An excerpt from the College of Zandeim’s “Compendium of Influential Groups” by multiple authors

While most powerful groups, hereby defined as a collection of individuals focused around a common set of goals, are based around Waves, there are a few that have been organized outside of this familiar structure. Perhaps the most famous, or infamous, of these is Bine the Lesser’s ‘Organization’. However no one truly knows if this is rumor or truth and so we will leave it to those who engage in conjecture.

If discussing or writing a thesis on these organizations, it is better to base study around the Dark Brotherhood of Entropy. Well-documented and understood, the Dark Brotherhood worship the concept of Entropy and seek to bring about the heat death of this Universe. Their membership numbers in the thousands and they employ a decentralized strategy under the command of their leader ‘The Dark Brother’. This information has been obtained through undercover College agents and should not be disseminated or discussed off College grounds.

Sweat drips down my forehead and into my eyes, the saltiness of the liquid causing a slight burning. It is distracting but doesn’t break through my iron concentration. I sit in the Lotus Pose and my entire body remains motionless, sweating in heavy exertion despite the lack of any physical movement.

I’ve been like this for a few hours. It’s been six days since the meeting with Albasalas and I decided to spend the morning working on my mental image. As soon as I started, I felt that something was different this time. The last image, which had been out of my reach for so long, suddenly felt attainable but the consequences felt much higher as well. For the first time in the process it felt like my life was in danger. It was as if I had been meandering down a road for a long time, carelessly walking wherever I pleased, and now I could see the destination in sight. The only way forward, however, was a rickety bridge across a bottomless chasm. One misstep could send me stumbling down into my doom.

The intense power of a runner’s first step off the block. The power of a spacecraft as it first rises off the planet’s surface. A Hunter leaping through the air with fangs exposed. A car’s tires spinning and screeching against the asphalt as it rounds the corner. The unstoppable force of the avalanche. The forward momentum of a Bullet as it rips forward. Trees carried through the air by the winds of a hurricane. The air sliced apart as a guillotine drops down. A completely still monk, body not moving a centimeter. The explosive release of the oil catching alight.

These images remain locked and constant in my mind, missing the final key that will bring about its completion. I’ve been trying to come up with the last image for a few hours but every creation feels off somehow; each one feels as if they are too simplistic and simultaneously too complex. They embody complex processes and funnel them down into a two dimensional image, losing their depth along the way but allowing the image to develop within the context of the ideal. That just doesn’t seem to work for the final piece; it needs to serve as the controlling image, retaining its complexity and context.

A stray thought takes hold of my mind. Maybe I’ve been looking at it the wrong way. Each image that I’ve created has needed to become simplistic because I lack the true understanding of the subject. How can I truly understand the unstoppable force of an avalanche? I can recognize it from an outsider’s perspective but I can never know how it feels to be hundreds of tons of ice and snow rushing down the mountain and smothering everything in its wake. The only image that I can create with both complexity and context is … one of myself.

With that possible breakthrough in mind, I begin to form a new image, completely different from the others. Complexity requires depth and I need to layer them so that each one can be understood in the context of the ideal.

The power in my legs as I dodge to the side. The speed of my arms as I bring down the quarterstaff to strike. The lack of movement as I meditate. The tearing of my muscles as the arrow ripped them apart. The explosive motion of my fist as I punch the bully. The gentle movement of my finger as I turn the page. The nervous jittering of my body as I lean in for my first kiss.

I take all of these ideas and layer them atop one another, creating one overarching image that finally fills me with the feeling of adequacy. Individually they are strong images but combined they break the mold and become something more. They form ... a capstone.

In nervous and excited anticipation, I lower this image on top all of the others, wrapping them all together and watching as the bindings set, becoming cohesive. A feeling of completion arises from inside the creation, building in intensity until it encompasses the entirety of it and results in the most spectacular noise I’ve ever heard.

Ding. The faint ringing of a notification. It has never felt as pure and as justified as it does right now. I open my eyes and marvel at what the months of work has created.

You have discovered the Skill Higher Energy – Motion (R-3) Lvl 1! At the center of every action lies motion as it is the impetus by which everything changes. Motion is in everything and yet is nothing. Empower your decisions and actions with true motion and nothing will be able to stop you. Increased skill level allows for more abstract combinations and a higher degree of efficiency.

