“I think I’m kinda getting the hang of it,” said Domor, carefully and slowly repeating the movements Enok had showed them two days earlier.

“Ha, trust me, you’re not,” laughed a voice coming from a little ball of light hovering over the fire, “the stances are the Mother’s gift to the weak people so that they could stand up to the naturally stronger mystics, but to ‘get the hang of it’, you’d need to be either an aurosei or at least a wizard. And even then it would take years,” it mockingly added.

“Well, I know I’m feeling something. Also, you guys know a lot about the pagan gods, do you worship them or something?”

“What you are feeling is ki more or less freely going through you. It’s a good thing, it will slowly improve your physique,” said Enok with a distracted tone, watching Mein’s movements, “and no, we don’t worship them. Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t, by the way.”

He was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a piece of rock that had once been part of a house and now was just another rock on the side of the road to Mildbloom.

“Eh, I think I’ll pass. From what I’ve heard, those dudes were pretty crazy,” said the warrior, “ and when I say ‘crazy’, I mean ‘destroying the world’ crazy.

“It wasn’t just dudes, there were girls too,” Kaja chimed in.

This was their second night spent under the stars, and like the previous one he had been instructing Mein to basic lessons on the stances of the auroseis, in hope that it would help her regain her witch ability. Domor had just been copying the movements since he lacked a better thing to do.

Mein was standing next not far from Domor. Silent, but eyes frown in a determined expression, she was cycling through the different movements she had been taught with outstanding speed and accuracy for a beginner.

Sudden whips of the hands and foots, open palms facing outward, small jumps and lateral slides. Fire stance.

Fists closed, knees bent and back straight, with slow simple movements in straight lines. Earth stance.

Body spinning, ample circular movements of the arms and legs, that were more following and supporting the body’s motions than guiding them. Sky stance.

Then do it all over again.

“Whoa,” gawked Domor, staring at her.

She was performing a short choreography Enok had improvised by picking some elements from the three stances. She didn’t have to understand them or even perform them perfectly, the goal was to make her remember.

However her skills were motivating Enok to push her a little further than needed.

“Mein, raise left your left arm higher before pivoting,” he said, “and don’t pull your foot back that fast when you do. You have to slowly drag it and make it follow your arm’s motion.”

She made the adjustments without stopping.

“So,” Domor started, glancing at his friend, “any chances we will become auroseis if we keep this up?”

“None. The stances are the way we manipulate our aura, but when you do not have any, it just helps you guide the natural flow of ki in your body.”

“Ah,” the note of relief was obvious, “and how will that make her able to sing again?”

Enok sighed, which gave Kaja the opportunity to answer instead, with her best ‘teacher voice’.

“The goal is to make her remember what if feels like to be in tune with the ambient ki,” the floating light said, overly enunciating each word, “witches and wizards are people born with the ability to interact with ki in unique ways, but for that they need to be in harmony with it. You know what if feels like to have a word on the tip of your tongue right?”

Domor scratched his head, before sitting next to the crackling fire, “Of course I do, like everybody else. Pretty frustrating.”

“Exactly. It’s not that Mein can’t sing anymore, it’s that she hasn’t done it in such a long time that she has mostly forgotten what ki harmony was like. Whenever she tries to sing, she knows beforehand that she is going to do it wrong, but can’t remember what doing it ‘right’ feels like. Like having a word on the tip of her tongue, but more frustrating.”

“I see,” the man said, nodding, “you are... Very knowledgeable. I always thought there were four stances.”

“I guess you could say that. However, there really are four stances, it’s just that the water stance cannot be taught.” then in the catgirl’s direction, “Mein, time to take a break.”

“Just... A bit longer,” she said between short breaths.

“No,” said Enok, “you need to rest and eat, now. You can resume after.”

She stopped and reluctantly went to sit next to Domor with a grunt, which was so out of character that it made Enok grin.

“I am definitely getting there,” she said on a gloomy tone, taking the dried meat Domor handed to her, “but instead of making me happy, the feeling of being almost there is even more frustrating.”

“That’s understandable,” he said, “but from what I have seen, you’ll soon make the breakthrough, don’t worry.”

“Ugh!” she let out, “and I didn’t even want to sing a few days ago!”

Kaja loudly laughed, probably waking up all surrounding sleeping animals in the process.

Sitting there, watching them discuss around the fire and participating when he could, Enok surprisingly felt waves of calmness washing over him.

This is nice, he thought.

“I can’t help but wonder,” said Mein, now munching bread, “what were you before coming here? Before you left your world?”

“Him? I bet he was some sort of young master from a rich family of fancy pants,” said Domor on a tone indicating he would soon fall asleep, “no offense meant,” he added, hearing Kaja’s mocking laugh.

“Well both of them, really,” she said, her gaze landing on the glass ball resting on Enok’s head, “I’d guess dame Kaja is some rare mystic right?”

“Hmm,” mumbled the orb, “I guess you can say that.”

Enok knew she didn’t want to say she was a mystic at all, but since her only known appearance was of a luminous flying glass ball, there wasn’t many other options.

