I woke to notifications ramming into my mind, words spilling into my eyes and ears.

*In real-time battle, you have evolved Balancing Act, innovating weight shifting techniques into your combat! Balancing Act II becomes Balancing Act V. Additional abilities to this skill are now available.*

*You have condensed and played with laws of wind that most mortals couldn’t Conceive! You have created the skill Shape of Wind to better form your skills and spells! This grants you impeccable control over the air itself, instead of using it for speed, you use it to cripple your opponent, and defy gravity itself!*

*Your simultaneous usage of telepathy and power of will have birthed greatness! Telepathy II becomes Telepathy IV*

*You have gone beyond mana sensing, observing great feats of combat, and managing to stand your ground! Your core has been scarred by desperation and foreign mana! Through many a challenge, you endured the pain, and lived to tell the tale! You have learned the skill Mana Flood. Use this skill to flood your enemy with powerful arcane energies that are not your own. Destroys your body in the process. Warning! There's a reason this skill is rare and forbidden by many.*

*You have maintained mana flood for more than 30 seconds! Mana Flood becomes Mana Flood II*

*You have been graced with the purest essence of flame, letting it consume your very soul, proving your dedication. You have learned the skill C̶̠̀h̶͈͑o̴̯̔š̵̰e̷͉̋n̶̪̿ ̷̱̅o̴͕͐f̷̧̊ ̷̫͊F̷̩̑l̵͚̂a̶̝͌m̷͕̃e̷̮͊. Use this skill to-

-Error!

-Individual 83A76BFN2IPL has learned unknown skill.

-Recreating…

-Unknown Error.

-Rerouting system analysis…

-Unknown System error.

-Calling Administrator...

-Administrator Unavailable For 27854 Years 4 Months 2 Weeks 4 Days 55 Minutes 21 Seconds… 22… 23

-Attempting code 3BHA

-Error! System power offline! Backup engaged!

-Reboot in 3… 2… ERROR

-Spirit skill incompatible with human body!

-Spirit skill unobtainable!

-New species type creation engaged!

-Type Hybrid Fae borne!

-Skill Ĉ̵̛͉̖̟͈̦̙̠̙͌̈́̇͘͠h̵̛̺͍͇̣͚̬̪̺̫͍͆ͅo̸̡̘̦͇̘͉̟͆s̶̡̖̲͖̫̤͔̪̬̥̥̦͙̪̳̦̜͔͖̔̊́̂̃̄̊̂̕͜͠͝ͅe̵̡͚̙̟̞̺̤̻͉͈̲̔̍̓̓̈́̀̃̄̈̓̈̾̀͆̌̽́͊͌͘͘͜͝n̶͙͓͎̜̟̜̖̙̦̘̆͂̀͜͜ ̷̢̢̢̛̛̺͚͇͔̦̠̹͕͍͖̝̱̯͓̻̝̭̰̬̓̈̃̒̓̊̄́̋͛́̕o̷̧̧̪͇͉̺̥̺͕͇̬̺̳̓̋̏̊̏͆̊̎̈͂́̊̌̈́̈̾͊͆͛͘͘͜͝ͅf̵̙̫̯̜͔̭̪͔̆̽̽̾͌́͌̽̏̍̈́̃͊̄̚͝ ̴̨̮͔̰͖͉̻̲̻͔̞̫̝̖͔͙͇̂̓̔͑̒͗͐͌̌̾̀̏̽́͘͘͝͠͝ͅF̸̮̀̄͛̌̈́́͛̄̉̔̌̕͠l̸̢̰͓͈͚̰͎̲͓̹̟̯̲̹̋̑̅̓̓̏̊̇̋̄͆͗͐͌̕͘͘͝͝à̸̢̬͎̝̘̠̳̮͍͇̬͑m̶̱̦̤̣͕̦̎͛͋̐͝e̵̛̼̜̱͐ͅ Synchronozation…

-Success!

-Applying new skill to the system… Success!