I smile in accomplishment and immediately raise my hand in an open palm, bringing out Mana while focusing on the image of Motion. Unlike its elemental counterparts, the Motion Mana appears in my hand as a morphing ball of grey that constantly shifts form. True to its name it seems to never come to a standstill, twisting and turning in a series of movements that are both instant and slow. It will be a sphere one second and then a decahedron the next, a hundred different mutations occuring in the second of change. I can’t wait to try and use it to create new Skills. Before I can experiment, however, another notification appears that is quickly followed by a few more, my heart rate rising as I realize what they say.

You have performed the (Uncommon) Achievement, “Discover a Higher Energy before Lvl 50!” You have taken your first step past the mediocrity of the simple elements. Not only that, you’ve also done so before you reached Lvl 50. This accomplishment is not unheard of but shows that you are talented in use and study of Mana.

Reward: Willpower +15, Intelligence +5, Wisdom +5.

Reward: Title, ‘Acolyte of Mana’

Reward: Your name has been added to the list of ‘Rising Talents in the 11th Wave’. [Temporary Hold Put on Name Addition until Return to Earth]

While that notification is interesting and I want to further explore the concerning fact that my name has been added to some ‘list’, the next notification makes my heart nearly stop.

Congratulations! You have satisfied the return requirement, “Perform a (Uncommon) Ranked Achievement”.

Time elapsed since arrival

Local time: 271.25 days (Remaining: 228.75 days)

Earth time: 8.75 days

Reward for satisfying any one requirement: +10 to all Attributes,

Reward for satisfying any two requirements: +20 to all Attributes, Skill

Reward for satisfying all three requirements: +30 to all Attributes, Skill, Item

Requirements satisfied: 1

Would you like to return to Earth? [Verbal Assent Required]

For the first time since I arrived I actually the chance to go home. A way to return to my friends and my family. A way to get off of this desolate planet filled with naught but endless battles. And yet … I hesitate.

Months ago I would have said yes immediately but my time here has changed me. I know that fundamentally I’m still the same person, obsessed with learning , loyal to my friends and family, and unendingly curious about the world, but being on Helldarvin has refined me into something stronger. It has strengthened my core being while removing the chaff. I no longer fear conflict, I thrive in it. I’m not just willing to defend myself, I’m willing to attack in order to achieve my goals. My focus and drive have intermingled with my will to survive and have made me a much stronger individual. I may have lost my childhood innocence along the way but I gained much more.

It is because of these things that I don’t instinctively agree to the return. I’d never considered the possibility of accomplishing more than one of the requirements but obviously there are benefits to doing so. I dismiss the possibility of all three requirements right off the bat, not even having killed 100 creatures in the 8 months I’ve been here. Getting to 1000 in that same amount of time would be nearly impossible. Fulfilling two of the requirements however… that is a distinct possibility. All I’d need to do is defeat Rolarch, something I had planned on doing anyways. More importantly, an increase of 20 to all of my Attributes would be massive, the equivalent of a little over 28 levels worth of points, and it would shore up the weakest parts of my build without forcing me to use the points gained from leveling.

It would also give me plenty of time to prepare for the battle and my eventual return to Earth. The time dilation is in my favor and, with the threat of punishment removed, I can use it to take advantage of the training offered by Albasalas. Not only that, I can work on integrating Motion into my current arsenal of Skills, level them up for more Way Points, and even begin the creation of my next Higher Energy.

My mind made up, I answer.

“No”

You have answered [No] to the action of returning to Earth. This action will only be offered again upon the completion of another return requirement.

I smile, satisfied with my decision and proud of the person I’ve become. I’d always struggled with confidence back on Earth, unable to make decisions out of fear that a better one would come along if I just waited, and Helldarvin has removed that completely. In fact, the more that I think about it the more that I realize Helldarvin was the perfect place for someone with my flaws.

This primal and cutthroat world is the antithesis to indecision. Whether it was luck or some intervention by Genesis based on my personality, I’m actually grateful that I was placed here.

Enough of the introspection and quiet thought though, it's time to experiment with the Higher Energy.