It was either agreeing or saying that the ball was just an artifact normally used as a mean to explore dangerous environments and that she actually was a god whose soul was trapped in her brother’s body.

Not really an option.

“Kaja the mystic,” he teasingly whispered, to which she replied by a bump on his head.

“And you, Enok?” Mein asked.

“I’m pretty curious too, to be honest,” added Domor, “you’re a teenager who not only doesn’t act like one, but who is a master of aura able to school two adults. I’m not saying we’re the most mature adults out there, but I wonder what kind of education you got.”

Enok didn’t like to lie.

“It’s true that I grew up in a pretty special environment,” he said on an even tone, “but I do not like to talk about it.”

“I’m sure you did,” Domor said, “ that short sword of yours is very expensive looking. It has a strange design though. Kinda like a butcher knife?”

“That’s what I kept telling him when he first got it!” laughingly agreed Kaja.

Mein however, looked disappointed.

“Is there really nothing you could add?” she pleaded, “I mean, I understand if you-”

And that’s when the howls began. Long, menacing howls, way too close to their camp for comfort.

They all sprung up at the first one, which was followed by two others. Naope and the scaled bull were now also standing, snorting and restless.

“Wolves?” Enok asked, searching the darkness.

“No,” said Mein.

Though he wasn’t manifesting his aura, as long as his inner ki reserves weren’t depleted his attributes were fifty percent as effective. But even with his improved perception he had not heard them approaching.

Now that he was looking though, he could see several figures slowly move in the darkness. They were surrounded.

The howls’ frequency increased.

“Really?” snickered Kaja, “the small group of travelers being attacked by a pack of wolves at night? Could it be any more cliché?”

“They are not wolves,” Mein insisted. Her voice was shaking.

Enok gave her and Domor a look. They were both visibly afraid, but had drawn out their weapons. A one-handed sword and a wooden shield reinforced with metal plates for Mein, and a bow already armed with an arrow for Domor, who was white as a sheet. Mein though, was looking at Enok.

“There are no wolves left in the south of Alfheim,” Domor said.

“You are wrong... Fool.”

The coarse voice had come from one of the figures that had gotten closer than the others, and was still approaching. It spoke as if the words had troubles living its mouth, speech interrupted by loud irregular breathing.

“The wolves... Have always been there. It is you... The preys... Who did your pathetic best to hide from their fangs... To hide from us!”

Those last words caused a new series of howls to tear into the night, approving.

The figure got into the fire’s light, revealing itself as a being of the people. Dark blue skin, barefoot and while his nudity was covered with pelts, the only other things he was wearing that could be considered ‘clothes’ was the wolf upper jaw he used as a helmet.

His tusks and hands were still dripping blood of an earlier victim. His eyes were wide open, in a glare screaming insanity.

A blue orc, with the words over his head.

“We have no quarrels with the kirishans!” screamed Domor at his attention, “ I don’t know what you’re up to, but it has nothing to do with us! We are just travelers protected by the Broken tribes treaty!”

Enok inwardly shook his head. The blood lust surrounding them wasn’t something simple words would appease. Especially words spoken with fear.

The orc spat.

“How... Fitting of a prey... You invoke the protection of ones stronger than you... But the bear cub... Is nowhere to be seen... And before his mother appears... THE KIRISHANS WILL FEAST.“

The howling redoubled.

“Enough,” said Enok. As he said spoke, he manifested his aura and made it burst from him in all directions and the howls ceased.

Stand-by mode deactivated : ability points 100 percent effective.

As his aura reached and enveloped the figures in the shadows, he felt them slightly retreating. He could now sense around ten people in their direct vicinity.

The blue orc hadn’t budged.

“If you are at least half as close to being wolves than you say,” said Enok, “then your instincts are telling you to run. Listen to them. Otherwise you won’t live long enough to regret not doing it.”

In any cases, he thought, this is a golden opportunity to get those ability points I need to use the blueprint.

“You can’t kill them,” said Mein.

He frowned, “What?”

“You can’t kill them,” she repeated, ”the Kirishans always hunt with several groups. If you kill them, we won’t have time to burn all the corpses before the other arrive. And if we just leave them, there are chances they won’t find them.”

“Burn the... Mein do you really think this is the time to worry about mere funeral rites? I’m not waiting around for crema-”

“Mere funeral rites?” asked Domor, fear still heavily present in his voice.

Though it was now fear directed at Enok.

“You,” said the orc, pointing a finger at Enok, “are a prey worthy... Of our fangs. DIE FOR ME.”

As he spoke, an ominous blue smoke started sipping from the eyes of his wolf helmet, covering his face. The little scraps of civilization he still had left his eyes as he slowly retreated, growling as the darkness covered him once more.

The calm before the storm. Enok swore as he pulled back his aura and made it surround his body.

“I can help with the dark,” said Kaja, “but if you guys really want Enok to not kill anyone, then you will have to defend yourselves.”

“We will do our best,” said Mein on the most serious tone Enok had heard of her yet, “Domor, just like training. Aim, shoot, I know you can do it.”

