Derrick entered the restricted section of his family library, followed closely behind by his father. Unlike the rest, which was of moderate size with a pleasant, familial arrangement and the ever-present smell of books, the restricted section was an area that was strictly kept, and Derrick was not allowed to mess around inside of it. Derrick surveyed the area and inspected different books. Piercing of the stone-claw one read out. Derrick discarded it, thinking it much to crude to serve as his first skill set.
Others were thrown out just as fast as the first and none fit something he found interesting. They were all blatant in their usage and none had the right style to it. After going through twenty or so books, all of which would be considered valuable, one appeared which had a different title. Derrick grinned and picked up the book, Secrets of the mental tactician, it was called.
It must be realized that the mind is something which is an integral part of a person. It is not something present in only certain individuals, although after conversing with some that conclusion could be doubted somewhat. In fact, many did doubt it, and would say so in an extremely verbose manner, generally toward another whom they did not particularly like. The opposite could be said, though, towards a friend, as insulting is oftentimes the norm for many.
To not be waylaid too much though, the mind does possess one quality which made it very suitable for Derrick, aside from his interest in it. This is the fact that it is unattributed, making it something which Derrick could utilize even with the peculiar situation surrounding his aura. He assumed, so long as he cultivated it, there was a high possibility that he could use it.
Derrick grabbed the book and began to read intently. “The first step to using any mental technique stems from the aura, or something which resembles it to a degree, in that they are both produced by the soul and are readily usable energy forms once cultivated. To access another’s mind a special type of aura must be used; a type which needs to be cultivated separately. This special type of aura is generally referred to as mental energy. As each person’s aura has its own special quirks so does each person’s mental energy. Added to that fact it is also given off by the mind as a part of your aura. This is where the similarities end. When you cultivate your aura and soul your body naturally gets stronger. The amount of strength gained depends on the person and how they are practicing but there is at least some correlation between the two. This works in the opposite manner as well; if you train the body enough then the soul and aura will improve as well. If one part gains strength then everything else will also improve, it is a fundamental rule of existence. Mental energy is the exception.”
This puzzled Derrick, after all if training would improve everything with a gross effect then why wouldn’t mental energy be gained as well? Of course, in training, there would be a disparity in the strength of what was cultivated and what wasn’t but there was still a relation. “Odd,” he thought, “The soul takes in energy ambient in the surroundings and uses it to nourish itself to slowly gain in power. If everything is given off through that integration point then wouldn’t it gain in power as well?” Derrick was confused about the point but decided to continue reading.
“Mental energy is special; in fact it is not naturally produced. Cultivation is also very rare because of this added challenge. The reason that it does not grow in parallel to the soul is because it is not naturally a part of it. Mental energy is energy that is released by the soul and then refined by the mind. Because of this it has to be slowly gained as the soul continuously lets out more and more power which is suitable to go through this refining process.
When refining mental energy there is a secret many do not know of, aside from the existence of mental energy itself, which is the properties it displays for both internal and external effects on the mind. There are two main types of attacks which can be utilized mental tacticians. The first is illusions, which can vary in utility based on whoever is using them. They affect the mind and while most only think of sight and sound being replicable through illusions it truly does depend on the person who is creating said illusions.
All five senses can be affected and one property which is almost unknown is that some can even manipulate all five senses without first invading someone’s mind. That is to say without first getting inside of the mental barrier within another’s mind all five senses can be tampered with. Invasion of the mind has other benefits, and the main reason others think it is impossible to manipulate a mind to this extent without the need for invasion is simply because it is extremely challenging. This highlights one capability which full, and successful, invasion of the mind has; it makes manipulation much, much easier.
The other common tactic is a mental barb. This type often is used to launch an assault on the mind and is the most common way to both injure the mind and break through the mental barrier. Other concepts also exist but are limited to those with who have attained very high prowess in the mental arts, one such technique is said to allow for the viewing of memories. The mind is an extremely complex system and there are bound to be other usages but they have not become known, to me at least, as of yet.”
The author continued in his explanation of the mind for a while and after reading vehemently for an extended period, Derrick began to try to apply what he learned in reality. Derrick had never actively tried to absorb the ambient power latent in his surroundings, most people couldn’t gain anything from it and energy had to be condensed into a pill beforehand. Edward watched his son, amused as he saw Derrick trying to do something which would inevitably result in failure, as the first periods of even sensing energy took a large period of time. Luckily, the process to produce mental energy was described from the lowest level in the book. Derrick began following the process and soon he entered into a meditative state.
Initially, he couldn’t see a thing. After a time though, his surroundings began to brighten. Different types of energy were moving around him, of all different colors and textures. Some of the surroundings were blue and soft energies resembling water, while others were just plain grey particles. A myriad of particles, something which, for Derrick, was nearing mental overload, moved around him. Doing as the book instructed, Derrick began pull the energy toward himself. Immediately, his surroundings obeyed with, in anthropomorphic terms, a servile grace. They began to vibrate, rush, and flow toward him in all different forms.
Before long a torrent of energy was swirling around Derrick as the epicenter. Oddly enough, Derrick remained akin to what one would call the eye of the storm. The energy swirled but did not enter within a certain perimeter around his body. Slowly, energy began to trickle in, calm as the waters of a still pond, and began to accumulate within his aura. The silky white haze began to shine with a multitude of colors as the particles began to assimilate into his aura. Slowly he began to feel his bounds of control grow; however the storm began to quiet down as if it was an inverse relation between the amount absorbed and the control one gained.
