《Bloody Hours》 Sinking Prologue - Sinking Darkness stretching out as far as the eye could see, the only light seemingly coming from the body afloat in the water-like void. Light traced lines and shapes under the surface of the young boy''s skin, circuits and seals carving themselves into the skin of Arthur Luria. His body, his whole being, was undergoing an alteration, with no knowledge of it. Slowly, in a half-asleep state, akin to a feverish haze, Arthur came to consciousness. He couldn''t see anything apart from the dim light coming from his own body, surrounded by what felt like muddy water. He wasn''t completely aware of his surroundings or state just yet- barely awake enough to realize something was wrong, going off of instincts and feelings alone. The light tracing over his skin intensified with a warm glow, increasing in heat. As if a flame was being passed over his body, he felt intense jolts of pain wherever the light touched, burning marks and scars into his naked skin. The pain was strong enough to force him awake- but that fog in his conscious mind just seemed impossible to clear. The heat, and the pain, only grew. Light cutting into his flesh and muscle, burning his skin and his insides, feeling as if a thousand knives were cutting him apart, while needles pierced his every nerve. Hazily opening his eyes, his vision was still dark- with the exception of a bright spot, in the corner of his vision. He didn''t have the physical strength to turn his head around, nor the ability to focus his blurry sight. And thus, the bright spot moved instead, towards Arthur''s line of sight. A glowing figure, as if made of flames, vaguely resembling a humanoid shape, an appendage reaching towards him, five fingers stretching out.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The heat coming from the figure was even stronger than the lights before, slowly encroaching upon his body- as if reflexively, Arthur''s left arm lifted off of his body, his index raising itself. Slowly, but surely, the two figures made contact. Flames spreading on every mark and carving which had spread on his body, his being was lit aflame, the energy surging inside enough to destroy him from within- and destroy him it did. Bursting into flames, his essence was completely destroyed, burning up, shattered in an uncertain number of pieces, sinking even deeper and faster in the murky abyss, a pain of magnitude he had never felt before. And then, Arthur Luria woke up. Resurfacing Chapter 1 - Resurfacing ¡®Shit! What the hell was that?¡¯ Jolting awake from a troubling dream, Arthur brought his hand towards his head, massaging the bridge of his nose. The cold pavement below him, as well as a chill in the air, caused the boy to shiver, bringing his yet foggy mind to complete awareness. He pulled what he thought was a blanket over his shoulders, to warm himself up, but it didn''t seem to do much- looking around himself, three stone walls surrounded him, with a fourth, open side, lined with steel bars and a locked door. That¡­ Was not his bedroom. And, on second notice, that wasn''t his blanket, either, but some thin cape or drape. ¡®Where¡­ Am I¡­?¡¯ With a troubled expression at his unknown circumstances, the youth would stand up, his vision quickly growing black- and causing him to almost fall over on the spot. Luckily, he''d fall towards the nearest wall instead, managing to hold up his body with the support from his arms. He felt weirdly weak, and the room, after standing up, seemed enormous. Well, not too big, but definitely bigger than he thought it would be- though, that was just his perspective. Managing to stand up fully, he''d look down at his feet. ¡®That¡¯s weird.¡¯ He thought. ¡®Am I¡­ Shorter than usual?¡¯ That was the first thing that caught his eye, rather than the incredibly paler skin than he was used to, or the strands of white hair flowing down from the sides of his head. He had black hair, for starters- and it definitely wasn''t long enough for him to see it without a mirror. He felt awkward, as if moving a body that wasn''t his own, and that very well might have been the case. He ran a hand through his hair. It was too long, reaching about half of his back, and smoother than normal. His hand looked off, too: upon a closer look, there seemed to be what looked liked¡­ carvings, spots in which the skin was almost separated, divided, at each joint. The three sections of each finger, the wrist, the elbow, the shoulder and the deltoid muscles, the midsection of his torso, his waist, his legs¡­ Akin to a marionette with defined joints for more realistic movements. The reality, that this wasn''t his body, still hadn''t set in. Or rather, he refused to acknowledge something so unrealistic could have possibly happened. ¡°Calm down, Arthur¡­ Surely there''s a feasible explanation¡­ Surely I haven''t¡­¡± He didn''t want to say it out loud, even if he was just murmuring to himself, to avoid sounding stupid- ¡®transmigrated¡¯. A term he was familiar with thanks to novels and such he sometimes read, referring to an individual being transported in another world, one way or another. That, exactly that, was the situation in which the youth found himself, despite his refusal to acknowledge it. Not to mention, the body he was now inhabiting, was much younger than his own. Judging from his own height, and the lack of strength in his limbs, he couldn''t have been older than eight, or nine years of age. Rubbing his chin while walking circles inside the locked off room, he tried to brainstorm logical explanations for his situation. He was a man of science, a student- even if he enjoyed reading fantasy works every now and then, he absolutely refused to accept this as a reality. Deep in thought, he''d only stop moving once he spotted another figure, other than himself, sitting down in a corner of the room, seemingly sleeping. Looking at them, his flow of thought suddenly altered. He could put down trying to figure out what exactly happened to him, for now- rather, finding out where he was, would prove more useful. The place he was in, almost seemed like a jail cell- why would a child be imprisoned, he wondered? He had no idea of this body''s identity, nor his circumstances, but surely, that sleeping figure would know something. Walking up to them, an eye would open. ¡°So you''re finally awake¡­ You must be the other one, then.¡± Addressing Arthur, the figure would stand up- now recognized from the transmigrated youth as another male, he too had only a drape to warm himself up. In the dark room, Arthur could vaguely make out his features: short hair, of a white color he had never seen before, exception made for dyes, skin as pale as his own, and scarlet red eyes glimmering in the darkness. From what he could see, the other boy didn''t have any markings on his flesh. ¡°How much do you remember?¡±Stolen story; please report. The yet unnamed boy asked a question, slowly getting up while walking towards the other. Looking Arthur up and down, he had an air of familiarity to him, on which Arthur could not quite put his finger on. ¡°Are you¡­ I mean, were you brought here, too?¡± Answering the question with another, the boy''s eyes widened, before clicking his tongue. Looking away from Arthur, he''d place a hand on his forehead, muttering something to himself, before once again turning around. A troubled, or annoyed, look was on his face. ¡°Correct me if I''m wrong. Your name, you''re Arthur Luria?¡± ¡°Do you know me¡­? Yes, that''s, that''s me. I''m¡­ Surprised you can recognize me.¡± Once again mumbling something to himself with an irritated tone at Arthur''s response, the boy stopped to think for a few moments, before nodding to himself, taking a deep breath, and speaking again. ¡°Ok. Listen, my name is Ayn, an Aerhius. And you are too, now. No- just let me talk.¡± Seeing Arthur about to open his mouth, probably to ask what an Aerhius was, Ayn shut him off immediately, not wanting to be interrupted. He disliked being interrupted too, so that was fair, he thought. ¡°It might seem weird, or like a dream, but this¡­ Isn''t your home. World. Your home world. Where you came from. You''re in another world. Got it? That''s the gist of it.¡± Arthur sighed. Even if he had no reason to trust that guy he had just met, he felt like he was speaking the truth. And if he was, that meant the reality he wanted to hope was false, turned out to be true. As unreal as it sounded, he was summoned to another world. Still, he was taking it weirdly well, for the situation he had been cast into. Transmigrated into another world, possibly becoming forever unable to go back to his home, and yet, he seemed annoyed at worst, rather than despairing or wracking his head on how to go back. He was a rational man, or at least believed himself to be. If arriving in this other world was outside of his control, then going back would be as well, he deducted. Which meant, wasting time mourning about his past life would be just that, a waste of time. Well, it''s not like he could stop himself from being scared at the implications of transmigration. All he could do for now, was think of other things. For example, figuring out who exactly Ayn was, and what being an Aerhius meant. ¡°So¡­ You know who I am.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°And that I''m not from this world.¡± ¡°That too.¡± ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± ¡°Well, long story short¡­¡± Ayn stopped himself from speaking, rubbing his chin for a few seconds and squinting his eyes, as if thinking of a way to answer that. He knew something that Arthur didn''t, and he couldn''t let him know just yet. It was far, far too early. ¡°I''m your¡­ Brother? Kind of? Well, that body''s, anyways. I''m¡­ Bad at explanations. Especially when that level of magic is involved¡­ Well, Aurora will explain, once she comes get us. For now, just know there¡¯s a reason you''ve been brought here.¡± That ¡®explanation¡¯ only confused him more- he really was bad at explaining. ¡®Kind of'' his brother? Magic was involved? Magic was real in that world? There was some reason he transmigrated, and someone named Aurora knew what it was- those were the most important parts, he guessed. ¡°You could give me more to work with, here¡­-¡± ¡°Wait, shut up. Sit down and be quiet.¡± Interrupting Arthur once again, weren''t only Ayn''s words, but the sound of heavy footsteps walking down a corridor he couldn''t see, unless he squeezed his head through the bars. Well, even then, there wasn''t any light. Following the other''s instructions, he''d sit down in a corner, covering himself with the mantle, whispering to him. ¡°So? What now?¡± ¡°Well, I forgot to mention¡­ We kinda¡­ Are getting sold right now. Human trafficking and such. It''s fine though, Aurora should be here¡­ Hopefully, before we get traded too many times!¡± Considering the gravity of the words he had just spoken, Ayn was uncomfortably optimistic about his trust on that person named Aurora. On the other hand, Arthur was starting to feel something similar to despair. He was fine with accepting having transmigrated and ending up in a body different from his, he was fine with accepting the existence of magic, despite only having heard of it, he was fine with trusting some guy he only had just met''s word about his situation- but being sold? Would he be killed? Or used as a worker? Putting his hands on his hair, Ayn was confused about the panicked expression he was making. Arthur didn''t know who Aurora was, nor did he have any reason to put his trust in this mysterious figure. In his mind, he could already envision his dark, grim, certain future, of being worked to death as a servant, or being made into a fighter for fun, like gladiators in ancient times, or even worse things which he didn''t even dare imagine. He had to get out of there on his own, somehow. Meanwhile, a rugged man, wearing a dark colored uniform, had arrived in front of their cell, unlocking the heavy door. The weight caused the steel to scratch the stone pavement, with an unbearable sound. Food Chain Chapter 2 - Food Chain The metal of the door''s frame scraped against the cold stone pavement, the weight producing an unbearable, scratching sound. Arthur covered his ears, and Ayn held himself from doing the same. A figure stood at the door, towering over the two children with his height. Wearing a dark uniform with badges here and there, and a face marked by scars, he stood at the door for a few moments, looking down at the two with disdain, before opening his mouth. ¡°Don''t make me waste any more time. Get up.