*You have learned the skill Chosen of Flame!*

*Your efforts in peering into the beyond have brought results once again! Mana Sense V becomes Mana Sense VI*

*You have bent the very arcane tendrils themselves into submission! Your power has expelled what is known for your human age level! You have learned the skill Elementary Mana Control. Use this to drastically increase the level at which you can control your mana. Fine control is much easier.*

*Your limbs have become better accustomed to the heat! External Ignition becomes External Ignition II*

I woke up to the assortment of notifications, feeling the words watch into my mind. A headache and sense of Wrongness broke out when they mentioned the system error, but it faded as it was ‘Synchronized with the system’.

I had gotten a hell of a lot of new skills. Like, more than I had achieved from two weeks of training! Is combat really that good for you? Ah well. I felt weird too. Different somehow. The rage from yesterday was gone.

My whole body was fine. Stronger and healthier even. I peeked open to see the form of a sleeping fox, their back turned and paws half off the end of the bed.

I squinted at the words ‘Hybrid Fae’ confused for a second. I shrugged. It was totally beyond my understanding.

There was no sign of wounds on him, and I wasn’t hurting that much either. I was surprised I had woken up first, due to my ungodly need for sleep and all.

A grin broke out on my face when I looked back over my skills.

Shape of Wind? Elementary mana control? Hell yeah! I thought with fervor.

Skills that shot blades of wind or fireballs were cool and all, but the manipulation ones took my heart.

My heart froze a little at the external ignition skill, flashes of Viralya’s teachings, and frustration borne of accidents creating a new skill. I shook off the dread, focusing on what I knew I could deal with.

I had taken some of Viralya’s advice to heart, seeing her throw mana around and manipulate the stuff of my nightmares with a snap of her fingers.

I was super excited! This was the stuff of dreams and fantasies! All I need now is a princess to save and a harem to gain later on in life and I would be a typical anime protagonist. Always hated those types though. I wouldn't be getting anything of the sort, ever. Regardless, my excitement of my new skills made me want to leap out of the blankets and do a little baby jig!

I didn’t though. Junior was sleeping still, and as much as I love skills and levels, I wouldn’t wake him. I had seen too much of myself in him for me to play another prank on him. For all I know, he could be in a deep slumber from a healing trance or… Something. Bah. Questions for later.

I winced when I remembered him talking about how he had seen flashes of my memory. How did that even work? Did I just get so lost in Junior's consciousness that some memories bled over? Maybe I subconsciously showed him my memories as an apology for invading his?

I have no idea. Oh well. I’ll just ask him when he’s awake.

Despite almost dying again, my mental state remained the exact same. If anything, I felt better. I had seen too much crap and gone through it to not be numb to it all.

I mean, I don’t want to die, but so what if I do? What the hell am I gonna do about it? Lock myself in a tower in paranoia? Cry myself a river? Nope. Not doing any of that.

I breathed deeply, smelling something resembling febreeze and wet fur. I activated meditation, centering myself. I sunk into the river of mana, breathing it in, pulling it towards me with elementary mana manipulation. I knew the skill by instinct, my pull on the river creating a small whirlpool of sorts. I was tempted to cross my legs in a lotus position, like those Xianxia comics and books I had seen before. But nope. My legs don’t stretch like that.

A couple of minutes later, I emerged feeling topped off on mana (ignoring my sore veins of course) and ready to go.

I thought about poking Junior awake again but I dismissed the idea. Something about the idea of just letting him sleep makes me feel… relieved? Warm? Joyful? I really need to figure out what’s going on with my emotions. So much to do!

Using Psychic perception, I looked around, trying to see past the bright candle that was Junior. Looking around for a couple of minutes. It was clear that I couldn’t sense Viralya, either because the level is too low, and the range is too short, or Viralya has some sort of concealment ability. I really wouldn’t put it past her.

Reluctantly, I canceled the ability, quickly becoming minorly surprised when the skill actually leveled up.

*Your efforts and vigilance have borne fruit! Psychic Perception becomes Psychic Perception II*

I smiled. Level-ups were always welcome. I had to wonder what exactly they did though. They didn’t seem to alter the skill visibly or improve it in any way. Maybe it was too subtle for anyone to notice?

