Fay was already there when I arrived, standing in the center of the clearing. Her body, like mine, was decked from shoulders to feet in black clothing with numerous pockets. I wasn’t sure how much weight she had added, but I knew she increased the weight she trained with daily. It must have been at least a couple hundred kilos by now.
“You’re late,” she said when I walked into the clearing.
“I’m sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I had a bit of a crisis to deal with this morning.”
Her expression went from stern to concerned. The vivid luster of her green eyes softened as she stared at me. Tucking a strand of crimson hair behind her ear, she watched me walk over, checking my body as if making sure I wasn’t injured. Her long hair, tied in the back with a leather band, swayed like a pendulum.
“Is everything okay?” she asked at last.
“Oh, yes.” I smiled at her, dutifully ignoring the flutter in my chest at her concern. “It is just that my roommate was being a bit, um, pushy today.”
“That snake, you mean?” Fay frowned. “I do see that it hasn’t come with you today.”
“Some problems cropped up and I decided it should stay home,” I said.
“I see.” Fay accepted my words with a nod. The frown quickly shifted into a smile. “Shall we get started?”
“We’re not going to be doing our usual exercises today,” I said, raising a hand to forestall her.
Fay had just been about to turn around and begin our obstacle course training. She stopped what she was doing after hearing my words, and then turned back to me. Confusion appeared within her eyes.
“If we are not going to be training like normal, then what are we going to be doing?” she asked.
Feeling my lips stretch into a slight smile, I said, “It has been about two months since we started training. We’ve refined our bodies and our Spiritual Pathways using a combination of training, meditation, and alchemy pills. As of this moment, I would say that our bodies and Spiritual Pathways are about as sturdy as we can make them without ingredients for more advanced alchemy pills. What’s more, your power has increased to the point where you can produce a Spiritual Aura, right?”
Fay seemed startled for a moment, but then she nodded at me.
“Please produce your Spiritual Aura for me.” I gestured toward her.
Nodding, Fay shut her eyes and took several deep breaths. I sensed a slight surge in Spiritual Power, even without using Spiritual Perception, and then the air around Fay’s body distorted. It was just a moment. After the moment passed, a flicker of light emitted from her body, and then wisps of Spiritual Power wafted from her like flames.
“Not bad,” I muttered upon feeling the strength of her Spiritual Power. “Your Spiritual Aura hasn’t fully matured yet. However, that you can activate it at all is a testament to your growth. Most Spiritualists never reach the first stage of Spiritualism without special training. Your aura is also strong enough that I can feel a slight Spiritual Pressure coming from you.”
Her Spiritual Pressure was currently not very strong, but most Spiritualists were unable to even reach the stage where it was possible to feel Spiritual Pressure from them. That I could feel it at all showed Fay’s incredible growth.
“Does the next stage of our training involve using our Spiritual Aura?” asked Fay.
I shook my head. “The next stage of our training involves increasing our Spiritual Power even more. However, the way we have been doing it by meditating won’t be enough.” I rubbed my jaw. “Spiritual Power is very much like the muscles found in the human body. The more you exercise it, the greater your Spiritual Power becomes. By exhausting your Spiritual Power and allowing it to recover, you increase the amount you have.”
Fay listened to me, hanging on every word as she nodded several times. I think she understood where I was going with this.
“Our next stage of training will be to increase our Spiritual Power by exhausting it and recovering,” I began, “and to do that, I am going to teach you a Spiritual Technique known as the Flash Step.”
The Flash Step was a Spiritual Technique that I had created by accident. Kari was the one who realized its potential. After I mastered the Spiritual Technique, she reverse-engineered it into something that could be used by normal Spiritualists, or in other words, Spiritualists who needed to channel Spiritual Power using dance-like movements.
“What kind of Spiritual Technique is this Flash Step?” asked Fay, her eyes shining with curiosity.
“It’s a movement technique,” I said. “By channeling Spiritual Power to the soles of your feet and using it to push against the ground, you can quickly travel from one spot to another. Allow me to demonstrate.”
I walked away from Fay, heading over toward one end of the clearing. Once I had reached the edge of the clearing, I turned around and looked at the spot where I wanted to appear. Channeling Spiritual Power into my feet, I took a single step forward and released the energy in my foot the moment it touched the ground. The world around me turned into a blur. Not even a second had passed, but in that single split moment of time, I was already at my destination sixteen meters from where I had been standing.
There was a small cloud of dust where I had been standing before using the Flash Step, and when the dust cleared, I spotted several cracks spreading out from where my foot had touched the ground. I sighed. It seemed my control over this Spiritual Technique still wasn’t that good yet. Well, that was only natural. I hadn’t used this technique much since being thrown back in time.
Fay released a startled gasp as I turned to face her. Her eyes had grown so wide they reminded me of dinner plates. The shocked look on her face caused me to smile.
