Syl continued, just that bit more jostled by Myron’s nonchalance.

“She’s a Tier One Aimon. She’s what? Level 8? When we first bonded didn’t I tell you, Aimon upon their consolidation evolve an Ability, or merge abilities together to create those Stars you see next to my Abilities. Starred Abilities are an exclusive of Orange Tier Aimon and above.”

“What we did just now was not evolving a move, but creating one.”

“Don’t you see just how much harder that should be?!” She pulled at her hair. “You aren’t even of this world! You have barely seen another trainer fight, you haven’t even seen any other fighting type moves be used, and you thought one up yourself, taught it to your Aimon and actually made it reality… So easily?! Not only that, let me make it clear this is not an attack against Mery’s abilities. Me! You helped me! An Aimon standing at the Second Tier while you are Classless! Tier-less! While it hasn’t gained it’s second star yet, Rend, a move that was otherwise without type, born from the repeated use of one of Damien’s own Skills and some ingenuity, has now turned into one of my own. A Wind Type Ability. I’m a Plant/Metal Type… Do you see the problem?”

“Well, first of all, calm down.” Myron crossed his arms over his chest and said. Syl actually stopped, noticed the whizzing and gathered herself. She pulled up the straps of her shirt, and used her little antennae to flatten and straighten out her frazzled hair, which was incredibly cute and made Myron smile. “Second of all, It wasn’t easy. Mery injured herself in the process, I was injured, while we had the protection of both of you. The situation allowed it, and Mery held incredible faith in my crazy idea to put her whole being into making it work. Without her trust we would have gone nowhere. Also, I actually don’t know what is weird with [Rend]'s case. Are Aimon usually unable to use Abilities of Types not their own?”

“Thirdly, I didn’t quite think this up on a spot. Not only have I seen humans fight in competitions with such form, but more than that, I remember a game from my world, a monster taming and collecting game, which featured a move like Karate Chop in its repertoire. Now, this may seem to you like it is unimportant. But if I have learned one thing through this experience, the it is the sheer insurmountable importance of faith, trust, and imagination.”

“I won’t say the logic of this world is broken, or game-like. But I will say that while harsh, this world is willing to change and flow. If two people desire it enough it will break the rules to make them happy. If the land below us and the seas and the skies have sentience, then that sentience believes in friendship.” Myron declared with certainty.

“Though I can’t deny that much more than that, there are probably underlying systems that we simply used in the correct way and at the correct time to bring about this effect.” He added with a nod, giving up at least that much to Syl.

“Now, have you calmed down?” He smiled at her nod.

“Great, because you have me a bit worried for mine and Mery’s safety here. Care to answer a few of my questions while we continue our march south?”

“Hah~” She sighed, utterly exasperated. “Fine.”

…

It turns out that neither of them where in danger, Evolving skills in the Red Tier is impossible. Gaining skills is expected. Usually though there are guides and scrolls, there are teachers, training, money and knowledge involved. Everyone is hunting for the best skill, but Karate Chop isn’t anything crazy. At least according to Syl, who had overreacted just a tad she admitted.

Myron was relieved at that and finally stopped fidgeting with the fresh Crystal Syl had given him of the Bubachew - A name that made him want to Bond with and squeeze the little monsters, provided by Syl, who seemed fairly knowledgeable and potentially a bookworm - Matriarch that had led the assault against them. It was smaller and more dim than the one belonging to the Trainer Aimon but that was only to be expected by all accounts.

“That doesn’t have to do, solely, with level you should know. A lot of factors that are unknown to most Humans, and to me as a result, play into the density of Aether in a Crystal, its overall quality, shape, and brittleness. This one may seem weaker than the previous one, but its solid, of a singular shape instead of many different ones jumping form inside of themselves. I don’t know what that means, but it means something, it’s not merely cosmetics.” She supplied and Myron was ecstatic to know.

