Chapter 21 - Ripples On A Pond

                                                              Samris

Samris watched as Jiran moved between the three spiders, ensuring each was dead before limping back to the fire.

Would I believe this insanity for truth if someone told me the tale?

Not for a single second.

He shook his head with a small melancholic smile as familiar ruminations began to brew.

It’s ridiculous enough that we are even out here. Just because I had to fight as a child does not make it normal. Even in this place, so removed from the safety of the emperors, children are not made to fight. There is no point to it, before the third tier, before maturity, killing is completely unnecessary.

Why did I bring him? Am I doing the right thing, Master?

He’s already addicted to fighting. As if I wouldn’t recognize those eyes that shine with the desire to ascend. I should be trying to keep the boy safe, he could hold the key to everything. Yet I brought him out here, to what, repeat the ‘kindnesses’ of my father? Pathetic.

With stiff movements, the exceptional child retrieved his fallen leg of meat and took slow bites. Clearly, the injury on his back was causing him great pain yet for some reason Samris could not fathom, he did not ask for healing.

Why is he so different? I was nothing like him when I discovered my own Uniqueness. I barely remember anything beyond the celebrations. Until Father began to push me, wanting the perfect little warrior.

It wasn't all Father’s fault. I pushed myself as well. I yearned for him to be proud of me.

Such a foolish reason to kill.

Is Jiran the same?

No sense considering things unduly. The weaves of the child’s tapestry will be revealed eventually.

The child spoke, pulling Samris from his reminiscence.

“How many of these spiders did you say there are?”

Should I be concerned that he is turning wild already? He’s only tier one. It shouldn’t be possible for him to turn now that he’s survived his first tiering. There should be no danger until the fifth at the earliest.

Although, with how unusual his circumstances are, perhaps I should be concerned.

“Do you enjoy killing them, Jiran?” Paranoid he might accidentally charm the boy with his Unique skill, Samris made sure to keep his voice low.

The child adorned an expression of deep thought as he sat silently for some time.

This town, the forest, and the ocean are so different from Father’s palace. Would I have preferred to grow up here, in this untamed land?

Samris shuddered at the thought.

Certainly not. Regardless of how terrible my mistake was, I must find a way to cure myself and return to Havelsford.

Master, I pray you are right, and that you arrive soon. The boy needs guidance if he is to be of assistance in solving our shared curse.

“No, I’m excited to increase my attributes, to ascend into the second tier, and get a new skill. I don’t enjoy killing at all, it’s pretty gross and usually hurts,” Jiran lifted his sleeve covered in spider guts as an example.

A better answer than I would have given. Again the boy outshines me.

“You certainly appear to be enjoying yourself with that grin on your face. You seem to be having a great deal of fun.”

Insanity, to enjoy doing what five adults his tier would all die attempting to replicate. A single one of those spiders would annihilate the lot of them and he killed two with his bare hands.

Watching this madness cannot be good for my health.

I don’t want to think about the bearverine. That beast exhibited all the signs of tiering at any moment. Five peak tier two men would have likely failed to match it. Did I truly witness him spearing it into a tree like a worm on a hook?

Father was right. A child who knows not his limits will exceed them with ease.

Samris cast his gaze about the battlefield, his disbelief growing by the minute.

“Testing myself is fun. Hurting them and being hurt is not . I guess I enjoy the challenge and using mana is thrilling.

Such a strange child. He barely seems like one at all. At least I can rest assured he is not going wild. A healthy desire to ascend is hardly abnormal for those who have tasted power and lived.

“There are more than enough of the beasts for your needs then. You should be more concerned with luring them in groups small enough to not be overwhelmed.”

Why of all things would that statement make the child smile? Does he have a death wish? Is that his flaw? His own personal curse?

Master, please hurry. I’ll protect the boy with my life, but who will protect me from his insanity?

                                                              Jiran

Two weeks passed in a flash. The early hours of each day Jiran spent training the spear with Samris. The closer his attributes came to their tier one cap the harder he could push his body. Every day he was faster, more durable, and could practice longer before collapsing.

Afterward, he would fight waves of spiders until lack of density or injuries drove him to rest. The most frustrating part about his increased attributes was his mana that remained capped at a single point.

Samris forced him to walk home each day, regardless of how badly he was hurt.

“Pain is a fine instructor. Heed her lessons well.”

Evenings were spent eating as much food as he could cram down his throat. After that first day, he looked in annoyance at the familiar message in his status.

Further upgrades delayed due to lack of density

Knowing he needed to eat to increase his growth stat, Jiran spent the majority of his afternoons in the staff dining room, much to Sharaal’s frustration. Thankfully, Samris approved additional tier four meals even though he was no longer injured.

The high-density meals propelled him to 100% growth within a week and his attributes soon reached their caps. A feeling of being stuffed within and without, of a soft pressure that constantly reminded him he could ascend whenever he chose to.

Samris had strictly forbidden it, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he must wait for approval from his mysterious tutor.

“Each tiering is an opportunity, one that should not be taken lightly. There is more to be gained than numbers on your status, Jiran. It is common for seasoned warriors to spend seasons if not years perfecting themselves before allowing an ascent. Exercise patience as diligently as your body.”

With little else to occupy his time, he often found himself in the yard practicing mana control.

Today was no different.

First Father had just touched the horizon marking the end of the workday for most of Feylon. Jiran sat in peaceful meditation, preparing his Coating for the next densoon wave.

https://imgur.com/MtFmPMr 

He could feel the ambient density gently alighting on his arm. Millions of soft caresses, all eager to be claimed into mana with no more than a thought. He denied them all. His goal was a far more wild beast, one that so far refused to be claimed.

