CW 18

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One of my favorite things to do is sit down and take in the surroundings. We rarely get to be down here after all, so we take all the time we can to just enjoy the feel of it.

Some of the other people in the city have been born here, on the surface. A few of them were young when they had to leave so they barely remember the surface. They are always curious to know what it is about, and  how it feels. The older ones  have a different attitude.

They say the surface is full of suffering. It is beautiful, yet filled to the brim with pain and tragedy. It is very common to find adults who have lost someone: a parent, a sibling, a child, their spouses even... They don't really ask anything, but I can imagine many of them wonder 'Why would you ever go back there? And of your own free volition too?'

To me... I suppose the surface just *is*. I lie down on a field, or by a cliff and close my eyes. It is windy today. Up there in the city, E handles most of this. I'm sure she tries to do her best with it and make it feel as natural as possible, but there's just something...different.

The wind here feels different. Since my hair is really, really long I can just lie down in the grass and listen as the wind pushes the strands of hair to wrap around the grass blades. I can hear the wind this way. Whenever those black strands of hair gather up in a thin band and then slide against the flat surface of the grass, it makes a "Fsssssh" sound.

One of my aunts told me that it's how the word for wind came to be in her language. There was once a beautiful maiden, who was at the head of a vast kingdom reaching as far as the eyes could see. Whenever she grew tired of attending to her royal duties, she would leave her palace and lie down on the grass, hearing the sound the wind made. It was like a whistle, so she decided to name it 'Fessw'. Wind.

According to my aunt, she could ask the wind questions and the wind would always answer her. Of course, I don't think I can talk to the wind, so I'll just listen instead.

I drew a deep breath and enjoyed the surroundings. The ground feels soft, the grass bends nicely underneath me and I can spread my arms out as much as I like. I can just sit here forever and listen to the wind. It's so peaceful...

...

...Of course, it would be nice if I'd get a break like that. Buuuut I can't. I did come here for a reason after all. My aunt said that I need to check something in one of these Cauldrons. She actually doesn't like me calling her aunt, by the way: A fact that I have to keep reminding myself of.

She just *feels* like an aunt. She is nice and she does her best to spoil me. I think it's because she cannot really have children of her own.

The entrance to the Titanic Castle is right ahead. I have heard that the entire structure of this place is actually built over an absolutely massive automaton. Uncle says it's a Titan: One of the leaders of Automata. Titans are usually much bigger than the surrounding Automata and they usually manage certain key functions. Uncle mentioned a Titan called Aucos which is responsible for terraforming, that rules an area in the far east.

This one right here is called Carnet. It's consciousness was dulled long ago, but it still performs its basic function: replication. The insides are swarming with drones of all sorts that still maintain all of the structures around and within it.

I made my way over the field. The grassy plain ends in a cliff, overlooking a massive canyon in which Carnet, the Titanic Corpse is lodged. From here it looks just like a big castle. A massive block off iron, with several large, round openings that resemble windows but are far too large to be anything of the sort. If one is to look a little closer however they might divulge their true nature: there are ventilators behind them constantly blowing out air.

There is a large gateway up front too, facing the south. I have to get there.  They did mention certain Nodes might become rarer later down the line and we'll have to deal with shortages, but for now we can have whatever we want. Which means...I can do this!

I drew back a little and then began running straight for the cliff. I closed my eyes when I was close enough to the edge, to push at the tip of it with my foot and jump right ahead. The drop was quite steep so I wasn't going to crash my head and roll off all the way into the ground.

The wind now blows against me at crazy speed. It is no longer a subtle whistle rather it has transformed into a raging howl. I have no idea what it looks like, but my hair must be trailing behind me, my robe must be getting real messy and my face must look pretty twisted. I do this quite often, so I eventually found time to think about how exactly someone looks like when they are jumping off a cliff.

Deep breath...and that's when the Node activates. It's a bit weird, but they said that new Avatar models will have it even easier. I have to focus on my chest and then invoke a thought or feeling associated with the Node I want to use, called a Key. Basically, something that 'matches' it's Shell pattern to some extent, sufficient to actually trigger an activation. This is why we have to train with our new Nodes first to find the suitable Key for it.

That is why I enjoy listening to the wind. It's the Key I need to activate my favorite Node. A warmth spreads from my chest, reaching out to my limbs. It takes what feels like a second (but is probably less since I am literally free-falling into a deep canyon) but the warmth reached my head, then my fingers and then my toes. A moment later and it turns cold. I no longer feel the wind against me, and my body moves more slowly.

