Ascension - (Alarian Warriors)

Aveyon soon encountered Erosvent on her travels, it seems he had been spending his time checking the new warding he had installed to the Sanctuary’s stone walls. She found that this was to prevent anyone from causing any harm within its walls.

It was a powerful spell that required a lot of work from various parties. If harm was done to anyone, either initially or not, they would be expelled, forced outside of the Sanctuary’s walls.

“Care to witness a test?” He asked.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, she nodded. He proceeded to use her as a test catalyst, with her permission, to show her how worked.

Zero had volunteered as a tribute. He apologized profusely before his face turned to a stern expression. He assaulted her mind quickly and hard.

The moment his mind impacted hers she felt an excruciating pain, but it only lasted a mere second. However, he was sent flying and expelled from the room as the walls burst alive with glowing runes. He was dragged by an unseen force all the way to the front gates, then jerked over iron them like a rag doll before being thrown to the ground with a mighty thud. “How in the world did you enable it in such a way that no walls are damaged?” she asked as Zero was groaning in pain on the other side of the gate.

“Ah! Good question, we have engraved wards on every wall of the structure, the spell recognizes those wards and moves the threat around them not through them, we really didn’t want holes in the pillars.” Erosvent cackled as he watched Zero stand.

“What if someone is trying to get into someone’s mind from outside the sanctuary though?” She queried since that was the actual threat to her at this very moment.

“For that, we stole a little something from that bastard that held you.”

She tilted her head intrigued.

“He had the whole house cloaked; it was like no living thing could be sensed inside.” He placed his hand on his hips and smirked. “We reconstructed it for our own perhaps. Now, we are also cloaked and protected from harm, this Ashera can no longer find you, though only when you’re here.”

“He’s right.” Zero was standing on the other side of the gate, outside the boundaries of the spells with his hand on his temple. “I can’t sense you at all, I can’t find your mind even though you’re standing right there.”

“The spells just need to be topped up with essence, every couple of weeks or they will run out, not too major of an upkeep to have running on such a large structure,” Eros added motioning for Zero to come back inside.

“You say that, but how many people did you drain to get this up?” she asked rolling her eyes.

He laughed nervously. “Only about a dozen, but they all volunteered.”

Shaking her head, she was honestly amazed by what they had accomplished while she was in her dreamless slumber. The Sanctuary seemed to live up to its name even more now.

“What of physical harm?” She incurred.

He looked at her with a smile. “We didn’t leave it out.” Zero walked through the gates as Eros opened them for him.

“Hit me!” He instructed, egging the Alarian on.

Zero groaned in protest. “Really?”

Sighing, he threw a weak attempt at a punch. Nothing happened when his fist bumped into Erosvent’s shoulder lightly.

Eros raised a brow at him. “Even the wards thought that was a pathetic excuse for a punch.”

Zero then took a full-powered swing at Erosvent, it looked like it impacted but his fist was stopped mere inches from Erosvent’s face. Zero cringed and gasped as he yanked his hand back and shook it as if in pain.

“All are protected from harm within these walls,” Eros explained, turning back to Aveyon. “However, not everybody that comes here is in a sane mind, I didn’t want to expel those that don’t mean to cause harm but can. This way we are protected but can also still help those that need it. But for those that wish to manipulate others, they will be expelled, such behaviour is not tolerated.”

As the boys began to banter over who should be the next test subject for display purposes, Aveyon quickly edged away and headed for the garden. She recalled Emerald saying she was teaching.

There was no harm in tagging along for a lesson or two, right? Spotting the hedged entrance, she entered without hesitation. There, she found the children tending to the plants at the elf’s instruction.

“You’re up!” Riku flung herself at Aveyon as she approached. She recoiled awkwardly before patting the girl on the head.

“You, you have markings?” Aveyon noted looking at the small black tattoo-like lines that could just be seen under the girl's shirt collar.

Riku released Aveyon and flushed red in the cheeks. “Emerald is helping me. I’m coming of age, so they will only become more visible as I grow.”

“You really are getting stripes as you get stronger,” Aveyon remarked.

“It’s not like I want them, markings they... they draw attention.” Riku saddened.

“What exactly are they?”

“They develop and appear as I discover my druid forms, the first lot appearing means I can start to learn to shift, my first form is unlocked.”

“A druid?” Aveyon wasn’t exactly sure what that was. “Like a shapeshifter?”

She nodded looking ashamed. “I... I can’t manage to do anything yet though; I can’t wield essence or transform at all.”

“Child, you are still young, you have many years to try.”

Riku looked up at her and smiled. “Small steps, right?”

Aveyon saw a vast amount of determination reflected in the young girl’s eyes. In the short time she had been asleep Riku had grown and matured a great deal in body and soul. “Indeed.” She responded.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you? On your quest?” Riku asked.

Aveyon knelt so she could be eye to-eye with her. The child was very perceptive, she hadn’t told anyone yet that she planned on leaving as soon as Vincent had returned. “Yes, I do not believe I will be back any time soon.”

“I will train hard, so I can come help when I’m taller! Just you wait!” Riku jumped on the spot, clearly excited.

