There was a thud from a cane, echoing through the cavern walls, startling Clay from his sleep. He blinked, expecting to see Oliver, but instead found Jake standing there.

  “You also got a cane? That some trend here?” Clay asked jokingly. He was glad to be woken by Jake instead of Oliver. Even though they were classmates before everything went to shit, they never interacted much. Not to mention, that his old life felt more like a foggy dream belonging to someone else rather than his own memories.

  He was fairly certain his memory had fully returned, but verifying that was difficult – everything he’d known was either gone or completely changed. Most of the people from his past were dead, and those who weren’t, like Jake, were nearly unrecognizable. The Jake of his memories was a teenage boy, who liked gossip or anything that would distract from school life, while mostly sticking to Jim.

  The man before him had an unkept shaggy fringe, a messy beard and clothes that didn’t fare much better, he… looked tired and much older. All of that made it impossible to compare him to the teenage boy of his memory.

  “Clay?” Jake asked with a raised brow. “You okay?”

  “Oh, yeah, was just thinking about the past. I fell great, actually.”

  “No wonder you slept until noon.”

  “Damn, must have been the exhaustion or the lack of essence… probably both,” Clay admitted.

  “What happened yesterday?” Jake asked worriedly.

  “Oliver didn’t tell you?” Clay asked back, receiving a shrug from him. “Well, let’s just say we got into an… argument.” Seeing Jake’s brow raise further (as if that was possible) he sighed and added, “We may have gotten into a fight, I got crushed and then talked things out.”

  Sighing, Jake massaged his temple, in hope of stopping the incoming headache. “Well, he at least told me about Mia and that her situation is worse than I first suspected. Anyway, we can still talk all we want later, for now we have work to do.”

  Rising from the mountain of blankets, while Mia also finally decided to give some signs of life, he asked, “Work? What work are we talking about exactly? I’m not good for fights at the moment, and I can’t do much else–”

  “Could stop rambling to yourself and just come here, will you?” Jake interrupted irritated. That was rude, he thought as he stood beside him only to be left speechless. “Sometimes seeing is faster than explaining.”

  Before him was a literal stream of people coming from the passage as they hurdle materials, cleared bushes and made markings on the ground. “We are going to build you guys a house. The only other buildings that became that treatment were the Hearth, the laboratory for Voss and the forges.”

  Hearing this, Mia was quickly on her feet. “Thus that mean we can decide what rooms we have and how they look?”

  Smiling, Jake spread his arms. “Of course, that whole basin is only yours, and you decide how your new home will look… as long as it is reasonable.”

  ******

  A week passed planning, designing and building their little home. It was a fun experience, especially for Mia. Clay hadn’t seen her engrossed and carefree like that since forever. They choose to spare most of the already spare vegetation that this small basin held. Without it, the basin would feel far too empty and dreary.

  Their home was located opposite of the entrance to the basin, nestled near the rocky basin wall. It was a simple yet sturdy home – built more for function than beauty, yet warm in its own quiet way. The outer walls were shaped by Oliver from solid granite. Smooth to the touch but impossibly dense, the stone held the mountain's chill and strength.

  The first floor held a cozy living room with a stone hearth, a small kitchen that opened into a narrow pantry, and windows for abundant sunlight. A staircase led to the upper floor, where two modest bedrooms sat side by side, one for Mia and the other for Clay, separated by a shared wall and joined by a narrow hallway.

  Beneath the house, laid a cool, deep cellar which was easily howled out and built by Oliver in a single day. It was quite big to store all kind of essentials like food, water and tools. A covered porch wrapped the front, offering a sheltered space to rest. Above, a sloped rooftop fed rainwater into a simple collection system, with barrels tucked neatly beside the walls.

  Outside, a separate workshop stood just a few steps from the main structure. Built of the same granite base and timber roofing, it was a request from Clay to have a place to work in. Mostly for all the leather work and tinkering he needed to do.

  Sadly, there was no option for electricity. Oliver hinted that they used electricity for something, but not for the usual luxury like lighting, heating or water pumping. Their own water came through an interesting system. High in the mountains, narrow stone channels carved by Oliver guided stream water down toward the basin. Beneath the house, a deep cistern held the water. A single tap in the kitchen wall let the water out, pulled upward by the weight of the mountain behind it. No noise, no effort – just gravity and stone doing what they always had.

