Tablecontents

Tablecontents
Chapter 1 :
Chapter 2 :
Chapter 3 :
Chapter 4 :
Chapter 5 :
Chapter 6 :
Chapter 7 :
Chapter 8 :
Chapter 9 :
Chapter 10 :
Chapter 11 :
Chapter 12 :
Chapter 13 :
Chapter 14 :
Chapter 15 :
Chapter 16 :
Chapter 17 :
Chapter 18 :
Chapter 19 :
Chapter 20 :
Chapter 21 :
Chapter 22 :
Chapter 23 :
Chapter 24 :
Chapter 25 :
Chapter 26 :
Chapter 27 :
Chapter 28 :
Chapter 29 :
Chapter 30 :
Chapter 31 :
Chapter 32 :
Chapter 33 :
Chapter 34 :
Chapter 35 :
Chapter 36 :
Chapter 37 :
Chapter 38 :
Chapter 39 :
Chapter 40 :
Chapter 41 :
Chapter 42 :
Chapter 43 :
Chapter 44 :
Chapter 45 :
Chapter 46 :
Chapter 47 :
Chapter 48 :
Chapter 49 :
Chapter 50 :
Chapter 51 :
Chapter 52 :
Chapter 53 :
Chapter 54 :
Chapter 55 :
Chapter 56 :
Chapter 57 :
Chapter 58 :
Chapter 59 :
Chapter 60 :
Chapter 61 :
Chapter 62 :
Chapter 63 :
Chapter 64 :
Chapter 65 :
Chapter 66 :
Chapter 67 :
Chapter 68 :
Chapter 69 :
Chapter 70 :
Chapter 71 :
Chapter 72 :
Chapter 73 :
Chapter 74 :
Chapter 75 :
Chapter 76 :
Chapter 77 :
Chapter 78 :
Chapter 79 :
Chapter 80 :
Chapter 81 :
Chapter 82 :
Chapter 83 :
Chapter 84 :
Chapter 85 :
Chapter 86 :
Chapter 87 :
Chapter 88 :
Chapter 89 :
Chapter 90 :
Chapter 91 :
Chapter 92 :
Chapter 93 :
Chapter 94 :
Chapter 95 :

Chapter 1 :
TF Chapter 1 My Dream

The smell of the sulphuric toxic air, the warmth

caressing my skin, the solid warm ground beneath my
feet, and the hazy orange glow in the atmosphere...all
these served to set flames of excitement onto my
heart, like adding petrol to smoldering wood. Finally! I
had finally managed to make it to this unusual
continent!
What was more amazing though was the adaptation
of my body to the environment...wow! The way a
bunch of rewritten genetic sequencies are able to
alter a fragment of my being to survive in this toxic
atmosphere was just too, what is the word...amazing!

First of all, this atmosphere had zero oxygen as it

would be burning right about now, so my body's
genes had been programmed to develop an oxygen
storing organ! It really made me happy, since I had
been grumbling about spending my hard earned
money on the transformation the previous month. All
these changes were engineered to last for five whole
years!

How the times change! A month ago, I was sitting

behind my desk at the office, typing away and working
my butt off just like the other normal humans in the
empire...now, I was about to embark on the path of
becoming a super being, a forger!
The word alone elicited excitement within me. I took
in a deep breath, mind you, this air was useless to my
lungs, which were now coated in a thin organic
film...anyway, this was a whole new beginning for me.
It was chance to rise from a common mortal to a
super human, besides, I had literally spent all my
savings just to get to this continent. I should at least
gain something for it, right?

After a few moments of admiring the new changes to

my body, I started walking. The ground was releasing
heat that was five times the boiling point of water, but
all I felt was the warmth of an air conditioner, hooray
to gene editing!

Being a forger had been a lifelong dream of mine,

from the moment I had been a teenager, now aged
45. The good thing about this was that I still had over
300 years of living, provided I didn't die off because of
those forger conflicts and dangerous planetary
explorations I had heard so much about!

I conjured up all the information I knew about this

continent, it was something that had simply popped
up one day from the depths of the molten seas of the
sun...hehehehe...crazy right? I am literally standing on
the sun, though the ground from the continent was
protecting my body from the millions of degrees of
heat and the burning molten ocean beneath, anyway,
we, as a species had just discovered interstellar travel
at the time. The first human who managed to set foot
on this continent discovered the way of forging,
ushering in a new era. That was some 600 years ago.

As I walked, I took in my surroundings, no plant life or

animal life visible, though, I heard that there were
some peculiar underground fauna and flora, though,
those tunnels were somewhere within Musana city,
my current destination. I had been dropped off just a
few days away...(why couldn't they have dropped me
off right at the gates, the idiotic money
grabbers!)...and was in the middle making my way
towards it.

A Forger; that was someone who stood at the pinnacle

of human life, capable of enjoying boundless riches! I
wanted to really become one as I had gotten bored of
spending my life as a mere mortal human. Honestly, it
was tiring simply working from paycheck to paycheck!
I had been so busy and focussed that I hadn't even
gotten the chance to date! My colleagues always
pestered me to find someone...but why would I? I
wanted to become a forger! A being whose lifespan
surpassed that of the human average, 450 years. I
never said anything about that dream as they would
have made fun of me, but now that I am here, maybe I
should date after advancing as a forger, right? Though,
it should be another forger woman. I wouldn't want to
have to watch someone grow old while am still in my
youth, honestly, that wouldn't be good for the both of
us involved.
Anyway, I don't know how much time has passed, but
I am starting to get tired. Seating in one place and not
walking long distances is really bad for the body...will I
really be able to get to the city in the next few days? I
wondered. I wasn't carrying anything extra except for
the black skin tight suit that looked like something out
of an assassin's futuristic wardrobe. Good thing it was
so advanced that it didn't cause heat to be trapped
inside it or else I would have been discarding the
damn thing right about now. For someone like me,
who was used to somehow larger wear, something
this clingy was uncomfortable.

I moved along for several days, with hunger not being

an issue due to another energy storage function
within my stomach, before the city walls loomed on
the edge of my vision. Yes, I had a device for keeping
time, a watch, the only piece of technology allowed on
the continent. Apparently, the forger in charge of this
continent had made such a rule, giving the reason that
a human in his or her most primal nature was more
likely to breakthrough the mortal threshold. I was
starting to dislike this rule...if I had had a GPS right
about now, I wouldn't have had to gaze in every
direction, hoping that I was going the right way! Those
money grabbing idiots had only said to go straight! As
is human nature, I didn't trust them, so I decided to
follow the direction, but keep on the look out in other
directions, though, now they had proven themselves
right. I didn't want to admit that, but had to.

A deep breath once again...the smell of baked earth

really is delicious!

-----

Have you ever stood in front of a mountain or a

skyscraper whose very height, surpassed the cloud
cover? The feeling you get the first time upon seeing
such a marvel was what I was feeling upon laying eyes
on the brown city walls just a kilometer away. It was
overwhelming and gave a sense of majesty. I
wondered within myself how someone could have
built this! It wasn't made of stone or anything, only
the red soil beneath my feet! If I was one of those
explorer people, I might have even mistaken it for a
canyon wall or a cliff or something.

How had it not crumbled?! How was it standing there

just like that?! Honestly, it resembled something a kid
who was playing in the dirt might construct with their
hands! It both puzzled and amazed me.

"Did you come here as a tourist?" A question from my

back reminded me that I was in a line and my
marvelling had stalled those walking behind, so I
hurried to move forward.

"I wasn't berating you or anything, just curious." The

voice once again came from behind me, a
youngster...from the tone. It was male, that much I
could tell, though, I swivelled my head to get a
glimpse and blue eyes with blond short curls entered
my vision, plus the streamlined athletic build. The
man...no, boy, to me was lithe and well built while I
had wasted away all my hours sitting on a desk
working long hours. I felt envious...if it wasn't for the
fact that a potbelly could be removed with just a
simple protein edit, I might have arrived with such a
baggage on this continent. Though, that made me
more envious, as his athleticism highlighted my
contrasting scrawny form.

But, why was the boy speaking to me? I wasn't one of

those people whom someone would want to hold a
conversation with due to my demeanor and looks.
Due to my origins being the state of Uganda, I was
black skinned, with a very serious looking expression,
almost bordering on sternness. Most people who saw
my face always tried to give a wide berth, so what
gives? I was one of those people whom you would
think their profession was that of a teacher from the
moment you first got a look at me.
"Why would I spend my hard earned salary on
touring? Only the rich heirs have such a pastime." I
answered, after seeing the youth's expensive body
suit. The grimace had already given him
away...another rich kid with too much money and
time on his hands. Clicking my tongue and shaking my
head, I turned my attention back to the front. It was
better I got rid of his image lest I develop jealousy and
other negative feelings. This was supposed to be a
new and exciting start, such negative things would
only serve to dampen my spirits.

I scanned the line...mostly those I could see...only to

be wowed by the variety of humans within the line.
From the Asians to Africans to the Europeans. This
was the first time I had seen a crowd holding so many
different versions of humanity.

A sigh escaped my lips at how embarking on the path

of the forger drew multitudes...though, I knew that
the failure rate was high. If in five years you couldn't
advance, Musana city booted you off the continent. If
you tried to stay on the continent, heh! Then you had
to ensure that the genetic manipulation would last
longer, which could only be done away from
continent! That alone ensured that there were zero
stowaways on this continent.

My hands clenched in resolve...I had to become a

forger! This was my only chance! If I failed...I hadn't
made plans for such a possibility.

"Nathaniel Bosingwa."

The line had moved while I had been mulling over

things, the kilometer from gate having shrunk to the
point that I was right at the large entrance...no,
scratch that! It was huge!
"Nathaniel Bosingwa!" My name was uttered once
again, this time with a note of impatience within.

My attention was drawn away from the magnificence

of the arched entrance to the two people standing in
front of me. One was a woman, lithe and fit, just like
the youth behind me. Her black hair was tied up
behind in a ponytail, showing off her smooth round
face. A frown was currently marring her features,
dissatisfied that I hadn't answered, so I hurriedly
acknowledged while stealing a glance at the long list
of names in her hands, written on some woven
material.

These people really took the rule of no technology to

the extreme!

Anyway, after she ticked off my name, I was allowed

into the city proper, where the temperature abruptly
rose, catching me off guard. If the outside had been
lukewarm, then this was essentially the same as being
thrown into a pot of boiling water!

I searched for the source, only to see trenches of

orange on both sides of the road.

Was that molten metal? How were they have keeping

it flowing like that? I was amazed! There were no
external sources of heat that I could see, so why was
the metal molten? Not to mention that it was flowing?
I scuttled close to appreciate the wonder, only to
pause five meters away. The temperature at this point
was already causing my body to feel as if all the
moisture was being wrung out!

"Amazing!" A puff of air blasted out of my mouth with

the word.

"Nathaniel!"
"What!!!" I growled. My ears had already recognised
the person, the youth. Hadn't I made it clear that I
didn't want anything to do with him? Why the hell
was he calling my name? Had I cared to listen when
his was being read out? NO!

My face must have been terrifying on the turn, cause

he took a step back, a glimpse of fear and uncertainity
on his face.

"We may have started off on the wrong foot. My

name's Danny, Danny Whitmore."

"So, now that you have finished with the introduction,

what do you want from me?" I asked, my face
probably painting a scowl.
"You are here to become a forger, right? Why don't
we become friends? I also came for the same
purpose."

Ah, youth! My gaze softened when I caught the fear in

his gaze, that of rejection. But it also caused me to
wonder...

"Aren't there other people your age? Why do you

insist on sticking to me?"

"...intuition."

Intuition!? Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?! Is he crazy?!

What intuition?!

"Hey! If you want to lie, something better would have

worked, like, 'I don't have any other friends.' Or
something!" I raised my voice only to lower it upon
catching the glares of the passerbys.

"I am really not lying! You can believe me on that!"

The youth shook his hands and head vigorously.

Could it be that he wasn't lying? I tried to read his

facial expression, seeing only genuineness. What am I
going to do with him? Could I really harden my heart
and turn him away? I could, but then it would eat
away at my mind later, wouldn't it?

I sighed, this time in exasperation. I wondered why I

couldn't have sighed in amazement, instead of this?
What a pain!

"Okay, Danny. Are you headed to the Musana Forging

Institute?" I asked, though already knowing the
answer. There was no way a rich boy like him couldn't
have afforded it. Curses! I had to work for 20 years
just to scrounge enough to get in, yet, his parents had
probably already arranged this path from the get go!
How infuriating!

But I didn't let any of this make it to my expression. I

had to show the image of a senior citizen, not a
jealousy driven nincompoop, right?

"Danny boy, trust is something that I don't have for

you right now, so, we shall have a deal-like
relationship. What can you offer me in exchange for
following me around?" I asked while moving along the
road, having decided to abandon gazing at the stream
of molten metal because I was starting to feel weird
gazes upon my skin. I had already realised that most
of the people who set foot upon this continent had
some status, so they already had an idea of what
existed in this place. I came off as a commoner in their
eyes when I gazed a little too long at the streams of
molten metal, so I decided not to embarrass myself
further.

I felt Danny fall in beside me, his eagerness a puzzle to

me. Why did he trust his so-called intuition do much?
Was it even real?

"I can fill you in with some information I have about

Musana city and the continent at large."

What an astute youth! He had already picked out that

I had come from the boonies. There was no use hiding
it, so I decided to simply accept it as it was.

"Okay, first, tell me more about the Musana Forging

Institute. All the other things can wait." It was better
to gain information about the place I was heading to
first. That would allow me to mentally prepare myself
for what was to come. I had done a bit of research
myself but the information had been scant, the higher
authority having deliberately hidden most of the
knowledge.

"Well...maybe I will start with the courses that can be

taken..." After some thought from Danny, he started.

I, Nathaniel had had the dream of becoming a forger

for such a long time that anything related to it had the
effect of stimulating my excitement. So, I perked up
my ears and took in all the information Danny had to
offer.

Honestly, it was enlightening and allowed me to gain a

basic understanding of the institute. I thanked my
lucky stars that the lad had chosen to follow me. If he
had not, I might have blundered from muddling my
way through.
The journey to where I was heading, no where we
were heading was quite long, but finally, we managed
to reach within a distance that allowed the institute's
looming construct to fall into our eyes.

"By the way, where do you come from? I am from the

state of North America." Danny's question caught me
off guard initially, before I regained myself. I had been
so caught up in absorbing knowledge of this place that
I had forgotten about these basic courtesies. We had
to at least have a smidgen of information about each
other. I had forgotten something like that.

"I come from the state of Uganda."

"Really?! The place that produced the first forger!

How amazing!!!" He squealed in delight, his eyes
lighting up with a fanatical light.
Yeah yeah! I had seen his reaction many times from
the others, so it was normal to me. So what if Uganda
had produced the first forger? It had absolutely no
relation with me, so I hadn't been excited about that.
What I really cared about was me. Someone else's
achievements only mattered if they were related to
me...but when they were not, I didn't give a shit.

"I heard 'Musana' means the Sun in your native

language, is that true?"

"Hoh...it looks like you did your research. That is true."

At least the guy had decided to remember where he
had come from and gave the city an appropriate
name. That was worthy of the tiny sliver of pride in my
heart, right?

Musana city was divided into four quadrants with the

institute occupying the centre. No building within was
over two stories tall and they were all brown, the
bricks having been baked from the soil on the
continent. The buildings looked very crude to my eyes
since I had been used to well-sculpted skyscrapers. It
put into perspective how I was starting over here,
having left the great of what our civilisation had to
offer to come and toil away here.

But I had also been toiling away there. Life had been
comfy, true, but I had had nothing that could let me
feel excitement. It had been dull, boring and
monotonous. Now that I had set foot on this
continent, my heart was thrumming with excitement!
The path of the forger was just within my grasp! After
all that toiling away to save up money, I had finally
embarked on the road of following my dream! Was
Danny also feeling the same way, or was it that he had
no particular care about how life changing this
opportunity was?

I looked at his side profile as he gazed at the towering

building in front of us, but all I saw was calmness.
Could it be that he had been here before, or was it
because of something else? I wondered. He had acted
excited when I had revealed my origin, so why weren't
the youth's eyes lighting up at the sight of the
institute?

"Are you really here to become a forger, Danny boy?"

I asked. If he had come here with some other motive, I
was going to ditch him. People with ulterior motives
brought trouble, and I wanted to be as far away from
trouble as I could.

'Anyway, I will deal with it when it comes.'

I decided to ignore that for the time being as I waited

for his ans-...I blinked multiple times after moving my
gaze from the looming building to the walls
surrounding it.
Did they just ripple, or was it a figment of my
imagination?

I decided to look closely, and behold, the silver shine

just rippled as if it was water! How amazing! With my
subconscious being drawn in, my feet automatically
carried me to the wall, where I proceeded to stare at
it closely.

Since I didn't know a lot about metal, I couldn't

determine what it was, though, it gave off a shine akin
to that of stainless steel.

'This must be an alloy, something advanced...there is

no way it would ripple like that otherwise.' I
concluded, not caring if I was being looked at weirdly.
The flows of molten metal hadn't drawn my curiosity
as much as this wall. I raised a finger and gave a poke,
causing a ripple to originate from the point, spreading
away, and fading.
'It is solid...I thought my finger was going to sink into
it...how profound!'

"Nathaniel, we will miss the entrance ceremony."

A hesitant voice called to me, the one of that certain

Danny...right! The entrance ceremony! I hurriedly
checked my watch and it was still about 5 hours away
from the event, though, I allowed myself to go with
the youth.

"The wall rippled...did you see that?!" I asked, half

amazed and half excited. The question that I really
wanted to ask was, what was that? How can a wall
ripple? Was that the latest technology? But Musana
city had long since banned technology within its
confines.
"Congrats Nat Senior, you have just been introduced
to spirit metal." The youth had the gall to be cheeky
with me! We hadn't yet become that close! Except
that I quickly put that to the back of my mind as
another question popped up...

"What is spirit metal?"

I had heard and watched the crazy feats created by

forgers in their spirit armors...could it be that this was
the raw material? How is it made?...and a bunch of
other questions swarm to the fore from the depths of
my mind.

"It will be better if you learn about it at the institute. I

am not qualified to explain it in a way you can
understand, sorry." Danny answered.
'...how frustrating! Now I have to make sure that I
definitely get myself there on time!' I thought even as
we circled the wall, which was still producing the
occasional ripple across its surface.

"Senior Nathaniel...why did you choose to become a

forger?"

Now, that was a question I didn't want to answer as it

would be embarrassing for me. Could I really say that
it had been a dream of mine ever since I was young?
An adult like me spurting such a line to a youth would
really hurt my street crad.

"To become great. Haven't you seen those

magnificent feats of superhumanly power?" I decided
to give out a lie. Its not like the youth could tell, right?
"If you don't want to tell me, then its fine...there is no
need to lie."

Huh?! How did he know that I was lying?!

"How can you tell?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could

without exposing my inner shock.

"I told you Nathaniel, my intuition." He answered

while pressing his palm upon his forehead, with a
confidence I couldn't quite fathom.

"...I don't know whether I should believe you or not." I

shook my head and continued on. The rest of the
journey was uneventful until we came upon the gate.
This appeared to be even more magnificent than that
arched-entrance of the city. It was golden, but in a
way that it was shining. It was like looking at a very
weak version of the sun, not to mention that its light
somehow made my body feel warmer.

This wasn't a misconception on my part, it really did

make my body warmer! It had even been shaped in a
circular shape with patterns resembling flames at the
edges.

We didn't dawdle, even though personally, I would

have liked to stare at the magnificent piece of artwork
more intensely.

As we entered, the main building of the institute came

into my eyes, a dull looking piece of work, really! It
was like a rusted piece that had seen the ages long
past. How could they have built such a magnificent
boundary, yet botched the construction of the main
facility? I wondered as we strode up the many steps
into it. It resembled something like those 21st century
cathedrals, except that it appeared to have been
crafted out of rusted metal.

Many, were also taking the same stairs, and with a bit
of my attention, I managed to pick out the many who
were like me and Danny, first timers. It was easy
picking them out really, they were either in groups
chatting up each other, or looking around with
curiosity and glittering eyes. What made me feel
sullen though, was the fact that there were very few
who appeared to be as old as me. Do note, that I
looked like a youth in my twenties even though I was
40+ due to the lengthened lifespan, but we, of this age
could recognise each other.

It was in the way we carried ourselves with a certain

heaviness. Life had already taught us plenty, so we
had learned to lock most of our emotions deep inside
instead of having them painted across our faces.
The people were diverse, short, long, thin, blue eyed,
brown eyed, green eyed, light skinned, dark
skinned...basically, all that the human race had to
offer was here.

'I wonder whether I will be able to become a forger

with this much competition.' I felt the pressure as I
already knew...among all these, only 1% would
become forgers while all the others would fail and be
kicked back to Earth in five years...and that might even
include me.

"You really don't want to mingle with your fellow

youth?" I asked the silent Danny beside me. He was
uninterested in many of the things, but for some
reason, he appeared to be immensely interested in
following me...and I still didn't believe his bullshit
about intuition. There had to be something he wasn't
telling me!
"Most of them aren't as interesting as you..." Was all
that he said, causing me to wonder about something.

"I will say this straight out, am not gay, I like women!
If you swing that way, am not the same...just so you
know." I decided to make this pretty clear. I didn't
have any particular prejudice against such people, just
that I had been raised traditionally...besides, I
worshipped the female form!

Chapter 2 :
TF Chapter 2 The Key

The hall continued the tradition of being as mundane

as the institute's building, if not even more crude. It
was constructed in a way such that it resembled an
amphitheatre. The places where the
audience...namely us...sat, was just plain grey rock.
"Aren't these people taking the whole technology ban
too far?"

Someone complained, probably some youth who had

grown up in a very rich family. Was her butt so
expensive that it couldn't even accomodate sitting on
the damn rock! Kids!

I chose a seat somewhere in the middle, where I

wouldn't be so near that I might draw attention, or
too far to listen in on the speakers. Danny sat beside
me as I expected, but I still released an exasperated
sigh. Couldn't he leave me alone! I wanted to be a
loner! Couldn't he respect that?!

A mild headache almost took over, but I pushed it

away. We had arrived three hours earlier, so we were
going to be stuck waiting, what a pain! Maybe I should
have taken more time to admire the sun gate!
"What do you think this is going to be about? It can't
be the same as what I went through during high
school, right?" I asked the only person I could talk to
beside me. If I didn't make conversation, I would
become bored. If I had been back on Earth, I would
have already been all over the Metaverse watching
movies, playing virtual games...or any other
interesting stuff out there, like investing in stocks. But
here, I was going to have to spend over 2 hours in a
single place without having anything to do!

"Its different every single intake...even I don't know

what to expect this year. But I doubt it will be any
interesting." Danny answered me in a tone that
suggested that he wasn't really looking forward to it.
That got me curious, has he ever been here? I really
wanted to ask this burning question, but I knew that I
wouldn't get any answers from him. So far, he hadn't
divulged anything important about himself...what was
he hiding? And why was he following me?
After releasing a pent up sigh, I decided to take in the
place since he appeared to be in no mood for any
further conversation.

The entire amphitheater was a mix of grey and brown,

with the grey mostly related to the seamless stone
seats...yes, seamless! It was like the entire audience
seating had been curved out of a single gigantic piece
of rock! I had been surprised at first, and then figured
that there was no way such a thing had been possible.
There had to be joined places somewhere...anyway,
the ceiling was brown, interspersed with soft white
stones which were providing the light in the room.
Yes, even with their brightness, I could tell they were
stones due to how their shapes differed from each
other.

Am I going to be bored for an entire three hours? I

wondered after taking in the entire hall. Many, were
gathered in groups and chatting away, with only an
occasional few seated quietly just like Danny and me.
The chattering was grating my ears, especially because
it was everywhere...with the sound trapped and
bouncing among the walls.

I sighed in exasperation and made a decision to close

my eyes as if I was resting, but the sound! How was I
going to get peace of mind with the noise!

After those gruelling hours, where I was sure my head

was probably evaporating moisture due to the heat of
my rage, a tap sounded. It appeared low, but the
sound spread into the hall with such power, that
everybody heard it clearly!

I straightened my back in a subconscious move I didn't

even notice! I had been leaning forward, with my
palms cradling my face between them, trying hard to
surpress the rage as an outburst would have earned
me nothing. I was sure because someone had
complained already, yet all he had gotten was being
drowned in curses...anyway, the strange thing didn't
only happen to me, but everyone in the hall! It was as
if the tap had had a subtle mind control effect, causing
everyone to sit down in an appropriate posture!

There was no way it had been that simple! I

wondered, even as my gaze was drawn to the right
side of the stage below, where a dark tunnel awaited.
My, and everyone had been drawn by that tap of the
foot to that direction. Someone was about to appear,
his feet still making tapping sounds, though these
ones didn't have that same influence as the first.

Finally! The entire room had gotten quiet and this

orientation thing was going to start! I was immensely
elated at that even as my eyes were magnetically held
in place by the tunnel, awaiting the kind of person
about to step out. My heartbeat had increased, not in
fear or anything else, but excitement! My palms sank
into the flesh of my thighs as I leaned forward.
I knew, just as everyone, that great figures, the
forgers, were always the ones who were invited to
provide the orientation speech! This was my chance to
catch a glimpse of one without an armor covering
them entirely, or in front of a screen! Just that single
thought caused my excitement to increase, my nostrils
flaring!

The left leg was the first to make it out of the

darkness, with the skin bare up to the thigh, with light
colored skin and many dark hairs along its length. The
foot was placed inside a flipflop, which was the origin
of the tapping sounds.

'Casual?'

I wondered inside. Well, they were powerful beings at

the apex of humanity, they had every right to appear
at such an important orientation in their casual
clothes, right? Me, and the others were dressed in
skin tight suits that were regulating our temperatures,
yet he was simply dressed in brown pants and a dark
short sleeved shirt whose collar was unbuttoned to
give a glimpse at the man's hairy chest.

He was shorter than me, that I could tell, yet his body
gave off a feeling as if he had the capital to tower over
everyone. His head was bald, glinting with the soft
white light from the stones embedded within the
ceiling, a shocker, since the rest of his body appeared
lush with hair.

The man carried himself with a confidence so strong,

it formed a powerful atmosphere that proliferated the
entire hall, making everyone else feel inferior, with I
included.
The frown on his large face though, made me restless.
Could it he that there was something wrong with me?
Or all of us? My body heated with anxiety.

"He's affecting your emotions, take a deep breath to

steady yourself!" Danny's voice entered my ears in a
stern whisper.

I followed the youth's instructions, causing my mind to

clear greatly.

'What a powerful presence!'

He could actually influence my emotions with a just a

simple facial expression?! Forgers, truly were
terrifying! I didn't become fearful at such a revelation,
instead, my yearning turned into a flame that seared
within my mind...I had to become a forger!
"If you have any hope that I will divulge my name,
squash that thought. Only those who have managed
to reach the same level as I, have the qualifications to
enter my memory..."

The man started with such words, words that no

doubt were rude, but everyone decided not to hurl
anything back as he was a genuine forger. Mere
mortals wouldn't have any power against a
superhuman.

"Tell me, what, or who do you think a forger is?"

I wracked my brain for an answer but only came up

with a single word, 'superhuman.' Though, I didn't
take the lead in answering. This orientation was better
spent listening and drawing as less attention to myself
as possible.
"That was a rhetorical question. I already don't expect
any right answers from you." The raised hands were
all lowered, with some faces showing dark
expressions, which led me to the thought that if these
people had the power, that man on the stage below
would have surely been murdered. He was simply too
infuriating! His face was a mask of a cold disdain and
arrogance, embedded deep within his very being such
that it emnanyed from his every gesture.

"I believe most of you must have arrived with a

misconception that forgers are those who spend most
of their time hammering away in a smithy to create
miraculous metals...metals which constitute the
armors we don. Well, you are very mistaken!" At the
last few words, the man's voice became powerful
enough that I felt as if the entire room had shaken
with it!

But, his words grabbed my attention. I had had that

same misconception!
"What we forge isn't metal or anything of that sort!
Instead, we forge consciousness!"

The reveal caused many whispers from the others,

mostly the poorer looking ones, to enter my ears, but
since I too, was puzzled by his words, I didn't manage
to pay too much attention to what the others were
whispering about.

"Since a long time ago, our consciousness has been

known to subtly influence some things, for example
machines...but the influence has been so minute that
it was basically pointless..."

I was drawn in by the man's speech. Aquiring

knowledge was one of the few things I cherished a lot.
Besides, the man had a way with words, or could it be
that he was subtly influencing us again? Anyway, it
didn't matter. I was going to keep being influenced if
that's what it took to learn more about forgers!

"...then this continent appeared onto the surface of

our sun, as if it had long been submerged, waiting for
when our race achieved the ability to travel from one
solar system to another. You could even say that it
was miraculous. On this continent, the first landing
crew discovered knowledge on how to tap into and
increase the power contained in what was called,
'soul'."

'Soul, are we going to be joining a religion now? It

would be disappointing if what I have been pursuing
all along had been a religion!'

"Don't get mistaken, this isn't a religion, but a

profession. The term soul was too vague, so we
instead decided to use the word consciousness...now,
how does one embark on the path of becoming a
forger...?"

It was probably another rhetorical question.

After the question, the sound of something rolling on

the floor entered my, and everyone else's ears. Its
origin was the tunnel the man on the stage had
arrived in.

Was what was coming related to that question? I

wondered since the man appeared to be waiting, not
in a hurry to answer my doubts.

A trolley, being pushed along by a figure entered the

stage, attracting everyone's vision, mine included.
But, something else had drawn me to its existence,
the exquisite cloth covering the contraption. I didn't
know how to describe it's beauty, except that it was
like looking at waves on the sea. Its swaying with the
movement of the trolley created a beauty like no
other, enlightening me to the fact that a forger must
have been involved in its creation process.

It also created a mysteriousness to whatever it was

covering, successfully managing to arouse my
curiosity. What was so special that it had to be
covered with something made by a forger? I waited
with bated breath, just like the rest of the crowd as
the trolley made it to the forger on the stage...

The woman who had accompanied the trolley left the

stage shortly after exchanging a few whispers with the
bald headed man. But, my eyes still couldn't leave the
trolley. The beauty of the cloth was just too
mesmerising!
"What do we really forge here at the Musana
continent? Its spirit...or in other words what we
humans call consciousness or soul! I can see the
questions many of you are nursing, but even I don't
have the answers to them."

That extinguished the burning question I had

developed inside my brain. Could consciousness really
be nurtured? Why didn't he have the answers?! Or
could it be that unless we advanced to become
forgers, we weren't entitled to delve into such
knowledge?

"What's underneath this cloth is the key to starting

upon the path of the forger. All the expensive tuition
that you have paid is mostly taken up by the
manufacturing of this..."
A sound was created as the man abruptly pulled off
the cloth and something, vials, entered my, and
everyone's vision.

"...awakening solution."

Something orange entered my vision. Was the

sloshing liquid glowing?

The vials were many, probably equal to the number of

people within this venue, me included.

The vial was going to push me onto the path of the

forger! My heart sped up with anticipation as my gaze
refused to leave the trolley. I even leaned forward, the
orange glow drawing me in!
"This vial, will allow your consciousness to interact
with particles at the level of atoms..."

Atoms? Could it be the secret behind those

extraordinary forger creations?

Some conglomerates had even started filing for

bankruptcy due to their exclusive products losing
market because the forgers were producing better
things! Could that be related to this? I wondered.

"Before I go into more, I want you to start coming

down here and receiving one. Do remember, if you
lose it, there is no more for you, so, a rule was
devised...all vials must be consumed within this hall."

Finally! The time had arrived!

-----

"Senior Nat, you really resemble a child holding their

favourite candy."

That jolted me! My cheeks heated up at Danny's

words.

When someone says that you are holding the future in

your hands, most of the times its only figurative...but I
was literally holding my future in the palms of both my
hands! The nervousness and the excitement were
both warring within me to the point that my body was
on the verge of trembling, yet, through the worry that
the glass tube holding the orange liquid might slip
through my hands and shatter upon hitting the stone
floor, I desperately battled the sensation.
I was embarrassed that Danny boy had to see this
immacure side of me, yet, I couldn't mask it! Born
within riches and having a guaranteed spot onto this
continent, made it so that he would never understand
my current emotions. This had been my dream since I
was ten years old, and holding the key to it alone filled
me with immense anticipation and satisfaction, not to
mention nervousness!

The orange glow peeking through and lighting up my

face almost made me shout in excitement, with my
rational self battling intensely so that I wouldn't go
crazy. Due to my immense concentration, I didn't
know whether someone else among the crowd was
even going crazy at the moment. If someone jumped
up and howled into the sky at this moment, I wouldn't
even take offense, as I would have an understanding
of their current emotional spectrum.

I took in a deep slow breath, pulling my concentration

away from the singular thing that was the vial,
regaining my senses of the surroundings. No one was
shouting, but through the murmurs, I managed to pick
out the excitement, which made me wonder, why was
Danny not showing anything? His expression was
impassive, something that was starting to get in my
nerves. What was wrong with him?

"Danny, is there something going on with you?" I

asked cautiously, using my eyes to gesture him
towards the others. Even the other rich kids were
radiating some sort of elation in their features, yet,
nothing of the sort was happening with him!

"Ah, I am not the same as other people. I am very

excited right now...its just that this is how I am." The
boy said, though, that failed to convince me. There
was definitely something wrong with him!

When I gave him a hard stare, his gaze shifted away

from mine and he pretended to be engrossed in
examining his vial. The way he did it made me think
that he was treating all this like some boring show.
Why?

I decided to leave him to his devices for now as the

key to my dream was within my hands. The
transparent glass allowed me to have a clear view of
the liquid, which was corked at the top to prevent
exposure with the surrounding air.

"Now, it will be better if you take the vial right now as

I have no time to waste."

I felt a tug within my mind. The man was trying to

influence me and the crowd, with this time being
stronger than previously. Even though I knew it to be
so, my hands still uncorked the vial and I raised it up,
bringing the rim to my lips, where I proceeded to gulp
everything down in an instant.
I would have liked to admire the color more...

"Huh!"

That subconsciously slipped out of me as I got the

strangest of sensations after gulping down the liquid. I
felt as if my head was expanding...weird!

At first, that was the only sensation, only for me to

lose control of motor control, my mind strangely
aware, yet having absolutely zero control over my
body, causing it to lean into the stone
backrest...scratch that! It crashed into the backrest,
but since my mind was somehow not connected to it,
except my eyes, I didn't feel any pain or sensation
whatsoever!

What was happening? Was I the only one feeling this?

Fear engulfed me like a tide, causing me to feelt
jittery. Was I about to die? Could this have been an
elaborate death trap? Suspicions swarm within me
before another sensation took over, something I have
never felt before in my life...my mind expanding, or
whatever the hell it was!

The first thing I felt upon that was that there were
many minute things floating around my body, with
some clashing with my skin, causing mild sensory
feedback. This new sense was only a few inches away
from my skin, yet it surpassed what my other senses
could capture put together!

Particles! Atoms!

Those two words appeared within my mind abruptly

the moment I felt those particular sensations. I
couldn't see them with my eyes, but I felt them
through some sense unknown to me...probably the
spirit, soul or consciousness the man had talked
about.

Chapter 3 :
TF Chapter 3 Another Teammate

There is a theory that every particle in the universe is

held in an electrostatic field with plenty of space in
between...something I had researched a bit on one of
those days I randomly traversed the metaverse.

I hadn't particularly put my mind into it at the time,

but now, I felt it even more powerfully, wandering
whether the dense mesh of atoms beneath my butt
were powerful enough to hold it, or would I really fall
through and into the unknown? It was scary, very very
scary!
This is the first time I felt a con upon embarking on the
path of the forger. This was going to be problematic in
the future. Imagine struggling to place your foot in
front of yourself, having developed the fear that you
might sink into the ground with that step! That was
one very scary scenario!

"Don't fear, the sensation you are currently

experiencing is only temporary, though, its also a gift.
You will only experience that once again when you
probably become a god-like being in this
world...according to the advancement theory of a
forger."

God! Imagine, if I could literally take control and

rearrange these particles! Just the image alone
invoked both excitement and also a fear...fear that
someday, someone might possess the power to
rearrange the atoms that I am made out of...or could
it be that such a being already existed, after all, who
was the first forger? And how had this path to power
even been created?

I should calm down. That is in a realm so far high that I

might even die without ascending to such a level or
even meeting such a character. It was time to focus on
this reality. How long was I going to stay in this state?

As I was wondering about that, something changed,

my clear perception somehow dampened. It was like
someone throwing a transparent item over your eyes,
except that that item wasn't as good as your naked
eye. The mesh of particles that I could capture making
up the stone seat were no longer capturable, except
the particles drifting around me.

I also regained my control over this body of mine.

"That was...exhilarating! But I never want to feel that
vulnerable ever again."

Oh! Danny boy could actually speak such words! I

turned to him, managing to capture the excitement
within his gaze, before he could hide it away.

"I feel the same way." I said, deciding not to bug him
about that once again. It would make me come off as
rude and nosy. But it still rubbed me the wrong way
that he was keeping secrets.

I flexed my limbs, checking every part of my body that

could move such that there were no abnormalities. Its
amazing how I managed to hear the man's voice when
my mind had been disconnected from my body! Could
it have been the work of spirit, or would I have been
able to hear Danny too, if he had spoken...no, wait, I
should have heard the collapsing bodies of others
when their minds disconnected...but I didn't. So, the
spirit can be used as a means of communication?

"Starting this year, things are going to change around

here. I won't go into details about the others but...the
first change is going to be about you working as
individuals. Teams are going to be heavily featured
moving forward...and it will be better if you form your
own before you are forcefully lumped together. The
minimum should be three people and the maximum,
five."

With those last words, the bald-headed forger left the

stage, taking the tunnel he had previously arrived
within.

Teams? I had been expecting this year to be like the

others Danny had filled me in about.
Working with other people... Danny was already giving
me a headache! How was I going to cope with joining
up with others?! I placed my face in my palms, trying
to work out how I was going to survive interacting
with people.

"Danny boy, could it be that you knew about this?"

My gut had already reached a conclusion even as I
asked this question. Had Danny approached me with
the knowledge that something like this was going to
be announced? That couldn't be, right? I didn't see all
the other youthful rich kids acting as if they had
known, instead, it was quite the opposite.

Those blue eyes of his gazed back at me with

impassivity, causing me to wonder whether this guy
was really as youthful as his body suggested.

"I will go search for a teammate, senior Nat. It will be

better if you don't accept any offers in the meantime."
He stood up, not to run away from my curiosity, that
much I could tell...instead, he had ignored to answer
as if I hadn't even asked at all!

-----

What's up with that guy? Why did he choose to team

up with me? Could it be that there is something
special about me?

I traced the lines on my palms, contemplating the

answers, but none revealed themselves as plausible.
My background wasn't special in any way...except for
one thing, that I came from the same state as the first
forger; but that wasn't enough to have some rich kid
practically glue themselves to me, right?

Someone came up to me to probably invite me to join

their team only for me to answer back with a refusal,
though, I hadn't put my mind into the surroundings,
the thought that there was something wrong with the
way Danny boy was clinging to me causing me to
develop a fear. What if he wanted to murder me? Did
he choose me because I was inconspicuous?

That impassive facial expression of his replayed in my

mind. When he donned it, he made me feel as if we
weren't on the same level, like we existed in entirely
different realities! Honestly, it gave me the chills even
just recalling it!

"I must say, today has been my lucky day, meeting

two people my intuition has guided me
to...hahahahahaha..." That voice was Danny boy's and
this time the excitement within was tangible, not a
mask, prompting me to discard my thoughts and turn
to him...
But then, something drew my attention, someone
whose eyes were simply too beautiful! She was
standing just a few inches to my side, her form
bearing down onto me, with Danny boy blocked
behind her.

The moment I raised my head, my breath became

stuck in my throat as that narrow sharp gaze bore
down onto me, particularly those purple flower
patterned eyes!

My heart pounded within my chest, its powerful beats

causing a shortness of breath. This was the first time I
had gotten such a feeling in my numerous interactions
with the female form.

Those purple petaled pupils somehow made my

withered attraction towards a woman reignite.
I knew what such pupils meant, that she was from an
exceedingly privileged background on the Asian side.
Manipulating genes to have unique inheritable
birthmarks had started around the end of the 22nd
century, with those of Asian and some of those from
African descent making theirs particularly bold, visible
and vibrant, while the rest of the world made sure to
be subtle about it.

