Avaln closed his eyes and cursed internally at his lack of caution, guessing by her tone that such a thing wasn’t normal… yet having already disclosed his skills, lying now was pointless. “I recharge them every three days.”

The elderly woman refuged her face in the palm of her hand. “Fuck. You are not lying.” She looked at Rei. “Little Ri, could you go talk to your aunt and ask her for the herbs I planted in her yard? The ones with the red leaves. I feel a headache coming up.”

Rei nodded, not without furrowing her own brow in doubt, and soon went out the door. Once they were alone, grandma Mira crossed her arms and stared at Avaln, almost hostile. “I will not ask who taught you or how you learnt those skills of yours, but it seems you lack even the most basic common sense to hide them.”

Avaln smiled awkwardly at that remark, for it was true. Despite having been caught with his guard down, he quickly surmised it would have been only a matter of time before someone noticed his abilities and came inquiring about them; or worse, came to bring trouble for him to acquire them. As they say, a person may look straight ahead, until they catch something shiny through the corners of their eyes.

“I don’t want questions, I don’t want doubts.” Mira spat, then she closed her eyes, as if finally choosing a course of action. “I want you to listen. Can you do that?”

Avaln lifted an eyebrow, yet answered all the same, “I can.”

“Good. I’m going to tell you about the basics of spellcasting and its current limitations, which may or may not apply to you.” She met his eyes once again. “Little Ri will come back in just a drop of time, so I’ll be brief. Understand?”

Avaln nodded, and bent over the table slightly and unconsciously, curious. What she was offering him right now was precisely the solution to one of his main problems, so how could he refuse?

And so she did. True to her word, her explanation was brief, cohesive, yet incredibly detailed. Avaln couldn’t help but wonder how it was possible for her to have such a perfect understanding of spellcasting, yet need his help to defend the village…

But before anything dared come out of his mouth, he also realized only trust could allow her to reveal such knowledge, expecting no questions. And he wasn’t about to betray such trust, for behind Mira’s, there was also Rei’s.

Avaln opened his eyes again, away from his memories, back in the middle of the present night. Thanks to Mira’s teachings, he not only gained a better understanding of the strengths of his Runecasting, but also a better comprehension of Essence beyond what he expected…

Just like Mira said, to find the difference between lifeforce and mana through one’s seventh sense, was something which could not be found unless one knew what they were looking for. In his case, it took him three days to find it, which caught him by surprise. At first, Avaln thought that given the strength of his seventh sense such a task would be easy… yet all he could perceive was but the clover-like shape of his Essence circulation, no distinction to see inside its stream.

After the second day of trying, he pondered if he shouldn’t confide in grandma Mira about his troubles, even if that meant disclosing even more of his unusual skills. The water was already all the way up to his knees, anyway. Yet on the third day, he attempted something different: instead of focusing on his own, he looked at the spear’s artificial circulation instead.

His logic was thus: If the Essence of living beings was supposed to be composed of lifeforce and mana, shouldn’t the one inside the demon boar spear also present such characteristics? Even if it wasn’t technically a living being, its unique traits were precisely due to possessing the demonic Essence of the beast that gave it its name.

And to his surprise, to find the two inside the weapon went as smoothly as the fall of a feather. Excited, something akin to lightning ran through him as he felt how a part of his mind stirred before new comprehension…

And so, he poured some of his Essence inside the spear, his grey quickly nurturing the black… and followed that grey flow back to its source: his own body. He did so guided by a sudden, formless idea in his head, resembling instinct.

It felt like taking a step back to admire a bigger picture.

“It is said that the body is a vessel for the soul, while the soul is a vessel for one’s Essence… But this understanding, albeit not incorrect, is flawed. It is not in Essence’s nature to be static, hence it cannot remain in the soul for long.” Sgithe’s teachings, echoing from his memories.

He finally understood what his mistake had been.

What he knew as Essence circulation wasn’t what most people believed it to be, which made perfect sense given that he could only perceive his own thanks to Sgithe’s guidance, a person whose knowledge and means were beyond profound.

But the truth was that both understandings were just pieces of the same puzzle, and his approach had been like learning to run before learning to walk.