I open my eyes and move my hands ever so slightly up. With that, my body balances, no longer pointed with the head towards the earth, now rather it is parallel to it. My hands still point up however, as my head rises up and my feet go down. I can feel the shift of weight in my belly button. It is probably my least favorite thing about this: that sensation is a bit uncomfortable.

There is actually a very interesting theory about Flight. Typically Aether at an acceptable density cannot support the human body in flight. If one was to use enough Aether to keep the body afloat, said Aether would immediately surround them in flames, burn their skin and then kill them painfully.

However... By shoving Aether *out* of a certain space one creates a bubble in the air. And after that, by displacing this Aether-less bubble, one can move about freely. This method actually supports faster flight, since the faster you go, the less force you have to apply on keeping the Aether out. You just shove it all the way back the direction you came from.

I held a hand towards the canyon, and I felt myself drawn into that direction. The feeling of weightlessness was absolutely amazing and I would not trade it for anything in the world. The world moved by so fast, as if you were viewing a beautiful painting, so vast that it wraps all around you.

One of my favorite things to do was fly over the sea. It is far to the south and falling into it feels terrifying, but after getting the hang of flight I had no problem with it. This one does not even consume too much Aether, since what you are doing is paying an 'up front' Aether cost and then letting Aether mechanics do the rest on their own. It's great and I love it.

Of course since I was so close, I also had to keep myself static for now so I could examine the surroundings. Keeping yourself in place was perhaps the most difficult part of flight, since you have to actively push Aether out rather than let it move on its own. It must be a terrifying sight to those looking from away.

First, they see someone standing right there in the air and then that person slowly begins to be covered in a sphere of pale blue light. After that the light only gets brighter and brighter until it becomes a blinding, glowing white. Of course, the one inside the sphere (me) is not really able to see much, so they probably want to start moving. I already got what I wanted to anyway: there was nothing out of ordinary on this side of the Cauldron.

This is where the sphere seems to 'suck' in the light from the bottom and a surge of Aether like a spreading flame consumes whatever is inside. Aether flames do not bother me (but a lot of other Avatars would be burnt on the spot) so I let myself be engulfed. It is even kind of pretty: blue sparks flying all over me, wrapping around my robe and my arms and my hair, and even my face. I take a second to enjoy this, even if any unfortunate onlooker would surely find it macabre. Someone burning alive.

Yet, my flesh does not burn. At this point, I am flying by using a vast amount of Aether and push myself afloat. I activate the Node, with that same Key. It is a bit harder when you are wreathed in flames, but I like to imagine its the gentle wind instead. I hold my hand out and my body presses forward.

The flames push against my body and then, the sphere fully forms. The flames immediately wrap around it, only to be left behind as my flight quickens. A thin trail of blue fire left behind the Aether bubble, much like an invisible balloon with a flaming string attached to it... and me inside, of course.

Landing is also a bit rough. You have to stand in place for just a second, and then hold your arms to the sides. You sloooowly push your arms down for your body to lower towards the ground. You have to be careful with measuring the distance your arms can go down, or else you'll end up with your face to the ground rather than your feet. Thankfully I have gotten good at this so I can measure the distance with ease.

My body lowers very slowly until it reaches the ground... One foot in, then the other... And this is the part I don't quite like. The bubble collapses outwardly, into the grass. An outwardly spiraling surge of Aether and force, and a good bit of pressure pushing my back down. It forces me into my knees, and I have to hold myself from falling, with both hands on the ground.

The grass around my has been obliterated for a good distance... I feel rather sorry about that. I would like to master my Node so that it doesn't damage the world like this. I got up and looked forward. A small ditch, and an iron bridge that leads to the massive gateway of the Titanic Corpse. The sight however, is utterly horrifying.

The massive gates have been torn apart, mangled and then thrown to the sides. Multiple automata have been destroyed too. I can see one of them where only the legs remain. Another one has its left arm and shoulder torn off, and also the left side of its face.

A third one, has only the upper torso left, but there are big dents all over it. Some lights are still on though. I remember this one. Every time I pass by here, this one would see me in and out. He never said a word: he faithfully executed his main function. Whoever made him, whoever was behind his creation must be quite upset that he has been ruined so.

I approach him. The light flickers in and out, as his right hand turns about uselessly in place. I think it recognized me. The light goes from red to green, affirming the one he perceives as a welcome visitor. Good old gatekeeping automaton. I close my eyes, and hold a hand to his head. I lie in wait. I can feel the veins in my right arm pulse...Usually they glow a bright red too, although I cannot ascertain that right now.

