Chapter 4: The First Kill

Arthur allowed himself to connect more fully to Ember and Zephyr at the same time.

Dual Weave.

The two Harmonics were not naturally opposing, which made it easier to combine them, but using them simultaneously would increase the Dissonance cost greatly.

Arthur began by Deep Synchronizing with Ember. His consciousness tuned in to the transformation-and-heat resonance, until he was indistinguishable from the basic force of thermal energy itself. Then he synchronized with Zephyr. To do so, he had to become motion-and-freedom while retaining his link to heat.

The two Harmonics merged into something greater than either one alone.

Arthur's Dissonance increased to 470 points. The warning signals in his Cadence screamed in response to the excessive amount of Dissonance and the rapid pace of his actions. However, he now had the capability to perform the actions he wanted.

Plasma Bolt - an advanced dual-weave technique that combined superheated air and directed wind force to produce a projectile that burned and punched through targets with great kinetic force.

The creature charged again.

Arthur carefully crafted the Plasma Bolt. He compressed air and heat to create a sphere roughly the size of his fist. Then he fired the plasma bolt.

The Plasma Bolt screamed through the air.

Impact.

The Plasma Bolt had hit the creature in the chest, burning its fur and hide and imparting kinetic force to drive deep into the creature's muscles and bones.

The massive creature howled and wobbled, lurching to the side.

Black blood oozed from the wound.

But, the monster did not fall.

Arthur's Dissonance had reached 490 points. The pressure in his Cadence was becoming extreme. His vision blurred at the edges. Warm blood dripped from his nose.

Arthur had exceeded the safe levels for his damaged Cadence.

He needed to kill the creature.

So, he attempted to reach for the Bedrock Harmonic, while continuing to use Deep Sync despite the increase in Dissonance.

Stone Coffin - advanced manipulation of earth and stone to entrap the target completely.

Arthur used the technique once to trap a rogue Harmonist that was terrorizing a mining town during his Archmage examination. The technique required a tremendous amount of control and power.

Earth erupted around the spirit beast, the earth flowing like liquid before solidifying.

In three beats, the creature was completely trapped in a coffin of solid rock.

Arthur's Dissonance reached 510 points. He doubled over, gasping. Too much. He had pushed himself too hard. But the creature was contained. He could rest now, allow his Cadence to heal, and analyze the creature in order to determine how it was using Dissonance to generate its enhancements.

The stone cracked.

This was not minor cracks. The stone was fractured structurally in a manner that spread throughout the entire coffin. The creature within the coffin was moving, exerting incredible strength to push the stone apart.

The coffin shattered causing stone fragments to explode outward.

The creature emerged from the wreckage, shaking off debris.

The wound in the creature's chest was rapidly closing. The flesh was reforming.

That was impossible.

The Stone Coffin technique was a Deep Sync bedrock manipulation.

There should be nothing that could break it except for another Deep Sync practitioner.

It didn’t take long for Arthur to realize why.

The creatures were using Dissonance not simply to enhance their physical capabilities. They were manipulating it. Disrupting Harmonic manipulation through some method of applied Dissonance energy.

Brute force was not going to be effective.

The creature was too powerful, too resilient, too good at breaking through Harmonic manipulation.

Arthur needed to be creative and use theory rather than brute force.

He recalled all of the many years of study he had done.

Dissonance was inherently unstable. It built up because the act of forcing Cadence to harmonize with frequencies that it naturally did not align with created structural stress. That stress has to be released, otherwise it would cause catastrophic failure.

If the creatures were actually using Dissonance to generate their enhancements, turning it into an energy source rather than building-up as damage, there must be limitations. They must be tapping into some kind of external or internal reservoir to provide the energy to enhance themselves.

Arthur turned to Void Harmonic, reaching for the absence-and-negation frequency.

Another Deep Sync, with additional Dissonance caused Arthur's Cadence to scream in agony but he ignored it.

Void Negation Field - creates a sphere of space where other Harmonics could not operate, they were dampened, suppressed, and made ineffective.

Practitioners used it to suppress enemy Harmonic manipulations, to create areas where Resonance manipulation becomes almost impossible.

Arthur cast the field around the charging creature.

The creature immediately faltered, its enhanced movement slowed.

The Dissonance energy that had crackled along its fur dimmed.

Inside the Negation Field, it was cut off from the ambient Harmonics that permeate this world, so it could no longer tap into the energy source that provided its enhancements.

Arthur's hypothesis was correct.

The creatures were using the very high density of ambient Harmonics in some way, channeling it through that bizarre internal energy mechanism to generate their Dissonance enhancements.

Take away the Harmonics, take away the energy source, and the enhancements would fail.

Arthur's Dissonance had reached 520 points.

He released the Void Field, he couldn’t maintain it any longer without risking more damage to his Cadence, but it didn’t matter, it had done its job, the battle would be over before the beast could weaponize Dissonance again.

Arthur switched to Zephyr, Standard Sync only, it was the minimum amount of power that would be needed to end this.

Zephyr Blade, a basic technique, Arthur had learned it in his second year of the Academy, it was reliable, efficient, and effective against unarmoured targets.

The wind blade struck the spirit beast’s throat, severing the major blood vessels in the neck, instantly killing the beast.

It collapsed. Its yellow eyes dimmed, and the Dissoance energy that had crackled along its fur faded forever.

The beast was dead.

Arthur fell to his knees, gasping for air.

His Dissonance had reached 540 points, close enough to his reduced threshold of 600 that he could feel the proximity like a weight pressing down on his chest. His Cadence was raw, abused, and the scar tissue from last night's disaster pulsed with pain.

Close. It had been far too close.