"A mere commoner..."

My hand twitched at that designation. The only

people who dared utter such words were the those
born in wealth. I struggled to maintain my expression,
but I knew that I had gotten angry...but first, I had to
think of a logical comeback that would seer that
emotionless gaze of hers.

I stood up, becoming a bit surprised that she matched

my height, even Danny boy was somehow
shorter...anyway, I stared directly into those purple
petal-patterned eyes of hers...

"That nano suit with the multiple color and design

configurations, did you purchase it with your own
money...no no no...the true question here would be,
without the background at your back, would you have
been capable of buying it?"

The suit was really beautiful, with the purple scales

glinting beautifully in the soft white light, not to
mention it emphasized all the right places. My piece of
dull grey was trash by comparison.

Did I nail it? There's pink allover those cheeks. Or

should I prepare myself for the handprint?

"You made your point, but it doesn't change the fact

that I might have to partner up with a commoner...I
don't see anything special about you in any way at
all."

"What's the deal with her?" I strained my neck to look

at Danny behind her. I had thought that she had been
insulting me, but it turns out she's a robot! She was
simply analysing me!

"She's going to be our partner."

Danny boy's weirdly genuine joyous grin was getting

on the nerves. It was as if he had just struck the
lottery, something that would have been a joyous
occasion if I knew what the winnings were?

"Tell me, are the majority among the forger

population those with a rich background? I do know
that the slots are divided equally." I practically spat
out the question, with venom practically dripping from
my mouth.

"Of course that isn't true. What I want to know is,

what makes you special? There are very many special
commoners...even in this room."

Should I strangle her and just get on with it? No, the
suit would save her, seeing as it is of a higher grade
than mine.

"If you want to know what makes me special, ask

Danny boy behind you."

I gave up on holding conversation with her, plopping

back down into my seat. My mere mortal mind had
fried after interacting with her, an AI.
"Hey bro, can I join your partnership?" A slippery
sounding voice entered my ears from the right. I
hadn't cared, but apparently he was my right hand in
the seating arrangement.

I picked out that he was one of those rich boys,

someone whose parents or family had probably
decided to dump here. He had asked me the question
but his gaze was lingering on that AI woman past me.

"You do know that you can't have sex here, right?"

"Only for you dude! These latest Gen suits can do

anything! ANYTHING!"

You can do it with such a suit!? For real!? Anyway, this

douchebag has to go...and why is his nose twitching?
There is no smell. Does he tend to get lost in his
fantasies?
"You should buzz off, cockroach!"

That was Danny boy's voice in my ears, but it was so

cold, I got the sensation of goosebumps. I never knew
the guy could portray such intense loathing in a couple
of words!

The douchebug's expression shifted into one of

someone about to fight, before that changed to fear
and he stalked off.

"...onto the really important matters now, we three

are going to be a team moving forward." Danny boy's
expression went back to being sunny. Is he an actor?
Chapter 4 :
TF Chapter 4 Changes

"I thought we could at least collect another, after all,

the limit is 5..."

AI had asked the right question, successfully managing

to move my attention away from Danny boy's puzzle,
a puzzle that I had to solve sometime, since we were
going to be together for five years.

"We three will be enough!" He answered with a

burning flame within those gorgeous blue eyes of his.

-----
Time passed and we streamed out of the cathedral-
like construction. The only time it was open to us was
during orientation, and when we became forgers.

As I walked outside, I pondered about what kind of

secrets that might exist within, secrets that were only
privy to forgers?

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

That woman! Hasn't Danny told her that I like being a

loner?!

"Nathaniel Bosingwa."

I hope that keeps her full for the next hour or so...
"...am Kim Bora."

"Miss Kim...I will presume you are still single...anyway,

what I love the most is being left alone so that my
mind can ponder upon the mysteries of the
universe...do you understand?"

There! I told her to buzz off as gently as I could right?

"Bwahahahahahaha..."

Her loud laughter was what entered my ears, causing

me to look quizzically at my side. Even Danny boy was
clutching his stomach, a genuige burst of laughter
spewing out of his mouth.

Ah! Now I understand, it came off as a joke.

I sped up, wanting to leave the two behind, more like
trying to hide my embarrassment. I had just used
cliche lines to try and get her off me, but instead, I...

I really wanted to bang my head on a wall somewhere

and die!

-----

The gigantic city wall, spotting a reddish hue from a

combination of the dirt used to construct it and the
light from above, at the edge of my vision enclosed
everything inside in a circular ring. This circular city
was further demarcated into the four skies, whose
four corners met up at the building in the center.

I, and the rest of our cohort, had been assigned to the

Okweruka( Clear of rain) sky. It was the one on the left
when I had just made it into this city. The Sky had
been designated its name by the same person that
had named this city, with the words in my native
tongue, not mine exactly...anyway, the good thing was
that we had been handed plaques with numbers to
the stone constructions populating the quadrant, with
one for each team.

The three of us now stood before the crude building,

wondering how and what we were going to be doing
here. Danny boy had said that the previous years
studied and slept inside these, but our year was
definitely something of a new thing...so, we were all
clueless about what was going to happen.

The grey stone looked as if it had been baked for eons

in hot magma, before being taken out and used on
this...thing. That's all I could say, as I couldn't catch
any glimpse at a design aesthetic.
Were they in a hurry? Or could it be that they had
been barbarians with a lack of knowledge?

It was worth pondering deeply...a civilisation capable

of creating the forging way of strengthening one's
mind, should have been highly developed, so why did
this seem like a degradation instead? Not to mention,
how the hell did they get a continent on the
SUN!...and a million other questions.

I should focus, becoming a forger is what I should

really be paying attention to.

Pah!

A clap attracted my attention, with someone having

appeared right at the doorway of the crude building
while I had been distracted.
It was a woman, that much could be gleaned from just
her facial features. Her hair was a black bob style that
gave the feeling that she was a tomboy, though, I
suspected that to be true...I hope this stays in my
thoughts cause she's a forger...I wouldn't want to be
killed!

She was shorter than the three of us, yet there was
this bubbliness and vibrancy radiating from her form
such that she gave the feeling of being larger than life.
The grin on her little face already conveyed carefree
feelings...or could it be that she just had a massive
ego?

I took a step, seeing as the others appeared to have

frozen, breaking the spell and causing them to trail a
bit behind.

"Your mind appears to be stronger than these two it

seems." She nodded sagely with a serious expression.
My mind was a bit stronger? Now, that was new.

"I am going to be your instructor this year going

forward. You can refer to me by Celeste."

Celeste...it was definitely a name worth remembering.

I stepped off the stone arch with the others, the
previously unfelt heat assaulting our bodies, causing
me to sigh in amazement. The stone arch...was
marvellous! The moment you stepped upon it, any
fluctuations in temperature stopped, causing a more
normal human temperature range! Truly mysterious!

"So, miss Celeste, what will we be learning?" Bora

asked. I had decided to do away with the 'AI'
designation, since her name was somehow more
apt...mmmm...I wonder...why...
The question was important as having assigned teams
had already been an unprecedented development
which had thrown all the knowledge that Danny boy
had fed me out the window.

Standing before the woman, though, really exposed

the glaring height difference, with Danny boy being
just half a head taller than her. A strange thought
came into my mind at this time, didn't it look like
three bullies attempting some sort of action on a
scrawny human?

"Follow me, I doubt your fancy nano suits can afford

to handle the elevated temperature." She led the way
into the dark depths of the crude stone building.

"Shit!" I cursed, hurriedly following her. The nanites at

some points in my suit were already giving warning
signs! I had momentarily forgotten that my suit was
cheap!
Once again, coldness found a way to me even through
the nano suit the moment I stepped into the stone
house. It seemed that the same principles as those on
the stone bridge worked here. It also seems that even
expensive suits couldn't last long near the molten
streams, judging by the relieved looks of my
companions.

My Jjaja(grandparent) was a very nice man. He used to

take us deep within his lands where we would camp
for the night. My greatest moment was staring into
those warm dancing flames and letting my mind
wonder. I was now getting that same feeling as I gazed
at the stream of molten metal coming out one end of
the hole in the wall, flowing into a bowl-like stone
construction before making it out and continuing on
into a hole opposite. This molten stream was the only
source of light within this room, dimly illuminating the
dull grey walls.
My chest swelled with an unknown feeling upon
getting hit by that bout of nostalgia, but I put it aside
to listen to what the petit woman was going to speak
about.

NB; the nano suit covers even the head, and every
single strand of hair, just that its transparent.

Chapter 5 :
TF Chapter 5 First Spirit Meld

In this world, almost all the things aren't predictable.

Even the most advanced quantum machine we have
right now can't predict the causality of what will
happen to every droplet of water that falls within a
square foot.
I should have seen this coming as I had already gotten
a glimpse of her personality, yet, I failed.

"Before we begin anything, I am going to assign some

nicknames...you would be, Robot girl...you, Mystery
boy...and you... Robot boy!"

I was the robot boy. For some inexplicable reason, it

matched with Bora's.

Was this Celeste's bubbly and playful self rearing its

head? I wondered even as I saw that at least one of us
was about to complain.

"Why did you call me 'girl'? I am a grown woman."

Bora said firmly and aggressively. Her age seemed to
be a sore spot for her. Good, at least I learnt
something that wouldn't cause me to trip any lines,
right?
"Robot girl, I am 178 years old. Could it be that you
are older?" Celeste asked with a finger to her lips, a
playful pout on them.

Over 100!?...not to mention closing in on 200!? She

looked this good at such an age!? Most people I knew
would have appeared middle aged at that number!

I heard a gasp from Bora, signifying that at least I

wasn't the only one who had been shocked.

"Now, aren't I qualified to call you a girl?" Celeste

giggled. She must have already made the judgement
that we were younger than her.

But still, why would we need nicknames? Another

weirdo...after Danny boy came Kim Bora, and now,
Celeste. Even though she was an instructor, I added
her since we were going to be under her for five
years...they wouldn't have changed this too, right?

"The first lesson you are going to learn is extraction.

Atoms exist around us all the time...scratch that! We
are made up of the stuff! Anyway, you see this molten
liquid? I want you to try and extract at least one iron
atom..."

"I have a question...I believe gas particles should be

easier for us. Why do we have to start with that?"
After an acknowledgement from Celeste, Bora asked.

"Good question. Gas particles truly are the best place

to start, but, they have a shortcoming that makes it so
that we don't allow beginners to start with...can you
guess it?"
Hmmm...the transparency? That's gotta be it. Though,
I didn't rush to answer, feeling that I might embarrass
myself with the phrasing.

"Its hard to see gaseous particles." This time, it was

Danny boy who spoke. It looked like he had also
reached the same conclusion.

"Yes...only for you though. We as instructors and

examiners can easily view them with our
consciousness, but it would call into question our
grading in case a student failed or passed and the
others couldn't 'see' the work."

I nodded in understanding at her explanation. Imagine

being told that someone had superior work than you,
yet you couldn't even view it. Wouldn't that be
frustrating?
"Anyway, Robot girl here had me stray from the topic.
This molten metal is made up of atoms vibrating at a
very high and specific frequency to appear in this form
'hot liquid'..." She air quoted on the last part, yet it
was true. I shook my head at that. Was she really a
qualified instructor?

"What I need you to do is try and pick out an iron

atom, slow its vibrations to the point that it becomes
something akin to a solid and suspend it midair for a
few seconds..."

"...and before you complain, this was the requirement

during all the previous years. Be thankful that you get
to work in teams this year!"

"And how exactly are supposed to work together on

this?" I had to ask the most important question here.
If this task had been capable of being done by a single
individual, then what was the point of us forming
teams?

"Simple! You will have to synchronise your spirits and

form an amalgam." She jumped at my question like a
cat on catnip.

"Synchronise?" Bora echoed, her mind failing to

understand how that was supposed to work, just like
me.

"Yes. That nascent spirit you just awakened back

during orientation. Its a new sense, that I know, but
you will have to try and link it with your other two
fellows. That means that you must be of one right
mind. If there are any disagreements or reservations,
it won't work!"
Now this was going to be a headache. My loner life
was drifting further away from me. I scratched at my
hair even as Celeste's gaze roamed between the three
of us, full of interest.

"How do we go about this?" Danny boy asked, this

time with a genuine hunger for knowledge...not the
apathy his face showed most of the time. It looked like
he too, was taking this seriously.

"Simple! Touch your spirits together."

-----

Two minutes later, we were sitting cross legged in an

inner facing triangle, each eyeing the other with an
unreadable expression.
I was wondering how I was going to start. I could still
feel the strange sensation of having the capability of
'seeing' a few things floating, colliding and bouncing
off my skin. For some inexplicable reason, this sense
couldn't sense the atoms making up my very own skin
and its deeper parts. Plus, surprisingly, the nano suit
also wasn't in the sight of this sense?

Should I ask about this? But the others haven't, so,

maybe its the same for everyone?

Even as I pondered, I tried to expand this sense to

initiate contact with that of Danny boy and Bora.

Each of us was holding out a palm, forming a triangle

of sorts, where they were just a few inches short of
touching. Since the sense only extended a few inches
away from skin, we had had to choose which body
part to use as the linking hub, with the palm winning
overwhelmingly.
Oh! I exclaimed when my spirit made first contact
with those of the others. It was a surreal feeling, like
you could feel whatever the other person was feeling
emotionally, though, vaguely.

I impatiently decided to read into Danny boy's, but it

appeared like mist to me. There was something most
definitely hidden there, but I couldn't pry the mist
apart to reveal it, a very frustrating feeling!

As I was still searching, Bora's intense amalgam

bombarded us. It was akin to someone blasting really
loud music into your ears. There was impatience,
haste, frustration, a bit of insecurity and fear. The last
two were a bit surprising since she was a very
confident girl outwardly.

I transmitted a thought that she ought to calm down,

but it was like adding oil to a flame. The connection
broke as her emotional distress overwhelmed the
fragile link.

"What the hell is wrong with you two? Were your

minds that weak?"

I blinked rapidly at her outburst. Shouldn't this

situation be reversed? I, no, we should be the ones
shouting at her. Yet she was shamelessly pushing the
failure on us? Hell no!

"Look here Missy! The entire problem was you. Danny

boy here and I had a good thing going before you
burst in like a T-rex and ruined everything!" I was
breathing heavily after that rant. It was really
surprisingly rare that I got that angry.

"It looks like this will take some time. I will step out
while you work on your issues. Don't take too long as
there's the one year deadline for this lesson!" Celeste
cheerfully bounced out of the stone house after those
words, leaving behind a mess I wanted to get as far
away from as possible, yet I couldn't. Why did it have
to be this year that we got assigned into teams?

I drummed the ground and stood up, moving away to

sink into the wall. I entertained the random thought of
how it was weird that Danny boy didn't back me up.
Could it be that he had the hots for Bora? I wondered
even as the subject matter shifted towards another
wall of her own, crossing her hands beneath her
thighs, assuming the posture of leaning against the
wall.

"Danny boy...you chose her, so you have to handle

this." I verbalised my intent since I didn't want to be
the one to deal with this mess. I felt a bit of the
responsibility burden, which is why I definitely wanted
to run away from this and dump it onto another
person.
"Nat senior. This is as far as my expertise goes. You
are older...surely you have more experience in this
area? Right?"

I narrowed my eyes. Did he seriously want to hand the

ball over to me? Wasn't he the one who had initiated
her into this partnership? Wasn't he the one with the
most familiarity with her?

My gaze must have been intimidating because Danny

boy actually squirmed and broke eye contact, his gaze
roaming everywhere except me.

"Danny boy, did you ask for my opinion when you

decided to invite her?"

"Don't talk as if I was dragged into this. I came

because of my own free will." Kim fuckin' Bora
decided to aggressively join the conversation at this
time, sending my rage meter to a very high level.

Chapter 6 :
TF Chapter 6 Uncertainty

"Shut up, Bora!" I shouted at her. I was about to rage

on Danny boy about dumping her responsibility onto
me, yet she just had to interfere at this time?

"Didn't you get the memo? You were the cause of why
we failed! Me and Danny boy here had a good thing
going, yet you just had to bombard us with those
feelings. Why were you trying to be hasty? Where
does the impatience come from? And why were there
feelings of frustration?"
My bombardment caused her to shut up, though not
out of shame or reflection...no no no...there was
something she didn't want to tell us. I could see it in
those purple petaled pupils of hers. What could she be
so eager to hide that it would place our entire
partnership in jeopardy?

I released the most heavy sigh I had ever released

since coming here and leaned myself further into the
wall with the thought that I wanted it to swallow me
whole. Why hadn't I accumulated enough the previous
year and appeared before this whole shit of having to
work as partners?

I looked to the ceiling for answers I knew I wouldn't

find. It looks like I am going to have to buckle down
and work with these youngsters. I could tell, even
Bora's age was below mine.
"If this mind meld thing is to work, we have to be on
the same page. Whatever skeletons you are hiding
within those minds of yours should be locked away
deeper." I moved my gaze between the two, especially
lingering upon Danny boy...or you could say,
mysterious boy.

"Let's rest for a while and try this again later." I said,
then proceeded to close my eyes, with that action
causing all the fatigue to crash down upon me. I
drifted off, without a care whether the others had
followed my advice.

-----

I yawned, with a vague recollection of having had a

dream where I was inside Musana city...not like this,
but during its heyday. Was I really excited to the point
that my mind was creating dreams which weren't
true?
I didn't open my eyes right away, instead proceeding
to crack my bones, the sensation of hunger absent
from my mind. It looked like the energy sac within me
was doing its job, and it was going to keep providing
me energy for the next five years. They had assured
me that it would last even if I drove my body hard
everyday with heavy duty work.

I tilted my neck, a cracking sound entering my ears. I

still didn't want to open my eyes as I didn't want to
look Danny boy and Kim Bora in the face. My temper
might have gotten the best of me...I must have been
right...but that didn't stop me from feeling
embarrassed about it, or wondering how I was going
to interact with them now.

I continued closing my eyes pretending to perform

some minor body check or other until a voice entered
my ears.
"Nat senior, are you actually embarasssed?"

Of course Danny boy just had to hit the nail on the

head! Couldn't he have been subtle about it or kept
quiet?!

"Yes, I admit that I am a bit embarrassed about my

earlier words...now, I don't know how I am going to
interact with you both moving forward." I opened my
eyes and spoke as calmly as possible without averting
my gaze from Danny boy's. I couldn't show any sign of
weakness!

"Its okay, you were right. It took some convincing, but

Bora too got around."

"Oh!" I couldn't help the sound from leaking out of my

lips before moving my gaze towards the woman only
to catch the faint bobbing of her head. It looks like she
was asleep, something that caused me to breathe out
a sigh of relief, but also worried me. I had thought that
I would only have to show my embarrassment once,
but it appeared I would still have trouble interacting
with her.

"What-no, how did you get her to...you know, become

convinced?" I asked, my voice coming out as a
whisper. It would be better if she got all the sleep that
she could after all. Interupting a woman's beauty sleep
wasn't something I would advise of anyone as I could
still remember what had happened when I had done
so to my cousin.

"Nothing much...just told her that all she needed was

to push her intense feelings inwards...and she
accepted."
"Just like that?!" My voice came out in a higher octave
before I caught myself and threw a gaze over to the
sleeping princess only to see that I hadn't woken her.

"Just like that."

For some reason, I really wanted to crack open Danny

boy's skull and see what was really going on inside
that head of his!

I took a breath, deciding to drop the questioning as it

wouldn't get me anywhere. Now...what was I
supposed to occupy my time with before the princess
woke up? Should I go back to sleep?

"Nat senior, can we pull off the mind meld?"

Now, this was something I would have never expected
in a million miles from Danny boy. He was always so
confident, so what gives?

I wondered as the guy scooted over to lean on the

same wall by my side. It looks like I won't be able to go
back to sleep...I lamented inwardly.

"I don't know...you should know that this is my first

time doing anything of the sort." I had to lay down the
truth. Sugarcoating things would only bring problems
to me, like complaints if it failed later. I, Nathaniel
Bosingwa hate such things the most!

"Ah! I had forgotten! Anyway, Nat senior...you should

try to be a bit soft on her. She...is shouldering a lot."
With those parting words, Danny boy scooted away
and leaned against another wall, his posture
suggesting that he was about to knock off.

Shouldering a lot...my dream has always been to come

here and take my chance upon this path. Aren't I too,
shouldering a lot, like my hopes and dreams?

I wondered even as I gazed within the stream of

molten metal. The light coming from it wasn't as
eyepeircing as I expected, giving off a very dreamy
feeling instead.

Responsibility...many of us who decided to step into

this city, on this path, each shouldered something. If I
have to put up with a stuck up rich girl just because
Danny boy said she's shouldering a lot, then, what
about me? Or the rest of the crowd? Not to mention
that I suspect that Danny boy is also shouldering
something. Could it be that Kim Bora's burden is
heavier than that of ours?

I pulled up a watch from my nano suit and gazed at

the time, seeing that it was now night in the state of
Uganda, 8:34pm. The only close person I missed and
wondered what she was up to was my cousin. She was
married with four kids always giving her a headache. I
wondered whether she was looking at the sun in the
metaverse, wondering what I was doing up here.

I was born a lone child with my parents having passed

away when I had been on my first job. It had hit hard
at the time, and she had been the only one there. She
had known about my dream and one time, she had
asked me a question, which until now I still lacked an
answer to.
'What if one day we meet and am about to die while
you are still in the prime of your life? Will you be
okay?'

I felt something wrench my heart at the question. I

had come up with an idea that maybe, I will save up
for two, but that had been implausible, because then,
she would have to abandon her children.

What those novelists said that if a person achieved

immortality then even his dog would, were utter lies.
Reality was cruel! I couldn't really muscle her away
from her attachments just because I wanted her to
follow me on this path, now could I? Not to mention,
that she or I, might fail and then have to live in the
shadow of the one who keeps ascending higher. How
would she or I feel?

So, now my thoughts always loop back to that

question. The moment I had imagined that moment, I
knew right away that I would cry, yet lack a solution.
Even if I knew an elixir of immortality or something, I
had the hunch that she would never accept it.

With that heavy feeling, sleep once again decided to

envelop me, the soft warm light from the flowing
molten metal having lulled me sleep.

Something cold ran down my cheeks but I was too

drowsy to notice.

We mortals have very many worries, and I doubt even

those superhumans the forgers are aloof from them.
Maybe one day, I might find my own way to deal with
these things, but right now, all I could do was cry, and
silently pray that everything turned out well.
Chapter 7 :
TF Chapter 7 A Vision From The Past

Once again, I found myself within the same formation,

the inner facing triangle, with our palms at the same
positions as previously.

I was trying to maintain an unreadable expression for

my and Bora's sake. I was pretty sure that if the mask I
was currently donning slipped, we might devolve into
something else, something nasty, so it was better to
act as if I had forgotten about the previous incident or
put it behind us.

It has been five hours since my last nap, after which,

Celeste had appeared, removing us from our
dreamlands.

'Let's get this over with then.'

Once again, my spirit made contact with both of
Bora's and Danny boy's, this time, there were no
mishaps, causing me to inwardly sigh in relief.

The amalgam of our spirits appeared like a mist within

my minds eye, but it also felt denser and heavier.
Instinctively, we tried to form a palm, only for it to
morph the way we wanted, upon which we all felt
some cheerful intent birth within our connected
spirits.

As we were moving it around, my vision blurred for a

split second after which I got it back, but for some
reason, everyone who had been with me within the
stone room had vanished.

"What happened?!" I asked out loud in bewilderment.

Could they have teleported and left me alone? A sense
of unease enveloped me. What had happened?!
I tried to stand up only for my gaze to harden upon
looking at one of my thighs. It was transparent...could
it be that in have died and become a ghost?! In my
bewilderment, I crawled backwards until I crashed
into the stone wall, the back of my head transmitting a
genuine feeling of pain.

'How can I feel pain?' A new question popped into my

mind. Wasn't I a spirit body?

I took in a deep breath and decided to examine my

body, finding out that everything was semi-
transparent.

"Judging by the location, I am still within the stone

house, so what caused the others to vanish, only for I
to become a spirit body?"
I wondered out loud even as my gaze roamed the
stone room to see whether there was something out
of place.

'The light from the molten metal appears brighter,

with the stone house probably hotter. But, my spirit
body appears not to sense any temperature
difference.' I calmed down considerably. There had to
be a way out of this and I bet I could find it if I just
calmly rationalised my way through.

'I haven't tried to outside, now have I?' I hoped this

wasn't a ghost city as that would be scary! It would
mean that my life had ended without my knowledge!

I didn't simply step out in all the glory, no no no, I was

more cautious than that. I instead peeked out, hiding
behind one of the door frames. But, what I saw caused
me to drag out my full body.
What I saw was a lively city with all manner of beings
walking the streets. I couldn't even begin to describe
what I was seeing! All I could reach as a conclusion
was that I was looking at aliens! How could this be?!

I was bewildered even as I scrutinized every

being...some had only two legs, no arms, just that
where they met, there was a horizontal slit that
appeared perpetually closed...others had...well, they
appeared to be covered in metal, vibrating as if it was
breathing...and it wasn't just a single species, but
different ones.

'Why are some covered in metal?'

I moved my gaze to the first alien I had laid eyes on,

the one with the legs, whose thighs met at where I
assumed was the head. It wasn't clad in metal like the
rest, so I decided to follow it. But I first ran a test and
found out that none could see me. So, I blatantly
followed that alien only to be shocked after just a few
seconds.

A stream of molten metal rose up, as if it had an

awareness of its own and proceeded to envelop the
alien, cooling so fast that my eyes failed to catch the
transition! After I blinked, what I saw was just another
metal covered alien, the now glittering cold metal
somehow showing signs of breathing as if the alien
and the metal were one and the same.

'So, this is how they use the streams at the side of the
street!' I exclaimed inwardly, managing to notice that
many more aliens were using their spirit to extract
whatever metal they needed from the molten streams
to form armors of their own, though, there were
those who appeared inexperienced, or young such
that they didn't have metallic armors of their own.
'When is this? Could I have gone back to the past, this
city's heyday, or could it be that I am in a virtual
projection.' Even as I pondered on this, I enjoyed the
breathtaking view of multiple aliens roaming the
street in all their glory.

Any life form that would have knocked into me simply

passed through as if I didn't exist, allowing me the
calm to take in this magnificent spectacle.

"If Musana city was like this during its peak, how far it
has fallen in our age!"

I followed the crowd, taking note to document the

multiple species within my mind, finding that there
were 16 different aliens on the streets. Some
appeared young and were moving with their elders,
who appeared to be making a beeline for the
cathedral like building in the center, which, in my eyes
right now was showing all its glory. There were no rust
stains I had just seen a few hours ago, no, it was
flowing with the same light I had only glimpsed along
the gates of the wall surrounding it.

'It looks like they used to learn inside the academy.

Why then are we relegated to the stone houses?'

'Could it be that there is something mysterious going

on, or could it be that there are certain resources the
forgers are trying to monopolise? I must see what's
inside!'

I sped up my pace, passing through some slow moving

aliens as I made my way to the gates.

My vision blurred at this time only for me to find

myself gazing at the ceiling of the stone room.
'I was close!' I clenched my hands even as some
familiar faces appeared above me.

-----

I was never someone with the talent for storytelling,

or narration. But I still tried my best to describe what I
had seen to my peers and Celeste in the most serious
way o could. Though, even as I spoke, I could see that
they were hanging onto my every word, a feat
surprising to me. I didn't devulge everything, like how
I tried to make for the building in the center of the city
as Celeste was a forger. If they were hiding something
from the masses, she might take measures to make
sure that I never got to it.

I was just a beginner in spirit related things. There

might be a way that they might block me from
reaching that portion of the construction if I ever got
another vision.
The moment I finished my narration, Celeste raced out
of the stone building as if her butt had caught fire, but
not before repeatedly warning us that we should
never tell a soul about what I had just narrated.

"It looks like we have finally found something special

about you." Bora commented after a few minutes
causing my heart to swell a little. At least I wasn't
normal, right?

"You being able to view this city during its heyday

means that you might have a strong connection to it.
Our spiritual connection might have allowed you to
amplify that connection." Danny boy tried to
rationalise the event.

"You do have to know that I have never been to this

city before, right?" I refuted his claims.
"What if its related to your spirit? There must be
something special about that, right?" Bora's words
had some sense to them. They led me to conjure the
memory of how I had vaguely felt that I had dreamed
about being in this city during my sleep. Could the two
events be related? I wondered.

"We should worry about what Celeste is going to say

upon coming back back. If I am not mistaken, she has
gone to speak with the higher echelon." I said. The
higher levels of authority weren't exactly something I
wanted to come into contact with, or for them to
notice me. Office me liked to be a ghost to them. It
was better if you weren't noticed by such people,
whether in a good light or bad light. The outcomes
weren't always ideal. Either more work was piled
upon you if you showed excellence, or you were the
scapegoat should anything happen to the company.
It was very unpleasant having to act like the small man
in front of those people, yet you were both merely
humans, just that they got to have a higher position
than you, or a higher starting point.

I scrounched up my face as I awaited her return. Her

words would be the verdict about how I was to go
about this situation.

Chapter 8 :
TF Chapter 8 First Attempt

Time passes faster when you are awaiting something

exciting or interesting, but slower when you dread
something.

I dreaded what decision Celeste was going to arrive

with from the higher ups, preventing me from settling
down. Bora wanted us to try again but I decided
against it as I was too unsettled to link our spirits.

I checked the time only to see that a few minutes had

passed, yet to me, it felt like more of an hour!

I stood up and paced around the stone room, trying to

put my mind off things, but it failed, so I came up with
something else to do...

"Bora, why are you really here? To me, you seem like
someone who doesn't really belong." I asked this
question, which I would not have asked under normal
circumstances.

"Mr. Nathaniel, everyone has their little secrets. Do

you really want to probe mine?" She spat back,
something dark in her tone, as if she would do
something I might not like.
I coughed a little, deciding to keep pacing. I couldn't
ask this same question to Danny boy as I knew that
there was no way he would tell me anything. His
secrets were something he had locked away and
decided to hide away the key.

Footsteps sounded outside right at this time,

signifying that someone had arrived. The short
interval between the sound of each footstep made it
appear that the person was moving fast, causing me
to conclude that it was probably Celeste, because it
had been the same when she had ran out of here
earlier.

"...give me some time settle down first." She patted

her chest and said, probably upon catching my
scorching gaze upon her.
Even though she said that, my gaze didn't relent any
one bit! My future here was hanging in the balance!

"It would be better if none of you ever spoke about

what he narrated. Any you, it would be better for you
to speak with me about any more visions you get
before speaking with anyone else." Celeste's face
contained a seriousness I didn't understand. Was my
dream/vision really that important? I had my doubts
that I was the only one who had managed to get a
glimpse of Musana city's heyday.

"What did I really see? And how important is it?" I

probed, expecting her to become tight lipped.

"What you saw was Musana city during a period when

it was prosperous. The vision you got and the ones
you might get in the future are important to us in
knowing what happened for it to get to this state. For
you, it will be easier to become a forger...no, if you
don't become a forger with those visions, you will
really be an idiot."

A forger! These visions can help me succeed in my

goal! My eyes lit up at that!

'Hahahahahahahahaha...my specialness will allow me

to achieve my dream!' I felt like laughing out loud and
shouting at the top of my lungs, but that would be
inappropriate, as Bora was already gazing at me
enviously.

-----

For the third time, we remade our triangle, with the

previous two times having failed to dampen our
morale.
Though, this time, all gazes were on me, holding
expectation, curiosity and a scorching feeling...with
the scorching feeling particularly being felt on my
back. Due to the fact that my spirit had awakened, I
had become very sensitive to intent directed at me, so
Celeste's burning gaze failed to escape my sense. I had
the sneaking suspicion that my spirit was clashing with
hers, hence the scorching feeling.

I took a deep breath, deciding to ignore it since I too,

was excited about the prospect of exploring the
prosperous ancientness of Musana city, especially the
academy. Those secrets were something I had to
know!

Every human, deep within their bones have a certain

thing for exploring the unknown. That something was
stirring up excitement within my very own body to the
point of almost vibrating.
We once again linked out spirits, the experience easier
since we had done it before. This time, we had opted
to distance ourselves a bit further from the molten
metal in case I lost consciousness once again.

An invisible palm was once again conjured from the

amalgam of our spirits but, the familiar tug on my
spirit was nonexistent, causing all of us to spot puzzled
expressions, especially me who was panicking inside
whether this was a one time thing.

"Hey! Why didn't it work? What happened? Tell me!"

Celeste's yapping in my ears got on my nerves to the

point that I wanted to really snap at her. My
frustrations were already crushing enough yet she just
had to buzz in my ears.
"I don't know." I answered the question, even as
Bora's gaze became suspicious, while Danny boy didn't
seem fazed.

"It failed. Could there be a period for such a

connection to happen? A specific time?" Celeste
paced around the stone room, her open shoes
creating some sort of unique rhythm all on their own.
Her mumblings caused me to consider things from
other angles.

Maybe I should try it at the exact same time as before,

waiting for the obligatory 24 hours to pass. Could it be
that my spirit needed recovery or something I didn't
know about?

It would be alarming if I over drained this damn new

sense without even knowing anything!
"I will try it at the exact same time tomorrow as I did
today." I spoke after seeing that Celeste's mumblings
were going knowhere and she was starting to throw
out some really crazy ideas, some of which were life
threatening!

"Sure sure! How bad that I have to wait an entire 24

hours!" She pouted cutely in visible displeasure.

"Let's go back to our lesson, the one we really paid

for!" Kim Bora decided to be the impatient one, a trait
she was increasingly revealing more frequently.

"Yes! Okay, move a little closer to the molten metal."

Celeste clapped her hands and said.

-----
I gazed into the molten river, my newly awakened
spirit transmitting something like a shiver. It was most
definitely hot, something my spirit was probably
warning me about.

There is no human who wouldn't hesitate if they

believed their life to be in danger. The same was for
me, Kim Bora and Danny boy. We were all looking into
the molten river as if it were our most deadly enemy.

Our amalgam of spirit was floating above the molten

stream, the searing feeling being transmitted causing
our hesitation.

"You should take the plunge! It won't be as bad as you

think it will be. Also, I have to caution you! Never try
to pick more than one atom as you will most definitely
fail, hurting your spirits in the process."
I took that piece of advice seriously, after which, as if
by prior agreement, we looked at each other with
resolve.

Our spiritual hand took the plunge, the hotness and

burning we were expecting not happening, much to
our chagrin. Just a mild warmth, like soaking in a hot
water bath.

After getting over that initial feeling, we started

getting the sensation of many tiny things bombarding
the spiritual hand, vibrating at such a high frequency
that it was disintegrating.

In alarm, we chose a particle and tried to pick it up,

only for its vibrational power to cause it to bore a hole
right through the now thin spiritual hand.

-----
"That was hard!" Bora spoke, even with her face
lacking sweat due to the nano suit, you could see the
tiredness there, those sunken eyes which were
probably mirroring mine and Danny boy's.

We had tried almost eight times to capture a particle,

yet failing due to its vibrations.

"Celeste, do you have some piece of advice? A trick to

it?" I asked with some high hopes.

"Nope. You will have to figure it out for yourselves. If I

fed you that information, it wouldn't be fair to you in
the long run." She spoke before making for the exit...

"...rest, I will come back in a few hours to resume this.

Your spirit must recover." And then, we were three.
"I feel like someone is drilling into my head." Kim Bora
spoke, cradling her head with her hands in such a way
that I felt her pain.

I moved to a corner, my own brain pounding as if it

was being smashed with a hammer. If this was how I
was going to feel after every lesson, then it was going
to suck!

"How did it feel to explore through the great age of

Musana city?"

Danny boy's question caught me off guard. Did he

really expect me to speak with such a headache? Wait
a minute! Was he even nursing the same condition as
us. I couldn't really tell by his expression, a frustrating
thing!
"Nothing much really. What really awed me were the
aliens." Eventually I spoke upon catching the telltale
signs that even Bora was paying attention. Though, I
really really wanted to simply close my eyes, lay down
on the cold stone floor, and get some shut eye.

Chapter 9 :
TF Chapter 9 Not Secret Anymore

"What state do we call a particle that is vibrating at a

very high frequency?"

This was a question I had an answer to. Today, Celeste

had for some reason decided that we needed a
theoretical lesson. I was still wondering what the point
was as all that we were supposed to do was self
explanatory.
"High energy state." I answered after a moment of
looking at my other companions who were practically
clueless. It looked like I was the science nerd in the
group.

"Yes! Mystery boy and robot girl should have read

more. After your graduation, provided you become
forgers, read more of the science stuff. It will be very
important if you want to advance."

Hmmm...good point. I had to keep that in mind. My

superficial knowledge definitely wouldn't be enough.

"Anyway, this high energy state is what you first have

to deal with, before taking the particle away from the
molten stream...I know, many particles will be
bombarding your spiritual appendage every second,
but you will have to figure out how yourselves."
Then, what was the point of the lesson?! I wondered,
exchanging glances with the other two, whose eyes
clearly had the same puzzlement as I.

"Well...take what I have just said as a hint on what to

do." She said with a confident expression, though I
was skeptical. Sometimes I even wondered whether
Celeste really had the qualifications to guide us.

A few minutes later, she left, leaving us to mull over

what she had said. That got me pondering...how does
one get a particle from a high energy state to a low
energy state?

I scanned the archives in my brain, the ones which had

become dust-laden with disuse.

According to current technology, it requires slowing

down such a particle by a few methods, with one
being getting the particle into a cryogenic chamber.
Surely I can't use that as it is useless in my current
predicament.

So...what can I really use? I pondered. No...the

question should be, what can I take away from that
idea?

The spiritual appendage is something that we can

manipulate. Is there a way to make it so that it can
somehow manage to get the atom from a high energy
state to a low energy one?

The moment I thought of that, hope sprouted within

my heart, not to mention the excitement that came
with it, so I decided to share my ideas with my
teammates.
First, I laid out my thoughts, the ones which had
gotten me excited in the first place and waited for
their feedback.

"It could work in theory if we could get the spiritual

appendage to vibrate at a lower frequency such that
the particle's own frequency slows down." Danny boy
said after a moment, his palm cradling his chin,
making him appear as if he was more knowledgeable.

"You are forgetting one thing...do we even have any

idea on how to simulate frequencies? I doubt we
would even know what frequency the high energy
particle is vibrating at."

Bora was right, but that still didn't stop me from

directing a dissatisfied glare her way. I had been really
excited about my idea yet, she had just brutally shot
me down. How frustrating!...wait!
"What if we could get a feel of the frequency through
the spiritual appendage's interaction with the
particle?" A lightbulb moment had overcome me for
an instant, causing all my dissatisfaction to vanish.

"What do you think, Bora?" Danny boy threw the ball

into her court. I didn't find it strange since even I
would have done the same thing. She was the main
voice of disagreement after all.

"We will try it. But, we shouldn't get our hopes up. It
might not work, or might require hundreds of tries
before we get it right."

It looks like she wasn't one of the optimistic ones. She

was a very pragmatic and logic oriented individual.

When a human stays in a single place for an extended

period of time, they either get fed up, or, get used to
it. So far, I didn't think I had reached the level of
getting used to being in a single stone room for
extended periods of time, so I suggested that we take
a walk outside to clear our minds after our idea
machines, the brains, ran out of things.

I was in the middle, something that made me wonder

why as it made me feel as if I was the leader of our
little party. I hated this, but there was no way to
complain myself out of it, so I stuck with it.

The city was the same, except that there were many
more people moving along this road, with many of
them recognisable faces. They were the freshmen, just
like us, who had been with us during the orientation.
With a keen eye, I noticed the tiredness on their faces,
probably from having been attempting to pick up a
metal atom, just like us.
"There are way too many people taking a break." Bora
spoke as if she wasn't too pleased about it, her tone
suggesting that if they had the time, they should have
been hard at work.

"Bora, why are you impatient?" I asked, conjuring up a

memory of earlier where I had had to thoroughly
convince her out of the stone room.

"..."

Nothing came back from her. There must have been a

circumstance that caused her impatience, something
she didn't want to talk about. But I knew one thing, if
she continued with this attitude, it would eventually
lead to her having to share this with us.

