I inhaled deeply, listening in on the air currents, catching the absolute magnitude of scents that inhabited the ocean. My paws hovered above the ocean without even making it ripple, my red fur swaying gently in the unseen breeze.

The bright and clear ocean rocked back and forth gently, fish darting in and out of the rocks below me. The sun had long sunk below the horizon, giving way to bright shining stars.

The wind spoke of a distant tailmer, bursting from out of the water, trying to catch a breath of air. It told me of other distant lands, lush green forests, and misty fog dotting across the sea. It told me of the bubbles rising to the surface as the result of an underwater volcano, tens of miles away.

My skill, Current Observation, whispered of many secrets. I felt the ocean around me, still gently rocking as I continued staring at one particular island. The scar of bethemose.

The pups were woven in with that avatars mana, tying them together like puppets, trapped in the trial. The trackers I put on them informed me of their racing hearts, braving trials that even I couldn’t see.

I waited. I knew I had to wait. They needed much time to succeed.

I huffed, a gust of wind expelling itself from my lungs in annoyance. I couldn’t just leave myself in peace, could I? Nooo, I just had to foster another set of pups. And a spirit too! It was utterly ridiculous! How does a spirit manage to retain conscience? How does it not go insane from the exposure of that much raw mana?

I was almost tempted to just give him to the nearest human settlement. Let them figure it out.

An amused smile came and went across my face, my canines flashing. As funny as it would be, it is also entirely irresponsible. Those humans are in no way ready to properly handle his kind of power. They would recognize him for what he was soon enough and attempt to either enslave him or kill him off.

They were just advanced spirit monkeys after all. Who would have thought such a primitive race could birth a new sentient beast? Not me.

I was no scholar. I was unlike my solar brethren who obsessed themselves over historical perfection. My fur was blood red, not bright yellow.

I clinked my claws together, shifting my posture as I crouched on my hind legs. I felt the thin air barriers beneath my feet spring up, boosting me upwards as the wind carried me across the sky.

The pups would most likely be hungry when they woke up, as well as injured. But a quick blast of healing mana would fix it.

I grumbled at the thought of healing that damn human vessel. Their internal structures were a hassle to repair. I mean, how could one even begin to guess that bipeds were so complicated? The muscles that were required to keep them on their two measly feet were numerous and complicated. It sure gave me a startle the first time I peeked in his body.

Wind mana wrapped itself around my body while my cognitive functions improved, giving me a perfect presence of mind as I sped across the sky, mana sense fully activated. I looked left and right, back and forth, searching for a neutral mana source. After 3 minutes of high-speed grumbling, I slowed back down and gave in.

I tugged on the nearby ambient mana, feeling it bend as I began searching. I felt for its reaction as I concentrated for a second, slowing down further. I compressed the corruption in my core, drawing it away from my mana, separating the two pseudo-substances into two. Within my mindscape full of forestry, I felt a drop of now neutral mana free itself from my body as It rushed into the ambient mana.

I sighed. It was by far the faster of the two options, but it did take quite a bit out of me to create a drop of neutral mana. I was hoping to get lucky by randomly stumbling across a spot of neutral mana, but no such luck.

The droplet of mana sailed across the webwork of ambient mana, flying straight towards the nearest wellspring of neutral mana, attracted to its kin. I slowed my flying further, tailing it over the seas. After around 45 minutes, I felt it stop, circling to a spot in the middle of the ocean. I smiled, flying towards it as I felt its presence suddenly surround me.

I sighed in contentment as I fed, my fur sticking to my sides, my ears flattened.

A couple of seconds later, when I had absorbed my fill, I left, marking it with my memory. I amused myself by galloping across the ocean similar to those centaurs you see every once in a while. Those guys were a hoot and a holler to be around.

I let myself sink deep in my conscious mind for a second, burying myself beneath the sands of time that rolled across it in small streams across my mindscape. They were carried by the wind, drifting ethereally among the lush green forests.

I trusted my old friend, the wind, to have my back.

Deep in meditation for what felt like only seconds, I barely noticed the sharpened feather, hiding among the ocean currents. I briskly woke up, seizing the enchantment with raw mana control by sheer instinct alone.

