, but his left hand held tight.
John took a triumphant breath as he dangled from the bar. Then he repositioned his right hand on it with a swinging motion. From there it was a simple process to climb to the top.
As successful as that maneuver had been, John knew he could never pass the next obstacle without allowing the lunar energy to amass within him. So, he sat down and focused on his breathing.
Like before, John focused on feeling the energy enter his legs and arms. He imagined the chilled air bursting from those places like it was overflowing. After ten minutes, he decided to give it a try.
3
John backed to the edge of the platform and focused on his legs. Then he sprinted at the wall run and pushed off it perfectly with every step. He successfully leapt to the second wall, but he could feel the energy he had absorbed quickly running out.
John was able to place two feet on the wall, but he was forced to jump immediately lest he lose his height and momentum. The result was that he fell short of the bar he was reaching for by about three feet.
As John was returned to the start, he sighed in resignation. He would have to wait for the effects of Lunar Radiance to fill him. That wasn’t the worst outcome. He could use the time to study the course.
Indeed, by the time John felt the energy suffusing his whole body, he had a decent understanding of the course. More than just passing the obstacles, the trial was meant to teach him exactly how and where to channel the energy his soul was soaking in. It was becoming apparent that he would need fluency in all his limbs to pass some of the obstacles.
His inspection served him well. He was able to make it back to the wall run that was followed by the hanging bar in just two attempts. That was the obstacle he had thought most about in the last two days.
He had spent hours mindlessly walking though the wilderness looking for sport. In that time, he had worked through the obstacle a thousand times or more. He had a very good idea of how to conquer it.
His execution was flawless. John ran at the wall, already reaching with his arms as he neared its edge. A stout thrust from the wall took him just far enough to grasp the bar with both hands. This was the part he knew would be most difficult to pull off.
If he hung to the bar and swung back and forth before attempting to continue, all his momentum would be gone. That was the result of his mental analysis. There was only one way he could do it.
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John grabbed the bar as loosely as he could without letting go. He let his body swing forward, adding his weight to the swing the best he could. Then, just before the apex of his swing, John thrust himself from the bar.
He sailed through the air like a javelin, feet first. John was just barely able to curl his legs to his chest as he flew. At the same time, he leaned forward to correct his course.
A single arm stretched out to grab the bar. He knew he’d never make it if he tried with both arms. He needed to reach further than his equilibrium.
With a loud protestation, the bar rang out upon his contact. His desperate fingers wrapped the cylinder like a drowning man reaching for a life raft. His weight settled under him with finality.
John panted for a few seconds before wailing his success to the false sky. Never before had he been so happy to hang. With slow, sure movements, John climbed to the island.
Despite his success, John felt a twinge of sorrow upon seeing his next challenge. The course seemed determined to break his spirit. Without even considering trying it, John sat down to study what he was up against.
The course had been steadily increasing in difficulty, but this was ridiculous. The next challenge was a wall run followed by a swinging bar followed by another wall run. John laughed bitterly as he beheld it.
Having barely passed the last challenge, John was less than confident when facing this one. It would be extremely difficult to focus first on his feet, then his hands, then his feet again. He supposed part of the reason for the course was to force him to be precise.
The silver lining was that so long as John could reach the second wall run, he could probably succeed. There was no second jump. The wall connected to the platform he was trying to reach.
That gave John confidence. He could do that. Wasn’t he already defying gravity? The course seemed to be steadily increasing the amazing shit he would need to learn.
Provided that John could actually pass the test, he would learn to use all of this in a practical setting. The thought made him giddy with anticipation. That was enough to try his next challenge.
To his surprise, the obstacle proved just as he had thought. He was able to place a foot on the second wall run, but lost much of his momentum. Despite that, he was able to slide diagonally along most of it before grabbing the ever-present bar at the edge of the island on his way down.
John spent most of the day studying and then conquering the course. His method of dissecting his next challenge based on the previous challenges seemed to be working. Over the hours, he passed dozens of obstacles.
He stood before the final obstacle, out of breath and ready to collapse. He had come so far, the shining moon was almost within his reach. It hung low in the sky, just above the final platform.
If he could just make it there, John would have the ability to pass every obstacle in the course. That meant he would be ready to attempt the sunny side and claim Lunar Radiance. It was easier said than done though.
As the course went on, John had been unsurprised to see the challenges becoming more and more difficult. There were fake walls, falling bars, walls he had to go over, walls he had to swing under, spiked footholds, inverted pieces of the course that he needed to push off of in order for his reduced weight to properly activate floor switches that would open the closed wall in the middle of an obstacle.