¡± ¡°I''m¡­ Sorry, sir¡­ We''re coming¡­¡± The man sighed, clicking his tongue, before turning back and walking back from where he came from. Ayn stood up, walking towards the door, and signaled at Arthur to follow him, before coughing- he could tell, that was fake. Ayn was coughing every few seconds, and his back was slightly hunched, as if he was having difficulty walking. ¡°...They just¡­ Let us leave?? And what''s up with you? You seemed fine earlier-¡± ¡°Keep your voice down, you otherworldly moron. Listen¡­ So long as we seem sick, they''ll keep us here, instead of immediately trading us.¡± ¡°What kinda logic- isn''t it the opposite? Wouldn''t they want to get rid of us as soon as possible?¡± Even if he didn''t fully understand Ayn''s logic, he couldn''t possibly know how that world worked. He followed it nonetheless, slightly hunching his back and coughing every now and then. He still felt weak, risking falling over just by being in that position. ¡°Oh, wait, you''re right, of course you''d think like that, that makes complete sense. That''s, my bad.¡± Suddenly Ayn spoke, clearing his throat, and pointing to the sides of his head. His ears were peculiar, extending horizontally, with sharp ends. ¡°I''m- Well, you too, now, what you would call an ¡®elf¡¯. If I were a homunculus, or tribefolk, they probably wouldn''t think twice about throwing me out. But elves? There''s some real weird people out there that would pay good to have one of us as a servant. I''m sure she''ll get us before that happens, though.¡± At the other''s reveal, Arthur slowly brought his hand towards his ear. Sure enough, it seemed to have the same shape as Ayn''s own, sharp end and all. With each passing second, the situation seemed to keep getting weirder and weirder. And sure, they were elves apparently, but how did that justify letting them just roam freely? At the moment he was just following the other, but there wasn''t anything to stop him from just¡­ Running away. Well, he''d have to find a way out. From what little he could see of that place''s architecture, they were almost definitely underground, or in a heavily fortified structure. ¡°So, alright, sure, we''re elves. And they let us walk out of the cell. So, and answer me this, right- why aren''t we just legging it? I get you trust that Aurora person to get you-¡± ¡°Us, she''ll get us out of here.¡± ¡°...Sure. Us. This person I''ve never met before will save me because¡­ You say so. But anyways, answer the question? Hello? We could just run?¡± Exasperated from Arthur''s ignorance, Ayn sighed once again, stopping on the spot, and gesturing towards the transmigrated youth. ¡°Go on. Try and run. See what happens.¡± ¡°You know, suddenly, I feel like that''s a bad idea.¡± The abrupt way he had stopped walking, his almost mocking tone, and the way he was signaling to just run away, Arthur understood from his behaviour that it would be a bad idea. Even if they were being let walk alone, most likely, there would be some sort of security measure to stop them from trying to escape. ¡°You''re smarter than I thought. You just got promoted from otherworldly moron, to otherworldly idiot!¡± ¡°And I''m guessing you''re allergic to just answering my questions, must be why you''re so sick.¡± Despite the seemingly desperate situation, the presence of the young elf seemed to reassure Arthur somewhat. His presence, especially how they bickered with each other, did make him feel like there was a brotherly bond between the two. The end of the corridor finally came into sight, light pouring in. ¡°Just because we''re elves, doesn''t mean they hold our leash looser- the opposite, actually. See this? Ouch¡­¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.Wincing from pain, glowing circuits of various forms, converging into Ayn''s chest, lit up on his body. Extending from the middle of the chest, towards the arms, the back, the legs, and the neck, only being absent on the face. ¡°That''s-¡± - the light would stop, and Ayn exhaled, as if he had been holding his breath. ¡°-what''s called an ¡®Obedience Seal¡¯. You can''t see it normally, unless you pour Arch¨º into it intentionally, which hurts, a lots- or if it''s triggered. In which case, it hurts even more. Oh, we''re here.¡± That explained it, somewhat. He had read novels and stories with similar themes before, he could guess what being inflicted with that Seal implied. If they tried to run away, it would probably trigger automatically, and the pain would stop them from successfully escaping. What wasn''t explained yet, was where exactly were they heading- which he would find out soon enough, stepping into the lit room. ¡°What''s Arch¨º, anyways¡­? Oh, it smells kinda good.¡± ¡°I''ll, eh, explain it later.¡± The room they had just entered, alongside being flooded with light, when compared to the previous corridor, was also full of a damp, and food-y smell. Arthur couldn''t quite put down his finger on what the smell was, but it smelled like food. It was a large space, filled with tables and benches to sit on, tightly packed together. Sitting at the tables were many people similar to the two, children and teens of various ages, all seemingly malnourished and unkept. Most likely, they were in the same situation as them. Separated from the rest, were more men and women in uniform, guards. ¡°What, is this some kinda mess hall?¡± ¡°Yup. Gotta get in line.¡± ¡°You know, I would have thought human merchants to be¡­ Well, harsher. I get why we would get meals, but there''s a lot of people here?¡± Leading the ignorant one towards an extreme of the room, Ayn nodded his head to the sides, thinking. ¡°I guess your world did things different? If they don''t feed us, we get sick, and if we get sick, we can''t get sold, or work. Teiwesians will use anything they can, that''s one of their good points, at least.¡± While speaking, Ayn let his voice reach a slightly higher level, thanks to the noise flooding the room- mostly thanks to officers and guards drinking, eating, and having a better time than their prisoners. ¡°Teiwes¡­ Is that the name of this place? This, prison, or whatever you want to call it?¡± Being handed a metallic, dirty tray, Arthur looked towards the food that was being served to other prisoners, if it could be called food. Some sort of pale, yellowish-green slop, vaguely resembling mashed potatoes in texture and appearance. ¡°You¡¯re really drooling over that¡­? And no, it''s not. The name of the Empire is Teiws, this is just one of many military facilities-academies-prison-training camps. And just to get your hopes down, we''re prisoners, not any of the others.¡± ¡°It''s not drooling, it just seems tasty¡­ That''s, kind of interesting, though. This Empire, Teiws, allows human trafficking? No, if it''s also a military facility, then it''s probably encouraged by whoever''s in charge¡­¡± Listening to Ayn''s explanation, a grim thought appeared in his mind. From what he had heard so far, Arthur had a pretty solid grasp on how this world worked- even with minimal information. Magic, and mystical races dissimilar from humans, existed. Judging from the state of the clothes and architecture he had seen, as well as the confirmation that he was in an Empire, which not only allowed but enforced raising child soldiers and human trafficking, the world was probably around his own''s Medieval Age. Receiving his portion of food with a dark expression of his face, he arrived at a conclusion: that place put a lot of importance in their ¡®merchandise¡¯. Ayn, perhaps naively, trusted that Aurora person enough to be sure that she would rescue him, but Arthur had no reason to believe the same. Which meant, if she broke in or did anything similar, to get them out¡­ ¡°OI! Move, damn brat!¡± A shout came from besides him, quickly followed by a kick to his side, sending Arthur spiralling to the floor, spilling the food which he had received from his tray. The offender, a person probably only slightly older than them, clad in a uniform similar to the ones guards wore. He''d click his tongue in annoyance, before turning towards the man handing out rations. Ayn quickly hurried to his side, helping him up, speaking in a worried tone. ¡°The hell are you spacing out for¡­? You understand the situation you''re in, right? Just because guards won''t treat us as harshly, that doesn''t hold the same for soldiers in training, or other prisoners.¡± ¡°Dog eat dog, huh¡­¡± ¡°...? What does that mean? Anyways, let''s, er, go back to a table.¡± Casting a glance at his spilled food, Arthur got down to the floor, scooping it back up with his hand. Despite how unhealthy and unsanitary that was, and despite Ayn''s slightly disgusted look, he didn''t care. If he wanted to survive long enough to escape from that place, he''d eat even scraps off the floor. His body was weak, at the moment- far too weak. It was a miracle he didn''t break any bones from that kick, but if someone picked on him again like that, he wouldn''t be as lucky. Sitting at the table, and eating the vaguely vegetable tasting food, he could feel gazes on his skin, and hear voices talking in a low tone. In that place, he was at the bottom of the food chain. Brilliance 3 - Brilliance Ca-clink! ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡± Arthur took a few breaths, using the tool in his hands as support to rest for a few moments. In the end, it seemed like that place really was like a prison, even having them work. Still, he was having a hard time, to say the least. Gripped in his hands was the handle of a pickaxe, a tool he had never used in his old world, which, added to this body''s physical weakness, made it quite hard to do his job properly. Still, he felt like it wasn''t only his body at fault- other people, not any bigger than him, were swinging those heavy tools with speed and strength. In front of him laid a rack of large rocks, from which he had to extract specific crystals. But, as of the moment, he had only managed to break out a crystal from a single rock, he still had a long way to go. Ayn, stationed at a close by post, approached him, seeing the youth struggle. ¡°Feeling sick? A bit ill from eating pavement slop, perhaps?¡± ¡°Oh, shut it¡­ I''m just¡­ Not used to this body, yet. Children are weak¡­ And aren''t you supposed to be the same age as me? How come you''re so much faster?¡± In between laboured breaths spoke Arthur, pointing accusingly back and forth at Ayn and his pile of crystals. The latter twisted his head slightly, as if confused, looking at the yet not mined rocks in front of them. ¡°I mean, these pickaxes aren''t that heavy, and those rocks aren''t that hard¡­¡± Stopping himself mid-sentence, Ayn''s eyes widened for a moment, before he''d turn fully towards Arthur. He''d squint, as if trying to look for some hidden detail- at the same time, Arthur heard a low, droning sound, as if a small engine had just been started. ¡°That''s it!¡± Hitting his own palm with a sideways fist, Ayn spoke, revealing what he had just figured out. ¡°You don''t know how to flow Ark through your body. Ugh, I should have realized this sooner¡­¡± The youth slapped his forehead with a hand, while spouting out words with meaning unknown to Arthur. That was the second time now Ayn had mentioned something called Arch¨º, or Ark- first, in relation to the Obedience Seals, and now, in relation to their bodies. Going off of contextual clues alone, he guessed it was probably related to ¡®magic.¡¯ Though, he had no idea what ¡®Ark¡¯ was, exactly, nor what ¡®flowing¡¯ it meant. Seeing him deep in thought, Ayn spoke. ¡°Right, otherworldly ignorance and all. Let me see, I did say I''d explain it¡­ Where do you want me to start?¡± ¡°Knowing what ¡®Ark¡¯ is, could be useful.¡± ¡°Arch¨º, not Ark. That''s the, er, main concept.¡± A slight difference in pronunciation, which apparently wasn''t due to Ayn mispronouncing it, but due to two different meanings. ¡°Let''s see¡­ According to most researchers, Arch¨º is an infinite, unperceivable source of energy. Or, rather, it is an energy itself- but due to how it works, the line kinda gets blurry. You can''t really ¡®feel¡¯ Arch¨º the way you would, uhm, something like heat, or light, but you can feel it¡­ Instinctively?