Chương 47

Aura Novice"Man," I said, "Lokta'Inif sounds like a monumental piece of shit." Everybody nodded.

"Well, you're in luck, Allaria," said Rel.

"It just so happens that our objectives align. Pete and I are intending to pay her a visit and make her see the error of her ways… and by that, I mean we're going to bitch-slap her across the city." He looked questioningly at Kaelis and Voklum.

"How about you two? I know she hasn't done anything to personally offend either of you."

"After she sent an assassin to stab and poison Master Pete?" asked Kaelis.

"I would consider it a great honour to partake in the bitch-slapping."

"I've already made it clear that I'm not fond of Trialists who behave like 'colossal arseholes', as Pete so eloquently put it," said Voklum.

"And from what I've gathered from this conversation, it would appear she is the queen of colossal arseholes. That is to say, I too would happily participate in the aforementioned bitch-slapping."

"Well, I guess it's unanimous then," I said, grinning broadly.

"I almost feel a little bad for Lokta'Inif when she realises what's in store for her."

"Don't," said Allaria.

"It's thoroughly deserved."

"Before we can pay her a visit, there are a few things we need to do," said Rel.

"First and foremost, the three of you require some intensive training. No offence, but you're all currently absurdly weak." He paused, as if waiting for one of them to object, then nodded approvingly when none of them did.

"Being able to acknowledge your shortcomings is a sign of wisdom. Here is what I suggest," Rel continued.

"We will spend so much time in the Tower over the next two weeks that they'll probably try and start charging us rent. During the first week, I will accompany the three of you and support you in grinding stat points and acquiring new items. With my protection, you can push your limits knowing that risk of death is… minimal. While we're doing that, Pete can carry out whatever preparations he thinks are necessary.

For the second week, Pete and I will switch places, and he can oversee your training while I take care of some business." * I left them to their planning and headed to Rel's office for some privacy. Ever since we'd left the Tower, I'd been desperate to use the Essence. In fact, I was glad I'd been wearing my sunglasses on the walk back to the Guild Hall – I'd been practising my squinting so enthusiastically it probably looked like I was having a seizure. I sat back in Rel's chair and let out a contented sigh.

Kicking my feet up on the desk, I withdrew the Essence from my inventory. I'd been expecting a sphere of glass, similar to the Heart of Lightning we'd looted from Zeus. Instead, it was a cube of crimson metal, about the size of a closed fist. As I turned it over in my hands, it grew warmer, thrumming with an insistent power. Remembering how Rel had absorbed the Heart, I lifted the cube to my chest and tried to push it in. It didn't work.

I tried again – several times – turning it to see if the angle of insertion was important. Still nothing.

"C'mon, you little bastard," I said.

"Why won't you go in?" Realising what I'd just said, I glanced around sheepishly and was suddenly very glad I was alone. I wasn't sure if " that's what she said" jokes were a thing on the Trial Planet, but it wasn't a risk I was willing to take. I put the cube down on the desk and tapped my fingers irritably against my knees. I thought back on my conversation with Professor Indagore and remembered he'd mentioned the importance of meditation. Perhaps I needed to be more relaxed to absorb the Essence?

It wasn't as if I'd had many chances to take it easy since reaching Oakreach. I'd attempted meditation a few times back on Earth, so I had a very basic idea of how it worked. I'm sure it'll be no surprise to learn that I never really took to it. I sank into the chair a little, letting my muscles relax. Closing my eyes and taking several deep breaths, I attempted to clear my mind. Okay, I can do this. I just need to not think about anything and allow my mind to empty. Don't think about anything…

Don't think about anything… Don't think about anything… Wait, if I'm thinking 'don't think about anything', does that count as thinking about something? Shit. Wait, the guided meditation people always said to focus on your breathing. Breathe in. 1, 2, 3 Breathe out. 1, 2, 3 That's better. My thoughts have cleared a little. Oh, for fuck's sake. Thinking my thoughts are clear still counts as thinking. I grunted in frustration and leaned forward to rest my head against the desk. I headbutted the Essence.

And absorbed it.

"Huh," I said.

"I guess I'm pretty good at meditating after all."

"Good at meditating?" came a voice from behind me.

"Boy, there might be things you excel at, but meditation is most definitely not one of them." I yelped as I pushed off from Rel's seat, the force of the movement causing it to explode in a shower of splintered wood. My head slammed into the ceiling, punching a nice Pete-sized hole into it before I crashed back down onto the floor. As I lay there in the disaster site that had once been Rel's office, I opened my eyes to see someone peering down at me.

