Chapter 48: Resonance


    Tomy t on the ground, his chest rising and falling as he panted heavily. Air flowed into his lungs with ragged gasps, the practice crystal sword in his hand slipping out of his grasp.


    How am.I , Toms hoarse voice echoed out between gasps, his fresh, roughly knit linen shirt nowpletely drenched in sweat. ... supposed to master this.


    Aleph stood at the opposite end of their makeshift arena, a crystalline shield protectively floating before her as she gazed upon Toms recumbent figure.


    Her expression remained as jovial as ever, though this time it was tinged with a bit of amusement.


    I learned the Control Glyph when I was nine and mastered it by the age of fourteen, Aleph replied with the yful condescension of an older sibling.


    Way to kick a man when hes down, Aleph, Tom retorted as he finally managed to catch his breath.


    Honestly? Youre doing way better than I expected, Aleph admitted, letting a little acknowledgement seep into her voice.


    But its not enough, is it? Tom asked as he grit his teeth, forcing himself to get back onto his feet.


    Perhaps not, she conceded. You have your own reasons, dont you?


    Tom raised an eyebrow.


    Your obsession with gaining strength.


    I do, Tom honestly admitted. Youve already established that I dont want to be found, but that, well, it isnt enough. Care to hear a story?


    Alephs eyes sparkled with clear interest, though from the expression she was making, it seemed like she was caught off-guard. It was hard to believe that someone cautious enough to change their disy name would willingly be candid with her, after all.


    Tom held his de outwards, slightly bending his knees as he shifted his weight upon the balls of his feet. Without offering Aleph a warning, he shot forward.


    Reading his intentions, an amused grin spread across Alephs visage as she rose to Toms brazen challenge. After experiencing first-hand the gulf in skill and experience thaty between them, Tom hadnt tried to contest Aleph in swordy again.that is, until this very moment.


    Reform, Alephmanded, causing the crystalline aegis shielding her to shatter into motes of luminescent dust that Tom was forced to shield his eyes against. In the midst of that turbulent cloud, Aleph snatched a reforged crystalline sword as it was falling to the ground and charged forth.


    Shrill, ear-piercing screeches of crystal colliding against crystal rang out as Tom and Aleph exchanged half a dozen blows in rapid session. A bead of sweat trickled down Toms focused expression as he took two quick steps backwards, choosing to disengage as he split his attention visualising the Control Glyph in his minds eye.


    His actions stood in defiance of conventional wisdom- trying to master the Control Glyph midbat when he hadnt even gotten it right in practice yet was quite evidently a pursuit destined to end in failure but well that was precisely why [The Fool] had chosen him.


    My past is neither as intriguing or asplicated as yours, Tom began, his tone heavy and his expression conflicted as he drew in for another sh.


    A sh that Aleph gracefully evaded by retreating a single step.


    I still want to know, she encouraged, as her mesmerising azure eyes locked onto his own.


    I was a man that used to believe in destiny, Tom spoke in a subdued tone, a hint of self-deprecation seeping into his voice as he pledged his sword to an angled cut.


    Destiny? Aleph inquired as she casually deflected his blow. Tom hadnt been holding back in the slightest since the swords were blunted, but Alephs physical stat simply dwarfed his own by too significant a margin.


    I used to believe that a persons upbringing, background and circumstances shaped their future, Tom began, his words causing an influx of painful memories shed through his mind. Society told me who I was and I epted it without question. Born an orphan, I never strived for the warmth and love of a family. Born poor, in a small, insignificant ce I never tried to strive for more never dared to dream beyond my station. Thats why I could never understand people like the ones in the Nameless District those who would risk everything for a small, fleeting chance at greatness, a greatness that most of them would never see.


    Tom picked up his tempo, his de blurring as heunched a flurry of strikes in rapid session.


    People wille after me, Tom admitted as his de was locked in a contest of strength against Alephs. But if that was all it was, I could have chosen to flee instead of epting your proposal. Run far, far away from this ce and spend the rest of my life in obscurity.


    Why didnt you? Aleph asked as she took a step forward, exerting a fresh burst of strength that sent Tom skidding backwards.


    Because I am <em>done</em> letting other people society even the system choose my destiny for me. Ive seen where that path leads and I would rather stake it all on the here and now instead of running away from my own desires, Toms words were spoken with the conviction of a man that had experienced two lifetimes; known the consequences of relinquishing control of his life simply because he had been too afraid to struggle.


    With a resolved expression on his face, Tom abruptly closed his eyes.


    <em>Isnt that why you chose me? To rebuke destiny? </em>he asked inwards, his question directed towards the card that was nestled within his soul as he visualised the Control Glyph in his minds eye.


    From a single point stretched out a dozen branches that further split off into smaller offshoots in the form of twig-like structures, resulting in the creation of an intricate pattern that resembled the chaotic spread of a banyan tree. There was one exception to this rule, a single branch the size of a wide canal that stretched out in a straight line from the very inception of the glyph and the pathway Tom involuntarily utilised each time he used a [Deck Card] without trying to modte the output.


    Merely memorising the pattern had required his [Mental] stats aid, but visualising and directing the flow of energy down specific pathways to control the end result required months of practice, if not years.


    <em>Im going to surpass the limit of what I believe myself capable of. WIth or without you,</em>


    [The Fool] hadnt replied to his desperate cries when he had been struggling for his life but now, at this moment, he felt a mild resonance with it. His [Soul Card] allowed a wisp of its aura to leak out, but even that caused Alephs expression to change; from rxed to serious.


    A fiery red energy flowed down five of the eleven avable pathways and the twig-like offshoots lead to dead-ends that further trapped more excess energy.


    Toms eyes shot open as he finally understood the true purpose of the Control Glyph.


    Instead of the torrent of mes he hade to expect from [The me] card, a mence was sent careening forth from his open palm, possessing less than half the intensity of the original.


    But in return


    Its activation time was down to half of what it usually was.


    Clear shock was reflected in Alephs eyes as she jerked her head to the side, causing her hair to flutter in the opposite direction.


    As the mence ratcheted past her, it singed the tips of her lustrous silver hairmarking the first time Tom had managed tond a real hit on the Noble Scion.