Chapter 125- Training Begins (Patreon)

“This early in the morning? How about we start after breakfast?” Niya offered.

Olive cut in, a frown wrinkling her skin. “You’re the one who's determined to leave in two days and now you want us to wait? Please, Jiran. You may begin training Cameron and myself now. After how much my fire improved from your simple lesson, I would not dare turn down any advice you have to give.”

Niya rolled her eyes at the dirty look Olive shot her before she hopped up and joined the others.

“Everyone’s in agreement then? What I’m about to put you through is going to hurt, a lot.” They exchanged nervous looks before each nodded in turn. "Okay, here goes. The first thing the Aahmra taught me was how to connect more deeply with my aura. Your manabody can be thought of as an exact duplicate of yourself. The good and the bad. It’s a far more natural part of you than mana, skills, or techniques but it's also far more susceptible to distraction and dishonesty. You must accept yourself, or you will never form a true connection."

"You want us to… accept ourselves?" Niya's face let him know exactly how idiotic he sounded. Jiran merely returned her a pitying smile, knowing exactly how hard he was about to push them.

“The pain will guide you toward the parts of yourself that you reject. Do not fight your thoughts, they are you.” He roughly grabbed their auras with his own and stuffed them inside their bodies in a single, swift motion. Their faces contorted as groans passed through their lips. All three fell into fetal positions, twitching and convulsing as they were overwhelmed with the torment of rejection.

Every single aspect of a person's psyche existed within the manabody and when it was forced to occupy the same space as the physical, any denial of oneself manifested into agony. Their screams ripped through the air but Jiran did not relent for a second. He understood full well how important that pain was for learning to accept yourself, and your manabody.

Their auras rebelled, offering a meager resistance that he crushed without pity. He anchored his aura to the synapses of the framework, gaining leverage to support the weight of their density-packed bodies; the synapses flexed, quivering under the stress of so much weight.

Why are they having so much trouble holding up this little weight? A tier eight would weigh far more than all of us combined.

Flashes of insight coursed through his mind as he recalled how the Graymin Corruptors and Ravenna’s teleportation had changed the substance of the framework. He strained his mind, filtering out everything unnecessary until all that remained was crystal-clear intent. The weave of the framework responded to his desire. Each contact point between synapse and aura burned with a white brilliance as it straightened. The lights spread across the nearby web, reinforcing everything it touched until the synapses were no longer sagging under their combined weight.

Intent has so much potential and I've barely scratched the surface of understanding it.

"Are you sure this is the best way for them to learn?" Mayalyn wore a troubled frown as she watched Olive struggle to breathe.

"The pain comes from them rejecting themselves. Is there anything you dislike about yourself?"

Her frown turned thoughtful for a moment before she nodded, "Plenty. I can be vain and vindictive. I am quick to rise to anger and resort to violence. I make simple mistakes by not thinking through my actions. I am as flawed as any. What is your point?" She crossed her arms, a light scowl on her lips.

"Then you will also experience pain when you go through this. Everyone has problems, and everyone can fix those problems with daily effort and persistence. Their issue,” Jiran pointed at the three on the floor, “Isn't that they’re flawed, it's that they reject those darker parts of themselves," Mayalyn hummed thoughtfully as she poured over his explanation.

“Would the manabody not also reject itself? Since you said it is an exact duplicate, would it not also reflect your doubts and dishonesty?”

"The aura doesn't care about your flaws. It accepts everything about you because that's the reality of you, and therefore it. This may not be the best way but it is highly effective. There's something about the process that highlights your demons and brings them into the light. Once you see them, and accept them, the pain ends since you’re no longer in conflict with yourself."

"Why did you not explain all of this to them in greater detail before?" She planted her hands on her hips.

"It wouldn't have helped. You can't expect a person to accept their demons at the snap of a finger, and the pain will show them the flaws they don't even know about themselves. The only reason I'm telling you is because you might have a few days or weeks to prepare yourself, which could help. Maybe."

"I have no desire to accept the nasty things within me. And how will I find the strength to correct them if I accept them wholeheartedly?"

"Because you love the people around you and don't want them to suffer dealing with you," Jiran winked.

Mayalyn's mouth fell open and she smacked him on the shoulder. "You be nice to me!" Jiran threw his head back and laughed then immediately dodged as she came for him again.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," He said while balancing atop one of the bedposts in a crouch. "I think letting go of your demons becomes easier when you accept them. Fear makes you cling to them all the harder and the fear comes from not wanting to accept responsibility. Knowing that everything you hate about yourself is no one's fault but your own is a tough pill to swallow. Once you do, actually fixing things is pretty straightforward. I think that's enough psychiatric shrelkshit for one day, it's time for your training now."

Mayalyn swallowed nervously before giving herself a little shake. She squared her shoulders and met his eyes with a glare of steely determination. "I am ready, whatever it is, I will do it. I cannot allow myself to fall further behind the rest of you."

