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I leaned against the cold cave wall, staring into the oppressive darkness. The memories I’d managed to unlock so far felt like pieces of a shattered mirror – each fragment sharp, vivid, and haunting. But beyond those fragments? Just a blur. A haze of half-formed thoughts and sensations that slipped away every time I reached for them.
My fists clenched as frustration bubbled to the surface. Why can’t I remember? The people, the moments, the connections—they felt real and vital, but there was always a wall I couldn’t break through.
“Damn it!” I growled, slamming my fist into the cave wall. The sharp pain shot up my arm instantly.
“Ouch… Ahhh!” I hissed, shaking my hand and glaring at the offending rock as though it were at fault.
I couldn’t help it. " Hahaha,” laughter bubbled up, soft and bitter at first, then growing louder.
“What an idiot,” I muttered between chuckles, shaking my head at my own stupidity.
Punching a wall. Great plan, Lexi. now my hand hurts.
Taking a deep breath, I slid down to sit on the rough cave floor. Closing my eyes, I focused on steadying my racing thoughts. Inhale… exhale. The sharp sting in my knuckles faded as I turned inward, searching for calm.
And there it was.
A flicker.
Another memory, faint and distant, calling out to me.
.
.
“Alright, before we delve into combat, it’s high time I properly explain to you about our house’s origin art. The name Exira was termed by your father, who was also the first user of it.”
“Exira, in its most primitive and barebones form, would be a type of mental manipulation, where the user can assert dominance over others.”
“As you delve more into its mysteries, one truth remains – Exira is fueled by one’s pure emotions, most importantly, one’s will.”
“That’s the first tier of Exira, where it is formless and can be used to do literally anything. It can mimic any other power, be it elemental or physical, but what it is most efficient at is asserting dominance over others.”
“When you realize why that is so, you will find your path to the next tier.”
“From there, it’s an unknown path. I cannot tell what yours will be, since every single Exira user has different core abilities. Me, Nora, Sebastian, Mathias – we all have different Tier I properties.”
Aunt Nora stood up and moved to stand beside Mom.
“Even Daemon and Rose have different Tier I properties, Lexi, and they are vastly different from mine or Mathias’s abilities.”
Aunt Nora held out her hand, and a white light formed.
‘So cool, I miss Daemon and big sis Rose. She was so reliable to have around. When are they returning from the battlefields?’
“Don’t worry, Lexi… They both will probably be back in a few months and are okay.”
‘Are they mind reading, or am I that obvious…?’
Aunt Nora chuckled. “Your face tells everything, Lexi. You should really practice your poker face.”
“Ahmm, Nora, you didn’t interrupt me just for that.”
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Mom’s stern voice froze even Aunt Nora.
“Umm, of course not. Lexi, look, this is my Exira Tier form.”
A bright light erupted from her hands. Though bright, it was not blinding.
‘It feels so relaxing…’
“Comfortable, isn’t it, Lexi?”
“Yes, Aunt Nora, it feels comfortable.”
“That’s Exira. Even at Tier I, it affects your mental state and more. This is the core aspect of Exira. Regardless of what form your powers take, it will always carry an aura or evoke emotions.”
Nodding vigorously, I felt captivated by EXIRA. Mom and the others had always been tight-lipped about it, so any new information was a gift.
“My core abilities are Heal, Lexi. That’s all there is to it.”
“Well, that’s more than enough for now, Nora.”
“Now, Alexis, you have never experienced EXIRA combat-wise, so a quick rundown of Tier 0 EXIRA. Ready?”
“Artoria… are you sure…?” Aunt Nora’s worried voice interrupted.
“I will tone down the strength to around 5% for the demonstration. It’s better for him to get used to it.”
‘Yay, finally! I could learn more… Let’s see what I can lea…r…n…’
Alarm bells rang in my head.
I could feel all my thoughts and dreams leaving…
Gone.
‘What was I thinking… nothing…’
I don’t know how long I was in that state when a surge of power rose from within me, pushing back the…
‘To push back… push… what?’
‘Am I under threat? Why can’t I just stay here? There’s no burden, no responsibilities here…’
The power surged more… ‘Burden, responsibility.’
These words struck a chord, and the power surged madly, threatening to burst as all my thoughts, dreams… no, myself, came rushing back.
‘Pop.’
The darkness broke away, and the view of the training ground returned. Mom, Aunt Nora, Ari, and Uncle Sebastian were all there.
Huff… Huff.
I grabbed my knees, breathing heavily.
‘What the f— just happened? The darkness… the emptiness…’
Looking around, I saw Ari sitting beside me, unaffected. She tilted her head cutely to one side.
“Brawther, are you okay?… Your face is very pale, like you saw a ghost.”
Ari’s cute, baby voice broke me out of my stupor as she patted my head in a comforting manner.
Chuckling at her antics, I shook my head and saw Mom’s calm gaze locked on me. Aunt Nora’s worry was visible.
Closing my eyes and taking deep breaths to calm my pounding heart.
‘That was scary as hell! That power surge… that was Exira. It broke me out, or else I would have been lost there.’
‘Scary… That’s too scary.’
Shaking my head and gently squeezing Ari’s tiny hand gave me immense relief.
“That was the brunt of Exira on your foe. And calm down, Nora, he’s okay.”
“As I said, it was only 5% of my Exirastrength, though I used a technique to multiply the effect significantly.”
‘Techniques… And that was really only 5% strength? I’ll reach that level too.’
Seeing my confusion, Mom clarified:
“Exira at its base, first form, is just mental manipulation – your will, your desires, asserting dominance over others. Like all things, it has a horrible efficiency rate until you reach Tier I. Until then, to truly make use of Exira as more than a parlor trick to impress or stun-lock an enemy, you need techniques.”
“As for how the interaction occurs between Exira and your enemy, that’s up to you to test and figure out the strength and percentages.”
“You have just awakened your Exira. Not to mention, you haven’t even been in combat against a true enemy where death is just a misstep away.”
Lost in thought, I watched Mom walk past me onto the training field with her sword, warming up.
Taking the cue, I got up as well. Aunt Nora patted my back with a reassuring smile.
‘At least Aunt Nora is here. She would fix me real quick.’
Sigh.
Joining Mom, I picked up my training sword and began warming up for the inevitable thrashing.
‘Mom’s preferred weapon for training was the claymore – long, heavy, broad and frankly, I’m happy she went with a strength weapon rather than her original longsword.’
‘Mine was a simple longsword – decently broad and long, built for speed.’
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