Chapter 73: A Scion’s Embarrassment

“Enough! Ele’Azar shouted and pushed through the other mentors. “Clearly for those watching, he only defended himself. The result was simply the difference in density and strength of the Souls that collided. I don’t believe the damage was caused by anything other than the rebounded attack from the young Scion. You saw the same as me.”

“You don’t presume that your disciple, who just recently arrived, is a Soul master prodigy? We all know his results and time in the cavern prove nothing. This is absurd. He used some trick to hurt young Scigren.”

“My disciple is still learning. It isn’t a crime to defend oneself now, is it? Let him eat and if you want your disciples can test him at the upcoming disciple challenges. But for now, leave them to eat their meals.”

His mentor guided Trint the rest of the way to their table. Not waiting for any more distractions to arrive he started eating. A minute later, in between noises of enjoyment and loud chewing, Trint realized he was still the center of attention and tried to chew his meal more quietly.

“When is the last time you two ate a meal?” Ele’Azar asked.

“I don’t remember but the cooks here are something else,” Trint made another humming sound of joy. “What is in this? It looks like normal eggs, and pancakes and fruit but it is so much more delicious.”

“Yes, your manners are a bit lacking but maybe this is your first time eating such fare,” Ele’Azar tried to excuse the poor manners. “The food is prepared from typical ingredients but only ones that are nurtured by Soul masters. Many in the Cease empire that achieve Soul awakening and mastery, choose to combine their profession and its growth with the application of their Soul. The cooks have a cooking profession and upon awaking their Soul, found ways to combine the two.”

“The Cease people value Soul above all,” Ele’Azar said while waving to the entire room. “Those able to achieve awakening are expected to use it in every aspect of their life. Mundane activities can be imparted with Soul influence to strengthen the greater whole of our people.”

“So, the cooks somehow infuse Soul into the food?” Trint asked in-between bites. “Soul food! I like it.”

“How does that work though?” Pneuma questioned. “We haven’t figured out the physical manifestation of Soul yet.”

“Well, Trint has stepped to the threshold, possibly by accident and reflex. But I will instruct you more later.” Ele’Azar turned to stare as a woman entered the room and briskly walk directly to them.

Sitting down across from Trint, he paused in the middle of chewing some spicy bacon before he realized he’d left his mouth slightly open. Recognition registered and he could tell Arneala wasn’t there for a fight. Across from them was another scion of a great family but what he saw was childlike excitement and anticipation.

“What you and he did to me last night was just amazing,” Arneala kept her voice moderately quiet, but her excitement had her talking quickly. “How you got inside without me knowing and then the new things you showed me. I’ve never felt so whole. It was beyond anything I’ve ever read about. We must try that again after you finish eating. Or if we must wait, then tonight!”

Trint had choked halfway through Arneala’s excited rant. By the time she paused to breathe, he was getting his airway clear again. Now breathing he began to laugh with face in hand. She paused, completely confused at the laughter.

“Arneala, I apologize,” Trint tried to keep a straight face. Now the entire room was not so subtly listening in. “Your confession of our time last night seemed ambiguous for the rest of the room.”

Arneala turned to see the entire hall of people hanging on their every word. Her face turned a shade of crimson, then she turned back to Trint. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Nor what I’d like them to believe,” Trint said and Pneuma nodded his agreement.

“What are you all talking about?” Ele’Azar was just as confused as the rest of the room. “You were to get some sleep last night. You were in Ms. Arneala’s room? There will undoubtedly be an issue with her family when they find out.”

Sputtering in indignation Arneala jumped in, “Stop, no one here is telling my family anything, least of all, what you think you heard. These two were kind enough to help with some mediation last night that helped me with my Soul. That is all. I am grateful but not a little mortified at myself. Still, my request stands, I’d like to train with you some more. I have convinced my mentor to allow us time for meditation if your mentor agrees.”

“I need some more information about what happened with the training last night,” Ele’Azar requested while also tiptoeing through a potential issue, “If it was meditation training, then I will decide about our training time. Perhaps a more private conversation if possible?” Eyeing all the onlookers, who without shame were all watching their table, Ele’Azar stood and pulled Trint to follow.

“Seriously I didn’t get to finish,” Trint mumbled through a last bite of food before he was pulled from the table.

“Your next meal will be here soon enough, don’t be a glutton,” Arneala said following Trint with Pneuma trailing at the back of their group.

It took another thirty minutes to explain what happened last night but then Ele’Azar’s additional questions lasted an additional hour. When that was complete, they were all aware of what Arneala knew when they left her in her Soul Space last night. Trint and Pneuma still didn’t reveal everything, despite the interrogation from their mentor.

“I know you aren’t telling me everything,” their mentor sighed. “There is more. But at least you have a new Profession, and it has Soul applications already. And again, you’re sure that is how you influenced Arneala’s Soul? Not a Skill or item caused this change?”

