Light (Buryoku Book 2)

by Aaron Oster

  Roy hammered three quick blows into the golem’s lower back, torso, and hip, ejecting small bursts of Essence with each. None of his blows had used a Physical technique as he no longer had the reserves to use it, but combined, they were enough to crack the stone and unbalance the construct.

  Early on, Roy had realized one thing: he didn’t need to destroy the golems to put them out of commission. All he had to do was remove their mobility. They could still attack him, but they became far less of a threat without powerful close-range attacks. He rolled to one side as twin beams of Essence flew at him, missing by a narrow margin.

  His arms smarted where he’d taken one of those attacks, the skin covered in small red welts. He had to make sure not to take one of those head-on again, otherwise he doubted his ability to keep going. He needed all his limbs intact if he wanted to win.

  Springing back to his feet, Roy quickly took stock of his situation. Nine golems remained standing, all bunching up as they charged. Two lay incapacitated, and one was completely destroyed.

  “Well, it looks like it’s time to see what I’m made of,” Roy said with a grin.

  22

  Tonde Kaeru sat in his favorite chair, reading a book. His legs were propped up on a cushion, a long reed poked from the corner his mouth, and a glass of iced tea sat on a small table next to him. Condensation fogged the glass and a small puddle had formed on the wood beneath as water slid down the outside.

  He barely paid attention to his drink, his gaze locked squarely on the pages before him. He’d obtained this book quite some time ago, from a merchant traveling from beyond The Crater. He’d come through from the east, beyond the Light Fields from a place called the Chikurin Empire, where people practiced all sorts of strange Martial Arts.

  Despite his long life, Kaeru had only left The Crater a handful of times, and that had been to travel to the Waterwood for training. He was a Water cultivator, after all, and the Waterwood had been sufficient up until he’d reached Green-Belt. After that, he’d been forced to hunt down Beasts or challenge the Dungeons under the clan’s control to grow stronger. Regular cycling didn’t do much for him anymore, though he still found it relaxing to do so.

  He’d purchased this book nearly a century ago and had merely skimmed it before dumping it in his ‘do not read’ pile. The book had contained such nonsense that he’d simply assumed it was full of fairy tales for children and not to be taken seriously. But recently, he’d begun wondering.

  No matter how much power he consumed from Beast Cores and no matter how much he refined into Charka, he could not make a breakthrough to the 1st Dan. He knew he had to be doing something wrong, but he couldn’t tell what it was. He found the discarded book in his pile and had been sitting for the past several hours engrossed in this book from a foreign land.

  There were so many details he’d missed while skimming through it, and he now very much regretted dismissing it so readily. He was now on the part titled The Soul of Essence, which explained the basis for all Essence types and their physical manifestations. It was fascinating in a way he could not explain, and though most anyone in The Crater would laugh if he so much as broached this subject, he was beginning to wonder if it might actually be true.

  The physical manifestation of Essence, or the ‘Soul’ as most refer to it, is the state one reaches when finally grasping the true meaning of their original Path. The Base Path, or that which a Martial Artist must follow until forging Chakra, has secrets that cannot be obtained merely by advancing.

  One’s Path must be studied until one is sure there is nothing more to learn. And then, it must be studied some more. Only after going over every fundamental 101 times can a Martial Artist truly glean insight into the Soul of their Path.

  The Soul, when matched with an ideal, will unlock the latent potential of any true Martial Artist, allowing them to break past the invisible barrier to the Sagely stages of the Martial Arts. Without one or the other, one will find themselves hitting a wall, and it will be one that cannot be passed by, worked around or broken through.

  The Soul of Essence will simply not allow a Martial Artist who is lacking within these fields to obtain true power and a path to immortality…

  Kaeru’s eyes widened when he read that last word. Immortality. It was the one thing all Martial Artists strove for but which none had yet to accomplish. Right now, he might look young, and his age might pass at a snail’s pace, but if what this book said was true and he’d never advance again, he would one day die. It wouldn’t be for several hundred years yet, but it would happen eventually.

  But, if he could somehow find an ideal – something explained earlier in the book – and understand the Soul of his Path, he could begin his ascent into true immortality.

  Kaeru could not remember being this excited for something since his advancement over half a century ago. This could not only be the path to his personal advancement, but a path to put an end to all the death surrounding his clan.

  His ideal. What did he believe in, to the point he would be willing to die for? Well, that was easy enough. His clan. No matter what happened, no matter how he’d ended up in this position and no matter how much he complained to Hato, his clan was the most important thing in the world to him. If it meant sacrificing himself, he would do so gladly.

  He’d never said as much out loud or even consciously thought it. But when he did so, he felt a sort of resonance within his Core. And for the first time since his advancement, he felt something.

  Kaeru grinned as blue lightning crackled across his skin, the air becoming tinged with a bright neon blue hue and the scent of the ocean filling the room. He breathed deeply as he felt something he hadn’t since he’d advanced to Green-Belt. The Essence approved!

  Though he’d passed many trials since his days as a Green-Belt, they had always seemed somewhat hollow to him. After passing the Blue-Belt test, he didn’t feel the same approval of the Essence as he had before. When he’d asked his elders, they’d simply told him that as a Green-Belt, it was now his job to move forward on his own and begin working on his branching Path, the one that would eventually become his very own.