I shook my head mentally. So many questions! Luckily, I am still going to get history and geography lessons from Viralya instead of just training. My eyes were starting to droop, my eyelashes fluttering.

It was much too warm to not fall asleep like this. Maybe I could question Viralya when she comes back…

I felt and heard his heartbeat weakening, his breaths become near silent. My furry ears twitched, ever so slightly, as I saw my brother sleeping out of the corner of my eye. He was not nearly as sneaky as he thinks he is.

I adjust the temperature in the makeshift blankets, trying to get optimal heat. Who knew human babies were so fragile? I shuddered at the memory of mother lecturing me after that fight. My newfound brother had fallen asleep near instantly after she put us in bed, and I was glad he did. He was so easy to put to sleep too!

Apparently, humans are really easy to break, especially cubs! How was I supposed to know that! It was only a little training!

I still remembered his eyes burning in rage, a lifetime of unspeakable memories flashing past. Things I had never seen. Birds of metal, as big as dragons, towers that scraped the clouds themselves, weapons of mass destruction that kill indiscriminately among millions…

It had most definitely changed how I saw my brother as well. He was not some wild beast to be coddled, or even some cripple to pity. He was one deserving of respect, modicums of fear, and above all, normalcy.

His world was merciless, ripping him to shreds at the slightest misfortune. I had only caught glimpses, but that was more than enough. He needed to just be treated like anybody would, without pity or respect. That's how I’ve always wanted to be treated anyway.

I cracked my eye open, staring at the peacefully sleeping form of my brother. He had a chubby face, with hairless skin covering him like a suit, his wispy fur on the top of his head growing out little by little. It was golden, like the color of the dawning sun, reaching the tops of mountains. But the most noticeable was his red eyes. The crimson of blood and scarlet of a deep flame ingrained into two eyes. They had an immeasurable depth to them, something I could attest to after seeing his memories and hearing his thoughts.

His core was oddly placed. It was different for everyone, but for one's core to be located as an organ itself? Dangerous. Very dangerous. I don’t even think he knew what he was doing when he did that. According to Viralya, it took humans years to form mana cores, most preferring to train using their body strengthening techniques. I myself took half a week!. He did it in days! Although, spirits were completely unknown entities really, as no one had ever seen one up close without it self-destructing, or just flat out killing the observer.

His skills were well beyond normal as well. From what I had seen, his Psychic skills were not quite suited for telepathy or awareness perception skills. He developed them quickly, as they were the forte of a good Psychic mage, but its specialty lies… Elsewhere.

His wind mana was even weirder. It was vague but restrained. Almost like it was never meant to be wind in the first place. It smelled of promise and freedom, dreams and flight, and above all, an iron will. I had never felt this kind of mana.

It was apparently called higher mana. Something about abstract concepts? I didn’t really get it… But that's fine. I was learning how to fight well. That's all that really mattered! Who needs weird higher mana when you have brute force and awesome skills?

Viralya had started teaching me about human customs and habits, saying it is very important to get to know the human, as he was technically a liability. I was instructed to kill him quickly should he get out of control…

Looking at his sleeping face, emotions of guilt and anger showed reared faces, making me twitch my whiskers anxiously.

I had already gone far enough to rile him up in that training session. I had seen enough. I wouldn’t hurt him anymore. I knew his mind was far older than his body, but he acted almost like a cub still. Perhaps it is the human shell? Actually, it was most likely the memory loss.

I had also asked mother subtle questions if she knew anything about him being a realm traveler and she had shown nothing. Either because of her astounding acting or she really had no idea.

I peered back at my brother's face, heart in turmoil. Mother had advised me that if I did not want him around, I needed to get rid of him. If I was unwilling to help him along, especially in his naming ceremony…

No. I thought decisively. I had already decided I would. I saw his memories, I saw his mind. His memory was suppressed, allowing him something of a resemblance of a childhood. He would never get his full memory back. I would make sure of that.