The versatility had grown more and more impressive, turning tasks John would never have even considered into difficult and at times course restarting problems when he was unable to accurately assess the challenge. Too many times to count, he fell to the net below and was forced to restart. He had fought through the aggravation and stress of the course to reach this point. Now was his time.
He looked at the quarter of a mile long obstacle in doubt. He had struggled all the way here, but here was a challenge meant to be every bit as taxing as all of the previous challenges combined. John’s confidence had long since fled.
In front of him was a bar. He would start with no momentum. After grabbing the bar he had to swing only once before launching off. He had to clear the transparent glass wall beyond it, meaning his jump would need to resemble the Olympic pole jump.
When he came down on the other side, he would land on an extremely slanted wall. Before he slipped off the bottom he would need to jump again. Opposite that wall was an entirely vertical wall that he would need to run across before making another jump.
He would have to fit his body between two walls that sat close together. Once through, his feet would inevitably land on the false floor that waited there. Its darker shade had been hard to discern at first, but after so many failed attempts at previous obstacles, John had learned to watch for them.
He would have less than a second to jump from the platform before it fell away. Beyond that was a near impossible test of judgement. If John jumped too high he would hit the wall he was meant to go under. If he didn’t jump in time, he would fall to the net and be forced to restart the entire course again.
It was a test of both timing and precision. John had to do it just right or he would fail. What was worse was that this wasn’t even the end of the course.
After the wall was another bar for him to grab. He would then need to swing out and land on yet another wall run. After a few steps along the wall he would need to jump to the slanted wall ahead before leaping at the inverted wall above.
His momentum was key, as he needed to both reach the height of the wall and retain enough excess force to push straight down. If executed properly, John would drop like a hunk of lead and impress the switch that marked the only resting area of the entire obstacle.
There at the halfway point, John would need to run along the correct wall as it opened up. One of the sides would be a false wall as indicated by the discolored nature of the pair of walls. He had no way of knowing which one it was, and he had been forced to restart the course more than once on previous challenges such as this. The only way to learn was to try.
That almost guaranteed that he would need to make it to that point at least twice. Supposing he made it past that, the wall run was followed by a springboard like platform that would hopefully propel him high enough to reach the third swinging bar of the obstacle. That was where the familiarity with the challenges ended.
Beyond that bar, John strained to see his next challenge. It looked like it was a downward sloping handrail. Like one would see outside a library or courthouse. It was far from straight, however.
John could see the bar sway left and right several times before it ended in a large pit ten feet across separating it from the final platform. As he studied the course, John grew increasingly more apprehensive. He knew without trying that this obstacle would break him.
He was tired. He was sore. He was hungry. He knew this was as far as he could go that day. Despite his certainty, John refused to leave the trial.
Instead, he pulled his pack from his back. It had been an arduous decision to perform the trial while burdened by his pack. But now, John smiled at his forethought.
Removing a pillow, a blanket, and a meager meal from his pack, John set about making himself comfortable on the island. He was resigned. He would not leave the course until he stood under the moon on the last platform.
John laid down and closed his eyes after eating. He was so exhausted that the hard ground of the platform he rested on felt like the softest bed in his opinion. He fell asleep in minutes, ready to wake and finally conquer the trial.
4
The next day. John woke much less comfortable than he had fallen asleep. He was sore all over, but as he stretched and felt the effects of Lunar Radiance still coursing through him, his sore muscles seemed to ease. This once more convinced John that passing the trial would be the most beneficial experience his body had ever gone through.
John ate a small meal, not wishing to over fill his stomach. Leaving his pack on the island, John got started on the challenge. With a heavy breath, he ran forward.
His first attempt was admirable. There was a moment just after he leapt from the first bar where he thought “this will be easy”. That was right before he cleared the obstacle and came down on the slanted wall behind it.
As his foot touched the wall, he felt like it was coated in grease. His foot slid down it in milliseconds. He was just in time to grasp the top of the wall with his arms before he fell.
Unfortunately, the course seemed completely prepared for this last ditch effort. The wall held his weight for all of one second before the whole wall spun one hundred and eighty degrees, neutralizing his handhold, and more importantly, unceremoniously dumping John into the waiting net below.
Over the course of the next hour, John mindlessly passed each obstacle again to reach the final point once more. As he did, his brain was locked onto the problem of the slanted wall. This was his method.
He would obsessively dissect the problem that plagued him until he reached that point again. Then he would use his deductions to try to overcome what hindered him. So far, nothing he faced could stand before this method.
After a tiring return wherein John nearly lost his place several times due to a hasty or careless motion, John stood once more ready to face the last obstacle. This time, he knew he had what it took.