¡± Arthur nodded, still uncertain. Despite Ayn''s rather confusing explanation, he thought he got the gist of it- a limitless energy source, which exists outside of senses. ¡°And, er, if you can feel it instinctively, you can interact with it.¡± ¡°I¡­ See, kind of. You''re not good at explaining, huh.¡± ¡°Oh, come on, give me a break. It''s like¡­ Trying to explain sight to a blind person. I- well, I guess everyone, is born knowing, feeling Arch¨º. In this context, you''re the blind person, who suddenly got thrown into the body of someone with 20/20 vision. Well, that''s my humble opinion, anyway.¡± Despite the weirdly smug comment he added at the end, which Arthur thought was a joke that didn''t land, it somewhat made things easier to understand. A blind person cast into the body of someone with perfect sight- like gaining a new sense, perhaps he had gained the ability to perceive Arch¨º, without even noticing. No, he did notice, but he misinterpreted it. Ever since waking up in the cell, a feeling had been flooding his body and brain- as if he was afloat in water, moving sluggishly, his senses dulled. He looked down at his body, focusing on the visibly carved joints- he felt like he was forgetting something important. ¡°¡®Feeling¡¯ Arch¨º¡­ I think I get it, somewhat. A tempestuous sea, a storm raging inside your very being, which you can only feel and reach if you follow your instincts¡­ Like letting yourself sink to the bottom of a seabed, even if your body screams at you to swimp up for oxygen.¡± ¡°...? Well¡­ Yes? No? Those are- some really weird comparisons. I wouldn''t say it''s that extreme, but there are a lot of teachers and lecturers that compare Arch¨º to, er, dipping your body in water, or similar things.¡± Nodding once again, this time more solemnly, Arthur thought he could understand what Arch¨º was, after all. That sensation, dulling his senses and body, was probably due to his ignorance about how Arch¨º worked, and how to use it. But, did that mean this body had Arch¨º, in it? As far as he could tell, that deduction had some weird implications. He wondered if newborns, in that world, felt the same as he was, at the moment. ¡°I''m an otherworldly newborn¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don''t, uh, nevermind. Talking to myself. Back to the topic at hand- you said it yourself, those pickaxes aren''t too heavy, but I can barely swing one. Does ¡®flowing¡¯ my Arch¨º make that much of a difference? Does it make you stronger, physically?¡± ¡°Ark, not Arch¨º.¡± ¡°???¡± Well, now he was back to the starting point. He thought flowing Arch¨º through his body would do the trick, but apparently, it was Ark that needed to be used, not Arch¨º. Which, he still did not know what it was. Letting out an exasperated exhale, Ayn snickered quietly, before clearing his throat and speaking. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Right, so. If you can feel Arch¨º, what you need to do next, is actually¡­ Touching it. Or, er, well, it''s not actually touching it, but more like, moving it¡­? Let''s say you do feel it as a stormy sea or whatever you said, right? Direct that storm, and gather it at the center of your being.¡± ¡°Direct the storm and gather it¡­ This sounds straight out of a fantasy novel¡­¡± Stupid terms aside, Arthur closed his eyes briefly, trying to follow Ayn''s guidance. ¡®Feel it instinctively¡¯, that was what he needed to do. ¡°I''m, going to go back to my post. I see some guards glaring at me. I''ll help you out in a few, alright? Just, uh, try and do that, for now.¡± Hearing him speak, as if he was speaking through the water''s surface, Arthur nodded. He could feel his senses dulling even more, strength abandoning his body, his corpse afloat in the water- he was on the right path. Despite his big words and metaphors, in actuality, it felt less like a stormy sea¡­ And more like being completely submerged in an abyss, the pressure just barely not crushing him. That must be what reaching out to the Arch¨º was, then. If it truly was a limitless energy, it made sense it would feel so heavy, the weight falling upon his entire being. From that abyss, he could feel jolts of energy, surges like electrical shocks travelling through the water, spreading around him. Not from him, but rather, from the environment, everyone and everything around him. Those jolts weren''t just travelling through the abyss, they originated from it. The energy created by the immense pressure, and from the movement of the waves, to put it in an understandable way- the excess energy from that infinite source could be picked off by those able to, to feel and control it. ¡°It''s like a power socket¡­¡± Mumbling to himself, reaching a more accurate depiction of what ¡®Arch¨º¡¯ might be like. If Arch¨º was the power socket, and the electricity itself, then, those sparks and jolts he could feel were, most likely, the application of that electricity. Like an utensil which required electricity to work¡­ ¡°...Then, could there be circuits, too?¡± ¡®Focus¡¯. Shutting himself from the world once again, feeling only from his instincts. Sharpening that ¡®sense¡¯. Focusing on the energy coming off of Ayn, specifically- those sparks of energy originated and traversed through the abyss of Arch¨º, gathering at the center of his chest, close to his heart. And the Arch¨º which he took in, then, flowed through his entire body in thin, albeit easily perceivable, wires and strings. As he thought, as if circuits for the Arch¨º to pass through were built into his body, those energy-full canals drew intricate shapes and carvings in Ayn''s being. If ever so slightly, those circuits reminded him of the visible joints this body of his possessed. Perhaps, that''s where the secret to ¡®flowing¡¯ Arch¨º lied? ¡°That one has been idle for some time now¡­ Should I take action, sir?¡± ¡°Nay, wait a few seconds¡­ I feel like we''re goin'' to see somethin'' interestin''.¡± ¡°I assume that''s your¡­ Gut feeling?¡± ¡°Aye.¡± Two officers, keeping guard of the prisoners and workers, spoke with each other, watching the youth meditate. Despite it slowing down his personal work, he hadn''t been doing too much anyways. The seemingly higher ranking guard, a rugged man with a disheveled beard, tinted glasses resting on his eyes, and various scars on his face, spoke with an expectant tone. A slight smirk found its way onto his face- as if he could see something even that elf couldn''t. ¡°Follow his movements¡­ Gather that abyss into my center, then direct it¡­ Flow it throughout my body, flow it throughout those carvings¡­¡± Slowly, but surely, he was managing to imitate Ayn. Energy was quickly condensing towards Arthur''s chest, forming a swirling mass of Arch¨º, which he found hard to properly control. From there, he slowly took awareness of his own body. His joints, each place, line and carving where his body differed from that of humans he knew, would quickly start glowing with energy, albeit dimly. He picked up the pickaxe once again, fully focused on maintaining that energy spread out. Like Ayn did before striking the rock, he''d lift it up, and as it was falling down, a large amount of energy would come rushing into his arms- BOOM! ¡°ARTHUR!¡± ¡°Jackpot.¡± Throwing his pickaxe aside, Ayn rushed to his ¡®brother¡¯s¡¯ side, a cloud of dust, dirt and rock fragments rising up from his post. The officer moved at the same time, walking at a leisurely pace, grinning at the panicking elf. Heading into the epicenter of whatever had just happened, the youth would place a hand in front of his nose and mouth, to avoid breathing in dust. ¡°Shit¡­ I did it¡­¡± With laboured breaths, and an unfocused gaze, Arthur muttered some words, before promptly falling to the ground, unconscious. Wasting no time carrying him outside of that dust cloud, Ayn didn''t even notice the rock, split open- as well as the shattered pickaxe beside it. Cursing himself under his breath, the shorter haired one would check Arthur¡¯s body for any injuries, laying him down on the ground. ¡°Tsk¡­ I thought muscle memory would do the trick, but he didn''t know how to¡­-¡± ¡°Bravo! What a brilliant showcase¡­¡± Ayn clicked his tongue, his mumbling interrupted by a second, loud voice. Clapping in a slow rhythm, the high ranked guard would finally walk up to the two, his gaze hidden by the shades he wore. Though, it was clearly aimed at the unconscious body of the elf. ¡°This brilliance, you don''t come across such a lump of talent everyday¡­ And you''re not bad either, on closer look.¡± Stepping back, slightly frightened from the imposing presence approaching the two, the elf glared at the guard, but didn''t dare lift a finger against him. ¡°Now, now, Katzen¡­ No need for such a fierce look. You haven''t done anything to incur a guard¡¯s wrath, yet¡­ However, I will be taking your friend with me. To the medical bay, of course. You''re free to visit him, after your work hours are done¡­ You should thank your parents for having sharp ears, you''ll get just that little more freedom in here.¡± ¡°... I couldn''t stop you even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°You understand quickly! Well then, if you want to check up on this one, ask for Sol. Now, then¡­¡± Ayn shuddered slightly at the mention of the name Sol, he had heard it before. To think such a powerful man had set his sights on his ¡®brother¡¯, could have meant enormous problems for his plans. The man, ¡®Sol¡¯, snapped his fingers, and the other guard immediately came to his side, picking up the unconscious boy and carrying him off somewhere, with the larger man leading the way. He''d bite his nail, an annoyed expression spreading on the elf¡¯s face. This was bad. ¡°Mother¡­ This better be part of your plan¡­¡± He muttered something to himself, before resigning to fate- and going back to his workstation. For now, he could only finish his assigned task. Amnesiac Talent 4 - Amnesiac Talent When Arthur opened his eyes again, a familiar sight would show itself to him. Finding himself sinking in the depths of an abyss, vague memories of the dream he had upon transmigrating came back to him. No, it was the exact same, except this time, he was more aware. That, and he didn''t feel the scorching light upon his skin. He retained the ability to move his body, more than the first time, at least. Afloat in the water, he turned himself around, moving like a rock in the void of space, and sending himself spiralling. Opening his mouth to try and speak, bubbles of air would come out, but he didn''t feel like he needed to breathe, nor did he feel any liquid rushing into his lungs. Looking down at his body, his joints were glowing once again with that warm light, although aching only once he took notice of it. ¡®It¡¯s different.¡¯ That was the thought that ran through his mind, feeling the sensation of that light. The glowing energy wasn''t carving his skin and burning canals into it, it was burning from within, escaping to the outside. Energy trying to escape his body, using it only as a conduit. ¡®This is¡­ Arch¨º.¡¯ Lifting his hand, bringing the glowing joints closer to his sight, he reached a conclusion. Thinking back on it, this abyss, this feeling of being submerged in water, was the same he felt when trying to comprehend that energy. However, it was different from the first time he saw that place. He couldn''t say he had ¡®felt¡¯ that place, since it wasn''t fully a sensation, like when he was meditating. But, he didn''t feel like he was there physically, either. Akin to a dream or similar, a state of uncertainty. He could see the light jolting from his joints, spreading to the space around him, and leading off in seemingly random paths. However, on a closer look, it wasn''t random at all: they were forming circuits, drawing shapes. This was no different, then when he was copying Ayn. But, why was he copying him¡­? A jolt of pain suddenly appeared in his mind, the memories of what had led to this situation resurfacing suddenly. He had, arguably successfully, used Arch¨º through ¡®flowing¡¯ it in his body, by copying the process off of Ayn. Then, once he swung down the pickaxe¡­ All he could remember after that, was a strong pain in his joints, as if he had been hit with a shockwave, and a burnt smell spreading around him. Bringing a hand up to the bridge of his nose to massage it, the headache grew stronger, and the light spouting off of his body grew more intense. Looking up, he could see the circuits and paths which were forming, converging into a single point, far above his current position. For some reason, he felt a need to follow those lights, like they were leading him somewhere. With difficulty, he moved his body, starting to ascend to what seemed to be the surface. ¡ª ¡°Sir Sol, if I may ask¡­¡±¡°I already told ya why. This guy here? He''s packed full o'' talent.