'Its worrying having to worry about sharing a secret I

don't want to know about. She might even require our
help in the future...' Just the thought of that made me
cringe. Human interaction always brought about these
particular cons. Again! Why hadn't they made it stay
like last year? A single individual working alone?

Screaming was the thing I wanted to do the most but

couldn't. Danny boy was useless at human interaction,
something that made me even more furious.

I kicked at the ground with such force that I raised

some dust. Yes, the roads hadn't been paved or
anything. It was the same red soil as outside this city.
It was a wonder how such little amount of dust was
there, considering the heavy usage and obvious lack of
rain.

We were moving in the direction of the large entrance

in the brown wall as it was pointless moving in the
direction of the academy where everything was
restricted. Not to mention that we had also been
restricted from checking out the other quadrants.

'Are we really going to have to spend 5 years in this

boring place?' I wondered. There had to be something
that these people did as entertainment, right?

"We meet again my dear fellow." The voice caused me

to frown and zero in on the person, upon which I
developed disgust within.

The idiot who had managed to trigger Danny boy's

rage. What did he want? Couldn't he have pretended
not to see me? Besides, Danny boy was also beside
me, didn't he see him?

"A little birdy told me a secret." The guy said, bringing

his entourage of 3 along with him, causing our two
groups to appear as if we were facing off.
"What secret? And stop blocking the road if you favor
your life." Bora said, her face sporting a very heavy
frown. The menacing expression alone was causing
the people who had come with the idiot discomfort.

It was good that we had someone like her, someone

whose coldness could scare people.

But, apparently, these people weren't moving away.

There was also something odd I noticed. They weren't
checking out Kim Bora. Had the idiotic young master
lost interest? I wondered even as I got the chills from
their gazes which had all for some reason decided to
congregate on me.

"I heard that you have the highest chance of becoming

a forger, and since we are somewhat acquainted, I
decided to deepen the bond. What do you say?"
Alarm bells rang in my mind at the question. Had
Celeste somehow leaked my vision? No, I didn't think
so. From the little time I had interacted with her, I
knew that she wasn't one to act with such
frivolity...so, the only way these people would have
come to know would be because the person she had
reported to had leaked the information.

As expected, I should never trust those in higher levels

of power. Now...does this idiot think I would think to
befriend it for even an instant?

I searched for an answer to the guy's question but

came up empty.

"You seem to have forgotten my warning..." Danny

boy drawled. The same coldness from before had
come back in the tone of his voice. He even moved to
stand in front of me, facing off against the group.
'Would he be able to take them on?' I wondered,
asking myself whether I should flee or prepare for a
fight. I knew myself best. There was no way I would be
able to fight since I had never had an interest in
physical activities. An intellectual like myself would be
better off hiding somewhere!

Chapter 10 :
TF Chapter 10 Human Nature

"What gives you the right...no no no no...the gull to

speak to me like that? Last time, I let it go, but now..."
He gestured towards the others, not to attack but, to
show his might.

"Do you really want to get on my bad side, Everett

Ross?"
I was stupified when the idiot backed away a step
after the reveal of his name. Could it be that he was
somehow related to Danny boy? Many questions were
birthed in my mind at that.

"Ho-how do you know my name? I am very sure I

don't know you!" Everett spoke with some fear in his
voice. It was like he had never expected someone to
know his name.

"I know that and a whole lot more. Would you like me
to list them down? Even the unsavory things? Even
the real reason why you are here?" With every
question, Danny boy took a step forward while Everett
a step back. His face was a storm of genuine fear.

Could it be that there was something heinous he had

done to be cast out here? Could the big shots really be
treating this as a penitentiary? How extravagant! I
sighed at that realisation.

"Le-lets go!" Everett ran away with his tail between his
legs. Wow! I had thought that Danny boy didn't know
any one of the young masters here, but it seems I had
been mistaken!

"It looks like there is more to you than meets the eye."
Kim Bora commented, her gaze full of suspicion
directed at Danny boy.

"My secrets are better left untouched, unrevealed, as

things might spiral out of control." With his back to us,
he spoke.

"Then, what's with that Everett? Surely you can tell us

about him, right?" I decided to ask, this time with
gravitas in my voice. What was the point of him having
all the secrets to himself?

"...Everett comes from the Ross family. It owns one of

the super large conglomerates-"

"The Ross Group!" Bora interrupted with visible shock

on her face.

Ross Group...even though I didn't pay much attention

to such things, I had heard of them as their business
empire was really gigantic.

...it would have been nice if I had been born into such
a family. I sighed at how unfair the world could be.

We had already resumed our walk even as Danny boy

filled us in on Everett.
"His crime was that he raped the beloved daughter of
another group...only that he was saved from being
killed due to the power held by his grandfather."
Danny boy seemed especially enraged at that. Even I
became a bit worked up at that. But I already knew
that this world was never fair. Those who held power
could do whatever they wanted as long as they didn't
tarnish their reputation in the eyes of the public.

I had heard of many such incidents during my work,

causing me to make sure that my cousin never visited
me at the office no matter how urgent she needed
me. I had even procured a second contact which was
separate from that of my work. Humans were
monsters in human skin. If you exposed even one
weakness about yourself, they could devour you
whole, leaving nothing behind.
"I heard the Ross family has four fully fledged
forgers...could his grandfather be one of them?" Bora
asked with a thoughtful expression.

"Yes...people like him don't deserve to walk the earth,

but due to his grandfather's strength, he's here."
Danny boy's tone contained frustration.

"So, he might be one of those people with authority

Celeste reported to?" I phrased it as a question, but I
had no doubt that it was the truth.

How was I supposed to trust those people if such a

secret was exposed this fast and easily?

I looked to the skies, where the bubble shielding the

continent was tinged with a warm orange as if it was
sunset, the perpetual color it always spotted.
Was I going to have to shelve my dream and drop out
of this place? With Celeste's report, there was no way
they would allow me to...I sighed at my circumstances.

Why didn't I keep my mouth shut? If I had, maybe I

wouldn't have gotten into this situation?

The dark orange walls loomed over us as we made it

near the exit to the city.

"We are going to have to ask Celeste. That guy's reveal

is going to paint a target in your back." Danny boy
spoke in seriousness.

"What do you mean? Will someone try to kill me?" I

asked with a quiver in my voice. Was I going to be
exposed to danger even before I became a forger?
Danny boy gave me an expression that said that it was
certain to happen, causing goosebumps to break out
over my skin.

"Don't scare him. Only weaklings like us the students

will try to kill you. The forgers will only have such
means after these five years." Bora tried to reassure
me, but I knew my limits. Could I really be able to
combat a person especially chosen to assassinate me?
That was a big NO!

"Why would they really want my death. What I got

was just a vision. It should be beneficial to the city
authority that I be kept alive?" I asked with some
hope.

"Among us humans, there are those short sighted and

jealous people. The vision doesn't matter to them.
What really scares them is the fact that you will
become a forger easily. Human nature is a dangerous
thing." Danny boy sighed, as if he was truly
exasperated with humans.

We reached the end of our stroll, the looming exit

causing us to turn back the way we came. As we
walked, I ruminated upon the various revelations that
had just been revealed to me.

Imagine being told that you were now someone

important enough to be assassinated, how would you
feel? I felt it hard to breathe, as if a huge weight had
been dropped upon my chest. What was I to do?

Chapter 11 :
TF Chapter 11 The Vision, Once Again
I was worked up...that much I could tell from my
speedy breaths and quickened heartbeat.

My companions were behind me while I confronted

our tutor, Celeste.

"Did you give me up?" I asked my first question even

though I already thought otherwise. I had to since
human nature was something very hard to predict.

"No no no no...I would never do that!" She shouted,

her head moving side to side with such power I
wondered whether it would fall off her shoulders.

"Then, how could some idiot on the streets have

spoken like that?" I asked, my voice deep and
menacing. We had already filled her in on what had
transpired as we had been taking our stroll.
"I only report to the council of elders...his last name is
Ross, right? His grandfather is on said council."

Her answer caused a realisation to dawn upon me, but

it also brought upon a powerful rage. How could a
person have such loose lips when they had reached
such a level of power? Is he an idiot like his grandson?

My nails dug through my fingers with such power that

I would have drawn blood if it hadn't been for the
nano suit. Indiginance filled my being. He was already
a forger, powerful enough to be included in a council.
It wasn't like I could fight him, right?

My current expression caused Celeste some

discomfort upon which she raced out with the excuse
of getting to the bottom of the matter.
"Don't worry, we will help in any way we can. I am a
martial arts expert." So spoke Bora, upon which I
turned around and fixed her with a gaze full of hope.
An expert!

...but assassins rule the shadows and dark.

Underhanded means wouldn't be beneath them. I
sank into dispondence once again at that thought.

I stood in place for what appeared to be hours to me,

my mind a blank canvas that failed to think of
anything important.

I vaguely felt the two pats on my shoulder but they

felt as mere echoes due to how dazed I was.

Time passed and Celeste returned, causing me to snap

out of it and direct my anger-filled gaze towards her.
Since she had left to confront the council, surely there
had to have been some good news right?

"I am very very sorry. Me being your tutor should have

made me have your best interests at heart, but I
failed." Her head was bowed low to the point that it
almost scraped the ground.

I sighed, my anger calming slightly as it hadn't been

entirely her fault.

"What am I going to do then? Has there been some

protection arranged for me?" I asked with a bit of
hope.

"Yes, but also, that guy's grandfather has been kicked

off the council." Her tone still carried the signs of
apology.
"How am I going to be protected?" That was the main
thing I wanted to learn about. So what, if the person
had been punished? My secret had already been
leaked!

"There will be forgers in the shadows who will be

watching your every move. I also suggest that those
who want to have a chat with you stay at least 10m
away from you unless its these two."

Hmmm...that was most definitely a good suggestion.

Though, what made me elated to the point that my
rage melted away was the fact that there were going
to be forgers watching my every mo-

"-wait! Will they also be allowed to peak at our

training in this stone building?" I asked with a bit of
fear.
"NO! That will never happen!" Celeste denied with
such vehemence that I felt her true feelings seeping
within. It seemed that even she would never allow
that line to be crossed.

"So, now that you have been reassured, should we get

back to the task at hand? I do believe the 24 hours
have already elapsed." Bora clapped her hands
together, her face a mask of impatience.

"Bora, couldn't you have shut the hell up for five damn
minutes?" It was very rare that I cursed at someone,
yet this time, due to my elation and a tangle of other
emotions, such words left my very lips.

"Mr. Nathaniel, did you just curse at me?" Her eyes

narrowed into a dangerous glint that caused me to
break out into a sweat. If it had been a few hours ago,
I would have dismissed her gaze, but now that I knew
that she had mastered martial arts, my mind
screamed warnings to me.

"I didn't!" I did the cowardly thing, which was denying

everything. But even as I denied them, I couldn't help
but feel that my weakness was causing me all this.

I needed to get stronger. This temporary peace was

only going to be stemming from relying on others. I
had to start relying on myself, my very own power. So,
I abandoned the grin and decided that we were going
to have another shot at extracting the atom, only that
first, I had to find out whether the vision was going to
make a return.

Once again we sat down with same formation as

before, a bit further from the molten metal as there
were expectations that I might black out once again.
Our spiritual senses once again merged and an
amalgam was created, causing me to feel the familiar
tug on my consciousness. Before I could act elated, I
blacked out, reopening my eyes in the very same
stone room, except that the others had vanished.

This time, I was calm, having already been in this same

situation had caused me to adapt.

"It looks like we were right. 24 hours have to pass

before I can return to this place." I mumbled out.

This time, I didn't rush outside like before, instead

taking the time to visualise every nook and cranny of
the stone room. Previously, I had noticed that the
river of molten metal had appeared brighter than in
reality, so I decided to try and investigate, even
though I had minimal experience with such things.
Chapter 12 :
TF Chapter 12 Speculation

Being brighter means that the molten metal either has

a high temperature, or the metal atoms have
something unique that makes them luminous when
heated.

As I stared into the stream of molten metal, I couldn't

conclude anything substantial, though, I developed a
suspicion that probably, the atoms within weren't
iron. During this city's prosperous age, there must
have been a different type of metal used in these
molten rivers, but that begged the question, what
could it have been?

And another one of why we were using iron atoms

instead of said metal?
I brought my ethereal hand closer, only for it to pass
through the molten stream and sink into the
construction. It looks like I will only be capable of
visual investigation. I didn't even feel anything with
my other senses, except for sound!

I walked out of the stone room at last, my gaze

landing on the molten large stream below the bridge.
As I had thought, it was of the same brightness as that
inside the stone room.

Would I be able to tell what was different if I observed

the armors of the aliens? I wondered even as my feet
carried me to the bridge.

I crossed it and joined the throngs of lifeforms on the

main road, many of which were heading in the
direction of the academy.
Last time, there was an alien that had chosen to place
the armor on itself later than the others, causing me
to capture the event. As I looked around and
scrutinized everything closely, I managed to spot that
this vision was the same with absolutely no deviations,
except that because of my lingering within the stone
house, some things had already moved along, so I had
missed that alien.

Still, I could infer from the ones already donning their

armors that the material wasn't iron. It must have
been some other metallic element, or an alloy of some
sort. The armors were glinting with a silverfish hue,
and they appeared to be vibrating or flowing, though,
that I attributed to the fact that spirit was being
supplied to maintain them.

"What made Musana city degrade?" I was burning

with curiosity...not only that, but I had a vague feeling
that I would be able to find that answer within that
academy at the center.

So, without further dallying, I once again made my

way to the academy, this time sprinting with all my
might...but the moment I was just 2km from the gates,
my vision blurred only for me to find myself back in
the stone room.

A sigh filled with exasperation left my lips. Would I

really be able to make it into the academy? Maybe
next time I shouldn't waste time and sprint towards it
directly?

"Did the vision reappear?" Celeste was the first person

to ask, this time with less aplomb. I knew she was the
most curious of all the others, yet she was subdued,
meaning that she was still blaming herself for the
previous incident.
"It did." I answered even as I lifted myself into a
seating position. Couldn't these people have caught
me? Why would my back have to hit the floor each
time?!

"What did you see this time?" Bora asked, her tone of
voice exposing the curiosness within.

"It was the same...though, I scrutinized the molten

metal streams and saw that they were brighter than
the current ones, probably hotter too." As I spoke, my
gaze moved to Celeste, pinning hers in place.

Would she devulge why that was? Or would she

dodge the topic?

"I don't have any of the answers you are searching for.
Only the council is privy to such secrets." Celeste
shook her head.
According to her expression, I was partly sure that she
wasn't lying...as you know, the ugliness of human
nature was still suspect.

"The aliens were the same as previously, with that

silvery metal glinting in the orange glow of the
continental shield." After finishing that, I inwardly
lamented at how I had failed to make it into the
depths of the academy.

"I am pretty sure that within that vision, there must be

a stone room containing a lifeform trying to become a
forger, or already one. Why don't you try to infiltrate
them?" Celeste's question was like the match that
caused a forest fire.

"Shit!" I cursed at my stupidity. Wouldn't I have found

out how to control the atoms if I had intruded into
one such stone room?!
Her words caused the task to be added to my list of
things to try in the vision, except that it had been
placed in number one. Exploring the secrets of the
academy could wait as strengthening myself came
first.

"Your question hit the spot. I will try it out next time."
I acknowledged even as we moved our triangle to the
edge of the molten stream. Since the vision had
already appeared, it was now time for
experimentation!

During the next few days, we tried everything that we

could think of, yet, we failed to have the spiritual
appendage slow down the high frequency vibrations
of the atoms.

Also, my visions hadn't turned up anything concrete as

I had failed to find one single stone room containing
an alien! They were all empty! Though, there were still
thousands of such stone constructions causing me to
still have hope that eventually, I will fall upon one.

The temptation to run towards the academy had been

strong every time I entered the vision but I had curbed
it as I had come to realise that my time within could
only be a minute, time that wasn't enough for me to
even pass through the gates of the academy even if I
sprinted at my fastest the moment I entered the
vision.

It had also caused me to develop a question. Would

the time that I stayed within the vision increase if I got
stronger?

That served as my motivation to search the stone

rooms with increased vigor!
Chapter 13 :
TF Chapter 13 Like Oil And Water

"What's going wrong? We have been trying

everything!" Shouted out Bora in frustration. I couldn't
fault her as I too, was feeling the same. We had
already been given some information that some teams
had already succeeded.

"Calm down. Its only been a month. We still have

time." Danny boy tried to have her simmer down, only
that it did the opposite...

"Calm down! Calm Down! Is this a joke to you? Could

it be that your leisurely attitude slipped into the
spiritual appendage and slowed down our progress?
Celeste already said that feelings could do that. I hate
your nonchalance the most. And you! Why do you
take things so slow?"
Her last question was directed at me, causing me to
raise an eyebrow.

"Why the hell are you impatient? Only a few teams

have figured out the trick to successfully extracting
the atoms! As Danny boy said, we still have plenty of
time!" I argued back, causing her to huff and leave the
stone room.

"...why do you always bicker with her?" Danny boy's

question caused the fury I had been storing away to
rise to the surface, causing me to direct a rage filled
glare his way. He must have gotten the hint that I was
about to explode, so he raised his arms in a gesture of
surrender.

What were we doing wrong? We had tried everything

that we could to get the particle to a low energy state
only to fail miserably each time. Could we have
misunderstood the hint Celeste had given us?
She wasn't here since she wasn't truly needed, so she
only spent about 30 minutes with us in a day. And that
was only because of my visions, or else, she would
have been like the other tutors, skipping entire days
without showing their faces.

"What if we try things from another angle?" Danny

boy asked.

"Which angle?" I asked. His question had piqued my

interest.

"I don't know, maybe we could try to scoop out the

atom as fast as we can so that its isolated from the
molten stream?" He sounded unsure about the idea,
but it got me thinking, what if that was the trick to it?
Our next try was later, when a full day had passed and
I could reenter the vision. I have tried to use my own
spiritual energy to activate the vision multiple times,
but failed, leading me to the conclusion that I was too
weak to succeed on my own currently. It was
frustrating how I had to borrow their spiritual
energies.

'Maybe I should cross the main road this time and

check within the stone rooms of the next quadrant.
Fixating on one quadrant might be what's limiting me.'
An idea had just appeared to me, causing a shift
within my mentality.

Bora returned, causing the atmosphere within the

room to become awkward with the reason being that I
was waiting for her apology yet, it wasn't forthcoming.
What was going through her mind? Could it be that
she was expecting us to act as if her insults hadn't
happened. Danny boy probably could, but not me.

"Someone whispered a very enticing deal to me when

I was out..." She started, her words catching the both
of us off guard since they weren't what we had
expected, and usually, she was never the talkative
type.

"He said that I would be granted whatever I wanted..."

She paused here, yet I had already figured out the
rest.

Someone just doesn't make such an offer unless they

want something, and what could it be? Either
information, or my death! Had she been tempted over
to the dark side?
I shifted uncomfortably.

"...if I kill you."

"That person was most definitely lying! There is no

way that a murderer could be let lose unless your
family has a very powerful forger, and even then, a
great price would need to be paid, not to mention
you'd have to be their favored descendant or
something." Danny boy spoke with confidence causing
me to believe his logic.

"For a split second, I was tempted..." She continued,

as if his words hadn't registered. She was nestled in
her corner, head lowered in such a way that I couldn't
make out what expression she was making.

'Tempted...how weak of you' I looked upon her with

disdain. I had thought that with her logical mindset,
she would have already figured out that it was
impossible for such a good deal to exist.

"He listed the things they were offering, but

everything was predicated on the fact that I had to be
smuggled off this continent in order to enjoy
them...the idiots! If I had signed up for this with the
goal of wealth, I might have accepted." Though she
spoke like that, her voice was laced with contempt.

"What are you getting at? If this is your pathetic

excuse of an apology, then I don't accept." I decided
to interrupt her.

"Mr. Nathaniel, in all my years in this world, I have

never, and will never apologise to anyone!" She spoke
with such power that I felt something imposing within
her, the arrogance of an elite.
"Oh...! And how are we supposed to work together
with that attitude?" My tone deepened, to the verge
of threatening. So what if she knew martial arts? Did
she think that I would give in?

"Mr. Nathaniel, this is why I am giving you this

information as a trade, so that we can start over."

"Do you think that its just that easy to dismiss the
words, 'I am sorry?!" I shouted with such power that I
subconsciously activated my spiritual nature.

"This is how the world of elites works. Even when you

manage to become a forger, you might have to bow
low and accept it if someone stronger does something
bad to you. Aren't you doing the same thing now? Are
you in the middle of coercing that Ross old man into
giving you an apology...mmmmm!"
Her tauting caused my rage to evaporate and shame
to take its place. She was right, this world wasn't fair
and I had to accept it, but, why would I have to give in
to the unfairness when the person who had wronged
me was at the same 'power level' as I?

Chapter 14 :
TF Chapter 14 A New Way

"We are in a very different situation and place.

Suppose I stop linking up with you spiritually as a sign
of protest?" I decided to change tactics too. Staying
emotional wasn't about to work on this woman.

"..."

For a moment, silence pervaded the room. It wasn't

the sort that was calming, but instead, it was a silence
that stifled people. Her silence made me less likely to
anticipate what she was going to say next, not only
that, but I was also dreading whatever she might say
next. What if she decided to adopt the same attitude
too? I really really wanted to become a forger.

If she also decided to protest, then we will get

nowhere and my dream will be stalled, so I waited
with nervous anticipation. If it wasn't for the nano
suit, I would have really wanted to start snacking on
my nails.

"I apologise." She spoke with such coldness that for a

moment, thought she was going to jump from the
corner and rain blows upon me.

But her words caused a smile to appear on my lips. I

had finally caused her to admit defeat! Though, I still
lowered my head to hide it. What if she decided to
attack me in rage upon noticing the curve of my
mouth?
"Its okay. We are going to try again, this time from
another angle. Let's first rest for a few minutes." The
last sentence was out of consideration for my life! I
had to give her time to calm down. What if she
attacked me in close proximity? I wouldn't even
survive!

-----

About 15 minutes later, we were once again back in

our usual formation a bit further from the trough that
was carrying the molten metal stream. The time had
once again arrived for the vision to appear and I was
itching to try out my new idea; crossing over to the
other quadrant and trying my luck with the stone
rooms at that side.

Even though we were working together, Bora refused

to look at me, her body language screaming that she
was furious with me. I could also detect some shame. I
decided that it was best I didn't try to speak to her as
it might set her off.

"Danny boy, I have a new idea on what to do when

the vision claims me, so, do pray that I succeed." I was
hoping to lift the group's spirits with this. I didn't want
to give them false hope, but had to since Bora had
gotten impatient.

The moment I reappeared within the vision, I sprinted

as fast as my feet could carry me, crossed the bridge
above the molten metal stream, crossed the road,
passing through the alien lifeforms blocking the road,
appearing at the other side in just less than a minute.

In order to scour through the stone rooms in my

quadrant, I had had to do the same due to the limited
amount of time I could stay within this vision. That
also allowed me to discover something, my ethereal
spiritual self could get tired! It had come as a shock,
yet I had accepted it since logically, it would be weird
if my spiritual self didn't feel some sort of toll.

I hurriedly chose one of the stone constructs which

had been constructed in the same way as those from
my side, haphazardly.

My heart leaped with excitement upon catching sight

of the closed stone door...which didn't exist in our
time by the way, odd...anyway, all the others I had
searched through had been open, yet this was closed.
Didn't that mean that there was a lifeform at work
inside?

I phased through the stone, appearing inside the room

which was identical in its interior as ours, but the
figure seated close to the molten metal stream was
what attracted my full attention.
It was in the middle of extracting atoms, not one like
us, but many. A silver colored string was making its
way out of the lava colored molten metal with such
finesse I gaped!

'Wow!'

Since this was my first time observing an extraction, I

was amazed! Celeste and the other forgers had
apparently been forbidden from showing us how it
was done. We had to figure it out ourselves.

My dazed and wowed expression didn't last long as I

decided to pay full attention to what the alien being
was doing. I even stepped closer, my spiritual sense,
the second fully functional sensory ability apart from
my eyes, wrapping around the silvery stream. I
wanted to record every detail of this being's work.
The first thing I noticed with my spiritual sense was
how dense the air particles were which were forming
the tube through which the metal was moving
through. The tube was plunged into the molten
stream, causing some molten particles close to it to
visibly darken, a sign that they were cooling down.

"So, that's how it is! You have to use the air to do the
heavy lifting for you!" I exclaimed out loud in
realisation. It looked like Celeste's hint hadn't actually
done anything, except to mislead us. Was she really
cut out for the job? I wondered even as I admired the
alien's work, waiting to be pushed out of the vision.
This was one of those times I was genuinely happy
with being kicked out.

After a few seconds, the familiar tug appeared causing

my vision to blur only for my eyes to open gazing at
the stone ceiling. I didn't even sigh, having gotten
used to fact that none of my companions cushioned
my body every time I entered the vision.
Though, that didn't diminish my happiness.

"I finally found a clue!" I shouted toward the two, who

had been calmly seated, causing a colorful burst of
emotion upon their faces.

"Really?!"

Bora was the first to ask, her face holding a barely

concealed look of joy, as if her sour expression from
before had been a farce.

Chapter 15 :
TF Chapter 15 Interlude; Celeste

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Multiple sounds of shoes clinking against the stone
floor entered my ears as I was wondering why I had
been summoned? I spent very little time with my
students, but I loved every minute of it, so, being
summoned so abruptly brought a sour taste in my
mouth. I would have never expected teaching to be
this fascinating!

I skipped along humming to myself. The others were

staring at me weirdly, but that didn't matter as I had
already gotten used to it. Some were even mocking
my childish behaviour...something that I had also
gotten used to ever since I had been a teen. What I
had wasn't a disease or a condition, just that I hated
the serious and boring world. I wanted to have
freedom and fun.

Though, so far, my students hadn't seen this side of

me as I had to act in a very serious manner, which was
fun by the way. Though, I will never become a very
serious and boring version of an adult. I had sworn
against that ages ago.

"So, why are we being summoned?" I hopped up to

the nearest person, a man with a serious expression
on his face. He was dressed casually, but with a single
look I could see that he was uncomfortable in the
clothes...he probably had a preference for suits.

His widened eyes and startled expression told me that

he had been in deep thought, since there is no way he
would have missed my antics.

"Why are you within my domain?" He asked with a

frown on his face. If this had been outside, he would
have probably already activated his own version of
metallic or whatever armor and attacked instantly. It
was a big no no to step into someone else's spiritual
domain without their permission, but what was the
use of such idiotic rules? How were these people
supposed to enjoy their lives with such attitudes?
Could it be that they planned to spend the rest of their
lives interacting with just normal people?

Even now, in this corridor, people were walking with

wide spaces between them. How sad! During the first
year of the academy, they had probably been happy
and friendly, but now, they were wary of each other...

"Don't worry, I have absolutely no intention of

attacking you. I was only curious." I patted his back
with familiarity. This was how people ought to
interact!

At the first tap though, I caught a silvery metal coated

fist heading right for me, causing me to leap away
from the man.
"There was no need for such an attack, right?" He's
lucky that he didn't have any intent at killing me or
else...

After leaping away, I trotted away, passing him and a

few others to continue my journey. With that one
action of mine, I had figured out that there was no
one at all who knew the answer.

Those who had been planning to move in the shadows

against one of my students had surely been caught off
guard...they will probably be safe, right? I was
worried, but this summons had been issued as an
order, something that couldn't be ignored.

Exiting the rock tunnel, I was deposited into a spacious

hall, as large as a football field. I had been here
multiple times, but I was still astonished by its size
nontheless. Many had already arrived and were
standing in lines, each, having people who had
graduated from their year for up to 30 years of
graduates.

If even those who were that further up on the forger

path had been summoned, it looked like the matter
was serious. I was even sure that most of those here
hadn't even been on the continent, having arrived
from outside, since I could spot one such person
among those who had graduated in my year.

I took a step, activating the metal atoms coating my

feet to reduce the friction, causing me to slide over to
where I wanted. The people I passed gazed at me
weirdly once again, but it didn't matter. What was the
point of having abilities, if not to make life easier?
That's why I hated most forgers. They treated the
profession as if it was sacred, using their powers only
when they deemed it as a need...
I puffed out a breath as my feet slid along the stone
floor.

On arriving at my destination, I came to a stop, with

the people of my year too, looking at me with same
gazes as the others.

"If it isn't Celeste. You are still the same, acting as

childishly as ever."

The voice was grating to the ears. It was someone I

would have really not wanted to bump into, but here
she was.

"Annette, you lack the courage to be like me, isn't that

why you always mouth off when I appear?" I plastered
a grin onto my face and asked, my arms deliberately
crossing below my breasts to increase their
prominence. This was another thing that this woman
hated, that mine were bigger than hers by a large
margin. You could even say that she was literally a flat
board.

As she fumed silently, I moved my gaze onto the

ceiling, where the luminous stones were scattering
their meager light into this hall. These stones were
something that many forgers had researched, yet
failed to find a way to replicate. I loved how
mysterious this continent was, but I also knew that it
had also created a kind of shackle. Due to a lack of
detailed information, a forger's path ultimately came
to a halt at the third level, where further
advancement became dangerous and uncertain.

What did we need to advance further? Nathaniel had

the key. I had had to make him think that there might
be others like him to prevent him from getting a big
head, but it was bound to become exposed the
moment the assassins started their assaults...I had
been careless when I had revealed that information to
the entire council. It would have been better if I had
only confided my father...probably.

But, I was going to make sure that I protected him.

Those who thought that they could just kill my student
were going to be mistaken the moment they moved!

As I made such an inner declaration, my spirit flared

for a moment, attracting the attention of others,
particularly Annette, who also flared her own.

"You think too highly of yourself my dear Annette. I

don't have any thought of attacking you." I spoke with
disinterest. It also served as a way to calm the others
down, who had been worried that they might have to
intervene in our cat fight.

"Head outside this city to board the crafts which have

been prepared. There is no moment to waste! The
situation at hand has been deemed Stage Crimson!
Further information will be provided once you are
aboard! Hurry up!"

I was shocked at such serious sounding words, not just

me, but all the others, yet, we didn't waste any time,
activating all our means to get out of this hall, out of
this city and into the crafts. That had been the voice of
my father...the gravitas within was something I had
never heard before. This meant that whatever
situation had arisen was perilous!

Chapter 16 :
TF Chapter 16 Danger Arrives

Happiness is a really good thing, it brings about a

certain liberation within the body, as if some burden
has been lifted, which indeed had been.
Currently, I was in the middle of explaining my
discovery to Danny and Bora, who, despite their best
efforts, couldn't conceal the joy on their faces. I had
even wondered at one point whether the guy had
truly been worried about our failure as he had always
seemed so composed.

"So, the atoms making up the air are the key!" Bora
exclaimed with realisation and an expression that said
that she should have figured it out earlier.

Now that I think about it, the solution had been there
all along! I blame Celeste for this blunder. Her hint had
taken us completely in the wrong direction!

"Hmmmm!?"

Something surprising happened at this time, causing

me some shock. I was feeling something along my
skin, something that appeared to be omnipresent,
being stirred by something else. What was it? I wasn't
the only one having this weird sensation as even
Danny and Bora were looking around themselves as if
they were searching for some anomaly.

(All students will have to study by themselves for an

indefinable period. All instructors have been
summoned for a very important task)

That announcement rang within my mind at the

moment. It appeared that someone had used his
spiritual powers to trigger the omnipresent something
to transmit his voice.

'Something omnipresent...could it be that this

continent is spiritual?' I wondered before something
dawned upon me...
"Have the guards also been summoned?" Bora's
question triggered my fears causing me to lose some
of the bubbly energy I had had before.

"They probably have. Though, I wonder what could

have happened for all forgers to be summoned?"
Danny boy's question implied a curiosity towards
something else.

Helloooo...my life is going to be in danger from this

moment! I had the urge to shout out those words at
him, but couldn't do it, as I would appear vulnerable.
If it had been just Danny and me, it would have been
fine, but Bora, was someone I shouldn't show any
weakness in front of.

Even now, she was looking at my face as if searching

for traces of something.
"We should put off our attempts at extraction for the
time being. We are most vulnerable when our spiritual
powers are merged." Danny boy's suggestion was met
with unanimous approval. Even Bora, who was the
most impatient of us to achieve something nodded
imperceptibly this time.

That was just one step. How were we going to handle

anyone who attacked? That was the crucial question
we had to find an answer to. I waited for the others to
bring up the topic since it would be weird if I brought
it up. It would look like I was trying to involve them
into my problems...which I really wanted!

"What do you think should be the next thing to do in

order to deal with...the assassins?" Danny asked. How
great of him!

"This stone room only has one entrance and one

window. All we have to do is guard them in shifts and
we will be okay." Bora suggested, her voice bearing
the same intonation as when we had first met, a sign
of her logically trying to come up with something
feasible.

"Mr. Danny, do you know how to fight?"

Her next question caused a curiosity to well up within

me. They already knew that I couldn't really fight...and
Bora had already revealed that she could...that only
left, Danny boy.

"I know a few american boxing moves. Don't worry, I

can definitely hold my own." His answer didn't
reassure me as it meant that Bora was the only
reliable combatant that we had!

What were we going to do now? I should say

something since I was the cause of all this, but I lacked
the courage, not to mention any ideas. We had zero
tools at our disposal, except maybe, picking up the
few solid stones on the ground outside.

"We have one advantage we can use, and that's the

fact that we can survive in this stone room for an
indefinite period of time."

Bora's words enlightened me, causing a spark of hope

to manifest. Yes, she was really right! We could stay in
here as those people laid siege upon this place!

"How are we going to handle the shifts? There are two

places that need watching, yet only three of us. We
will most definitely become very exhausted if two
keep watch while one rests. If only one of us keeps
watch though, there is a very high chance of a mistake
happening." This time, my mouth opened with a
question that absolutely had to be asked.
My question triggered a silence within the room, not a
meaningless one, but one where I could feel
everyone's gears turning within their minds. They
were thinking of solutions to that.

If only we had chosen a fourth! But that begged the

question; would he or she have been on my side
unconditionally, just like how Bora and Danny boy
were? There was also the possibility that they might
have betrayed us at a very crucial moment...my
thoughts here had already exposed the fact that I had
come to trust the two with my life. Even with their
own secrets, I knew for sure that they didn't have any
plans of abandoning me.

"This stone room is shrouded in darkness...if you take

the perspective of someone who has just been
outside. A moment will be needed for their eyes to
adjust to the darkness. We will settle in that corner,
where we can keep an eye on both the entrance and
the window. Only one of us will keep watch while
being in arm's length of the others, upon which, they
can alert us in case someone barges through.
Everyone of us will keep watch for 8 hours."

After a very long period of thought, Bora suggested.

She most definitely hadn't only been taught martial
arts! That was something I became certain of after her
detailed plan.

Chapter 17 :
TF Chapter 17 Small Talk And Plans

"Where do you suppose the instructors went to,

Danny boy?"

This was my attempt at small talk as we sat there, just

a few cm away from each other. I had volunteered to
be on the first watch, with Danny on my right and
Bora on my left.
"Nat senior, that designation, Danny boy...it sounds as
if you are disrespecting me."

"You are most definitely younger than me. And, I

didn't choose such an address to put you down." I
explained myself.

"I know. But every time you utter it, I feel as if my

value is lowered in your eyes, not to mention how
other people view me."

When he spoke like that, I understood right away. I

might be comfortable with addressing him like that,
but what about him? I must have been lowering his
value in front of others without me even realising it!

"Danny, I am sincerely sorry for not considering your

feelings when I chose that name." I apologised. The
reason was mostly because I knew how such a thing
would make your entire life difficult.

During my school days, there was a certain boy who

was given a nickname. It was awful and disrespectful
causing much trouble for him until he transferred
away. I witnessed all that, yet had forgotten it. I
should be vigilant. My arrogance can't become my
downfall! Danny was mild tempered, but what if he
had been the type to hold a grudge?

"Its okay. As long as you don't add 'boy' to the end of

my name anymore, I would appreciate it."

Bora had been quietly listening to our conversation

without adding anything. It looked like she didn't have
any interest.
"By the way Danny b..., no, Danny. Where did you get
your boxing skills from?" I decided to ask because I
wanted to at least gauge how useful he would be in
the coming fight. I didn't know much about boxing,
but I might be able to determine how powerful he was
from his words. It would help me understand my
chances of survival.

"Boxing...someone I really treasured taught me the

art. Too bad he's no longer in this world."

His words caused me to pause, unable to continue,

because of that reveal. I didn't know how to console
him, nor how to connect with that feeling and
emotion because I had never felt them.

"Its okay, I have already come to terms with it. I know

you want to determine how useful I will be in
protecting your life, so I will reassure you..." His voice
became colder towards the end causing the birth of
guilty feelings within me, yet I had to know, so I
pushed the uncomfortableness down into the pit of
my stomach.

"...I believe I can at least fight in par with Bora."

"How can you tell?" I asked. I was curious because

Bora had never demonstrated her skills, so, why had
he compared himself to her?

"Experts have a certain intuitive feeling towards one

another." Bora spoke for the first time, her voice
dripping with a disdain which I was pretty sure was
being directed towards myself.

"Its one of the reasons I chose to follow him when he

suggested that I join his team."
Its embarrassing how I am the weakest of our trio, but
what could I do? We all had our own areas of
expertise, didn't we? Celeste had already said that
with my visions, I was guaranteed to become a forger.
There was no need to become envious of these two!

"Besides, you shouldn't really judge just our skills. The

generation of the nano suit and its capabilities will
have to be taken into consideration too"

Nano suits...I had forgotten about this. It was very

crucial as someone with an advanced version would
be able to kill me within just a few hits.

"Mine is a normal one, 3rd generation. It doesn't have

any additional features or software modifications." I
gave the basic rundown so that they would take that
into consideration in case of an attack.
"3rd generation...that's too old. Am at the fifth
generation. My nanites have been programmed to be
able to enhance the power of my boxing moves. It
triples my normal strength when I enter combat."
Danny spoke with a bit of pride.

My 3rd generation had been made about, 30 years

ago, yet the fifth generation was just 2 years old. I had
really wanted to buy it, but my savings had to account
for the body modifications needed to survive on this
continent as a normal human. Everything had become
expensive with the advancement of technology. If it
wasn't because of the raised standard of living,
everyone would be wallowing in poverty.

If someone gave you a million empire credits, they

wouldn't even last you a week! Perhaps it was good
thing that I was away from civilisation.
"Mine is also fifth generation with the ability to
enhance my agility by threefold. The nanites are also
more dense than in normal nano suits, providing twice
the defence."

"Wow!" I exclaimed at Bora's suit. It looks like she had

splurged even more than Danny! That purple suit was
definitely top of the line! I doubt there's any suit that
can top that.

The moment the exclamation left my lips, her face

turned away, causing me to wonder why.

"Anyway, I think that Ross guy has the same

generation of nano suit as you guys, and I doubt he's
the only one. Not to mention that we must also watch
out for those with modified 4the generation suits." I
let that go, deciding to speak my fears.
"Protecting you is going to be a very hard task. Even
with our advanced suits, it will still take us a few hits
to down someone clad in a 3rd Gen suit. If many
people attack at the same time, we might not hold
out." Bora spoke.

"I know. I am also sure that that Ross guy is most

definitely going to attack with his goons. He will blame
us for his grandfather's sacking from the council." I
was starting to get a mild headache at all this, yet, I
didn't move my eyes away from the door and the
window. I still had many hours before I could
relinquish my watch duty.

Chapter 18 :
TF Chapter 18 Someone Familiar Appears
My ears failed to capture any sound as I peeled my
eyes towards the two places that were going to be the
key to the assault that I was sure to happen. Bora and
Danny were both asleep, leaning against the wall.
Even with my inexperience, I knew that their sleep
was light, where even a small sound could wake them.

Those were the perks of having extensive combat

experience! This method of sleep alone had convinced
me that Danny had the same competence as Bora,
further ensuring that my chances of survival were still
high.

As I sat there, lonely due to having no one to chat

with, I became bored. There was just an hour before
my shift ended, but the previous 3 hours had already
made me regret the decision I made to take first
watch.
My heart had been pounding with too much strength
at the expectation that someone could barge into the
room at any second at the start. Now, I was only
hoping that someone would appear. At least then,
there would be some action that would relieve me of
this torture that was boredom and heightened
vigilance.