No...I do not want to use my [power] on this one. I lay a bit in wait, and when I open my eyes again the light has flickered out of view. I have been told that Avatars must grow accustomed to these things. The impermanence of the world around me, the loss of lives...

This was just an Automaton, that nobody will remember from this point on, I am sure. Even so, he was a part of my life, and if I ever enter this place again, it will feel just a bit more empty. Ah... I could not help it. I suppose I shed a tear at that thought.

Time is of the essence. I have made a mistake. Dallied for too long, and more of this Cauldron could be in danger. I begun to run right ahead. The iron of the bridge is cold against my bare feet, and I have to deal with that for a bit more. A single straightforward path leading into a large hallway. There are more slain Automata on the way, however there is also a clue.

In the wall, a long, straight gash in the metal. The unbroken pattern with overall the same thickness along the whole length, signifies it was dealt in a single blow. Furthermore, the uniform depth means whoever did it, put roughly the same strength in the whole of the slash.

I approached the tear in the wall, and examined the edges. Poked one of the twisted bits of metal sticking out a little...and then carried along, looking at the entire tear. The fact that the metal was not hot in any capacity, meant the weapon itself was cold. There were no particles left behind in the tear either, whatever weapon was done to use this, manages to cleanly cut iron without the use of excessive heat or energy it seems, and does not suffer enough resistance to have parts of it chip. So the weapon is of very high grade.

Further, the fact that whoever wielded it could carry the impact so far and with the same strength along the whole cut, meant they too were exceptionally powerful. Of course, both of these could be wrong of course, but these two options seemed most likely to me. I had to be very careful.

I headed right on, towards the elevators. The wires went down, so whoever took the elevator...hmm...

There is a small control panel to the side of the elevator, which has been torn off. The wires ends however are still there. I grabbed three of them. These run on Aether, so if I can put in the right amount... I placed my index finger on the end of the red wire, releasing a small Aether pulse.

That one worked! And another...forming a stream of Aether. The wires begin to pull up, so I leave that wire and pick up a green one. Once the elevator is right next to me, I got on it and did the same with the green wire. Now, the elevator is going down and I am well on my way to solving this entire mess!

...However, before I can make it all the way to the bottom, the elevator slows down and stops in one of the intermediate floors. A passage lies ahead of me now with two large, boxy machines with a single large central eye, and six propulsion modules on the lower ends, three on each side. These guys are called Keepers.

The large, white machines approach me, and seem to be scanning. I haven't been in this particular wing. I let them do their thing...and the blue eye in the center turns green soon enough. Designated safe. But I do need to learn what happened here... I held out my hand to them, and placed it atop their covers.

The veins in my arms turn red. Then the hands...and then the red spreads over their form. The small glowing openings alongside their body turn from blue to red, as I begin to interface with them. The messages transfer over and they translate. [Anomaly Detected].

[Anomaly Progressing To Bottom Level]. [Anomaly Located At Bottom Level]. [Commence Security Measures]. [Proceed With Measures]. [Intruder Detected.]

...Wait... Intruder detected? So the anomaly ISN'T the intruder?

[Intruder Progressing To Bottom Level]. [Casualties Detected]. So whatever it is, is at the bottom level.

"Take me there."-I spoke, the message translating into machine language as the Automata turn around and begin making their way deeper into the complex. Likely towards a working elevator that can lead me directly to the area this is happening in.

Along the way I noticed many different automata being geared for battle. I did feel somewhat guilty with the idea of dragging them into this... but even if I did not, they would be heading down there any way. At least it's better if I get to fight that thing first, and these guys can escape while I hold whatever is down there off...should things go bad that is.

Then they can tell the other automata what that anomaly is so they can fight it better. I noticed they had a Cannon along the way. Cannons have smaller bodies but a large barrel with which to fire dense Aether blasts. Over time, they accumulate energy and can fire a much bigger shot. I placed a hand over one of them and brought it with me. Further down the line, I secured myself a second Cannon and a Drone Jammer. This one sends out Aether waves which mix up any incoming signals and cause Aether based powers to fall apart or at least misfire to a degree.

I followed the Keepers and the other three followed me. We reach an elevator, and here we'll make our way down I assume. Indeed, the elevator begins to go down, speeding up until it goes past most of the subterranean floors, before finally making it below this large, thick metal frame and slowly unveiling the space of the bottommost level of the Cauldron underneath it. The view that unfolds too looks all the more frightening with each second.