Why? Because it was another question, and another bit of knowledge. He didn’t remember the last time, or the first time, in his life back on earth when he had been so hungry for knowledge, so ready and willing to find out, to due his own research and due diligence. Here, that curiosity was boosted to another level, he felt almost like a different person.

“Actually, can we talk a bit about a question I asked earlier?”

“Oh, yeah. Rend!” Finally Syl remembered and her hair frizzled a bit all on their own. She used her antennae again and Myron chuckled, pinching at the air and pouting at the cuteness.

“To answer your question, Myron. Aimon, can learn to wield different Types of Aether and as a result Abilities outside of their Typing. It’s how High Tier Trainers get around Type disadvantages. Its the sign of an elite Aimon to be able to do this. Lords, Dukes, Royals, Aristocrats, Clansmen, Well Established Guilders. Ilana above! Veterans of War, Generals, War-Heroes. Those are the type of men that have the type of Aimon I am talking about.”

“I said it to Dakini and I’ll say it to you too. Don’t praise me too much, don’t spoil me to much.”

Syl sent Myron a glare and he chuckled. “Okay, I’ll take it seriously. Though I fear there is nothing to do about what has already been done.” She continued glaring, demanding an explanation of some sort from him. Despite knowing full well that Myron was doing shit that came to mind as it came to mind and had no scientific backing, no hidden background to draw upon, no secret. But he understood that to her he was growing to be even more of an enigma. Not to mention, that it was nice to have someone interested in all this stuff along with him. She could be crucial to figuring out how to replicate this apparently Elite Tier happening.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I assume that the shocking part, other than the whole otherwolder sharing his Passive skill and giving a few choice words, as well some encouraging emotions and succeeding where millions other fail. The Socking part for you probably comes from the wrong order of things.”

“Exactly. I’ve come to expect over the past two straight days of mayhem some reflexive, instinctive, and peculiar excellence from you. You have crazy talent, or something, which I wish you could explain. But this, this goes against how things should work entirely. More so than teaching a move that hasn’t been recorded before.”

“For one, I don’t think we praise enough, how important the fact that I have a new and fresh perspective actually is. I don’t only come from a world without Magic, I come from a world without Aimon, I also come from a world with modern amenities and modern education and thought. There are so many amazing stories in my world, imaginative and unique, wonderful in all sorts of ways. That probably does a world of good to my adaptation capabilities. To me it’s just not weird or counter-intuitive to have you try to change Rend into something else, and spontaneously call upon Wind Type Aether into your core.”

“You may be genetically pre-disposed to Plant and Metal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sense any other Type, or that you haven’t felt any other type… But I don’t want to get too scientific right now. I’m not a scientist. What I want to tell you is what I believe to be fact in this world.”

Syl waited, even Mery and Dakini stopped to listen, Myron stood and raised a finger up to his face. “There is one rule that stands above them all in this world. This Rule, from what I have come to understand goes like this.”

“Fuck every other Rule. Faith and Feelings, come first.”

“Uhuh!” He stopped Syl from interjecting. “Lemme get my shit off.”

He continued. “Every Type of Aether, corresponds to different emotional states. It’s not as simple as a single feeling, or a sentiment, it’s not just a way of life, or a worldview. It’s a complex algorithm whose working I don’t understand. But it is based on feelings. The Aether that is all around us operates on Feelings, on sentiment. I believe this to be true. A small part of me thinks, that because I believe in this, the Aether works for me, it works with me, it molds itself to my and ‘mine own’, wishes. The new and improved Wind Type [Rend] is a result of that thought process. [Karate Chop] as well. I will keep believing in that, the first thing I can say I have had Faith in for the first time in my life, until I am disproved by the world and eat shit. So far, so good.”

Syl felt about ready to speak, but instead she released a sigh. “I’ll take those empirical assumptions, and keep them in mind. You where the one who showed me how closed off and small Minded I actually was, when you sprinted past the wall I had put up to save me and bond with me. So I won’t refute you. But you’ll understand if I don’t quite believe you. I still believe that the world is much more rigid than that.”