The creature had been too resilient, too powerful, and too good at countering Standard Synchronization techniques. Arthur had needed Deep Sync techniques, multiple Harmonic Weaves, and specific theoretical knowledge. And even then, he had barely won.

If there had been two of these monstrous creatures instead of one, Arthur would be the one who was on the floor dead.

Arthur looked up, still breathing hard.

The merchant was on the floor staring at him, his mouth agape, his eyes wide.

The man was speaking in his strange, unintelligible language, his tone indicating a mix of awe and terror. Perhaps both.

The boy stood next to the overturned wagon, staring at Arthur as well. His expression was mostly blank, but Arthur saw a glimmer of curiosity there now. The child's dark eyes studied Arthur intently, trying to analyse the techniques he had used.

The merchant, awkwardly rising from the ground, brushed dirt from his colorful robes. He walked towards Arthur cautiously, as if he were approaching a potentially deadly creature.

When Arthur did not react, the merchant grew bolder. He pointed at the deceased creature. Then at Arthur. Then, with a series of extravagant hand gestures, he appeared to express gratitude.

Arthur nodded. A universally accepted gesture of acknowledgement. The merchant smiled broadly, appearing relieved.

The boy, however, remained watchful. Maintaining a safe distance. Arthur could see the boy's small hands were relaxed at his sides, but the boy was prepared to spring into action at the slightest provocation. Disciplined. Trained by someone knowledgeable.

Arthur's mind was racing, despite his exhaustion. He needed information. Needed to understand where he was, the rules of this world, and how magic functioned in this world. The boy was apparently using some type of power, and the creatures were as well. If Arthur could comprehend their method of operation, he may be able to adapt, survive, and possibly even discover a means to get back home.

Arthur wiped blood from his nose with the back of his hand. His robes were ripped, stained, and ruined. His body hurt from the creature's blow, and from the accumulation of Dissonance pressure. His Cadence felt like broken glass.

But he was alive. In a foreign world with foreign laws, surrounded by people whose language he did not know, and creatures that contravened every notion he had regarding Resonance Theory.

Arthur already had a thousand questions.

How did the creature utilize its Dissonance enhancement?

What was the unusual energy the child utilized?

Why were Harmonics so dense in this location?

Were these spirit creatures rare?

Did civilization exist nearby?

But those questions would need to wait, first he needed to deal with the locals.

The boy took a step closer to Arthur. Still calm. Still cautious. One small hand rose in a gesture that may have been a greeting or a signal of intent to attack. It was too difficult to tell.

Arthur remained on his knees, hands open and visible. He tried to appear harmless, which may have been easier considering that he looked like he just survived a landslide.

The merchant spoke again, more nonsense in the strange language.

Pointing at the dead beast, at Arthur, at the boy.

The boy's eyes remained fixed upon Arthur. Studying him. Interested, but cautious.

Arthur took a slow breath, feeling his Dissonance begin its gradual natural decay.

The ambient Harmonics were so strong here that he could probably accelerate recovery through meditation, but that would require enough trust to close his eyes, and he wasn't quite ready for that yet.

The boy said something, a single word in his strange language.

The inflection made it sound like a question.

Arthur had no idea what it meant so he shook his head slowly, gestured to his ears, and then shook his head again.

It was universal body language for "I don't understand what you’re saying”.

The merchant and the boy looked at each other. Some unspoken communication passed between them causing the boy's expression to shift slightly. It was still stoic, but the curiosity was more obvious now.

The merchant heaved himself to his feet, brushing dirt from his colorful robes. He walked over to Arthur carefully, moving like someone approaching a dangerous animal. When Arthur didn't bite, the man got bolder and gestured to the dead beast, then to Arthur, then made an elaborate series of hand gestures that seemed to indicate gratitude.

Arthur nodded.

The merchant beamed, tension leaving his round face.

The boy remained wary. Kept his distance. His small hands were relaxed at his sides, but Arthur could see he was ready to move instantly if needed. Professional. Disciplined. This child had been trained by someone who knew what they were doing.

Arthur needed answers. He needed to understand where he was, the laws governing this world, and how magic functioned here. The child was obviously manipulating some sort of power, as were the creatures. If Arthur could grasp their system, perhaps he could develop a means to adapt to the local environment, survive, and ultimately find a way to return home.

But first, he needed to establish communication with the people staring at him. A simple translation spell would suffice, however, as with any spell, it required Cadence, and he was currently low on Cadence.

So, the most logical thing to do right now would be to find a secure place to rest and allow his battered Cadence to start the long process of recovering. And finally, once he determined exactly where he was, he could experiment on his new test subjects.

How exciting!

The merchant was talking again, gesturing down the road toward something.

The boy glanced in that direction, then back at Arthur, and nodded once.

Arthur understood. The merchant was offering assistance, likely refuge.

While je appeared friendly enough and seemed grateful for Arthur's intervention, the question was, should he accept the offer?

Should he trust these strangers in an unfamiliar world?

Clearly, the potential for harm existed.

However, remaining isolated in a forest inhabited by creatures capable of shrugging off Standard Synchronization techniques presented a far greater risk to Arthur so he pushed himself to his feet and nodded his acceptance.

The merchant beamed again, quickly approaching the wagon, presumably to evaluate the extent of the damage.

The boy continued to stare at Arthur quietly. Silently. Analyzing.

Arthur returned the child's stare, remaining impassive.

Two practitioners from different worlds, utilizing vastly different forms of magic, studied each other across a gap of complete incomprehension.

The boy's eyes were old, too old for his youthful features.

This child had seen things, done things, that age the spirit.

Arthur wondered how his own eyes looked after all that had transpired. The forbidden research. The disastrous experiment. The dimensional displacement. The near-death experience in combat. All in under 24 hours.

Probably equally old.