¡± A large man with a face riddled with scars sat beside the unconscious body of an elf, leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head. Hidden by the dark tint of his glasses, his eyes shimmered and glimmered, as if his gaze was cast upon a pot of gold and riches. Standing in attention behind him was another guard, a cap covering the upper part of his face with shade, gazing with uncertainty at the youth. ¡°Talent, so he says¡­¡±¡°Did I just hear ya badmouth me, Grimm?¡±¡°You did not, sir. You might want to get checked for illnesses that cause auditory hallucinations, sir.¡±¡°If ya say so!¡±Bellowing out a loud laugh, the one seemingly called Sol would lean back forward, sitting properly on the chair. Despite one''s threatening appearance and overwhelming presence, and the other''s incredibly rigid and upright behaviour, the atmosphere in that room was surprisingly light. And inside that peculiar room, Arthur slowly opened his eyes. ¡®Nghh¡­ It¡¯s so bright in here¡­¡¯ Letting out a pained grunt, his awareness would be cast once again towards the world of consciousness. Although very hazily, he recalled the dream he had just seen, similar to the one he had the first time he woke up in that world. This time, however, it didn¡¯t seem like he was cast into another world- just another room. He was laying down in a bed with extremely light sheets, reminding him of hospital beds in his old world. No, looking around himself, that was definitely a hospital bed. To his right, was a curtain separating him from, supposedly, other beds, and an empty metal cart, the kind nurses would use to bring patients food and medicines. Assuming his memories were correct, he knocked himself out after trying to use ¡®flowing Arch¨º¡¯, and he must have been brought to a medical camp in the prison. Surely, the benefits of being an elf were great, even if he was in an unfortunate situation. Though, being an elf wasn¡¯t the only reason he was brought there, instead of being left in his work station. Looking towards his left, still fully laying down, he¡¯d jump slightly, not having noticed the presence of the two standing there earlier. ¡°Um. Good¡­ Morning? Sirs?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure how to refer to guards in that place, or if he was even supposed to talk to them directly at all. Luckily, at his awkwardness, the man simply laughed. ¡°Hah! Good mornin¡¯ to ya, diamon¡¯ in the rough!¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡®Diamond in the rough¡­?¡¯ Slowly sitting upright, he¡¯d look at the man sitting beside his bed up and down, while trying to look respectful. Didn¡¯t want to make it seem like he was judging him, and end up getting beat, or worse. In the end, he was a prisoner, even if the atmosphere seemed weirdly comfortable. Unconsciously, he held his breath, the presence beside him overwhelming him ever so slightly. ¡°Now, now! No need ta look so scared! I don¡¯t bite, I promise ya!¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just, er, didn¡¯t expect someone of your¡­ Caliber? To be watching me sleep. Is it for security reasons¡­? Oh, er, if I can ask, of course.¡±He wasn¡¯t sure on how to refer to the man now in front of him, having never before quite been in a situation like this. While he understood that he was a prisoner, he had no knowledge on how to speak to a guard, in that situation. Should he appear scared? Frightened? Simply respectful? Or maybe even bow his head and stay quiet? Still, the scarred soldier seemed amused by his behaviour, rather than enraged by possible disrespectings. ¡°Security reasons, you could put it like that, haha! But first- what¡¯s yer name? Names are an important thing, ya know? On a battlefield, especially if you encounter a strong opponent, ya might not get a chance to take a good look at their face, or body, but knowin¡¯ their name? Names hold power, they hold memories. On that note, ya can call me Sol.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Nice¡­ To meet you??¡±Slightly taken aback by the guards¡¯ loquacity, he¡¯d swallow, before pondering for a moment, which name should he give. Arthur Luria? Back when he first woke up, Ayn said that he, too, was an ¡®Aerhius¡¯- was that his surname? Should he take that name up, too? He exhaled, no use wasting brainpower on such futile things. ¡°I am called Arthur. If I can ask-¡±¡°Arthur, ay? Wonderful, perfect, brilliant! A great name, befittin¡¯ of a great king, befittin¡¯ of a brilliant talent! Like the radiance of Sol above, yes!¡±¡°Brilliant talent¡­?¡±Arthur murmured to himself, confused by the man¡¯s words. Who, in turn, twisted his head slightly to the side, confused at Arthur¡¯s confusion. Even behind the tinted glasses, the youth could spot a hint of surprise in his eyes, as if thinking to himself ¡®Huh? Is he dumb?¡¯. ¡°Hmm, well! I guess, ya wouldn¡¯t know ¡®bout my Gift¡­ Of course, I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about yer peculiar method of manipulating Ark. Ya put on quite the spectacle, out there¡­ Guess yer thirst for attention worked out exactly how ya wanted it too, ya scoundrel!¡± The confused expression remained on Arthur¡¯s face. Sol¡¯s eyes widened, behind the glasses. ¡°Wait, wait, wait, hol¡¯ on for a second¡­ Yer telling me, ya didn¡¯t do that jus¡¯ to get my attention?¡±¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I really, really, have no idea what you mean.¡± Well, he had a slight idea on what he might have meant, talking about ¡®putting on a show¡¯. What he didn¡¯t understand, was the brilliant talent he had been talking about for a while now. The man¡¯s befuddled expression slowly faded back into an amused one. This was better than he thought. ¡°So. Ya don¡¯t understand what¡¯s wrong with how ya blew up that rock? Or with yer output of Ark?¡± With an awkward expression on his face, he shook his head. Sol chuckled quietly, amazed at Arthur''s, how he would put it, brilliant ignorance. He''d put a hand to cover his mouth, this was better than he thought it would be. ¡°Alright, let me put it in a way easy for ya to understand¡­ With that one strike, ya used the entirety of yer Arch¨º reservoir. All of it, jus'' to blow up one rock. Now, if ya weren''t showin'' off- why would you do that?¡±¡°I, er, never used Arch¨º before. I was copying Ayn- the other elf''s movements.¡± Once again, the rugged man''s eyes widened, his jaw damn near unhinging as he opened his mouth. Really, he was overdoing facial expressions for the sake of theatrics, but his awe was real. ¡°Ya never used Arch¨º¡­? Wait a second, jus¡¯ wait a moment, this is too wonderful, too incredible, too stupidly brilliant. Ya ain''t a diamond in the rough, yer an unpolished gem, a hidden wonder¡­¡± ¡°Did¡­ I say something wrong¡­?¡±At Sol''s mumblings, Arthur quickly realized the reason for his overreaction. Just like Ayn said, for the inhabitants of that world, using Arch¨º was as natural and instinctive as seeing with one''s eyes, or hearing with one''s ears. For someone to never have used Arch¨º before, would mean to have never lived in that world before. ¡°Oh, er, that might seem too weird¡­¡±¡°Indeed, truthfully, brilliantly, yes! That is bizarre!¡±¡°I, er, forgot to mention- I suffer from amnesia.¡±¡°... Ya can''t remember squat?¡±¡°Something¡­ Like that, sure.¡± Making up an excuse on the spot, he hoped it would work. He was already attracting too much attention, and if he paraded around the fact of having transmigrated, he could only imagine where that would lead him. In contrast, something like amnesia might be more believable, and definitely make more sense. ¡°Then, yer not a hidden wonder either¡­ Ya just need to get finely polished, ¡®n ya''ll be back to yer original shine in no time at all.¡± ¡°Erm¡­ What, might you mean, for finely¡­ Polished?¡± ¡°Don''t worry ¡®bout it too much. See, I had a proposal for ya.¡± A proposal? First, he was given special care, seemingly for being an elf, then he was approached by a guard, getting way more comfortable with the youth than he was comfortable with, and now he was offering him some proposal. Did it have to do with that brilliant talent he kept mentioning? Was the body he transmigrated in, that wonderful? ¡°But first, yer body needs to get better. Doing that stunt of yours, ya busted yer core pretty badly. Talent or not, try and make Ark with a busted core, and ya''ll end up blowing yerself up again.¡±Slowly, he was figuring out the difference between Arch¨º and Ark. He rubbed his chin, putting together what he knew so far. If Arch¨º was the limitless energy source which enveloped everything like an abyss, then, Ark was, most likely, the refined state of that energy, usable for applications. If that assumption was true, or close to the truth, the implication of his usage of unrefined Arch¨º damaging his ¡®Core¡¯, not knowing yet what that was, meant that a ¡®Core¡¯ was responsible for either the body''s intake of Arch¨º, or the output of Ark. ¡°¡­ If the former is true, I gathered too much, which would explain that explosion, I tried to exert too much energy¡­ But if the latter is true, then I must''ve damaged ¡®it¡¯ by using unrefined ¡®Arch¨º¡¯, instead of the refined ¡®Ark¡¯...¡±¡°Bravo! Even with yer memories gone, yer figuring out this stuff at an incredible pace.¡±A bad habit of his- whenever he was deep in thought, he ended up blurting out his thoughts, often making it seem like he was talking to himself. The guard clapped slowly, before standing up and patting his uniform, to remove any dust. ¡°If ya keep that up, ya won''t even need help in figuring out how Arch¨º, Ark and your Core work. ¡®N in that case¡­ Well, my proposal might come sooner than later.¡± Again with that proposal. Seeing Arthur''s intrigued look, the man would leave him with some last, few words, before moving towards the medical bay''s exit. ¡°Yer a golden lump of talent, Arthur. Show me your worth, your brilliance, and if ya burn bright enough¡­ I''ll give ya back yer freedom.¡±With that, the two left the room. Perhaps, even without Ayn''s and that unknown Aurora''s help, he could find a way out of that place. In his eyes, a fire of determination was lit. Divergence 5 - Divergence ¡°Sir, this is just my opinion, but¡­¡±¡°Yeah, no way in hell that kid''s got amnesia. He''s jus¡¯ hidin'' somethin''.¡± Two men walked down the dimly lit corridor, talking in a low tone. The one with a scarred face held his arms behind his head, in an almost childish manner, while the other walked behind him with a rigid posture. They had just left the medical room in which Arthur was situated, discussing what he had told them. ¡°And you let him lie to you¡­ To your face¡­?¡±¡°Calm yer horses, Grimm. Ya know how I work. If keepin'' up this lie helps his talent grow brighter, I''ll play the part of the fool.¡±¡°Sir, you¡­ Really should stop getting so comfortable with prisoners¡­¡±Replying only with a snarky laugh, Grimm massaged the bridge of his nose. By now, he was used to his superior''s way of doing things, and trusted his gut feelings- after all, they were the product of an ¡®Innate Gift¡¯, something even more obscure than magic. However, he did not completely approve of his mindset, giving even prisoners favors so long as they held potential. That was the case with Arthur. ¡ª ¡°Freedom¡­ I wonder, is he just trying to trick me¡­?