“The focal point of the Flash Step that determines the basis for this technique is speed. Since speed is the most important factor, the level of one’s skill in utilizing the Flash Step is determined by how fast someone can travel from one point to another using the least amount of steps,” I explained to the stunned girl. “To use this technique, all you have to do is channel Spiritual Power into the soles of your feet and then release that Spiritual Power in precisely timed bursts the moment your foot makes contact with the ground. This generates your momentum and allows you to reach speeds that even most Spiritualists won’t be able to track with their eyes.”
“That—you moved really fast!” she exclaimed. “How can you even keep track of where you are going when you move at that kind of speed?!”
“It takes some practice,” I admitted. “The more you use this technique, the more your eyes will be trained to see things clearly at higher speeds.”
Fay bit her lower lip. “How does someone use this technique? I know you said it required precisely timed bursts of Spiritual Power, but it doesn’t look like you used any movement to channel your power…”
“The movement required to use this technique is actually the step you take forward,” I explained. “It is very simple to use and doesn’t require a unique dance like most Spiritual Techniques to activate. When you take a step, the Spiritual Power will flow down your leg and into the sole of your foot, which you will release upon contact with the ground. That’s the basis for how this technique works.”
After considering my explanation for a moment, Fay slowly nodded. “I think I understand.”
“In that case, I want you to try using the Flash Step.” I drew a line on the ground with my foot. “This will be your entry point.” I walked ten meters and drew another line. “And this will be your exit point. You start over there, flash to here, and then flash back to where you started. Once you get the hang of flashing from point to point, keep working on it until you’ve exhausted your Spiritual Power.”
Nodding, Fay wandered over to the first line I drew. Her body seemed to be shivering with anticipation and her eyes sparkled like gemstones. It was easy to see she was excited.
“There are a few things you should know before attempting to learn the Flash Step,” I said. Fay looked like
she was about ready to jump right into her training, but then she paused and looked at me. “Using the Flash Step requires a very precise amount of Spiritual Power. If you generate too much, your body is going to be thrown across the area like a ragdoll. However, if you use too little, you won’t be able to generate enough momentum to move. The act of moving your foot will help you channel your Spiritual Power, but it won’t help you control how much you are using, so you must actively control the amount you send to your feet.”
“I understand,” Fay said.
“Good.” I took several steps away and gestured toward the line I’d drawn on the ground. “Now that you are aware of how to use the Flash Step, I want you to try it.”
Fay nodded and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she no doubt visualized herself using the Flash Step. Her brows furrowed, then relaxed, and then furrowed again before she opened her eyes. There was a determined glint in her eyes as she gazed directly at the line on the ground.
I activated Spiritual Perception as she began generating Spiritual Power. Using Spiritual Perception, I could see how much power she was generating. A fiery red aura appeared around her left leg as she lifted it, and then the aura moved down to the sole of her foot. I shook my head. It wasn’t enough.
The moment she put her foot on the ground, the Spiritual Power was released, exploding underneath her foot and throwing her off balance. She stumbled back several steps before regaining her balance. Looking at the spot where her foot had landed, she grimaced upon seeing the large dent in the ground, from which numerous fault lines spread.
“This is a very difficult technique,” she mumbled. “I see now why no one has attempted this before. If you don’t channel the exactly right amount of Spiritual Power, it could cause serious damage to the surroundings and maybe even yourself; and because you have to actively worry about how much Spiritual Power you’re using, it isn’t a combat-capable technique unless you master it to the point where you don’t have to think about using it.”
“It is indeed a difficult technique to learn,” I said, nodding. “However, that wasn’t a bad first attempt. When I first began learning how to use this technique, I put in too much power and almost broke my face by slamming into a wall. Compared to that, what you did was much better.”
Fay smiled at me before her expression turned into a stern frown of concentration. She looked back at the line that was her target. As she raised her left leg, she channeled more Spiritual Power into it. The mount of Spiritual Power running through her leg was nearly triple what she used the first time—in other words, way too much.
I only had a moment to feel shocked before she set her foot on the ground.
BANG!
A sound not dissimilar to a detonation echoed around the clearing as Fay vanished from sight. I quickly stepped on the ground and used the Flash Step to appear several meters away from the line that was Fay’s target. Fay soon reappeared again, her body tumbling through the air, coming toward me at neck-breaking speed. I caught her in my arms, using Spiritual Power to soften the collision so Fay wouldn’t get hurt. My body slid across the ground for nearly six meters. The grooves of my boots left two deep lines in the dirt.
“Are you okay?” I asked Fay, who was staring at me with wide eyes and a pale face.
“I… I think so,” she muttered in shock. “I did it just like you said. I channeled more Spiritual Power into my foot, but then… I lost control. The moment my foot touched the ground, my body just sort of exploded forward…”
I nodded. “That is what happens when you put too much Spiritual Power into your feet.”
“Oh…” Fay’s mouth formed a pretty O-shape as she stared at me. Several seconds passed before she realized our positions. Once she discovered that I was carrying her in my arms as though she were a princess, her cheeks flushed pink. “Um, would you mind putting me down now?”
“Only if you are sure you’re okay.”
“I am sure. Please put me down.”
I set Fay back on her feet, but I remained by her side in case something went wrong. Her legs wobbled for a moment. She looked unsteady. However, she soon steadied them as a determined glint appeared in her eyes.