  “The Essence no longer coddles those who have the ability to use Qi. It knows that you are now a man and must forge ahead!”

  He’d foolishly believed them.

  Kaeru felt the soothing presence of Water as it touched his spirit one last time, before fading into nothingness. But that was plenty for him. He now knew the truth, one which the elders of his clan had denied for centuries. That the true way forward was not simply leaving one’s Path as quickly as possible but studying until true mastery.

  The title of Master was given to anyone who mastered the nine techniques of Essence, Grandmaster to those who mastered Qi, and Supreme for those who mastered Chakra. The title now felt very hollow to him.

  “Supreme indeed,” he muttered to himself.

  A supreme idiot, that’s what he was. Kaeru chuckled then, rising from his chair and heading out of his chambers. He was going to go somewhere he hadn’t visited in years. Back when he’d become the chosen one to take over the clan, a private cultivation room was built for him. Though he hadn’t really been using it much, the clan still maintained it out of respect for his position.

  He’d told them to stop many times, to save the clan the money and resources, but the elders had staunchly refused, saying it would be disrespectful to do so. At least he had something to thank them for.

  The sound of rushing water and the smell of salt hit him long before he pulled back the door to the room in question. It was roughly fifty feet by fifty, and all of it was raging water and crashing waves. A waterfall sat at one end and a whirlpool at the other. All of the power of the ocean was contained in the small room, though the water itself was only about five or six feet deep.

  The upkeep was why he’d tried to get it shut down. Simply running this place cost the clan two Purple level Beast Cores a week. For a room that was never used, he took it to be a huge w
aste. The amount of Water Essence it generated, however, was the densest for thousands of miles around.

  It lay in the air so thick that Kaeru could feel it pressing down on him from all sides as he entered and closed the door behind him. The crashing waves blocked out all sound from the outside, but he didn’t mind. It would give him the peace and quiet needed for what was to come.

  There was a small tiled area before the water began, with two cubbies for his clothes as well as several towels for when he was done. Kaeru was already not wearing a shirt and gladly stripped down to his underpants before stepping out onto the water. He stretched as he walked, feeling the pleasant tickling of the waves beneath his toes.

  In truth, he really should come here more often. Even if this didn’t work the way he planned, it was a great spot for relaxing. And best of all, Hato wouldn’t bug him to wear clothes.

  Chuckling to himself, Kaeru headed straight for his favorite spot, the waterfall. While sitting at the center of a whirlpool was great for intense training, the waterfall was way more relaxing. A relaxed state was what he needed right now. It would likely take several days if he were to discover everything he missed in his original Path while pursuing his own, so comfort was of the utmost importance.

  The lukewarm water thundered down on him as he walked beneath the raging water. He could have shielded himself, not allowing the water to so much as touch him, but that would defeat the entire purpose. The water fell with enough force to shatter an ordinary man’s bones and force him under the waves, but Kaeru was no ordinary man.

  He sat cross-legged beneath the cascading water, breathing deeply and enjoying the feeling of the power pounding away at his back. Though the water was roughly six feet where he sat, it did not bother him, nor did he sink. He’d long ago learned to repel his own Path, so sitting on the water was as comfortable as sitting in his overstuffed chair.

  He opened himself up to the Essence then, allowing it to pour into him but refrained from cycling it. Water Essence, much like water itself, would always take the path of least resistance, so he knew where it would go.

  Then, with the water pounding down on him, he began thinking of Essence. He thought about its nature, how it behaved, and interacted with the environment. How other types of Essence would affect its production and expansion, and how it could be generated outside of using a Beast Core or naturally-occurring sources.

  There he sat. Several times, he sensed one person or another enter the room before quickly leaving. His sister was one of them, showing up on a daily basis, shouting for several minutes, then leaving. He ignored them all, too focused on the importance of his task. He knew he was getting somewhere when he stumbled upon a concept, one he’d missed due to concentrating on forging his own Path too soon.

  This was one that he was sure, absolutely positive of, in fact. Water could be turned to ice by application of Essence. It should, in all theories, be possible but for some reason, no Martial Artist in The Carter, or even the Waterwood for that matter, had been able to do so. It had been theorized that it might take two separate Martial Artists to do so. For example, creating steam required both a Fire and Water Artist. But if turning water into steam was possible, wouldn’t creating ice be possible as well?

  Flexing this new part of his mind, this new and wild concept, Kaeru sent a pulse of Essence out through his skin. In an instant, the entirety of the water in the room crackled and crunched as it turned to ice. The temperature in the room plummeted and his breath steamed in the air beneath the frozen waterfall.

  He stared at the room, hardly believing his eyes. He’d just done what was thought to be impossible. No Water Artist, no matter how powerful, should be able to turn Essence against its nature. It wasn’t possible, yet here was tangible proof that what he’d thought he’d known his entire life was a lie.

  Kaeru sat there for several long minutes, his eyes searching over the sharp, jutting peaks of the frozen waves. It was beautiful here, but he could feel a bit of a chill setting in. It was all in his head, of course. He hadn’t truly felt the cold in years, but he was one who enjoyed the warmth.