Besides! I thought cheerfully, trying to bring my anxious mood up. He brought me out of my rage skill! I felt genuine care from him. He actually trusts me too! No one ever really trusted me…

I shook my head again, this time physically. My village is gone. My brothers and sisters are gone. They all fell to that damned cursed blade. He is my only sibling left.

I hardened my resolve. I had to train him. I just had to. I knew he would never survive off of just his two small mana nodes. He needed his fire mana. Mother has always said I was an idiot, and my heart is a weakness, but she’s wrong! She has to be…

I shook my head harder. This would work, unlike some of my other ideas. Besides! I have a plan! It will definitely work, for sure.

I brushed him with a condensed Psychic explosion, muffling it so as to not wake him up. He was my brother. Adopted or no. I felt his sleeping thoughts, the soul mana wrapping our souls in tandem. I had given a part of my core, and he had given me a part of his. That was the price he had paid to yank me from my rage skill that had gone too far. I concentrated, a black, blue, and yellow mana forming a small sphere near my head.

My spacial mana still hid a jeweled dagger, swirling with countless souls. I had many secrets. Not even mother knew of all.

I wiped the thoughts from my mind, focusing solely on my training tomorrow morning. It was going to be a long day of fighting, and I was absolutely pumped for it. Now if only I could get back to sleep…

I woke up much later that day feeling just as refreshed as before. Junior was gone, leaving me alone in the cozy wrap. Where did he run off to now? I wondered.

With some difficulty, I kicked off the blankets, my mana surging with balancing act. I hadn’t needed to eat or drink in this world, raw mana apparently enough nutrients for my body and soul. Still don’t understand that but I wasn’t complaining. I had never had ‘Delicious food’ before so how was I supposed to know food was supposed to taste good? Well I mean… I think I haven’t had tasty food before…

I shimmied down from the bed, trying to grab onto the wooden sides and slide down. It partially worked, allowing for me to slide down relatively easily… Until I had reached a piece of loose wood, jamming it into my hand and giving me a bunch of splinters.

I yelped, letting go of the bedpost and falling to the floor with an ‘oof’! I managed to protect my head, but my back suffered, groaning under the sudden impact. Thank god for weight reduction mana.

Groaning, I got up, pulled the splinter out with a wince, small droplets of blood hitting the stone floor. I waddled out of the room, not bothering to walk gracefully or practically. Instead, I went for what was more comfortable. I walked out to Viralya skinning what looked like a huge 3 eyed squirrel. It was half the size of Viralya, its flesh partly peeled off, small cuts all across its body. It had been drained of blood, its remaining fur pale and grey.

She’s skinning the damn thing I realized. A pile of fur and organs were put off to the side. Its bones had a metallic gleam to them, seemingly hardy and light. Its eyes had a depth to them.

Spirit beast. I looked on with widened eyes. I just knew it was one. Viralya turned to look at me, her head cocking to the side, ears splattered with specks of pale red blood.

I almost threw up right then and there, the sight of red innards and a pale corpse, even as it wasn’t human, was terrifying.

I hesitantly reached out, my tendril of Psychic mana linking both me and Viralya in just a second. Now that I was paying attention, I could still feel Junior, a small thread of ethereal blue mana stretching into the distance, bits of Psychic mana sparking off it. I could feel Junior was tired, excited, and anxious all at once, the vague sense of bloody teeth coming to mind.

Before I could ponder it though, I felt Viralya’s mind ebb into my own, my Mental expansion skill flaring up to protect my mind.

“Good afternoon young spirit.” She said. Her words were sharp, curt. Like I was a kid caught with their hand half in a cookie jar.

*You have endured Psychic hardship and troubles through the voices of others! Mental Expansion becomes Mental Expansion II*

“I see you have taken it upon yourself to attempt to kill your own brother, injuring yourselves in the process.” She said in the same curt manner that made me flinch. “That was very foolish. Very foolish indeed. That was also not what I would call ‘training’.” She said, near glaring at me, making me shrink back involuntarily. Her words cut through me, making me feel ashamed and angry at my actions.

