Sorry was, as it turned out, not quite good enough for the guards, and it is unfair that anybody wearing that much metal could move that fast. Before I knew what was happening, 4 people in red and gold plate armour had me surrounded. I moved reflexively, managing to avoid the first grasp only because of the warning provided by Danger Sense. The follow up grabs from the other three however were somewhat unavoidable – being surrounded on 4 sides leaves very little room for dodging and in a second or so, I had metal clad hands clamped around my arms and wrists. It was at this point I panicked.

My mind flashed back to my brief but intense imprisonment, and completely forgetting my recent training I lashed out, pushing the energy of my soul outwards along my channels all at once, with as much force as my panicked mind could muster.

Shock rocked through me as my body pulled taut, but rather than the streams of electricity I was used to, there came a thunderous bang, a near blinding flash of light and heat so powerful I was almost too stunned to feel the pressure wave hammering into me.

By the time I recovered enough to look around, the guards were climbing back to their feet, all a dozen feet or more from me, smoking rents now open in their armour. I could not hear, and my skin felt even more burned than it normally did after I used my Focus.

Helaena and Sidona seemed to be shouting, given their posture and the way their mouths were moving, and Walker was stood at my side, though I had not seen him move. He held out a hand and I could see a large mint green pill sat in his palm and he gestured for me to take it.

Trusting in him completely, I took the proffered pill and popped it in to my mouth, swallowing with difficulty – the thing was too big to get down. The results however were evident, and they came swiftly – I was starting to think my Lesser Regeneration had a multiplicative effect on medicine, though I had no real basis for it. It had taken about a day for my nail holes to close over, but less than that for all my broken bones to mend. The only difference I could think of was the alchemical medicine I had been given.

My hearing came back all at once and the vivid red faded from my skin, and while working my jaw and the noise rushed back in, allowing me to catch the tail end of what the ladies were saying.

“... may have been some overreaction on all sides, I will admit.” Helaena was speaking calmly now, so either I had been wrong about the shouting or things had calmed down in the moments it took to heal me.

“I’m really sorry about that, I have no idea what caused... that. Normally I just sort of shock people?” Helaena looked at me like I was an idiot, but Walker spoke from where he was handing one of the guards a pill like the one he had given me.

“That was an arc blast, Hunter. It is because they were wearing plate mail. You should be careful when using your Focus around those in metal armour – your Focus is not designed to utilise this effect well, as it is relatively short ranged, almost invariably placing you within the blast. And Hunter... perhaps, think twice before attacking guards in their own palace?” I felt suitably chagrined at the gentle telling off, though it seemed my body was not done getting me in trouble.

“You are lucky; should the guards been at your own level, you may well have killed them.”

“Well, they did attack me – I was just going to shake Sidona’s hand.” It was a lie of course – I had not been thinking about anything so innocent - I was not going to make that public though. I also thought I now understood why the Ren had been described as having a propensity for martial combat – they were all naturally aggressive horndogs - living on their world would be like living in a teen drama.

“You should have known better, given the circumstances, Hunter.” I thought about that and had to agree - privately - that just walking up to a member of the ruling family, who had just been kidnapped and turned back up with necrotising wounds, was probably on the dumber end of the scale.

“The guards are fine you said though, right? There was no lasting harm done, to anyone?” Sidona spoke up for the first time since I had recovered my hearing, her voice placating before she went on.

“And besides, I’m quite capable of destroying a Focus stage cultivator myself, should it prove necessary.” Her voice was stern now – though there was a touch of wry humour there too, though it was thankfully directed at the guards, but I cringed a little at the reminder of my level.

“Enough, Niece. The guards were doing their duty, though it may not have quite necessary in this situation. Hunter – the guards will refrain from detaining you, provided you do nothing to merit it, and I will forgive your disproportionate response given the service you have provided Sidona. Once.”

“That sounds more than fair, I’m sorry, everyone. I’m still getting used to my... Focus... and no, you know what. No excuses - I’m just sorry. I will improve my control.”

“Well and good. Now, I believe-” A horn sounded in the distance, a long peeling note, causing Helaena to stop mid-sentence. It sounded again, a sequence of blasts I thought was likely a code.

“Somebody is attempting to force entry into the tower... Hunter, stay here.” Walker began to move towards the edge of the balcony, long strides carrying him quickly.

“It is not your place, Orin, we wil-”

“That is not my name anymore, Helaena. And while we may no longer be family, this was once my home.” Walker’s voice was cold and hard, a whisper of that same warning aura of terror I had felt from him that first day leaking out, a visible shiver running through everyone presant.

Without another word, my dark mentor stepped up and over the balcony’s stone rail and dropped, vanishing from sight.