Miles away, a small black feather that had stopped abruptly in its charge froze in place. I must be getting rusty if I didn't even notice its caster.

The wind mana obeyed me, crushing the feather construct into pressurized dust. It fell into the ocean, plopping in the water as its connection to the ambient mana faded.

My eyes glowed with silver power, current observation billowing as it searched for more.

There was always another attempt hm? They were getting far more frequent lately. Always another one looking out to make it big with my head as a ticket. Maybe it was the appeal for fame? Or was it the immense resources offered upon my confirmed death? I had no clue.

Ever since I had broken one of the sacred rules within my kins clan, I had become an outcast. Thrown aside in hope of appeasing the uncaring gods. I had made peace with my mistake, but by kankaar, it still made me cringe sometimes when it came up.

Although, I have to say. The fact that I have survived this long and gained this much power probably feels like a slap to the face for the elders. That felt satisfying in an ‘itch your flea-ridden fur’ kind of way. I was probably older than a few of its youngest members too. I also had far more power than most of the elders.

Probably because I didn’t twiddle my claws around, making enchantments and sunbathing day in and day out. No, I fought for this power through bloodshed. As it should be. And like all of my pups had too.

After a few seconds of cognitive enhanced thinking, my wind caught on to the portrayer, a young green speckled avian. Quite a promising one too, based on their mana capacity and level.

Let's see… I squinted, activating my eyes of wind. The skill was almost entirely useless to me now, but it did give some perks. Mainly identify and other eye-based observation skills. When you have precise echolocation using the very air around you, your eyes tend to become relatively mundane.

Submerged within the earth, I felt their unique water and earth mana swirling under the ocean, giving them cover from my senses.

Ah, that's too bad. A bird with primarily water and earth corruption nodes? That was unique. Their wind node was minor enough I didn’t pay much attention to it.

I created a funnel instantaneously, pushing the air beneath the waves as it grasped its throat like a frog snatches a fly, breaking its entire neck with only a squawk for protest. I doubt it had a healing construct, but just in case…

I shredded its body into slivers, watching the red waters carefully for it to mend. After a couple of minutes, I nodded to myself. The bird had to be dead for good. Probably.

I shrugged, dispelling the eyes of wind and looking back over to the scar of bethemose, waiting for my new pups to untangle themselves.

I have to admit, they were different. Most of the pups I had fostered were solo, going by themselves as they trained. And the ones that did have siblings seldom interacted with one another.

Both the young spirit and the young fox were intriguing. I promised myself once again to take better care of them. I would not fail them like I failed the others.

Besides! Even at my age, there were always new surprises, and I positively couldn’t wait to see what secrets their stats have been hiding!

I woke up to the feeling of wet and soft sand beneath me. My confused and addled mind took minutes to process… Something. What was I doing again?

I pieced together my consciousness slowly, distant waves roaring in my ears. A part of me was confused. Where were the horrible rocks that prickled me so? Where was my kin? I took an absent sniff with my snout, trying to catch a whiff of my mother. Instead, all I got was the smell of a soggy human and a mix of tropical plants.

What's a human doing here? I thought drearily.

Eventually, I came to myself, my whiskers twitching as I opened my eyes. I stood up on wobbly legs, shaking the droplets of water off my fur as my ears leaked water.

I reached for my heat mana, I dried myself off with a blast of hot air. Blinking rapidly at the sensation, memories came crashing down into my skull, making me freeze.

I disregarded my now floofy fur, my silver eyes sparkling with joy as I whirled around to look at my brother.

Heh. I smirked. He slept like a baby, his presence felt through the small link in my soul. I sighed contently.

Now that had been tough. The whole trial had just been one big torture session. I had struggled against myself multiple times, unearthing parts of my consciousness I never wanted to exist in the first place. Well, at least I got to see my family again. Even if they were figments of memory pulled from my mind. That weird goopy beetle was not a great talker, let me tell you...

Anyways. The trial was over and well-

“I did it!” I screamed joyfully. I had a name! A persona, a title!

Grinning, I paid no attention to anything else. I felt around my mindscape, quickly finding the small god pillar within, and activated it in a flash of cherry light.

