An unnatural sight. Daiden described what he witnessed as an unnatural sight. With his head raised, he fixated on the clouds in a swirl – dark and charged with electricity. It felt thicker than the first time. The accumulated aeter emanated a pressure much like the depths of an ocean. It pressed and suffocated. The clouds grumbled as Magellan stared towards the heavens, his eyes in a glow. The dwarven warrior pulled from the currents, merely sparks at first, and then lightning, with enough power to unsettle the earth. His metal soles sunk into the moist soil at the sound of thunder, a warning. With another crackle, the lightning struck them again.
Daiden gulped and stepped away, overcome with instinctual fear. He watched as Magellan swallowed the aeter-made disaster, swelling with a golden aura. It resembled the presence of royalty. The dwarf’s beard bristled as an involuntary response to the electricity; his eyes trembled with raw energy – pure and uncontrolled. Magellan masterfully guided the aeter to veil both him and Aelius. He growled and then struck the ground, dispersing into non-existence entirely. Daiden lowered to the blackened site, soot and dirt afloat and around him. He shivered.
“To control the elements; this is more than a second chance at life!” thought Daiden, once alone. “It’s not going to be easy, not at all, finding a place here.”
With a deep exhale, Daiden relieved his tension and walked to the edge of the forest, the Sea of Trees. He noticed it when closer, the presence of a red mist and a sweet smell. The instructions rung in his head. His feet felt ready. But Daiden paused and tapped at his throat instead; the tattoo then shone with brilliance, tearing a rift to summon his weapon – Takshaka. He stabbed it against the soil and folded his arms with a serious expression.
“Let’s not be impatient here,” whispered Daiden, with a cautionary tone. “Treat your brain as your strongest muscle. I’m an Awakened, not a hero.”
Daiden started with his weapon first. He pressed ahead, until at a breath’s distance from the blade. He observed the cracks on Takshaka and the aura around it. In retreat, he closed his eyes and focused to measure the flow of his aeter. It shone with familiarity, a radiant, clear white. His body felt strengthened in its presence, evenly spread and in a thin veil. With a hum, Daiden unfolded his arms and attempted the recreation of something recent, around his fingertips. It appeared, as expected – the Mioveroldian Page. He studied it once more, more so the parts in relation to Takshaka.
[Jade Serpent’s Breath.]The words were thick, written across the page with brown aeter-made ink. It flickered with a strange energy and disappeared. Daiden explored some more.
[Verse One of Takshakan Swordsmanship.]Daiden titled his head to one side and scratched his chin. He frowned.
“There’s no information,” observed Daiden. “Am I supposed to learn all this via practice?”
Daiden touched the hilt of his sword and moved to test his hypothesis. He shut his eyes, with a sense of calm, and remembered the words from the Mioveroldian Page. It occurred then, a strangeness in his breathing. The pattern altered and slowed to a death-like state. He felt his heart freshen from the result. With a twitch, he shifted his attention to the aeter in his body. It paled, later transitioning to a murky, green colour. He felt little threat from the transformation, but his body brimmed with strength. His aeter migrated from a state of balance, and spread to thicken around his arms and legs, if only a little. Daiden noticed the difference. He swung his sword and smiled at the effect; he understood it, despite his apparent newness to the art of swordsmanship.
With interest, Daiden tested the usability of his unique skill. It appeared to weaken at a sustained pace after the ten-minute mark, and disappear entirely in fifteen minutes. His aeter flow returned to its more balanced form at this time, regaining its original white, radiant colour. He attempted it again, but the green refused to surface.
Daiden settled onto the ground, with his sword in front of him.
“A flaw in usability?” wondered Daiden.
Another deep breath followed. Daiden firmed his heart and attempted the task at regular intervals. At the two-hour mark, he noticed his aeter settle, allowing him to recreate the effect of the Jade Serpent’s Breath. He smiled at the result, excitedly.
“I was right! A basic understanding here is essential to the foundation of my growth,” confirmed Daiden, with pride. He clenched his fist, in celebration of his small victory. “Onto the next, then.”
Daiden remembered the words from the Mioveroldian Page once more, only differently this time. It played in his head like the verse of a song. He needed to experience it first-hand, everything relevant, everything important. His focus sharpened at a stir that disturbed his aeter; it flowed to his feet and guided a dance. Daiden embraced the call and moved in unison with Takshaka. He enjoyed every moment. It helped him remember his past from before the injury, the fluidity of his pace and movements. His footwork hastened, and he registered it to memory. It occurred then, the completion of an attack with a subtle yet irregular swing. Daiden watched a gentle wave of aeter splash from the edge of his sword and disperse without significance. He resisted disappointment.
“Something that can only be tested in battle, then?” guessed Daiden, hopefully. His confidence stemmed from the precursor to the attack, a magnificent dance. Daiden felt strongly about the technique given its compatibility with his past. “But it’s only a feeling. I can’t hold onto such a biased train of thought.”
With a tired sigh, Daiden rested and repeated the dance in ten-minute intervals. It stirred at the three-hour mark. He appreciated the success.
“There we go!” celebrated Daiden. “All I need now is practice, perhaps against the hostilities within the forest. That should help.”
Daiden still worried about the cracks on Takshaka, but his mind eased in remembrance of the Lord of Fire in Mutuba Village. Then, after roughly six hours since the departure of Aelius and Magellan, Daiden stretched and decided to enter the Sea of Trees.