  When Clay asked about the system, Oliver ended up ranting about the pain of designing and building the entire water system for the Vanguard. By harnessing rivers above the valley, he created an intricate network of channels flowing to each home, where stone cisterns stored the water.

  From there, it was drawn up by hand – usually with a bucket, or through a simple tap that let gravity do the work. The stone itself, kept the water cool and fresh, while a simple filtration system at the channel’s entrance kept the water clear of debris.

  It sounded very complicated, and Clay quickly lost focus of what Oliver was talking about, he was impressed nonetheless. He didn’t even know it was possible to build a water system without electricity.

  Once all the workers that had helped in building the house had packed up and left, they were alone in a brand-new house they could call their own – permanently. It felt a little bittersweet, knowing that in the end, it was nothing more than a glorified prison for Mia.

  For now, she seemed happier than ever, so he would go along with Oliver’s plans, but should this change he wouldn’t hesitate to take measures into his own hands. Nonetheless, was there a feeling of peace and quite in that basin which Clay relished in.

  There was no overflow of people, no threat of beasts, just the usual insects and birds flying by. It was almost serene, a pocket of nature untouched by the changes of the Shattering.

  ******

  Clay and Mia were sitting in their new living room, sharing a seat on the couch, while Oliver sat opposite of them, only a small coffee table separating them. They were currently finalizing the conditions under which they will live in the city.

  So far, they arranged for private tuition for Mia, under the condition that a contamination threshold was put in place at the passage leading into the basin. This place would be guarded twenty-four, seven, checking everyone entering and exiting for possible infection of Mia’s virus.

  As deadly as her virus might be, it was not very subtle. It can be sensed magically, thanks to Mia having Ascended, and physically by a sickening sweet smell. Additionally, must the passage be open at all times, only in case of an emergency like a breakthrough of the walls or an outbreak of the virus itself would the passage be sealed.

  Furthermore, would the best scientists available try to find a solution for Mia to control or remove the virus entirely. Anything that she might need to feel more comfortable must be, if possible, provided under no cost on her part.

  During the Conjunction, Clay Raymond and Mia Hawk are required to remain near the Vanguard. In return, they receive generous financial compensation after each passed Conjunction. On top of that are they granted the usual privileges of an Ascended.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Looking over the deal, Clay wanted to add one more thing. “I want to know everything going on in this city. If it is some new scientific experiment like the crystals that Finnian showed me, some new hidden building project, I don’t care. I want to know it all. That includes all knowledge you have over essence. How you Weaver control elements, possible weaknesses, theories, I mean everything.”

  Until now, Oliver had never hesitated to agree to their terms – he didn’t even question them. But this time, he stayed silent. Clay knew that this would be the hardest request to be granted. Knowledge was power, after all, and disclosing secrets to someone who you might not fully trust could endanger the whole city.

  He may be pushing for too much, but for him, this was the most important point in deciding if he would accept this deal or not. To be honest, had he little hope in their so-called scientists, he just wanted their knowledge so that the can look for the solution himself. Not to mention that he was raring to know how Oliver controlled his element, even more so his weaknesses.

  They held eye contact for a few tense seconds that felt like minutes, before Oliver finally said, “I agree under the condition that you do the same and share with us everything that you know now and will find out in the future.”

  “That is only fair,” replied Clay with a smile, offering his hand to seal the deal. Sighing, Oliver took his hand and gave it a firm shook. “Why do I fell like I just made a terrible deal?”

  Releasing his hand, Clay kept his smile. “I guess only the future will tell. Is there anything else?”

  Rising from his seat, Oliver replied, “Not really, but I could explain to you how I control my element.”

  “Right now?”

  “Sure, I took some time off for this meeting, so we should still have plenty of time.”

  Pleasantly surprised by Oliver’s honesty, Clay rose from his seat and beckoned him outside. Standing on the clearing the workers made at the passage for all the materials, Oliver asked, “I guess I start with the name. Do you know why we call ourselves Weaver?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then let me explain,” responded Oliver while stroking over the basalt on his head. “We call us Weaver because it describes best how we do what you might call magic. From an outer perspective, it might seem very easy for us to control our element, but in reality it’s a very delicate art. It's best if I give you an example.”