“However.” I grasped onto the word like a gambler would to a pile of coins. “You have also learned from your mistakes, and for that, I have no reason to punish you. Your combination of skills was quite the surprise by the way.” I flinched again. She had been watching us.

“But if that ever happens again, and I mean it, I will not save either of you.” I nodded profusely, not willing to take a stern lecture from her.

She eyed me with a gaze that seemed to pierce my soul, locking onto my core located within my heart.

“Come. You are in need of pure and raw ambient mana. Your Psychic and Wind corruption nodes seem to be near empty as well.” She padded out of the room, leaving her hunt trophy half-skinned. I shuddered, looking into its feral lifeless eyes. I left quickly, waddling outside where Viralya pointed to a verdant grass patch, chock full of ambient mana.

I walked into it, feeling the mana suddenly pressing into my skin, the neutral mana taking some kind of unseen physical form. I let it seep into my veins, circling the stuff through to my heart with elementary mana control. I didn’t use meditation, knowing I would burn out like a fuse after only 30 seconds. It was difficult too. Like trying to wrangle a wild bull. The Neutral mana felt wild, resisting my attempts at controlling it.

Neutral mana was just like that. For more potent and easier to use with the exception of your own mana. Standing there patiently, fidgeting with my hands as the mana uncomfortably passed through my body under the watchful gaze of Viralya. She scowled, disapproving at my method of mana absorption. I felt it through the Telepathic link.

Of course, she would never tell me why she disapproved. Finding my own path and all that other bull crap. I steadied myself with a breath, closing my eyes, not in the mood to tamper with my way of absorption right now.

“So, um-” Her head turned to me with slight irritation. I bombarded her with questions. “How does all the corruption stuff work? What exactly is mana? And why does neutral mana have more of an effect than other types of ambient mana? Why can’t I survive solely off of ambient mana? Why does-” The questions rolled in, making me feel like Junior for a split second. Well, the Junior I first met, not the bloodthirsty monster that almost killed me.

She sighed, a warm breeze rubbing my scalp. Her jaw stretched into a small smile, the irritation gone as she studied me. It may seem stupid I haven’t questioned all this earlier, but I had never really gotten a chance to. The only times I had been with Viralya had either been with Junior or in a not so opportune time. Now wasn’t Ideal either, but I was tired of making guesses and just waiting. If I was going to form my one path, I needed to know what the heck this ‘path’ was and what I was supposed to do with it.

“Ah. I was wondering when you would ask.” My eyes flickered with anger and irritation. She knew I had wanted to ask all along and she hadn’t even bothered to tell it to me on her own! She waited until I asked, dammit!

“To answer your first question, corruption is everything mana is not. It was here far before mana was. It is the aura of physical matter, the very essence of it. It is generated near endlessly and at all times. Corruption is taken in by mana users as a filter, mixing it with the raw energy, which turns into specific types of mana. Corruption is absorbed passively by the mind, unnoticeable to all but the most talented mortals.”

“Neutral mana, is effectively pure mana, the energy unusable by mortals, the power of gods. It is so easy to absorb due to its nature. A pure cup of water is far easier to corrupt than muddy water, is it not?” I nodded half in understanding at the odd analogy.

“It is heavy and weighs physically due to it being pure energy, not being made up of even a hint of corruption. You would think that it would be weightless because of this, right?” I nodded, understanding that energy didn’t have mass.

She chuckled at my eager nod. “Well, as far as most Arcaneologists can tell, mana actually weighs far more than corruption does, in fact, corruption weighs less than nothing, having a negative impact on mana. It's one of magic's great mysteries, and little is understood. But what we do know, is mana is a fickle thing, corruption balancing out physical objects as its inverse. Some have started calling it Antimatter, as it behaves nothing like matter does, but is far more potent in our world.” She took a breath, starting again.

“Mana is unique, in that there are no other substances like it. I suppose you could call it its own plane of existence. Mana is energy. It is the unknown force that powers stars, and expands our lifespans, and allows us to create cores, enlarging and condensing them at higher levels of mana. In your case, you ‘level up’ as you reach certain thresholds. ” I looked at her in confusion.

