Chapter 21: Enlightenment

The jungle changed colors, from green plants to bright purple plants. The dirt also changed from brown and black to a deep red. 

It was a rather jarring change. But this was still the place I wanted to be. 

The monsters here, as I had found, were significantly stronger. 

No longer could I kill a knight type beast in a few shots to the head. It took large portions of my Psyka and well placed bullets in order to kill them. And even then, that gave them time to close distance. 

They were fast, tough, and agile. My aim was stressed, as was my athleticism. Thankfully I had learned a lot in the trenches, being ambushed and attacked by several people at once. That experience allowed me to keep my bearing in the face of a beast that refused to die. 

And more than that, each beast was worth upwards of 2000 points!

My score on the leaderboard rapidly climbed with each kill. In fact, it only took half an hour to climb to 20 thousand points. 

But in that time, Tana had gained another dozen thousand. 

It was only a bit slower than me, and even given several hours, I might not be able to catch up. 

But that was no reason to stop. My foremost purpose in being here was for training. I wasn’t simply trying to farm points, as that would defeat the purpose. 

It would only be a month from now that I would have to go and fight the Scourge alongside a military unit. As confident as I was in my guns, I understood very deeply how inexperienced I was with fighting monsters, and more than that, working with others in a combat situation. 

My aim wasn’t perfect, even if it was good. In a fast paced and stressful environment, a mistake on my part could kill an ally. 

Most fighters were Knights, and they fought in close combat. As a ranged attacker, I would need to land my shots on target without hitting them. 

Of course, many of the memories that I received from the spirits of my Authorities directly gave me fantastic aim. Especially the more powerful spirits, which contained the experience of skilled soldiers or accomplished gunmen. 

And those memories didn’t simply vanish when I wasn’t communing with the spirits. They remained faintly in my mind, and my personal experiences from utilizing those memories stayed with me. 

I was rapidly learning, increasing my skill at lightning speeds. But it would still take time before I was perfect, and that wasn’t to mention how the styles of battle would change as I unlocked other weapons. 

Self preservation was also an important issue that I needed to take care of. My greatest weakness was defense and close quarter combat. So I would need to use this training ground as a place to rectify my shortcomings, at least a little. 

Thankfully, this purple jungle was the perfect place to do that. 

I didn’t run the risk of dying, but I did risk injury. I hadn’t been touched for the most part, but when I entered the purple jungle, that changed. 

Depending on the monster, i would suffer at the hands of claws or fists. But fortunately for me, every attack was eaten by my coat. 

And the attacks didn’t so much as leave a scratch. I suppose the outer layer of the coat was made of some kind of malleable material, because any blemishes would repair themselves even if it was deformed. Not only that, but I could feel some kind of magic activate whenever I was in distress. 

It heightened my awareness, giving me what felt like 360 vision. I could see even the plants behind me, and my mind could process things faster. 

Even my reactions were sped up. It was like the coat facilitated my body’s commands, as I could move my arms and legs with far more agility. The response time was almost nonexistent, allowing me to dodge things that my body normally couldn’t. 

Those effects faded when the threat was gone, however, and i usually felt rather drained. It took a sizeable amount of my Psyka, but who cared so long as I could keep myself safe?

The jacket was proving to be an extraordinary asset. 

At some point, I also equipped my air mask, taking it from my spatial bracelet. I was used to fighting with it on, and it provided me with greater stamina. 

I fought through the purple jungle for a couple hours, and over time my points rose higher and higher. 

But it never went above Tana’s. When I finally made it to 60 thousand points, she managed to hit 85 thousand points. And when I made it to 85 thousand points, she rose to over 100 thousand points. 

Thankfully, I at least wasn’t in last place. In fact, I made it to the top 5 with relative ease. 

But the training didn’t last forever. Just as I started to get a little hope, thinking that I might be able to surpass Tana, I heard a ringing from my necklace. 

“Training’s over.”

A second after those words, I felt an unknown power wrap around me. I was promptly teleported out of the training grounds, appeared near the building by the entrance. 