This level opens up directly into a cavern and in the far end of it lies an absolutely tremendous automaton. Easily over ten meters tall, with a humanoid form and a large round head, a single central eye and two big forward-pointing horns. It carried a massive, broad blade with a sharpened edge and the other arm ended up in a cannon barrel.

The moment we landed, I took a few steps forward. One of the Keepers' functions was to project a dense Aether shield. They could even be overlaid for extra protection. They did just that, while I got out of the elevator and begun to approach the big guy. Of course he fired right off to try and blast me out of the place!

Predictable. The impact pushes me back some but I activated Flight at that moment. While not a defensive Node, it could push Aether out and keep the impact from actually reaching the Automata. The disadvantage is that I ended up pushed all the way back into the elevator, my back hitting the cold metal and forcing me to my knees.

Well...that was an off start. Ahead of me is a trail of fire, relatively small near where I am, but as it progresses towards my original location it widens out, until it finally rounds into a circular shape. I'd been shot back and then spun in place until I was stopped by the elevator.

I took one look back, noticing the dented metal. Then, I shrugged before lunging forward. Flight triggers automatically. Nodes, made for Avatar use have part of their Shell configured to respond to an instinctive reaction to danger. So the moment an Avatar's blood gets pumping, you only need a very faint recollection of a Key to get into it.

I set off at once, flying right at this thing's face. On the way, I noticed an oddly large black marking on the ground, almost like a burn. I darted upward at once and activated a second Node. The large Automaton puts up a shield as wings of light, the same white color as my robe form behind my back. The feathers vibrate for a moment, before I flapped them in the direction of this creature. Those same feathers now shoot forward.

A trail of light behind each feather, they turn into bright arrows of raw energy and most importantly Aether. They strike the shield in various points. Forcefields like these usually have a weak spot, a slightly less dense area which will collapse under my barrage. The arrows of light create many small explosions, which soon enough come together into a canvas of golden flames, one that spreads into the nearby area as well.

The flames escape the area of bombardment and then roll out, coating a great circular surface in heat. Once they die down...I see the crimson barrier still up, yet with a visible crack on the upper left side. Gotcha!

I flew right through it and then headed straight for this thing's chest. I assume it had no idea of my power since it did not see a need to blast the area near itself. I made contact, my veins once more light up and the connection is made. I can feel the Aether surge from me to it and..

EEH?! ...I hadn't... they are all docile once my power is at work! Out of nowhere, this one picked up its sword and struck me with it from the side. It took a bit for the pain to set it, and I was flung off far too fast for me to activate Flight. Suspending myself in the middle of that throw would have been really painful anyway...

I found myself lying on the ground, face-first into the rocky terrain. I was right next to that black burn mark... I had no time to think about it earlier, but as I turned around and faced the incoming giant, I realized just what awaited me. The cannon arm was spinning as Aether was visibly accumulating inside...

Soon enough it'd fire on my head and...well there I go. Hopefully the Automata I brought all the way here would be running back to the top...

The cannon fires...

...A black blur flies right into my view, intercepting the blast. Before I have time to react, the blast splits in two, along this dark figure, and the flames blow to the side. Not even back at me...such is the strength of this mysterious figure. It cannot be human.

The flames clear of course, and I manage to stand up on my feet once again, straightening up and surveying the surroundings. The figure in front of me *looks* human, now that I can see him more clearly...but there has to be something more to him.

He is far too tall, well over two meters, maybe closer to tree. Brown skin, and incredibly muscular. Long hair and an impressively long beard as well, black in color. He didn't look all that old. One of his arms was covered in pieces of armor, all the way from the shoulder, down to the fingers. The other was bare, and with it he carried a huge glaive over his shoulders, one that looked to be made of some sort of...bone material.

"Hmmm..."-the man hums, although with how deep his voice is, it sounds more like a grunt. "This is no place for a child..."-he says. Hey! I might be a little green, but I am no child.

"...Who are you?"-I asked the giant man, who only offered a faint smile.

"My name is Kasram. I come from Kalymon."

"...Kalymon..."-I'd heard of the place. I always wanted to know what it was like.. Wait! Now is not the time for that!

"Alright Kasram from Kalymon! What do you say we team up for a bit?"-I offered, holding out my hand. Kasram...refused to shake it. Then again I would not blame him, given that the large Automaton brought his sword down on us. Kasram brandished his glaive once more and clashed with it. Even though he was far smaller, the impact evened out. The sword was thrown back and the ground underneath Kasram quivered with the strength of an earthquake.