Helaena stood in place for a moment longer, before stepping forward, wings of frigid mist coalescing behind her. A wave of warm air flowed over me as the city’s ruler shot into the air with a powerful flap, wisps of condensed moisture trailing behind her as she too moved out of view.

I turned back to Sidona, who looked half-ready to spring after her aunt before a cough from one of the guards seemed to change her mind. I glanced over upon hearing the cough and did a double-take as I noted the glaring lack of damage to their armour. Dismissing the self-repairing armour from my mind, I instead turned my attention to somthing - or rather somebody - more interesting.

“So... I take it wings are a thing in your family?” I smiled and sat down, and after a moment Sidona joined me as we looked out over the gardens.

“... Yes, that’s right. The Sky Breaker clan all take the wings as our Focus, though the details are of course left to the individual. It's really something to... soar.” Her voice was wistful, and I wished I remembered more of our trip here.

“I had heard Foci could run in families, sort of like a crest, but for your cultivation, I guess. I remember you having fire, and your aunt has, mist, I guess? ”

“My aunt’s wings are of cold – the mist is a side effect.”

“That explains the warm air then? The heat from where her wings are has to go somewhere?”

“That’s right – most people don’t understand that at first. You’re just full of surprises, Hunter.” Sidona’s smile was dangerous, at least to me. I did not think anybody would take it in stride of made a move on a royal scion.

“Just basic physics! We may not cultivate where I’m from, but we’ve spent a lot of time deciphering natural law, though I think some of that knowledge may not be relevant with the inclusion of Experience...”

“People who don’t fight usually think we just blast each other with energy and attack each other – they don’t understand how much knowledge is involved. You must know not only how your own cultivation interacts with both your own body and the world around you, but how your opponent’s may. But you can’t know always know in advance how any given foe operates, so you have to know enough about everything.” Sidona seemed to really enjoy fighting – but not just the act, by the sounds of it – but the theory of it as well.

“I never really thought about it like that. The arc blast from before, it’s like that. I guess if I’m going to be using lightning, I’ll need to know how it interacts with... everything. You must know a lot about fire!” There was more warmth in my voice than I had intended – consciously – and I could feel my lips curling up, flirting with a grin.

“I know a lot about... heat.” Those emerald green eyes held me, bright and wide. I felt my pulse pounding and I was again conscious of Sidona’s wonderful scent. She smelled like burnt sugar, and flowers and...

I was brought back to myself, jerking upright in my seat as there was sharp metallic clang from one of the guards – they were all stood closer to us than I remembered, and I felt a flush colouring my face. I could see a similar reaction from the beautiful woman across the table, and I decided to change the topic.

“So... let me know if this is rude, but what’s the deal with Walker? Your aunt called him cousin, but he said he wasn’t... anymore? You said everyone in your family had wings, but what about Walker?”

Sidona looked relieved and reluctant in turn, taking a few sips of what smelled like tea while she thought. Finally, she spoke, with a last glance at the guards.

"I only know rumours... He left before my time.”

She drummed her fingers on the bright white wood of the table, not looking at me. I spoke up, eager to know anything about the man who had saved me.

“I don’t know a lot about him, and he’s not the chattiest man I ever met... Anything at all would be more than I know now. He saved me, took me in. Anything that helps me understand the man I owe so much to...”

Sidona still looked reluctant, but I could see the struggle fading away.

“Walker was a member of the main branch of our family – great things were expected of him. But there were... issues.”

Sidona paused to take another sip of tea.

“From what I heard, Walker understood flight – the mechanics of it, it’s uses in battle. The interactions of it. He had studied all his life to form his Focus with full knowledge and intent. But time went on, and no Focus formed. They say that though his understood flight, it was too far from his nature. He was unable to form the wings within his centre. He was a dedicated man, however, even as a child and he refused to give up. While the other children of his generation were taking to the skies in flight, he was left alone on the ground... to walk.”

I winced, seeing where the story was likely going.

“They gave him the name Walker to mock his lack of ability. Many thought him crippled, or too simple to cultivate. They were proven wrong, of course. In his 18th year, he apparently grew tired of the taunts – his dedication only repaid with ridicule. In a single day, he chose a Focus more suited to him and then both formed and completed it. He went on to become one of the 10 most powerful being in the world, an Apex, as you know. Certain members of my family were chastised heavily on that day...”

“Wow, that blows. No offense, Sidona, but your family sound like assholes. I hope those other kids got their asses handed to them. Was your aunt one of them?”