I wasn’t the only one. A quick count told me there were a dozen others. I quickly spotted Tana as well. 

But we only glanced at each other, because I felt everyone’s eyes suddenly land on me. I knew people would be curious since I was a newbie, but their interest seemed to go beyond that. 

I was the subject of their scrutiny until that old man came back out. 

He looked at me before speaking. 

“Everyone is free to go except for that one.”

He meant me as he waved everyone else out. And without much suspense, they all left. 

Except for Tana, who walked over to me and touched her wrist to mine. 

My aerial exchanged contact info with hers.. 

“I don’t mind teaching you a little. But don’t expect a full blown class.”

“That’s good enough for me. Have a good day, Tana.”

“Mm.”

She smiled while leaving. I only turned back around when I heard a scoff. 

“How charming. If not for your complete lack of foundational skills, I’d say you’re perfect. Get in here.”

Waving me along, the old man headed into his little outpost. 

I saw the same screens as last time, but now, they were all filled with recordings of my fights. 

Once I closed the door, he plopped down on a seat. 

“Your power is seriously suited for killing. I’ve never seen a more offensive power before, not from warlocks nor knights. Tana is an Authority 5, and you were able to keep up to some extent. Of course, she was nothing but relaxed today, but the fact that you even managed to climb out of last place is nothing short of a damn miracle.”

He sighed while turning to the screens. 

“But despite how excessively lethal your weapons are, you still don’t have many of the techniques you should have. You’re still obviously a newbie. For example.”

He pointed to one screen. On it was a video of my encounter with Tana. Specifically, when she dodged my imaginary bullet. 

“Your Intent. You have no control over it, and since you’re a ranged fighter, that’s a major issue.”

“What is Intent anyway?”

“It’s your mind’s affect on the surroundings. It’s literally your intentions that seep into the air all around you. People can pick up on that, and it allows them to read you like a book. And there are techniques, especially for summoners, that allow you to conceal it. I can already tell you that those techniques will be your most important, because otherwise you won’t be able to kill anyone stealthily like you did with those puppets.”

“Right.”

Having understood the wild concept, I began to see how important it was. Intent concealment was something I needed to learn quickly. 

“Also, you need to learn how to solidify your Psyka. You waste way too much of it when you infuse your summons with it. Unfortunately there are very few Calls that allow you to do such a thing anyway, and I know Maxwell’s Call is special. So consult him on it. You’ll become more efficient and powerful when you bring it under control. Look.”

He pointed to another screen, one that showed my gun as it glowed with power. That glow was seen whenever I infused my Psyka into a spirit.

“That glow is a telltale sign of your lack of control. I would estimate that nearly half of your power is wasted in the infusion process, and it only gets worse as you infuse more. But the good news is that you obviously have a bountiful pool of Psyka anyway.”

“What makes you say that?”

I didn’t exactly see how my pool of Psyka was bigger than normal, but apparently this old man could. 

He glanced at me. 

“You infused a lot of Psyka into your weapons thourghout the hours that you were in that jungle. I couldn’t estimate it properly, but when looking at the glow of your spirits and how often you killed those high level puppets, and then considering the fact that you’re only at Authority 3, I can only conclude that the sheer amount of Psyka at your disposal is rather enormous. Granted, your power is entirely offensive in nature, but not everyone can jump several Authority levels like you do. That easily puts you on par with the Elites in terms of your latent potential. I can see why Maxwell took you under his wing.”

He seemed to grumble while shutting down all the screens. 

“Alright, now get out of here. Be back tomorrow immediately after your classes. We’ll have another scenario going, one that will give you some very valuable experience. I can’t have you dying during your hunting trip, after all.”

“Okay. Oh, and what should I call you?”

I asked, since the old man still hadn’t given me his name. 

He spokke while ushering me out of the room.

“I’m called the Puppet Master.”

“Alright, Mr. Puppet. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Hm?”

He narrowed his eyes at me while I left. 

As I walked back to my room, I did a mild reflection on the past few hours, mainly my talk with Mr. Puppet.