¡±Hidden by the privacy curtain, the young elf murmured something to himself, thinking back on the words the guard had spoken to him. He hadn''t told him much, just enough to catch Arthur''s interest, but not enough to give him something concrete. ¡®Show your worth, and I''ll give you back your freedom¡¯. In other words, ¡®Get strong, and you can walk out of here¡¯. But, what was his true objective? Thinking back on what little Ayn had told him about this place, it was a prison inside the Teiws Empire. And following that same information he had been given, Teiwesians would use anything at their disposal to grow the strength of the Empire. Surely, that would include children, too, or prisoners and ¡®merchandise¡¯. After all, that was what Arthur was, at the moment: merchandise. Waiting to be bought by someone rich enough to afford an elf. The man named Sol, wanted to turn Arthur from ¡®merchandise¡¯ to an ¡®asset¡¯. That was his theory. The freedom which Sol was dangling in front of his eyes was, most likely, only partial freedom. From a prisoner to a soldier, having to follow an extremely rigid regime, or a servant of the army, or similar situations. However, he would still prefer that, over being sold to who knows who, or remaining in that prison for an indefinite amount of time. But why exactly him? He saw some degree of ¡®potential¡¯, whatever that meant, in the youth. Potential, supposedly linked to his error in ¡®flowing Ark¡¯. Well, in his case, he was ¡®flowing Arch¨º¡¯, which was the reason he was bed bound at the moment, that much he had figured out. If Arch¨º was the power source, and Ark was the refined energy, then his act of strengthening his body was probably comparable to using a lightning rod, during a stormy night, to power a toaster. The bread, aka his poor joints, would surely come out fried and burnt to a crisp. And on the topic of his fried joints, they hurt. Maybe it was due to the Obedience Seal being so present and visible on his flesh, he reasoned that was the reason for his mannequin-like appearance, but that outburst of unrefined Arch¨º seriously hurt his body. Not only in the vague way the rugged man mentioned, ¡®busting his Core¡¯ - which he had still not completely figured out what it was -, but in a more physical, and hurting, way. Moving his arms around, it felt as if he had damaged every muscle, as if needles were piercing every nerve and inch of his flesh. Well, that was an exaggeration, he just liked being dramatic, but it wasn''t too far off from the actual aching he felt. More importantly, if it hurt that bad, and he had been told he needed to get in better shape, did that mean he didn''t have to work? Perhaps, that was a way for Sol to try and gain his trust. Arthur exhaled, murmuring to himself. ¡°If you want to use me and my ¡®potential¡¯... I''ll just have to steal this body''s freedom back.¡± He smirked. Sol wanted to nurture his potential for his own use, he wanted to make use of his talent. And he would let him. In exchange, he too would use the guard''s authority and favors for his own benefit. From what little he had seen of that man, he probably reached the same conclusion- if he wanted to make use of Arthur''s ¡®brilliance¡¯, he was going to have to let himself be devoured by the youth''s greed. As for the time he''d need to be recovering, he would make full use of it. Closing his eyes, and shutting off every outside sensation, dipping back into that instinctive state, finding himself back in the abyss. He would figure out alone how to best utilize Arch¨º and Ark, he would uncover alone this brilliant talent which the man so much liked to mention. ¡°It''ll shine so much, you''ll be blinded the next time you see me.¡± Speaking to himself once again, he fully immersed in the depths of Arch¨º. ¡ª ¡°Shit, shit, shit¡­¡± Inside a dark cell, a short haired elf cursed himself under his breath, while pacing circles in the small room. In his second day of consciousness, that otherworldly moron had managed to go and attract the attention of a high ranking official of Teiws, probably blow up his own Core, and be taken off to a ¡®medical bay¡¯. For what he knew, that could have meant they had took him to some secret torture chamber, or off to indoctrinate him to join the Teiws army. He knew, for a fact, that the body he was inhabiting had incredibly high levels of potential, but he didn''t expect for the transmigrator to utilize it that way.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. In part, it was his fault, too. The reason he walked off before fully explaining how to utilize Ark in a safe way to Arthur, was due to a petty desire to test the other elf. Knowing that body''s capabilities, he was expecting muscle memory to lead him to the proper usage, but it turned out not to be enough. No, most likely, he didn''t use muscle memory at all. He had cast a glance or two towards Arthur, and saw him fully focused on manipulating his Arch¨º. With what little knowledge he had been given, he visualized and managed a method to flow Arch¨º in his body. He was scared of that level of adaptability. Understanding the theory was one thing, but he managed something which most people, having lived and having got used to synthesizing Ark before utilizing it, would find nigh, or completely, impossible. Though that was understandable: Arthur wasn''t from this world. He wasn''t used to the feeling of Ark flowing through his essence, strengthening his body in a natural way. That much, could be considered normal. What was abnormal, was the boy ignoring the warning alerts which surely went off in his body. Even if his consciousness was that of a transmigrator, the body still belonged to that world, and was a body that many times had used magic. A body which, even if led by bright ignorance, surely wouldn''t allow itself to self-destruct in an experiment. He was scared of Arthur''s adaptability, but even more than that, of his lack of instincts of self preservation. Did he not feel the searing pain of Arch¨º burning his joints and muscles? Did he not shoulder the crushing weight of a limitless energy flowing through his body? Did he not witness the blinding sparks, as if lightning was using him as a conduit? Ayn gripped his fist tightly. He had tried, once, to wield Arch¨º that same way Arthur mistakenly did, and failed. And yet, that boy coming from another world, managed the impossible to do the ordinary. All that, only to end up with a possibly damaged beyond repair Core. He knew that it was a possibility, because it had happened to him, too. He remembered his failure, the pain that it brought, the anger he felt at himself, and most importantly, the despair when he tried to cast magic, only to barely be able to create Ark. One''s Core is, according to some researchers and many wielders of Arch¨º, the most important part to wield magic. A supposed invisible organ, located beside the heart, where one''s internal reserves of Arch¨º are gathered. And like the heart purifies one''s blood, a Core refines that Arch¨º, limiting the limitless energy''s strength and synthesizing it into a more easily malleable one, Ark. For months after that single failed attempt, it took Ayn minutes to refine enough Ark to cast even simple spells, a process which was normally nigh instantaneous. If the consequences of failure were that dangerous, he didn''t dare imagine the consequences of fully going through with the process, of completely shouldering the raw, unfiltered might of Arch¨º coursing through the young elf''s body. ¡°I should¡­ Go check up on that moron.¡±Assuming that man wasn''t being sarcastic, he had given Ayn the permission to visit Arthur in the room he was recovering. Sure, he''d have to first find out the place, then convince the guards to bring him there, but if he wasn''t lying, it shouldn''t be too difficult. Still, he''d have to use his free time, for that purpose. Between the daily meals, after his work hours, he should have enough time to make his way there. Hopefully, it would be enough time to figure out in what condition Arthur was in. In the worst case, if Arthur had truly been damaged beyond repair, then their plans would become harder to see through. He was the back up, not the main actor. Snapping him away from his thoughts would be the sound of footsteps walking down the corridor, probably a guard. An idea popped up in his mind. ¡°Um¡­ Sir, I''m¡­ Really sorry to bother you¡­¡±¡°...¡±Passing by his cell, the guard shot an annoyed look at the short haired boy, but upon noticing his features, realized he couldn''t just ignore his pleas and move on. ¡°I''ve been told by a certain¡­ Sir Sol, to ask to be accompanied to the medical bay¡­¡±¡°Sir Sol¡­? Shit, even if¡­ Get out, brat, I''ll lead the way.¡± Surprisingly, that worked like a charm. Even if he had no way of making sure the boy wasn''t lying on the spot, the fear of going against that man''s orders probably surpassed the fear of being punished for taking a prisoner out of their cell. Surprisingly, the medical bay wasn¡¯t too far from their holding cells. The guard remained outside, leaving the elf to enter alone. The room was small, but surprisingly not too shabby, considering it was just a medical room for the prisoners. Moving aside a curtain, the bed in which Arthur was sitting, seemingly meditating, would be revealed. ¡°Oi, you moron¡­ Are you awake?¡±¡°¡­You came sooner than I thought you would.¡± ¡°What, did you think I''d leave you here, without even knowing if you''d wake up after that shit you pulled?¡± A soft smile creeped its way onto Ayn''s face, seeing the other react like that was reassuring. They hadn''t known each other for long, that was true, but he really did feel like a brother to the elf. In contrast, the brother''s expression was more grave. ¡°Ayn, you know why I''ve transmigrated, right?¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­ I can''t tell you the details, but there''s a clear reason you''ve been forced into this world. As soon as we get out of here, Aurora will explain everything.¡±¡°I see¡­ So, you too, expect me to do something for you, huh.¡±To the shorter haired elf''s confusion, Arthur''s expression grew more serious. Until now, he hadn''t been facing him, looking in the opposite direction while sitting upright on the bed. Finally, he''d turn towards Ayn, an indecipherable look on his face. ¡°I''m not leaving this prison with you, Ayn. That man, Sol, offered me a chance for freedom, a chance I can grasp with my own hand.¡±¡°What the hell¡­ Are you talking about¡­?¡± Initially, he thought this was some sort of prank to piss him off, but seeing the serious expression on Arthur''s face, reality set in. Anger started slowly boiling inside the elf''s body, thanks to the transmigrator''s stupidity. ¡°I don''t know what you think you''re going to get out of working with him, but we''ve already accounted for your rescue alongside mine- you just need to sit tight, and we''ll both get out of here. Not to mention, following that man is going to take much longer, and meeting back up with me would be a pain-¡±¡°You don''t understand. It''s not about escaping.¡±¡°¡­? What the hell is it about, then?!¡± Ayn held himself back from shouting, at Arthur''s retort. ¡°I don''t care why you think I transmigrated, but I know the reason. It''s a second chance at life.¡±In his eyes, that flame of determination was still burning brightly, what was it that he could see exactly?¡°Sorry, but this time, I''ll live how I want to. Your expectations, you can throw them in the trash.¡± Core 6 - Core When he thought about his past, reminiscing about his life in the world before he transmigrated, Arthur could only see hazy memories, scenes and events happening through a foggy lens. This wasn''t something which happened after his transmigration, it had always been like this for the boy. Memories which he didn''t care about enough to remember, relationships forged only to exist in the moment.That was the majority of his life. The reason was quite the simple one, he simply didn¡¯t care too much about living. It¡¯s not like he wished to cease the state of living, but the state of active living, enjoying the small and big things in life, was something he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do. Even if he faked enjoying companionships, or relations with his family, that was all it was, something fake. He was a flower nipped at the bud. Cursed with the words ¡®natural born genius¡¯, praised by his parents as a one in a million talent, groomed and tailored to live up to their expectations. And in doing so, he never had the chance to find something worth living for, other than following the dreams forced unto him. And now, cast into another world, a foreign reality where he wouldn¡¯t be forced to follow anyone¡¯s dreams or plans, he sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to follow the schemes Ayn had for him. He enjoyed talking and bickering with the other, but only as much as he enjoyed anything else in life, only on a surface level. ¡°Seriously, what the hell are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°You heard me, I''m sure you did. The way I want to live in this place, is by following through with Sol''s offer.