If I can absorb ambient density, I should be able to absorb the densoon waves. I just need to figure out how to make them cooperate. It must be possible.

The energy packed into the waves is so chaotic. It moves unpredictably and the way it oscillates between frequencies has no pattern that I can feel.

Maybe I need higher attributes. My wisdom and intelligence aren’t maxed yet. But they’re close enough that if they are what's stopping me, I don’t stand a chance of doing this at tier one.

The dark cloud he had been eyeing finally exploded and the anticipated wave of density crashed into his body. Jiran keenly felt the energy brushing against the coating of mana on his arm.

He tried claiming the randomly bucking density as if it were already inside of him. Having already tried this route many times, he was not surprised when there was no effect.

He lashed at it with his will. He put himself in a mental state of near death, trying to stimulate desperation and use those emotions to overpower the energy. The wave passed a minute later with him being no closer to victory.

It’s almost time for dinner.

One more wave.

Instead of focusing on what I’m doing, maybe I should focus on something else. Something that’s actually successful in absorbing the densoons energy.

The ground, trees, plants, and ocean are all able to absorb the energy just fine. What are they doing that I’m not?

Jiran thought hard about all the waves he had experienced so far. He remembered the world around him as the densoons struck.

They move, everything moves. The ground shakes and pebbles vibrate. The trees and plants shake like they are in a strong wind.

It can’t be that simple. Are the oscillating frequencies just movements that need to be matched? That makes sense though! If you drop two rocks into a still pond, their ripples reflect off of each other rather than joining together.

If I want to absorb the density, I need to match its ripple not create my own opposing one!

How can I match its movements? Running around wildly flailing my arms is bound to result in failure. I need something that can replicate those frequencies.

Like a tuning fork.

Jiran commanded his coating to form hundreds of minuscule spikes along the length of his arm like his skin was covered in nails. With a flexing of his will, he flicked the spikes, causing them to vibrate.

Not right at all. They need to be stiffer and longer. That’s what she said.

Focus!

Jiran adjusted the coating repeatedly and before he knew it, another wave was upon him. The violent Density crashed into his spikes and washed right past them.

This still isn’t right. It’s not a frequency like a sound but it’s definitely a wave, a ripple on a pond.

Finding sudden inspiration, Jiran forced the spikes down into undulating waves that ran across his skin. However, trying to match the chaotic Density washing over him was impossible. He decided to narrow his focus to just his hand.

He focused with every fiber of his being and something inside him shifted. The senses of his body ceased existing in a sense of before, now, and later. Thoughts of yesterday, a minute ago, tomorrow, the next wave, dinner, and everything else that was a typical distraction vanished.

Like a wild animal, he lived only in the moment, connected to the world through senses alone with a complete absence of thought.

The mana on his skin vibrated in tune with the waves in the air. Jiran felt a connection form with the densoons energy and he greedily claimed it.

When the wave passed, his mana was as full as the smile plastered on his face.

Jiran fell onto his back laughing like a madman.

I did it!

It was only for a moment, but in those few seconds, I gathered more mana than an hour of collecting ambient density.

All that was only from a single hand.

“Lord Feylon has requested your presence in the study, Jiran,” A soft voice interrupted his celebration.

Looking up, he watched as the girl retreated back into the safety of the manor without waiting for his response.

Good timing, I wonder if he will finally answer any of my questions if I tell him what I just did.

Hopping to his feet, Jiran moved at a brisk pace and soon found himself before the familiar door. As he reached for the handle, a slight itch in his neck preceded a foreboding feeling that washed through him.

Not understanding why he would be nervous, he brushed the feeling aside and entered the brightly lit room. He could smell the dinner Samris had already finished, reminding him of his own empty stomach.

"Good evening, Lord Samris," Jiran said after closing the door and watching the wards activate, trapping their voices within.

Jiran padded across the plush carpet to his usual chair and sat down. Samris set his pen on the desk, his sharp, golden eyes locked onto Jiran.

“You’re flushed, excited. Something has occurred.. Did you discover something about your uniqueness?”

"No Samris, at least I don’t think so. I’ve been trying to absorb density from the densoons. I haven't had any success until just now.

I pictured how waves of water interact with each other. Not wanting my mana to oppose the incoming wave, I tried to match their direction, force, and intent.

“The connection was unstable and I could only manage it on one hand. Yet the absorption rate of density was easily one hundred times greater than breathing," Jiran utterly failed to hide his proud smile.

"You absorbed mana… through your skin. One hundred times greater, and you say it was a flimsy connection?”

"The most challenging part was detecting the fluctuations in the ambient Density while simultaneously matching my mana to them. Honestly, I'm not sure how I did it."

Samris quirked an eyebrow at him in doubt.

He doesn’t believe me. Why would he, I have no idea how I did that.

The densoons are not like waves at a beach where I could reasonably predict when they will crash into me. It's more like a dozen shallow pools all interacting with one another at totally random times and in a random order.

Not only did I sense all those random movements, but somehow matched my mana with them.

Goosebumps covered Jiran's arms as he thought about going outside and trying again,. An unexplained phenomenon, a technique that even Samris had never heard of. Developing his own magic. The excitement in the room was palpable.

"Preposterous," Came a voice Jiran had never heard before.

Like a curtain being withdrawn, a shimmer in the air revealed the oldest man Jiran had ever seen.

https://imgur.com/MKB2r2J