John swung from the bar and leapt over the wall. His feet were fully saturated with the power of Lunar Radiance. When they collided with the slanted wall, they slid only halfway down before John was able to brace and leap to the next wall.
His feet touched the wall like it was the ground under him. They gripped perfectly as he treaded along its length. When he was at the other side, John leapt with everything he was worth.
He tucked his shoulders in, trying to avoid hitting the walls that he was leaping between. He wasn’t entirely successful though, and his left shoulder clipped the wall as it passed. He was spun sideways as he landed on the false floor.
John didn’t even have time to correct his position before the floor caved beneath him and he was dropped to the net. Cursing loudly, John let himself tumble all the way back down the net to the beginning of the course. He was getting tired of repeating the same thing.
After another aggravated hour of work, John had returned himself to the obstacle. This time, when John ran across the wall, he was already channeling the chilled feeling into both of his hands. He leapt from the wall with his hands outstretched to intercept the two incoming walls.
He grabbed them both simultaneously as he approached. Angling his body slightly sideways, John slipped through the thin gap before pushing himself back to a straight position using the walls as he passed.
When his feet touched the platform, John was already channeling the energy through them again. That was something the rest of the course had been requiring more as it progressed: fluency. So when he landed on the false platform in a severely crouched position, he was already forcing another jump.
Just as his feet left the floor, it tumbled away beneath him. John sailed through the air almost perfectly horizontal. His head missed the wall above by less than a foot. With sure fingers, he gripped the bar beyond it.
John let a twinge of pride course through him at his first real attempted jump being a success. He swung on the bar until just before the zenith of his arc and then leapt from it once more. Now used to switching his focus, his legs swelled with the power of Lunar Radiance once more.
John hit the wall run like a professional. He tapped across it with four easy steps before leaping at the next slanted wall. Using the last slanted wall as a reference, John assumed that this one would also be greased.
He was correct, and as his foot started to slide down it, he felt the unnatural grip of Lunar Radiance stop his momentum. He took as long as he dared to set himself before thrusting upward with all his might.
John easily reached the hanging wall above him. His arms bent against it before gravity stopped him fully. Before it could reverse his course back down, John pushed as hard as he could against the rocky protrusion above him.
He shot down like a javelin hurled by a fisherman. His feet slammed into the platform below him with just enough force to coax the switch therein to depress. John whooped in excitement as he caught his breath.
This was where chance factored in. Now he had to choose which wall to run on. Hopefully he wouldn’t be forced to try the course again. The spring board on the other side was perfectly centered between the two walls. There was no indication which wall would fall away.
Deciding that these were still the best odds he had seen all day, John caught his breath and ran at the left wall. His feet plotted a course over the wall without issue. His guess had been correct.
When he reached the end of the wall, John tried to jump up rather than out. He needed as much height for the spring board as possible to reach the bar. John had never been in gymnastics, but when he bounced up in the air, he felt he had missed his calling.
John was launched higher than he thought possible from the board. He easily grabbed the last bar and swung forward. He didn’t let go though.
Instead, he took a moment to study the obstacle he was thinking of as the library handrail. It was a bar no wider than the one he was holding. He could tell from his position that parts of it were similarly greased as the walls had been.
There was no doubt that this would be the ultimate test of his ability to adapt using Lunar Radiance. He wouldn’t just need to feel it in his feet. Perfect balance would be required to make it down the entire rail.
Before John’s arms gave out, he swung forward and placed a foot on the rail. His training gave him exactly two seconds of grind time before his balance failed him and he slipped off the pole at a particularly greasy spot. That was the first time that John understood the phrase “your safety is not guaranteed”.
He had wondered how he could possibly get hurt on a course that caught him with every fall. As his body fell forward and his head rattled off the rail, John understood. He blacked out for a few seconds.
When he could see straight again, the net was already lifting him above the course. It took him several seconds after returning to the start to convince himself to continue. His head ached.
But he wasn’t a quitter. John struggled back through the course. He made it back to the final obstacle with less effort than his previous attempts. But on his next attempt, he proved no more capable.
Miraculously, he made it all the way to the library handrail. But yet again, his foot slipped only ten feet or so down the rail. John managed to avoid bashing his skull against the rail as he fell this time though.
Over the course of the day, John tried every variation in his analysis that he could think of. No matter what he tried though, his legs were incapable of staying on the rail. He fell again and again, making no more than a few feet’s progress down the rail.
In the end, John was forced to forgo the last obstacle and return home. He reassured his mother that his absence wasn’t born from danger. Then he went to sleep with the problem of Lunar Radiance in his head.