I immediately went onto Flight so I wouldn't be caught up in the waves. I then begun to coordinate my attack. The two Cannons would mount themselves atop the Keepers. This was a common combination for these two types, so it was easy to go for it. The Keepers target each-other with their shields. In the meantime, the Drone Jammer flies overhead, and begins to project a wavelength aimed at that thing's arm-cannon.

The Keepers sides open up, releasing rectangular weapons, five barrels and low caliber bullets. They move to the sides, leaving Kasram in between them and then they start firing at the legs.

The Cannons aim a little higher, the joints in particular...near the knees, or even all the way up to the elbows and wrists. All to disable this guy.

The coordinated assault does throw this guy off for a bit, as he is forced to take a few steps back. Kasram moves like a shadow, here now, there the next second. He swings his glaive...only for the giant to impale his sword in the ground and block it. The giant's sword is chipped at the point of impact, the glaive stuck inside it. This allows the big guy to turn around, blocking the Drone Jammer's wave with his shoulder...and then fire directly at Kasram.

This is my moment! There is another Node which I have not had the chance to use here... I drew in breath and closed my eyes. I could feel it form, some distance from my back. A pure white ring of light. The Crest of Zero.

I held my arm out and palm open facing the ceiling as the Crest flies into a horizontal position above my hand. The Cannon and the Keepers unleash concentrated fire, to keep the giant from moving. Kasram gets out of the way but he cannot outrun the blast...

And just as he is about to meet his end (or will he? I don't know how durable he is) at that cannon blast, my Crest flies right in. Tearing through the air faster than even my eyes could track it, it hits the side of the cannon and cuts the arm-cannon in two along its' length.

The arm-cannon blows up in flams, consuming most of that arm and leaving only a molten stump. Kasram turns around grab the glaive, and pull at it with full force. Teamwork! What can't it do!

The pull tears the blade open near the top, leaving a good chunk of it flying off and lodging itself in some rock. The Cannons have enough power to bring out their stronger shot. One aimed at the knee, another one at the shoulder of its still working arm.

Rather than try to defend  against one or the other, this guy tries to bring the sword down on my Automata. Hah... It's actually a pretty good move. I don't like involving other people in the very few fights I've gotten to, thus far (this is at best my third ever...) ...so I don't really bring any Nodes that can defend others.

The blade sweeps across...but before it can hit, Kasram throws his glaive right at it. I see an opportunity. I call forth the Oath of Wings, as the golden feathers of light form and I fly in, feet first into the part of the blade that the glaive won't hit.

The wings of light wreath me in a golden aura. I shoot forward like a spear, striking the blade dead on. The opposing impacts, cause the blade which has already been made fragile from clashing with Kasram before... shatters in two.

Kasram holds his hand out, as the glaive stops in mid-flight and recalls to his hand. I realized why he didn't do the same before immediately: his intention was to break off the sword's tip. I guess that was the most threatening part of the weapon.

The giant does not stop. He raises his fist and attempts to squish me. Thankfully Kasram is right there. He leaps a good distance and then comes down on the arm, glaive-first. The strength of the impact pins the giant's arm right in the ground. The quaking is quite powerful but the Keepers, Cannons and the Drone are all floating. So am I. Some rocks break off the ceiling too, although the Keepers barrier protects them from it. I can dodge easily too...

And then Kasram looks up. I gave him a quick nod. The shield is down and he can't move. I called forth the Crest of Zero and right after that...

I activated the Oath of Wings on top of it. White wings grow out of the ring, and the feathers shoot forward. Once one pair is done, the second comes right in, and then a third, a fourth, a fifth... more and more feather-arrows fly forward, piercing the creature top to bottom, large, gaping holes left behind in its body until the entire outer layer is gone.

...It all happens by itself. I...genuinely dislike doing this. I wish I was good enough to avoid this. Better warriors with the ability to control themselves. I could have held back. Immobilized him...

These are all things a better Avatar would have thought of, analyzed and understood... Just goes to show I really am a novice.

Kasram for his part, removes his glaive slowly and then looks to me. "You did well... Hmm... What are you exactly?"-His question catches me off guard.

"You can interface with Automata. Your durability is beyond most humans too, and your Aether supply feels steadier too, like an Incarnate."-Yes, yes... I know all that. But I thought it was obvious...

"I'm an Avatar."-I said. "You guys in Kalymon don't know about us?"-Well we are kind of new, I guess...