Name: Cinder

Race: Sun fox

Accumulated power (In Lvl): 4

Corruption Percentage:

46% Voidal Heat 18% Psychic Mimicry 36% Spacial Expanse

Core skills:

1 2 3 4 5

Side skills:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

General skills:

-Tracking III

-Basic Construction II

-Mana Manipulation XIV

-Mana Deflection

-Foraging VI

-Desperate Gamble II

-Bloodied rage

Stats:

-Strength: 14

-Dexterity: 19

-Constitution: 12

-Mana Regeneration: 11

-Mana Capacity: 18

Psychic Bond: Ash

*Status: Unconscious*

This. Is. So. Cool! I jumped up on my hind legs in joy, fur bristling in happiness. My paws dug into the sand, my yips, and howls traveling across the water. I just couldn’t help myself.

I had a name! I was… “Cinder!” I shouted, tasting the word in my mind, growling and howling out the syllables with some premature uncertainty. But it rapidly morphed into excitement once again.

“My name… Is Cinder!” I yelled once again, for good measure. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my brother sitting up slowly, eyes clearing of sleep as the sand fell from his skin like a torrent. His chubby hairless face was smushed to the left, crimson eyes sparkling.

I watched in anticipation as he froze in place, looking very confused. But it didn't last for long. I saw the cogs in his head-turning, looking at me, first in wonder, then with the very same excitement that was bubbling within me.

I laughed, running over to him in bounds and leaps, kicking off from the sand with my tongue lolled out. I tackled the young spirit in joy, paws firmly on his chest as he was knocked to the ground in a wheeze. I felt his mana retaliate immediately, wind feebly pushing against my forelegs with a desire for vengeance.

I, of course, being the superior fox as well as the smarter sibling, didn't give him any chance as I gave him a blast full of his own newly frosty air.

Still laughing, I got off him while he coughed and sputtered, sending a hastily formed condensed ball of wind that sent me tumbling back, sand mixing into my already fluffed up fur.

I shook myself off, panting for a second while I commanded the powdered earth under his feet to heat up, making him jump up and fall back to the ground with an ‘eep!’.

Wow. Even human babies have such a wide variety of vocals. Makes me wonder what human adults are like.

I saw him angrily get up, blowing the sand off his skin.

“Hey! What was that for? I just woke up!” He whined.

“Aww, is somebody going to cry? You going to bawl like a newborn again?” I said teasingly.

Oh, that got him. He huffed, drawing on his wind mana as he blasted me in the face again.

I had to wonder, are all humans like this? Are all humans this easy to rile up? If so, going to a human settlement would be so much more fun than I thought it would be.

He gave me a good Psychic wack too, disorientating me both in body and mind as I stumbled. It only took me a couple of seconds to shake it off, but I have to admit. That was a good combo.

He whacked me with a kick to the stomach that had way too much mass for his small frame, making me skid across the sand once more before I hopped back up and used Shimmering illusion, stepping to the side as I went invisible for a second, leaving behind the mirage.

My gullible brother wildly threw his wind mana into my flickering form, dispersing it into heat as I used Temperature Control to mess with him. I tried to freeze some of the circulation in his arm, thinking it could slow down the mana flow and increase his casting time.

But it wasn’t to be, his wind mana manipulation breaking my control near-instantly, to the point that I don't think he even noticed. Damn.

I had to improvise. I sent a heat blast into his face while he was recovering from the charge up from his wind skill. His eyes had just enough time to widen before he was knocked to the ground for the third time, matching my score in a 3:3.

“Ow, ow! That burns, ow!” He said, complaining about his smokey and red face. I didn’t give him a second of reprieve, dashing forward with my paw outstretched, pinning him to the ground in case he got any ideas. 3:4.

“Do you yield oh, foolish one?” I asked in a snobbish voice.

“Not in a million years!” He said, his dainty little hands grasping my paws. Seriously, what did he think he was going to do with those clawless things? Slap me to death?

“Then…” I said dramatically, using my best dramatic voice I had learned from Viralya when she was being extra sarcastic.

“Prepare… To die!” I mimed going for the kill, biting into his neck jokingly.

“Nooo… How could you? My own… Brother…” He said with a remarkably sarcastic tone, an image of red blood splattering across the sand appearing in my mind.

