Xukali’s feet started dragging through the snow as Ma’u pulled her along. Xukali clutching at their gut just below their ribs. An unfamiliar burning ache that was beginning to travel through their body.

  “Come on, we’re almost there,” Ma’u said, taking a breath, “Just look, it’s so close.”

  Xukali looked up, seeing the dim, warm glow just a few steps away. Biting their lip, she forced herself to lift their feet higher as they walked forward.

  Finally reaching it, Xukali took a moment to catch their breath. Ma’u going to wake everyone. Xukali, after a moment of rest, following suit, getting the potion’s Relu and Karu had taken before out of Relu’s bag. The glass bottles separated into two small servings, pouring it into the two sleeping mouths and making sure they swallowed.

  Relu sat up, eyes fuzzy, “Wha-what’s happening?” they slurred, and looked around, “It’s too dark to be morning.”

  “Bandits, they'll probably be on our trail soon. We can’t waste time.”

  “What…” Relu pinched the bridge of their nose, “Oh, ok,” they got out of their hammock, taking a breath.

  Then they all started packing, frantically taking everything they could. Forced to leave things behind, like the second sled and some supplies. Even though they were already short on almost everything.

  Then they were off, dredging through the snow. Walking in a line so anyone following them couldn't tell how many people there were, by Relu’s suggestion. Soon, they were finally given signs of progress downward. The snow grows thinner and thinner, sometimes not even there, the scrub and forest thicket popping up in dense patches.

  “So,” Relu said, “Now that I’m finally awake, can you tell me what happened, Xukali?”

  “Well, um, last night, Ma’u saw something. So I checked it out. And well they saw me. Nearly got killed, but thankfully, Ma’u got to me in time.”

  “Why’d you go investigate them without her?”

  “Well, she’s a child? And plus I didn’t want to leave y’all alone without someone to warn you.”

  “Still, you should’ve done so; her senses are amazing. You could’ve stayed a safe distance and this would’ve never happened.”

  “We-well,” she stuttered, her face turning red, “Well, why don’t you come up with something better?”

  Relu creased their brow, “I just did...”

  Xukali felt the heat in their face burning. They tried to move their mouth to talk, but they kept it shut. Grinding their teeth.

  And they kept on treading in the snow, then Ma’u let out a squeak like a mouse.

  “There’s people near, I-I think one of them is the Elf one you met, Xukali,” she half whispered to the rest of the group.

  They split rapidly, hiding all over the place. Relu, Ma’u, and I’ama hiding behind an outcropping of rock. Xukali hiding in the brush, delving into the thicket, branches scratching at her.

  Karu pushing Mei and the sled into the lower branches of the trees. Barely getting him in when the Bandits reached them. Pressing his body flat against the tree as they walked by him, Karu circling it so they wouldn’t see him.

  Darting farther away as soon as he was in a blind spot. The group of three bandits standing directly below Mei, dangling in the branches.

  The pointy-eared one in the middle of his group covered in burn marks, another covered in a cloak head to toe with a blood red mask. The third one, shorter than even I’ama with a cat-like face but with only wisps of fur, and a gray skin tone, led the group, its eyes to the ground.

  “What is it, Egir?” The burned one said.

  “The tracks, it seems they did something or separated here, Shard.”

  The burned one Shard tsked, and said with a sneer, “Can you at least tell me how many there are now?”

  “Five, it seems, and they’re also dragging supplies if I'm not mistaken. I suspect they’ll have to abandon it soon with the lack of snow smoothing its path. That’ll give us another solid reference point to catch them.”

  “Good, then do your tracking ritual.”

  Egir hesitated, “Sir, are you sure this is a good idea? The ritual is rather expensive, and this is already a good enough hint to let us find them by itself. And plus, couldn't we leave them be? I don’t think they’re soldiers or scouts.”

  “They could be, though. They could report where our camp is, and we can’t have an army marching on us in our sleep.”

  “This seems like a… waste to be blunt. And if this is about your pride being-”

  “Pride!” Shard interrupted, his mouth unmoving but his mask-like face moving with expression, “Pride, Egir is one of the fundamental laws of us Practitioners, nay the world. Pride allows us to trade in good faith. It keeps us accountable to the truth, not like a goblin, like you would know. And let’s not forget Egir,” he said, drawing out each syllable,” You owe me a debt. And this is how I determine it shall be repaid. Or are you breaking your word?” Shard said, staring directly into Egir’s eyes, face solid.