Honestly, he was a bit hard to talk to. His sharp eyes and authoritative demeanor didn’t leave much room for discussion. I could go back and forth with Maxwell when he taught me his Call, but I couldn’t do that with this old man. 

It was a bit stifling, but he still fed me valuable information. 

My Intent and my control over Psyka. 

Two techniques that I would need to consult Maxwell on. Though, I wondered why I wasn’t already taught this stuff. 

Tapping my Aerial, I called my teacher. 

“What is it?”

His monotone voice echoed in my mind. I responded in a direct fashion. 

“I learned about Intent and Psyka solidification. Are they things I need to learn techniques for?”

“Yes.”

“…Well do you happen to know any that I could learn?”

It took a second for me to respond after he gave me such a succinct answer. 

I heard him hum. 

“Controlling your Psyka and solidifying it is something that can only come through practice and dedication. Knights and Warlocks spend years constantly honing their control, and there are extremely few who are ever able to solidify their power. So while a technique isn’t actually necessary for evolving your control, there is a technique that can help.”

“What?”

“The one you’ve been practicing this entire time. The one I taught you when you first came to me.”

My eyes widened a bit. 

I recalled the technique I used to practice daily. It was nothing more than tracing various complex and redundant formations with my Psyka, and it was horribly tiring. 

It seems that was the technique I was looking for. But that left me more confused. 

“If I’ve been practicing this entire time, then why are my infusions so wasteful?”

“I’m sorry, did you expect to be a master when you only started learning less than half a year ago?”

“…Kind of? It’s been a long time.”

“Childish.”

He snorted, causing me to chuckle a bit. 

“Fine. I’ll just keep practicing it more.”

“Do so. However, there is one modification that you can make if you want to reign in your Intent. You just need to practice tracing those formations, but make them appear within the world.”

“How the hell do I do that? Isn’t it supposed to be an extra-dimensional power?”

“It’s not hard, really. You already do it when you empower your spirits.”

“…”

My face scrunched in confusion, but i sort of understood what he was saying. 

My Psyka went beyond my body when I empowered my spirits with it, since my spirits were also beyond my body. So technically, I was already doing that. 

But the spirit was still the medium. To do away with that medium and make my Psyka appear in the air wasn’t something I thought was possible. 

I questioned. 

“I can only infuse my spirits with Psyka. Besides, Psyka is the power of the mind. How do I make this mind power appear beyond the mind?”

“You need a medium, of course. So find one. What appears in the air, that is connected to you, and that you can infuse your Psyka into?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”

“Well, time to figure things out on your own. Use that empty head of yours, and don’t come back to class until you can read minds.”

Right after he said that, Maxwell ended the call.

I was left staring into space in a slight daze. 

Read minds? How the hell was I supposed to do that?

I realized that I had stopped walking at some point, but I wasn’t in the mind to care that I was standing in the middle of some empty plaza. 

It felt like something was clicking for me, despite my confusion. 

What appeared in the air?

Those words made me think of my Intent, when Mr. Puppet said that it was literally my intentions that seeped into the air around me. 

So my Intent was in the air, and it was undoubtedly connected to me. 

So was that the medium? Did I need to infuse my Psyka into my Intent?

I suppose they were both a part of the mind. But unlike spirits, my Intent wasn’t something tangible that I could feel. I didn’t even know it existed until a few hours ago. 

So how could I infuse my Psyka into something I couldn’t see or feel? If I figured that out, then I could manifest my Psyka in the air and practice both solidifying my Psyka and controlling my Intent. 

And these thoughts made me think of something else. 

My coat, when it had activated and enhanced my senses. 

It did more than just speed up my thinking and reaction times. It actually let me see the things around me, even things that weren’t within my field of vision. 

I had been able to see the ground under my feet and the trees to my back when fighting a puppet to my front. 

360 vision. But of course, I didn’t suddenly grow eyes on the back of my head. 

My coat took my Psyka when it was activated, and it had done something with it that let me see the world with something beyond my senses. 

Was that what I needed to do? Mimic the effects of my coat?