Domor didn’t answer, eyes searching the darkness. She tightened her grip around her sword and lifted her shield. Determination filled her eyes, but there was something else...

Enok turned around to face the darkness and the growls. At his side, his sword was demanding to be released, but this time he would have to deny it the pleasure.

“Stay close to the fire and defend the animals,” he told the two mortals, “but first make sure to protect your eyes.”

He raised both his fists in a fighting stance.

“Do it.”

As he said the words, the little ball of light flew upward, and when it got several hundreds meters high, the intensity of its light suddenly increased, blinding and revealing everything in a kilometer radius.

No longer a tiny luminous speck, but a real nocturnal red sun.

The kirishans shrieked, covering their eyes and putting distance between them and the aggressive flare. Stripped naked of the cover of the night.

Enok saw their leader, just as blinded as the others. He noted his position and darted in the opposite direction.

With his blade, it would have been quickly decided. Without it... Things could get complicated. He needed to incapacitate the greatest number of enemies possible before they recovered and started attacking the others.

His fist landed on the jaw of a shrieking human, who went to hit the ground head first, never knowing what happened.

The back of his other hand smashed another one’s torso and sent him flying against a nearby tree. Before his limp body had even reached the ground, Enok had propelled himself toward the closest next group of assailants, dirt flying in the opposite side.

If he was really going to do this, he had to be fast. The fact that they needed time to manifest their aura was an advantage he shouldn’t easily give up.

Having to let them live was an annoying restriction, but in the end, it could be seen as good thing. Some sort of exercise to hone his control. Dealing the maximum amount of damages without killing.

He crashed in the midst of a group of five kirishans who were shielding their eyes, still dizzy from the flash. One of them noticed Enok and raised his stained sword in panic.

Enok avoided the slash, grabbed him by the forearm and pressed. A cracking noise resounded, but before it could be followed by a scream, Enok pulled him closer and knocked him out. Incapacitating the rest didn’t take more than one or two hits, a second one only needed when he had not broken any bones with the first.

Just when he was about to look for new victims, he felt claws dig into his back, the stinging pain quickly propagating through his body.

Seems like he no longer had the advantage.

As if to confirm that thought, he heard a scream from where he had left the others.

Mein.

He whirled around with a kick that was easily dodged by a skinny human who jumped back and licked the blood on his hand with a smile. He was using aura to harden his long nails. A second one was edging closer, holding a bone dagger.

A quick glance to the fire and he saw Mein defending herself from a tall kirishan, using her shield to deflect his blows and dodging them with her superior reflexes when they seemed too strong. Domor though, had an arrow cocked to his bow and was aiming.

In his direction.

He shot the arrow, it missed Enok by an hair and was quickly followed by a grunt of pain that made him turn around.

One of the kirishans had been sneaking on him, silent enough to not catch his attention. The arrow had pierced his leg and forced him down.

There are only four of them left able to fight, including their lead-

Before he could finish the thought, he was hit on the side of the head and the world turned upside down. As he fell, he caught a glimpse to the blue orc, still in the air after kicking him, the blue mist trailing his body.

How?

Being sneaked up once was understandable. But twice, in such a short amount of time?

Altered state detected : Confusion

Before he could stand, the two others had jumped on him, brandishing claws and dagger imbued with aura, laughing.

“Stop struggling, you’re already dead meat!”

“A worthy... Prey...”

They sliced and dug in his flesh with fast attacks he barely managed to divert from his vitals. In his struggle, he managed to stand up but couldn’t fight back. His whole whole perception of time and distance was distorted.

Enok jumped back, and realized he needed to do more than that. Some sort of mental attack had gotten the best of him, fighting multiple enemies like this was suicide. He needed to go away until he could get back to normal, heal the gashes covering his body, then he would come back to slaughter these insolent mortals.

He needed to run.

Another scream from the fire. Domor had joined the fight against the kirishan, but him and Mein were clearly having difficulties. The cat girl’s shield had been thrown in favor of a two handed grip on her sword, though the enemy didn’t seem to feel menaced in the slightest, laughing as he kicked her over the fire and lifted Domor off the ground.

The blue orc moved in his light of sight, hiding the scene.

“If you leave,” he said, “they will wish... They were never born... Before being fed to my pack.”

The two other kirishans slowly moved closer.

But did it matter? This was different than an unknown creature killing people, after all, it was just mortals killing each other. Something he had seen countless times before.

It matters, he thought through the noise in his brain, it’s not the same.

What about bringing Kaja’s soul to their mother? Regaining his honor and pride?

He moved backward.

The blue orc smile widened, the mist coming out of the gaping holes of in wolf head twirling around him. Now that there was more of it, shapes would sometime be visible : reaching hands or faces contorted in muted screams. He opened his arms wide in a beckoning gesture, and let out a powerful howl.

Altered state detected : Confusion reached critical level.

He fell to his knees, not even knowing where he was anymore. That’s when he heard the singing.

And his soul was at peace again.