“As I said, it was before my time. Both my aunt and father were a few years younger than him; I do not think they were involved. I like to think I would have treated him differently, but we never know what our actions will be before it is time to act. Perhaps I would have been just as cruel. ”

I thought back to my first meeting with Walker, how he had tested me, and then taken me in. He knew what it was like to seem like a cripple on this world, how it felt to be weak. My mentor had gained strength – and I thought many would have turned cruel, given his background and his subsequent rise to power. Not Walker though. I decided then that I would never mention this to him, and I would do everything I could to pay him back for his kindness, and more. Maybe he did not have a family, but he would.

“Thanks for telling me, Sidona. It explains some things to me.” I took a deep breath, looked out at the forest.

“And I think you would have treated him fine. You don’t seem to look down too much on me, and I’m basically in the same boat. I had just formed my Focus when I met you.”

“Really? You mentioned that there was no cultivation where you came from, is that why?”

“Yeah. Most people are usually disbelieving when I mention that, but you seem to just accept it. I can’t tell you how refreshing that is...” The flirting smile was threatening to come back, so I took a deep breath, trying to centre myself.

“The world is wide, and time is deep. When I was young, the gods went to war and our world was briefly joined with another. The cultivators that came through those linked placed were different – they pushed out their Experience via chains, linking to and animating the dead. Hordes of them marched acorss the land, as we warred, a mortal reflection of the divine. There are worlds upon worlds contained within this plane, infinite variety. Who is to say there are no world without the means to cultivate?”

“Wow, I think you’re the first person I’ve met since I arrived to mention the existence of planes.”

My voice was excited and eager, if the existence of the planes was common knowledge, it would make my situation much easier to explain, I hoped.

“it is not talked about often, but Ascension is the goal of all cultivators – to move from our plane to the one above.”

“Do you know how many planes there are?”

“I only know of 3, though I doubt that is the limit. There is our plane, of course – the Aspirant plane. Above ours is the Ascendant plane. Below us is the Origin of Souls, and all of them are linked by the River of Souls, which washes clean our souls of Experience when we die.”

“The Origin of Souls?”

“Yes, our plane is too energy dense for souls to form naturally – or so I was taught. Instead, it forms the gods. All sounds on the Aspirant plane came from the plane below.”

“Souls, they... just come here?”

“I don’t know the specific mechanism – I was a good student, but our knowledge is limited. The Ascendants may know more.”

I thought back on my own experiences with Xiournal – the dragon must have been one of these Ascendants, and I wish I had asked more questions while I had the resource at hand. I remembered she had mentioned something about how you lived your life affecting where you ended up, but it would have been nice to know specifics. I decided that in the absence of that knowledge, I could just have to not die.

“So, do people try to get into your towers often?” I decided to change the subject again, not knowing whether taking a shortcut to this plane would be frowned upon.

Sidona nodded and the expression sharpened, a small yet savage smile curling her lips.

“Sometimes - they come looking for treasures, usually. But there’s usually a gap, after we make a show of thrashing them. Normally, I’d be down there, but my aunt has forbidden me from fighting in the city until I attain the Foundation stage, after what happened.” Her voice was sullen now, and she wore a pretty pout.

“You like fighting then? You seemed good at it – from what I could see – back at the house, with the cat guy.”

“That bastard was playing with me. He already stood at the Foundation stage while I just began to walk the Path. Too large a gap to bridge with skill and enthusiasm. But thank you for the compliment...” Her tone turned rich and warm at the end, and her pout turned into a cheeky grin.

“The difference between the Path and Foundation stages is that great? I’m new to the whole cultivation thing, like I said.” Sidona raised her eyebrow, her grin widening.

“You are new to all this, aren’t you?” Her voice dropped, still smiling and I could not help grinning back.

“I am. Maybe you could show me a thing or two?” Another clang filled the room and I almost slapped myself. I needed to find a cold shower before I got myself kicked out of the city.

“I’d be happy to! But to answer your question, yes – the difference between the Path and Foundation stage is vast. You obviously know what’s involved in forming your Focus – the Path is similar. Whereas you form your Focus with an image of your intent, to attain the Path you must absorb an Exemplar into your second centre – the heart centre.”

“So it’s just like... another Focus?”

“Sort of – a wisely chosen Exemplar can add new concepts to, or even completely change the way you use your cultivation. An Exemplar can be almost anything – a creature, natural treasure or element – though not people. It varies per person – but once you find something that fits you, you draw it into your centre and it becomes the part of your cultivation – if you chose something like a beast, you must defeat it and absorb it before the energy disperses. I defeated and absorbed a rare phoenix variant, increasing both the power and the control of my flames. It also gave me the ability to heal, though it was no help against that kidnapping bastard’s attacks, as I have not finished integrating it yet. And the variant was more focused on offensive power anyway...”

I was glad I would not be sucking any living creatures in to my body, that did not sound either enjoyable or ethical.