“I’m going to keep practicing,” she said.
Seeing the determination blazing from her like a flame, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “I’ll stick around to make sure you’ve got the hang of the technique before doing my own training.”
My words caused Fay’s cheeks to turn pink. I found my breath catching against my will, but I did my best not to let her see how flustered that expression made me.
“Thank you,” she said in a soft voice, looking away.
“It’s no problem.” I ignored my unease and the slight skip of my heartbeat as I waved a hand as though warding off her thanks. “Now, go ahead and try again. I’ll let you know how you are doing and try to guide you properly when using this technique.”
Fay nodded and went back over to the line that was her starting point, where she began trying to learn the Flash Step. Her next few attempts ended in failure. Either she used too much or too little Spiritual Power. Fortunately, none of her attempts ended like that last one, and with each failure, Fay seemed to get just a little closer to reaching her goal.
I watched her try several more times, giving advice when needed but mostly making sure she didn’t hurt herself, but I eventually discovered that she didn’t really need my help. What she needed to do now was figure out how much Spiritual Power she was supposed to use to precisely reach the line I had indicated without stopping before reaching it or going right past it.
This was not something I could help her with.
Since it looked like Fay didn’t need my help, I decided it was time for me to do my own training. I had confidence that she’d be able to get at least a basic understanding of the technique within a few days.
I left the clearing and wandered around for a bit. After a little searching, I found a large boulder that would suit my needs nicely. I walked over to the boulder and placed my hand on it. A frown appeared on my face before I nodded to myself, walked several meters back, and turned to face the boulder.
Unlike Fay, the Flash Step would not help me increase my Spiritual Power. It was a technique that required very little power to use. If I thought of it in terms of units, then the Flash Step required 1 unit of power. Fay had 100 units. Meanwhile, I had 1,000 units. This was a completely inaccurate assessment of our reserves, but it gave me a relatively decent idea of how much Spiritual Power the Flash Step consumed. It would take several hours for me to exhaust my Spiritual Power if I continuously used the Flash Step nonstop. That was impractical.
Spreading my feet apart and bending my knees, I tucked my left elbow into my torso and held out my right hand, palm pointed at the boulder. I took a deep breath, held it in, and then released it.
Spiritual Power suddenly erupted from my hand. As I channeled my Spiritual Power through my arm and palm, my limb began glowing a pale blue up to my elbow. Electric discharges burst from my arm. Several arcs of lightning struck the ground and exploded. I gritted my teeth, willing the Spiritual Power to compress and pushing it through my palm. The blue glow soon crawled up my arm, traveled up my bicep, my forearm, and then my hand. When my arm stopped glowing, a small sphere of crackling blue energy appeared before my palm.
Sweat was pouring down my body by this point, my shoulders heaved up and down, and my breathing had become ragged. Not only was controlling so much Spiritual Power an exhausting task, but I had basically used all of my reserves. This little orb of barely repressed energy was all the Spiritual Power I currently had inside of my body. Bringing it all out, compressing it into a tiny sphere, and keeping it from exploding in my face was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
I regained my breath and made sure I had stabilized my control over the orb. Once I was sure it wouldn’t explode in my face, I followed through with the next phase of my training.
I shoved the orb
forward.
It wasn’t until the orb shot forward with a loud bang that I realized what was going to happen, and by that point, it was already too late. The orb struck the boulder and exploded. A massive wellspring of Spiritual Power transformed into a giant beam of energy that engulfed the boulder in an incandescent light that blinded me. I had to close my eyes. However, even with my eyes shut, I could still feel the effects of my attack because it was burning behind my eyelids. The ground rumbled beneath my feet, I could hear a loud shattering sound as the earth was split, and somewhere in the distance, Fay was screaming.
Several seconds after the explosion erupted, a merciful silence descended upon me. I opened my eyes to discover that my attack had done a lot more damage than I thought it would. Not only was the boulder gone, having been vaporized by my power, but there was a ten-meter-wide trench that stretched out for what appeared to be half a kilometer at least. All of the trees and other boulders that had been standing in the way were gone as well.
That was not good.
Despite being tired, my body was filled with adrenaline-fueled energy as I raced back to the clearing. Fay was sitting on her butt. My attack must have knocked her to the ground. She looked up at me as I raced into the clearing.
“What was that loud sound just now? What was that flash of light? Eryk, did you do something?”
I ignored her questions as I grabbed the bag of alchemy pills, raced over to her, and scooped the girl into my arms. Fay squawked as I held her. However, she didn’t protest my actions too much, and even if she had, there was no way I would have let her go.
Without casting so much as a backward glance at the clearing, I ran as far and as fast I could. I did not want to be present when the Nevarian Spiritualists arrived to investigate what happened.
* * *
Hilda was sitting in the throne room in the Imperial Royal Palace. Her throne was a simple piece of furniture that lacked any adornments. While it was made of gold and had a comfortable red cushion underneath her and behind her back, there were no ostentatious decorations. She didn’t like adding unnecessary refinement to something she was going to be sitting on.
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