"I guess demolishing furniture fits into the things you excel at category." The man took a step back as I pushed myself to my feet, my ears now as red as the Essence had been. I dusted myself off and turned to face him. He fixed me with a look that was equal part amusement and incredulity. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. It took me a moment to register that he was actually a man.

Not an alien-looking creature who – judging by the shape of their body or the pitch of their voice – you could tentatively classify as male. An actual man from Earth.

"You're human?" I asked, the bewilderment in my voice probably doing little to convince him that I was not, in fact, a moron.

"Absolutely not. This," he said, gesturing to his body, "is just a projection. The real me is over forty thousand light-years away, dealing with matters of actual importance. What you're looking at is a physical construct – a tiny fragment of my consciousness given form. I chose something familiar…" His words trailed off as his gaze drifted across the room.

"So that I wouldn't surprise you too badly when I appeared." As I'd absorbed the Essence, I wondered if he'd used my memories to construct his form. If so, it made me a little concerned for whatever the fuck was happening inside my head. His appearance was… disjointed, to say the least. He had silver hair, slicked back and held in place by what looked like copious amounts of hair product.

His tanned face was clean-shaven, but three nasty-looking scars ran from his forehead down to his cheek like something out of a corny '80s action movie. His outfit was an affront to fashion. A black leather biker jacket, a tie-dye t-shirt in outrageously bright colours, cargo shorts with far too many pockets, and open-toed sandals. With socks pulled halfway up his calves. All in all, I liked it, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit jealous.

"So, you're the Essence Master who's going to be training me?" I asked.

"I've actually already made a good start. Check this out…" I proceeded to demonstrate some of my most practised squints. He was not impressed.

"What's wrong with your face? Are you constipated?" he said, studying me for a moment.

"Honestly, I'm a little surprised you were capable of passing the trials I put in place to ensure the Essence went to someone worthy."

"The trials? Honestly? They were pretty damn easy. Don't get me wrong – being zapped by one of Zeus's lightning bolts wasn't exactly pleasant. Oh, and the yetis were a nice touch too. I'm pretty sure those big, vicious bastards bruised my ribs."

"Zeus…? Yetis…?" The Aura Master's confusion vanished, his eyes narrowing as realisation dawned.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! You're competing in Galaxy Showdown, aren't you? I can't believe those corporate shitstains managed to get their grubby little hands on my Essence!" As he ranted, the Aura Master seemed to expand, and it felt as if his anger was crashing against me. The room suddenly felt much smaller, like the walls were closing in. I tried to push back against it, to resist, but it was like I was a pebble standing in the path of a tsunami. My knees buckled and I reached up to claw at my throat.

My brain was screaming at me to breathe, but there seemed to be no air left in the room.

"I swear," he continued, spittle flying from his mouth, "if it weren't for the fact they're under the protection of that monster Archmagus Zalandar, I'd reduce their corporate headquarters to dust!" I lifted a hand and reached towards him. Do you know how when you're in a swimming pool and you try and push your hand through the water? Trying to move while under the effect of the Aura Master's ability was a bit like that. Except the swimming pool was full of syrup. Very thick syrup.

As my hand slowly inched closer, piteous little gasps tore free of my throat. My fingers grasped the material of his cargo shorts and gave them a sharp tug. Mission accomplished, I gave in to the pressure and sagged to the ground. As I fell, I realised two things about the Aura Master. He was an absolute powerhouse, and I couldn't wait to learn from him. And that he was apparently not a fan of underwear. Thankfully, yanking his shorts down a little had been enough to pierce the cloud of righteous anger.

His eyes widened as he glanced down at me. The pressure vanished instantly. Air had never tasted so good as I sucked in great lungfuls of the stuff.

"I apologise, boy," he said, helping me back to my feet.

"It is not becoming of an Aura Master to lose their temper. I suppose that is the first piece of wisdom I shall impart on you. When a tantrum can result in unintended mass suffocation, it is important to keep a tight handle on one's emotions. A lesson I appear to have momentarily forgotten." A flask appeared in his hand, and he passed it to me. I twisted the cap off and took a deep swig. It tasted like some kind of delicious fruit juice, though not a flavour I recognised.

As it slid down my throat, a wave of cool, soothing energy spread through my body, washing away the lingering effects of the Aura ability.