I let him go, both of us on our backs laughing as the last of his annoyance evaporated into smoke. Though, I had to give it to him. The fact that he thought he could ruffle my mighty fur was funny enough. But when I sensed real annoyance at my play fighting, I almost burst out laughing. The damn spirit had such a big temper for such a little body.

Eventually, we stopped, laying back down in the sand, mana twirling around us as sparks danced. The sky was dark, the stars sparkling in the night, shining like distant gems. My spacial mana sluggishly filled my mindscape, dancing like little motes of light

Heated steam tickled my nostrils, trickling into my claws, making them glow faint cherry. Both of our heavy breathing gave way until it was reduced to lights pants, normalcy restoring.

I eyed him from the side, ears twitching.

“Sooo…?” I asked him, excitement resurfacing.

“What did you get!” I asked. He frowned, looking over at me in confusion.

“What do you mean?” He quipped back with a raised eyebrow. I rolled my eyes.

“Your name! What's your name?” I asked, my tone implying he was stupid for not knowing. His cheeks flushed, the blood running to his face.

“It uh… It's… I don’t know?” He said sheepishly.

Oh, I was going to have fun with this.

“Wow. I knew you were stupid, but this is an entirely new level man! You don’t even know your own name!” I said.

“Well uh… How am I supposed to know?! I just woke up! The stupid naming ceremony didn’t give me a name!” He whined.

“Hmm… You're totally right! I guess you were just so dull, even the trial couldn’t come up with a name for you! Golly! And this man is supposed to be my brother?! Pathetic I tell you!”

As predicted, he got mad again. Heh.

One short scuffle later where I promptly kicked his butt, he collapsed back down into the sand, whining like a clingy pup.

From what I could tell, he was beginning to doubt the trial had given him a name in the first place, tears welling up as anger suddenly resurfaced.

I sighed. Okay, I guess I’ll tell him.

“Okay! Okay, I'll tell you you look at your name! Just please don’t cry. If Viralya comes back and sees you crying again, she might lecture me on human emotional fragility again.”

He perked up, all signs of turmoil wiped off his face.

“Just look in your mindscape and see if you notice anything different,” I said with a smirk.

He looked at me quizzically, before shrugging and closing his eyes, sinking into meditation. I sat down and waited. This was going to take a couple of minutes.

I smugly observed his facial expressions, changing from surprise, to shock, to joy, and then to contemplation in the span of 45 seconds. He was probably exploring his new stats now. Status, funnily enough, could be looked upon by anyone of age. The naming ceremony is like a shortcut and an important one too. If you turned of age and didn’t have a name given by a god pillar, you would be screwed. Well, technically only a few beasts out of the tens of thousands that existed would be screwed over, considering you had to transcend immortality for it to become a problem, but hey, better safe than sorry right?

Speaking of sorry, the lump in front of me had something to say.

“My name… Is... Ash...” My brother said with an indescribable note in his voice. I gave him a minute, letting him recuperate.

I eyed the night sky, watching as the first bits of sunlight were peeking above the horizon. I took a second to take in my surroundings.

We were on some kind of land, with tropical forests beyond the sandy beach we resided in. No sign of the scar of bethemose and those cursed rock shards. Now that I’m thinking about it, where is Viralya? I’m sure she would have noticed us when we appeared. She always does.

I looked back into the ocean, squinting at the distant shadows that looked like little specks across the water. Islands perhaps? Probably.

Does that make us on an island as well? I can’t see the other side so I have no idea if it's cut off from any of the ‘mainlands’ or whatever Viralya had called them in the history lessons.

While I was musing, My brothe- Ash was playing with the wind, absently looking up at the sky. He seemed pretty conflicted, staring at a status screen I couldn’t see.

What was wrong with him? Did he- Oh. Ash. The remains of what was once whole, burnt into black. Symbolizing the remains of destruction, its aftereffects, and consequences. The very thing he hated.

I tentatively put a paw forward, stepping with great care as I nuzzled his face. I figured it would be a soothing gesture, and apparently, it was as he wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his head in my fur.

I didn’t say anything as I felt conflict rage in his mind.