  Egir took a step back, “No, I would never, sir.”

  “Then get to it.”

  The gray skin goblin sat on the ground, pouring a circle made of sparkling white dust around himself. Drawing characters of an unfamiliar language inside the circle. Placing four pouches in the cardinal directions. Then started chanting, holding up a strand of bright red hair, much like I’ama’s. Xukali’s stomach sinking at the sight.

  The white powder glowed a bright silver, the pouches slumping over like whatever was inside then had evaporated. Then the goblin opened his eyes, now glowing the same silver as the light earlier. He pointed in the direction of Relu and the sisters.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Then the glow in his eyes faded. The hum of power in the air disappearing, only noticeable in its absence along with the powder. He sat up, brushing dirt off his pants, then the three bandits started in the direction he had pointed. Relu and the sisters were none the wiser.

  Xukali waved wildly as conservatively as they could in their hiding spot in the thicket without being seen by the bandits. Successfully getting Relu’s attention they gestured to the side and mouthed ‘Bandits’.

  Relu’s eyes widened. They grabbed their pack, rifling through it as quietly as they could, pulling out a metal box. Taking the pelt of the Remnant that had attacked them, handing it to Ma’u. Whispering instructions to them as all three held onto the ghostly fur.

  The bandit’s just turning the bend around the rock where they were. Then Relu and the sisters disappeared like they never existed. The bandits walking right past them, and beyond to the forest, swallowed up by the woods.

  A minute or so later, while everybody stayed hidden with bated breath, Relu and the sisters popped back into existence. Ma’u slumping over, I’ama and Relu catching her. The Remnant’s pelt nowhere to be seen.

  “Make sure to get her enough food and water when she wakes,” Relu told I’ama while she held her sister, “And tell her to cycle to. She won’t feel right without mana in her core, especially so soon after awakening.”

  “Thank you,” Xukali said, brushing her red hair out of her face.

  Then the rest of the group came out of hiding, Xukali brushing leaves off their clothes. Going to Mei, trying to pull him out of the tree, the tips of their fingers not even brushing the bottom-most branches he was perched on. Then they notice Karu walking towards her.

  “I can do it myself,” she snarled.

  “Yeah, definitely. You’re constant display of reliable incompetence gives me confidence. Like basically sending bandits after us, kinda reminds me of your parents,” he said, pulling Mei down.

  Xukali twitched, opening her mouth to speak.

  “Stop it, you two!” Relu interjected, “Don’t even think of talking to each other. Alright,” they said with the authority of a king, or more aptly, like a parent scolding their child.

  Both of them shut up, Relu walking towards the two. Xukali stiffened as they got closer, but Relu ignored them, sitting next to Mei, cradled in a blanket.

  “What’cha doin'?”

  “Those bandits earlier, they were right.”

  “About?” Xukali crossed her arms.

  “We can’t keep pulling him forever. So I’ll have to at least try to heal him at least enough so he can walk some of the distance himself. Or run if the bandits catch up.”

  “Oh,” Xukali said, relaxing.

  “Now get going, I’ll need to be alone to concentrate for this. Oh, and I swear to the Ruler of the Hells if you two throw a temper tantrum, I’ll throw you all off a cliff. Ok?”

  They nodded, leaving promptly. Giving Relu a moment of peace

  They sat silently, breathing in and out rhythmically, preparing their mana channels. Then they took out the dark green pill I’ani had given them. Placing it in between their teeth and biting down.

  The pill evaporating in an instant. Filling their mouth with the taste of mulch and tingling energy. Relu grimacing, forcing the power into their core, then pushing it through their channels. The excess of power leaking out of them rapidly. Feeling like pins and needles pushing out of their skin.

  Gritting their teeth, Relu put their hands on Mei. Forcing as much mana through him as they could. Pushing more and more of it into his spirit to fix the parts run ragged at its first use. Guiding it into the shapes that it wanted, the channels twisting and turning in unexpected ways. But Relu didn’t fight it, the soul knew what it needed more than anyone else.

  Finally solidifying his core to help him contain his power. Pushing all the free energy that was floating around his spirit into it. Relu scouring his soul till they couldn’t find anymore.