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Derrick opened his eyes, only to find his father shaking him vehemently. With reddened eyes full of panic Edward shouted, “Derrick, are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need help? Answer!”
Derrick felt around his body and, indeed, nothing was wrong. He felt more energy than usual, just by a small margin, but more nonetheless. He smiled weakly at his father amused in his heart by his father’s concern and replied, “I feel really tired, could I have my favorite meal tonight? I’m really exhausted, please father? I know it’s expensive, but please?” Derrick laid back and looked at the ceiling, considering how long after the meal to wait to tell his father the actual events that transpired.
Edward heaved a sigh of relief and replied to his seemingly powerless son and said, “Of course you can, anything today, just don’t worry me like that again. I can see you’re tired so I will wait a little while, but after that you need to explain to me what just happened.” Edward then helped his son walk to his room, telling servants to prepare a meal, and then examining Derrick carefully to make sure there was nothing wrong.
After partaking in the expensive and luxurious meal lathered with time, spices, money, and care Derrick grinned, widely. Taking a look around at the others at the table, those who were there were only close family. Those present were his aunt, uncle, cousin, mother, father, and brother. He was very close to all of them, although his brother was a person who he both idolized and loved, likely more than the rest by a good margin. Derrick surveyed the room and with an incandescent smile said, “Everyone, after my testing, in case you did not hear, I was not able to figure out my affinities. My aura is an almost silky white, but it is extremely bright without even a trace of color.”
Edward looked at his son with a reprimanding gaze, “You should not act in such a way, this is important. The brightness of an aura can affect the type heavily. A dark fire aura can often be oppressive and dangerous while a light one is jovial. Do not exaggerate onto things you do not know, the young man from the army never once said that. Do not mislead when it is on matters of import.”
Derrick’s grin just widened, obviously taking pleasure in his father’s retort. “You are right dad; I shouldn’t exaggerate my knowledge during important talks. Luckily this time, due to your negligence,” Derrick paused slightly in laughter, then continued, “I was able to see my aura during a successful meditation. I must say, it really is a refreshing feeling to be empowered like that.” Derrick burst into a fit of childish laughter at the now dumbfounded expressions of the others present.
His brother, Artian, looked at him inquisitively, “How did you manage to achieve meditation? Moreover, how were you so negligent father?” Artian pushed blame onto both of them, giving remonstration where it was needed. “Still, I would expect that from my brother. I knew you would be different, given your personality. Still, those at your age who are able to enter the meditative state are extremely rare. Even all of them generally would start training at a young age, which can be deleterious toward the body. So, little brother, did you train without telling us?” Artian looked at his little brother whom he spoiled with disapproval in his autumn brown eyes. Derrick had always been a free spirit, which was both a good and a bad thing. Never before had he been exposed to danger or the darker side of humanity.
Derrick looked around at everyone, all of whom were nodding in agreement with Artian’s words and analysis. “No, I never practiced before this; I always assumed it would be boring. Speaking of which, you are all liars. In the beginning I could only see darkness but after a time I could see more and more. Eventually I could see all sorts of different things. Some were beads while others were like pieces of fire. There were even types of liquids moving in strange patterns. Beautiful, it was really beautiful.”
The already startled expressions of the Lock family morphed, this time into two different types of expressions. The majority was extremely surprised; an apt comparison would be having been struck with a bolt of lightning. One, however, had on a face full of consideration. His brother looked to be contemplating something. “I realize now that something is different. I can see when I look hard that there is a very slight white haze surrounding you Derrick. I figured before that I had something in my eye, but it is definitely there.” The test consists of diving next to someone’s soul to view the miniscule traces of the aura, a feat that is a challenge to say the least. Most people, once they have gained any meager level of strength, begin to emanate an aura which is detectable. Before training though, it was near impossible to see any traces of the aura without being trained to. Derrick had reached the level of having a visible aura.
“What’s more is that you were able to sense each type of energy. People are only supposed to be able to notice ones they have high affinity with until they reach a higher level of practice. It truly is odd that you are able to sense those different types of energy. Oh, and Derrick, you never mentioned what type of practice you chose, if you did.”
“I chose the book called Secrets of the mental tactician. It’s about using something called mental energy. I don’t know how well I will be able to use it, but I can try at least. It shouldn’t have any bearing toward my odd affinities.”
His father interjected, “I think it is suitable for him to use, as it doesn’t hold any bearing on other abilities and will still let him decide how to grow in the future. I think we need to keep in mind that growth is very important, as our little Derrick does not know his abilities.” The family shared a look, and within it was agreement, albeit with a little confusion mixed in.
Then, he looked back at Derrick, aggravated. “Derrick, just because I was on a different subject just now, don’t forget that you lied to me about your condition. You are not allowed to lie like that.” Edward fiercely reprimanded his son for the second time during the dinner.
“Dad, you always said to use my circumstances to my advantage; I was only following in your footsteps. After all, I always try and respect my family. I truly am sorry for acting in accord to your teachings; obviously it was the wrong action to take. Next time I will know better. Really, I have to thank you father.” Derrick retorted sarcastically, and using his personal talent annoyed the rest of the people at the table.