"That was entertaining", Cain said snickering addressing the boys sitting in the centre of the training arena. Seth, dressed in an expensive three-piece suit, sat on a bench beside them. It had been two weeks since their failure at the forest and they were about to start light training at the Silver Talons training hall as most of their injuries had healed all but the nastiest ones.
"Cut us some slack, we're only fourteen", Rio said.
"Unless you want to be buried before you're fifteen, I suggest you rid yourselves of that excuse.
In our world of danger and sorcery, age is irrelevant", Cain warned sternly. The boys expressions groomed further.
"But nevertheless, you survived and even surpassed the time limit I set. Well done.
So what did you learn?" He asked.
"Arrogance is fatal", Thomas said.
"We were overconfident. We had the time but didn't even ask about what we were going to face", Rio answered as well.
"That's right. You both went in blind and unprepared. Even at my level, I don't make that sort of mistake....most of the time", Cain said.
"Is that all the forest thought you?", he asked further.
"Fear. I learnt to be afraid. I don't like it", Rio replied.
"Then there's hope for you yet.", Seth who had been lounging spoke up. "Whether you like it or not, whether you want to feel it or not, fear is inevitable. You have lived sheltered from it but it has always been there....you just never experienced it."
"Now that you have, embrace it, conquer it and you'll live", he lectured.
'Embrace it, conquer it', the two pondered over their uncles' words.
"That's right. Master fear and you'll stay alive. Although how quickly you do that is entirely up to you ", Cain spoke.
"Seeing as both of you are still recovering, today's lesson is control, specifically output control and fine control. You lasted approximately one hour and fourteen minutes in that forest...a bit more than I expected but quite below your uncle's expectations", he said further.
"Let's begin. Gather as much energy as you can in your hands. Don't worry about blowing anything up. This room has been reinforced", Seth said.
The boys looked at each other, then both moved to opposing ends of the room to have their sit. This puzzled their instructors.
Then they closed their eyes, focusing to tap into the source of their powers, their cores. Soon a small red orb manifested above Rio's palm, on the opposite side, Thomas's was a light grey orb of mana floating above his palm.
"That was quick. I thought they'd at least spend a few minutes on that", Cain said.
"You seem to keep underestimating them. Do not forget, they are prodigies of a great house", Seth said.
"Well technically, it just one prodigy. With he powers split how much energy can th-", Cain retort was cut short. The air had shifted, the room was getting brighter. The cause...the orbs of mana and soul essence were growing, continuously getting bigger as the boys poured more power into their hands.
"I wonder how big it can get", Cain spoke, his tone showing a hint of excitement.
Seth looked down at his feet, noticing the movement of a dust particles. They were moving towards the two individuals sitting across the training hall...or rather the two spheres in their hands.
'To think they have this kind of effect at their level', he thought.
"This is my limit", Rio said, the crimson orb now the size of a small vehicle.
"Same here", Thomas agreed, his orb almost as big as Rio's.
"Good, good. You guys really are something else", Cain clapping as he walked forward to the center of the room.
"But I'm afraid you've not even scratched the surface of your limits. You have merely hit what you think your limit is but it's actually the subconscious limit of control. Even now, your energy wastes from your body while you're focused on the orbs in front of you", he said.
"They'll never understand if you keep talking too much", Seth interjected.
"I guess so", Cain said then raised a finger.
"Listen, this should be your goal, both in power and control", he said.
A perfect orange sphere manifested above his outstretched finger. It's pull was so strong that both previously formed orbs were instantly crushed under it pressure. Both Rio and Thomas looked towards their teacher, towards the miniature sun above his finger. But that was not all, they could not only see it but also felt it, that tiny orb had enough power to destroy nova city three times over...and yet they wer fine, at this distance they should have instantly burnt to a crisp but all they felt was warmth. Such was the nigh perfect display of control from their teacher.
"Now try again", he said ever so casually.
"Before that, you should both stop the leaks of mana and soul essence from your body", Seth said.
"Both of you are currently like taps open to the max, but the pipes that connect you to the source of your power has a few leaks, hence the waste. That was evident in the forest, while using your skills, the amount of mana and soul essence used on the actual technique was less about half. The rest wasted out in all directions through your bodies", he explained.
"How didn't we notice?", Thomas asked.
"Probably because you had never been in a life or death situation by yourselves. I'm sure that at that most, the only thoughts were how to survive? or when was the next attack coming?"
"That's another thing you'll have to learn, staying calm in dire situations", Seth said in a somber tone.
"Focus on your energy around your body. Wear it like a second skin, cover every single part, every hair, every scar, do not leave anything uncovered", he instructed.
The boys did as instructed and soon both were covered in the same glow the represented their energies.
Rio studied himself, feeling a heightened sense of perception. Through the use of his soul essence, he had a more conscious awareness of his body and its immediate surroundings, to the point where he could count the exact numbers of hairs on his head.
"This feels weird", he blurted.
"Can you explain what you feel?", his uncle asked.
"I'm not quite sure. It's like when I activate distortion...I can feel everything much better", he answered.
"Heightened perception is one of the perks of being a sensory mage and combined with your spatial awareness as a sorcerer of space, I can only imagine how sharp your senses would be.
While the range of sensory type individuals vary, they get a significant boost to any specific sense", Seth explained to which Rio nodded.
"What do you feel Thomas?" Rio asked.
"I feel the same. All living things have a subtle vibration and frequency, through this mana skin and aware of mine as well as others", he answered.
"I guess that's a unique sense as a sound mage", Seth said.
"That means his reckless plan isn't so bad after all", Cain chimed.
"We can't say, the sense uniqueness of both abilities are similar yet different. If they were still one individual, it could have either morphed together to create one super sense or he would have had to sacrifice one for the other. At this point, it's 50-50, who's to say that the problem won't arise when they eventually merge".
"Well that's a problem for their future self, no point in worrying now", Cain replied with a shrug.
"Let's change things up a little to suit your different styles. Rio, focus on extending your control to your metal orbs, take them one at a time. Thomas, for your training you'll be swinging your sword", Cain instructed.
"You want me to practice my swings?", Thomas raised an eyebrow.
"Yes and to control the vibrations around your sword while swinging. Your last attack at the forest was powerful but an attack that damages even your allies is more harm than the enemy".
Thomas wanted to retort but he couldn't, that last attack was a new technique he attempted on the fly. By studying vibrations and frequencies through Echo, he eventually learned the baseline frequency of the mist wraiths and used an opposing wave amplified two times over to attack his target. The only problem then, was his control.
Sound travels in every direction and with his lacking skill and control, using that move ended up affecting Rio as well as himself.
"This is going to be fun", Thomas said as he stood to begin his training.
"Keep your mana skin on as you swing and Rio, it's meant to be a second skin not armour. Spread out your soul essence evenly", Seth instructed.
"Okay...a little less fun", Rio corrected.
Name: Rio Dacre
Tier: 4
Bloodline Class: Weapons Mage
Bloodline Skill: Creation(Soul forge)
Relics: Reaver
Class: Berserker
Soul affinity (Dual): SpatialxChaos
Soul skills: Distortion(spatialXchaos), Synthesis (chaos), Blink(spatial), Ghost(spatial)
Domain: Castle Black(formerly ruin of aries), Summit of Dream
Name: Thomas Snow
Tier: 3
Bloodline Class: Weapons Mage
Bloodline Skill: Creation(Soul forge)
Magical affinity: Sound
Class: Warrior (Blademaster)
Skills: Echo, Severe
Relic: Tungsten Blade(Katana)
Domain: Castle Black(formerly ruin of aries), Summit of Dream