I suppose my name didn’t symbolize the happiest thing either, being fragments of solidified and sealed melted rock. I guess it kind of makes sense with my heat mana and all. Maybe I was just grasping at hay straws though.

Ash groaned under my fur, eventually just sinking into meditation and letting his emotions erode into his mana wells. After a couple of minutes, he came back far calmer than before. But the chipper mood was totally ruined.

We sat and waited, not saying a word as the wind current picked up, significantly denser than anything Ash’s mana could conjure up.

The fox herself soon arrived, glancing down at both of us with a curious glance. I shivered as I felt her gaze pass over me, seeking something. Whatever she seemed to find, it startled her slightly, before the expression was wiped off her face as she landed. What the hell did looking at me intensely for five seconds tell you!?

She looked away, shaking her head before her gaze turned to Ash, quizzical eyes peering into his soul. Ash looked distinctly uncomfortable, fidgeting on the sand at her gaze. She didn’t even flinch at whatever she found on him, just snorting some wind into his chest, laced with the vital red healing mana.

She smiled at us, attaching Psychic threads of mana onto our mindscapes.

“I’m glad you're both okay.” She said briskly. It felt stiff, awkward. Like someone reluctantly apologizing for something, they didn’t agree with.

“I see both of you have quite the names.” She nodded as if to give herself a pat on the back.

Ash wilted a little. “...Thank you.” He said quietly. I reacted quite differently though, whirling my head towards her.

She can see my name?! Huh!?

I glanced back over, watching Ash more carefully. I guess Viralya wasn't kidding when she said immature humans are super fragile! I mean, I definitely knew this, seeing as it had been demonstrated to me many times over, but still… It was weird.

Viralya nudged him on his back with some wind mana, inclining her head upwards. He winced, bringing his chubby body forward as he sat up, standing on his feet. He shook his head in a vain attempt to rattle the bundle of emotions out.

“Now.” Viralya sat down, her tail curling around her body. “I know I told you I would try to be a better mentor after you completed your trial, and now you have. I will fulfill the promise I made with wholehearted effort.” She paused when neither of us said anything at her still strained and forced voice.

“And I suppose, being a better mentor can start with some of the questions you have,” I spoke up quickly.

“How did you know my name?” I blurted out.

“Oh, that's a simple one. It's a skill, called Identify. It lets you analyze basic information on a targeted object.” Oh. Well, that's… Scary.

“What… Kind of basic information?” I asked hesitantly.

“Just your name, level, and race really. Though, I will admit there are some fallouts to its usefulness. For example, Young spirit, Ash over here does not have an identifiable race, which makes sense considering he’s never been seen before.” She said. I breathed a sigh of relief, something she didn't fail to catch. I tensed again at her notice but she said nothing.

“What… What was the whole naming ceremony thing about?” Ash asked suddenly.

“Would you mind elaborating?” Viralya said with a tilt of her head.

“Oh sorry.” He coughed making a weird ‘ah-hem’ sound with his throat. “What the heck was weird goopy that thing? Why can’t I recall half of what happened? What exactly is the god pillar supposed to be? Why were there so many sharp rocks? Why was it called the scar of Bethemose? Why-”

“Hold on a second!” Viralya said in exasperation at his barrage of questions. She mumbled something I couldn’t make out, before sighing.

“Your questions are complex and difficult to answer.” She said thoughtfully.

“Oh, well, you don’t have to answer them… I guess?” He said awkwardly.

She dismissed his concerns with a wave of her paw. “Do not worry about it. I’ll answer them the best I can.” She said.

“For your first question;” She said, now in full lecture mode. “I do not know what ‘weird goopy thing’ you're talking about, but it could have been the avatar of the god pillar.”

“Avatar?” I said before Ash could.

“Yes. Think of it as the guardian of the god pillar. The one who actually enacts the trials and draws from your experiences to create a name for you.” She said.

I guess that made sense. The beetle was a bit of a jerk though.

“As for your second question, I do not know why you cannot recall what happened. Each trial is personalized, so it's different for everyone. It's possible the guardian judged the event too traumatic for your mind and wiped it, but that is unlikely. It's more likely that you saw something you shouldn’t have.” She said tentatively.