"Hmm... I've gotten word, yes... I did not think I'd see one so soon though. I wish you the best then..."-I looked at him a bit lost. What was he waiting for..

OH! My name! ...Sometimes I forget about the weirdest things.

"■■■■■■"-My own voice becomes choked in the sound of the cavern quaking. I immediately had the automata fly out, and once they were in the elevator, released them. It's okay... I... suppose the cavern will collapse on us now..

I won't *really* die although the idea of it scares me out of my brains. I... don't want to die. It's so weird...I know I won't die, but I closed my eyes on reflex and took a deep breath. I was frozen with fear. It's alright, it's alright...I'll make it.

I held one of my eyes open slightly, as Kasram was looking up with a most serene expression. To be fair, he will probably not die from this.

For a moment I thought I saw a light. Is this what death looks like? A bright white light...and a guy in big, fancy white armor coming right i-W-wait a second!

Before I could do anything, my savior pulls an arm around both my waist and Kasram's. The same light from before engulfs us and a wave of cold washes over my body, before the light begins to pull back and reveal a green field, just at the exit of the iron bridge leading into this place.

Me and Kasram both fall to the ground, as the blonde haired man in the heavy white armor looks down at us. He shakes his head, sighing. I for one, find it terribly unfair.

"..Thanks.."-I did have to offer my gratitude though. He saved me from death... Not really something relevant to most Avatars, but I appreciated it greatly.

Vennar looks down disapprovingly. "You really need to get it together, you know? We expect great things out of you..."

"I know, I know... By the way meet Kasram. He's from Kalymon."-I gestured to Kasram, who this time did hold his hand out, for Vennar to shake.

"I presume you are aware of what happened here?"-Vennar asks. He's shorter than Kasram, but he is still quite taller than me. The Administrators oversee our work rather closely at this point. I guess since we are some of the first Avatars going out there, we are bound to have a lot of hand-holding as we go.

"Yes, of course. I was following a rogue automaton after he was found attacking settlements in the nearby area. I chased him here, and he made his way to the bottom. We fought. He disabled me temporarily...but with the help of this one, we prevailed. She is quite impressive..."

I smiled a little. Kasram  seemed like a honest person so I felt like I could take all of his praise at face value. The two of them kept discussing a bit more, while I decided to lie down a bit, near the grass. Pulling my knees up, I wrapped my arms around then  and lurched forward, looking at the Cauldron.

I hope those automatons turned out okay. They recorded all of the fight, so the Cauldron administrators should have all the data they need. That's good. The stability of these  Cauldrons is important after all. But Vennars' words still get to me. I need to be better. It is not enough... I...

"Hey."-I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up immediately. It's Vennar.

I frowned, and looked away. "I still find it  unfair. You get to move around as you wish and the rest of us have to take the slow way around. Why couldn't we *all* get the free movement? That sounds like something incredibly useful for Avatars to have!"-I spoke, my head slowly turning as I begun to rant.

Vennar shrugs. "...Once you become capable enough to use your power wisely and with self control. I can feel the vibration of your Soul Node. Whatever happened down there had you distraught. You must learn to quieten your thoughts... your spirit must be under your control, not that of circumstance."

I know, I know. Vennar thinks we are the future of Dormina and he expects a lot out of us... Same old...

"Besides..."-he pokes my side. "I don't think you'd make use of Uninhibited Movement all that much. It would make Flight a bit pointless after all-If you can live with that, you can have my Administrator privileges."

Argh!! I...mean...he isn't wrong, but... I shook my head. "It's not that and you know it! It would have been really useful back then for example. When dealing with problems..."

Vennar smiles. "Perhaps. I shall try to put in a good word with Aura, about the necessity of this upgrade. You in the meantime, learn how to control yourself better. As your power grows, control becomes an ever greater necessity. Deal?"

I held out my hand. This time I'll get a handshake... and indeed, Vennar shakes my hand. "Deal!"

"Now you need to return to Dormina. You have a new task."-Vennar says.

"...but I didn't even get to enjoy myself... I was going to go exploring today, there's this spot in the western plains that I-"

"This is important. Come on."-He holds out his hand, as the light forms around him again.

"...Ugh..."

"Eina."-Vennar looks at me sternly. I prefer 'Ainah' but Eina is also a valid spelling yes. What I don't like is when he gets all serious and uses my name...

"Fine, fine!"-I took his hand, and vanished into the light. Let's see what this mission is all about!

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