For as he took that imaginary step back, his clover-shaped circulation faded from view, replaced by a new one that, as if formed by veins, flowed through his body, through every muscle, through every bone...

And of course, it was composed of what grandma Mira told him: lifeforce and mana.

Yet if he followed Sgithe’s instructions, controlling his breathing and seventh sense, that circulation would then also fade from view, replaced by his clover-shaped one, leaving no signs of the previous one ever existing.

Even now, as he took hold of that ivory spear once again, he could feel himself getting dizzy when having to switch between them, as if perceiving them both was something beyond his capabilities.

His head shook in disbelief. Even if weeks had passed since he made that discovery, the facts were still incredible to him.

“Don’t depend on my knowledge too much.” Had been her advice, and now he finally understood the reason behind it. There were truths that could only be discovered through other’s points of view. And now he knew…

The Essence of a living being circulated in a complex, layered structure.

In fact, he recalled, he’d seen a hint of that structure when he treated Rei’s wounds, albeit instinctively.

He could only infer, given his lack of knowledge, that what common adventurers believed to be the Essence inside the soul, circulating through one’s body, was just a part of the whole.

Yet unknown to them, this second layer existed, and Avaln had been able to perceive it through his seventh sense since it awoke; so he recalled when he met Rei, as he saw in her an ‘0’ shaped circulation.

There were just so many things he didn’t know…

He sighed, and shook his head once again, returning to facts he could control. There were many things to which he was ignorant, and to worry about them would help him naught, aside from giving him a headache. Instead, he made a last check of what he actually knew.

For after weeks of tests, he realized two things:

From the start, he had been pouring the Essence circulating through his body into his runes, while his clover-shaped circulation helped him recover the spent mana.

Second, he recalled said circulation was at the Second Ascension Phase, and he could only surmise that, the same way it strengthened his soul and body, it also directly affected his body circulation, enhancing it.

Yet so far, such action was passive, and he had no way to control it given that his own conscience was incapable of perceiving both circulations at the same time.

He sighed, and moved his shoulders, finally starting to feel the sharp teeth of the cold entering the warmth of his body, and quickly put his shirt back on. Once done, his seventh sense went back to the spear, and after standing up and taking a stance, his mind summarized what he’d learnt that night, the movements still fresh on his tired muscles.

If lifeforce was the flame, and mana was the heat… that meant there was a subtle yet definite distinction between instinctively pouring his Essence, and intently pouring his mana.

The fallen trees; the dark, corroded bark, was the result of his control over Essence achieving a new, more exquisite level. Through his tests, he became able to pour mana inside the spear… and influence the spear’s. Through further practice, he learnt to spur that mana with intent and purpose.

What before was just a passive effect, became an active attack.

If someone with enough knowledge had been witness to Avaln’s inner thoughts that night, they would have recognized them as the first steps an adventurer takes towards learning how to manifest their Essence.

If an expert had seen the aftermath of his training, they would have realized such steps had been successful. Yet Avaln would have been oblivious to it, for such an expert would have the means to hide themselves from a seventh sense many times stronger than his.

As such, that night, he alone clenched his hand into a fist, and smiled.

Another step.

Biting her lower lip was a habit of hers. She would do so unconsciously every time she became focused on something.

Right there, behind an almost imperceptible curtain of yellow light, her green, dark eyes followed the traces her fingers drew in the air with practiced attention, symbols of power and command actually invisible to the naked eye, yet not to her. As a peak Tempered Essence realm adventurer, not only could she feel them through her seventh sense, but hers had also already reached the fusion stage, and was now able to glimpse a faint color coming from the essence surrounding her.

The basic sense fusioned with the seventh one was a matter of aptitude and luck, eyesight being regarded as the most useful, yet that wasn’t at all the reason behind her focus.

Spellcasting is an art similar to painting. Her teacher once said, and as practice and experience became wisdom, she realized there could be no better analogy.

The same way a smile could mean different things just by drawing it wider, if a line was slightly larger, a curve too round or a space just a speck too broad, it could alter the meaning of a symbol, and from a larger perspective, have an effect on the resulting spell. Sometimes, an error could be dismissed; sometimes, it could cost the caster’s life.

Before such consequences, who wouldn’t be careful?