Ash didn't react, staring at the ground with a far too complex expression on his baby face. I wasn’t the least bit surprised at that. The whole thing had nothing to do with the guardian though, and more to do with whatever outside force was suppressing his memories. I was grateful for it because if given the chance, I would most certainly want the same.

I had to keep my thoughts in check as a distracted Ash pondered the sand at his feet.

“To answer your third question, I do not know that either. It is a structure made by the gods and it only reveals itself to those who are unnamed.” She said with a hum.

“You don’t need to be a scholar to find that it's a mystery nobody truly knows about. We also know that it houses the guardian, and it is some sort of hyper-advanced construct.” She paused for a second, and when she didn't hear extra questions from either, she continued.

“For your fourth and fifth question, it is because it is just that. A scar. The rough patch up of a wound inflicted upon the earth in a great war many years ago. It is littered with those ‘sharp rocks’ as you call them because of the after-effect and reminder of its past.” She said with a flourish.

Huh? What was she talking about?

“What war?” I asked with curiosity in my eyes.

“An ancient one. One between two races of old.” What!? Was this what I thought it was? Ash and I glanced at each other. Ash retained a fairly neutral expression though and suppressed his emotions so they didn’t bleed through. Good thing too as Viralya looked back just in time to see my face and my face alone.

Seeing my reaction, Viralya chuckled.

“No, not that war. A far more recent one over the rulings of the god pillar.”

Wait, there were more wars!? I thought there had only been one!

We were about to ask more questions geared towards this new war, but she shook her head in denial, cutting us off. “I know I said I would answer your questions, but I’ll tell you the story at a later date.”

“Oh. Well um…” Ash trailed off as he lost his question. I jumped for answers in his place.

“What happened after we completed the trial?”

She snorted in amusement. “You were deposited onto an island nearby which just happened to be quite a few miles away from where I was…” She grumbled the last part.

“After that, well, I picked both of you up, healed you, and stuffed you full of a nearby neutral mana spot because your stomachs wouldn’t shut up.” She said patiently.

“Wait, how did you manage to travel to us so fast?” Ash asked in confusion.

Aw geez. Sometimes, it's easy to forget he isn’t from here.

“She won’t respond to that,” I said, glancing at a smiling Viralya. “Find your own path and all that, remember?” Ash grumbled under his breath at that.

I feel you, bro.

“Okay well… What about your level?” Ash asked hopefully. I gave him a deadpan look. He didn’t get the message.

“Okay, if not level then how about Skills? Can you tell me more about your skills-”

“No. Any more questions?” Viralya said sweetly.

Oh, by Kankaar. There goes our free questionnaire I guess. I was even emphasizing with you and everything bro! Why’d you had to go and mess it up?

Of course, neither of us said anything, only plopping back with groans and yips of frustration.

“Okay fine. One last question though. Why are you so against telling us anything about your stats? I mean, you just told us you looked at ours. Why can’t you tell us yours if you already peeked at both mine and Cinders?” Ash asked.

Viralya, who had begun walking away, paused. Sighing to herself, she looked Ash into the eyes as she answered.

“It's because it's considered intrusive and rude to do so. Nobody does it unless they are in battle or it's required. I will admit, earlier when I said that Identify gives you the level of the target, I did omit something. You must be several levels above the target. In fact, you often have to be 2x the target level for it to work. Generally, when somebody identifies you, and your level is far beneath theirs, it is considered acceptable. Power constitutes most governing bodies anyway.” She said.

I had to remind myself that he had only recently come here and had little knowledge of anything outside of throwing mana at things.

Ash nodded, seemingly content with the answer.

“Alright. Now that that's over and done with.” She smiled. “I have a surprise for both of you. I think you will be quite content with what I got you.”

The winds picked us up, our legs drifting off the ground as momentum began to gather again.

Gifts? Woah! I’ve never gotten one of those before!

The wind sent the sand on my fur back to the ground, giving me a cool refreshing feeling. Ash and I looked at each other in excitement, knowing what was coming next.

Flying!

I loved flying. Like seriously, it was an excellent way to take the stress off of my mind. The last hour had been jam-packed full of action, adventure, and above all, trauma. The emotional grief I had at the moment was enough for me, and I couldn’t even remember most of it!