I had the thought that maybe I had been running on

adrenaline all this time due to my heightened
vigilance, which would cause me to become weak the
moment someone took over my shift.

I haven't even developed to become a true forger, yet

here I am, being targeted because of a gift I
involuntarily just discovered. Was this the way the
world chose to maintain a balance? Would the attacks
continue even when I managed to survive this coming
wave? Wouldn't I break down eventually if I had to
look over my shoulder at every turn? This was most
definitely something I had to consider thoroughly. If I
didn't find a way to cope, it could become something
big down the road.

The human brain itself has a way of weaving illusions

to let its self survive some stressful and tough times. If
you become hungry enough to the point that you are
forced to eat something that would normally taste
bland to you, it makes it appear very delicious. Right
now, I was probably in the same situation as my watch
hours were coming to an end.

I heard a bunch of footsteps outside, causing me to

disregard them at first, thinking that it was a trick of
the mind since It had happened a few times in the
previous hour, only for them to get progressively
louder as they neared the stone room.

The moment I realised that I wasn't hallucinating, I

elbowed both Danny and Bora without producing any
sound from my mouth, causing them to stir awake.
Their sharp gazes at that instant made me wonder
whether they had even slept at all, but I didn't dwell
upon it it since the moment had arrived...the one that
would decide my life and death!

The moment I caught sight of the figure leading the

way, I knew right away that my guess had been spot
on.

Everett Ross led his goons as they sauntered into the

house. Was he that confident in his nano suit's
defense such that he had gained the courage to lead
the way? What if we had ambushed him? Those
doubts of mine were dragged to the back of my mind
as we all stood up at the fastest speed we could
muster.

"I knew you would be the scape goat, the first to test
the waters..." Danny mumbled out while yawning, his
action immediately dissolving some of the tenseness
in the room.

"Of course! Why would I let those riffraffs who only

know how to hide in the shadows get to you first? I
have the biggest grudge against you after all." Everett
guffowed loudly, but I could see that his eyes were
cold. It looks like he has come intent with placing the
blame of what happened to his grandfather on us. A
fight is definitely going to be inevitable.

I took a step backwards, causing both Bora and Danny

to be a step ahead of me. We had agreed beforehand
that I shouldn't be on the front lines with them. My
combat skills were nonexistent, not to mention the
older generation nano suit clad on my body.

"Why do you think I am here? I will allow you to

guess." Everett spoke while all the goons arrayed
themselves at his side. They were three men and a
woman, all probably having 4th Gen nano suits, or
higher.

"I guess your grandfather's mouth is lose to the point

that he even spoke to you about his
failure...hahahaha..." Danny taunted. Why was he
doing that? Wouldn't it be better to waste time
speaking with him? This was only going to make him
attack faster!

"I know what you are trying to do, Danny Whitmore.

You are trying to trigger my rage...but that won't
work. Why? I am already enraged." Everett's mention
of Danny's full name caused an imperceptible chill to
appear within his eyes. Did these two have some
history...no, Everett would have recognised him from
the first moment they met...that could only mean that
he did research, but how? There is no internet or
anything. Could it be his grandfather?
"I also know of your background. You can scare the
others, but not me or my clan. Your unique gifts still
haven't made your clan able to suck up to those truly
powerful existences at the third level, how sad."

I felt a potent chill coming from Danny's form at

Everett's taunts. It looked like he had thoroughly done
his research. At first, I had taken him to be the typical
young master, just like those in the fantasy novels I
had read, but it seems I had been mistaken!

He was someone worthy of bring taken seriously!

"Aren't you scared that I might expose your vile deed

here?" Danny asked.

"Hahahahahaha...why do you think I am attacking you

here? I already don't care about the consequences
because I will get off this continent the moment I
succeed. Being here isn't the only way to become a
forger, you must know that, right?"

Huh!? Really? Why have I never heard of any other

place? Could it be that only those with a certain status
knew of such information?!

Chapter 19 :
TF Chapter 19 Abrupt Battle

After those taunts, there was some glaring, with

Danny's jaw giving me a glimpse at how close he was
to exploding entirely. It looked like Everett had hit a
nerve, but he was fighting hard to surpress the most
primal of man's instincts, the urge to dish out
violence.

My ears could even pick out his heavy breathing, his

eyes, his clenched hands. I wanted to say something,
anything, but I didn't know what as I didn't have
enough data about him and his family. All that I did,
was stay in my position and sigh exasperatedly.

"Don't try anything rash! Do you understand?"

Bora's words were whispered in a hurry and bearing

the weight of seriousness and alarm. Something about
this situation had startled her, causing my heart to
accelerate.

Had there been a problem? I wondered, straining my

ears to catch her next words.

"These people are different from those we met

before. All of them are experts! They might be weaker
that us, but it will be hard to protect him if you let
your rage take over!" She cautioned. Though, her
words caused me to scrutinize the three men and one
woman by Everett's side. The moment I looked into
their eyes though, I felt myself shiver, with
goosebumps breaking out on my skin. I got the feeling
of being prey, while they were four predators, eyeing
me and wondering where they were going to take a
bite from!

Yap! These were most definitely experts! That alone

was enough for me to deem them thus!

"I know!" Danny whispered back, with the words

making it out of his mouth in a drawn out manner, as
if just speaking was a chore, a pain.

Even with his reassurance, Bora's body showed no

relaxation, instead, she entered a stage of high
vigilance, her gaze moving between the four,
completely disregarding Everett.
"Money and status are necessary to survive in this
world. Nathaniel, you can only blame yourself for
awakening such a good gift, yet having next to no
background to protect you. Such trash like you
shouldn't have led to the council position being lost by
my grandfather! You! Just a potential forger shouldn't
have cost my grandfather his position!"

By the end, he was practically shouting in rage, with

spittle flying everywhere.

It was at this moment Danny moved. No one had

expected the movement. Not me, not Bora and most
definitely not Everett and his goons.

His movement had the finesse of an expert, taking him

right in front of Everett in a split second! Even with the
scene right before me, I wondered whether he was
the same version of human as I...apart from the
forgers of course!
As I looked on, his right elbow pulled back,
accumulating force. All this I could see because of the
nano suit. It wasn't made of just nanites, but had a
brain, an AI behind it.

Ting! Boom!

Everett and his hired goons failed to react in time,

causing the punch to connect with the guy's stomach,
launching him into the solid rock walls of the room.
The collision alone must have dazed him, but Danny
didn't carry on with the attack as two of the three
men finally reacted, moving in to block him.

The other woman and man made for me and Bora,

who instantly lost her dazed surprised and furious
expression for a more peace full one. She took a
stance even as the two appeared just a meter away
from her.
I had seen the woman licking her lips from before
while gazing at Bora. She had been aiming for her
from the very start, probably because of those warrior
instincts Danny and Bora had spoken about.

But the man, he was aiming for me! I could see it in his
green pupils. There was greed. Everett must have
offered something he couldn't refuse!

When our gazes made contact, I took a few staggering

steps backward due to fear, almost tripping myself up.

Bora proved that she was truly a professional as with

just a few palm strikes, she successfully managed to
attract their attention, causing them to go into full
defense.

"I hate women more beautiful than me!"

After uttering such a line, the woman attacked more
ferociously, her moves lethal enough to kill. But with
Bora being an expert in her own right, she blocked
each, even managing to suppress her.

The man hung back, searching for an opening to get to

me, but intentionally or not, he always found himself
being forced into Bora's battlefield.

If I wasn't scared and terrified, I would have been

applauding her. I didn't even have time to shift my
gaze towards Danny's battle as due to my fear, I didn't
want my concentration to slip from the green eyed
man for an instant! What if he took that chance to slip
past Bora? That possibility was always there!

I took a few more steps backward, only to feel a cold

solidness behind me, the rock wall. The room had
been a safe haven once, but now, I found that it was a
prison.

Even with Bora handling the two, slowly by slowly,

they were pushing her back, towards me.

"Bora! Are they your equals?" I asked in a panic. My

heart was really pounding within my rib cage. My
damn life was in her hands. Stupid Danny boy had let
his rage take over!

Fear was replaced with rage as I hurled a million

different insults at him within my mind.

She didn't answer, probably due to how intense the

battle was and the fact that it would be a waste of
energy, or it could even expose a flaw. All this I knew,
yet due to my state of panic, I had spoken.
What am I going to do if that man breaks in? I
wondered, my gaze finally leaving the battle to the
ground where I searched for something that could
give me a bit of hope, a stone. They were littered
everywhere so I picked two, one in each hand.
Gripping them within my palms and feeling their
coldness, I felt a little bit safe, a laughable thing, yet it
was true.

I raised my right hand and adopted a throwing stance.

The moment the guy slipped past Bora, I was going to
unleash pebble hell on him!

Chapter 20 :
TF Chapter 20 Life's End

I could see the strain that holding back two people

was doing to Bora. Her face was in a perpetual
grimace, with her lips thinned into a line. The
expression alone caused me to lament the fact that I
had nonexistent combat experience. If I had, maybe I
could have taken on one of them. And I couldn't hurl
the stone towards their battlefied, due to the speed at
which they were moving because there was a chance
that I could hit Bora instead, how frustrating!

As her moves continuously faltered, a chance

appeared, causing the man to finally have his
moment, slipping past Bora to appear just a meter
away from me. She tried to turn back and pursue, but
the woman's attacks became even more aggressive.

My heart pounded within my chest with such force

that it was the only thing I could hear. The moment
that happened, I knew that I was about to have a
panic attack and tried to focus on the man's features.

These people hadn't used their nano suits to

camouflage their facial features, which meant that
they also had plans of getting off this continent after
murdering me.

He had a squarish face with well defined cheeks. His

green eyes and skin tone suggested his origin to be
from the state of america just like the others. Everett
had chosen wisely. Whether it was to silence or
reward them, it would be easier if they had the same
origin as him.

Currently, his face spotted the expression of a

winner...an expression I was sure wasn't entirely
directed towards me.

He didn't speak, simply stood there for like 3 seconds,

staring at me and revelling in his victory. It looked like
he had plenty of faith that the woman could hold Bora
back enough for him to get the job done.
While he revelled, I calmed down and hurled the
stone in my hand directly towards his face.

With the swipe of a palm, he batted it away as if it was

mere fly, causing me to press my back towards the
stone wall, hoping that it would swallow me.

"The last struggles of prey I presume...throw the other

one too." He taunted with a faint grin playing on his
lips. His light green pupils moving towards my left
palm.

So, this was how it felt like when you were about to
reach your end. My mind calmed even further,
entering a state so tranquil such that all the signs of
panic that had been plaguing my body vanished.
I let go of the coldness in my left palm, causing a
clatter unheard by anyone, because of the intense
sounds causing by the fighting.

"You can kill me." I spoke, my thoughts wandering to

how my cousin will take the news that I had been
murdered. Would she become listless, or would she
gain strength from her family? Or could she vow to
take revenge? I really hoped she would stay with her
family without stepping into this troubled world.

With a sigh, the green eyed man closed the distance,

his hand moving such that I felt a pressure on my
neck, with my body being lifted up as his fingers
pressed against skin. My nano suit did the task it had
been assigned, blocking off the pressure until it got
too much such that it gave off red warning signs
within my vision. This was the fate of an older
generation facing off a newer stronger version of
itself. The fate of the weak against the strong.
As my vision blurred and I struggled to take in air, my
body's survival instincts kicked in, causing a last
struggle as my arms moved to grip that of the man,
trying to pry it away from myself.

Even when you truly resign yourself to death, there is

no way you would truly want such a thing for yourself.

As I was in the throws of struggle, I felt a familiar tug

on my spirit, causing a small shock to ripple within my
body.

Since I was dying, I felt relieved that maybe it would

be less painful if I didn't feel anything of the endeavor,
so, I accepted the beckoning, finding myself within the
cold stone room once again, this time with not a soul
in sight.
I simply sat down in place, this time refusing to take a
step outside. I lamented how my life was going to end
so easily. I had just started the journey along my
dream, yet someone had just decided to crush that
into smithereens. How I wish I had been more
powerful!

I had never craved for strength like today. I regretted

not having participated in sports during my teenage
years. Regretted not having paid for a gym
membership because I had thought it would be a
hassle. How I wish I could go back and redo it again. I
would choose differently.

I hugged my knees close to my body, waiting for the

inevitable. After a minute or even less, my life was
going to come to an end.

Will Bora and Danny morn me? I asked myself such a

question. Or will they ultimately move on since I had
just been an acquaintance? I had never had any real
friends, yet every time I thought about how they had
decided to stay and protect me, a warmth bloomed in
my chest. They truly had been genuine friends!

My eyes blurred as tears started to pool within them. I

was going to miss those two dearly if there was some
place where conscioness went after a person's death.
If I could survive this, I would make strides to deepen
our friendship. Too bad, luck hadn't been on my side.

Wait a minute? Shouldn't I be dead right now? A

question popped up within my mind after a few
seconds. A minute hadn't elapsed yet, but with that
green eyed guy's application of his grip strength, my
consciousness should have dissipated by now. What
was happening?

I stood up, a faint hope budding within me that Bora

or Danny had saved me. That would be great!
Chapter 21 :
TF Chapter 21 Awakening

When my consciousness returned to my body from

the vision, I didn't expect many things, like being alive
and whatnot...with one of them being the pain I was
currently experiencing.

My body spasmed at my instinctual reaction as I felt

like screaming out, yet, even opening my mouth was a
strenuous endeavor. It was like every cell in my body,
even the brain, was screaming at me for something I
had no idea of!

When such a massive amount of pain overwhelmed

me, my body took the best course of action, knocking
me out!
-----

Once again I awoke, this time in less pain than

previously. I could barely handle the feedback from
my cells, so I didn't pass out, instead, I struggled to
open my eyes and to turn on my back. The sensation
of my face on something sticky made me hurriedly
choose such a course of action. Damn! My arms are in
too much pain! What happened?

I pushed myself by my right palm, barely managing to

give my back a turn on the warm stone floor. The pain
had made such a simple task exhausting. I breathed
out, trying to settle my nerves.

"Danny! Bora!" I called out, trying to be as loud as

possible, yet my voice came out as a whisper. I really
needed a glass of water or something.
"It looks like our Nathan is finally back." Danny's voice
entered my ears accompanied by footsteps. The
fighting appeared to have ended. Though, many
questions were still swimming in my mind even as I
pursed my lips to prevent myself from screaming out
on pain.

"Easy there! I suggest you don't try anything else as

your body has just been through something
strenuous. I doubt even I have ever had my muscles
that active!" Danny's words seemed to suggest
something and I could feel a faint fear within, as if he
had just encountered something terrifying.

"What happened?" I finally managed to get my voice

out, my eyes focussing on the ceiling of the stone
room. If I wasn't in a lot of pain, I would have been
immensely surprised by the red splotches marring the
grey stone. But that still begged the question, what
had happened? Why was I still alive? And most
importantly, why was I in such intense pain? Surely
someone chocking the air out of you couldn't lead to
such pain, right?

That was most definitely dried blood on the ceiling.

Had someone died?

"Its a very long, epic and entertaining story. It was like

you had become possessed or something!" Danny
exclaimed in both fear and excitement as his face
finally entered my vision.

"It was scary." Bora's voice for some reason made me

feel happy that she was alive, not that I'd wanted her
dead! Its good that they were both still alive.

"My mind went into the vision this time, when I was
on the verge of death." I spoke slowly and quietly, as
even straining my voice by raising it an octave caused
intense pain.
"Really! That explains your previous state!" Danny's
blue eyes shined. Isn't he a bit too excited considering
the current situation?

At this time, Bora's face entered my vision. The thin

face was now marred with an expression bordering on
exhaustion. The battle must have been hard on her. If
I hadn't been in this condition, I would have been
thanking her and apologising for being weak, but that
could wait.

The two were both crouching low, their faces almost

taking up the most of my vision, something I would
have been dissatisfied about previously, but now I
only found it comforting that they cared.

"You slaughtered everyone...well, I don't believe its

the current you...it was like you were possessed by
something..." She tried to explain, but couldn't, her
expression morphing into that of someone doing
intense brain work.

But me!? A weakling!? Slaughtering everyone!?

Wasn't that absurd?!

I moved my gaze to Danny's face, trying to gauge if

Bora was playing a joke on me yet only saw the guy
nodding intensely in acknowledgement.

Really?! Could it be that something had hijacked my

body while I was experiencing the vision? What could
it have been? I pondered while feeling that the pain
was receding, even if a bit too slow for my liking.

"You should rest up for now. It would be better if you

only learnt of the full details later." Advised Bora after
which her face left my vision.
"Yeah. Thanks for saving us by the way...though you
probably have no idea." Danny's face also left my
vision leaving me staring at the red stains on the
ceiling in thought.

Had I really killed everyone? I really wanted to move

my head, turn it to the side, but that would only make
it even more painful for me.

It was really miraculous how I was lamenting my own

weakness in the illusory vision, yet here in reality, my
two closest pals are insinuating that I had slaughtered
all those who had attacked us. The world really was
mysterious!

Though, that also begged the question, why did I

manage to enter the vision alone this time, without
linking with the two? And why? What was the entity
that had taken control of my body? Was it
trustworthy? And most importantly of all, how did I
manage to slaughter everyone when my nano suit was
a generation older?

As I pondered all those questions, my mind once again

sank into the pool of unconsciousness due to now
feeling the tiredness of my body which had been
covered up by the sensation of pain.

-----

I had a dream where my body was moving with the

ferocity of a warrior, wielding a sword that could turn
into a long string with just a thought on my part. I was
cutting down foes like mowing grass. It was bizarre! In
this dream, I appeared to have been very skilled in
combat, with my faceless opponents failing to even
last a single second.

'How I wish I were that strong!'

Chapter 22 :
TF Chapter 22 Taking In The scene

I woke up once again, this time feeling better. But I

still couldn't get the dream out of my head. It
appeared to be both a dream and a memory...

Opening my eyes and feeling the condition of my

body, I breathed in a sigh of relief. The pain had gone
down a lot, something that brought some joy. I didn't
waste any time lying down as honestly, I had gotten
tired of being on the floor, not to mention the sticky
feeling being transmitted through the nanobots
making up my nano suit.

There was also the smell of roasting meat, which

would have been enticing if it wasn't for the mix of
evaporating blood within. I sat up after some effort
and pain, deciding to take in the surroundings for the
first time since I had been on the verge of death.

The first thing I noticed upon that was the fact that I
wasn't at the edge of the walls, I was in the middle of
the room, with both Danny and Bora occupying a
corner. Their even breathing indicated that they were
still sleeping.

When I took in the other sights in the room though, I

almost spewed out the contents of my stomach,
which were none considering that the energy needed
was being supplied directly into my blood stream.

Entrails were everywhere on the floor, coupled with

neatly severed flesh. Had it been normal livestock
beef, I would have been impressed. But this was
human flesh! My face scrunched up in disgust, yet I
couldn't look away, willing myself to take in the
details.

The cuts were smooth even as they leaked little

streams of blood which had their water content
evaporated the moment they made contact with the
floor of the room. Even bone had been severed so
smoothly!

Judging by the dried large red patches, some hours

had passed since the slaughter. The nano suits had
already evaporated into thin air, a mechanism
activated upon the wearer's death. And from the
smooth cuts, I could infer that there had been no
resistance whatsoever, meaning that even the suits
had failed to do their job!

Had I really caused all this? The cuts were so smooth I

started to wonder where the weapon was.
As I moved my head around to scan for said weapon, a
silver gleam caught my eye. It radiated off a silver thin
bladed sword stabbed casually into the stone floor.
From what I had seen until now, it was impossible to
damage the stone floor, yet here, the tip of the sword
was embedded in said rock.

It was beautiful, long and straight, with absolutely

zero embellishments. The joint of the white hilt and
the sword didn't even possess a guard.

It was standing at an angle and the moment I saw it,

my heartbeat quickened. This...this I had seen in my
dream! Could it be that it hadn't been a dream but a
memory? The sword was a meter away from me,
clean, despite all the blood stains on the ground.

Where had this magnificent weapon come from? It

was this passing thought that prevented me from
simply standing up and reaching for it.
I sighed forcefully, trying to calm myself down and
recollect my thoughts. They were in a jumble, a mess
that had to be sorted out because I might even fail to
ask Danny and Bora the right questions when they
woke up.

-----

A few hours later, they woke up. I had moved myself

next to the wall, anticipating another attacker, but
none came. The massacre had probably chased them
away...that's the only conclusion I could come up with.
The assassins must have quaked in their boots...a
great thing, but I didn't feel that great. There were
many worries and fears, starting with the fact that I
had just murdered Everett, the beloved grandson of a
powerful forger! The repercussions of that were most
definitely not going to be simple.
"Finally regained some energy, did we now?" Danny's
joking tone did nothing to lower my worries. Good
thing the two organs within me, the oxygen and
energy storing ones hadn't become damaged, but my
nano suit alerted me to an energy overdraft. That
meant that what was supposed to last for five years
had drastically been reduced to only be capable of
supporting me for a single year!

"My energy and oxygen can only support me for this

year and some weeks." I spoke, deciding to come
clean at once.

"Don't worry, it was the fault of these bastards. I am

sure the higher powers will refill the lost energy
without charging ANYTHING!" At the last word, he
kicked a piece of flesh, which coincidentally landed at
my feet. That lone eye and the small patch of hair on
its split scalp alerted me to the fact that this was
Everett.
At first, I was bewildered and shocked, almost jumping
into a tirade, only to calm down and stare at that lone
eye calmly. This would have been me if I hadn't been
lucky. I told myself that while reaffirming my decision
that I must become strong! This was how the weak
ended up! Resting on my laurels for this long yet
wanting to pursue the path of the forger had been my
mistake. I had to start training.

I held back the bile, deciding that this was going to be

the first hurdle to cross on this journey...getting used
to the sight of blood and flesh.

"Danny, that was very rude." Bora stood up from her

spot and stretched, her curves attracting both our
attentions, but Danny recovered first, with I, a close
second.

"I want someone to narrate what I did-no...what my

body did while my consciousness wasn't occupying it."
I alternated between the two. It would probably be
better for Bora to give me the run down as she was
the calmer of the two. As I opened my mouth to add
that though, Danny started the story with a sparkle in
his eyes. This was one of the few times I had seen him
this animated.

Chapter 23 :
TF Chapter 23 Strength!

The basic gist of the story was that I lost

consciousness for a moment, only to awake with such
power, I literally summoned the molten stream of
metal, causing it to slice through the guy who had
been choking me in an instant, before proceeding to
butcher the others like meat.
I ruminated over that narration plus the dream I had
had. There were many intersecting points which finally
led me to believe that the dream had been real.

What really surprised me though, was the fact that I

had never seen Danny so animated! It was like had
become a very different person.

He was practically fan-girling over me. Bora on the

other hand was a different topic. Even though she was
near me, I could feel her fear through the glimpses she
gave me. It hadn't reached the level of looking at a
monster, but there was fear and terror nonetheless. I
could have reassured her, but I didn't know what I
could say to calm her fears.

The other me...as I had come to call him...had scared

the hell out of her by staring at her for a few seconds.
Apparently, my pupils had been rimmed silver, a stark
contrast with my normal brown. Not to mention, that
for some reason, I had seemed machine-like with
absolutely no expression.

"We should at least clean up this mess as we vigilantly

wait for our next foes." I spoke, chuckling despite
myself. It looked like I had strengthened my will
enough to even sound nonplussed by the situation.

"Everett's grandfather is most definitely going to kill

you. Aren't you worried?" Bora asked as I lifted myself
from the ground for the first time, gritting my teeth at
the pain.

"Worry...of course I am. But from now on, I have

decided to ignore what's beyond my means and focus
on the present. I have a question for you, though. Is
there some way you could train me in self defense. I
don't want to become a pro...just strong enough to
get by..." What I didn't say was that I planned to learn
how to attack through the way of the forger. The
dream had opened up new doors for me. There was
no need to be fit to become a formidable person!

Its too bad we were going to have to wait a bit before

going back into attempting extraction because of the
ever present threat of being attacked.

"Hmmm?! I can teach you that. I doubt Bora's moves

are something you can learn. Boxing is easy though."
Danny offered.

"No, it will be better if she teaches me because I

believe she will teach better, besides, most of what I
want to learn is evasion."

I spoke while picking up a few pieces of flesh. By tacit

understanding, we were going to throw them into the
molten metal stream outside. It didn't matter if the
others saw us since it hadn't been us in the wrong,
actually, it would be better if they did, as they would
prove to be valuable witnesses.

"I am pretty sure it would be better to learn from me.

Would you really want to learn feminine moves?"
Danny once again tried to entice me.

"My martial arts aren't tailored for one sex. They are
universal. If you ever insinuate such things again, I will
kill you." A dangerous air emanated from Bora as we
made for the exit, pieces of flesh in hand. It appeared
that she took her expertise seriously. I made a mental
note never to insult that domain.

"By your standards...the training will be very harsh.

Will you be up for it?" She turned to me and asked
seriously. Once again I was walking within their midst,
something they had subconsciously done in case we
were ambushed. My heart once again warmed at their
gesture.
As we continuously dumped pieces within the molten
metal stream, a crowd was attracted, growing big until
the road was blocked off, but we didn't care. It was
not like we could chase them away, now could we.

"When would you like to start your lessons?" Bora

asked as we finally managed to relax inside. My body
was killing me, but I had decided to grit my teeth and
put up with it. It served to strengthen my will
power...and besides, it would also prep me for
whatever harrowing experience her training was going
to put me through.

"We can start right away since we won't be able to

extract the metal atoms. But first, give me a few
hours. My body needs to recover. I think a tore a few
muscles." I answered before looking at Danny in
amusement. He appeared to be sulking because I had
picked Bora over him.
After seeing the display in my dream, I had become
eager to at least reach that level. Though, I wouldn't
allow myself to get into close range with my
opponent, not to mention the fact that I felt like it
would be hard to replicate the delicate moves my
body had been moving with. But, I could become
someone so proficient in the art of controlling metal, I
could attack from range with a myriad of variations.
Actually, I had been very shocked when I had realised
the dream was real because of the fact that I had
gotten used to seeing the forgers in their metallic
armors without any action...yet, this showed me that
those people could unleash such lethality!

"When do you think Celeste will be back?" I asked

after a few minutes of awkward silence. Since we had
just woken up from sleep, it was going to be some
time before we could catch a nap. We had adopted
the same resting formation with the entrance within
our sights, fearing that someone else would attack.
What made us relaxed though, was the fact that even
if someone attacked, it wouldn't be a group as large as
Everett's...at most they would be two.

"It seemed pretty urgent. I wonder what could have

happened that needed all the forgers to be
summoned." I could hear the genuine curiosity within
Danny's voice. It matched my own, but since we were
too weak and it was non of our business, it simply
became a passing conversational topic.

Chapter 24 :
TF Chapter 24 Unconcerned Forger

"That sword isn't simple." Danny commented after a

few seconds of silence. He must have caught my gaze
lingering on the artifact.
"What do you mean?" I asked without averting my
gaze. For some reason, I felt as if the sword was the
most attractive thing to me in the world. It was
strange.

"If you want to gauge how special it is, you will have to
use your spirit instead of your eyes." That was all he
said but it had successfully managed to pique my
interest.

I wanted to know why he had spoken like that, but

first, I had to get close to put it in the range of my
spiritual domain. I stood up and moved towards it,
which for some reason, had its silvery shine not dulled
at all being a dim room. It was as if it was releasing its
own light.

When I reached close enough, I manifested my

spirit...well, tried to, but failed. I panicked at that and
tried and tried only to fail.
"I can't manifest my spirit!" I spoke with panic evident
within my voice.

"Really! Could it be that you exhausted it

extensively?" Bora asked.

Her question caused a light bulb to go off within my

brain...could it be that the entity that had taken
control of my body been feeding off my spirit?

"A few hours have already passed...shouldn't he have

recovered by now?" Danny asked with uncertainty.

"It looks like we are going to have to wait a bit longer.

Though, if this condition of yours persists, we might
have to alert the forgers."
Danny's words made sense but they still didn't calm
me down enough. What if I had lost my chance at
becoming a forger?!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

At first, I thought it was my heart pounding in my

chest, only for Bora and Danny's reactions of standing
up abruptly as if they were about to face a formidable
enemy woke me up to the truth of the matter. The
memory of the first forger I had met was
recollected...this was the exact same way a forger
announced their presence.

Someone was coming, and it appeared to be a forger. I

was gripped with nervousness, half expecting Everett's
grandfather to be the one paying us a visit.
I still didn't calm down upon seeing a figure entering
through the entrance, clad in an armor that appeared
to have the texture of glass. It gave the impression
that it was transparent, yet truly, it wasn't. I was
mesmerised by its beauty and streamlined shape. This
was my first time seeing an armor that didn't appear
metallic, causing me to wonder if it really was glass
the person was manipulating.

"Too many tasks and too little manpower to handle all

made me fail to arrive in time...for that, I apologise."
The words alone made me recognise that it was a man
inside the armor, though that didn't stop the words
from startling me. From what I knew about forgers,
they mostly didn't particularly care for those of us
normal mortals. Even Celeste, our teacher had that
faint pride. When she had apologised to me, that faint
pride was something that I could feel radiating from
her, yet, from this man, I sensed genuine sincerity.
"Its okay." Subconsciously, I answered without even
meaning to. The armor covered him from head to toe
except for the eyes, whose pupils were as black as
night...and no, this wasn't because we were in a dark
place that they would normally be brown, no, they
were truly dark!

"I get what happened here, there is no need for an

explanation. You were attacked, but then you killed
them in self defense...I would have normally been
curious how you managed that...plus that artifact
creating a wound in the floor, but all that would have
to wait for later when your tutor and the other council
forgers come back. You can also practice without
worry as no one will once again attempt to murder
you." At the last sentence, he turned on his heel
heading out, leaving us flabbergasted at how lazy this
person appeared to be.

"I thought we were going to be punished for killing."

Bora spoke, her voice containing a hint of shock.
Though, she was most definitely right. I had also been
prepared for the consequences because of the fact
that we were just mortals, yet had murdered the
grandson of a powerful forger.

"Maybe when the others come back, and he's

replaced, we shall be punished harshly." I was worried
about that. This was basically like delaying an
execution. I didn't like it one bit. I would have liked to
be punished and be done with it.

We were so dumbstruck that even after minutes had

passed and the man had vanished, we were still frozen
in place.

"I would have really liked to get this over with." And
just like that, the frozen spell was broken with my
words.
"That's probably a newly advanced forger. They are
the only ones who like being in their armors as a way
of showing off." Danny spoke, his tone implying an
extensive knowledge of the forgers' world.

"Since he has assured us that no one will attack again,

we can go back to our extraction attempts...though,
we will probably have to wait until your spirit
recovers..." Bora spoke with a grimace. She probably
wanted to get back right to it but my condition
prevented her.

"I am sorry." I apologised.

"Don't worry about it." She answered.

And just like that, multiple days passed as I waited for

my spirit to recover. The good thing about the wait
though, was the fact that I could tell it was recovering
since I could feel it.

In the meantime though, I apprenticed myself under

Bora, who taught me the intricacies of self defence
and evasion. As I had anticipated, she was a slave
driver through and through! It was maybe because of
boredom, but I didn't get any resting time as she spent
every minute of everyday guiding me rigorously while
an amused Danny watched from the side, only
occasionally interfering to provide some advice.

Chapter 25 :
TF Chapter 25 Stronger

"My spirit has recovered to its previous peak." I spoke

after many days of training. I was on my back, my
chest heaving up and down as I inhaled the toxic
atmosphere in large gulps. Even with an oxygen filled
organ, there were some things that just couldn't go
away. My body was killing me! The strain I had just
put it through had taken a toll on it only inferior to
when something had possessed me to slaughter
Everett's group.

Bora was truly a slave driver. Due to the fact that we

had had nothing to do during the previous days, she
had put me through the ringer in training. I had asked
her once when I finally had a 5 minute break why she
couldn't allow me to rest longer, only for her to admit
to the fact that she hated boredom.

From standing in a correct posture to the intricacies of

evasion...she had given me a crash course in
everything!

Though, there was something that she had said that

had resonated with me deeply during our training
sessions, and that was, 'A true predator has the
capability to gauge the level of whatever its attacking,
allowing itself to switch between being prey and
taking flight or attacking viciously.'

With that statement, she hadn't just taught me the art

of evasion, but even that of attacking. Honestly, if it
wasn't for her rigorous and spartan approach to
teaching, maybe I would have been immensely
grateful!

The previous few days had been an eye opener for

both me and Danny. She had literally shown us how
someone could get strong without having gym
equipment, making me wonder whether she had been
trained in a secluded jungle somewhere. Though, I
didn't dare ask that as I was scared that it might lead
to a beating, which she had delivered almost daily
with the excuse of training me in stances and martial
arts. I could have sworn she was happy to finally let
loose her skills on something, yet, with that stoic
expression of hers, I had had no way of telling.

"Our training sessions won't stop just because we can

finally attempt a proper extraction. You are still too
green."

I groaned out a protest at that. It seems like it was

going to be very hard to escape the woman's clutches!

We humans, with myself included of course! We get

exhilarated when we manage to achieve something
noteworthy in our perspective. That was how I was
currently feeling at the moment. After a few days of
training, even I felt that I could easily murder my past
self. That wasn't to say that I had had my ego stroked,
or attained a new level of arrogance, no! It was the
absolute and irrefutable truth! I had a 100% chance of
murdering the previous me if we ever had to face off!
"I really have to applaud your will and courage, senior
Nat." Danny spoke as he squatted down by my side
with a massive grin painted across his face.

"Yeah...you do. Even I caught the twitch in your

otherwise calm facade upon watching some of the
exercises I had to do." After that sentence, I laughed
at a conjured memory.

"Yeah! Yeah! Even I have to admit that I would rather

not go through such things! Leapfrogging a thousand
times within a set time limit was one of the tasks even
I wouldn't attempt."

Now, that had been excruciatingly hard and

burdensome to my leg muscles. I frowned at that
memory because if I hadn't had an energy sac within
me, I would have failed to recover for a few weeks!
Bora was one hell of a teacher! She was someone you
really wouldn't want to associate with after such a
gruelling regimen, yet, because of the fact that I knew
my weakness had almost led to my death, I had
pushed through with sheer will alone. Undertaking
such gruelling training was far better than being at the
end of the life road, with a chasm brimming with
death in front of you.

"His willpower far surpasses yours and mine by a very

large margin. For me, it took days to complete some
of the training tasks..."

"Really now! And you forced me to complete them in

just a few hours?!" I sat up abruptly, with my voice
rising an octave while my gaze bored into Bora, who
decided to look away with a faint blush.

"Hehehehehe...I might be weak now, but when I

become stronger, I will have my revenge!" I said with
seriousness in my voice, but it only earned me giggles
all round.
They thought I was joking, but do trust me on this!
That woman was going to get what was coming to her
one day, or else I wouldn't be Nathaniel Bosingwa!

"Let's get started on the new idea you gained from the
vision. There is no time like the present!" Bora
decided to change the topic, her expression
manifesting some signs of eager anticipation and
impatience.

"You are right about that. We have been lazing about

for a long time." Danny agreed.

"I wonder why Celeste and the other tutors aren't

back yet." I stood up and curiously probed. I knew that
none of the other two knew any answers but with
their intellect and scant forger-world knowledge,
maybe they could provide me with a plausible
speculation...?
"I don't know anything, and I can't think of anything
that would warrant the need for droves of forgers.
This has never happened before in all history." Danny,
having figured out my intentions said with a shake of
the head.

Well, it looks like we are going to have to wait a bit

longer. Even though the hard training had dulled my
fear and nervousness about what punishment or
future I was going to be granted, it hadn't gone away. I
really wished Celeste would just pop by and deliver a
decision from the higher ups...she had called them a
council I presume.

"I know what you are worried about, but it will be

better if you don't dwell on it, or you might find your
performance in the various activities declining. You
could become psychotic too." Bora pointed out to me.
Chapter 26 :
TF Chapter 26 Pain Of The New

The air on this continent is composed of mostly toxic

gas particles that would normally lead to the death of
a normal human upon inhalation. I, coupled with the
others on this rock would already be dead if it wasn't
for the enhancements that had been performed on
our bodies beforehand.

Once again, we were adopting our triangular

formation, away from the molten stream, attempting
to move and control said air particles. We had made a
decision to first try out the shaping and creation of the
air tube through which our molten metal atom would
travel.
I regulated my breath as did the other two. We were
about to experiment with something we had had no
prior knowledge of, so we had to be in our best states.
After that, we released our spirits and fused them
once again into an amalgam, with each of us capable
of influencing its shape and direction.

"How do we go about this?" Bora asked the question

that was on each of our minds.

Through this amalgam, I could acutely feel the many

tiny things within the fused spirits, the air particles. I
even had a feeling that with a thought, I could bend
them to my will, but first, we had to agree on how to
go about it and how to shape them.

My heartrate increased in anticipation. I couldn't stop

the generous dose of excitement within from affecting
me, and coincidentally, I could feel it within our
combined spirits, proving that I wasn't the only one
affected.

"Let's start with a tube. We are going to first shape the

spiritual amalgam into a tube before we do the same
for the air particles." Danny spoke out his idea, with
the both of us nodding in agreement.

The spiritual amalgam was floating in between us,

invisible to the naked eye, but since we were the ones
who had created it, we could feel it very acutely. It
was like a ball of smoke, or fog, ever changing in state
and shifting to the whims of our thought, as if it had a
life of its own. Each of us was only connected to it by
the means for a tether originating from the center of
our forehead.

As we imbued our will into it, the faint circular ball

started to morph, elongating at the sides before
reaching the length of about a meter. It started out
thick and dense, before we willed a hollow to start
expanding out from the inside, pushing all the spirit
into the walls and turning the previous rod into a tube
with a diameter of 5cm.

What actually fascinated me about the spirit was the

fact that you could sense its existence, yet couldn't
determine whether it was a particle or even a wave!
And to top it all off, if it was made up of particles, then
they had to be even smaller than an atom, because I
had tried to study it and failed.

Now that the tube had been completed, we had to

make it solid, by trapping and attracting air particles
towards it. The attracting part was easy, as all we just
had to do was compress those we could feel, causing
the surrounding atoms and molecules to move in and
fill the vacuum, causing a never ending phenomenon.
But, now, came the hardest part...trapping and
compressing the air particles. You see, the spiritual
powers could move atoms with ease, but the problem
came with molecules. Our spirit could move them, but
that also caused a strain on us, since they were
heavier than an individual atom, and the problem was
that we were surrounded by mostly molecules instead
of atoms.

We had continuously experimented with the power of

the spirit and found out that we could split a molecule
into individual atoms, but at the cost of time and
concentration. Here, we didn't have the luxury to do
that as we had to compress as many molecules as
possible into the tube shape, a feat that caused beads
of sweat to slide down my cheeks.

I could feel the strain on our combined spirit as we

forced the free air particles into a compact, almost
solid state. The previously clear space between us
started to materialise into a transparent outline of a
tube as we forced ourselves to endure the exertion.

Tired...that was all I could feel just a few seconds into

the formation of the tube. I felt as if all the strength
had left my body, and drowsiness was taking over,
causing me to feel my eyelids getting heavier by the
second.

'Stay awake! You have to!' I bit the tip of my tongue to

gain some clarity, but only for a moment as even the
pain from such an endeavor failed to chase the sleep
from me.

My eyelids closed, though, not before feeling a burst

of wind assaulting my face, probably from the abrupt
expansion of the previously compressed air molecules.

-----
"That was hard! And you said it was only a single alien
being performing that task in the vision?!" Danny
spoke while cradling his head, having developed a
major headache.

Bora and I were in the same situation. I felt as if

someone was pounding my brain with a hammer
every single second. If it had been the previous me
who hadn't undertaken Bora's tough training regimen,
he would have been howling right now, but the
current me simply gritted my teeth and held on.

It would probably train my willpower...right? Or

should I just scream out my pain? I wondered as I
crawled towards the nearest wall so that I could lean
my back into it. The pain refused to let me stand up
and walk on my own two feet. I could only pull myself
towards the grey in my vision, one stroke at a time.
"Will this method ultimately work, or will we just burn
ourselves out?" Even experiencing such pain, Bora's
words came out smooth, tempting me to develop the
curiosity to look back and see her current expression,
though, that would have been me simply wasting the
valuable time I would have spent getting to the wall,
so I gave up.

