Before Austin started his training, Artas explained the process he needed to go through to become a Copper and what it meant to be a Copper. The major differences between Copper and Lead were having an Essence with an affinity and having at least one stable technique. From Artas’s explanation, it sounded like aligning an Essence to an affinity was the easy part. All it required was meditation without bringing in Aether. Instead, Austin needed to meditate and focus on his Essence to mold it. A technique was a little more involved; it required a specific channeling of Essence into a usable form. Artas explained to Austin that, while he had been channeling Essence, he had been using a more general form, whereas a technique would be much stronger.
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Artas explained that creating a technique would be easier once Austin had gained affinity. So he explained the process for focusing on his Essence and had him start. Artas told Austin that he needed to spend long, consecutive periods to properly mold his Essence. So he expected Austin to sit in meditation for several hours.
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Austin sat against a tree and closed his eyes. As he did, he focused on the image of his Essence. Luckily, Austin had already gotten decent control of it. He was basically at the second stage from Artas’s diagram; now he just needed to make it to the final stage. Artas had told Austin that he needed to carefully impose his own will on the Essence and shape it. If he forced it too much, then his Essence would go out of control. If he did too little, then his Essence would not be affected at all.
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It was a strange process as Austin focused on his Essence. His breathing was rhythmic, but he did not let any Aether in as he focused. Instead, with each breath, he tried to push his will on the candle-like flame inside of him. He had to experiment with it as he pushed his will. There were times that he pushed, and the flame of his Essence seemed to get smaller as if Austin pushed too much of himself. That caused him to do the opposite and push substantially less, and he noticed the Essence did not react at all.
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Once Austin was able to find the right amount to push, the Essence seemed to flicker and reshape each time he pushed. Sometimes the flame grew smaller before it reshaped itself while other times it grew bigger. It was like Austin was fueling a flame with himself. As he did this, his Essence felt less like a separate part of himself and more like it was another organ in his body. Like how he could feel his heart beat or his lungs expand if he focused, but if he did not, then they just naturally operated.
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Austin soon got into a rhythm with his Essence. Each time he took a breath in, he pushed his will on it, causing it to expand for a moment. Then, when he took a breath out, he lessened his force on his Essence. Soon, the flame of his Essence matched the rhythm of his breathing, a slow back and forth.
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Just as Austin thought he could see a change in his Essence, he felt Artas tap him on the shoulder. The outer edges of his Essence started to turn a brilliant silver. The progress made Austin want to continue, but Artas had taken him out of his trance.
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“That’s enough for now,” Artas said. “Molding your Essence is like working out a muscle. You can push yourself too hard and impede your progress.”
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“But I just started to see my Essence change,” Austin protested.
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“Which is good, you are making progress. But if you go much longer, you will reverse your growth,” Artas explained. “Taking breaks is just as important to getting stronger as exercise and meditation.”
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“But I’m going to need to finish soon so I can get back to my wife and son,” Austin said. “I know you said time is slowed, but I still want to get back to them.”
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“I understand,” Artas nodded and placed a comforting hand on Austin’s shoulder. “You want to be with them. Which is a good trait. I promise your time apart will be worth it under my direction.”
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“How long do you think I’ll be apart from them?” Austin asked. “It’s not just about their safety. They are my everything.”
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“Under my direction, it could be a week or two,” Artas said. “At most, that is a little over five and a half hours outside of here. But also, you will grow faster under my direction. To reach Copper outside of here would take a month at the very least, and even that is fast.”
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“What makes being here different besides the slowed time?” Austin asked.
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“Well, you have the direction of a master, but also the Aether of my domain creates an environment that will help facilitate your progress,” Artas explained. “While you may not be drawing it in, I have created an environment where the Aether creates a sort of peace. That peace makes the process of meditation easier and more productive.”
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Austin let out a deep sigh. “Fine, if it really is that much better. I will stay here.”
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“Good to hear,” Artas smiled. “You won’t regret it. Especially since I am not the only one with a shrine in the Survival Game.”
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“Wait, you aren’t?” Austin was shocked.
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“Of course not,” Artas laughed. “The whole point of the Survival Game is to force the people of a planet to gain Essence and increase their strength. It only makes sense to have several masters scattered throughout to help facilitate that growth.”
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“I guess that makes sense,” Austin nodded. “But there has been one thing bothering me about this whole deal. What’s the point in gaining Essence, and why is there a whole game pushing us to do so?”
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“No one really knows, actually,” Artas responded. “There are a million different theories and even whole cultures based on those theories. All we really know is that the universe makes it happen. At some point, the universe decides that a planet’s people are ready for Essence and integrates it.”
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“That seems kind of silly,” Austin said. “I feel like there has to be a reason.”
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“People spend their whole lives trying to find the reason, and no one has,” Artas shrugged. “Just the way things go.”
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“Do you have any theories?” Austin asked.
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“I don’t subscribe to any particular theory,” Artas replied. “I don’t think there is a point in thinking about it. Instead, I focus on my own growth.”
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“So do a lot of people at your level think like that?” Austin asked.