¡± ¡®Offer?¡¯ Ayn furrowed his brows at those words. What could that man have offered him, to make him side with him so decidedly? Surely, it was some sort of trickery, a way to cheat Arthur out of his freedom after seemingly having given it back to him, nothing more than a cheap trip. And yet, that fire burning in his eyes was real, more real than anything he had ever seen. What could have brought forth this spurt of determination? ¡°And what, what exactly, what did he offer you, huh? You otherworldly moron¡­ He''s probably, lying or something, trying to trick you into following him, and-¡± ¡°Isn''t that what you''re doing, too?¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± ¡°Sure, we''re acting all buddy buddy, and you''re treating me like a brother, but for all I know, this could just be a way of gaining my trust. See, if there''s something I despise, it''s when people want me to do something for them. Above everything in this shitty life, that''s what I hate the most.¡± ¡°Do, do you think he''s just going to set you free, then? Do you think you''re not gonna have to do anything, do you think he doesn''t want you to do anything? Do you think he doesn''t have any expectations for you, or something like that?¡± ¡°It''s not like that. He told me clearly what he wants of me, he wants to use and abuse a ¡®potential¡¯ he sees.¡± ¡°Then, what is the difference?!¡± ¡°What, are you too dumb to see it by yourself, and you call me a moron?¡± Despite his hatred for those that only saw him as a lump of talent, as a genius, Arthur preferred cold, hard logic over anything else. If he could understand something rationally, he could understand the entirety of its essence, all that it was. ¡°I have no idea where your goal lies, in using me. On the other hand, that man lets himself be read like an open book. I''ll use him, and he''ll use me. In contrast, staying with you and blindly trusting ¡®that person¡¯ would be irrational.¡± That was the logic which Arthur Luria believed in. A perverse ideology of using and being used for their own, separate goals, connected only by that shining talent which the Teiwesian saw in him. Arthur trusted that man thought the same thing, he''d let himself be used if it meant uncovering a hidden treasure. That was, ultimately, what separated Ayn and Sol, in the transmigrator''s eyes. One, although morally the better choice, was the same as those that pushed him into a life of boredom and repetitiveness in his old world. Instead, that man offered him a new expectation, one he had never seen before. And most importantly¡­ ¡°I feel like if I follow that man¡­ I''ll find this life enjoyable. Y''know, enjoying life is important. So, pardon me for being selfish.¡± ¡°That, that goes over being selfish, you''re ruining¡­ Shit, whatever.¡± Ayn exhaled from his nose, exasperated, trying to calm himself down. Despite both of them being elves, with Ayn''s longevity and Arthur having lived a life prior to transmigrating, neither of the two was truly a child, mentally. However, the shorter haired one still wasn''t as mature as the other. To his eyes, Arthur seemed like an unreadable monster of rationality and adaptability, a singularity that could make or break any plan he''s involved in. Rationality which went hand in hand with Arthur''s desire for fun, a walking paradox. He was an insurmountable wall for the young elf, something which needed to be surpassed for their plans to come to fruition. However, he wasn''t as logical as the otherworldly moron, no. He was far more emotional.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Fine, then. Do what you like. Don''t come crying back to me when you realize what you''re heading into.¡± Either way, Aurora would have to pick him up, too. That was the last thought that passed through Ayn''s head, before he left the room. Arthur basked in the calm of the quiet room immediately after the argument, before promptly falling back on the bed, lying on his back with a dumb smile plastered on his face. ¡°This feels good¡­ Shutting him down like that¡­ Choosing what I want to do for myself¡­¡± He¡¯d stay lying down, unmoving, for a few more moments, just enjoying the small ¡®victory¡¯ he had just acquired for himself. ¡°Man, maybe I''m a bit messed up in the head.¡± Chuckling to himself like someone who had just played a prank on their friend, he''d spread his arms, lying down with his eyes now closed. Despite the seriousness of the declaration he had given out, the atmosphere in that room was light and comfortable. Soon enough, he''d sit upright once again. ¡°Back to training, I guess¡­ Can''t let the chance slip by.¡± And with that, he closed his eyes, submerging in the ¡®instinctual¡¯ world. Since the previous day, when he first met that man, he had done a bit of introspection, in a literal way. According to his words, there was a pretty big chance his ¡®Core¡¯, which supposedly played a part in refining Arch¨º, had been damaged from his stunt at the mining station. That, seemed to check out. He could feel the Arch¨º around his body and direct it into it, but he couldn''t find a latch, a point, a spot to gather it which would cause any noticeable change. As if issuing him a challenge, Sol hadn''t given him any tips on what exactly a Core was, and asking Ayn was out of the question. He had to figure this out on his own. ¡°Alright, think¡­ Re-view those memories, see that sight again¡­ What was he doing, before swinging the pickaxe¡­?¡± The reason why his first attempt at flowing Arch¨º failed, he figured, was because of how hasty that improvisation was. He only copied Ayn''s general movements and flow of Arch¨º, not paying mind to the minute details. But he had figured out that much, already. Which meant he had to copy those movements in a deeper, more accurate, more insightful manner. Copy exactly how and where the Arch¨º flowed, deduce why it moved in that manner, and figure out a way to copy it with his transmigrator brain and manners. If only his body were in a good enough state to get up and get working again, he could head to the mining station, and observe other prisoners in-between strikes. His memory was quite good, but not good enough to go solely off the memory of Ayn swinging his pickaxe. If he wanted to figure this problem out, he''d need to observe someone ¡®flow¡¯ their Ark. Which would prove quite hard, considering that room was far from any workstation, or any place where people would actively use their Arch¨º. ¡°¡­ No, wait. That''s wrong.¡± What he needed wasn''t active usage. ¡®Remember what he said. For them, it''s nothing short of natural.¡¯ For the inhabitants of that world, converting Arch¨º into Ark, and utilising it to strengthen and enhance their bodies, was something ordinary, something as natural to them as breathing. He was trying to see with his eyes open, not understanding what sight was. He didn''t need to watch someone work, he just needed to watch an inhabitant of that world, while in that ¡®instinctual¡¯ world of his. Submerged in that abyss, he was sensitive to even the smallest sparks of Arch¨º, his senses, although dulled, sharp enough to catch the shifting of that energy. He could feel sparks leading off somewhere in the distance, but they weren''t close enough that he could observe with precision. What he needed was something much, much closer. And as if reading his mind and granting him his wish, two pairs of footsteps, one light and one heavier, walked down the corridor, headed towards the room. He could guess who they belonged to, but in that moment it didn''t matter, he just needed to focus on how their Arch¨º turned into Ark, and how it flowed in their bodies. ¡°Don''t go in yet. I can tell the kid''s focusin'' on somethin''.¡± ¡°And that''s a good thing. Alright.¡± ¡°Aye. As soon as somethin'' blows up, that''s our cue he figured it out.¡± To gather Arch¨º into his body, Arthur had to make a conscious, active effort. Dip into that instinctive world, focus on the energy which shifted and moved around him, then gather it into his body, and lastly, spread it throughout every joint for a burst of explosive power. That''s how he did it the first and only time. However, an ¡®active¡¯ method wouldn''t cut it, if he wanted to make his talent truly shine. To reach the standard of normalcy, he needed to reach a state where his body, with no external input, could flow Ark through itself to strengthen Arthur. But before he could do that, he needed to figure out how to refine Ark. For something which was as natural as breathing or seeing to the inhabitants of that world, it sure had a lot of steps. No, when he thought about it, breathing was just as complex. The muscle movements in the nose to draw in air, the pulmonary action to filter the oxygen, and all the other steps he never bothered to learn in biology class. Breathing was the same as refining Arch¨º. To breathe, he needed organs, the lungs, and a receptor to draw in the air. His entire body was the receptor for Arch¨º, and in that case, his ¡®Core¡¯ must be some sort of organ, too, but it''s not like he could dig inside his own body and scoop out each organ one by one, to figure out where the Core was. All he could do, was ¡®feel¡¯. ¡°Keep that line of thought¡­ I''m almost there¡­¡± And if the Core was an organ, which refined Arch¨º and spread Ark throughout the body, its function was the same as the heart with blood, or as lungs with oxygen. No, while the heart seemed a good comparison, he could feel Arch¨º flowing in from the outside, so it wasn''t something his own body generated. Then, the lungs were probably closer, he could settle on that. He started to understand why his act seemed so unique, and an attention grabber- it''s like someone had ran to Sol, and started breathing in only carbon monoxide, completely stopping their lungs from filtering the oxygen from the air, and collapsed on the spot while mumbling victorious words. A chuckle escaped his lips, that ridiculous comparison making him understand his own stupidity. And if he was already acting ridiculous, then¡­ He might as well try something he never did before. He was a man of logic, but right now, he had a chance to turn his life upside down, become a completely new person. And the first step towards that, would be¡­ To use fantasy novels as an instruction manual. This wasn''t an uncommon trope, especially in stories which revolved around settings with extreme use of magic: an organ, a soul, something which resides in every human, an internal ¡®reserve¡¯ of magic. Thinking back, Sol also mentioned something about exhausting his Arch¨º reserves, despite Arthur being sure he had drawn in that Arch¨º from the outside. But if there truly was something like that inside his body, a storage of Arch¨º, an internal, private storage of energy, then¡­ ¡°Found you.¡± Smirking at himself, he looked down at his body, a feeling of energy emitting from a flickering, golden light right next to his heart. Six Months 7 - Six Months ¡°This is¡­ Kind of embarrassing.