  Stretching his right hand over the ground, Clay saw how pits and pieces of dirt slowly rose from the ground into his palm, swirling together, before condensing into a ball. “You just witnessed what we call shaping. When we control our element, we only take what is already present, we can’t just form matter from nothing. We always need our element in some form for us to be able to influence it.”

  “Why would you call yourself Weaver, if shaping is a much better term?” Clay asked with a frown. “I mean, you literally shaped the dirt into a ball.”

  Clay could see a smile forming on Oliver’s lips, he had expected that question. “That is where you are wrong. At it’s core we don’t shape our element, we weave it, because we literally perceive our element in hundreds of tendrils, some large, others small. They are all around us and I can influence each of the tendrils to form something new, just grabbing these tendrils and forming them into shapes is rather… fragile.”

  Suddenly Oliver threw the ball of dirt at Clay, who casually caught it, only for the ball to crumble under his touch, not comparable to the dirt Oliver used in their fight which was solid like stone.

  “I said weaving is an art, right?” Oliver asked without waiting for a response. “The ball I just formed was a lousy construct that I forcefully held together by keeping the tendrils in place. I casually shaped if after my imagination.

  “You have to understand that we don’t create things, we just shape something already existing into a new form, by taking existing tendrils and rearranging them into something new. Each mount, hill or rock is built from layers upon layers of these tendrils, influencing them to cause a construct to crumble is relatively easy, but weaving a new construct that is stable? That is a lot harder. The ball I just created was held together by my will and imagination alone, not because I built a proper spell construct.”

  Stretching his right hand again over the ground, the scene from before repeated, but this time the ball of dirt levitated a short while, before also being thrown at him. Catching it effortlessly, the ball of dirt didn’t crumble, on the contrary it seemed as resilient as stone.

  “That is a spell construct or just spell,” stated Oliver. “Shaping is very weak and fragile, the tendrils crumbling under the lightest influence. This spell on the other hand is strong and will continue to exist even without my influence.”

  Thinking for a moment, Oliver said, “You can say we can both shape and weave. Shaping is when we temporarily shape tendrils into a new form. They are not very stable, but incredibly fast and easy to shape in large quantities. I used shaping to form the coffin of dirt around you. It was neither strong nor stable, but the mass alone was enough to keep you in place.

  “Weaving on the other hand is when we take the time to permanently weave the tendrils into a new form, a so-called spell. Even a simple stone consist of many tendrils. The more stable and denser the construct the more tendrils and the harder to influence, they are deeply interwoven and connected, a convergence of tendrils is called a node.

  “To change the stone, I first need to unravel enough nodes before I can properly weave it into something else. When we form our spell, we also use nodes that keep the whole construct in place. Disturb them and the spell fails or goes out of control.

  “These spells once created are strong and can exist without our influence. The wall I erupted from the ground to block your attack was a spell I had prepared beforehand in case something went sought, and I’m glad I did. You broke one of my rips, that day, you know.”

  “Sorry, not sorry,” replied Clay. “I thought you would kill me. Almost did in the end.”

  Nodding, Oliver wisely chose to not reopen that topic. “So in principle no matter what element you can either shape or weave it. Both have their uses, but at its core are always these tendrils.”

  “But I’m guessing the level of control varies between elements, right?” Clay cut in.

  “Indeed,” Oliver replied, without showing a sign of being offended by the interruption. “Each element weaves together differently. Fire for example is a lot more violent and harder to control, you can imagine earth tendrils like steel wire that are hard to bend and influence, while fire tendrils constantly move, making it hard to keep them in a proper spell construct.

  “An earth spell would stay in place as long as it’s properly woven. A fire spell on the other hand would disperse pretty quickly once the connection to the Weaver is lost. Nonetheless, do they undergo the trouble of weaving a proper spell instead of simply shaping fire directly, do you know why?”

  Thinking for a moment, Clay replied, “Well for earth it makes sense as it wouldn’t be able to do any damage, but fire should hurt nonetheless. Maybe to make it more potent?”

  “Yeah, at it’s core,” Oliver replied. “The biggest weakness of a Weaver is a Ward.”

  “A what now?”