"I’m glad you’re ready. This could be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.” Jiran paused dramatically as Mayalyn clenched her fists in preparation for the coming agony. Tell me… what's your new skill?" Jiran asked with a beaming smile.

"What? No! You are not to go easy on me. I must become stronger as well!"

"How am I supposed to push you if I don't know what you're capable of? Don't worry, I won't hold back on you when the time comes. I need you to become powerful so you can protect yourself. I really don't like worrying that you're safe. I want to know you're safe."

"Very well, but this had better not be another of your tricks! My new skill is Charging: Propagate captured elements for expulsion."

"How do you propagate the elements? Does it cost mana? Will it—"

Mayalyn stopped his slew of questions with a raised hand. "Slow down, I shall explain what I know if you would give me a moment."

"Sorry, new skills are so exciting! Wait till you hear about mine," Jiran rubbed his hands together and then motioned for her to continue.

"For starters: I can now hold two elements within myself and they can even mix to create a third if they are compatible. To charge them, I must either acquire more of the element from a natural source, as I could last tier, or use my unreserved mana to convert into that element."

"Any idea if the mana-to-element conversion is as efficient as when you absorb and enhance my elements?"

"I do not know," She leaned forward while adopting an eager tone. "As for the expulsion, I should now be able to project the element and control it to some degree after release."

So it’s similar to channeling. I don’t see any channels in her but her mana has always moved differently than a humans.

Jiran hopped off the bedpost, tapping his chin while verbalizing his thoughts. "I remember a hunter shooting crescent blades of energy at me right after we first met. I bet we can come up with something way better though! What second element do you want? I suggest something for defense or that can attack multiple beasts at once. Either would be great for fighting Graymin. I want your EXP maxed by the end of the day so we only have to focus on your growth and attributes." Mayalyn’s breathing hitched as her eyes dilated in anticipation.

The sight caused Jiran to lose himself for a moment as his heart began to hammer. With a tremendous effort of will, he pulled himself back from the brink of temptation. After a shaky breath, he scowled, which she returned with a loaded smile before speaking in a purr. "Those emotions were… delicious; however, now is not the time for such distractions. I choose wind."

Jiran responded, still a bit breathless, "Yeah, right, okay, wind. I'm not sure how well that would pair with lightning. Why not water or metal?"

"Oh, I have never heard of anyone with a metal element. That does sound tempting. How would it function?"

"Not sure, let's find out!" Jiran grabbed her hand, taking a single second to marvel at the sensation of soft skin beneath his fingers. He focused on the molecular composition of iron, copper, and zinc as he sent a wave of elemental mana into her. Her complexion flushed to a darker, ruddy hue as the element was absorbed through her skin before passing into her muscles. She raised an arm, turning it slowly to examine it under the room's soft light.

"Well, what happened?" Jiran could see his mana coiling within her, wrapping around the lightning that suffused her blood and muscles.

"The two combined so seamlessly! It is astounding to have two elements working together." She stretched out a claw and dragged it across her arm, creating the sound of two rocks scraping together. Behind her finger, a trail of arcing currents leaped from her skin before falling back below the surface like a school of breaching sharks.

Mayalyn stood still, mesmerized by the sight and feel of the elements raging within her. Jiran couldn’t tear his eyes away from the interplay of flesh, blood, and elements as Mana Omins revealed every detail. Both of them were snapped from their reverie when Olive’s voice cut the air. “Look at you two flirting away while the three of us get to experience an existential crisis.”

She stood up slowly with a shaky smile, unable to fluidly move her physical body and aura simultaneously. Jiran pointed at her with a disgusted frown. "What the hell? It took me hours to be able to even think through the pain. How are you standing and talking?"

"Certainly it was bad, but not the worst I’ve suffered. Perhaps I am simply more aware of my own faults than you were? A princess who fails to guide herself, cannot lead anyone,” She hitched her voice an octave higher as she quoted someone else’s words.

"So, being a princess isn’t all strolls through the garden and tea parties? Huh, go figure,” Olive released an unladylike grunt at Jiran’s joke before covering her smile with a hand.

“No, it most certainly is not.”

“How do you feel? Did you learn anything interesting about yourself?"

"Plenty. Very little of which I am pleased about. I-I am sorry for the way I have spoken to the two of you on many occasions.” Olive released a weary sigh while looking between the two of them, “I will do my best to rectify my petulance and dictatorial tendencies in the future. I hope the two of you do not hate me.”

Mayalyn crossed the room in an instant and swept her into a crushing hug while Jiran patted her consolingly on the head. “You’re good, we definitely don’t hate you. Now, think you’re ready to move around a bit? The next phase of the training isn’t nearly as fun as the first.”

Olive shuddered and shook her head. “Perhaps in a few minutes. I would like to sit down for a while. Some breakfast might help," Mayalyn spun to the wall beside the bed and pulled a rope dangling from a hole five times.