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“Every person who makes it to my level has different thoughts and beliefs. Just like regular people,” Artas laughed. “Just because we have a deeper understanding of Essence doesn’t mean we aren’t people.”
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“Right, that makes sense. I do have another question, though,” Austin said.
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“Of course you do,” Artas smiled. “You are just filled with them.”
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“I mean, there is a lot I don’t understand, of course I have questions,” Austin tried to explain himself. “I’m sure when you started out, you were the same.”
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“I was. It is almost nostalgic seeing you be so inquisitive,” Artas replied. “Now what was your question?”
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“You said there were other masters, right? Well, were you guys forced into this or what? I guess I don’t understand what you get out of it,” Austin said.
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“For the most part, we aren’t forced into it,” Artas explained. “But each of us has different reasons. One of the most common is the fact it gives us a foothold on a new planet.”
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“That’s important? Why?” Austin asked.
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“When a planet is integrated, it has the chance to grow a myriad of resources,” Artas explained further. “I’m sure you are aware of Essence Fruit? Well, that’s a very basic resource for Essence development, but there are many more. Some are more specialized than others. Once you get further on your path, you need those specialized resources to improve your Essence. After a certain point, taking in Aether is not enough. You either have to gather resources or fight powerful opponents.”
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“Ah, I get it. Survival Games are like your chance to sponsor someone,” Austin nodded. “Does that mean you would take on a bunch of students?”
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“Not exactly,” Artas said. “We are only allowed one direct student. Now you can share everything I teach you with your companions, but a master can only pick one student.”
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“Oh wow,” Austin was shocked by that statement and felt a little flattered. “So you gave up the chance for another student to pick me?”
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“Exactly! So I would feel honored if I were you,” Artas smiled. “Of all the possible students, you are the one I picked.”
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“I mean I just sort of found your shrine by dumb luck, right? Anyone could have found it before me,” Austin said before he added. “I’m not complaining. Just like the truth of the matter.”
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“Yes and no,” Artas said. “Not just anyone could find me. The Aether from my shrine sort of puts out a specific frequency. Only certain people would be able to detect it based on their personality. I didn’t want just anyone finding it. Now you had to follow the Aether, but it was always going to find someone like you.”
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“Someone like me? What does that mean?” Austin asked.
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“The Survival Game does crazy things to people,” Artas said. “People lose their morality in pursuit of survival. I wanted someone who stood strong by their beliefs and morality in the face of the Game.”
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“I know you said you could see my Essence and get an idea of my personality, but that sounds very specific,” Austin commented.
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“It’s a lot to explain, and we need to move on,” Artas sighed. “Just know that there are many different ways I can direct Aether at my stage.”
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“Fine, I’ll take that for now,” Austin sighed.
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“Good, now time for next steps,” Artas said as he walked away from Austin and into his shrine.
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Artas’s arms were filled with books as he walked out of his shrine. On top of the books, he balanced several vials of blue liquid and a small brown pouch. The impressive warrior looked almost comical as he carefully swayed back and forth to make sure that the vials and pouch did not fall off. Once he returned, he carefully set the books down next to Austin.
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“What’s all that for?” Austin tried to control a laugh as he looked over the comically large stack of books.
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“Research and development!” Artas exclaimed. “You didn’t think it was all about teaching you proper meditation, did you? Of course not! Within these books are fundamentals of creating a technique and stories of various warriors and their techniques. You can use those stories for inspiration!”
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“Stories? That doesn’t sound very technical,” Austin’s voice was filled with skepticism.
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“Mastering your Essence is both an art and a science, young man,” Artas flourished with his hands like a stage actor. “There are very technical aspects to it that you need to understand. But great technique comes from creativity and inspiration. The techniques displayed in these stories are legendary and will serve as great inspiration.”
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“Couldn’t I just read about the techniques? Why should I read a story?” Austin asked. “Seems like a lot of extra time to me.”
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“You miss the soul of the techniques if you just read some manual about it,” Artas sighed. “You need to understand the soul. Besides, who doesn’t like a good story?”
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“I’m still not quite sure what you mean,” Austin said. “But I guess I’ll listen to you.”
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“Yes, you will, because I’m your master and I know best,” Artas said jovially. Austin found it odd that he never had a demanding tone; instead, he seemed to always be in a good mood. “Now get to it, my pupil!”
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“Wait, what about those vials and the bag?” Austin asked as he pointed to the top of the books.
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“Silly me! I almost forgot,” Artas smacked his head with his hand before grabbing one of the vials. He started to roll the vial between his fingers as he continued to speak. “This is the really great thing about having me as a master. These elixirs act as sort of conductors. They continue the process of your meditation and enhance the results. Go ahead and drink it.”
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Artas tossed the vial to Austin. Austin was caught off guard for a moment and almost dropped it. “Just drink it?”
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“Yep, down the hatch!” Artas smiled.
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Austin nodded and tipped the vial back and forth. He watched the blue liquid move throughout the vial. Unlike the pale blue of pure Essence, it was a more sapphire color. He carefully flicked the cork off the top of the vial and tipped it back into his mouth like taking a shot. For a moment, he did not feel any different. Then suddenly, his back arched backward as an icy cold chill ran through his body.