My hands spread in the wind, scooping the air itself with shape of wind as I fastened the wind goggles, my mana on a slow burn. I was delighted in the sensation of touching the clouds, feeling Viralya’s firm grip on my body.

Cinder was certainly enjoying it. Yes, Cinder, not Junior. I was a little disappointed I couldn’t get back at him by calling him Junior anymore, but it was okay. I had a name now too! I… Had a name.

Ash. I thought hesitantly, the word feeling weird in my mind. I mean, it was my name. My name. This was so weird.

As I had before, I turned back to the world around me, watching the same swamp fade back into the forest once again. The winds told me we were heading in the direction home would be.

I squinted my eyes, the morning sun burning my retinas as I tried to spot what might have been beyond the horizon. No such luck.

I let myself fall into a flying trance, just taking a minute to listen to the wind, and watch the landscape fall back. I felt battle meditation engage, my mind at peace with my surroundings. I wanted to trace the trees' massive trunks below me, zipping through them like some kind of spider apex predator.

I know I was supposed to find my own path and all that stupid crap… But holy F$#&! If I don’t get some sort of flying skill when I get older, I will throw myself off a cliff, flapping like a chicken until I do!

I occupied my thoughts by messing with the Psychic link me and Cinder shared. I amused myself by capturing moments in my memories as best I could, sending them over the link like a post on social media. Catching onto the idea, he did the same, taking snapshots and sending them through the Psychic link. I have to admit, his pictures were way higher res than mine. He then proceeded to make fun of my useless eyeballs the rest of the flight.

I, of course, not one to give up valuable time, silently plotted my revenge.

Eventually, we got back, with Viralya setting us down gently. I had gotten a little sleepy on the trip, still tired from the trial. The only thing that prevented me from diving into the bed in her cave was the mention of the gifts. Judging by Cinder's wobbly knees, he felt the same.

Of course, Viralya sensed this, reading me like an open book. “We don’t have to look at them right now. We can always wait tomorrow when both of you have had a few hours of rest.” She said gently.

I shook my head vigorously while Cinder yipped his disagreement.

“Alright. If you insist.” She said with a mysterious smile. “Wait here.” She went inside the cave, rummaging around for a second as both Cinder and I waited patiently.

Thankfully, she didn’t take long. I felt like a kid on Christmas. My curiosity manifested itself into a soft gust of wind, that practically barreled over itself to look over into the cave. It was met by a barrier made of its very own brethren.

Her red fur glistened in the rising sun as she came back out, silver eyes gleaming with a soft light. Floating behind her were two objects, one long and thin, the other small and circular.

The first one was a relatively long wooden staff with two blunt ends. A… Walking stick? The other was far more interesting. It looked like a bracelet, just oddly shaped with a sort of cone-shaped slant, and a grey gem at its end.

The objects were separated, the weird walking stick going to me and the cone-shaped bracelet going to Cinder. I looked at the thing in confusion, taking it with my hands as Viralya’s grip on it let go.

I felt its weight suddenly shift, causing my posture to dip, my body struggling to adapt to the additional weight. The thing was1.5x the length of me (Which admittedly, isn’t much, but hey, What can you do?), and it weighed like a ton of bricks! I thought this was wood!

I had to carry it with both hands, propping it against the ground.

Viralya chuckled. “Yes, I see both of you are rather confused.” I looked over at Cinder, seeing him curiously toy with the bracelet.

“These.” The cool objects floated out of our hands, returning to circle Viralya. “Are weapons.”

Oh.

Oh!

Oh, shoot!

She pointed to the bracelet first. “This, Cinder, is a mana battery. It's a powerful tool, able to store mana for later use, as well as a capacity boost. It was made by the Verdant Arcanists, meant to be used as a handy tool for basic construct mages. For you, it will be effective in emergencies.” That. Was super cool. I watched Cinder suddenly gain a new appreciation for the little thing. He clutched it to his chest, pausing before looking back up at Viralya.

“Um, quick-uh question? How do I use it?” He asked. I tried not to laugh as his expression matched mine when I had asked how to activate my status.

“Oh. Forgive me, I still forget you are still so young. You put in on your foreleg, like this;” She demonstrated opening up a clasp I hadn’t seen before, slipping it on her fur. She took it back on, gesturing for Cinder to try.