“Yes, we are certain,” Pneuma confirmed. “We had hoped to see if we could assist others with our Soul abilities. Arneala may be our only example, but we are confident that we can do even more to help others’ Soul growth.”

“As much as I hope you are right about what happened, I can’t let you continue experimenting with other disciples’ Souls till I know more. But our focus for today is to teach you an introduction to external Soul formations. Since you nearly shattered an arrogant fool’s Soul shield, and now have many of the mentors eager to put you in the ground. It has become our most pressing lesson.”

“I didn’t ask for that guy to get so work up,” Trint protested.

“It doesn’t matter, they will want some blood to appease the lordling’s family,” Arneala confirmed. “True to their nature they will not forget and if you were to try to progress in status with the Cease, they will surely try to have you killed. They might have begun the plotting already.”

“I was just getting some breakfast,” Trint scoffed.

“It doesn’t matter that you didn’t intend anything,” Pneuma commented, “that you displayed power, and that power was used to make their family look weak, is all that they need to want you dead. But power is how they got where they are, and power is how you can put them beneath us.” Pneuma smiled.

“That is all more long-term planning,” Their mentor corrected, “They won’t bother sending someone else from the family during this training season. The only ones to cause you trouble will be the disciples and their mentors. And for now, we need to train and prepare for today’s threats. Arneala, do you wish to stay for the rest of today’s training?”

“Yes, of course, and thank you,” She humbly replied.

“Then inform your mentor and both of you join us at the gates,” the mentor instructed. “You two, follow me.”

They spent only a handful of minutes waiting quietly at the gate. Then Arneala arrived behind a grumpy-looking woman. Trint thought on Earth she would have been around 60-70 years old. Here there was no telling and asking would be another foot-in-mouth scenario to avoid.

“My disciple has convinced me to join with you Ele’Azar and your disciples. We will waste no more than today with you and my disciple will pay for this favor. But don’t think you can fool me into believing half the garbage she has spouted since this morning. So, what are we doing at the gate?”

“Yes, thank you for joining us, Bitain’La,” Ele’Azar bowed courteously to greet Arneala’s Mentor. “I too am reluctant to waste time. Let’s go then. We will have the disciples training downriver on the Flood Stone.”

She nodded and walked out the gate not waiting for anyone else. Everyone followed and after hiking a trail along the river for an hour, they arrived at a fork in the river. In the center of the fork was a large stone that split the river. It rose twenty feet higher than the water line. Bitain’La jumped from the path to the rock. Everyone was able to enforce their bodies with different forces or skills and jump across the fifteen-foot distance and twenty-foot height to land on the rock ledge.

“Why do they call this Flood Stone?” Trint asked Ele’Azar.

“When this river floods, the water will rise covering everything around us but usually this stone remains visible with the waters parting around this stone. So, when looking at the river from up high it looks like the only stone in the flooded river.”

“Descriptive, not some greater mystery then,” Pneuma nodded and then looked to the mentors. “What training do you have for us today?”

“First thing…” Bitain’La said as she turned and launched a kick at Trint.

Trint didn’t turn or see the incoming kick but sensed something in his Soul and did a quick dive into his Soul to see what the sensation was.

He appeared in a new room within his Soul palace. The room reminded him of a combination of an at-home movie theater and a gaming setup. Gaming monitors surround him, and a giant screen was in the middle. The large middle screen was a third-person view of his physical body. Is that a memory, he wondered. But then he quickly recognized the location and processed the incoming kick, frozen, a foot before it impacted his back. Then he walked around and realized the picture was more of a three-dimensional view, like a virtual reality simulation of the world outside his Soul.

“Well, I like this room and can see this being useful,” Trint said looking at the monitors and the seats and controls in front of him. The side monitors showed his stat readouts, the known information of others around him, including items equipped and maps of the surroundings.

He realized this was a room deep in the palace. “Now what to do about her.” Trint gave himself a minute to think as he watched the screen, to confirm that time was still not moving. “I can plan forever and get frozen with indecision or just try it.”

Trint returned, took a quick step to his side, and pivoted into a roundhouse kick of his own.

Instead of receiving a solid kick to this lower back Trint instead delivered one to the off-balance mentor. She was not truly aggressive with her kick but when it missed and Trint’s counterattack sent her down to the river, she was now soaking wet and embarrassed. She jumped back to the top of the Flood Stone with no amusement on her face.

“Your reaction speed and counter were fast, I’ll give you that,” Bitain’La sputtered water as it continued to flow off her entire body. “But you shouldn’t think that’s the end of my test.”

“Please, Bitain’La, we are here to train, not through trying to punish my disciples.”

“How else will they learn without some hands-on instruction,” She challenged them both waving them to engage her together, but also restrained her Soul aura to try to convince Ele’Azar she meant no actual harm.