  He was about to revert the water when something caught his attention. The Essence!

  Kaeru shot to his feet, the ice crackling and shattering off his body as he did so. The Essence was changing. It was turning from a deep azure blue to a lighter, somehow colder blue. He immediately pulled the Essence into himself, feeling the chill it carried along with it. This was something entirely new.

  It was still Water Essence. That much he could feel. But it carried along with it a tinge of something else. Something beyond the regular Water Essence. Kaeru knew he was onto something when the presence of Water practically radiated around him. The physical manifestation of Water approved of his actions, and very much so.

  Kaeru flopped onto his back, grinning like an idiot. He paid no heed to the sharp ridges of ice attempting to poke into his skin, nor the biting cold on his skin. For the first time in half a century, he felt truly alive.

  23

  “I know you’ve been doing well so far. But I have to ask once again, are you entirely sure you know what you’re doing?” Geon asked as Roy raised his arm.

  “Nope!” Roy replied as he concentrated on willing the Essence in the environment to fall under his command.

  The golems were bunched tightly together by now, and they stood less than thirty yards away. They were in a rough semi-circle, and even as they approached, they began to drift further apart as they attempted to flank and surround him once more.

  A stream of Essence flowed out of his outstretched hand, misty and golden, and Roy fought hard to keep control of it. This would be the most difficult part, mixing his Essence with that of the environment and trying to stay in control the entire time. He was confident he could pull it off. He wasn’t going for anything fancy with this technique, simply allowing the Essence to follow its nature.

  Power was force, momentum, destruction, and so much more. What he was going for was an explosion. Simple, effective, and hopefully, devastating. Sweat beaded his brow as the golems drew closer and his Essence refused to mix. He kept his mind focused and calm, not allowing the pressure to get to him. Unfortunately, he was the only one able to keep his cool.

  “Whatever you’re going to do, do it now! I don’t want to die. I’m too young!” Geon cried as the golems got within ten yards.

  They were too spread out for Roy to get them all at once, but he was sure he could get at least a few. Taking one last breath, Roy pushed his will outward, finally connecting with that of the ambient Essence. Just as he was about to trigger the explosion, he had a sudden flash of insight, one that he wasn’t quite sure from where it came.

  He listened to his instincts, and instead of simply blowing up a single area, Roy swung his arm from right to left, condensing the Essence to several small points instead. The effect was as devastating and explosive as he’d hoped. A line of brilliant gold appeared for an instant, tracing the line of his hand.

  Then, all along the line, the tiny condensed balls of Power Essence became visible, just before exploding. The result looked like a golden line running horizontally through the air, with over a dozen golden balls forming, expanding, and exploding above and below. The golems caught in the technique’s path were blown to pieces. Riddled with holes and missing huge chunks of their bodies, the golems fell, either blown away or collapsing into heaps on the ground.

  Roy felt the technique complete as soon as his hand stopped moving, and sagged as nearly eight percent of his personal Essence was consumed. The technique had been far more taxing than he’d first predicted, though, and unfortunately, he’d missed a couple in his attack. The two golems at the very ends had escaped relatively unscathed, leaving him to face them with a nearly depleted Core.

  He stumbled back as a beam of energy lanced past him, only to be caught by another. It slammed into his left side, throwing him bodily across the room and burning at his skin. Roy could do nothing about it,
other than roll in an attempt to get out of the attack’s path.

  “Get up! You’re almost done. Don’t you dare fail now!”

  Roy didn’t need Geon’s encouragement to force himself back to his feet. He knew what was at stake and just how close he was to passing this test. Staggering upright, Roy tried moving his left arm, then immediately gave up. Though not broken, it was scorched badly enough that he really didn’t want to.

  The golems closed in, one on the right, the other on the left. They were making sure not to bunch up, so even if he did manage another Terrain technique, he wouldn’t hit them both. Not that he had the Essence to do so, even if he wanted. They closed quickly, and Roy had no choice but to defend, quickly giving ground.

  To him, it seemed that the golems were far faster than they had been previously and were working together to put an end to him. In reality, he knew it was just exhaustion and Essence depletion. Had he had just a bit more in his Core, he wouldn’t have had such a hard time defeating just two of them.

  But this was the end, the final stretch and the most difficult part of any test. This was when he would see what he was really made of. He was injured, his left arm all but useless, and he had maybe two techniques left in him before he was out of Essence. He didn’t have enough time to gather more and refine it in the middle of a fight. The answer was clear. He would need to defeat each golem, with a single attack.

  Try as hard as he might, he couldn’t find the opening needed to carry out said attack without being seriously injured. If he used a Movement technique to flank one of them and attack from behind, it would leave him defenseless against the other. Roy knew what he had to do. But that didn’t mean he was going to like it.

  Roy dodged a wild swing from the golem on his right, then planted his feet firmly and lunged forward, gathering Essence into his right fist. He let out a shout as it impacted, shattering the construct’s hip and sending it toppling over. Then, an instant later, his shout of defiance turned to one of pain as the other golem’s attack landed.