“What does any of that even mean?” She chuckled again.

“Do not worry young spirit, these theories are for old bats like me who haven’t reached any thresholds in centuries.”

Centuries?! She’s that old?! Holy crap! Wait...

“Why haven’t I leveled up? I’ve never gotten a level-up notification, only skill rank-ups.” She looked at me and laughed this time, her amusement over my ignorance starting to annoy me.

“Ah, but you are not acknowledged by the system, the creation of gods to help mortals reach the surpasser state, or level 100. For that, young spirit, you need a name.” Her expression radiated pure disgust and contempt at her words, quickly camping down after she saw me watching. I stared at her, looking partly bewildered.

“You have technically leveled up once, and by the state of your core, you should be able to level up once more soon.” She nodded to herself. “The system acknowledges what is already there, calculating stats, for a terrible price.” She hissed. “Enslavement. It is the scam of ancient beings greedy for more power and mana. It steals away your potential and power after you reach the surpasser stage, creating small divine energies with your skills and spells. It is a plague, one we will wipe from the world one day. ”

Okay, I had always thought the System was cool and all but what?! Enslavement!? Plague?! She smiled at my horrified expression.

“Do not worry young one, I have a way to sever its reaching consequences before you are named. The naming ceremony will help with that.” My questions multiplied.

“Again, this stuff is too far in the future for you to worry about now. You are young, in both spirit and body, regardless of your age before you died.” An awkward silence fell after that, giving me time to mull over her words. So the gods needed mana? I mean, that's great, but why did they have to take it from mortals? Ugh, so many stupid questions! Actually… There is one that I have a chance to ask now...

“Um, sorry to interrupt, but what's a fae?” I said innocently.

Her pupils narrowed and her whiskers twitched. “How in kankaar's name do you know of the fae?” Uh oh. I thought.

“Well, uh, my human mother talked about them in legends when I was alive, before, and stuff.” A cold sweat ran down my back.

“Oh? Would you mind telling me of these legends? I would be very interested to learn what your previous mother had to say about the fae.”

“Well, uh, she always talked about how they were really, like, um, tricky? They uh, had like, contracts and stuff and they were super mischievous?” I said, cringing at how I sounded. It was easier to talk to Junior than it was to talk to Viralya like this!

“I see.” She said simply and paused for a few seconds. “Well, your mother's stories were not completely wrong, as they are in fact, quite evil and bloodthirsty. They were born sometime after spirit beasts were conceived, the second great race, and the ancient foe of both demons and gods alike." She said simply. My eyes bugged out at that. That was insane! I don't wanna be an enemy of what appeared to be literal gods!

She swiftly ignored the question, only peering at me suspiciously for a few seconds before going back to the previous topics.

“As for your other questions, you cannot survive without neutral mana as unlike ambient mana, it nourishes your body and core. Not just your mana capacity. Most mortals do not have access to pockets of Neutral mana, instead, they rely on physical nourishment, similar to wild beasts. I will not bother with such trivial things because I have Neutral mana in abundance as there are many pockets that lay deep within these woods.” She smiled mysteriously.

“And before you ask, Neutral mana works that way because it can be infused into the body indiscriminately, and used. This is similar to how you use personal mana for techniques, but with neutral mana. As your personal mana is an extension of yourself, your body is already integrated with your personal mana types. Since you are a spirit, this applies doubly so. You constantly circle the mana to keep you alive. It would be similar to eating your own flesh, only the flesh grew back and your stomach did not satiate itself.” More questions.

“But, how did people stay alive without mana if it didn’t always exist then?” She smiled and the wind tickled my ear.

“No one knows, young one. No one knows. Another one of the great mysteries of magic and the arcane.” With that, I was pulled out of the mana pocket and taken back inside for more sleep, my age limiting my ability to stay awake for very long, even with mana’s help. Apparently, sleep is an excellent remedy for ‘absorbing corruption’. I suspected she just didn’t want to have to deal with me, as I was too much trouble to monitor. Oh well. I was tired anyway. I still have more questions, but I suppose they can wait.