¡± The youth would mutter to himself, while ¡®staring¡¯ at the golden bundle of light in the abyss of Arch¨º. Seeing wasn''t the appropriate word, but it was the closest way to describe it. Deep inside him, as if an entire other abyss was located in the interior of his body, a flickering golden light showed its existence, located near the heart. But, he could tell something was wrong with it. Apart from his decision to follow fantasy novel tropes, he had figured out where that Core was located, thanks to the two stationed outside the room. By observing their ¡®inactive¡¯ Ark flows, he spotted the area in which Arch¨º gathered the most, before dispersing. And by observing them, he noticed a big difference between his and their Cores. A continuous glow, only dimming at times but never stopping completely, was emitted from their Cores. On the other hand, Arthur''s was flickering like a broken Christmas tree light, one moment golden and the next complete darkness. Yup, his Core was busted. The lung comparison was good for the Core, but he preferred more technical terms. Arch¨º was the fuel, his Core was an engine, and Ark was the produced energy. With a broken engine, that fuel risked damaging the other components of the larger construct, those being his body, if he tried starting it up. No matter how he put it, the damage he had inflicted onto himself was extremely serious. Trying to start an engine with burning fluid, or breathing in pure carbon monoxide- he was in a bad spot. The theory held up decently, so now he could move onto the more pressing matter at hand, how to fix his broken Core. Would a damaged Core warrant damage spreading to other organs, like an internal bleeding? Or maybe even lead to death, in the long run, like an organ failing? No, it didn''t feel like that, at least. He furrowed his brows, thinking. Could he, fix his broken Core? No, most definitely, he couldn''t. All he knew derived from his own theories, with little to no proof apart from his ¡®instinctive¡¯ feeling. Could one fix an engine, knowing only it produces energy, and not knowing the first thing about the energy source, the produced energy, how the engine worked, or what happened if it malfunctioned? Well, he knew the last one, at least. ¡°Pain and such¡­¡± He murmured to himself, the stinging pain in his joints persisting. Still, the pain had decreased in intensity ever so slightly, since he started focusing more on trying to figure out how to properly use Arch¨º. Swaying from side to side with his legs crossed, he kept thinking, trying to brainstorm ideas, to fix his situation. Sure, he was given a second chance at life, but if he couldn''t even use the most basic form of the science which drove that world, it would be just another wasted life. Well, it was magic, but he thought of it as a science, since it was logical enough. Shifting his focus once again to the two figures standing outside his room, who for whatever reason hadn''t yet entered, he''d analyze their Cores. Arch¨º, shifting and moving, rested inside those Cores, continuously being refined and expelled at low quantities under the form of Ark. He couldn''t figure out the process completely, it was probably something he''d have to leave to his ¡®instincts¡¯. As illogical as it was, it seemed to work well enough for that fantasy science. So, it was kind of logical. If he couldn''t figure out the interior process of a Core, it meant he wouldn''t be able to figure out how to fix his own, either. He rubbed his chin, thinking. His situation couldn''t be something never seen before, that was illogical. Especially since both Ayn and Sol mentioned the possibility of a broken Core: this probably happened often, under the right circumstances. Then, would one with a broken Core have no possibility of regaining its full functionalities? No, that couldn''t be either, since Sol regarded his talent as brilliant, despite the clear damage done. If this wasn''t an uncommon occurrence, was something seen before, and one''s talent wouldn''t be too affected by this damage¡­ ¡°¡­That means, there''s some definitive way to fix my Core, right?¡± Speaking just loud enough for those outside to hear him, Sol pushed the door open, a satisfied smile on his face. ¡°Ding-ding! I was expecting ya ta blow somethin'' up while figurin'' out fer yerself how ta do it, but I guess yer more coolheaded than I thought.¡± ¡°That''s kind of, my selling point. Sorry to disappoint you, Sir.¡± Compared to their last meeting, the atmosphere between the two was a lot less tense, a sense of mutual understanding coating their words. By now they both had realized they were on the same wavelength, and that their interests matched. Which made talking a lot easier. ¡°You want to polish my talent, right? Then, I''m guessing the first step in making you acknowledge it properly, is to fix my Core by myself. Figure out how it works, how to access it, how to fix it, and how to properly flow Ark. That''s just the basic steps, right?¡± ¡°Well, yes, that''s a way, but¡­ Ta be honest, I kinda expected ya ta take another route.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°That being¡­?¡± A hint of curiosity was in the young boy''s voice, intrigued at what Sol might be aiming at. ¡°Well¡­ It''s no fun if I just tell ya, now, is it?¡± ¡°Whu- You scammer! Don''t hook me in, and then leave me hanging!¡± ¡°Gyahahahahah! Yer a little naive fish, aintcha? Shouldn¡¯ta bit the bait!¡± If bickering with Ayn felt like talking to a brother around the same age as him, then talking with Sol felt like talking with an older, respected cousin, who liked to mess around with his younger cousin. Still, he knew that it was just part of the facade the man was putting up. Drowning out his own laugh, Arthur quickly started thinking again, about what Sol could be wanting him to do. If he wasn''t going to spell it outright, he was going to at least squeeze out a hint from him. ¡°So¡­ What should I do, to find that alternate route?¡± ¡°Ta find that route, huh¡­ I like yer thinkin''. First of all, get a good grasp on how Arch¨º, as a whole, works. Not just Arch¨º, or Ark, or Cores, but all of it. Grasp how ta use Arch¨º properly, watch and learn how ta use magic effectively. That''ll be yer stepping stone.¡± ¡°Stepping stone, huh? You better hope it doesn''t bring me too high.¡± Getting a grasp on Arch¨º as a whole might be a good idea, but so long as his Core didn''t work properly, he wouldn''t be able to use magic properly, he figured. Though it was true he hadn''t seen any magic in action yet, apart from Obedience Seals and ¡®flowing¡¯ Ark, he guessed he''d need refined Ark to properly use any kind of magic. Still, observing magic from up close, figuring out how it worked, that would be incredibly beneficial. His Arch¨º-feeling capabilities were definitely top notch, he understood that, even if he had no one to compare himself to. The only problem would be finding a way to observe magic and the usage of Arch¨º. ¡°But, uh, how would I watch someone use magic? Do I just, go up to random guards, and¡­ Ask them¡­? Do I need to get whaled on¡­?¡± Sol shot him a perplexed look, before bursting out laughing like he often did. ¡°Hah, yer right, brat! Ya wouldn''t have many chances locked up in here, huh?¡± He¡¯d rub his chin while thinking, looking up at the ceiling. Behind him, Grimm sighed, already knowing his superior was devising some plan that the higher ups wouldn''t like. Well, his higher ups anyways, there weren''t many people that could go against Sol in that Empire. ¡°How ¡®bout this¡­ I''ll give ya a ¡®free trial¡¯ of enlistment in our military academy. Ya won''t attend any proper trainings or lectures, but ya''ll be able ta spectate spars, duels and official matches, and even fight yerself when ya feel good ¡®nough ¡®bout yer capabilities.¡± ¡°Free trial¡­ So, I''m getting promoted from prisoner to officer prisoner!¡± ¡°Gyahahahahah! Somethin'' like that! I''ll give ya¡­ Six months. Ya won''t need ta work in the prison either for this period, but at the end, if I''m not satisfied with yer results¡­ Ya can guess where this is going, right?¡± Six months. He had six months, to earn back his freedom. On one hand, that felt like an incredibly long time, but on the other, he only had six months to prove his worth, and the brilliance of his talent. Sol grinned, leaning towards his bed while sitting on a chair. He extended his hand. ¡°So? Are ya down fer this, my lump of potential?¡± ¡°I''m betting my entire life on this. Sure I am.¡± With no hesitation, he shook his hand. ¡ª Fssst¡­ Za-zap! Sparks flew everywhere in the small, boxing ring-like arena, the impact of energy clashing against energy lighting up the dark room. In the two corners stood two young men, no older than teenagers but not yet having reached full maturity, with bruised and battered limbs and faces. The room was large but empty, pretty much a warehouse turned into an arena, with people watching from every angle. Mostly trainees, like the two duking it out in the ring. And in a corner, trying not to catch any attention, was Arthur. Apparently, that was Sol''s idea of watching magic up close- not a lecture or anything of the sort, but rather, watching magic dogfights and duels in this shabby arena. Although he would have preferred a more refined method of teaching, beggars can''t be choosers. So, he sat tight, watching and analyzing the two fight. Although he had accepted the existence of magic, up until that moment, it seemed something logical and realistic, his only experience being with feeling Arch¨º, and flowing it through his body. In a way, those were similar to breathing techniques and pre-match routines certain athletes had, still in the realm of possibility. However, seeing actual magic being cast in person, had shattered any remaining belief he had, that this world would follow any semblance of the logic he knew. There was a sense, a method to using those surreal abilities, but even if he understood that, it still felt just that: surreal. BZZZT! An arc of blue electricity traced the air, propelled by the hands of one of the warriors in the ring, a young boy with long hair. Moments before it did, light ran up his arm and towards his hand, as if underneath his skin wires and paths ran to create a circuit, to channel that energy known as Ark. It seemed similar to when his joints glowed with energy, so perhaps his thought process wasn''t too far fetched from the truth. The electricity clashed in mid air with a conjured bolt of fire, somehow, the two spells cancelling each other out. Without a doubt, this all would have made no sense in the world he knew. However, this wasn''t the world he knew. Without even realizing it, an almost fanatic smile creeped onto his face. ¡°The Arch¨º is refined inside the core¡­ Then it''s turned into Ark¡­ The Ark flows into those shifting ¡®circuits¡¯, and like a taser, or an electric lighter, different spells come out¡­ Does it have to do with the shape of the circuits¡­? Does the length increase a spell''s strength, or is it purely to have differing patterns¡­? Maybe both¡­? No, the longer the pathway, the more the energy should get diluted¡­ But I shouldn''t apply my logic to this world¡­¡± Mumbling to himself like a madman, he found himself soon entranced by the battle of magic. Despite being a self-called man of logic, what he loved most were things able to smash his life apart, fill that boredom-clad life with fun and pleasure. And right now, there wasn''t anything more pleasurable for him, than to study a never seen before source of energy. Well, to him it was never seen before, but to the other spectators, that level of spellcasting was decent at best. Still, he found it quite fun to observe, analyze, and deduct how Arch¨º worked from that fight. At the moment, he was too interested in watching it in practice to follow his instincts and watch how their Arch¨º moved in detail, but he''d have more opportunities, surely. ¡ª And thus, the first week of his six months passed like this, with Arthur becoming a magic dogfights fanatic, quickly gaining the nickname of ¡®Arch¨º-Obsessed Elf¡¯. On the seventh day, watching from his usual corner, a figure, their face covered by a dirty hood, approached him. Their stance was relaxed, but being covered by both the dark environment of the room and the shadow of the hood, Arthur didn''t feel too sure about engaging them in conversation. Nevertheless, they engaged first. ¡°Yo! You got sent here to study, too?¡± Surprisingly, the voice, albeit a rough one, was feminine, and carrying no malice, seemingly. Pulling down her hood, a mass of white hair, clearer than even his, would come cascading down, alongside revealing a young-looking face. She couldn''t have been too much older than him, and judging from her words, she was probably in a similar situation as him. ¡°Uh, yeah, something like that.¡± A childish suddenly appearing on her face, she jolted forward, grabbing Arthur¡¯s hand and forcefully shaking it, dazing the boy slightly. ¡°My name¡¯s Irene, what about ya? My mom and pops sent me here to get better with my Gift, what about ya? Did ya get sent here by your mom and pops too? Are ya a soldier? A trainee? A spy? Hehe, if you are, you better square up!¡± It seems he had forgot, thanks to both his and Ayn¡¯s maturity, despite external appearances- children, be they soldiers, mages, or whatnot, were children, in the end. And this childish outburst of energy was more than enough to daze the poor elf. Perception 8 - Perception ¡°I''m, er, Arthur. You can call me Arthur. My¡­ Parents didn''t send me here, but I guess our situations are similar. I was sent here to learn how Arch¨º and Ark works.