Gloomer sat cross-legged, arms folded, with his eyes closed.
Water poured continuously over his head from a small waterfall.
From the outside, it might have seemed like he was just washing his head in some strange way.
— What the hell is taking so long?! — Gloomer exclaimed, cracking one eye open. — Admit it, Henry, while this thing is pouring on my head, you guys are just sitting there laughing at me, right?!
He was the first to agree to the cleansing.
Henry, whose palm was pressed against his back, just sighed and replied:
— Just shut up already and give me some time. Every person is unique, and the cleansing process works differently for everyone. Yours is... complicated.
— So what you''re saying is that I''m special? Thanks, I really needed to hear that.
The others watched to see if the cleansing could be completed in such a short time.
Cleansing with a waterfall was one of the most accessible methods, but far from the best.
Among 10,000 different methods, this one was almost unremarkable.
Because with it, full cleansing would take an entire night. However, if combined with Henry’s water abilities, the process could be accelerated.
Suddenly, Gloomer felt the tension leave his veins, his every muscle fiber relax, and his nerve endings seem to stabilize.
So this is what people feel during cleansing...
He had expected pain, but it turned out to be the opposite. The process wasn’t just painless—it was actually pleasant, albeit slow.
Then, Henry’s palm vanished from his back, and Gloomer realized—the ritual was complete.
Everyone around let out a sigh of relief. Immediately, arguments broke out about who would go next.
Gloomer tried to stand up but immediately felt his body buckle.
— What the hell?..
Naomi caught him before he could collapse.
— After cleansing, the body becomes too weak. If you don’t synchronize with a stone right away, it might be too late later.
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— And you couldn’t have explained this sooner?!
Henry, ignoring him, was already preparing for the next cleansing.
— That bastard, I’ll remember this…
Naomi helped him sit and continued:
— We examined the stones. There are eight types in total.
Each stone bore the marks of a specific path. And within them, they held essence.
She paused for a second, then pointed at a stone that looked like a blend of blue and black.
— This one has water marks. There are also stones of wind, thread, illusion, light, mist, sand, sound, and bone.
Essence is the energy that appears when only specific marks are gathered inside a vessel. It fuels the marks and allows one to use abilities.
Marks are magical symbols reflecting natural paths. They determine what abilities can be used, but without essence, they remain passive.
After cleansing, all the chaotic marks you gathered throughout your life disappear, and you get the chance to refill your vessel with specific marks. After that, your body will begin to form its essence.
— Not a bad selection… — Gloomer muttered. — Which one is the strongest?
The conversations stopped.
— Light and bone, probably? — someone suggested hesitantly.
— And what about mist and illusion?
Astrey cut off the discussion, answering all questions at once:
— Yeah, good question. In short: wind, light, and bone are the most popular and well-researched. If you pick one of them, you’ll definitely be able to go far.
— We expect you to choose from among them.
— Sand, thread, and sound follow. They’re rarer but have their own quirks. I’ve seen people with these abilities defeat even those who were considered incredibly strong.
— And finally, mist and illusion. These two are almost never used. They’re weak in direct combat, so people think they’re useless. But they have their own advantages. For example, incredible stealth, useful for spies and scouts.
— The choice is yours. But keep in mind: you won’t be able to change it later. It will define your fate.
Gloomer stared at the stones in thought.
Should he choose bone or light? He knew how strong they were...
But his gaze kept returning to the mist and illusion stones.
— Astrey, illusion is...
— Illusion is what seems real but isn’t, — Astrey calmly answered. — You’ve already seen it in action when we went to the cave with the old man.
So that was it...
A thought unsettled Gloomer: "These abilities are already well studied."
If he chose wind or light, wouldn’t that mean his skills would be predictable? Countermeasures had long been developed against them.
But mist and illusion? According to Astrey, few knew how to counter them.
Espionage, conspiracies… That was interesting.
He didn’t even bother considering sand, thread, and sound.
He had already made his decision.
Slowly, he reached out and touched the illusion stone.
Would this ability allow him to deceive people easily? Wasn’t it a perfect fit for him?
It was.
— I choose this one. Illusion.
Everyone froze.
Gloomer was the first to choose, and he picked... illusion?!
Was he an idiot? — many thought.
But Gloomer knew what he was doing.
It was a strategic choice.
Illusions affected the enemy’s mind, creating false images and leading them astray.
And if he had chosen light or wind? He would’ve been just one of thousands of similar warriors, predictably firing flashes or wind blades.
Besides, he wasn’t physically strong.
Illusion, however—was rare, barely studied. Almost no one on the islands was prepared for such an opponent.
Though discussions about abilities were a popular topic, Gloomer had never even heard of people with such powers. That alone showed how rare illusion really was.
He was more and more convinced that this was the best option.
That was why he considered the other abilities irrational choices.
Neither his friends nor anyone else interfered with his decision.
Even Astrey didn’t seem particularly worried about what Gloomer would choose.
As long as he could be of some use, it didn’t matter what he picked.
Astrey simply nodded.
— A good choice. Then we move on to the next stage—synchronization with the stone.
Gloomer sighed.
— This is going to be boring and tedious... — he muttered, barely moving.
---
Three days passed.
Gloomer was minding his own business when the overseer called out to him.
— Gloomer, you bastard, why are you so slow?! Do you have no respect for me?
He wanted to ignore him, but that wasn’t his style.
— Everything is about balance, — he answered calmly. — You’re just too stupid to understand.
The overseer’s face turned red with rage.
— You son of a bitch, you’re dead.
He reached for his whip, but Henry immediately intercepted him.
— Idiot, are you new? Don’t you know you can’t beat useful people? If you’re that eager, fight me instead.
The overseer glared at Gloomer but realized that arguing with Henry was a
bad idea.
— Next time, I’ll kill you.
But Gloomer didn’t even glance at him, continuing his work.
Henry watched him.
— I hope you’re ready?
Gloomer smiled.
— Completely.