  “A Ward. I’m sure you know of it. It’s when you redirect your flow of essence outwards to surround yourself in a protective shielding.”

  Oh. He is talking about an aura shield, Clay thought to himself. “A Ward prevents us from taking control over our element, your essence would disrupt the connection. It simply means we cannot rely on shaping and are forced to rely on our spells. But even then, if a spell comes into contact with a Ward, it will slowly unravel until it disperses.”

  Suddenly having a realization, Clay added, “So that is why the dirt lost it’s ‘life’ once I used my Eruption. Because the erupting essence interfered with your control over the dirt. Which means you wouldn’t have been able to trap me if I just had used a Ward?”

  “Yes,” Oliver affirmed. “I’m glad you didn’t. You probably haven’t encountered many Weaver, we are pretty rare.”

  “I knew someone once, but he sadly passed away…” Clay replied while recounting his memories of Solaire. He would never forget his sacrifice in the fight against the ants.

  “My condolence…” Oliver said before changing the topic. “Do you know about mutations?”

  Shaking his head, Oliver pointed on the basalt forking over his head. “These are mutations. If a spell goes out of control, especially during its construction, it can ‘lash’ out, causing mutations. They can come in many different variations, in my case a few earth tendrils fused with my flesh, petrifying it. I got mine pretty early on, when I overestimated my control and paid dearly for it.”

  “I was wondering where you got those,” Clay said while asking, “You mentioned there aren't a lot of Weaver, how many are we exactly talking?”

  “Seventeen, but from those only a few are able to weave proper spells,” Oliver replied before adding, “Shaping below the stage of Ascension is hardly effective, they need to rely on their spells to be effective in combat.”

  Absently nodding his head, Clay asked, “Any other weaknesses?”

  “I think I explained plenty for now. There is no need to rush, no? You could explain how that Eruption worked, which you mentioned? Its destructive potential is immense, but from what I could see it destroyed your body just as much as the surroundings.”

  “I guess that is only fair,” Clay replied. “It’s very simple. I’m guessing you know that we enhance our body by circulating our essence inside it. For an Eruption to happen, you just need to keep the flow of essence in one place until it becomes violent and erupts, thus the name.”

  Frowning, Oliver asked, “I can see why that would happen, as stillness goes against the nature of essence, but why is your healing so potent?”

  “I dunno,” Clay said with a shrug. “I wasn’t really able to figure that out myself. It has something to do with me surviving Mia’s poison, but the exact reason eludes me.”

  “In this case, you should speak with Degen, he knows the most about Augmenter and how they use essence,” Oliver advised.

  Shuddering at the thought of reuniting with Max, he sighed. “I guess there is no avoiding it if he is also an Ascended.”

  “What happened between you two?” Oliver asked bemused.

  “Nothing specific…” Clay replied, clearly avoiding the details. “Let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye.”

  Well, he could just hope that this reunion would go better than their separation…

  Weaver - are those capable of influencing a certain element by controlling the tendrils of their element thanks to their core. There are two ways of control, shaping and weaving.

  Shaping - is when a Weaver just rearranges the tendrils of their element after their imagination. What shaping lacks in stability, it makes up for in speed and quantity.

  Weaving - is when a Weaver takes the time to weave the tendrils into so-called nodes (a convergence of tendrils) to form a spell construct or just spell. These are much more potent and can last without the continues flow of essence from the Weaver, as long as the element allows it (fire for example is too unstable and energy hungry to exist for long).

  A Ward - is the protective layer of essence Augmenter can form around their body. It was previously referred to as aura shield and is needed to shield the body from the atmosphere during the Conjunction. It can also partially absorb harmful energy exceeding a certain threshold and disturb other essence, like that of a Weaver trying to shape near the body of an Augmenter.

  Eruption - is the technique Clay developed in Chapter 14. It makes use of the law that essence always moves. By going against that nature, the essence becomes highly destructive for both his own body and whatever he hits. It's a very crude technique that can only be used as a last resort or if you have a potent regeneration like Clay does.

  Embarrassing note: Today I noticed that I have made a grave grammatical mistake. When starting direct speech I often wrote "Hello" said Clay while it has to be "Hello" Clay said. I don't know why I did that. Just felt right I guess, but now I have to go back and change that for all chapters, so revising close to 100k of words...