"I don't know, maybe we will just have to change

some parts, or tone down on the molecules
needed...for now, I just want to lean against the wall
and wish this pain away." Even as I spoke, my forward
movement didn't slow down a single bit.

*****

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Chapter 27 :
TF Chapter 27 What We Did Wrong

When trying something new, there are always results,

good or bad. The consequences of us charting out our
own path had led to this painful predicament. The
pain alone failed to let me sink into the world of
dreams, ensuring that I was always awake.

A pebble hit my calf while my eyes were focused on

the ground, creating a dull thud and minor sensation
of pain, one of the perks of having the nano suit as a
defensive measure.

I raised my eyes with difficulty, fighting through the

pain, towards the culprit, Danny. As I gazed at him,
letting my scowling expression do all the talking, he
spoke with a small awkward and apologetic smile.

"How are you feeling?"

This was a question that didn't need an answer as I

was sure my grimacing expression was all I needed, so
I didn't anwer.

But, if this guy was in the mood for throwing pebbles,

it appeared that his condition was much less worse
compared to mine, which caused curiosity to bloom
within me.

My gaze travelled to Bora, only to see that her head

was being craddled between her knees, her face
buried within such that only her mass of hair was
visible. My instincts told me that she was very much
awake, battling her own pain demons.
"I wonder...sometimes...how many secrets...you do
have?" I paused in between the words to wince at the
hammering within my head.

"Would you really want to know, Senior Nat?"

A grin painted his face, but for some reason, I felt a

chill, as if opening the Pandora's box that was Danny,
would lead to some deadly consequences. I shivered
at the thought that I might enlarge the baggage that
was my problems, so I shifted my gaze away, sighing
at my weakness and fear. But, I couldn't go through
with it. The Ross family was likely to exact revenge,
not to mention the fact that I was still waiting to hear
from the council about their stance on the matter.
Their decision would prove whether I was more
valuable than the wrath of a powerful forger.
I did the same thing as Bora, burying my head within
my knees as I fought to keep myself from groaning,
ultimately breaking out into a scream.

"Bora, are you getting any better?"

Really!? He just had to ask that question? Does he

have a death wish or something?

"Danny...could it be that you are tired of life in this

world?" Bora drawled, her voice sounding as if it had
come from the deepest reaches of hell, even eliciting a
shiver from me.

Though, that did the trick, causing a blanket of silence

to once again envelop the place.

-----
"Tell me, what did we do wrong, or not do right?"
Danny asked as we sat facing a central point. We had
decided to start analysing our previous attempt, to
pick out any flaws and blunders we might have
committed. It had taken a few hours, but by now, we
had recovered enough to hold conversation.

"I think we might have overshot our needs." Bora

spoke.

Her statement was right. Even within the vision, that

alien being's air tube hadn't been as massive as ours.

It was embarrassing how I hadn't even paid attention

to the details. If our bodies hadn't protested the
strain, wouldn't we have died? And the fault would
have been entirely mine. I should have been explicit in
what I had glimpsed. Though, I couldn't rule out the
fact that we might have been too overexcited.
"We were too excited. This should serve as lesson.
Every little thing about the forgers should be analysed
in detail before we act." Bora spoke with gravitas. I
nodded like a chicken pecking rice.

"Senior Nat, don't blame yourself. Even if you had

elaborated upon what you were shown in the vision,
our excitement would have gotten in the way."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise, my eyes glaring into

his blue ones. Wasn't this guy a bit too perceptive?
How could he have gauged my thought process?

"Danny is right." Bora also spoke out in my defense.

"Okay, I won't blame myself. We can start with the

analysis." With a sigh, I expelled the gloomy feelings
from myself, priming my brain for what was to come.
"The first order of business is the fact that our tube
was too wide, long and its inner diameter too
wide...basically, quoting Bora's words, we overshot
our needs..." I started, my voice lacking the quiver I
was expecting. It looks like I had gotten used to
speaking with these two.

"Yes, we need something thin, like a straw." Danny

chimed in.

"No, something even thinner, something with the

dimensions of a needle or a strand of hair. Don't look
at me like that! With our spiritual sense that even
surpasses even electron microscopes, we can pull it
off." Bora interjected, though her words caused me
and Danny to give her quizzical looks.

True, our spiritual senses were that powerful, but

having to rely on them instead of our visual senses
was going to take some time to get used to. Our
spiritual powers, though innately familiar to us...were
still new, and our perspectives hadn't gotten to the
point of seamlessly adding them into our thought
processes.

It was like being given a second heart, but since you

weren't born with it, you would fail to acknowledge its
uses or even fail to think of what it would boost about
you. The process had to be gradual, but Bora seemed
to have already integrated her spiritual powers into
the equation.

I should take a page out her book. My thought process

was still too mundane...something had to change!

"I agree with you on that one, besides, it will allow us

to collect a smaller sample size than the one from
before. Our spirits still strain to pick up a few million
atoms. If we had used that thing, it would have
burdened us." I supported her.

"So, when are we going to try this?" Danny asked with

a bit of anticipation leaking through his voice.

"Not all of us are freaky like you. We will only try it

after recovery!" Bora's voice had a hint of anger. It
must have been frustration from the fact that she was
going to have to wait for some time.

Couldn't whatever had hijacked my body improved

upon it? Even now, I still failed to fall into the
'memories of the past'...what I had started to term the
visions...alone. My spirit was intrinsically still at the
same level as Bora's, apart from the anomaly that was
Danny. It looked like that had been a one-off situation.
Maybe I should try to once again place my life in
danger...like have Bora inflict something fatal?
Now, that was a shivering thought! I shuddered before
standing up and walking over to the gleaming silvery
sword. I had forgotten about it for a moment.

Chapter 28 :
TF Chapter 28 The Artifact

My heartrate sped up as I took a step towards the

artifact. There was this rising feeling of anticipation, as
if my body was reacting to something. I paused for a
moment to try and regain my bearings. I shouldn't let
myself be flustered by the sword...I chanted that
within my mind.

After steadying my breathing, I swiftly appeared

infront of the gleaming silver. Honestly, the silvery
glow wasn't something that should have mesmerised
me, but there was an otherworldly quality to it that
constantly drew my attention towards it, as if
everything else was dull by comparison.
"Its bizarre, right?"

"Why?" I asked back.

"(Sigh)...why haven't you inspected it with your spirit

yet?" Danny asked, his voice dripping with
exasperation.

"...I was admiring the craftsmanship." I couldn't

divulge the fact that I had been caught in a daze,
right? It would be too embarrassing!

I released a thread of my spirit...at the start, we

couldn't even shape it effectively, but now, we had
improved enough to do things like this.
I directed the strand towards the hilt and wrapped it
only for my heart to jump a little from shock.

"Wow!" I exclaimed in amazement, but without

withdrawing my spiritual thread.

The hilt was pulsing with spiritual energy, giving me

the impression there was a heart inside.

"That's what makes the sword amazing. I wouldn't be

surprised if the forgers get greedy when they return."
Danny spoke with a chuckle.

His words were true, yet for some unknown reason, I

could feel that the pulsing of the hilt somehow echoed
my heartbeat. Could it be that I had a connection to
it?
That question alone caused me to develop feelings of
aversion towards the fact that it might fall into
someone else's hands.

"Aaaaah..." I yelled out upon feeling my spirit being

severed. What the hell had happened?

I investigated only to find that my spiritual thread had

surpassed the hilt and made it to the double edged
blade, where it had tried to loop around, only for it to
be severed.

"That is what makes this blade special!" Exclaimed

Danny from behind me. Couldn't he have warned me
beforehand? The severed spirit never returned to me,
instead dissipating in the void. It would have been
amazing if not for the horror that had enveloped me. I
quickly withdrew my spirit and took a step back.
This was a very dangerous artifact! Maybe I hadn't yet
become important enough to know about some forger
details, that's why I was horrified. What if a forger
tried to claim this for themselves? If they found out
that I had a connection with it, wasn't I going to be
killed?

I breathed out forcefully. That forger from before had

ignored the the artifact...maybe I was just paranoid.
But what if that man had just been an oddball among
forgers? What if the next one took an interest in the
sword?

My problems had just escalated! Even if the Ross

family didn't retaliate, other forgers could now kill me
for the blade!

"Nathaniel! Why do you have such an expression?"

Bora's voice brought me back from the sea of
thoughts and worries clouding my mind.
"...with the specialness exhibited by this sword, there
is a chance that a forger might take an interest in
claiming it for themselves." After a long pause,
coupled with adjusting my expression, I spoke. Bora
and Danny had at some point arrived beside me.

"Are you scared because you believe that its your

property...or could it be something else?"

"...I feel a subtle, but powerful connection to it."

Inwardly, I had just debated the pros and cons of
revealing this to them...ultimately, deciding to place
my trust in them.

"That isn't surprising considering it was you...no, the

other you who created it. Anyway, I do believe that
there is no way they will steal it from you." Danny's
words didn't even possess a hint of worry.
"I must admit, my problems keep getting bigger and
bigger..." A sigh escaped my lips while may gaze
narrowed at the hilt of the sword.

"We will stand with you on whatever decision you

make...don't take me wrong, I am not doing this
entirely out of the kindness of my heart, but because
there is something to gain from you...an increased
chance to become a forger." Bora's words were
spoken in a deadpan manner, but still, they brought
warmth to my heart.

"There is also something bizarre about this

sword...like its alive or something."

I changed the topic to what I had discerned in that

short moment that I had had my spirit caressing the
sword.
"Its pulsing, yet every atom its made of appears to be
flowing...moving with such purpose...its like I am
interacting with another living thing!"

"Yes, I do believe that whatever took control of your

body in that moment imbued its spirit within the
metal atoms...I wonder how strong you would have to
be to even attempt such a feat! The forgers possess
their armors, but those have to be maintained with
spirit. Any lapse in concentration, and the entire thing
solidifies." Danny caressed his chin, eyes glinting with
curiosity.

"It will be better if we put this behind us and rest to

recover our spirit. We are lagging behind some of the
other teams, so we have to hurry up." Bora walked
away towards a corner and sat down with her back
leaning against the wall.
"Yeah...you are right. This artifact is far too
complicated for us to grasp at this time." I also stalked
off, having held off my desire to caress the hilt with
my hand. For now, it would be better if I didn't do
anything rash that could lead to problems down the
line. In the novels, an artifact could form a bond with a
character...now, imagine a powerful artifact like this
sword falling into my hands, wouldn't I be killed in
order to sever my bond with it?

Human greed was something that couldn't be

underestimated! Not to mention the fact that my
future was still an uncertainty with me having become
enemies with the Ross family.

Chapter 29 :
TF Chapter 29 The Prize

Something floated between us within my spiritual

perception. It was small, its width no more than a
hair's. It was almost an inch long, and was being held
up by our combined spiritual powers.

Days had turned into weeks as we experimented with

a variety of configurations. At first, we had been
impatient...mostly stemming from the fact that the
others were succeeding almost everyday...of course,
those were still the minority, but because the success
stories were more prominent than the failures, we
had gotten caught up in a panic.

But as time went on, we settled down and followed

our own pace, a step at a time.

Now, we had finally given birth to something

extraordinary, after many days of labor. Getting used
to viewing the microscopic world with our spiritual
sight had been a massive pain in the butt at the start,
yet right now, I was probably spotting a satisfied grin
on my face, just like the other two.
This tube, too small and transparent to the normal
eye, was the fruits of our labor...not just that, but also,
the gateway to the successful extraction of the metal
atoms within the molten liquid.

"Should we try it out now...?"

"We should first rest." I shot down Bora's eager spirit.

We couldn't afford to start this halfheartedly.

"Well, I must admit, becoming a forger really is about

boredom and hardwork!" Danny had a smile tugging
at the corner of his lips...many girls must have fallen
for his charms back on earth...does he have a
girlfriend? Now, this was a juicy topic, though, I doubt
he would indulge me.
"Its better than having to slave hours away at a
computer for those giant companies."

To me, this was more fulfilling than having to work for

those who were reaping the true benefits and only
returning something meager my way.

"Do you despise companies that much?" Bora's

question made me look directly at her.

"When something becomes infested with many

humans in a pyramidal relationship, there's bound to
be some oversight. Even the empire-no, the states
aren't immune to that sort of thing. In order for the
higher ups to get more benefits or results, some
would choose some unsavory methods, like
overworking the lower staff. I know this will never
change, which is why It has become one of the
reasons I want to become a forger. At least, if I am
powerful enough, I could even protect myself against
the so-called council." I was winded after such a long
speech, but that didn't deter the flames I felt within
my chest.

With a sigh, I went back to resting since I could see

that she was mulling over my words carefully.

-----

I woke up feeling refreshed. Sleep truly was better at

recovering the mind and spirit. I stretched before
moving my gaze over to my other comrades, who had
awoken earlier than I. It had become a staple, with me
no longer surprised by it, but still I wondered why they
didn't let themselves sleep more.

I used to overwork myself to the bone, but now, here,

I could rest for as long as wanted. It would have been
paradise if there was a bed and the temperature
wasn't so extreme.

"It will be better if we jump right into it." As expected

of the impatient Bora. She didn't dawdle in reminding
us about how on edge she was.

I gave a passing glance at the silvery sword embedded

into the floor and moved over to form our triangular
formation. I had already entered the vision a few
hours ago, so this time, we could try the extraction.

The canal carrying the molten metal wasn't set into

the floor, instead, it had been constructed in the
likeness of a meter tall embarkment with the
depression through its width, holding the flowing
metal at the top. Sitting down near the construction
only afforded us a glimpse, though, without the need
to strain our necks.
I was happy that we didn't need to gaze upon the
metal...with our spiritual senses more than enough for
the task.

After sitting ourselves down by its side, we exchanged

glances before letting the spiritual powers that had
been trapped within our minds outside and
proceeding to entangle them.

I felt many emotional sensations bombarding my mind

the moment my spirit touched theirs, something I had
long gotten used to.

During one of our tutoring sessions with Celeste, a

warning about the dangers caused by curiosity about
another's emotional state were something she had
warned us extensively on. According to her, if we got a
bit more curious and pushed our spirit into the mind
of another, brain death was the most likely outcome
of such an endeavor.
Apparently, the emotional fluctuations we felt during
the bonding of our spirits was minor compared to the
storm going on within another's mind.

I curbed my curiosity and proceeded to start forming

the microscopic tube's skeleton, a creation only
needing the shaping of our spirits, with the muscle
coming from the nearby air molecules.

After many days of practice, it proceeded along

smoothly. Now, it was time for the moment of truth...

Our threads, which were connected to the tube,

simultaneously moved it towards the molten metal,
utilizing the excess of our spiritual powers as a sensory
tool.
The excess spirit was surrounding the tube like a
sphere, half a meter in diameter. When some of it
made contact with the molten liquid, it transmitted a
sensation of warmth, something I still couldn't wrap
my head around. According to Celeste, if the molten
metal had been imbued with spirit, we would have felt
its full temperature, causing our own spirit to burn...a
feature that now reminded me of the sword. Though,
a forger would have to maintain the imbued
spirit...not like the artifact that was somehow
maintaining itself automatically.

This was yet another reason that made me hesitant to

make physical contact with the sword.

With a tilt, the tube was lowered into the molten

canal, with one end making contact with the molten
liquid, while the other end was facing our direction,
but inclined upwards.
We had also taken the liberty to construct something
like a conveyer belt within the needle, moved by our
combined spiritual powers, instead of toiling when
pulling the captured atoms into the tube.

I entered a state of utmost focus since the prize was

just before us. Would we be able to capture it, or
would we fail?

Chapter 30 :
TF Chapter 30 Youthful Spirit

A strand of human hair is approximately one million

carbon atoms wide...now imagine how much volume
our makeshift straw is going to be extracting every
single second? Ah...this sort of fact wasn't something I
would have known if Bora hadn't told me. Its
surprising, really! A human hair being 1 million atoms
wide!
Anyway, we started the conveyor belt within the
needle, its demarcations trapping a few hundred
thousand atoms with every rise, while we also
tempered with the compressed air molecules, moving
those that became excited, in other words, absorbed
some of the heat from the metallic atoms, to the
outer lining of the needle, while shifting the cool ones
into the inner lining. It was very intense, requiring
plenty of concentration.

Heavy...

That was the first thing I noticed as our creative

spiritual contraption went to work, the fact that the
metal atoms were becoming heavier as they were
being dragged away from the molten stream. It was a
sign that they were cooling down from their high
frequency state. That was good for us and all, but it
also came with a downside of increased weight!
I grunted...

Our instructor, Celeste, had once corrected a certain

misconception of ours...that forgers were ranked
according to the powers displayed by their armors.
Frankly, it had been like a cataclysmic reset for
me...after all, being told that the levels were
determined through the level of spirit hadn't sat right
with me.

It was bizarre...learning that those armors I had been

so enamored with since young weren't...what is the
word I am looking for...relevant...?

Anyway, right now, our journey had just started and

this extraction exercise was all about strengthening
our spirit. The harder we exerted ourselves, the faster
it could grow and adapt.
The word forger originated from the process through
which the spirit is strengthened. Someone, not the
first forger though, had coined the term and it had
stuck.

As the metal atoms moved along the conveyor belt

and continuously lost their high energy state, the
strain started to become unbearable. My vision was
getting a bit fuzzy, a sign that I was straining my spirit.

Bora and Danny had furrowed brows, as if they were

solving some kind of difficult problem...

The moment the first batch of particles made it out of

the tube, they had cooled enough to the point that we
were barely holding on.
Then my eyes closed and the sensation of my back
hitting the solid rocky ground was the last thing I felt
before I slipped into unconsciousness.

But, I had a grin on my face...probably...after all, we

had finally managed to succeed!

-----

I woke up with a headache, one which was delivering

the pain through minute bursts, like the beating of a
heart.

I slowly raised myself up, clenching my jaw to keep

from screaming out in pain which equaled that from
when my body had been possessed by the unknown
entity.
"We finally managed to reach the starting point."
Danny's voice entered my ears, with my eyes still
closed.

"Yeah."

Opening them, I was greeted by the sight of the guy

sitting there, his head cradled within his palms as he
gazed at me. He had probably been watching my
sleeping form. Was there something about me that
was attractive to him? Could it be that he had sensed
my specialness from the moment he had first laid eyes
on me? Many questions...with the answers elusive.

"Hehehehe..." An unexpected chuckle came from the

person I was least expecting it from, Bora.

I turned to her, only for a scene I probably might

never forget to enter my eyes, a smile, so natural and
beautiful it dazzled me. This was the first genuine
smile I had seen from the woman since that one time
they had joked at my expense.

"Your smile probably equals that of elves." Danny

commented.

"Elves...!?"

"Fictional characters...there is no need to pay

attention to his words. Though, I must admit that the
smile suits you." I clarified.

"We have finally arrived at the starting line. You may

admire me at you own leisure...this might be one of
those few times you might have to see me in my
unguarded state."
I had been expecting her to become prickly at being
praised due to her previous personality...yet, this
reaction of hers was shocking!

(Cough!)

I was suddenly embarrassed by her boldness that I

shifted my gaze. She was just too bright, too beautiful.
My 40-year-old heart might get moved by the young
and vibrant her. Falling in love...that was the last thing
I needed right now.

"Now, its going to be the daily grind. We are going to

need to extract until our spirits are strong enough to
hold a fist sized globe of metal. How long do you think
will that take? We only have a year." With seriousness
having crept into my tone and facial expression, I
asked.
"Why are you looking back at me? I can't calculate
such things as there are many factors, many of which I
can't predict. I don't how strong each of our spirits will
be growing per session after all." Bora shrugged.

"I heard that during the previous years, many were

eliminated at the end of the first year...though, this
one is different..."

"Danny, we should try to surpass Celeste's

requirement of a fist-sized metallic lump-no, we
shouldn't even consider her words. We should strive
for more!" My temperature increased as I spoke those
words. I had gotten worked up...me, an adult aged
over 40. It must be the excitement from our first
extraction...yeah...that's probably the reason.

"Hehehehehe...Nat senior, I can see the passionate

streak hasn't yet gotten smothered despite
your...advanced age." Danny taunted, taking a
dramatic pause before the last two words.

"Everyone who chooses this path is already passionate

enough. Only those who got in here because their
parents could afford the place, and wanted them to,
are the exceptions." The grin on my face widened. If
Bora could let down her guard, why couldn't I do the
same?

Like a contagion, we were all bearing our teeth at

each other like a couple of predators, releasing spine-
chilling sounds from our laughs. The passion and
excitement had really gotten to us, not mention the
little me constantly hammering at my brain.

What a pain! I really do hope I get used to this pain!

TF Chapter 31 Boredom
There are some things in this world that are always
elapsing or moving, and one of them is time.

In my perspective, it is one of those few things in this

universe that always remain in motion, not waiting for
me, or any other person for that matter.

While gazing at the perpetual orange skies of Musana

city, I had such thoughts.

The reason I was having such thoughts was the fact

that I was getting fed up of the stasis-like nature of
this place. If it wasn't for the presence of other people
in this place, I would have gone insane some time ago.
Apart from the fact that I was going through such an
intense training regimen with Bora, this place
lacked...true entertainment!
All I was doing here were three things, extracting
atoms to expand my spiritual limits, training with
Bora, then rest.

Going through this routine each and every single day

without any deviation either turns you into a zombie,
or something snaps inside you.

I was of the latter category. I wanted a

change...couldn't something interesting and different
happen here for a change!?

Ever since our initial success, days had turned to

weeks and now, to months, but for some
circumstances unknown to us, the tutors were still
missing. This sunset had been beautiful at the start,
yet right now, it was stinging to my eyes. This constant
scenery was getting on my nerves.
I was leaning on the stone walls of our little rock
house, enjoying one of the few rare moments I didn't
get to train with Bora. Danny was beside me, his eyes
closed in a mock attempt at sunbathing.

"Danny, I am bored."

"Try meditation...believe me, it works wonders."

(Sigh)

"I am being serious here. I am just a tad bit away from

going crazy here. Throw me a bone or something."

"...Nat senior, this is the choice you made when you

chose to become a forger. You can choose to fail in
your test at the end of the year and be booted from
here. No one's stopping you."
Did he have to sound so harsh?

"How are you handling this robotic-like life here? Give

me some genuine tips. Its a miracle I have even held
on this long!" I pleaded.

"Ultimately, you will have to get used to it. If you want

advice from me or Bora, forget it! We have long
learned to cope with solitude during our individual
training on Earth. You will have grasp for a solution by
yourself. Advice never helps." Danny opened his eyes
by a slit and spoke to me.

It looks like I will have to brainstorm my way out of

this one, but how? I rubbed the back of my head in
frustration. Celeste would have probably provided
some means of entertainment, right? These two
had...troublesome personalities and she was the
bubbly one... Though, I wonder how that would end if
I asked her.

Do trust me on this, craziness here was a real thing. I

had seen a few, and it hadn't been a pretty sight. Their
own companions had had to boot them out of the city
to prevent self-harm or even harming others.

"Boredom is simply a state of mind. You yourself can

change it with just a change of perspective, or sheer
willpower."

It was sound advice from Bora who had just decided

to join us.

"You should have become a monk or something."

Danny joked.
(Scoffs)

"...or, we could simply dive back into the training; it

might get your mind off things" she cracked her
knuckles, causing me to wonder why such a beauty
like her had such a flaw in her personality. Why was
she inclined towards violence? She had continuously
shattered my misconception of her being cool, calm,
collected and logical during training the past few
weeks.

Though, there was a point in her first words. I just had

to shift the direction of my thoughts, but how?

The virtual metaverse had had many things that

helped entertain me during my time on Earth. What
was I supposed to do here? Invent such an activity?
Sometimes you needed something to take your mind
off the repetitive things. Re-imagining board games
using pebbles and the red soil didn't seem like a
particularly enticing idea.

Should we ask each other questions about our lives on

Earth? No... These people are guarding their secrets
too close. The trivial things they did wouldn't be
enough to excite me...hmmm...

What to do? What to do?

Unconsciously, I started tapping my finger on the wall

behind me, the sound causing me to bob my head
along.

Music! Maybe I could try to replay those songs in my

head!
(Sigh)

I don't think I ever fully memorised one. Substituting

with my own words wouldn't feel right...

"You could try to solve some mysteries, mostly about

yourself...like, how you are the only one who can
access those visions from the past, that sword still
standing in the middle of our stone house, the
spirit...keep yourself busy!"

Danny's words jolted me from my pondering. He was

right. There were many things that would most
definitely prove interesting enough if I just put my
mind to them, like the spirit.

According to what Celeste had spoken about, the

powers of the spirit were only limited by their
wielders. Just like it would shock someone that light
could exist as a solid, another would just take it as a
matter of course.

For example, could photons be manipulated through

the spirit?

I had asked that question after some failed

experimentation and Bora had said that the difficulty
was brought about by the speed at which the particles
were moving at.

So far no forger had arrived at such a threshold. If one

managed to, they would become powerful.

Now, if light is hard, what about dark matter? That

couldn't even be sensed by our spirit, as if it didn't
exist!
Anyway, trying to solve the mystery that was spirit
was currently beyond me. The sword... That was
something I wanted to avoid at all costs.

It has been some time since I last tried to head to the

center of the city. Maybe I should try it the next time
my mind is brought into the vision?

The thought filled me with excitement an energy, not

to mention the urge to uncover things.

Chapter 31 :
TF Chapter 32 Interlude; Merely Stronger Mortals!

The early humanoid started out in caves, alone and

any interaction with a neighbour always led to
conflict. But then, families were started which evolved
into tribes, kingdoms and empires.

Civilisation bloomed all around the world and

technology developed to the point that everything on
Earth had seen a human footprint, even the Marianas
trench, the deepest part of the ocean.

After all that, we turned our attention towards space,

our solar system specifically, where Mars was the first
to fall into our grasp...

Until one day, something bizarre appeared! A

continent surfaced on the molten surface of the sun,
as if it had been deep below, waiting for us to take
that next step towards space. Once again, many things
were put on hold and technology advanced to the
point that man once again stepped onto the sun,
kickstarting the age of forgers.
All these achievements, overcoming challenge after
challenge, made us develop pride which eventually
turned to arrogance, then complacency.

Most of us forgers had become complacent after the

lack of a genuinely threatening enemy in our lives, and
many took that as a reason to stagnate. Being heaped
with praises from the public had stroked our egos,
making us believe we were the chosen ones, the
special ones out of the billions.

I, Celeste, for one hadn't gotten drunk on such useless

things, but it had started. I had started to get
arrogant, thinking that as long as I reached the third
stage and joined the council, I would be at the peak...

Yet, the universe decided to teach me- no, humanity a

harsh lesson. And that lesson had shown us that in
this vast universe, we were still mere mortals!
That...entity...I never want to meet such a being ever
again!

I gazed down at my fingers, taking in all the lines

marking them. Many of my comrades were beside me
in this ship but, everyone was silent, even the
exceptions were conversing in whispers as opposed to
when we were making our first journey towards that
star system when there had been a lot more liveliness.

Do trust me...when you meet such a being... If you still

haven't realised that you are a frog in the bottom of a
well, then that's plain stupid.

Our somber mood isn't because many of us died, no,

its because we have realised that we are still too
weak!
A single being had slaughtered over 30% of all forgers!
30%!

You have to know that there were tens of thousands

from the accumulation of numerous years, YET!

Over 4000 forgers were killed by just a single alien,

slaughtered like flies! Even those on the council!

We were mistaken. Our previous thoughts of having

reached the peak of power were shattered. We had
theorised the existence of a fourth stage after the
third, but hadn't known how to reach it. Even now, we
don't have a clue about what stage that being had
been at. But, we all agreed that it was most definitely
above the third.

I wanted to be okay, but I think I would never be after

seeing all that. I wonder how I am going to face my
students without the confidence from before. After
many months of gruelling war...well, mostly us hiding
and performing guerilla attacks...we were finally
heading home, yet, I felt no joy, instead a growing
sense of weakness. Will humanity ever produce a
being like him? Will I ever reach such a level?

Fear hadn't just taken hold of me. The council had

already released an order for space exploration to
halt. Any that disobeyed this order would be
slaughtered without mercy! So, we were only going to
have to focus on the solar systems we had already
explored.

Though, was it just fear? Or had it morphed into

terror? I hope cowardice wasn't the result.

I also feel the fear, but as humans, we can't stop

because of fear. We just have to get stronger! Even if
we will have to first have to find a way to get closer to
the corpse of that dead being. Everyone of us
survivors know that in order to advance to the next
stage, its body is the key.

Its weird. I don't feel the excitement I felt when I was

about to meet my students for the first time. Instead,
what I feel is fear, fear that one day, they might face
the same threat that we have just faced. It looks like I
have developed an attachment to them.

Humanity, specifically we forgers had gotten

complacent due to the praise heaped upon us with
our meager powers, making us believe that we were
the peak of evolution... But this... It entirely knocked
us off our pedestals and rebranded us as just another
branch of mortal. We were more powerful, but still
just mere mortals, ants. If that being hadn't managed
to gain information about our origin star system, we
would have run away when we failed to take him
down the first time.
"Hehehehehehehe...I used to think that I was big,
bigger than everyone. An immortal above the
common mortals. Hehehehehehe...it looks like I
needed this rude awakening. The universe is vast and
unfathomable. I was a frog at the bottom of the well,
thinking that it was the entire world, how stupid!"

Someone next to me slipped into a monologue.

"I had slowed down my training, thinking that even if I

went slow and relaxed, l would eventually become an
elder on the council. I, no, we should have realised it
since there was a freaking continent which had
popped out of the sun! We had forgotten that such a
thing existed...couldn't there be other things, not to
mention beings that had taken the forger path?" He
took in a deep breath, his eyes widening and his hands
clenching with such force that I saw some red
between the folds.
"I am going to train will all my might! Even if we fail to
glean anything from that being, I will simply take a
ship and head towards the uncharted parts of the
galaxy in search of the next level!" His voice had risen
to the point that it had drawn the eyes and ears of
many.

His words, even though a bit selfish, rekindled a flame

within me, a flame that had died down at the moment
I had graduated. I had to train with zeal. Also, my
students...I am going to make sure that I prepare them
for the vast universe.

"I, CELESTE! AM GOING TO REACH THE LEVEL OF THAT

BEING, AND EVEN SURPASS IT!" I shouted out,
enhancing my voice with the power of my spirit. I was
going to be punished later, but this is a vow to myself,
a vow I must never forget!
The very atmosphere within the ship pulsed with my
words, making me feel as if I had just broken out of a
cocoon, one I had trapped myself in before.

Chapter 32 :
TF Chapter 33 Scorched

Ten minutes...

That was how long I could stay in the vision now. Even
though the duration had kept on becoming longer and
longer, I still hadn't tried to make my way towards the
center of the city.

And it wasn't because I couldn't, but because of fear.

The fear of uncertainty! After that incident where my
body had temporarily been hijacked, I had gotten cold
feet. What if something happened while I entered the
academy grounds? I couldn't get rid of the thought
that there was a possibility that my body could once
again be taken over...leading to the slaughtering of
Bora and Danny.

She had tried very hard to hide it with her cold and
stoic veneer, but I had managed to see through it.
Bora's gaze sometimes contained a hint of fear when
she gazed at me. One day, I managed to gather up
enough courage to ask, only for Danny to butt in and
tell me that after the slaughter, my hijacked body had
apparently invaded her private space, just a few
inches away and gazed into her eyes with intensity.

It had been a very terrifying experience!

I didn't want to put my companions through that once

again, so I had opted to hold off on exploring the
center of the city, the academy.
Yet, ultimately, here I was standing in front of the
open gates, with many aliens passing through my
spiritual self. I had spent two minutes on the road, and
now had 8 of them left. That was a reassuring number,
considering that at the start, I could barely catch a
glimpse of the entrance before I was kicked out.

My current exploration had already been divulged to

them by me since I wanted to warn them in
advance...also, we still had to link up in order for me
to access this vision, a hassle I would honestly want to
do without...

I stood in place and took in the magnificence of the

entrance. Even with the gates open and with me being
a spiritual body, I still felt the warmth from the sun
pattern on both sides of the gates.
It was surprising, considering that I hadn't been
feeling anything from the rest of the city. Nothing had
had the power to affect me before, yet now,
something was causing me to feel warm? Caution was
highly needed.

I wonder how powerful I would have to become in

order to be capable of manufacturing such an artifact!

Even though I hadn't yet met those powerful forgers

on the council, I had a feeling that they hadn't reached
such a level.

I took in a much warranted deep breath after which I

strolled towards the gates, cautious of the two
incomplete suns on their faces, after all, if something
can affect my spirit, no matter how minute the effect,
I had to be on my toes.
As I passed between the open gates, my gaze
alternating between the two, they brightened up
simultaneously, coupled with an instant rise in
temperature!

I didn't even have any time to scream out before my

spiritual body was annihilated, a bright light taking up
my vision.

-----

"Your pale face tells me that something went horribly

wrong, what is it?" A question was directed at me by
Danny, but I wasn't in the mood or capacity to answer
as I could feel a powerful migraine enslaving my brain.

There were many questions which needed answers

within, but I knew for sure that there was no one who
would be capable of answering them.
I simply lay there, on the hard rocky ground, gasping,
trying to make sure that I didn't embarrass myself by
screaming.

This headache had surpassed all the previous ones,

with my mind giving me a signal that something had
been scorched, yet it didn't exist in the material world,
my spirit. Apart from the pain, terror had also
engulfed my being, with my body spasming at the last
memory, the one which ended with the intense pain.

I bit my lower lip hard, feeling the taste of iron in my

mouth. The nano suit shielding that had been invisible
before materialised and sealed half my face, but my
mind was occupied by other things to dwell upon the
matter.

"What's wrong?" This time, it was Bora and her voice

contained genuine concern. Those purple petalled
pupils of hers bore into mine, trying to analyse my
expression. During our daily interactions, this
expression of hers somehow always managed to piss
me off. It gave the feeling that something far more
powerful and aloof was scanning me, an
uncomfortable feeling. Her gaze always gave the
feeling that she was staring straight into the soul,
weird!

Anyway, as we locked gazes, I simply signaled with my

eyes. I needed them to leave me alone for a moment.
Even their words were irritating to me, causing a spike
in the pain I was feeling.

She appeared to have understood the underlying

meaning, since I saw her drag Danny away.

I made a vow to myself as I endured the excruciatingly

scorching pain...that I will never go close to the
academy gates before I advance to the first level of
the forger path!

-----

"My spirit was scorched. Right now I don't feel

anything. It looks like we will have to wait for it to
recover...I am sorry for slowing down our training
once again." I apologised with a lowered head.
Though, if I was being honest, the person I was most
frustrated with was myself. Why had I gotten
impulsive all of a sudden? Couldn't I have held on for a
few months? I would have ultimately gotten used to
the boredom, yet here I was, having gone and slowed
down our training once again!

"Its...okay. I don't know how you managed to not

scream in that situation, but I think I understand a
little." Bora spoke with some hesitation and
uncertainity. There was a hint of blame within those
purple petal patterned eyes of hers, something that
only increased my guilt. I was slowing them down.

There was also something else to ponder upon. What

if we failed and were booted out of this city at the end
of the year? Wouldn't all the fault be mine?

Chapter 33 :
TF Chapter 34 Celeste's Return

Humans have something called a will. 'I have no idea

what that is, but I do know that it exists. Those with
powerful wills are mostly those who have gone
through extraordinary things, or those having a single-
minded pursuit of something. I don't mean to sound
clever or anything...this is just my honest opinion.

Weeks had once again gone by, with my spirit having

long recovered such that we were back to extracting
metal atoms regularly. The vision still claimed me
when the time came, but due to the irrational fear I
had developed, I had stopped taking even a single step
out of the stone room, opting to let the duration
elapse.

Today was very special since a person we had taken

long without seeing was about to appear, Celeste.
Apparently, whatever the forgers had been recruited
for had ended and now, after months of nothing, our
tutors were finally going to show up.

I wonder, what had they been up to?

That question filled my mind while I leaned against the

stone walls of the our little house and basked in the
orange glow. Becoming used to this had been
excruciating, but I could never get the hate I had
developed for this color out of my mind.
I had been brimming with excitement during the
earlier years of my life, yet just a few months of
embarking on the path to my dreams...I had lost the
motivation.

Why? Because of this damn city! The atmosphere had

been lively at the start, yet right now, I had the feeling
that I was simply living within a city filled with
zombies, with I myself being one of them. Was I dying
inside, turning into a perpetual motion machine? I
didn't have the answer to that question yet.

I really hope Celeste changes this status quo with her

arrival. I looked to the skies, the orange glow not
powerful enough to cause me to avert my eyes.

"Have you ever wondered where those aliens, the

ones who used to live in this city, went?" Danny asked
with a look that had both curiosity and a hint of fear.
"A calamity might have befallen them. Such things can
happen, like the meteorite that wiped out the
dinosaurs." Bora answered logically.

It hadn't been only me who was excited about

Celeste's return...so, here we were, leaning against
the walls of our little stone house, facing the road in
the direction of the city gates, awaiting the arrival of
our tutor. Danny and Bora were trying very hard to
mask their feelings, but I could discern that they were
also getting tired of this and were excited about
something different.

"They probably were annihilated by something

unknown, or just migrated somewhere better..." I also
aired out my thoughts on the matter.

Though, it was a truly curious thing, why this

continent and city were abandoned. Shouldn't at least
one of those aliens have come back to check? Or their
descendants? After all, this continent had probably
existed before the time man walked the earth as a
homo-something-

"Heh! She has finally appeared." I followed Danny's

pointed finger, barely managing to catch a glimpse of
Celeste through the crowd of others.

My face would have potrayed a very different

expression if I hadn't scanned the crowd of tutors
after giving Celeste a glance. There was this gloomy
darkness surrounding the forgers, except for a few,
with Celeste included.

What was wrong with them? Did whatever they went

to do fail? No, that wasn't right. I strained my eyes to
observe, managing to glean something from their
demeanors, concluding that what they were radiating
was fear, terror and listlessness, not to mention that
loser-like slouching posture.
Had they been involved in a battle? That would have
explained it, but then, what kind of army had they
tussled with? We hadn't heard anything about a war. I
could argue that we lacked the means of gaining such
information, but that would be lying to myself. There
was no way the forgers who had been left stationed
here would have failed to inform us of something that
big.

I straightened my posture subconsciously. There was

this feeling within me that I couldn't afford to show
these returnees my complacency, as I could already
feel many eyes looking at us and the other
apprentices with death within, as if their owners had
had their souls destroyed.

"Something big happened." Bora whispered, a

subconscious act due to the effect of the atmosphere
radiating off the forgers.
Very very few were breaking away from the crowd to
convene with their students, with Celeste being one of
them.

As she broke away, I decided to read her current

change to try and gauge something.

She had changed, something that shocked me a little

bit. Previously, there had been a spring in her step, a
breezy temperament and light demeanor about her,
yet now, she had changed drastically.

The way her feet were falling were those of a person

filled with purpose, an important goal. Gone was the
childish nature, replaced with the stoic nature of an
adult. Had she finally managed to evolve? It would be
better if I observed more. Mere conclusions won't
lead me anywhere.
"My dear students, I have managed to crawl from the
gates of hell and back to you, yet, there is no welcome
party? Hmmmm!?"

She spoke, her voice containing a hint of playfulness

but still lacking the same flavor from before. She had
changed, a fact that was only starting to sink in. What
had she gone through for such a drastic change to
occur.

"Celeste, you know how shoddy this place is! Our

being here, outside is already welcome enough. What
did you want us to do more? Run over and hug you?
Only Bora can do that. We, the boys would simply
come off as shameless...hehehehe..." Danny's eyes
were glittering. It seemed that he really yearned for
the opposite. Who wouldn't, after taking in that body
with the curves and great proportions?
Maybe I could have tried it if it had been the Celeste
of before, but now, she was different. She was
someone who had finally lit a flame that would fuel
her goal. There was no way she was the same
frivolous self.

We walked over, each giving her a handshake.

"You may have noticed the atmosphere with those

guys...we are going to have to train you up faster and
stronger. Don't be surprised if the council once again
makes drastic changes to the curriculum."

Chapter 34 :
TF Chapter 35 Evolved
There was some weariness between her brows but for
some reason, she was fired up. Me and the others
were now inside our own stone construct, standing in
a row infront of Celeste who, meanwhile, was
examining the sword embedded within the stone
floor.