  Then the foggy reality of the spiritual was replaced by the blurry world of the physical. Tears falling out of their eyes as their own spirit screamed in pain, Relu whipping them away. Feeling a steady trickle of sweat as they caught their breath. The ache of their overused spirit channels fading but still a constant faint sensation, like white noise.

  When they finally came to, they saw Mei fluttering his eyes open. His two spirit avatars appearing and wrapping around him. The grass around where Mei had lain, grown to head height and connected together like a web wherever they touched from the mana that had gone loose.

  Xukali rushed over, wrapping Mei in a tight hug. Letting out a sigh that she’d been holding for a long time. Relu noticing that the Purple Viper hadn’t reacted to her touch.

  “Are you ok?” she demanded of Mei.

  “Uh, uh… Can you speak quieter, please? My head feels like it’s been split apart.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Xukali said in a whisper, “But besides that, anything?”

  “Everything, just everything.”

  “That’s to be expected,” Relu said, turning their voice to a whisper when they saw Mei wince, “I just helped you create your Spirit Channels, Core, and Meridians. You should’ve awakened them when there was enough mana condensed in your soul. But I suspect you were using your Pill Elixir when you used your power for the first time, Right?”

  He nodded

  “The extra power destabilized them, and so the mana was just floating around your body. Disrupting all sorts of important things. Forcing your soul to shut the body down to sort out its issues so your physical wouldn’t explode. And I mean that quite literally.”

  Mei’s eyes widened.

  “Take that as a warning now not to absorb too much Mana. And also, congratulations, you're officially a Practitioner now.”

  “Really?” Mei said, his eyes still wide but softening around the edges. Holding up his hand, the Purple Viper slithering up his arm, “So you’re my Avatar, eh, little buddy.”

  “Yes dumbass,” It hissed.

  Mei frowned, “You could talk?” Mei shook his head, “Wait, aren’t we technically the same being? You’re included in that insult.”

  “Me two,” the Bronze six-legged snake said.

  Mei jumped at the voice in his ear. He turned his head, seeing the snake, ”Sorry, didn’t notice you.”

  “Ahem,” Relu cleared their throat, interrupting them, “As much as it’s important to be familiar with your Avatars, we should make way while it’s still day.”

  “Yeah, you're right,” Mei stood up, legs slightly wobbly. Stretching and warming them up as the group got ready once again to make their way down the mountain.

  The air growing thicker along with the foliage, the rising suns warming the land, and fogging up the air with boiled dew. A cool stream gurgling beside them.

  Mei walking next to Relu, trying to find the right time to talk. But finally just forcing himself to, “So, um, Relu?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So you said I’m a Practitioner now. Right?”

  They nodded.

  “So, how do I, you know, do it? When I was fighting that Beast, it felt so natural, but well… I’ve been trying again, but I can’t now?”

  “Hmm, what have you been doing?”

  “Well, I’ve tried to feel like I was filled with power, and I was using the advice the old man gave about cycling. Trying to visualize it and stuff, you know what everyone else has been doing”

  “Well, I think that’s where you're going wrong.”

  “What?”

  “Trying to do what everyone else is when you’re very much not like us.”

  “I know, but how? Everybody keeps telling me that, but not explaining it. They just keep on saying ‘do it differently’ when they barely explain what I’m even supposed to do or feel in the first place, and that's not-not,” Mei let out a sigh, “Sorry I shouldn’t have gotten like that, sorry if I annoyed you.”

  “Oh, no, you didn’t. Let me explain this in a different way then: your core, meridian, and channels are all reflections of your soul. Or to put it more broadly, you. The first steps should always feel natural, like you're simply breathing. This applies to everyone; most people have slightly different ways of doing things, even if they do the same thing. Now I can’t tell you what the steps you take should be since I’m not you and considering your condition, but I can give you a piece of advice. Think back to the first time you used your power in that Ravine with the Sacred Beast, every sensation, every emotion, and every thought. And think of the small things that you would ignore as normal, a habit, or a reflex. Look deeper into them, those are usually where the extraordinary lies.”

  Mei looked thoughtful, then said, “Thank you. Really, thank you.

  Then a whisper interrupted them that had went through the group, starting with Ma’u, and conveyed to them one by one till it reached Relu and Mei via Karu.

  “The bandit’s, their near.”