He did as he asked with wide eyes, clamping the thing on his foreleg, raising it to inspect the new addition to his paw.

“Try funneling mana into it.” She had the same mischievous smirk as Cinder did when he knew something you didn’t.

I felt him concentrate, watching as heat mana surfaced from his hide, seeping into the grey stone. With wide eyes, I watched it change color. It started with the tiniest speck of cherry red in the center, growing out as its capacity filled.

“Unfortunately.” We looked back to Viralya. “It is a small one, seeing as they are rather hard to get. It was all I could manage.” She said.

Not one to seem ungrateful, Cinder nodded enthusiastically. “It's great!” He looked back down, studying the gleaming silver metal in the sunlight. “I… Really like it. Thank you… Mother,” He said.

Part of me wanted to take a ‘snapshot’ of his smiling face without a hint of sarcasm. A rare sight. But an even bigger part of me was convinced I should let him have his moment.

Viralya turned to me. “For you, I didn’t know exactly what to get due to your… Human vessel.” My eyes were locked on the staff thing. Oh, what wonders did it hold? Maybe it turned into a cool sword! Or it summoned Tacos?! Seeing as Cinder’s present had been awesome, I couldn’t help but think of how mine fared!

After a full minute of dramatic suspension that made me want to throttle her, she finally spoke again.

“So, I got you a stick!” She said.

I froze, my thoughts on pause before I came back to again. Oh, come on! This is totally favoritism! Even if you knew I was human, you could have at least come up with something better than a heavy stick! I thought angrily.

She snickered at my expression of horror and disappointment, revising her previous statement.

“A stick that was broken off from the branches of a Hawthorne tree, compressed and carved by elves.” Well, when you put it like that, it changes everything!

With far more excitement, I grasped the thing, feeling its heavyweight settle in my hands. That would have definitely made me stumble if not for balancing act.

Viralya spoke up again, watching me twirl the staff in my hands sluggishly. “I once saw a human use a stick like this to move it so fancifully, even I was enthralled. If nothing else, those barbarians have created interesting gadgets! ” I didn’t know what a Hawthorne tree was, or what the heck this fancy stick thing was, but it sounded cool!

I grinned, pumping mana into my form, supporting my arms to allocate for the new weight. It would be mana costly to swing this thing around, but totally worth it.

Cinder was still filling the mana gem, looking slightly worse for wear, but very fascinated by the process.

I looked back up at Viralya. “Thank you. Truly.” I wanted to say some more choice words about her knack for giving us hell, but I held my tongue. Now wasn’t the time.

She nodded to me in a ‘your welcome’ fashion, turning back to Cinder and picking him up by his scruff with a pinch of wind. He yelped, losing focus on his new battery.

“If you keep charging that battery, you’re going to fall unconscious, whether you like it or not.” I bit my lip with laughter, trying not to give an outburst while Cinder stuck his tongue out at me.

“Go and rest. There isn't anything urgent I need from either of you in the foreseeable future besides good training. But that should be obvious” She set Cinder down, pushing him towards the entrance. He rolled his eyes, waddling into the cave on unsteady feet.

I followed behind him, both of us heading to bed. I felt Viralya’s gaze on my back as I entered, the words of the guardian coming to mind.

Traitor…

I shivered, rushing through the halls and into the bedroom, slithering my bare body into the covers where it was warm.

Today had been… Fruitful? Yes. Fruitful. I got myself a name, a cool Hawthorne staff thing, and… I have a status now.

Name: Ash

Race: Fae Hybrid (Fire type-Human anchor)

Accumulated power (In Lvl): 3

Corruption Percentage:

62% Pure Flames of Wrath 22% Psychic Resonance 16% Winds of the Iron Feather

Core skills:

1- True Fire Creation III 2 3 4 5

Side skills:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

General skills:

-Meditation VI

-Mana Sense XI

-Mana Flood III

-Elementary Mana Control IV

Stats:

-Strength: 12

-Dexterity: 15

-Constitution: 14

-Mana Regeneration: 17

-Mana Capacity: 11

Psychic Bond: Cinder of Esemar

*Status: Alive*

Yay...