"It seems something interesting happened while I was

away." She spoke with her gaze roaming the sword
like a pervert.

Occasionally, there was a nod while she circled the

blade, like she had figured out, or understood
something...then the next, her brows furrowed, as if
something was immensely puzzling her.

I became nervous at that. Could there be a possibility

that she had become interested in the sword?
"Miss Celeste, shouldn't you have rested first?"

It looked like even Bora had managed to get a true

glimpse of her.

"It will be a waste of time. I hope...I am not too late."

Her gaze finally fell upon us with her last words, the
gaze with which she was looking at us with, glittering...

But what did she mean by those words? The Ross

clan? Or, something else? My instincts were telling at
me that it was the latter.

"That old man from the Ross family perished. The

others won't deign to find trouble with you here."

What!? Joy was what I would have felt, but for some
reason, her expression made it fail to materialise. Her
voice had been cold, but some bleakness had
appeared in her expression, as if his death had been
something that shouldn't have happened

"Tutor Celeste, what happened? Where were you

these past few months?" Danny fired off this series of
questions, as if he hadn't caught sight of the minor
change in her expression, puzzling me.

"...show me your progress these past few months."

She said after taking in a light breath.

Something big must have happened. There is no way

the forgers are going to be able to keep a tight lid on
that information. If Celeste wasn't in the mood to talk,
the others will.
That's what I signaled to Danny with my
eyes...honestly, why did the guy lack tact in some
matters?

Celeste's change...was it going to be good, or bad for

us? The reason I was worried was the fact that I could
sense some impatience from her. It was embedded in
the whirlwind containing her other emotions and
feelings, but, nonetheless, it was there.

"We have improved considerably. We might have

gotten a few hiccups where we wasted some time, but
I do believe that you will be impressed." Like the
perfect student, Bora gave a simplified version of our
achievements.

"Mmmm...I will only accept that after my eyes see it."

Celeste crossed her arms under her large bosom,
causing it to become even more prominent.
The stare she was giving us alone was enough to give
us clues that she was waiting for a demonstration.

"Ah...I had almost forgotten, is it the hour to enter the

vision?"

"It has already happened." I answered even as we

took to our familiar formation near the molten metal
stream. For some reason, I was getting apprehensive
of Celeste's change. She was most definitely
suppressing something within herself.

(Sigh)

I simply decided to push all that to the back of my

mind. Our tutor had finally returned, and now, it was
time to show her the fruits of our work.
-----

"I see...where did you gain the inspiration to try this

idea?" Celeste asked after we had collected enough
metal to form a head sized metallic sphere, roughly
spherical in shape. It was floating within the amalgam
of our combined spirit.

Just holding the thing a meter above ground was

taxing...and we had never pushed ourselves this hard
before, so we were straining just to hold it above
ground. A dull pain was starting to form within my
brain, but I masked it with the pride brought upon
finally showing something worthwhile to our
instructor.

"In the vision, I managed to spy upon an alien doing

the extraction, so I decided to copy him...but of course
we edited the technique to work for us." Talking was a
pain right now.
"Good work...in order for you to surpass your peers, I
am going to work you extra hard." Celeste clapped,
the move causing a fluctuation to be released from
her spirit, disrupting our amalgam, and causing the
metallic sphere to follow gravity, falling in between
our little triangle.

The forceful separation caused me to grimace, the dull

pain in my head evolving into full-on pain. What was
wrong with her?!

"Currently, there are four known levels on the forger

path..." She paused here, my dissatisfaction with her
vanishing when I heard the topic she was about to
start on.

"...you may sit down as this might be a bit lengthy..."

"...anyway, the first level is to have the ability to coat
your entire body in an armor made of spirit. In order
for an apprentice to reach this level, they would have
to put their spirit through the wringer, literally!"

There was a finality in the last word that made me

conscious of the fact that our coming days were
definitely not going to be carefree anymore. It looks
like the wishes to get rid of boredom always come
true, but with consequences!

"At the first level, the spirit is stored within here...

(points at her forehead)..."

"...and don't be mistaken, having a powerful spirit

doesn't mean that your willpower is as powerful and
vice versa. Many have such a misconception, but I tell
you this; its not true!"
"...back to the topic at hand...in order to put the spirit
through the wringer, it must be continuously stressed,
in other words, this task known as extraction. But!
Extraction isn't the only way! There is also
compression. What do you compress? Bora, the
question was rhetorical..."

Celeste had truly evolved. If she had been a playful

cub before, now, she was a fully grown predator!
Previously, she would have allowed the nerd to
answer, but now, she was a general commanding her
soldiers.

"You see this metal ball of yours?" Celeste spoke while

her spirit easily lifted the metallic sphere, swiftly
causing it to appear within a few inches of her, making
me envious of that power.
"There are many gaps within it. Air is easy to compress
as the gaps are larger since its a gas, but what of a
solid?"

Chapter 35 :
TF Chapter 36 A Difficult Task

Celeste clenched her hand and the metallic ball

started to shrink amid our amazed gazes.

The reason for the amazement came from the fact

that we had already tried to do the same, but failed.
Shouldn't a solid be something without any gaps, or
few gaps? How was she doing it this easily?
When she was done with it, the sphere had been
shrunk to the size of a tennis ball and was floating in
front of her face.

"...now, try to catch it with your spirits."

Without warning the sphere was thrown our way,

with me scrambling to release my spirit and merge
with the other two to recreate our amalgam. But as
the spiritual appendage came in contact with the ball,
all our confidence was crushed as the moment we
tried to hold the thing, our spirits screamed at us in
strain, causing us to withdraw them in a split second.

Ting! Ting!

That sound of it bouncing upon the grey stone floor

was a song of mockery in our ears.
"Why? Why did it become so heavy?! And our spirit
couldn't even permeate within the space between
atoms, as if it was one whole!" Danny shouted out, his
tone suggesting genuine shock.

"Compression doesn't increase mass. The reason you

feel that its heavy is simple. Your weak spiritual
powers can't permeate the dense sphere like before,
that's why you feel as if the weight has increased...yet
in reality its still the same." Celeste explained.

"I doubt we will be able to even lift that thing by the

end of year." Bora spoke with skepticisim.

"I know...and this is what I wanted to teach you. What

I want you to do is to try to find a way to compress the
metal you extract. It will be even better if you first try
it out individually. I see that you have accumulated
quite the stash here. You can try it on them." She gave
a glance to the metallic spheres accumulated in one
corner.

We had debated whether to place them back into the

molten stream, and ultimately, we had come upon the
decision to simply pile the things in a corner.

"I am going out for a bit. You can experiment at your

leisure, but if I don't see any tangible results from you
by the end of seven days, you will be booted out of
this camp!"

I was stunned by her words even as she turned on her

heel and went away. Wasn't this too drastic a
motivator? Kicked out? Where had the good and
bubbly Celeste gone?! Bring her back!

"She has changed drastically..." Bora spoke the

obvious, except her brows were furrowed.
"...I don't like the new." She finished.

"Yeah!" I subconsciously nodded. This Celeste was far

from someone likable. And I think this change of hers
has just entered the beginning stages.

"I thought compression was only attempted during

the second year! Right now we aren't even ready! We
should protest!" Danny spoke, though, I could read
between the lines that he was only joking.

"We might be at the edge of a new era. What we lack

right now is information. If only she had told us what
the forgers had been up to during the past few
months!" I spoke with a lament. Changes don't simply
spring up from nothing. We had to find the key, the
reason the forgers had been gloomy, the reason our
tutor had changed and what had killed that Ross
family old man.
"We should start experimenting with what Celeste has
suggested right away, after all, we only have a week."
Bora spoke while making for the metallic spheres in
the corner.

I shivered at the deadline that had been imposed, so I

decided to put everything to the back of my mind, and
think about how I was going to survive at the end of
the week.

-----

Compression is an act of applying pressure evenly

around an object inwards, causing its particles to
become closer with each other...like lovers.
Hmmm...lovers...I shouldn't think of that. I am a 45
year old virgin for God's sake!
Putting such thoughts to the back of my mind, I was
currently staring closely at one of the spheres we had
created during our times of successful extraction.
Right now, it had cooled enough to become solid, with
even I only managing to have limited influence upon
it. Celeste was really crazy to ask us to try and
compress particles with almost no energy, or in other
words at low frequency. I don't think first years were
even capable of doing this, right?

Now, let's first break down what I and the others can
do. Due to the lighter nature of high energy particles,
our spirits can influence them to a good extent, but
once they start to lose that energy state, our control
slips until it becomes almost non existent.

An example would be an object in a free fall. I can shift

its course a bit even if its weight is greater than mine,
when not directly underneath it. But once it touches
ground and they ask me to lift it, then the task
becomes harder.
Here lies the difficulty in our task. First, we will have to
push our spiritual powers to the point of influencing
the atoms in this solid metal, then, we will have to use
our spirit to try and push them into each other,
thereby, eliminating the spaces between...

Just thinking of the hardwork involved was enough to

cause me to feel like giving up.

That was why, my gaze was currently boring into this

metallic sphere, treating it as if it were my arch
enemy. I should try to influence the particles with my
spirit first, and see whether I can...

As I released it and allowed it to permeate the metallic

sphere, I took stock of the spacing between the
atoms. Yes, even a solid had gaps, though minuscule
in nature. If I was being honest here, the science that
was broken, or left intact when the metallic sphere
was compressed by Celeste was beyond me. Trying to
comprehend such things would be hard, but I could
observe, though, right now, my spirit couldn't even
penetrate the outer layer of the sphere she had
compressed, a testament to how far, we were from
her level.

Chapter 36 :
TF Chapter 37 Lesson

The struggles of man were something I was coming to

hate these past few days of trying to influence the
atoms of the metallic sphere.

Even though my spiritual powers could permeate the

damn ball, I failed to even move one single particle!
The clock was ticking, with three days having already
passed. I was even starting to develop some
resentment towards our dear changed tutor. Why
hadn't the great and bubbly Celeste remained the
same?

A sigh escaped my lips for the umpteenth time. I laid

the sphere in between my legs and gazed up at the
ceiling of the stone house.

I had thought the woman was going to simply take a

few hours to come back, but a whole three days had
elapsed without us catching even a hint of her
shadow. Was she really going to only avail herself on
the last day? What prevented me from outright
panicking was the fact that even the knowledgeable
Bora and the mysterious Danny hadn't managed to
move past this huddle.

How was I going to breach this?

This was a question I had mulled over these past few
days. Was I doing something wrong? I couldn't feel
even a tiny vibration from the metallic atoms. I know
that they were bonded with those next to them, and
for some reason, my spirit couldn't find a way to break
or weaken the bond. Putting it near the molten stream
and weakening said bonds would be cheating, no
doubt about that.

"This is impossible. Celeste must have tricked us.

There is no way we can do this at our level." Bora
hurled the ball towards the corner, her entire being
radiating the fact that she had given up on the task.

She was probably right as we had even tried after

combining our spirits once again, but as the norm in
our daily lives, it had failed!
She was right. There was nothing we were doing
wrong, and had already explored every avenue we
could think of, yet...everything had failed.

Now, that begged the question. Why had Celeste

dropped this on us? Had we done something to
displease her? Or could it be that she was taking
whatever was on her, out on us?

-----

Time crawled on as we fell into our previous routine,

having discovered the futility of following Celeste's
task.

If time was something tangible, I would have most

definitely beaten the snot out of it. Why couldn't it
move faster?
Anyway, today was the deadline, the day we were
about to once again meet out tutor. Even though she
hadn't appeared in the previous six days, instinctively,
I could feel that today was the day.

Would she have went back to being the bubbly

version of herself? Would we be booted out of this
city?

These and many more questions were going to be

answered today.

"Are you nervous?" Danny's question pulled me from

my daze.

"I can't deny the possibility. This has been my dream

since I was young. If I get booted out of here without
advancing as a forger, it would probably crush my
spirit. What about you, Bora?"
"All I can say is that all my future plans hinge upon me
advancing to the level of a forger. If I can't...death
would be the only other path."

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Now don't go being all gloomy on us!

Surely you must be joking..." Danny's words died
down upon being glared at.

"But you were the first to give up. If the situation for
you is that dire, how could you have given up on
Celeste's task that simply?" I asked, skeptical.

"There is a thin line between foolishness and common

sense. If you two couldn't discover that the task itself
was impossible after all that time, you would have
been foolish."
I frowned at that unintentional insult. But, she was
right. If we had kept at that, maybe something would
have happened, something bad.

"Now, when is she coming? Waiting here like this is

boring..." Danny complained, even as he piled up the
little metallic spheres at his feet, trying to construct a
pyramid. He was failing at that, since the balls weren't
agreeing with the arrangement.

Yes, it was getting boring. Everything here was starting

to get on my nerves. That academy at the center
surely wouldn't be boring, right?

"So...I am back." Celeste's voice caused me to feel as if

my heart was going to jump out of my chest. And I
even hurriedly stood up because of the edge in her
tone. Was that anger, or rage?
"Did you succeed?"

The edge remained in her voice and her spiritual

pressure crashed into us, causing me to feel as if I was
trapped beneath water, starting to suffocate.

"It...we...failed." Bora spoke, her face flushed, though

with me only being to catch a glimpse through the
corner of my eyes because my body was failing to
follow my commands, as if it had been petrified.

"Of course you were meant to fail..."

Before she could even continue, I could feel my eyes

widening. What did she mean by that?! Was she
playing us?!
"Don't look at me like that. It was simply me trying to
teach you a lesson. Can any of you tell me what that
is."

She asked while withdrawing the pressure, causing my

surpressed spirit to gush out as if it was a drowning
man that had been resuscitated. If it hadn't been for
the efficiency of the nano suit, sweat would have been
pushed out of my skin.

"Patience...?" There was uncertainity within Danny's

voice. That was most definitely not the answer.

I decided to try and ponder upon it and see whether I

could come up with one. The good thing was that she
decided to simply stand there and leave us to our
mullings, her gaze no longer dark, as if she had been
toying with us.
"The futility of something...?"

(Clap!)

Bora's uncertain answer earned her a clap from

Celeste.

"Yes, but the lesson wasn't that simple. I was testing

your minds, wanting to see what happens when you
discover that you couldn't accomplish the task I had
set, not to mention what would happen once the
deadline elapsed."

Chapter 37 :
TF Chapter 38 Taking Up The Sword
"So...what did you want us to learn? Despair?" Danny
asked cheekily.

"Heh...precisely. But it looks like your trio has

powerful minds, coupled with intelligence." Celeste
gave a pointed look in Bora's direction.

"Before I get down to the real lessons and the changes

that the council has decided to implement, I have a
few questions. How did this artifact come to be?" She
pointed at the sword.

"Is it special in any way? The one guy who came after
our near demise ignored the blade. He seemed to not
care." I spoke up.

So far, information hadn't yet trickled to us

apprentices about what the forgers had faced
wherever they had been these past few months. Only
vague insubstantial rumors were flying around. I
wanted to use this chance to try and pry something
from her lips.

"The guy was probably an oddball. This sword is very

very valuable. Now that the forgers have returned,
some might to try to vie for it, so it would be better if
you hide it away."

"...with how powerful it is, none of us has even

managed to touch it for more than a second...moving
it?" I shook my head. Though, I hadn't placed any part
of my skin on it. I had only inspected it with my spirit. I
couldn't admit that I was scared, right? Plus, she had
just revealed that it was very valuable. What if I was
hunted after managing to acquire it?

"Regale me with the tale of how it appeared here in

the first place."
-----

A few hours passed as we recounted everything, with

her asking targeted questions. Most of her questions
were technical in nature, and she didn't even care
about Danny's exaggerations.

"Fascinating! I am going to throw out a theory.

Remember, this is only my conjecture... I do believe
that this whole continent has something like a spirit.
Every forger has suspected as much. What if the
visions you are having are somehow connected to it?
It could have even been the one that temporarily took
possession of your body."

With every word, my heart pounded in my chest at an

increasing pace. Could it be that I wasn't special, only
that something had taken an interest in me?
Should I feel betrayed? Unhappy? Angry? No, I
Nathaniel Bosingwa had long learned a lesson that
everything was about give and take, or in other words,
benefits.

If this entity was showing me these visions, then that

meant that it was also somehow benefitting from this
arrangement as much as I, so there was no need for
me to get angry or uneasy.

It had probably taken possession of my body to save

me from being killed, since I was valuable in its eyes.
But, here comes the question, how was I benefitting
it? Let's be realistic here. There is absolutely nothing
special about me, so why?

"Don't ask me. Even I have no idea."

Celeste's intuition was really strong as she managed to
guess what I was about to ask.

"Now, this blade has its own spiritual powers,

something even those at the third stage of the forger
path haven't been able to craft. Someone is most
definitely going to covet it. I don't know why you
haven't touched it, but Nathaniel, are you really that
much of a coward?"

(Badump!)

A powerful heartbeat caused a pain in my chest. Her

question caused my blood to seethe and my mind to
open up as if previously, it had been closed or
blocked.

Right!!!
What had I been thinking?! My thoughts were making
me spiral into the pits of weakness! Why did I have to
fear the sword, but also want to possess it at the same
time? Wasn't I being a hypocrite to myself?

Ahhhh...how embarrassing! Danny and Bora must

have already judged me a hypocrite! For Danny,
there's a fifty fifty chance, but there is no way Bora
would have failed to judge me like that!

"Celeste, thank you." That's all I said before taking

long strides and appearing in front of the blade.

I looked it up and down before taking a very big

breath of resolve and then circling my palm on its hilt.
Surprisingly, it was warm to the touch...I know that
the temperature here is hot, but this warmth was
different. It was as if it was welcoming my hand. Even
the spiritual powers being released by the blade
pulsed, as if jubilating my decision.
"Wow!"

There was no appropriate word I could think of except

for that. I even had a feeling that I could easily pull it
out of the rocky floor.

I decided to act on that feeling, causing the sword to

easily slip out of the crevice.

Shing!!!

A hum resounded within the room as I raised it from

its prison, setting it free.

"...its like...a part of me." My entire attention was on

the sword, admiring the workmanship and its beauty.
My raised hand was brought down with the force of a
back hand slash, only stopping once it reached the
side of my body. The harmony between my body and
the sword was something even I couldn't describe if
someone asked me the question. The closest I could
consider it would be, like a mother and her baby.
There was this instinctual feeling, that the sword
would move any way I wanted it to.

"Try attacking me."

"What!? Why?!" She was a forger, a superhuman, but

I felt that if I attacked, there was a possibility that she
would die! This was the feeling I was getting from
wielding this blade.

"There is no need to panic. It will be very hard for you

to even touch my clothes, let alone injure me." The
confidence in that tone made me feel as if my pride,
my ego, was being stomped on, so I furrowed my
brows, taking a stance with the sword horizontally in
front of me, with the edge facing her.

"Let's dance!"

That was all the signal needed for us to rush towards

each other, a grin on her face, with I spotting a serious
expression, trying to mask the faint simmering anger
at her earlier words.

Chapter 38 :
TF Chapter 39 Battling Celeste

A grin appeared on my face as I lowered my body,

pumping force into my feet. Facing her, I could go all
out. Of course I had sparred multiple times with Bora,
but there was something different with this battle to
me.
I pushed off the ground explosively, with Celeste
mirroring my same movement. The three meters
between us shrank in an instant and with a twitch of
some hand nerves, I slashed out, causing the sword to
move away from the front of my chest towards hers.

Ting!

In a blur of movement, the back of Celeste's clenched

hand caught the edge of my blade. This was the first
time I was getting a close look at her armor, if only the
gauntlets.

It had the color of copper, yet crystalline in nature. My

own reflection was being shown within as I stared at
them, yet the scene that caused me some relief was
the fact that my sword had made a small knick where
it had connected.
Before I could celebrate though, I felt a massive
amount of force assault me from the block, causing
my entire momentum to halt! I had no choice but to
position my feet in such a way that I wasn't thrown
off.

For but a moment, we were caught in a shoving

contest of sorts, with none of us getting the
advantage, yet I had the sneaking suspicion that her
small body still contained a strength greater than
what she was currently exhibiting.

Seeing it getting nowhere, plus her irritating grin, I

jumped away in retreat but, didn't even take the time
to gauge her, instead once again engaging her, this
time with multiple slashes, not putting in my full force
like the first time. I had already been taught a lesson,
that in a contest of strength, the chances of me
besting her were nil.
Ting! Ting! Ting!

Sound and glowing sparks caused the scene to grow

beautiful as I attacked while, she defended. I had
already gauged her to be of the melee class, so I
wanted to keep her as far away from me as I possibly
could.

Horizontal, vertical, tricky,

straightforward...everything I was throwing at her was
being blocked in a steady and efficient manner,
causing a sense of apprehension to be birthed within
my heart.

If she was being this efficient at blocking, what about

when she attacked? My sword techniques weren't
subpar as just wielding the artifact made it so that I
had an instinctual level of sword skills that were
almost prodigious in nature, a joyous surprise for the
current me, as I was beginning to feel that if I hadn't,
my loss would have been guaranteed!

"Break it off!" Bora's shout caused me to leap back.

She was right, I was only wasting energy, besides, I
had already found out that my attack style was based
off how my opponent attacked, instead of me taking
the initiative.

"I must say, you have surprised me a little. The sword

moves must be because of your connection to the
artifact, but there are those subtle stances...Bora must
have taught you those, right?"

I should watch and anticipate. Her words are

surprising, but I shouldn't allow myself to be dragged
into her pace...that's what I told myself even though
she was just standing there.
"Nathaniel, I must say, you are a very surprising guy!"

With that last word, her eyes lit up with an

overpowering glow, probably my imagination, but the
danger that started emanating from her form was
raised by several levels, causing me to feel as if some
eldritch horror was about to devour me.

The distance between us shortened with her abrupt

burst of speed, her hands at her sides in punch like
stances, causing me to wonder how she was going to
attack.

'First, I will defend, then-(guhhhk!)'

The abrupt impact on my forehead caused my

thoughts to stall at that stage, with my upper half
bending backwards from the force of the headbutt!
That had been unexpected, I thought even as I felt my
feet shifting due to having lost my balance.

"Shit!"

Thinking far faster than I have ever had to, I changed

my wielding of the sword into reverse and used it as a
cane to prevent my body from falling down even as
the force of her attack flung me away.

Even with my thoughts becoming somewhat muddled

because of the extreme pain on my forehead, I still
knew that my situation was bad! If I collided with the
stone wall with my current speed, there was a very
high chance that I might die, so, I forcibly flicked my
sword wielding hand, causing the sword to act as a
pivot, while my feet once again touched the ground.
With immense effort, I managed to make myself
upright enough such that what collided with the wall
wasn't my head but, my back.
The pain from the collision almost caused me to black
out, but I held on. I was starting to regret the money I
had spent on this suit. Celeste hadn't held back at all!

"You should learn to expect everything from an

opponent. Your eyes were following my drawn back
hands. You should have read my expression and
gauged my intention."

The words rang in my ears like thunder. Bora's lessons

on combat had been systematic, but it seems Celeste
was savagery incarnate. A headbutt! Seriously? What
if she had shattered my poor skull?

"I will take this opportunity to inform you that the

council has decided to add close combat to the
curriculum... Hurray for you! Now, it would be better
if you attacked me together." She taunted, an excited
gleam in her eyes and a wide grin in her face.
'Another battle junkie it seems...'

I straightened myself, while waiting for the pain to

diminish. She really hadn't been kind with her attack.

A deep breath was taken, the toxic air particles failing

to enter my blood stream due to the coating on my
respiratory system.

'This sword gives me an almost instinctual level

mastery of swordsmanship. I should try to integrate
that with what Bora taught me.'

"If we win, would you tell us what led to this drastic

change in you and the council." Danny asked as he
moved to stand by my right side.
"It is a fair trade." Bora said on my left.

"Hehehehehehehe...that will only happen if you

manage to beat me. Are you up to the task though?
You have to know, I was only playing around
previously..."

Chapter 39 :
TF Chapter 39 Battling Celeste

A grin appeared on my face as I lowered my body,

pumping force into my feet. Facing her, I could go all
out. Of course I had sparred multiple times with Bora,
but there was something different with this battle to
me.
I pushed off the ground explosively, with Celeste
mirroring my same movement. The three meters
between us shrank in an instant and with a twitch of
some hand nerves, I slashed out, causing the sword to
move away from the front of my chest towards hers.

Ting!

In a blur of movement, the back of Celeste's clenched

hand caught the edge of my blade. This was the first
time I was getting a close look at her armor, if only the
gauntlets.

It had the color of copper, yet crystalline in nature. My

own reflection was being shown within as I stared at
them, yet the scene that caused me some relief was
the fact that my sword had made a small knick where
it had connected.
Before I could celebrate though, I felt a massive
amount of force assault me from the block, causing
my entire momentum to halt! I had no choice but to
position my feet in such a way that I wasn't thrown
off.

For but a moment, we were caught in a shoving

contest of sorts, with none of us getting the
advantage, yet I had the sneaking suspicion that her
small body still contained a strength greater than
what she was currently exhibiting.

Seeing it getting nowhere, plus her irritating grin, I

jumped away in retreat but, didn't even take the time
to gauge her, instead once again engaging her, this
time with multiple slashes, not putting in my full force
like the first time. I had already been taught a lesson,
that in a contest of strength, the chances of me
besting her were nil.
Ting! Ting! Ting!

Sound and glowing sparks caused the scene to grow

beautiful as I attacked while, she defended. I had
already gauged her to be of the melee class, so I
wanted to keep her as far away from me as I possibly
could.

Horizontal, vertical, tricky,

straightforward...everything I was throwing at her was
being blocked in a steady and efficient manner,
causing a sense of apprehension to be birthed within
my heart.

If she was being this efficient at blocking, what about

when she attacked? My sword techniques weren't
subpar as just wielding the artifact made it so that I
had an instinctual level of sword skills that were
almost prodigious in nature, a joyous surprise for the
current me, as I was beginning to feel that if I hadn't,
my loss would have been guaranteed!

"Break it off!" Bora's shout caused me to leap back.

She was right, I was only wasting energy, besides, I
had already found out that my attack style was based
off how my opponent attacked, instead of me taking
the initiative.

"I must say, you have surprised me a little. The sword

moves must be because of your connection to the
artifact, but there are those subtle stances...Bora must
have taught you those, right?"

I should watch and anticipate. Her words are

surprising, but I shouldn't allow myself to be dragged
into her pace...that's what I told myself even though
she was just standing there.
"Nathaniel, I must say, you are a very surprising guy!"

With that last word, her eyes lit up with an

overpowering glow, probably my imagination, but the
danger that started emanating from her form was
raised by several levels, causing me to feel as if some
eldritch horror was about to devour me.

The distance between us shortened with her abrupt

burst of speed, her hands at her sides in punch like
stances, causing me to wonder how she was going to
attack.

'First, I will defend, then-(guhhhk!)'

The abrupt impact on my forehead caused my

thoughts to stall at that stage, with my upper half
bending backwards from the force of the headbutt!
That had been unexpected, I thought even as I felt my
feet shifting due to having lost my balance.

"Shit!"

Thinking far faster than I have ever had to, I changed

my wielding of the sword into reverse and used it as a
cane to prevent my body from falling down even as
the force of her attack flung me away.

Even with my thoughts becoming somewhat muddled

because of the extreme pain on my forehead, I still
knew that my situation was bad! If I collided with the
stone wall with my current speed, there was a very
high chance that I might die, so, I forcibly flicked my
sword wielding hand, causing the sword to act as a
pivot, while my feet once again touched the ground.
With immense effort, I managed to make myself
upright enough such that what collided with the wall
wasn't my head but, my back.
The pain from the collision almost caused me to black
out, but I held on. I was starting to regret the money I
had spent on this suit. Celeste hadn't held back at all!

"You should learn to expect everything from an

opponent. Your eyes were following my drawn back
hands. You should have read my expression and
gauged my intention."

The words rang in my ears like thunder. Bora's lessons

on combat had been systematic, but it seems Celeste
was savagery incarnate. A headbutt! Seriously? What
if she had shattered my poor skull?

"I will take this opportunity to inform you that the

council has decided to add close combat to the
curriculum... Hurray for you! Now, it would be better
if you attacked me together." She taunted, an excited
gleam in her eyes and a wide grin in her face.
'Another battle junkie it seems...'

I straightened myself, while waiting for the pain to

diminish. She really hadn't been kind with her attack.

A deep breath was taken, the toxic air particles failing

to enter my blood stream due to the coating on my
respiratory system.

'This sword gives me an almost instinctual level

mastery of swordsmanship. I should try to integrate
that with what Bora taught me.'

"If we win, would you tell us what led to this drastic

change in you and the council." Danny asked as he
moved to stand by my right side.
"It is a fair trade." Bora said on my left.

"Hehehehehehehe...that will only happen if you

manage to beat me. Are you up to the task though?
You have to know, I was only playing around
previously..."

Chapter 40 :
TF Chapter 41 Unexpected Blow

"You shall learn true despair!" Celeste spoke, her voice

alone sending chills down my spine.

We were surrounding her in a triangular formation,

but make no mistake! I was under no delusion that we
were trapping her, instead, we were the ones who
had to keep away from her.
As my spiritual powers roamed every nook and cranny
of the surface of my skin, my eyes never left her for a
split second. The reason was the fact that I could feel
a rising sense of danger from her. She was a true
predator, in comparison to us, who were simply, prey.

My spiritual senses mapped out the tremble of my

skin as I stood there wandering how I was going to
attack. At most, I would only leave knicks and gashes
upon that armor, which under her control, would
close in an instant.

'I don't have the speed and power to attack the same
spot twice in succession before the gap mends itself.'
The reason wasn't because of my skill, no, it was the
physical specs of my current body holding me back.

And now, to the power that had severed my spirit

when I had tried to scan the sword. For some
unknown reason, it wasn't working on Celeste. Why
was that? Could it be that I had to link my spiritual
powers with those of the sword?

I contemplated the idea, yet, I didn't want to go

through with it. What if I became possessed once
again?

Power was great and all, except when you had almost
zero control over it.

"Are you going to attack, or should I?" Celeste's

question banished the thoughts from my mind,
moving my right hand such that the sword was
pointed skywards. I brought my left hand and added it
to the hilt afterwards.
If my body couldn't unleash two consecutive strikes at
one point instantly, I was going to try and apply more
force.

With a move of both hands, I leaned the sword

horizontally to the left, before breaking into a sprint
towards Celeste. Even with my eyes mostly on her, I
was taking in the entire space, even managing to
witness my companions launching toward her through
the corner of my eyes.

With a horizontal slash, my first attack was launched

at the armored superhuman from the left. This time, I
was putting in over 90% of my strength. I had the
resolve to wound her this time.

Since I never once let my eyes off her, I was shocked

when her figure became blurry, before vanishing from
place, causing me to miss. I hurriedly halted myself
mid swing, the muscles and nerves screaming at me.
My spirit could even sense some parts of skin in my
arms at their limits almost close to snapping!

Jumping back, something connected with my

back...with the feeling akin to that of being hit by a
truck, causing by body to be thrown forwards with
such velocity, I didn't even have time to let out a
scream before the grey walls welcomed me.

Crunch!

Something broke within me, but my mind had become

so muddled that I lacked even have time to care. On
the verge of almost losing consciousness, I could
acutely feel the pain in my spine.

I was injured, and not just lightly, but very heavily. My

limbs weren't responding, and through my blurry
vision, I could see red, probably my eye balls hadn't
entirely gotten away unscathed from the collision.

I heard yells even as my ears rung. Footsteps too,

getting louder, probably someone was approaching
me in haste.

Was this the end? Was I about to die?

Hehehehehe...so this was what I wanted to witness;
the power of a superhuman, yet, right now I was on
the verge of dying to it. What a turn of events!

I should have felt despair creeping in, but only a

resigned peace remained, with my eyelids getting
heavy, and the lack of a response from my nerve cells,
I closed my eyes.

We had overestimated ourselves...or probably our

tutor had gotten a bit too excited? Many explanations
could be conjured, but the plain truth in this was that
it had simply been an accident. That was what I tried
to convince myself with even as my consciousness
entered a slumber.

Was death going to be a sweet release for me? Was I

going to die a virgin? Hahahahahahaha...to think that I
of all people was going to die this way. I should have
developed feelings of hate towards her, but I couldn't
feel any. It was like I had made peace with it. It was
strange...really!

I should have slept with a woman before

dying...mmmm...Bora would have been a great
woman...nononono...I can't have such thoughts,
besides, I think she has some complicated history.
Entangling with her might have dragged me down
instead!
As my soul, or whatever it was floated within the
darkness, many regrets flashed within, illuminating
what a pathetic life I had been living.

By the way, where was I? I can feel something sticking

to my skin. Am I in water? After a long time, I asked
myself that question due to the strange sensation, so I
tried opening my eyes. They failed to burge, but the
feeling of life was enough for now.

The only sensory organ working right now was my

skin, which was sending me the feeling of something
warm and sticky cradling my body.

I had been saved...but then my mind moved onto

another curious question, where was I?
Chapter 41 :
TF Chapter 42 Interlude; Kim Bora

When I was young, I used to think of forgers as

superheroes, mortals who had gotten lucky and had
gotten the chance to surpass us, normal humans. It
wasn't until I was older, and the result of having a
powerful background that the truth came to light; that
everyone had a chance, no matter how slim it was, to
become one.

I remember the moment vividly, one of the few things

I would never ever forget! When I had revealed my
dream of becoming one to my father. My expectations
were dashed when a slap landed on my face throwing
me to the ground with such force that I slid and
accrued multiple bruises. The reason I could never
forget that moment was the expression on the man's
face. It was a mixture of rage, hate, horror and
disgust, something that even made a man of Korean
origin appear ugly.
Even now, I could still feel the phantom pain of that
slap. I had been his favourite, but that one sentence
had dragged me to hell.

I wasn't the only one, as even my poor mom was

implicated, causing her standing to lower such that
ultimately, she died to the schemes of the current
main wife of the man. I had asked my mom why the
man had done what he did but even she had
absolutely no idea why.

At 15 years of age, I had to watch my mom's burial,

alone, with no one even coming to attend. Tears had
failed to materialise at all. All I had felt was a calm,
even though she had showered me with love, though,
deep in my heart I knew that I didn't love her any less
than she did me, so I had asked myself, why had the
tears failed to appear?
While staring at the ash pot, I had asked myself what
to do in revenge? Even young, I had already figured
that my mom's death had been no mere accident,
with the perpetrator was someone I had already
figured out. That was the one flaw I had, too much IQ
and less EQ! Was it the reason that I didn't shed a
tear? That I didn't know.

I went through a multitude of ideas, and all only

culminated into one, become something he hated
deeply, a forger! The family had a rule, no matter how
fringe a descendant was in the lineage, they had to
join the business group when they came of age, not to
mention that all studies were related to business, with
even less time on other fields. Apparently, the change
had happened during my fath-that man's time.

The guy was really a fool, ignoring the potential of

hiring forgers because he wanted to stick to the 'old
ways'. What an idiot!
I decided to become a forger out of spite, running off
while leaving behind a scheduled message. I knew it
was childish, but rubbing it in his face was more
enticing. Too bad I couldn't personally witness the
moment it made it to him.

Anyway, due to that message, I was on a tight

schedule. Even with the weakened Bora Group's
power, the man would most definitely do everything
in his power to punish me, even death was in the
picture.

I had even trained in martial arts for self defense, plus,

I had heard that forgers constantly engaged in battle.

-----

Patience is a virtue few truly have in this world. Most

of us only exercise said virtue when we truly have no
way to speed up a circumstance. I wanted results
pretty fast, so, I felt that the two I had partnered with
were wasting my valuable time.

Why did it have to be this year that the rules changed?

I lamented about that every single day, yet now, here I
was, my knees tucked into my chest, having been
consumed with fear. Fear of what?

The fear that death was always there, a constant

unchanging thing.

Celeste's attack had been brutal! She had been

standing within our triangular formation one moment,
and in the next, she was gone, such that by the time I
noticed, Nathaniel's body had whooshed between us
with such velocity, the wind had caused me to close
my eyes by reflex.
When I came to and turned around, thinking that he
had been attacking Celeste behind me, I froze at the
sight that greeted me.

Honestly, it was hard to get that image out of my

mind, even now, with multiple hours having elapsed.
If that man wasn't dead, then that would be a miracle,
with how his entire body had been wrecked.

My hands were shaking as I looked at them for the

umpteenth time. Everett Ross and his minions hadn't
created such an impact on my mind when they had
died, probably because we were enemies, but
Nathaniel's blood-soaked body left quite the
impression.

I was a person with a high IQ and low EQ, yet now, the
latter had taken over my mind.
"Why did Celeste...?"

Danny's unfinished question demanded answers, yet

the person wasn't here. Though, I had a feeling that it
had been an accident, a loss of control.

"I want some quiet time." With a lot of effort, I made

my voice come out the same as before the incident.
With the velocity he had been launched at, coupled
with the strike that had initiated it, I wouldn't have
been surprised if he had died instantly.

The room entered a strange silence, one I particularly

started to like because it allowed me to peruse my
thoughts and try to calm myself down. I had never
thought that death could be so close, and I could
probably face a gruesome...the memory of the white
bones peaking out of Nathaniel's body caused me to
abandon that train of thought.
Before I and Danny had had any chance to berate or
ask our tutor anything, she had reappeared near the
mess that was Nathaniel, carrying him up with
incomprehensible speed, then vanishing from our
sights. Ever since then, we had entered a strange
silence. I wonder, was Danny feeling the same as me?

I raised my eyes and beheld him. His fingers were

moving around as if he wanted something to really
distract him. It was laughable how I was trying to hide
my fear and terror, while Danny was struggling with
his and I was being a bitch.

These few months I had been here I had grown to

attached to these two people, something that would
have caused my siblings no small amount of shock. I
had been cold, something even I knew about myself. It
had been a cutthroat world, within the family clan.
Being the only one born between my mother and
father, I had faced isolation since young by the others,
so I had had to learn to survive on my own, yet the
moment I arrived here, I had had no choice but to
form a group with Danny and Nathaniel.

I was still wary of Danny because of his

mysteriousness, but so far, he was a nice guy.
Nathaniel...now that person was a puzzle all on his
own. There was something about him, as if he was a
weary traveller who had finally found solace here on
Musana continent.

"Danny, what do you think was the reason behind

Celeste's loss of control?"

I started the conversation in order to at least help him,

but we still had to address the elephant in the room,
Celeste's brutal attack.

The grateful gleam within those blue eyes didn't

evade my eyes, but I decided to act as if I hadn't seen
it. It would be a blow to his ego, something all men
had too much of, apparently.

"That incident...that's the only plausible explanation,

but so far, no information has trickled down to us
apprentices."

I sometimes forgot that among us three, he was the

only one who had any acquaintances outside our
circle. I could also do it, but I didn't want myself to get
distracted. Nathaniel, on the other hand was someone
who appeared to want his peace. Being alone wasn't
bothersome to him...

I doubled over as his image overlapped with that of

his blood-splattered form of recent. My stomach
strained as I tried to force out its nonexistent
contents.
I hurriedly removed the image from the forefront of
my thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Danny patted my back as I keeled

over. He had arrived at some point in time. Unshed
tears blurred my vision as the memories of our joint
training replaced the image. Was I sad? Me?! Of all
people?!

I had been with my mom for far longer than these two
yet I hadn't even cried at her funeral! Why was I crying
now?!

"I...an-am not...okay." I sputtered out the words. The

effort it took to show this weak side of me through
those words caused my chest to heave in strain.

"You know, you should try crying sometime. Bottling

up your feelings isn't a very nice thing."
Had he noticed my fear from before? When the
possessed Nathaniel had stood in front of me? And I
had thought I had hid it well!

As I let the tears drain my fears and any other feelings

I might have been surpressing, I felt a lightness in my
chest. I never knew that crying was also a way to
release some burdens.

-----

"Are you finally okay?"

The question came at a time I didn't want it to. I had

shamed myself in front of a friend...friend! Did I just
think of him as a friend?!
I grunted positively when he repeated the question. It
seems that there was no use drawing out the
embarrassment. I raised myself from the awkward
position and resumed the arrangement from before,
where my back was leaning into the wall.

"Should we request a change of tutor?"