“And Maybe it is. I’m down to be proven wrong.” Myron nodded, and couldn’t help but think of how fitting that mindset was for Syl, though she could use with a bit more ‘Plant’ and less ‘Metal’

“Now we should be approaching the Border. We should take a detour to wash up on the river. It’s better we appear at least somewhat presentable.” Myron deflated, getting his wings plucked off. He fell from sky-high in a heap or broken bones.

“Alright. I see now. This is an Impossible task… How can we get Mery, who is not only naked but also, pretty gorgeous. A feast for the eyes one can say, to look proper seeing as we only have the grass around us as potential resources? Dakini and you are dressed, so you’re fine with a jump on the river, but her? Spank a hemp loincloth over her crotch and call it a day?”

“We will make do with hemp, surely we have to use it since it’s the only thing we have, but we might also need… your jacket?” Syl hesitated and rightfully so.

He wanted to protest immediately. But he didn’t. “Yeah, my jacket. That’s a good idea.” Myron acknowledged that there was no other way to get even a bit of decency. “Goodbye jacket.” He said as he gave it to Mery.

She put it on, thinking nothing of it. And then the long sleeves burst out of their sockets. Her shoulders tore up the sides just a bit as they were shoved through a hole too small for their size, and she realized why the crocodile tears.

Thankfully, it wasn’t for nothing, as it reached all the way down to her bikini area, because the two of them were of similar enough height, despite Myron being dwarfed in overall build and width.

Thus they went, veering of their southern course just a tad, to wash up on the river banks and stare upon the blue sky of the Duke’s territory. Myron even decided to take a little swim to the other side after asking for potential Aimon in the waters that would swallow him up in a moment’s notice.

He received a negative on Thalassophobia triggers and a tidbit of information he had to make sure was true right away, and so he swam across, washed upon the shores like a beached whale and stepped on the soft grass of the meadow. He pulled upon the exposed root of an Oak and righted himself on the top of the steep bank. He took in a deep breath, and even he felt the difference. His Bonds where just that lick more muted for one.

But it was more than that. This area of the world was considered a Dead Zone by Aimon and a Safe Zone by Humans. Safe from what exactly, Myron did not know. If the threat was Taher then he felt that there were other ways to prevent such destruction from happening near and atop human settlements rather than draining an entire part of the world of Aether and stealing from it its rightful magic.

It was in the colors, it was in the smells, it was in the sounds; the whispers of the wind, it was in the way the sun touched his skin and the way the leaves ruffled at the errant gust. He felt the missing weight of this land like an ant crawling on his skin, and it would take a while to get used to if he where to live in such a place.

Despite finding nothing that attractive to the proposition in the moment, it still seemed like the only possible route, until he grew stronger and learned more about this world and its different geographies, for so far the only alternative was being hunted by Trainers of the Guild - information kindly provided by the little bookworm - or being burnt to death by a greedy colonizer. Neither of which sounded especially delightful.

‘Don’t forget being pulverized by Aimon.’ Syl sent through their bond and he chuckled darkly. It was true. There didn’t seem to be any reason as to why Aimon in the Wild would feel particularly receptive to Humans if this is what they did with the incredible power the Unity of a Bond with Aimon gives them.

So Myron returned and dried in the sun along with his Aimon, three Bonds formed with effort and maintained through trials already. They were only starting on their journey and adventures in this world and Myron felt closer to these people that he had felt to most Humans on earth since his parent’s unfortunate deaths. Bathed in the evening Sun, having gone two nights straight without a wink of sleep, he let himself relax for a bit. Once again, he could feel it bubbling within him. “Life is Good.” He mumbled.

It’s how he genuinely felt, even with all the gore, and battle, and death, and troubles. It was just, so much better than the sheer monotony and skull-fucking misery that was office life back on earth.