However, Alice’s fingertips deftly danced as her hand waved with intent behind every move. The Domain of Magic needed its disciples to train their mind to perfection; their memory, visual and lasting. And the pendulum hanging from her satchel’s belt showed exactly that: She was an Archon, a recognized member from The Tower whose aptitude towards spellcasting was at the top of her generation.

What were mere demonized pigs before her control over fire Essence?

“Burn and devour, Erinyes!” she waved her hand away, finishing the last stroke.

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the drawing in front of her became engulfed in flames, licking the many symbols composing that complex spell she herself had developed: the fire serpent, Erinyes.

The flames circled in a spiral, then joined and formed the head of a giant snake, who soon began to sway and hiss as if alive, staring at its prey...

Staring at the dozens of visible demon boars still blocking the entrance, after a whole month.

“Go!” She ordered, pointing forward.

The fire beast obeyed, biting towards the closest target without hesitation, its fangs impaling the creature only to burn it to ashes in the middle of boiling blood and high-pitched cries. Then, after swelling its form with mighty presence, spat a fireball towards the second nearest, its fate decided the moment it became prey.

Alice watched the result, then deftly added a few symbols to the spell, increasing the serpent’s size. “Alary! Get ready to bring in some fresh air!”

A blonde ponytail swayed behind the spell caster, and an ivory sword adorned with a green, crystal guard was unsheathed. “Ready!”

The serpent, under the commands of its master, took a deep breath then exhaled a long torrent of flames, reaching the demon boars huddled together at the other end of the cave, trying to stay out of range. The rock shook, and Alary’s features grimaced before the high-pitched squeals of pain that ran throughout the cave.

But her mental strength was not affected, and soon held her sword in front of her, focusing on her own Essence and its movements. Since she reached the Manifested Essence Realm, a whole new world had opened before her… for she became able to materialize her wind element outside her body, and unlike others, hers was always present, no matter the place.

It could be said she held a great advantage over the average adventurer thanks to this, for even there, in the middle of a cave so deep it could reach the very Underworld, she could still make use of her own Essence to move the wind, be it for attacking, or allowing Alice to use her magic with almost no restriction.

And so, the smoke and ashes quickly floated outwards, replaced by a fresh air one could not hope to breathe otherwise. Not there.

Yet the grimace in Alary’s expression did not fade.

It was even mirrored by her allies.

For once the smoke cleared, they were able to see how dozens of demon boars rushed in, some getting dangerously close to the barrier protecting them…

A barrier that had long lost its terrifying power. Something which the one commanding those beasts should not find out.

“Stop that beast!”

“Erinyes!”

The serpent took a deep breath, then released a river of flames that melted the rock right beneath it, spreading a fan of fire which collided against the approaching threats, reducing them to burnt pieces of flesh. Once the torrent ended, the rest of demon boars halted their advance, and remained at the entrance, watching them intently.

It seemed the death of their own species had been enough of a deterrent. For now.

Alice wiped the sweat off her forehead, an action mirrored by her friend behind her, and more out of relief than from the rising temperature and glowing rocks.

“We managed… somehow.”

Alary sighed, thinking that momentary respite would not last. “How long can you keep Erinyes summoned?”

Her friend shook her head. “A day, at most. Half a day if I have to keep them at bay like just now.”

She nodded, understanding, then with a swift side-step, turned around. “Harold, how many mana potions do we have left?”

The man named Harold rested against a wall, with his towershield and mace right by his side. “Two. I’m glad Miss Dothein had the vision of bringing some with her, for our supplies and potions must be splattered back at our camp.”

Alary turned to look back at her friend, who before her gaze could only shrug, guessing her question. “Three days at most, two if battle arises.”

“Good. Harold, hand her one. A day should suffice for now. “She made a gesture to sheath her sword, then thought better and halted her action. Having Alice’s fire serpent out meant she may need to create a current again, and her sword’s mana was perfect to enhance her abilities. Otherwise, it would be too draining for her alone.

Despite having reached the Manifested Essence realm, she was far from being strong enough. She had seen the power of those above, and her own father had reached the Brilliant Essence realm.

“Squad leader, if I may.” Harold spoke then, halting her thoughts.

Alary nodded.

“I have an idea.”