“And the Foundation stage?”

“Once you have integrated the Exemplar completely, you have completed your Path, reaching the Foundation stage and you can begin to refine Experience a second time.”

“You refine it again?”

“Of course – completing the Focus stage allows you to refine raw Experience into Praxis. The Path stage allows you to refine Praxis into Veritas.”

“I’ve never heard Praxis or Veritas – in this context, anyway. Everyone just seems to call it Experience or energy.”

“It's all Experience, really, just refined. Most people will use it as shorthand, unless discussing the specifics of cultivation, as we are.”

“Right. It’s... interesting. The whole process seems to be set up like... it’s like... You start with a theory – the Focus. Using Experience, you put the theory into practice – Praxis, and then test it, make adjustments in oder to come to a conclusion – Veritas. It all seems very, well, scientific.“

“Why wouldn’t it be a science? The details might be down to the individual – and those can certainly be more art than science – but the whole process is well documents and explored, over thousands of years. The Pinnacle stage is different – how to get there varies based on the person, how you use your Veritas. But Focus to Foundation is as much a science as anything else.”

She was right, I knew. If my own society did the same thing – as a whole – for thousands and thousands of years, we’d probably understand it pretty well too. Although the whole sating scene sort of disproved that...

“What about becoming an Apex? Is that just... more Pinnacle?”

“Nobody knows, apart from Apex’s themselves, and they’re not telling. There are only 10 in the world, and in the history of our world, there have been less than a hundred. Whatever it takes – it's rare.”

I pondered on that number – less than 100 people like my mentor in thousands of years of history. That was an incredibly low percentage.

“How many thousands? Years I mean.”

“At least eleven-thousand – there was a calamity before then, so it may be longer but we have no records.”

“Eleven-thousand years, and less than a hundred Apex’s? Are people just better now, to have 10 all at once?”

“I like to think we are – myself being an example -” She winked at me, letting me know she was not being too serious. “-but some of the Apex’s are just old. I think the Apex of the Wild Bounty is at least three-thousand years old.”

“That’s insane. I can’t imagine being that old.”

“Well, statistically, you won’t be. Most people don’t reach that age – they either die or Ascend.”

“... Thanks for that. Anyway. The reason the cat-guy was so much stronger – according to you – is because he was using more concentrated energy?”

“Yes - as I haven’t completed my Path, I don’t have access to Veritas. And he had a lot – he had to have filled his heart centre. Just one step below the Pinnacle.”

“Well, I guess I better get a move on, if I’m ever going to exact my terrible vengeance.” I pulled a face as I spoke the last, my voice dropping and taking on a sharp accent.

“I’m sure that wherever they are, they’re quaking.” Sidona’s voice was dry, but I could tell she was amused.

“You’ve completed the Focus stage, you should be starting your Core now, right?”

“... Yes. Exactly. I know how to do that...” Sidona grinned at me, her face telling me she did not believe a word I was saying. I never was a great liar.

“Okay, fine. I have no idea what I’m doing. Walker and I have been mostly trying to stop me electrocuting myself.”

“Well, you’re in luck – the Core stage is mostly just time and effort, there’s no great secret. You need to start by replacing the Experience in your gut centre with Praxis, and then fill the whole thing up, so that any Experience you take in is immediately converted. Once you have nothing but pure Praxis running through your system, you’ll be able to feel where you heart centre is, and start looking to begin your Path.”

“I wish I could get hold of whatever that jackass injected me with, seemed to help a lot in finishing my Focus a head of time. I think I’d skip the pain the second time though. I can think of much better things to do with massively heightened feeling.”

“Why the rush? I can understand trying to get your Focus as soon as possible, but the rest... why not take your time? Enjoy yourself?” She licked her lips and tilted her head down to look up at me through her eyelashes. Biting the inside of my cheek, I desperately thought of other things, knowing I was going to get myself in trouble if I let my control slip.

“Hunter, we should take our leave.” Walker was standing just inside the door to Sindona’s suite, and as I looked up Helaena stepped out onto the balcony, her face like thunder, clearly still angry at my mentor.

“Oh, sure, I guess.” I looked back at Sidona and stood, bowing low at the waist.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Sidona. I hope we can meet again, and maybe then we can... spar?”

Sidona stood as well, her bow just as deep as mine.

“We owe each other our lives; we’re bound by fate, Hunter. We will meet again. And spar.” With a mutual grin, I stepped away and made my out, alongside my silent mentor, looking back only once. I was disappointed that my view was blocked by the taciturn guards, but I knew we would meet again.

Now that I was at the minimum level to be considered an adult, it was time I started to gain Experience in earnest. For science.