“Do not rush yourself, best to be overly prepared than overwhelmed,” Aveyon commented.

Riku nodded, turning serious. “Anyway, what brings you to the lesson?”

Aveyon looked to Emerald who was instructing another child on how to sense essence. “I am here the same as you, to learn.”

Emerald noticed her friend approaching with Riku in hand but didn’t stop the lesson. Aveyon had always shown an interest in learning to use and wield essence. But they hadn’t had a lot of time in captivity to really explore what the Alarian Princess was capable of. Their cap had made it abundantly difficult with her collar, which restrained and blocked essence entirely.

But now, Emerald had the chance to pass on her teachings not only to the next generation but to those that needed it. Aveyon knew Emerald was passionate about teaching. She looked like she belonged here, she looked so natural with the children, showing them what to do step by step.

“Every living thing around us contains an essence of life. People who don’t understand, or those who can’t sense this essence, often call such a display magic. But it is far from magic, magic is something that cannot be explained, often myth. You must always be careful and notice the limit of the life essence in the objects around you, and most of all, the pool of essence within yourself.” Emerald was graceful with her movements as her hands flowed through the air as she explained.

Picking up a potted plant she placed it in front of her. “This young bud, it does not have much essence as it’s small and not fully formed, take too much essence from it...” She placed her hands over the small potted plant, drawing the life essence from it into a small ball of light that rested in her palm, the plant withered and appeared to almost die. “...and it cannot sustain itself.” She allowed the light to flow back into the plant and it perked itself back up again, as if nothing had happened.

“Your activity for today is to feel how much essence you can take from the plant, without it withering away to nothing. Of course, this may take a few tries and do not fret if you can’t do it at first. All I want you to do is simply feel the essence in the small body of the plant.”

With a wave of her hand, Emerald pushed several potted plants with a gust of wind in front of all the sitting figures, including Aveyon.

“When do we get to learn to do that?! With the wind!?” One of the children remarked excitedly.

“When you can pull essence from something without harming it.” Emerald eyed the eager child. “That withered plant could be your body if you can’t control and feel your limits.” She remarked causing the child to flinch at the thought.

Aveyon studied the plant before her, wielding essence looked so easy when other people did it. But to pull only the smallest amount from this plant was certainly a task.

She understood that when she used her telepathic abilities it drained her essence. But how much she actually had to use; she didn’t know.

The level of control needed to stop yourself from drawing to much out was enormous, and many people have killed themselves not knowing when to stop. How are you meant to know before it’s too late, and how much is too much?

That was ultimately the point of this lesson. She frowned and looked at the other children to see what they were doing.

She heard Emerald giggle softly from behind her. The elf sat down behind her, Aveyon looked over her shoulder confused. Emerald took hold of the princess’s hands and placed them only inches away from the plant in front of her.

“Close your eyes,” Emerald whispered to her, and she obeyed.

“Focus on the plant. Feel where it is, not by touch or sight, find it in the darkness of your mind.”

Aveyon took a few slow deep breaths and pictured the plant that lay in the space between her fingers.

“Do you see it?”

Aveyon nodded.

“Now picture what the essence looks like inside it.”

Following the elf’s instructions, the image of the plant began to glow softly, it was a dull soft glow that seemed eager to brighten.

“When you see it, begin to draw it into your palms and stop when you feel you should. Use the light you see in your mind as an indication.”

Focusing only on the plant, her fingers twitched under Emeralds as she allowed her body’s own essence to connect and call to the plants. It was the strangest sensation. Something she had never experienced before.

It was a warm feeling that lingered on the tips of her fingers. She called the soft glowing light from the plant to her, allowing it to flow to her hands. She cut the connection as the light was about to fade out completely. A dull flicker remained with the plant and Aveyon opened her eyes to study her hands.

Her fingertips were glowing with small strands of light, bringing her hands together she merged the soft lights into a small orb. She smiled, feeling accomplished. The plant was slightly duller in colour and drooped a little, but it had not withered.

“With more practice, it will become second nature, and you’ll be able to see within yourself and how much you can draw out without fainting or worse...” The elf trailed off.

“Thanks, Emerald. I will keep practising.” Aveyon responded sincerely.

Emerald moved on to help the other children, leaving her to focus on giving the essence back to the plant. Aveyon returned the ball of life to the plant and continued to practice what she had learned. Pulling the light from the small plant and replacing it. She slowly got faster and was soon able to go it without closing her eyes.

Emerald’s lesson continued for several hours. Covering many aspects, including the elements, and how they had a huge part to play in the way essence works. How it can be welded as a weapon or used for healing.

It was consistently repeated that life essence was a part of everything around them, but to use it you must fuse it with an element. In a sense, knitting the fibers together and bending it to your will. It took a lot of concentration and of course a strong mind.

The children were eager to find what elements they would fuse with their own essence. But Emerald was very stern on control first, without a strong fountain, the elements could rip you apart from the inside.

Aveyon soaked in the information, holding onto it tightly, knowing that she would need it in the coming days.