Chương 24: Chapter 25: Shaper

Father handed me a hefty sandwich as I finished recounting the surreal nightmare to Mum. I had no other choice. She refused to answer any of my questions regarding my awakening until I told her about it.

"Is this like the nightmares you used to have when you were young?" I blinked, then shook my head. For one thing, I couldn't recall any of those nightmares. However, the one I had just woken from remained fresh in my mind—the details too significant for me to even differentiate between reality and dream.

"I don't know," I told her.

"I can't recall them well." Her expression grew pensive.

"I'm fine, though," I said.

"It was just weird and… disturbing." That did not ease her worry whatsoever. Knowing that nothing I said would quell her concern, I took a bite of the beefy sandwich. The whole experience had left me thoroughly ravenous. Taking another huge bite, I called upon my profile. The minute change in the mark on my left palm did not go unnoticed either. It wasn't a huge difference, though it looked far more detailed upon closer inspection. The wheels were more distinct now. But not more important than my Profile.

[Profile] Arilyn Arcis O'Ryon Path: Shaper (Common Class) Honours: Wunderkind (Noble) Aspects: Influence: +1 Weight: +1 Will: +1 Attributes [7/8] (Unallocated Points: 53) Arcane Acuity (Advanced): +30 Split Focus (Advanced): +57 Fortitude (Advanced): +4 Cognition (Elementary): +30 Alacrity (Elementary): +10 Body Coordination (Elementary): +4 Agility (Elementary): +6 Gift: Fractal Soul Ways: In progress: Meditations IX (2956/5000) | Essence Sense VIII (1128/2500) | Essence Unification VI (251/500) | Engraving V (127/250) | Duelling I (1/10) | Swordsmanship II (192/1000) | Armed Combat I (92/100) | Balance II (993/1000) | Ambidexterity I (92/100) | Swimming I (81/100) | Education III (7382/10000) | Sneak II (267/1000) | Evasion III (1862/10000) | Music II (149/1000) | Painting II (112/1000) | Archery III (1321/10000) | Pain Tolerance I (1/10) | Arcane Resistance I (1/10) | Essence Weaving I (1/10) | Self-Mastery (2/10) | Perseverance III (39/50) | Fractal Sight II (18/25) First things first, I needed some explanation on the aspects.

As far as I could tell, Weight didn't measure my actual weight but some kind of magical weight that I did not yet understand. Influence was probably something I could wrap my head around if I tried, whereas Mum had already explained Will before. In layman's terms, if essence was the fuel for magic, Will was the power to command that fuel. My gift, Fractal Soul, remained unchanged, though it felt like I could finally bend it to my will.

It would require some experimentation, but I had high hopes after the improvement in Fractal Sight. However I wondered, would it only allow me to see essence patterns and weaves? That was another question for later. My eyes skimmed over the new Ways I now had access to, finally landing on Essence Unification. In the last couple of hours, it had increased by 21, which proved that it didn't simply track the hours I practised, as I had initially thought.

Much like Rune Engraving, it too was likely divided into Elementary, Advanced, and Greater tiers. All in all, it didn't seem like much had changed in my status phase. There was no tab for Essence Seed or for the eight threads of essence, I now controlled.

"Your profile won't show you everything that has changed inside you." Mother's voice pulled me from my study, and I shot her an inquisitive look.

"Young Awakened always think their profile exhibits everything about themselves," she said, shaking her head dismissively.

"It's merely a glorified progression tracker—nothing more, nothing less. I'm not saying it's unhelpful; no, it is immeasurably useful in producing elite Awakened. But there are always fools who obsess over the numbers and forget about the person they are." While I didn't fully understand her, I saw where she was coming from. That didn't stop me from asking, "So what else is there about me?"

"Finish your meal, and I will tell you. You need a change of clothing too, and a bath." She was right about that. My tunic and trousers were completely soiled, and a layer of sweat and grime covered my entire form, an icky reek wafting off me. I finished my sandwich before darting into the washroom. Even after cleaning myself off, my stomach felt as if it could take a few more sandwiches. It took a great deal of restraint not to attempt to manipulate the water.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. On that note, most Awakened on the Path of Shaper had an element attuned to them. Shapers of Earth could channel their energy to manipulate soil and stone, while there were also Shapers of Water, Light, Fire, and other elements. That seemed like important enough information to be included in the profile. Or did it mean my path was different?

Sometime after refreshing myself, changing into clean clothes, and devouring a couple more sandwiches, I finally asked Mum that very question.

"A Shaper can be whatever they want to be," Mother answered cryptically. I detested answers like that, but I liked the sound of it, even if I didn't fully understand.

"Some are born with a definitive affinity for a certain element," she explained.

"Others are attuned to more than one. Some choose a single element to master, and as their path grows into noble and prestigious classes, they become Shapers of different elements."

"So my profile doesn't show one element because I have more than one?" I asked, my chest rising with anticipation. She nodded.

"How do I know what my elements are?"

"Of course, by training them."

"Are there no tests or rituals to measure them?" Like instantly.

"There are some tools," she admitted, pausing.

"But they are highly unreliable. You'd get a more definitive answer through practice than through those devices, which barely measure your current capacity rather than the potential you have within you." But wouldn't it take a long time to figure out which element I had the highest affinity for?