When Jiran tilted his head at her, she explained, "That will alert the maids to bring breakfast for each of us."

"Spoiled rotten," Jiran tsked, though he wasn't about to deny himself another delicious meal. Turning back, he pulled a chair across the room and sat. "Olive, before I forget, we need to talk about Ravenna again."

"What about her?"

The second Mayalyn heard him say the woman's name, she spun to face him and hissed in his face.

"Tell me what happened! The taste of your emotions, I do not like them."

Jiran jerked back, nearly toppling his chair. "What? Nothing happened! She tried pretty damn hard to make something happen but I shut her down. She shouldn't bother us anymore. I made a deal with her. The only reason I'm even bringing it up is because we talked about her before." Mayalyn narrowed her eyes until they were dark slits. A second later, she glanced at Olive, who nodded in understanding.

Why do I get the feeling they just had an entire conversation with that little glance?

"What, exactly, did your deal entail?" Olive asked slowly.

Eager to be out from underneath their combined scrutiny, Jiran began to recount his conversation with Ravenna word for word. As soon as he got to the part about his molding being one hundred, and Ravenna's response, Olive released a pained moan while rubbing her forehead.

"Of all the people in the empire to tell that to. You weren’t kidding. You should never be left alone."

"I'm not going to argue with that, because it's true. But I hope you're at least going to tell me what I did wrong."

"Before I do, can you tell me why you told her that?"

Jiran lifted his hand and counted off his fingers. "Killing the rooks, Diagnosing the formations and wards, tracking an entirely new graymin variant through their horde, returning alive with a princess too low-tier to be out there in the first place. The cart-o-rumors already departed the market. I figured if it had a driver, I could at least steer it a little."

"If your plan was to shout from the rooftops that you have one hundred molding, only a select few would believe you. Then, your plan to give the rumors a controllable outlet might have worked. But you didn't tell just anyone. You told an ancient Duchess who has been struggling for dozens of lifetimes to accrue merit. She's never, ever, going to leave you alone now."

"What?! Why?"

"Because you're her meal ticket. With a one hundred molding, your seat on the council of Sarvan is guaranteed. Anyone with a seat is permitted to bring their party into the catacombs and kill tier seven beasts, completely bypassing the merit restrictions. Ravenna has been slaving for the empire for five-hundred years. As far as she’s concerned, you're now the juiciest steak in existence."

"That's what she meant. Huh, no wonder she was so thirsty." Mayalyn had been glowering at him the entire conversation, silently stewing as actual thunder clouds brewed beneath her skin. A low growl escaped her mouth as her upper lip peeled back to reveal sharp canines. "Why are you growling at me? I didn't even remotely give her any indication I was interested. Quite the opposite, I was mean to her the entire time and even threatened her!"

"Yet you want her," Mayalyn spat, "I can feel your desire for her!"

"What?! No, I don't! That's prepo—" Jirans mouth formed a perfect O as realization dawned. "Now I understand. I need to tell you what I've learned about my new race."

"If you think I will allow you to change the subject and escape unscathed, you are very mistaken." Mayalyn stopped shouting, her voice turning low and predatory as she leaned over him. Her claws extended from her fingers and inched closer to his inner thighs.

Jiran’s aura snatched Olive’s discarded armor. The metal flew through the air and landed in his lap, covering his most sensitive parts. He held up his palms for peace while speaking quickly. "I'm not changing anything, it's responsible for what I'm feeling and what you're feeling in my aura. My new race has powerful instincts that make me want to devour mana whenever I see it. Combined with my eyes that can see through a person and into their manapool, it's been annoying to deal with."

"You can see into? And devour?" Olive placed a hand over her heart while shooting Jiran a complicated expression.

"There's no reason to be scared, my sight isn't any more invasive than an aura. The only real difference is that I can see mana and whenever I do, I want to devour it."

"Are you implying that your aura can see inside people?!" Olive shot to her feet while Mayalyn spoke at the same time.

"Stop saying devour! It makes you sound like a pervert."

Jiran answered Mayalyn first, since her claws had yet to retreat. "No, it doesn't! What's perverted about wanting to tear the mana from someone and devour it? It’s practically the same as eating. Besides, it’s a base instinct. Obviously, I didn’t act on the urge so why are you still upset with me?"

Mayalyn leaned in until her bared teeth were centimeters from his neck. She paused there, inhaling deeply through her nose before pulling back to stand beside Olive. “My mistake, the smell was very similar but is clearly different,” The violent atmosphere around her vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by a soft smile.

Jiran breathed a sigh of relief, ready to finally address Olive’s concerns about aura seeing inside people when he noticed five, claw-shaped punctures in the armor on his lap.

His broken, awkward laughter echoed dully through the room, “I think it’s time to make us some stronger armor.”