Use my Psyka and see the world through the lens of my mind. 

But I couldn’t just do that, even though I understood. I needed something to go off of, something to feel that could guide me, like using training wheels to ride a bike. 

I needed to activate the coat. 

Suddenly, I tapped my Aerial again. 

“Hey, sweet cheeks! How’s school?”

Rayla’s sweet voice made me smile a bit. But I felt rushed, so I didn’t humor her like I usually would. 

“It’s good. Hey, I was wondering how I could activate the coat’s abilities.”

“Oh, right, I didn’t tell you about that. It activates automatically when your body is in distress. But if you want to activate it preemptively, you just need to infuse your Psyka into it. You should’ve felt it make a connection with you, so just stream your Psyka into that connection.”

“Oh. Alright. Thanks.”

“Are you training?”

“Something like that.”

“Then call me later. I have some things to ask you, preferably before the week’s end.”

“Sure.“

We said goodbye, and I rapidly focused back on my objective. 

I when I had first worn the coat, I had felt a wave of magic run through my body. The coat had formed a connection, making it more like a new limb rather than an accessory. Whenever I put it on, it would bond with me again. 

Even now I could feel the connection that appeared within my mind. So I streamed my Psyka to it, filling it with my power. 

Once I did that, I could once again feel the effects. 

I could see each blade of grass at my feet, the laces of my shoes, the socks under those shoes, the buildings behind me. 

It was like looking into a whole new world. 

But more than that, I could see other people in the distance. 

And each of them had an a faint energy around them. 

From that energy I could sense something about them. I could sense anxiousness, excitement, exhaustion, or anger. 

Most of their faces were neutral, not eluding to anything out of the ordinary. But these energies exposed their inner feelings. 

And on top of that, I could almost see into the future. 

I could see the next step they were going to take. I could guess the hand they were going to use to scratch an itch on their face, or their next movement to open a door.

Their Intent. 

I could see it and read it. It was vague, but it was there. 

And then, I looked around myself. 

I could see a much thicker Intent than any of the others, perhaps because it was my own. 

But unlike the others, I could practically read my own mind through it. 

No wonder Tana was able to dodge my imaginary bullet. I was basically telling her what I was going to do through this Intent of mine. 

But that wasn’t my biggest concern. Instead, I quickly focused my Psyka. 

I could finally feel my Intent. 

So I let my Psyka out. 

A little wasn’t enough, so I let it all flow. I mustered the entirety of my pool, pushing it all out into this energy field of mine. 

The coat was acting as my guide, and I tapped into that feeling. 

And then, I could see it. 

The air. 

Or, I should say aura was the best word for it. 

An aura around me that spread for dozens of meters. 

It was like a beacon of light, broadcastinig my existence to the world. 

And anyone with eyes could see a bright light. 

This aura of mine, how it was so spread and open, made me feel exposed. 

Everyone else also had auras around them, most just as big as mine. And through them, I could get an even deeper glimpse into their mind, as if I was getting a hint of their thoughts. 

How could anyone live knowing that their thoughts were practically spilling out into the open like this? It made me shudder. 

Maxwell could see all this, no doubt. So this entire time, my mind had probably been an open book to him. 

No wonder he seemed so lofty in his attitude, as if he knew everything. 

He may as well have, with an ability like this. 

This seemed to be some kind of enlightenment for me. 

“I need to reign this shit in as soon as possible. It’s almost humiliating.”

I mumbled out loud, but even that was weird, because it felt like I was speaking even before I did. I was basically guessing what I was going to say, and then making true on those guesses. 

But with those words, I made my conviction. 

Then, I suddenly felt a wave of weakness and exhaustion. 

I faltered, falling to one knee as my supernatural awareness disappeared. 

No longer could I see what my eyes couldn’t. However, I still felt like I was far more aware of the world, and especially the people. 

I could still sense a hint of the aura of those strangers in the distance, even though it was no longer as deep. 

It made me laugh even though I was wracked with a horrible headache moments later. 

Truly, an enlightenment. Now, I could at least begin to work on bringing things under control.

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