Now, this was a question that required to be

pondered upon. If Celeste was as volatile as she had
shown, was she still fit to be educating us? In combat
no less?

"We...should first wait. If I am not mistaken, she took

Nathaniel to be healed, though... I am worried that his
recovery might never happen." I frowned at that. If
Nathaniel died, would I be as indifferent as I had been
when my mom had passed away?
"I don't believe he will. The forgers have certain
secrets that can mend even THAT."

"I hope they do, because it would really be sad if we

have to attend his funeral." I lightened my tone at
that.

"Hahahahahaha...Nat Senior is someone I, Danny

chose. There is no way he is going to die that easily!
His destiny is still bright."

"What are you talking about?"

There had always something suspicious about Danny,

but I had tried to push his strangeness to the back of
my mind, like how, out of a crowd of other people, he
had chosen me to follow him into joining his team
without an ounce of doubt. It was like he had known
beforehand that I was the one he needed.
I had seen the way Nathaniel had stared at the guy
sometimes, as if wanting to pry something out of the
younger man, but failing to do so.

"Ah! Sorry, I got carried away there. But, I am pretty

sure our friend isn't going to kick that bucket." Again
he had changed the topic, pretending that we didn't
see that he was hiding something. If the circumstances
had been different and I had been the nosy type,
maybe I would have tried to suss out something, but
for now, I would let him be. Someday he might trust
us enough to reveal whatever it was he was hiding.

Now, all we had to do was wait for Celeste, our

wildcard tutor to come back, a task that was going to
be made all the harder due to the faint worry within
my heart...and Danny's... probably not. Has he
regained his wits?
Chapter 42 :
TF Chapter 43 Trauma

I gained awareness of something sticky and warm

embracing my body upon returning to consciousness,
yet for some reason, my eyelids refused to expose my
pupils. They felt heavy...incredibly so! Even when I put
in all my effort, all I got was a tremble for my efforts.

Where was I? Had I died and now my soul was

somewhere...heaven or hell? I wondered, still fighting
against the heaviness of my eyelids, which ultimately,
I lost.

First off, why was I being embraced by something

warm? It was directly touching mys skin, signifying the
lack of clothing on my body. The warm liquid-like
substance wasn't clothing as I already knew the
texture. It wasn't my nano suit...by the way? Where
was my nano suit?! Could I really have ascended to
the afterlife?

As I was about to panic inside, they hit me, the things

that had been in my mind all along, yet I had not
decided to delve into them yet. There had been a
sensation that I wouldn't be able to handle whatever
they were, yet here, they had ambushed me, showing
me what had happened before my loss of
consciousness.

The memory alone conjured a phantom pain within

me such that I fainted the moment I remembered the
sensation of Celeste's punch connecting with my back,
the pain, the crunch and shattering of bone, then even
more unbearable pain.

-----
I don't know how long had passed before my
consciousness once again returned to awareness. The
situation was still the same, with me still within the
warm soft embrace of whatever it was.

I tried to lift my eyelids once again before the

memories could ambush me, yet I knew that with the
previous experience, there was no way I could stop
them. So, again and again I re-lived the nightmare that
had been my last memory, lasting longer each time,
but also feeling more unstable the more sensations I
remembered from the incident, the crunch that had
come from my face the moment it had hit the wall,
the shattering of my finger bones, causing then to
pierce through skin when my arm hit the wall in a bid
to cushion my collision, and many more.

'Please, I want to get out of here! I want to forget!'

I pleaded within myself, hoping for salvation with
every moment I gained awareness...yet none saved
me, causing me to sink deep into the pits of despair.

My will started to become corroded with every

awakening, with every nightmare filled memory.
There was this vivid recall of everything that had
caused me immense pain, like when a bone fragment
had punctured skin, when a muscle had been
compelled to do things it wasn't otherwise meant to
do, causing it to tear, when the blood vessels had
been torn through instantly by bone...and many
others, something that had been caused because my
spirit had managed to penetrate into my body due to
the imperfections caused by the injuries, since it had
been coating my form.

I tried to scream away the memory of the pain, but my

mouth couldn't open, even though I could feel that it
was separate from the influence of whatever was
enveloping me in warmth, allowing me to breathe, a
foreign sensation I had almost forgotten due to the
special organs that had existed within me, which right
now I was sure had been destroyed or injured.

As I was struggling, something different entered my

lungs, something with taste and smell, unlike
breathable air, penetrating and permeating through
my body.

Lethargy enveloped me before taking over my mind

and I lost awareness, this time, longer.

-----

Itchy was the sensation I felt first when I woke up,

even preventing me from being drawn back into the
nightmare from before temporarily. Why was my
entire body this way? I asked myself, yet couldn't find
the answer, except the fact that my circumstances of
being enveloped in the warm...something hadn't
changed.

In order to get rid of the uncomfortable itch, I had to

enlist my hands, yet none were responding. Was I
going to be trapped within my mind forever? That was
a scary thought!

'I have to think of something, or conjure a memory of

something other than the nightmare.'

As I was scanning through my other memories, taking

special care to will away the nightmarish ones, my
eyelids fluttered open! It had been an subconscious
order, yet now! I had managed to open my eyes!

Joy rippled through me at that achievement. It was

surprising how something I always took for granted
had now become precious in this moment.
At first, it was blurry, but as the yes adjusted, I started
to see clearer, even within the sticky warm liquid
embracing me...finally! The mystery put to sleep!

Through the liquid, I made out that I was in some form

of tank, floating within since I couldn't feel anything in
contact with the soles of my feet. My head was as
unresponsive as my other limbs, so all I could do was
rotate my eyeballs around.

First of all, I wasn't in heaven or anything of that sort.

It was somehow welcoming to me that I was still alive
even after...no no no, I shouldn't dredge those things
up!

I hurriedly tried to move my interest to what I could

see outside the glass tank.
Many more were arrayed around, probably in
horizontal rows and columns, some empty, others
containing some figures within, humans, just like me.
Was I in a lab of some sort? A healing chamber?

Within my limited vision, I could see that many of the

people within the cylinders had injuries of varying
depths, from missing limbs, to gigantic holes through
their bodies, to some parts of them looking like they
had been crushed by something heavy. All were
unconscious, bringing a certain silence to the
atmosphere within this place.

There were no other machines I could see since the

cylinders were meshed in with the ground and
ceiling...and don't get me started on the breathing
apparatus, which I was trying to ignore since it
seemed to be alive, an eldritch contraption that I was
sure was made from biological materials!
Where was I really?! Had I been abducted by aliens?
No no no...I had to ponder upon this deeply.

I had been on Musana continent within the city.

Among all the places I could now be in would be the
mysterious academy. We had been booted out the
moment we had finished the initiation ceremony.

Mmmmm...this was most definitely one of the many

secrets of the academy, unless my previous alien
hypothesis was right on the money.

Time went on, though, with is unchanging room and

the silence, I had no way of knowing, instead
wallowing in boredom. I tried very hard to try and lock
the nightmare within my mind tightly. I didn't want to
go through such an experience ever again!

Celeste!
Our tutor had injured me, for that I was very sure
since her form had vanished in front of me before I
was struck. Why did she want to kill me?

I had to approach this logically. There was no way the

woman would have wanted me dead, so why was I
injured severely? The answer was in the drastic
changes that had happened to her upon returning
from wherever she had been before...

First off, she had become more impatient, as if

working on a countdown. Her body language had
been suggesting that everything had to be done in
haste, why?! What had the forg-wait!

My eyes widened as a realisation sank in. What if all

these humans within these cylindrical capsules were
forgers?! It had a high chance of being true as we had
come upon rumors of some apprentices having been
assigned new tutors, with the old ones having
seemingly vanished into thin air, while others were
told that their replacement was temporary...could
they...?

Oh my God! These injuries were much too severe to

have come from a fellow forger! I could see charred
bodies, as if they had been burbecued within a flame
at high temperature, not to mention the other
injuries. This was a recovery pod, judging by the fact
that I was alive when I could have been dead,
meaning, that these ones must be the lucky few to
have survived whatever it was that had eliminated the
others!

That also included those who were up and about, like

Celeste...a headache overcame me at the name. Every
time I recalled it, it threatened to unravel the locks I
had placed on those nightmarish memories. How I
wish I could simply delete them!
They were causing my current fear of even releasing
my spirit. I didn't dare to, a trauma I was sure was
going to be very hard to overcome.

Two figures appeared within my vision as if they had

just popped into existence, something impossible in
normal circumstances. The truth of the matter was
that I had zoned out, losing concentration upon my
surroundings, only managing to notice the two once
they came right before my cylinder.

Through the transparent liquid, I could make out their

features, with one of said figures causing me
discomfort.

With a lot of effort, I decided to directly ignore her

and focus on the second figure, his features in
particular.
He was broad shouldered with a very powerful looking
chest that was covered in a magma colored military-
looking jacket which had a lot of medals pinned on its
left side.

His face was large, with thick eyebrows that were

currently frowning as he stared into my eyes.

He was most definitely one of those elusive council

members I had heard about, those forgers who had
managed to make it to the third stage, the current
limit of humanity.

His lips were moving, apparently in conversation with

Cel-the woman. And judging by his current expression,
he was less than pleased. Lip reading wasn't one of my
skills, so I just opted to observe the man silently,
wondering what they were discussing about.
It was most definitely me, but what I wanted to know
most was if the conversation was in a positive
direction.

There was also a groove in the middle of his hair,

separating it into two halves, left and right, as if a laser
had been launched at him, barely managing to hold
onto his life with the close shave leaving that chasm
behind. I was sure I could see some white within the
charred mess...his skull.

Even with I seemingly looking down upon the two

since I was floating within the cylinder, I didn't feel as
if I was any higher than the man, instead, it was the
other way around. I wasn't feeling the weight of his
spirit...(a curious circumstance)...but the experience
within those eyes, the posture radiating authority, and
the intimidating face were all pieces that served to
make him appear to be larger than life in my eyes.
He pointed at the woman as if he was admonishing
her of something, causing her to lower her head. Now
that I looked closer, there was some resemblance
between the two. Were they related? If it was so,
were they going to kill me to cover up the incident?

During my time on Earth at the company, I had seen

many such dramas play out. The rich had enough
privilege to make a person disappear. Was it finally
turn?...

No, there is no way I would be within this cylinder

recovering if it was like that.

Seeing that I was getting knowhere with my

observations, I closed my eyes, intent on resting. I had
locked away the nightmares right now, and gazing at
her any longer might cause those things to break out,
so I decided to cut off the sense with the most likely
trigger for them.
Chapter 43 :
TF Chapter 44 Interlude; Celeste

I had lost control, overlapping my memories of the

war with the current ones, causing me to treat my
student as if he was that 'Thing.'

UNACCEPTABLE!

How could I have made such a dumb mistake? Had I

really changed so much that I had gotten that crazy?

I had thought that everything had been under control

after a week regulating myself and going to regular
counselling sessions like the others, yet here I was,
rushing towards the academy, my apprentice in my
bosom as I feared for the worst. My body had moved
instinctively...it must have been because I had decided
to clad myself entirely in armor.

Now that I think about it, I could have defeated all

three without having to manifest the damn thing!
Why had I done so?

I felt a liquid pooling within my tear ducts as I sprinted

with all I had. He had to survive! I barely stopped,
even on the stairs, even as I exerted my spirit to hold
his blood within his body.

His heart was still beating, I could feel it, no matter

how minute, but, like an ember, it was fading.

I added more push to my legs using the metallic atoms

making up my armor, surpassing the limits of my
physical body. I could feel my muscles snapping, but!
He was in much more pain than I, so I grit my teeth
and navigated the hallways, making sure to not bump
into anyone, as that was a surefire way to our deaths
with my current velocity.

I was panicking inside yet my feet never stopped

moving and my spirit never ceased monitor his
condition! He had to live! There would be no one else
to blame but myself if he died!

Regret started to take root within my mind as I

replayed all the previous memories, the ones that had
caused me to make decisions the me of last year
wouldn't have made.

-----

Through that glass, he was breathing and still alive.

Even though my senses couldn't penetrate the
cylindrical chamber, I knew because, it would have
deactivated if he had died.

But looking at the mess that was Nathaniel, I couldn't

calm myself down. I had almost killed him. That was
something that I and him were going to have to live
with even when he recovered. My heart was pounding
within my chest from the previous exertion, coupled
with my unstable emotions.

I looked down at my hands...they were shaking. I

didn't know why, but I guessed one of the many
emotions were affecting them. Was it fear? Fear that I
had tried to kill a fellow human? Or the fear that I
could lose control any moment from now, just like
with him?

I didn't understand anything at all!

My legs gave out from beneath me, causing me to
crumple onto the floor. I was shocked! What
happened?

I had lost strength for no reason...no, I had pushed

myself past my limits, and now that I had relaxed,
everything that had been masked by the adrenaline
rush, came surging in like the waves on an ocean,
battering my body all at once. Pain, I could feel it, but
when my gaze moved to that figure floating within the
cylinder, I stifled the groan that was about to escape
my mouth. I had inflicted something worse upon my
student. I didn't have the qualifications to yelp out.

The liquid within the cylinder was miraculous,

something even we humans hadn't managed to
replicate, not to mention the fact that we had
absolutely no idea how it was even created, or where
it was even stored when this chamber wasn't in
use...it would most definitely heal him!
But what about his mind?

This tiny question nagged at me in the back of my

mind. What was he going to be like when he woke up?
Would he want revenge? Would I allow myself to be
struck down if he decided to kill me?

I paused at that. I most definitely wouldn't allow that!

There were many things I could allow, but never that!

What if he asked for my death?

I let that thought hang within my mind, yet I knew

that I would never allow myself to be killed, but then,
what if he asked for my death?

"So, this is the youth with the strange connection to

this place, huh!"
The voice was mild, but my body tremored violently in
response! One of the things I had dreaded had
happened!

How had he known?! And this fast?!

I hadn't been paying attention from the start, so when

I looked up, a shadow was being cast upon me,
blocking the illumination from the stones on the
ceiling.

"What happened?" His voice was still calm, meaning

that he hadn't figured out the entire matter, but I
knew that there was no use lying. He would most
definitely see through me the instant I did.

"I..."
"Time is being wasted here. Many matters pertaining
to the dead forgers need my attention." He spoke with
a deep voice, though filled with weariness.

"I...almost killed him." Like a burden that had been

pressing down upon my chest, it lightened instantly.

"If these were normal times, your punishment would

have been severe...but currently, we need every
forger that we have so...it will be waived. Though, I
suggest you take control of your crazy state...not the
other way around!"

I lowered my head, not daring to look at his face. Hs

presence behind me was promise that I could lean on
him, yet I couldn't allow myself that luxury!
Wallowing in self pity in front of my student wasn't
the way to go when I was the one who had inflicted
these injuries upon him.

The shadow vanished just as silently as he had

appeared, leaving the soft light to fall upon me.

I dragged myself inside another chamber since the

injuries to my legs were past severe. If I had lingered
any more, blood loss would have been the cause of
my death.

The moment he recovered would be the time that

would signal the start of my atonement. Being in top
shape for that day would be better.

Even as the liquid enveloped me and my gaze started

to become blurry, I still kept my eyes upon the figure
within the recovery cylinder. What would he ask of
me? I wondered.

-----

Those eyes had most definitely seen me, yet for some
reason, they didn't even acknowledge me, deciding to
land upon my father, one of the elders on the council
who was standing beside me.

Why was he doing that? Was he scared of me?

That was the most plausible explanation as I had

caught the tiny sliver of dread within them. Did I really
leave such a huge mental scar upon my student?

"He appears to be recovering well."

I turned to my father, who was adorned in the council
attire that signified his high status. It was customary
for all council members to wear such clothing, even
outside this continent.

I had healed very well, and now we had arrived here

to check upon Nathaniel. Honestly, I had been a bit
scared when I had found him awake. What if he
became unhinged?

"He's had the same experience as you. It would be

better if you were the one to guide him."

Very few could literally stare death in the face and

walk away to tell the tale. I don't think I had even
reached that point, but my father had. He and the
council members had been the ones to truly fight in
the front lines since they were third stage forgers,
while we had only been helpers. The glaring fact that
all the council members had been injured in that
battle, having yet to recover was a testament to that
being's power.

Even standing next to me, there was a certain

feebleness to the man, as if any moment from now,
he might die. I knew, because his spirit was clashing
with that of the being, whose attacks had been
imbued with its spiritual powers, which were a level
higher, having achieved some sort of permanence.

A being who had crossed the threshold that was the

third stage...

That was something everyone here yearned for,

mostly the council members, yet, it still eluded us...

I decided to abandon those thoughts as they were

useless for the current me. Right now, I had to focus
on making sure I took away that trauma from my
student.

"The next time something like this happens though, I

will be powerless to save you. He's very important to
all of humanity, his level just below that of that being's
corpse."

"I understand." There were limits to his authority. He

had probably silenced whoever he could to prevent
the incident from blowing up. I was immensely
grateful for that.

Starting now, I had to shape up. The era was changing.

No more laid back approaches to the forger
advancement. Every apprentice was going to go
through hell and back in order to become tough.
The glaring flaw that all of us had noticed during the
tussle with that being was the fact that very few
forgers had honed their combat moves, leading to
many mistakes, and most of the deaths. Even though I
respected the man for the fact that he stood his
ground, the Ross family old man had been trashy at
combat, with even I eclipsing him. The only reason he
had even managed to hold on for long was the fact
that he had absolute control over every cell within his
body, like all the third stage beings.

"I wonder whether he will help us unlock some of the

secrets of this place, particularly answering the age
old question of why this continent is here in our solar
system."

With those words, my father left me behind to face

my student, who had now closed his eyes as if in
sleep, but I had an inkling that he was avoiding to gaze
at me.
It looks like the task ahead was going to be hard. But I
wouldn't give up! I had caused this! And now I had to
fix it, with whatever means I could. It would be a pity
if he dropped off the path of the forger because of
something like trauma.

This year, I was going to take my duties seriously, to

make sure the tragedy of unskilled forgers being sent
into battle never happens again!

Chapter 44 :
TF Chapter 45 Epilogue

The raised voices, the quarrelling, the hot breaths and

the sound of paper rustling...it all fell into my ears as I
sat there with closed eyes, wondering where it had all
begun.
FORGERS!

That hateful profession! Why had it shown up in our

world? We had been at peace in the business world,
only affected by technological advancements and
inflation.

That had been the ideal arena for us to compete, to

outwit each other with rushing to acquire the newest
trends...yet, all came crushing down with their advent.
I had grown up within this new era, watched as share
prices continuously dropped when a process of
manufacturing was replaced with a forger. They were
hailed as better than even equipment controlled by
A.Is ran by quantum computers. No, the computers
weren't at fault...it was technology that had failed to
keep up with the rise of forgers.

Their spiritual powers surpassed any microscope in

existence, giving them the capabilities to arrange not
just atoms, but DNA itself in a myriad of interesting
ways. What was the point of throwing billions in
research, when you could just pay a forger a few
hundred million to accomplish the task with precision
and speed?

This reminds of something I had read about a few

years ago of how the advent of A.I had impacted many
of the professions that relied on their creativity,
causing many to go out of business. It had been a
great read as it had allowed me to see what was
coming, yet! I couldn't allow it! How could we let mere
humans, just because they have been given gifts
superior to us, to encroach into our livelihoods? How
great it would have been if the forgers had remained
separate from influencing us, just like two separate
species of beings. We would have simply continued on
developing as mere mortals, and they as God's chosen
few pursued the limits of their gifts.
Right now, if you perused the lists of the richest
people, we mortals were dwindling, with many of the
positions being taken up by forgers. Some had even
gotten aggressive and entered business, buying up
many companies, the same companies they had led
into a downward spiral.

That trend was spawning some of the biggest

questions plaguing us now...

Was it okay to have every manufacturable process

being replaced by forgers?

Were we prepared for the consequences of stagnating

technology?

What if one day, the forgers took over government?

We as normal humans, could we even come up with
rules capable of influencing them?...

These and many more were being asked by the public.

What they didn't know was the fact that currently, us
normal humans were only relying on borrowed time.
So far, none had shown interest in governance, but
that moment wasn't too far away...that's what my
instincts as a business man used to dealing with those
greedy politicians were telling me.

I shifted within my seat, trying to get rid of the bleak

sensation almost enveloping my mind. Power was
supposed to be held by those who had clawed their
way up, or inherited it from those who had done so,
yet...our world had changed, where just developing a
single gift was enough to propel someone to great
heights without any of the hard work. What was this
world coming to?
How was I going to address these people?
Shareholders were needed by the company, yet
sometimes I felt that it would have been great if I had
had monopoly over my group.

Though they appeared to scrabbling, I knew that they

were simply playing around, waiting for me to take a
stance. Some were of the opinion that we should hire
a forger to keep up with the other conglomerates,
while others, the ones I leaned towards more, wanted
us to stick to the old ways.

They were losing money each second of every minute

of every day, yet my intimidating demeanor was
scaring them off from shouting at me or bringing up
impeachment.

What a mess!
At first, the old ways had been okay, but now, our
competition had adopted the forger hiring method.
Now, they were outstripping us in product quality and
the speed at which new things were being churned
out.

I tapped the long desk, where I was seated at its head,

with the myriad women and men on both sides, the
shareholders.

I finally managed to gain their silence, yet their stares

were on the verge of making me uncomfortable.
Wolves...the lot of them! If I showed weakness here
they wouldn't hesitate to take a bite out of me.

I let a smile grace my lips at the impossibility of such

an endeavor. They might be wolves...but I was at the
top of the food chain, the strongest predator, the lion!
"So...do you want us to really start hiring forgers,
replacing the machines, and scrapping the many
factories we have invested so much into? Do know
that we are talking about billions of credits here..." I
scanned the crowd with a narrowed gaze, where some
flinched, while the bold ones refused to back an inch.

"...you have to know that we will be making a loss if

we decide to sell off the state of the art technology we
have...the prices for such have fallen and demand has
waned." Subconsciously, I tapped the desk, a sign of
my growing rage.

Among these men and women were some of my

progeny and collateral family members. I had tried to
have as many as possible replace the general
shareholders, yet my plot had been seen through, so,
only about 20% had succeeded. They, and the few
they had convinced from the the others were the only
ones on my side, though, some were probably only
siding with me to fish for benefits.
Never mix family with business...now, that's one creed
I was glad they were following. I hadn't sired them for
nothing. It was better to have wolves in the family
than mild mannered sheep.

The neutrals were the ones that truly had the power
to break the equilibrium as they were very many,
about 50%. But convincing that lot to choose a side
was a massive headache all on its own. These were
the types of people who already had their own
conglomerates, only deciding to invest in me as a
potential target for devouring to increase their
strength.

Damn wolves in sheep's clothing!

The door to the conference room vanished with a

hum, something I had ordered to be added so that no
one could sneak in silently.
Though, with the silence in the room, it was as if a bell
had gone off, attracting everyone's attention,
including mine.

It was my secretary. With that sullen demeanor of his,

I could gauge that whatever had occurred had to be of
grave importance to me, warranting the interruption.
He was the only person I had a modicum of trust for.

His feet didn't make a single sound while making his

way towards me. It seemed that the lessons ingrained
within him had stuck...

"We have just received a message from your

daughter, Kim Bora." He whispered within my ear,
even using a jammer to prevent those with
technological and enhanced biological senses from
picking up something.
Kim Bora Kim Bora...Kim Bora.

Sometimes having too many children makes it a pain

to remember their names.

"The one whose mother passed away..."

Ah! The brat who never speaks at the family

gatherings... If my memory isn't failing me, its about
time for one, after all, the year is ending.

"Okay, what makes her message important enough for

you to interrupt us?" She had been a quiet brat, that
one!
"She has decided to become a forger...and...joined at
the beginning of the year!"

"WHAT?! SCRAPE HER OFF FROM THE FAMILY

REGISTRY IMMEDIATELY! AND FIND ME HER
ITINERARY!"

My hand slapped at the table, but the pain wasn't as

intense as the rage in was feeling! This was basically
taboo! I had explitly added it into the family laws that
no progeny or relative of mine were to join the
forgers! I am going to kill her! Most definitely!

***Notes***

This is the end of book 1...anticlimactic, I know. The

second arc will be a bit better, for that I do promise,
after all, all of us writers become happy when our
readers find that one moment where they manage to
fall into our imagined worlds. Thank you
for...well...everything!

For book two, there will be no interludes, instead, I

might split into a different POV in a chapter though, I
will be putting the characters name at the split.

I plan to focus more on Kim Bora, and a little more on

the MC since he's going to be a bit more...radical.

And also...look forward to great action sequences. Its

a pain to conjure them, but as you will see, arc two
will be centered around them. So far I haven't decided
on the name of this upcoming second arc, but I
believe in due time, it will reveal itself to me.

I know that I am still lacking by much, but a review or

rating will go a long way to helping me improve.
Chapter 45 :
TF Chapter 46 A New Year, A Spar

When you gaze into the abyss known as death, there

is a 100% chance that its also gazing right back at you.

Two times!

Those were the number of times I had managed to

escape from that abyss just by the skin of my teeth. At
first, I hadn't thought much of the experience, but in
the second time, I didn't get away unscathed, causing
an alteration to my previously mild nature.

Sparks and sounds of clashing metal scattered as I

parried a blow to the right, using my entire reserves of
strength just to make sure the copper colored
gauntlet deviated from its trajectory.
After that burst of exertion, I leaped to the left, a few
meters away to give myself space to catch a breath.

Strength! How I craved it!

The year had ended, with the new year starting with
nothing noteworthy, except for the fact that us three
had all managed to make it without elimination.

Even now, having overcome my trauma, I still couldn't

handle the memories of my close encounter with
death on my second time, having chosen to have a
forger lock them inside of me. I knew they existed,
and the fact that I could unlock them with my spirit,
but...

I shivered at the thought of reliving the agony of the

nightmare.
I didn't hate Celeste, as it had been an accident. But, I
hated my weak self with a passion!

With a force rebound from the ground, I launched

myself towards her, my sword poised for a thrust, only
for her to spin out of the way, except, it had been a
feint on my part, and with a flick of a wrist, I slashed
horizontally, following the direction that her body had
taken.

Sparks lit my vision when the edge collided with her

torso, the armor developing a knick where my sword
had made contact, yet, I still couldn't cut through as
she borrowed the force to jump away from my range.

Applying force to my feet, I did two things in quick

succession, stopping my momentum, and once again
applying force to the direction she had retreated in so
I could pursue her. If I gave her any chance to rest,
there was plenty of chance for her to capitalise on it
and gain an advantage over me.

I fluttered over to her, launching all manner of attacks,

from thrusts to slashes, all the while displaying
magnificent technique. I had sparred with her
countless times already, having improved from the
point of having the sword leading me on instinctively
to the level of being the one in absolute control. Of
course, the artifact couldn't be disregarded as I had
simply copied its moves, improving upon them until
now, where my technique had surpassed even hers.

When sparks scattered as another forward thrust was

blocked, I pulled back the sword and launched a
diagonal slash, which she evaded with a burst of force
to her feet.

Then, she spun before I could retract my arm,

appearing at my side and punching towards my torso.
'Shit!'

With a burst of force that strained some of my muscle

fibers, I forcefully leaped backwards, her strike barely
missing me. I didn't rest on my laurels, instead opting
to take more steps backward. The good thing was that
she didn't pursue me, only standing in place. With that
armor of hers covering her entire body, I didn't know
what expression she was making beneath it.

"Your mastery of the sword has surpassed my martial

arts level, but your power is still lacking...I am not
blaming you, just stating the ugly truth. Remember
this, in front of absolute power, technique becomes
useless."

I nodded in complete agreement with her. Right now,

I was still weak, and many years were still needed for
me to reach her level. It was frustrating to admit, but
the truth.

"I let you test yourself against me the previous bout,

now, try to survive my attacks!"

There wasn't even a lull between the last word and

her appearing in front of me in an instant.

I hastily brought up my sword to block her blow, with

the punch causing a powerful force to be transmitted
from my arms into my body. I uncontrollably slid
backwards, but I developed a plan even as I slid
backwards. I put some force into my feet and kept
some few feet behind before slashing out at Celeste's
oncoming ferocious figure.

Her copper colored arms blocked my blade, so I pulled

back for a moment and instead made a thrust, taking
advantage of her forward momentum. If she didn't
stop, then my blade was most definitely going to enter
her chest.

Like a leaf, she spun away from the sword thrust, as if

the tiny gust brought upon by my move had affected
her, impressing me.

Before her spin could allow her to bypass my

outstretched arm though, I pulled back and unleashed
a horizontal slash, which she blocked with her
gauntlets, only leaving a tiny knick where my blade
had made contact, coupled with a series of sparks.

I felt a force transmitting from her arms as she pushed

away my sword, causing my stance to almost collapse,
but I simply leaped back, re-aligning myself once
again.
If previously she had been toying with me, now, she
was in serious mode! My heartbeat sped up at the
increased feeling of danger I was getting from her.

Once again, her form blurred, and instinctively,

without any room for thought, moving my sword
horizontally in front of me. That reflexive action paid
off as her twin punches clashed with the broad of the
sword, the force pushing me back, once more
threatening to break my stance. This time, she didn't
stop there, instead following upon her advantage,
unleashing a flurry of blows that were powerful
enough to cause a numbness in my hands every time I
blocked them with my sword, which was mostly an
action I was performing on instinct alone as she was
simply too fast for my eyes!

I was only barely managing to capture the trajectory

of her moves with my gaze, yet even with
improvements, I was still unable to block all the blows,
with some making contact with my body.
She was holding back, yet even with that, her strength
wasn't something to scoff about as the pain from the
blows was increasingly making it hard for me to
concentrate on the battle.

BOOM!

With a loud bang and a heavy blow, I was blown away,

only having managed to place my sword in the path of
the blow in time, preventing it from making contact
with my body.

Damn! I wonder when I will reach the level where I

can fight on per with her!

Such a thought crept within my mind even as my back

made contact with the wall of the stone room, my
bones rattling within me as if they were about to
shatter into pieces.

When I regained myself, I had an urge to spit out

blood but restrained it.

"You see the difference, don't you?"

The question was jarring to my ears even as I fought

to stay conscious. Couldn't she have gone softer?
What was the point of sparring if I had to nurse such
devastating wounds every time?

Even though the council had allowed the use of that

recovery chamber since the dawn of the combat
lessons, it was still a pain if I had to visit it regularly.

"Teacher Celeste, you need to at least be lenien-"

"What the hell are you talking about?! Will your
enemy be lenient to you?!"

Danny's words set her off like a fire cracker. A sigh

escaped my lips. She had changed. At first, she had
tried to curb the change after heavily injuring me, yet
that didn't last long. Danny Danny Danny, he still
hasn't learned.

With a sigh, I stood up with difficulty.

"Teacher Celeste, the new year has just started and

we managed to graduate the previous one...but why
haven't we been given something new to do?"

Thanks Bora! I winked at her for managing to

successfully divert Celeste's attention. The two had
been spectating my bout with her after having gone
through theirs. None of us were happy when Celeste
lost her marbles, always having to tread on thin ice. A
change in topic like this was a welcome relief.

"...even I haven't been told anything yet."

"Haaaah!"

That sound leaked out from my mouth. How could

that be?! It wasn't only I who was surprised as even
the other two were.

Her background had already been made clear to

us...Celeste was the daughter of a council member! If
even she hadn't been notified, what was there
something profound?
Chapter 46 :
TF Chapter 47 The Stars Aligned

***Bora***

It was shocking how our own tutor, with such a

powerful background, lacked the information related
to the next level. I had been observing many things
this past week, wondering why we hadn't been tasked
with extracting atoms from solid rock, a lesson that
was supposed to be conducted during the second
year.

I wasn't exactly the chatty type so I hadn't been the

one to procure such information. Instead it had been
Danny, the only one among us who had a sociable
personality.
That event had really changed the way the forgers
looked at things. It wasn't just our teacher who had
changed. Even the other teachers whom I had
glimpsed upon had signs of change. There had been a
leisurely attitude before the incident, with most of the
forgers seemingly contented with their lives...

But right now, everything had changed! Many were

either gloomy, or appeared to be adopting serious
expressions with imperceptible gleams in their eyes.
The fire of ambition and serious goals had been lit
within many, while some had devolved into useless
dregs, with all the latter being dragged off this
continent, never to be seen again.

Even now, many months later, the details pertaining

to the event hadn't been disclosed entirely, only
piecing together rumors here and there to create a
complete picture of what had transpired.
Apparently, the entire forger population had faced a
formidable foe, a being far above the level of even the
strongest among them, the council members, with
many, having failed to return alive.

That was mostly my conjecture, which I had shared

with Danny and Nathaniel. We had even tried to trick
Celeste into divulging something, yet her lips had
failed to let loose. We had gotten so persistent that
she had even threatened to expel us from this
continent if we kept pestering her...

After that day, we stopped asking questions.

-----

"Nathaniel! Are you okay?" Danny asked after Celeste

had decided to leave, not before asking whether her
sparring partner needed to use the recovery room. He
had refused and that's why Danny's tone contained
some worry.

"For some reason that woman pushes you harder than

us. Does she hate you or something?"

I had an urge to laugh at the guy. Sometimes he

appeared to be too clever, yet at other times he could
be dumb too. Nathaniel was someone who had a
special connection with this place. In order for him not
to be killed, it was better that he was strengthened to
the point that a forger didn't need to intervene if he
found himself in a dire situation.

Now that I think about it, that guy must have received
my message. I wonder what his reaction will be.

"Why are you smirking, Bora! This is a very serious

situation!"
Cough!

I felt my face heat up at being found out.

"Danny! Those aren't serious wounds!" I shouted at

the guy.

"He might have some internal injuries that are

serious! You do know that the woman has the
strength of a gorilla."

I shook my head at the guy's stupidity. If Celeste had

heard his words, there is absolutely no doubt about
the bad situation he might have landed himself within.
"I am okay Danny. They have already edited my genes
so my healing factor is off the charts. These injuries
aren't that serious."

I pitied Nathaniel. With all that the guy had gone

through, it was a miracle that he was still even capable
of maintaining his sanity. Even I who had gone
through some grueling training didn't think that my
experiences were even close to the things he had
gone through ever since he had set foot upon this
continent.

***Danny***

"No one can prevent the alignment of the stars!"

My grandfather had always spoken that line when I

had told him that I didn't believe in superstitions...
Yet our family clan had relied on such vague things like
divination future visions, instincts...and what-not to
rise to its current position.

As a child, I was always enraged when someone, out

of earshot from the adults in my family derided us
that we were only better at sucking up to the powerful
before they rose.

Looking at the person I wholeheartedly wanted to

follow, I couldn't help but feel the irony.

I was born with a gift...a gift far better than that of

others. I don't know whether my genes had somehow
mutated because of my mother being a forger, but I
could see tiny stars flickering on people, non existent
to everyone else.
At first I hadn't known what it meant until one day my
parents managed to extrapolate a theory...the greater
the number of shining sparks around a person, the
greater their providence. The clan had been
overjoyed...even now, they were still carrying that joy.

Everything in this universe has a probability of

happening, no matter how minute. If someone one
day just up and had their entire particles lose the
bonds linking them together causing them to fizz out
of existence abruptly, then everyone had that same
chance for that to happen to them, no matter how
minute.

I didn't believe in providence, divinity and whatnot, so

I studied quantum science extensively as that was a
branch where events that can't happen normally can
be triggered to occur and manifest, yet I still couldn't
believe what I was looking at...
If one year ago someone had told me that I would find
a person with this kind of providence or luck, I would
have definitely treated that person as a liar.

Senior Nat had such dense specks of light drifting

around him that it was like staring at a galaxy.
Honestly, it was beautiful, so beautiful that I could
never get tired of looking at him.

Too bad he had had to stare death in the face two

times. He had been cheerful, yet now, he was more
withdrawn, focusing more on becoming stronger. If I
had been strong enough, I would have most definitely
murdered that woman!

And now there was this person, Kim Bora! There was
nothing essentially wrong with her, but I had only
added her to our team because Senior Nat had
wanted another teammate. Though the star specks
surrounding her were many, I had seen many with
that same volume, so, she wasn't someone
particularly impressive.

Hmpf! Instead of directing her entire energy into

helping Nat senior, she was caught up in trying to
fulfill her own goals, probably revenge. With her
background, she probably wanted to get back at
someone by becoming a forger. These were the kinds
of people not fit to stay within this profession.

Making friends wasn't what had made me come

here...though, an exception had appeared, and that
was senior Nat. He was too valuable to be left to his
own devices!

"Senior Nat, will you be okay in the long run?"

I had to ask as I didn't trust that he wouldn't get any

side effects from that healing chamber or whatever. I
didn't trust technology not created by human hands
after all. There could be something deeper with the
way this continent had revealed itself from the depths
of the sun.

Though I couldn't discount the fact that a majority of

the luminous specks around Nat senior were related
to this continent, I didn't like it one bit.

But I wonder what good things he's going to get from

here...could it be that he will eventually become the
master of this entire continent? Hmmmm...that was
plausible, considering the visions, provided that
whatever existed here wasn't simply in search of a
body to possess.

I helped him stand up. His face was a little pale, but
otherwise fine. He had changed, though outwardly
milder than Celeste's change, I instinctively knew that
underneath all the fake, he had had a massive
upheaval.

Those eyes of his bled out some of those changes,

with one being ambition...the ambition to get strong,
probably become the strongest. A good mentality. If
previously Nat senior simply wanted to become a
forger in a pure innocent way, this time he was
violently charging forward, wanting to possess
strength on top of that.

I had been worried about his pureness previously, but

now, I think it was good that he had changed...yet, I
still clenched my jaw at the circumstances that had led
to his change.

Celeste! I hated the woman, but for now it was better

that I didn't give myself away. It would be
troublesome if the woman managed to pick up on my
killing intent.
(ALL APPRENTICES ARE TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE
ACADEMY HALL IMMEDIATELY!)

My thoughts were interrupted when those words

caused the very air to vibrate, the sheer power within
them almost causing me to become dizzy.

Chapter 47 :
TF Chapter 48 Alistair

***Danny***

"Hey there! Buddy! Alistair, what's up?"

I have never liked interacting with people as it entails
me to fake my expressions and how I feel. Honestly, it
was disgusting! How I wanted to be a loner! But I had
been trained since young in how to read people and
also how to hide from the scrutiny of those with the
gift of reading faces and expressions.

Bora and senior Nat weren't exactly the sociable

people in our group, so interacting with people was
always my task.

There is a fundamental reason why I needed to

interact with people, and that was the fact that
knowledge is power. If we isolated ourselves from the
others, we might miss out on all the important stuff
we might have otherwise known if we had interacted
more.

Now as I and the other apprentices were making their

way towards the academy, I had decided to split off
from the two and try to gather information from my
contacts...with one of them being this guy, Alistair.

He was a person I wanted less interaction with, yet, he

was the only one who had access to more
information. This guy was a person whom I was most
wary of in this place, strength aside. Just his wits,
intelligence and demeanor were a cut above others,
almost equal to my own.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at me sideways. There

must have been something deeper within his gaze this
time because it was different from before...

"What is it?"

"Danny Whitmore, you are an interesting person. It

took me a lot of trouble to find about your
background."
Shit! How could he have managed to track that
information down?!

My eyes narrowed as I contemplated finding a way to

shut the guy up for good.

"Many would want your head on silver platter..."

I trembled inside even as I kept a neutral expression

on my face.

"Are you going to expose me?" There was an edge to

my voice I had let creep in. I had to appear dangerous.

"Now, why would I do such an unprofitable thing? I

could get money from them by giving them some
hints...but you and I both know that there is no point
in that, now is there?"

Even with those words, my vigilance only heightened.

This wasn't a benevolent man by any standards. What
was he thinking in his mind?

"What do you want?"

No matter how uneasy or angry I was, I couldn't afford

to show any of my insecurities. This young fox would
definitely take a bite if I showed weakness!

"I heard that your clan has certain powerful gifts...gifts

that let you ride on some people's coattails to reach
the top..."
Here, he paused, his eyes meaningfully looking behind
me to where Bora and senior Nat were.

"...I wonder. Which of the two is the ONE?"

The moment he asked that question, I did everything

within my power to keep my expression from instantly
changing. This was one of the few things I had feared
even more than anything else! Someone finally
figuring out this! Our clan emphasized that our
backgrounds had to be kept secret when we were
following figures who would achieve greatness in the
future as our enemies might strike!