"Awakened do tend to inherit their parents' highest affinity initially," Father interjected, craning his neck towards Mum.

"So, I'd guess Fire and Metal for you."

"And Kinetic Force," Mother added with a lopsided smile.

"Which may give you a better hand at telekinesis."

"I can move objects with my mind?" I said, jumping to my feet.

"That's not entirely accurate," Mother said.

"But yes, considering you weave essence with your mind and Will, it wouldn't be wrong to say that you move objects with your mind."

"Can you teach me?" I asked eagerly. I wanted to learn it right now, right here. I had seen Mother move objects without using her hands—far too often, in fact.

"I will," she assured me.

"But before that, we should determine your essence type."

"Essence type?" I arched an eyebrow.

"As you know, different paths have different types of essence," Mum explained.

"Since you walk the path of a Shaper, you'll likely have Arcane types, such as Transference, Transformation, or Enchantment." I narrowed my eyes. This was the first time I was hearing about these types, even though I knew different Paths had different kinds of essence attuned to them.

"Which one do you have?" I asked.

"High Enchantment," Mum said.

"And Transference." I frowned, turning towards Father with an inquisitive look.

"I didn't even know these types existed before I met her," he admitted, tilting his head towards Mum.

"According to her, mine is just the most common. Enhancement."

"What does each type do?"

"There's a broad answer and a simple one. I won't bore you with the broad one now," Mum said, and we both listened like heedless sheep.

"Enchantment is the crafter's essence, Enhancement is the brute's essence, whereas Transference and Transformation are the more arcane types. They're best for elemental shaping, healing, and other wizardry. There are a few rare types, like Dream Essence and Midnight Essence, as well as many subtypes, but those four are the fundamental ones."

"I see," I said, though the explanation didn't completely clear up my confusion.

"Let's find out your essence type first, Pumpkin. Then we can discuss it all night if you like." By all night, she meant until it was bedtime. But I was too eager to find my own type and get the answer to my questions to point out the stupid thing.

"How do we go about it?"

"There are several methods," Mum said, her eyes narrowing towards the pendant on my neck.

"But the easiest would be to test with the pendant Emi gave you. Infuse your essence into it, and you'll know." How could a pendant help determine my essence type? I didn't know the answer, but I held the phoenix pendant in my palm and attempted to infuse my essence into it. I was so used to drawing essence inward that it felt unnatural to push it outside. I channelled my essence and willed the threads to extend from my body. But the moment they reached my skin, they met with terrible resistance.

With careful visualisation and Will, I pushed through. Thin strands of essence threaded out from my palm, extending outward. All eight of my green essence threads emerged from my hand and entered the pendant. Slowly, the pendant began to absorb tiny bits of my essence, the flow steady through the threads. A corner of the phoenix's white wing changed to a hue of green. [A new Way is available: Influence Manipulation I (0/10)] [A new Way is available: Weight Distribution I (0/10)]"What?"

I blinked, unsure what I had done to prompt these new Ways. I looked up at Mum, and her eyes widened as she peered at the pendant—or rather, at the green hue it had adopted after absorbing my essence. I wasn't sure what this phenomenon meant, but I hesitated, uncertain whether I should continue feeding my essence to the little phoenix.

"Well?" I nudged her. Mum inhaled sharply, as if she had just remembered to breathe.

"Well, Transference is expected since it's the regular essence type for Shapers," she muttered.

"But I didn't expect you to have two more."

"What are they?" I urged.

"Transformation," she said with a bright smile, her voice filled with excitement, "and Enchantment. Do you know what that means?" I could guess, but I let her continue.

"It means you can pursue the higher path of essence weaving and runesmithing." There was a childlike joy in Mum's expression as she said that. She was thrilled to realise she could finally teach me more about artificing and her path. I shared her enthusiasm, but I couldn't help glancing at Father. He smiled warmly.

"Congrats, son," he said.

"As far as I know, most Shapers have two types. Three is rare even among them." I was still unsure how the pendant changing to green explained my essence types, but that question could wait. Instead, I asked the one that was clawing at my throat.

"While I was feeding essence into the pendant, I received notifications about two new Ways."

"Let me guess," Mum interjected.

"Weight Distribution and Influence Manipulation?" My eyes widened. She had guessed correctly. It made sense that she'd know, being raised among Shapers, but then I remembered—she had Transference essence too, which she said to be common for Shapers.

"Mum… are you a Shaper?" I asked, my expression a mix of surprise and confusion. Her lips curled into a knowing smile, as if saying, You just figured that out?

"Depends on your definition of a Shaper, Pumpkin," she said.

"If you imagine a magus, binding all elements of nature and reshaping the world as they see fit, then no, I am not one." But she still had Transference essence, wielded objects with telekinesis, and cast spells through runes. Those were all capabilities of a Shaper. But I had also seen her carry boulders with her bare hands.

"What path did you Awaken?" I asked. She laughed.

"It's adorable how your skills are years ahead of your age, yet your knowledge remains the same. I suppose that's my fault." She shook her head and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"You see, a Shaper can be anything—a magus, a knight, a healer, or, in my case, a runesmith."