"As much as I despise the fact my Essence fell into the hands of those cretins, I cannot lay the blame at your feet. I only hope you prove yourself an apprentice worthy of the time and effort I put into crafting it. Now, based on our conversation thus far, I'm assuming you know next to nothing about Aura?"

"Well…" I gave him a quick summary of my conversation with Professor Indagore. His eyebrows twitched slightly when I mentioned what Derek had said after the incident with the Trialists.

"A natural?" he said, some of his earlier disgruntlement fading.

"Maybe this won't end up being a monumental waste of time after all."

"So, how does this work? Are you going to teach me how to meditate and become one with the universe or something?"

"Teach you how to meditate?" he scoffed.

"Do you think I spent decades creating the Essence so that I could walk you through the basics of sitting still and breathing? No, boy. The entire point of the Essence is to bypass those early stages." He stared at me for a few seconds, then sighed.

"How do I explain this in a way that you'll understand? Fine. Let's go back to the box metaphor Professor Indagore used and build on it. Once the box is full and the natural limit surpassed, something new forms. Think of it as a sort of muscle, only it is of a spiritual nature rather than a physical one. As you continue to grow in power and cram even more inside that box, the muscle becomes stronger. The problem is, there's no link between it and the mind. It exists, but you can't feel it or use it.

The first stage of learning Aura Manipulation is establishing that link. It generally takes years of meditation – of slow and deliberate effort – to begin to forge even a tenuous connection. Only once that is done can someone begin to exercise the muscle and develop any real control. You do not have to suffer through that initial process. By absorbing my Essence, you are benefitting from millennia of knowledge and experience. It has forged that link between your mind and your Aura.

For you, it is now a matter of learning control. Think of it like grip strength. When you pick something up, you don't stop to calculate how hard to squeeze. You just know. That understanding comes from years of use. You do not currently have that experience when it comes to utilising your Aura. In your case, the road to mastery will be all about developing that control. Fortunately for you, the Essence will pave a clear path for you to follow."

He took a step towards me, raised a hand, and then flicked me sharply on the forehead.

"Oi, you ba–" The words died in my throat. With the flick, something stirred inside me. I suddenly became aware of an immense power within my chest. I knew instinctively that I could unleash it if I chose to do so. The worrying part was that I had no idea what would happen if I did. Aura Manipulation Novice Rank 1 Ability unlocked – Aura of Dread Exert your Aura to impose an overwhelming sense of dread upon your target. The intensity of the effect can be controlled.

"To ensure you don't walk around accidentally melting the brains of everyone you come across, the Essence imposes certain restrictions on your abilities," he said, pausing for a moment. His eyes grew vacant, and I had the sudden, uncomfortable feeling that he was rifling through my memories.

"Think of them like training wheels on a bicycle. Only this time, they're there to protect other people rather than yourself. You are currently a Rank 1 Novice. By using and learning to control the ability Aura of Dread, your rank will increase. Once you reach Rank 5, you will advance to the next tier of Aura Mastery and unlock a new ability." Aura of Dread? It sounded rather ominous. I couldn't wait to try it out, and I already had a few test subjects in mind who I thought would be perfect.

"Will I be as strong as you one day?" I asked.

"When your Aura was pressing down on me, it was terrifying." He let loose a great bark of laughter.

"Boy, do you think that was the extent of my power? This form is nothing more than a distant echo of my true being. If I were here in person – the real me – and lost my temper like that, every living thing on this planet would have been reduced to a mindless husk." Okay, that was even more terrifying. I was a little concerned by how much it excited me.

"So," I said.

"What should I call you?"

"My name is Elirion, the Weaver. You may call me Eli."

"I could call you Eli… however, considering the nature of our relationship, don't you think it's more appropriate that I call you Sensei?" He stared at me for a few moments and then sighed.

"That is not at all necessary, but if you wish to do so, I will not stop you." I put a fist to my palm and bowed.

"Oh, I think it is very necessary… Sensei."

"Well, I think that will do for now," he said. I was a little offended by the clear note of relief in his voice.

"You need to seek out opportunities to use Aura of Dread and start developing control over the amount of pressure you apply. If you need me for anything, you can summon me by thinking my name. My actual name. Not sensei." With that, he began to fade away until I was once again alone in the room. A thought immediately entered my mind. Elirion, the Weaver. A few moments later, the Aura Master reappeared, staring at me through narrowed eyes.

"Sorry," I said innocently, "I just wanted to make sure it worked." He sighed as he faded for a second time, the sound lingering in the room even after his physical form had vanished.