¡± ¡°Huuh? Like, ta get better at fighting, right? Same here!¡± ¡°I mean, yeah, that''s also one of the reasons.¡± So far, all of Arthur''s interactions in this world had been with either grown people, such as Sol or the occasional guard, or Ayn, who, too, was quite smarter than his peers, and definitely didn''t act like a child. Maybe being an elf had something to do with it, he wouldn''t be surprised if they had a stupidly long lifespan. Talking to someone that actually acted her age was refreshing, but more than that, it was¡­ Overwhelming. He didn''t like interacting with children all that much, and Irene embodied all the qualities of a kid that annoyed him. Too much energy, she was messy, kept talking without a stop, and was, overall, just really childish. ¡°Er, Irene, right? Are you any good at magic?¡± She¡¯d stop jumping around, turning towards Arthur and putting a slightly more expression on her face, however bearing a smirk. ¡°You bet I am! My momma said I was gifted! Or I had a great Gift? I can''t remember, but you I¡¯m GREAT at it!¡± Somehow, he didn''t feel completely reassured by her statement. Sure, she said she was great, but there was a pretty likely chance that she was just boasting, like children often did. He didn¡¯t need someone with great talent, however, he just needed someone who could use magic at all. Watching practical demonstrations was useful and all, but he found losing himself in the fight wasn''t as useful for learning as it was to pass time. He had seen a lot of spells, flames burning through the air and crystalline bolts slicing towards their targets, but he couldn''t focus enough on the inner workings of Arch¨º. The older child would inch closer to Arthur, stuck thinking whether she would be a good fit for a teacher or not. Anyone who knew how to use magic, and who could explain it half-decently, would be good, but he wasn''t sure she had the latter skill needed. ¡°So? Ya wanna see? Ya wanna see, right? Ya don''t believe I''m good, right? I''ll show ya! I''ll show ya!¡± Arthur winced, annoyed at the loud voice. Though she was a child, judging from her appearance, she was probably slightly older than his current body. If that body was somewhere around eight years of age, in human years, then she was around ten years old. Even for a ten year old, she seemed too energetic and enthusiastic, like a never-ending pool of energy was fueling her, and she was using it to shout and annoy the elf. Still, it was his job as the bigger person to bear with it. He''d look up at her, there was a slight height difference between the two. Now that she had her hood off, and the corners of the room were starting to be enlightened by the clashes of magical aura happening in the ring, he could get a better look of her face. ¡°Heelloooo? Do you wanna see? Heeeey? You there?¡± At the sides of her eyes, what he thought was makeup glimmered, like gold dust had been scattered on her face. He wasn''t sure it was makeup though, he had seen his share of people with peculiar attributes by now. Ranging from sharp, long ears to goat-like horns, or even people whose body was fully covered in fur, as if animals walking on two legs. He had seen most of those inside the arena. ¡°Yeah, sure, you''ll do. I don''t need to see anything flashy, just-¡± As soon as he spoke those two first words, the child flashed an enormous smile, before turning around on the spot and, quite literally, leaping onto the arena. Like a feral animal, landing on all fours before quickly getting up, cleaning herself from the dust. Despite their¡­ Misunderstanding on what the other meant for ¡®watching her do magic¡¯, this could prove useful, after all. Even just from that jump, he had managed to observe the way Ark flowed in her body- was she making it easier to notice? ¡°Not her again¡­¡± One of the fighters in the arena swallowed hard watching the child hop against them, an expression of fear and annoyance appearing on his face. There was a match going on, so it was fair they''d be annoyed. But, ¡®again¡¯? They made it sound like this was something that happened often, Irene interrupting fights to show off. But, at least in the week that he''d been there, that was the first time he''d seen her. Not to mention, supposedly she was there to learn, too. Well, getting some practice was a way to learn, too, especially for something like that. He wished he could fight, too. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡®No, focus, look at her Arch¨º, not her fighting.¡¯ He''d squint, looking at the direction of the arena. Although he hadn''t gotten any better at manipulating Arch¨º, in the past week his ¡®instincts¡¯ had become good enough to let him perceive the flow of external Arch¨º without needing to fully focus on it. The driving reason for this evolution of sorts, was that he didn''t want to waste time and lose focus of the action by closing his eyes and focusing solely on the Arch¨º, or focusing solely on the action and losing track of the flow of Arch¨º. Energy flowed through the child''s body, her hair swaying slightly from the emitted aura. Like any other fighter, Ark was flowing naturally, strengthening her body passively just by having it course through it. The two other warriors in the arena stood still, tense, waiting for her to move. And move she did. Scorching the ground underneath with sheer force, she jolted forward, towards the one that declared his annoyance initially. Energy gathered around an outstretched arm, leaping on her target like a beast pouncing on its prey. Something he hadn''t noticed before, her arm seemed to be covered in some sort of golden, skintight gauntlet, shimmering with the light from her energy. A drawn sword would meet her strike, sparks exploding from the clash. Immediately, Arch¨º would form circuits and canals in the swordsman''s dominant hand, a spell shot off to fend off the beast like child. Shards of ice cutting through the air, leaving small wounds on Irene''s skin, but not damaging enough to have her back off. Sheathing the sword once again, he''d keep his arm outstretched, a torrent of ice shards pouring onto the child. Attempts to block and weave the shards were made, but thanks to the sheer numbers, even if they didn''t do much damage, it was hard to avoid them. Arthur clicked his tongue, despite this being a good opportunity to learn, the fight itself was kind of boring. Focusing more on the Arch¨º itself, he''d notice the ¡®circuit¡¯ in the boy''s arm wasn''t changing, instead only being fueled with more Ark. First, he had gathered Arch¨º towards his arm, then changed the patterns of those circuits, somehow, to prepare for that ice shards spell, and lastly, the Ark made that spell into reality. The Ark, was, ultimately, what made that last step possible. It wasn''t anything like ¡®summoning¡¯ or ¡®creating¡¯ ice out of thin, air, no. He could tell, the Ark itself changed its essence to become ice, shifting from energy to a tangible, dangerously cold, projectile. Looking down at his body, he couldn''t see anything like those circuits, only the Arch¨º naturally inside his body. Synthesizing Arch¨º wasn''t the only wall he needed to climb, he also needed to figure out how to form and shape those circuits, memorize which ones caused which effects, and become able to use them on the fly. And adding to that, he only had six months. Ice kept raining down the arena, tearing through Irene''s flesh. No, something was different, now. While she still kept a defensive stance, what looked like a thin layer of Ark covered the surface of her body, a makeshift armor which the swordsman didn''t notice. With a smirk on his face, he kept firing off ice. Not only that, but she was actively gathering Ark, for some reason. Arthur couldn''t see any circuits being formed, so she wasn''t planning to cast a spell. Did she mean to use all that Ark to strengthen her body? ¡®Wait, it could make sense.¡¯ he thought, thinking back on his own explosive burst of Arch¨º. Keeping one arm in front of her to guard her face, she''d stretch out the other, before charging forward. ¡°?! Shit, I''ll freeze you to death!¡± Arthur, and even more so the swordsman, were surprised by her sudden move. She wasn''t using all that stored up Ark to charge, and she clearly wasn''t forming any spell, so what was the reason for that move? Energy started to swirl from the inside to the outside, her Ark taking physical shape without the need of circuits as an intermediary. Before either of them could figure out what had happened, the swordsman would be struck in the abdomen, thrown out of the ring, but without any serious damage. He was knocked out, though. In Irene''s hands, a lance, the jousting kind, had formed. Was it some kind of conjuration, or creation spell? No, that wasn''t it. He was sure she hadn''t used any circuits, nor did she have any way to cast a spell that quickly, from that up close to her enemy. Not to mention, the form of that lance was unstable, as if made out of a liquid held in shape. Arthur''s eyes widened, could it be, she¡­ ¡°You can give your Ark a solid form, is that what that was?¡± Walking up to the edge of the ring, Arthur shouted at Irene, trying to catch her attention. With a surprised expression on her face, she''d turn around, hopping up and down while holding herself on the edge of the arena. ¡°Yep!! That''s the first time someone guesses it without mom or pops needing to explain it!! Yer a real smart one, Arthur!¡± ¡°No, it''s just, the logical thing, I think.¡± Was it really that hard to believe she could do that? All around them, whispers grew in intensity, talking about her fight, what she had just done, and whether that elf was really speaking the truth. He could see a few people here and there trying to do the same as she did, flowing Ark out of their body without a circuit, only to fail miserably. Some people were laughing and pointing at their friends trying her best to copy her, while others were just sighing and clicking their tongue, stating that clearly it was just a trick, and that it was a normal spell. Were they blind, Arthur wondered? Most of them didn''t even make a proper effort to flow Ark outside of their bodies, they just tried to extend the reach of the circuits to spread on the air itself. That was stupid, of course they wouldn''t be able to do it that way. And it wasn''t a spell, that was obvious, since she hadn''t used any circuit. And he was the one coming from another world. No, wait. Maybe the others weren''t blind- maybe, he could just see something the others couldn''t. The friends joking among themselves were looking at their friend''s palm, where the spell would appear, not at the path the Arch¨º traced. The one talking her down drew shapes and patterns in the air, trying to figure out a circuit to explain her trick. Could no one, apart from him, visualize Arch¨º that clearly? Even just by looking around himself, and focusing slightly, he could see the paths and patterns which that energy formed in the air, travelling through each body and using them as conduits to continue its path. Closing his eyes, he''d focus on the Arch¨º which he could grasp. He could feel it swirling around and inside him, he could see the lines it traced and drew clearly, and he knew he could grasp it if he tried, despite the risk that came with having a broken Core. He could feel his Core, too, now that he had more awareness of it. He could try to direct Arch¨º into it, but like an open wound, it would just bleed out. But what if, for now, he simply ignored that step? Instead of synthesizing Arch¨º and flowing it through circuits to cast spells, what if he managed to manipulate Arch¨º in its rawest, most powerful form, directing that limitless energy without any aid? He finally understood what Sol meant, with finding his own way. Rubbing his chin, an excited expression found its way on his face. If he could figure out how to make the best use of this method, not only would he be able to reach the basic level of those who can use magic but, most likely, he''d surpass them. ¡®Gather the Arch¨º, use your body as conduit, and once it¡¯s outside¡­¡¯ In his open hand, shining bright with energy only he could visualize so clearly, a lance identical to the one Irene was wielding had formed. Not a single eyes was cast upon the boy, or the unperceivable glow.