"Alistair, it would do you good if you don't become an

enemy of mine!" I deepened my voice, the threat
evident. I wanted him to pull back, but seeing that
ambitious gleam within those black eyes of his, that
was most definitely impossible!
"Hehehehe...Danny, you might think that you were
hiding yourself well, but I do know why you socialised
with me and the others; to collect information! There
is absolutely no way that you like being in a group of
obnoxious young masters...honestly, I agree with you
there...so that could only be obvious! One of those
two should be on the path to become a great
figure...and if I am right, its that male. Don't look at
me like that! I am not planning on doing anything! All I
want is for you to introduce me to him."

He had finally aired out his true goal. But, was that
really his true goal?

Alistair wasn't some typical young master who had no

brains...no no no, this was a guy who would plan
multiple steps ahead! I had to admit that I was far
inferior to him on that, which made me suspicious
that his goal was simply that. There must have been
something deeper!
"There is no need to be in a rush! We have a few years
here together." He slapped my back as his face took
on that fake faint smile he always adorned.

"If I am not mistaken you must have come to me to

see whether I had any idea about the order to gather,
right? I will tell you that I have absolutely no idea
about anything...which is suspicious in itself."

Oh! This is going to be troublesome. Alistair had a

background surpassing that of the dead Everett. If
even he had no idea, then that meant that whatever
we were being gathered for wasn't simple!

*** Nathaniel ***

The amphitheater like hall was filled to the brim with

many people, some chatting away in their own
bubbles of social friends, while others were alone,
having various expressions flashing on their faces as
they waited patiently. There was no anticipation
within their eyes, only puzzlement and other similar
expressions, just like me.

As I sat there and watched as Danny interacted with

another person who seemed to have originated from
the State of America, I wondered why we had been
summoned here.

Bora was quiet as always, simply having closed her

eyes, probably experimenting with coating her entire
body with spirit.

I moved my gaze away, towards the sword that was in

between my lap. Many had already seen it, so there
were no other curious eyes around. The forgers had
already explained it away as simply something I had
insisted be sent to me the moment I had stepped onto
this continent for sentimental value. Of course, none
truly believed it, but they didn't deign to ask as the
forgers had allowed me to stay with it...so that had to
mean something.

I stroked the hilt even while I connected my spirit to it.

At first, I had been averse to the idea, but after that
time when I had nearly died, i had asked myself, what
was the point of pushing away things that could only
make me stronger?

With both our spirits linked, I could sense every small

particle that the sword was made up of. It was
amazing how the particles appeared to be flowing
around the sword. In my perception, it was like gazing
at a sword shaped metallic ocean of water that was
spiralling in a loop continuously without end. Celeste
had even said that such a configuration of particles
couldn't even be achieved by those who had entered
the third stage on the forger path.
The reason I was linking my spirit to the sword was
simple. I was studying the bonds between the
particles, for the future when I had grown my spirit to
the point of being capable of forming an entire armor
of atoms. Its makeup was complicated for me right
now, but I bet that I could make something simpler for
my armor in time.

The next lesson was supposed to be related to

extracting atoms from solids, like pulling an iron atom
from a stone, something that was supposed to be
harder than extracting them from liquid metal.

I had extensively studied the visions in the past year,

the one where that alien being had been extracting
the metal, causing I, and my two group mates to reach
a point where we had far surpassed the others in our
extraction level. It also made it so that our spiritual
growth had surpassed that of the others for the
moment. It was a secret that hadn't been divulged to
anyone, so we were still safe. Caution was the mother
of safety after all.

As I was till within my thoughts, a tap sounded from

inside that same tunnel leading to the stage. It was
probably that same forger from before, those times
when I had just arrived. It felt as if I had been on this
continent for a long time!

Just a single year and I am like this! Imagine how

drastic a change I would have gone through when all
five are completed!

Chapter 48 :
TF Chapter 49 Drastic Change

***Nathaniel***
A clamor burst out into the room the man stepped out
of the tunnel, the sound even causing me to almost
become dizzy, yet that didn't even have a chance to
happen as I too was releasing a sound of
astonishment at the moment, adding to the
cacophony of sound.

The voices were filled with surprise, horror, pity,

disgust and a myriad of other things as they beheld
the figure moving towards the stage.

Could death have been better? That was a question

that popped into my mind at that very moment.
Apart from his still functional eyeballs, you could say
that the man appeared to have been dropped into a
vat of acid and the fished out before his skin could
completely be dissolved!

The flesh was disgusting to look at, not to mention the

pus leaking out and vanishing into thin air.
But what made my heart skip a beat was when I
looked into those eyes of his. They were too intense!
The willpower needed alone to even be capable of
movement was terrifying!

The man's spirit washed upon everyone at the

moment, causing me, and everyone else to feel as if
we were being scorched!

What was this? I have never heard that the spirit was
capable of taking up an attribute!?

All of the noise died down instantly after that

scorching feeling.

We all gazed at the stage without speaking, waiting

for the man to speak, after he had finally made it to
the middle.
"Pray! That you never get to experience this state of
mine, or anything close for that matter. I will give you
a bit of an insight. If you have the chance and
capability to run away from a being with a spirit higher
than yours, take it!"

The powerful words caused the atmosphere to freeze,

as I tried to digest them. Information had been
released, that which we had been curious about
during the previous year. The forgers had faced an
immense threat and the outcome hadn't been
favourable.

Since I had taken a trip to the recovery room, I had

witnessed the many within before they had
recovered. The others who had made it in as a
consequence of the combat curriculum had missed
the sight since the forgers in the cylinders had already
been healed.
But, looking at this guy's injury, I knew that it hadn't
been that simple. The recovery room couldn't deal
with it considering that he was showing it off here.

"Now, first off, I congratulate you on surviving through

last year. During normal standards, it would have been
the hardest of years, but what am about to reveal will
make it feel as if it was the simple part of what you
have to do to graduate..."

His eyeballs roamed everyone, and due to his

immense spirit which was ever present in the hall,
everyone, including me had the feeling that he was
staring right at us!

"...tsk! I have waited a long time for such reforms,

which I am about to reveal, to take place. I
campaigned almost everyday, yet was rebuffed each
time. Now, I can tell you with a happy heart that you
are going to have to experience true life and death in
order to become a forger!"

"...and what's the hell I am talking about? Well, you

are going to be dumped onto a planet, and anyone
who manages to form an entire armor by the time
four years are up, will have passed."

I still hadn't understood what the man was really

getting at. I didn't know much about the previous
year's advancement, so I couldn't really compare the
two. But if he was saying that it was going to be hell,
then there was a catch-

"Which planet are you going to be dumping us on? As

I, and all of us here recall, we humans haven't yet
found any single habitable planet that can support us
earthlings." Someone raised a valid point, which many
of us hadn't even yet thought about.
"A good question. This planet is different as it
shouldn't be capable of supporting human life as we
know it. Its a secret project that had been in the
making for over 100 years, a place where only forgers
have a chance of survival. For you apprentices, that
means a less than 10% survival rate. I won't go too
deep into details as you will be briefed aboard the
space crafts...now, what has brought me here mainly
is to tell you one thing and and ask you another..."

"...there is a very high chance of death the moment

you drop onto the planet, And let me make this clear!
No one is going to save you! For the question; are you
prepared to put your life on the line to become a
forger?"

The question was heavy. I didn't know what dangers

could cause such a high chance of death, but I knew
for a fact that the man was serious.
The previous me who had just arrived at this continent
could have seriously contemplated whether it could
have been worth it to put my life on the line, but the
me now simply didn't give it much thought before
choosing what I wanted in my mind.

"A few ships have already been allowed outside this

city, waiting for all those who want to back out."

-----

If fear was something that could turn men and women

into cowards, that was understandable. But then,
there came the issue of not having the will to surpass
your limits, just like these people who were streaming
by me and entering into the prepared ships.

Most of those with a wealthy background will

probably become forgers in the long run as Musana
city had already done the task of providing the
awakening solution, but ultimately, they would never
amount to anything monumental.

Danny had called them cowards, having already chose

the same as me; to stay no matter how harsh the
things we will have to go through.

Bora was another case altogether. Even as we stood

by the the gates of Musana city, looking at the
departing apprentices, the indecision within her eyes
couldn't be hidden.

"Bora, we humans have an innate desire to achieve

greatness due to our sentience and diverse unique
personalities. I will only say this, if you can't even fly
close to the sun and burn your wings, how will you
even know that you can evolve beyond it?"
Danny deserved some applause with that statement,
which resonated with me fully. He was right. I had
decided to stay because only by bring tempered by
the fire that is danger would I be able to come out
stronger!

"For you, that's easy. My entire life has been dictated

by logic. So, weighing the pros and cons of a decision
is part of me."

Logic...she was partially right, but sometimes, you had

to take the plunge and follow your heart, whatever it
was. I told her that but she didn't appear to have
taken it to heart.

"You need to change, to evolve!" Damny shouted at

her her.
"You see those weaklings, they will never achieve
great things! Most will eventually advance to become
forgers, but ultimately, they will never reach the same
level as us who decided to stay behind." He continued.

It had surprised me at first how more than half of the

people had decided to give up on going through the
next phase of education, but after thinking about it
clearly, I had understood.

Most of the people here were mostly those with a

good background who had never gone through much
hardship, even being admitted here had been taking a
toll. Imagine that toll now having been added with the
flavor of a chance at meeting the grim reaper? Many
would ultimately choose to flee!

Chapter 49 :
TF Chapter 50 Leaving The Continent
 ***Kim Bora***

MSWP-2, that was the vessel that we were headed for

after departing from the sun.

Space had always been something which had

fascinated me endlessly, even influencing my decision
to take on science studies during my youth.

Stepping onto the vessel that was the pinnacle

culmination of human science had always been one of
my dreams.

The MSWap, as those of us in the science field liked to

call them, were two huge cube shaped ships capable
of warp travel.
If I wasn't nervous and constantly in doubt of whether
what I had chosen to do was the correct decision, my
heart would have been palpitating with excitement at
the fact that I was about to step foot onto one of
these legendary behemoths.

Through the screen, whose feed was being provided

by the numerous photo sensors on the hull of the
small ship, we could see the rage of the sun, the
waves of molten elements unleashing their fury upon
the surface of the sun. It was chaotic beauty as far as I
was concerned. It was a visual representation of the
turmoil that was in my heart.

Had I chosen the correct path when I had decided to

continue along the forger path? Was I going to die?

No matter how much I tried to chase away the fear

from my thoughts, by diverting my attention, it always
returned.
This craft was carrying hundreds of us away from
Musana continent where we had been holed up for
the past year. We three were occupying two seats
which were facing each other, where I could see that
Nathaniel was simply watching the screen, his
thoughts unreadable. His hands were rubbing his
thighs, probably because he didn't feel safe without
his sword, which he had been ordered to leave on
Musana.

It looks like he was going to have a rough time as his

entire combat strategies had been centered around it.
So far, we hadn't been briefed about anything as they
had simply told us that we would only be given the
information we were all curious about after we
boarded the warp ship.

(Sigh)
I took in a very deep breath after the sigh, trying to get
rid of my fear and also get my nerves under control,
which was a failing endeavour.

"Bora, it looks like you still haven't come to terms with

your decision." Spoke Danny, who was covered from
head to toe with a thin silvery suit just like all of us. It
was a manifestation of our nanosuits, which were
acting as our spacesuits, in case an accident happened
and we were tossed into space, though, we most
definitely wouldn't survive if it happened now as we
were still within the sun's gravitational influence, not
to mention the millions of scorching degrees which
would cause us to die instantaneously!

"Danny, why is it that you are showing such intense

care for me?" I asked while fixing him with a stare, to
which he didn't avert his gaze.
It was a good thing that we had been ordered to
board the crafts in our team formations, a hint that
wherever we were going, the teams were still going to
be a major arrangement.

"Bora, have you ever read fantasy novels?"

Oh! Nathaniel actually took the initiative to speak!

How surprising! It had become harder to have him
even release a single word ever since that incident.

"I have, a few times when I was bored. What are you
getting at?" It looked like Danny had chosen to let
Nathaniel do the talking. I had always noticed that the
guy wanting to cozy up to Nathaniel, though, I was still
in the dark on the particular reason.

"Have you ever wanted to become like them? To have

magic? To become a cultivator?... This here is the one
single chance that you have to fulfill your childhood
dream. Why are you still on the fence? Your body is
here with us, but your mind appears to be districted
by millions of thoughts. If you keep being like this,
then there is a very high chance that you might
perish!"

His gaze contained an earnestness I had never seen

within. He was advising me sincerely.

As a human who had grown up choosing the most

optimal choice logically...well...except for the fact that
I had decided to become a forger to spite that man...it
was very hard for me to swallow having decided to
choose an option where the chances of death could
be as high as 90%!

"It will be better if you adjust yourself because you

might cause our deaths if you stay like this. Trust me
on this! I will most definitely choose to escape with
Nat senior if you ever cause us problems!" Danny
leaned back into the seat, though, not without earning
glares from the two of us. His words had been serious!

Its a good thing that even Nathaniel appeared puzzled

by that as his eyes were glued to the guy's face.

Both of them were right. But was it really that easy for
me to calm down? I shifted uneasily in the seat which
was made for practicality instead of comfort. It even
strengthened this feeling of mine that we were
soldiers heading to their deaths.

***Nathaniel***

Celeste had warned me of the fact that I had grown

too attached to the sword, such that without it, I
would be useless. I had known all along that it was all
true yet, I had never imagined that I would lose the
chance...

(Sigh)

It looked like I was going to have to change myself if I

was to survive wherever we were headed. I had only
decided to barge into the conversation and give advice
to Bora because I had been nervous. I was a bundle of
nerves, same as her. If I hadn't spoken out, I would
probably have been quaking within my metaphorical
boots.

Courage was something that I didn't have enough of.

The moment we had been told that there was an over
90% chance of death, I had been of the mind to simply
withdraw after all, I had already looked death twice in
the eyes. There was a chance that the third time
would be the charm.
Danny...this youth was someone I still didn't have a
full grasp of. Looking at his side profile as he
pretended to look at the screen showing the Sun's
surface, I wondered why he had spoken such words.
Why wouldn't he save Bora? I had thought that our
friendship had been forged within the trials of blood.

So, why was he like this? There had been a finality

within his tone when he had spoken of abandoning
her, his words containing a stoicism that bordered on
unfeeling.

My nervousness became replaced with a new feeling

the more I looked at his side profile, fury. I controlled
myself and forcefully averted my gaze because I knew
that the moment I acted out, it would only complicate
things.

"I would never abandon you."

I added some gravitas in my tone. She hadn't
hesitated to fight for my sake when that Ross bastard
had tried to take my life! There was no way I would do
something to jeopardise her continued existence!

Chapter 50 :
TF Chapter 51 The Behemoth In The Void

***Nathaniel***

Sometimes some things are just too...let's just say,

mind blowing! Imagine watching a movie showing you
the view of a planet from outer space. It would be
cool, but ultimately, you wouldnt be moved or
anything for that matter.

I had watched videos depicting the two mother ships

thousands of times but seeing the behemoth up close
was a whole other feeling that made you question
whether we humans were the ones who built the
thing!

We had long left the most dangerous part of the

sun...you could even call it its atmosphere...so, the
metallic shutters had been withdrawn, allowing us to
view the void of space with our own eyes.

It had all been peaceful and calm until a sound of

intense shock had attracted our attention. We had
crowded towards the left side, peeking through the
glass, only to be stunned speechless...well, mostly me.

The thing was just too huge! It could probably rival an

entire continent back on Earth! How had we even
managed to get enough resources to build such a
thing!
It was cube shaped, simply berthed in the void, like a
beast taking a nap, except for the small blue specks of
light which were being emitted from its surface, a sign
that it's acceleration engines were being primed.

The blue specks dancing around it created a very

beautiful scenery against that backdrop of the black
shine from the ship's hull causing me to feel
entranced. It was simply too...fantasy-like!

Since sound didn't travel in space it appeared silent,

but we could still see many crafts similar to ours
entering its gigantic hanger, which was too small
compared to the behemoth, but I had a feeling that
the entrance alone probably rivaled the surface area
of the state of Uganda where I was born!

"Wow! Reality really is different from simply being

told, or watching from screen...hmmm...even the
constructs in virtual reality aren't even close to this
magnificence!" Exclaimed Danny.

"Humanity's ingenuity really ought to be praised."

Bora spoke with a heavy sigh.

"Seeing this thing brings me a feeling of pride. The

pride of being a human!" Danny continued.

He was right. Even I felt like puffing out my chest right

now and arrogantly proclaiming that this was the
greatness of us, humans!

As our craft entered the hanger, we caught sight of

many humans and AI driven automations working to
handle the many people who were embarking from
the other crafts which had arrived before ours.
"Finally! I can get a signal! Oh! How I missed my
dramas! I should download many more!"

"Hahahaha...my daughter got married! Look at these

photos! Ain't she adorable!"

....

Many such conversations took place as I also

contemplated contacting my cousin.

***Alistair***

"Have you found out what I asked for?"

That was the first thing I asked the moment I alighted

from the craft. And I wasn't asking the four who were
alighting with me, but the person who had arrived to
welcome us.

"Young master, I have...here."

My nano suit notified me of some documents that had

arrived. I could have opted to peruse through them
within my room, but I was too impatient for that. It
had taken me a long time to finally figure out the man
known as Danny Whitmore. I could have treated him
as a normal person, but his background was far too
prestigious for that.

Those people were touted as makers of greats. And

since their prized prodigy had appeared here and was
befriending some random man and that woman from
the Bora clan, then there had to be more to it. Was
one of them going to become a great?
As I perused the information pertaining to the two, I
was simulating a way to approach them naturally
without arousing any suspicion. Since Danny had
appeared here and befriended those two, then they
were most definitely going to advance and become
forgers, and not the normal sort. I had waited
patiently enough! I had to find a-

Oh! This guy really does hate forgers with a zeal. He

actually even painted such a large target on his
daughter's back?!

"Find out more about this!"

I sent out a packet of information while boarding the

elevator. With the size of this craft, these were the
only types of travel since their speed was equal to
being shot out of a railgun.
'Danny! Danny! Danny! There is no way I am going to
let go of this opportunity to befriend these two.
Though, with my years of reading people coupled with
what my spies have been collecting, it seems like the
man is far more important to you...'

You see, this world is very very hard to live...no, to

survive in. Unless you are a powerhouse surpassing
everyone, there is always competition. Even within my
clan, there was a lot of competition. A young master?!
That's useless! Unless you can mature and prove that
you are better than everyone can you become the
family head.

Our clan had survived for centuries depending on the

power of money, then the power of forgers. We had
grown large, but there was just a single rule that had
been set since its founding that caused the intense
competition;
Everyone, even branch family descendants could take
the seat of patriarch the moment they surpassed all
the others!

Frankly, there was nothing wrong with it except for

the fact that my father was currently the clan head,
yet someone from the branch family, a man in his late
twenties was about to replace us after the abdication
of my father at 50 years of age. If that happened, we
would drop down as the rules stipulated that families
related to the previous leader shouldn't be favored
just because they still have a powerful person behind
them.

It would have been great if my older brother had been

as competent as that genius but he was simply
useless. I was having to compete with those other
youth while also trying to catch up to that guy who
was a generation older than me...
(Sigh)

The burden was simply too much! But my ray of light

had just appeared, Danny Whitmore!

No, to be more precise, it would be one of the figures

he was following, the man with the names of
Nathaniel Bosingwa!

Maybe I should use this plot by Bora's father as a

spring board to get chummy with them? But first, I
had to find out who will really be carrying out the task.

I really don't know why that guy is so hung up on

hating forgers. This is a new era! He should already
have adapted to the times! Such an idiot will most
definitely have a short life. Anyway, I shouldn't waste
my thoughts on that trash.
Danny is a very calculating man according to what I
have observed. It would be better if I don't step on his
toes. On the contrary, I should try to maintain my
relationship with him, first, by getting rid of these
idiots who have come very close to uncovering his
identity. They might ruin my plans if I don't take care
of them.

I tapped my thighs with my finger as I thought of the

possible solutions. Good thing that there was a high
chance of death wherever we were headed. It would
be great if I could manage to orchestrate a few of said
deaths.

Chapter 51 :
TF Chapter 52 Relaxation

***Nathaniel***
With the giant that was this ship, no one had any
trouble being assigned an entire room on their own. I
was stunned by the sheer space I had been given.

Three rooms with the living room so big I could

probably host over 10 others and still have space to
spare! The theme was black and white with a personal
AI hologram on call to attend to my every whim. This
was practically paradise as even back on Earth I was
only able to afford a 5sqm room!

"Is there anything you need, guest?"

The hologram appeared, gaining a likeness that was

very tangible. She was female, and if I hadn't seen her
materialising, I would have thought of her as a normal
person.
"This is my first time here. Could you give me run
down of this ship?"

The explorer in me was curious. This was the pinnacle

of human ingenuity. I wanted to learn more about it.

"History is pointless to me right now so I would like to

enjoy some facts...little tidbits that haven't been
revealed already..."

I walked in and slumped onto the sofa. It was very

comfortable causing me to want to smuggle within
and forget my worries for the moment. I could even
feel some sleep creeping in. It had truly been very
tiresome having to sleep on hard ground for the past
year.

Since I was inside one of the safest places in space, I

withdrew my nano suit. No matter how comfortable
they had manufactured it to be, it was still very
cumbersome if you weren't used to it.

"The first fact is that this ship can't compress space

and perform warp travel..."

"Wait! What?!" I jumped off the couch as if my butt

had caught fire. Hey! Is there something wrong with
the AI assigned to me? This was troublesome. I had to
report it right away.

"...it travels by widening wormholes." The rest of her

words caused me to breathe out a sigh of relief. I had
thought that something had happened to corrupt her
data archives. How embarrassing! I almost disgraced
myself!
"...(cough)...I know a bit about wormholes, so does
that mean that the news that we have managed to
step foot onto the closest star systems a lie?"

"Yes. Some of the discovered wormholes even

connect to distant galaxies and the dark void."

Now this was very eye opening. After that first piece
of knowledge that had blown my mind, she continued
to reveal more and more, but for some reason, my
eyelids kept wanting to lower, so I dismissed the
hologram and slept right there on the couch, finally
managing to enjoy peace.

The ship was being prepped for wormhole traversal, a

task that was going to take over 12 hours, and we
weren't going to be needed for anything until after it
arrived at the next destination. So I had plenty of time
to get some sleep.
 ***Bora***

If someone had said that I would one day have to live

without even getting to take a shower a few years
before, I would have been skeptical, yet that was what
had happened during my lengthy stay on Musana
continent.

I snuggled deeper in my robe while watching the

hologram displaying the many events that had
happened during the past year. I had to keep myself
to date. Information was man's strongest tool after all.

"The shares of the Bora group have been falling...it

looks like that man still hasn't allowed the forgers to
be hired..." He was way too stupid and
stubborn...probably too ancient for the times.
"Has there been anything related to me in the news
recently?"

After asking that question, the AI female construct

replied with a negative. What was that man up to?
There was no way he hadn't received my little present.
I wonder what facial expression had crossed his face
when he had read it!

Anyway, that wasn't important. What was important

was that I had to try and find out where we were
headed.

"Where are we headed?"

"That's confidential."
Huh!? ...it looks like it won't be easy for me to find out
anything. Maybe I should just give up and
sleep...mmm...this sofa is comfortable, completely
different from those hard rock floors on Musana!

***Danny***

"The stars became brighter in luster. Wherever we are

headed is where the legend is going to start. Senior
Nat, I wonder how powerful you will become in the
future."

The warm water running along my skin caused an

euphoric feeling within me. I had been in the shower
for almost an entire hour, yet I couldn't get enough of
the warmth along my skin.

The time had finally arrived where I was going to

witness the rise of a legend alongside the person
themselves...though a tiny hiccup had cropped up,
Alistair. That was a human whose calculative nature
rivaled my own. If someone else had figured out my
intentions, it would have been easier to get rid of
them. But from the time I had spent with that man, I
knew for certain that he wasn't going to let this
go...and getting rid of him quietly wasn't going to
happen.

But doing something about it was going to be...(sigh)

I verbally issued a command to stop the water. Just

the thought of Alistair had already soured my mood
enough that I couldn't enjoy the warmth anymore.

There are some people in this world that I didn't want

to ever meet again or have any interaction with, yet
their attempts couldn't be stopped. As I sat there on
the sofa, the AI continuously provided me with
notifications that THEY wanted to speak with me.
I didn't hate them...just that it was always tiring to
speak to them.

"Our darling boy, how come it took over a 100

messages before you answered. Did we do anything
wrong? Husband! It couldn't be that he hates us,
right!"

An urge to shout at the woman almost overcame me

as I gazed at the couple on the screen. Those fake
tears! She was always like this! Is life really dramatic
for her? Does she need to act exaggeratedly every
time?!

"Don't worry. If he shows even a tiny bit of hate, I will

discipline him for you!" The man parted his chest and
promised with gusto.
My father wasn't any better than her. What a pain!
These two were very very different from me causing
me to always wonder whether they were even my
true parents.

"Son, we heard that you have been having a hard

time, sleeping on stone floors, missing meals...should
we have a chat with the management?" My dad
asked.

"Honey! Look how thin he has gotten! Is that a tan on

your skin? Oh my God! What are we to do?!" She
exaggeratedly placed the back of her hand on her
forehead as if she was really facing a dilemma.

"Mother, aren't you tired of these theatrics?" I was

exasperated.
Chapter 52 :
TF Chapter 53 Concern

***Danny***

"Contacting me here already puts my life at risk, yet

you decided to take that risk. What is that you want to
say to me? Out with it! I don't have time. I already
have plenty on my plate."

"Danny, Danny...I have always told you to be patient.

That lad Alistair is far better than you."

A self satisfied expression appeared on both their

faces as my facial expression must have showed the
crack that was shock. Very few things were capable of
eliciting any sort of true reaction from me after all.
"What! Did you really think that we lack ways to get
information because you ran away to Musana
continent?" My mother was practically glowing just
from gaining such a minor advantage.

(Sigh)

"It looks like I didn't hide well enough." I crossed one

of my legs over the other. Since they had even
decided to name drop the guy, it looked like
something serious was going on.

"Don't worry about it. You just lack experience and a

network." My dad's comforting words were useless.

"I would suggest that you get to the point very soon."
It was tiring having to handle them.
"We have caught that brat Alistair snooping around. If
it weren't for the fact that he hasn't done anything
that would bring you harm, he would already be dead.
But he isn't the only one..."

"Oh! Who are those others you speak of? Judging by

your tone of voice they aren't that simple and even
appear to be even more troublesome than Alistair."
My heart had already skipped a beat and a sliver of
fear had appeared within me. If my parents were
worried about those people, then they weren't
simple.

"Our enemies. Specifically, we have no idea of who

but, its a foregone conclusion that those who hate us
are very close to figuring out your whereabouts... If
they haven't already. Be very cautious and careful of
everyone. We won't be allowed to make contact with
you the moment the ship enters the wormhole. And
that's going to be the status quo for the next four
years!"
My mother was on the verge of tears at the end. That
meant that even on Musana continent, they had
managed to keep tabs on me, yet it looked like this
trip to another star system wasn't going to be simple.

"Don't worry! I am your son after all. I won't die a

quiet death somewhere."

"Chaos is on the horizon. Many forgers lost their lives

and many of them had vested interests in many
businesses, not to mention the contracts they had
signed." My father sighed with a heaviness that I had
never seen within him before.

"Is it really so dire?"

"You don't know the half of it. Many have become

greedy for whatever the dead have left behind. Do
trust me on this! There was no poor forger!" My
mother emphasized.

"This change in you curriculum...we suspect that those

greedy ones have been the main driving force. Their
aim is probably to kill off the potentially talented
descendants of the dead so that there is no one who
could rise up in protest."

***Nathaniel***

A vibration caused me to be awakened, yet the

lethargy within my body made me want to stay within
the softness of the sofa a while longer. It had been
some time since I last slept this peacefully and
comfortably.

(Ten minutes to wormhole traversal)

That announcement echoed within room causing me
to remember where I was and what was about to
happen. I sat up straight and waited for more
instructions. It was too bad that I wouldn't get the
chance to see what the insides of a wormhole looked
like since the passengers weren't allowed the
privilege.

(All passengers should strap in! And everything

untethered is going to be put away in two minutes.)

This was a sign that the artificial gravity was going to

be momentarily disengaged, an engineering huddle
that the scientists and forgers hadn't yet figured out.
It seems that entering the wormhole always messed
with the artificial gravity.

(Beep!)
"Senior Nat, are you scared?" The smirk on his face
made the guy punch-able. Though, I still had a few
embers of rage within me at his earlier conduct. There
was no way that I was going to forgive him that easily,
but for now, it would better to maintain a semblance
of cordiality. But the trust I had had with him had
vanished. If he was willing to abandon a comrade so
fast, then what was the point of...

"Senior Nathaniel, I have to admit that my earlier

conduct wasn't the best... But you have to know that
this is how I am. It is not related to where I grew up
since there was love in that place, but this is just who I
am."

He appeared to be thinking of a way to convince me,

though not shirking responsibility, but it was failing.

"Can you change or evolve?"

I earnestly looked into those blue eyes of his.

"...I can try."

"It will be best if you do because Danny, if something

like that ever happens again, then we will be done for
good. I even wonder whether there is some deeper
reason for being friends with me..."

Schemers were some of the people I hated to deal

with very much. They always liked to think that they
knew everything about whoever they were up against
and they always liked to think that everything was in
the palm of their hands. I had started to see that trait
becoming more pronounced within Danny recently
but had been ignoring it. Most likely, it had been
related with that group of people he had been
spending a lot of time with.
Straps appeared at this time from within the sofa,
binding me tightly, but not to the point of being
uncomfortable.

"Danny, I do know that its very hard for a person to

rewrite their true nature. Though, I would love it if you
at least treated Bora with the same respect as you
shower me with." A glimmer appeared within his eyes.
It seems that he hadn't anticipated me knowing that
he was giving some amount of special attention.

I closed the holographic screen as I had already

spoken a lot. It was up to him if he changed or decided
to stay the same. Besides, I didn't know what
sensations my body would be subjected to when the
ship entered the wormhole, so it was better to sever
communication with the guy.

I lamented the fact that I had still failed to at least eat

a decent meal before we were whisked off. Surviving
off an organ filled with ATP wasn't ideal for me in the
long run. Just the thought of all the types of cuisine
caused my salivary glands to work overtime. I
swallowed and decided to banish those tantalising
images from the mind.

The ship shuddered as the countdown ended. I felt as

if something like a membrane was being passed
through with my spirit the moment I felt the shudder.
It looked like we had entered the wormhole. How
curious! I hadn't felt anything with my body yet my
spirit had somehow been affected...

Chapter 53 :
TF Chapter 54 Planet Forge

***Nathaniel***
I appeared in a white world where there were no
edges, only an infinite expanse. There were many
others near me, spread out in groups and discussing
things, or quietly observing this world and the people
near them.

The ship had already tunneled through the wormhole

and now we were on the other side, but we still hadn't
been shown any images of the star system we had
appeared in. Only a summons for us to enter the
virtual world had been issued, and after syncing with
my nano suit, I had found myself here with the others.

The virtual world had developed to the point where

some experiments could be carried out within, like
particle explosions and chemical reactions. The
outcomes were almost 99% similar to what would
happen in reality.
As I was simply admiring the expanse of the white
world, two figures materialised beside me, Danny and
Bora.

An awkward silence settled between the three of us

the moment we made eye contact. I didn't know how
to break this awkward spell, opting to take in my
surroundings instead.

"It looks like we have finally arrived at our

destination." Bora was the first to speak.

"We have probably been summoned to be briefed. I

hope that they can finally reveal what our next
training activity is going to be." Danny added.

"Sorry about earlier." After a small window of silence,

he spoke once again, this time his words directed
towards Bora.
"...are you really sorry?" She frowned, crossing her
hands over her chest. It looks like she had picked up
something subtle within his tone.

(Welcome to the next phase of your training,

apprentices!)

The voice interrupted whatever words Danny was

about to say. It had travelled to everyone's ears,
causing us all to divert our attention above us, where
it had come from.

(But first, we must introduce the grounds where your

next phase is going to be conducted. It will also be the
last phase of your training...)

The last? It looks like if we manage to pass this then

we will become genuine forgers!
(This phase will last four years and we believe that the
death rate will be at 90% or even 99%. But since all
here have already chosen this path, there is no going
back now that you have arrived in this star system.)

So far, the speaker hadn't appeared, though it

appeared that she was female judging by the tone. I
wondered whether it was an AI or a forger. The odds
were 50/50.

(Humanity has so far only managed to unearth two

forger relics with one being Musana continent and the
other, being a planet... A very special planet!)

Murmurs arose from the crowd with even I myself

shocked to my core. I could see that even those
people who appeared to have had a background
almost comparable to that of the dead Everett were
also shocked, signifying that this secret had only been
kept with a small elite circle.

(You would have been assigned to this planet as your

graduation test at the end of the fifth year...yet now,
here we are!)

Something huge appeared in the previously empty

space above us, a sphere that was rotating on its axis
anti-clockwise.

I surmised that it was the second relic, the planet that

we were going to be headed towards, though, the
moment I caught sight of its fluffy white atmosphere, I
developed a bit of unhappiness towards it. There was
nothing I could see of its surface after all, as the fluffy
clouds were covering every inch of it. Could it be that
it was always under harsh weather?
(Its diameter is roughly twice that of Earth. Those
clouds are actually just a defensive mechanism
employed by whoever created the planet because the
light from the star isn't hindered in any way from
reaching the ground.)

(This planet is going to be the place where your last

training is carried out, the place where you are going
to go through a trial by fire...so I suggest that you
memorise all the knowledge that I am about to
bombard you with because technology doesn't work
there, even your nano suits...which you are going to
have to leave behind in your rooms.)

Once again murmurs broke put within the crowd, this

time with raised voices, most protesting to the
arrangement.

(...if you don't believe me, you should try to descend

with it. Trust me on this if you don't want to be the
first to die a gruesome death! Technology shouldn't
be taken to the planet! Second! The gravity is two
times that of Earth and you will have to get used to
that by yourselves.)

All the pieces of information she had thrown out this

far were making me wonder whether I could even
survive on this planet before even touching its
surface.

(...don't worry about the atmosphere and whatnot as

its conducive for human life. Some might ask why such
a planet hasn't been revealed to the general
public...the reason is simple! Only those who have
managed to awaken their spirit can safely step foot on
the planet.)

The woman had made the visual to appear gigantic

probably to awe us, which had worked. And by her
words, we were starting to find it mysterious.
(Now, for the true dangers of the planet...)

Here I sensed the change of tone, to one laden with

seriousness.

(...there are three! Nature, aborigines and beasts!

Remember this though! It is better to be spotted by
the beasts instead of the native tribes. I could have
told you more, but we are going to send you so that
you discover things for yourself.)

(You shouldn't forget one thing though, every living

thing down there has some form of spiritual powers
and can contribute to the growth of yours.)

-----
The virtual gathering had gone well, mostly. There had
been many surprises, many of which were related to
the planet, the second forger relic that humanity had
discovered.

I was currently perusing some material directly

extracted from the memory of the forgers who had
stepped foot on the planet and survived. The planet
was a lush ecosystem that teamed with life. The plants
and beasts were bizarre to say the least. We were
going to have to cover our entire bodies in spirit and
kill whatever organism trying to infiltrate it as we had
been notified that if we caught any sort of disease, it
would be the end.

Evolution was a marvelous and terrifying thing.

Apparently, the aborigines and the beasts had
developed in such a way that they didn't have any
other senses apart from the spiritual ones. Their heads
were simply bare, only housing their powerful brains
whose capability far surpassed ours.
I also gauged that there is no way I or any of the other
apprentices would be able to take one of their moves
since they had a very dense bone structure owing to
the gravity of the planet. Even if we managed to
adapt, matching those monstrous beings was out of
the question. Even in these video memories I was
perusing, the forgers only dared to clash with them in
their armors, or attacked from range.

The name of the planet was simply, 'Forge'. A good

designation. Of course there were ways to survive, we
wouldn't be heading straight to our deaths.

Chapter 54 :
TF Chapter 55 Landing

***Nathaniel***
"Did you see those aliens?! Are we really supposed to
survive on the same planet as them?!"

Bora was gesturing wildly, a fact that she was very

worked up. Her nervousness and fear was painted on
her face very vividly.

I couldn't find the energy to blame her because even I

had been shocked by the sheer physicality of the
aliens. Just a single blow and am sure we wouldn't be
able to survive. And the intelligent ones weren't the
most troublesome since they mostly kept to their
small communities. The beasts were another matter
altogether, mostly those ones which roamed around
without any territory. There was a very high chance of
running into them.

"Hey! Your disease of nervousness is spreading to me.

Can it!" Danny shouted.
"What stupidity are you up to now? If you are also
nervous, just admit it! Don't say such useless things!"
She shouted back.

"I am not nervous! You are just spreading it to me!

You have to know that I am a brave and courageous
soul!"

"Heh! Danny, I can see your knees shaking."

"That's just a figment of your imagination!"

"Hahahahaha...see, you are also nervous and fearful!"

"I already told you! You are the one spreading it to

me!"
...

Their bickering brought a certain warmth to me. As I

watched their increasingly escalating argument, my
face broke into a small smile. How great it would be if
they could get along normally just like this!

Too bad wherever we were going, I had the instinctual

feeling that we weren't about to have any peaceful
days for these kinds of antics. I wondered how my
cousin was doing. I hadn't gotten the courage to
contact her because she would most definitely see
through me. I didn't want her to witness the changes
that had happened to me.

"All apprentices should step into their pods!"

An authoritative voice spoke from the front of the
ship. The forgers had figured out a method to send
people onto planet Forge after some time. The
method was to place people into pods filled with
liquid and force absorbent foam, then launching them
towards the planet, where gravity would take hold.

It was scary, but so far they had reassured us that

none had died so far. I was skeptical about that
though. Bora, the one with the logical mind had even
scoffed at such claims at the time.

I bid farewell to the two before each of us entered our

respective pods. Each could only carry a single
occupant. But they had promised that they would
make sure that teams weren't separated by great
distances from each other. And they had emphasized
that only by gathering together would we have a
chance of survival.
I settled into the the pod before a transparent liquid
was injected into it. I was wearing a skin tight body
suit whose tenacity and durability far surpassed
anything I had ever worn before, except the nano suit.
But this was still the only thing that they had come up
with that would at least protect us a little without the
nano suit.

After a few minutes, I lost consciousness.

-----

A force propagated through the liquid before

assaulting my body. The unconscious me was abruptly
pulled from that state and awakened by the force.

There was no mechanism to open the pod so I moved

my hands and moved a lever close to me. The
moment I did though, I was pushed to the front,
where I spilled from the pod with the liquid. Steam
immediately appeared, obscuring the surroundings
due to the high heat in the crater.

I hurriedly chased away the disorientation to get a

good look at my bearings before spotting a trail of
smoke a distance away. It probably came from one of
the two pods, that of Bora or Danny.

I took a step, causing me to almost stumble to the

ground because of the high gravity of the planet. I felt
as if everything in my body was heavier, as if I was
carrying a burden, but it wasn't to the point of being
unbearable.

It was a good thing that I hadn't landed in a clearing,

but the middle of what I would have liked to call a
forest.
I climbed out of the crater, passing a few smoldering
and burning organic matter. The trees here had dark
stems which were dotted with blue specks of light,
probably some sort of symbiotic algae that glowed.
Looking at them reminded me of a clear night sky
without any light pollution.

Even though I could see the trail of smoke in the

distance, I didn't hurry to move towards it, instead
opting to observe the depths of the dark forest around
me with caution. The sun was shining, but most of the
ecosystem on this planet had developed to have
minimal need of it, a reason that caused this jungle to
have canopies that entirely obscured the ground from
the sky. We had already been warned that most of the
beasts made their habitats within the forests.

Waiting for night or moving during day were all

useless strategies as the beasts and aboriginals had
developed to the point where they didn't need light.
According to the information I had read, their
evolutionary path diverged to manifest things like
eyes, nose or even ears! They only relied on their
spirit, mouths and the ability to breathe through skin.

Fear started to take hold of me as I peered into the

dark depths of the forest. Hurriedly averting my gaze, I
decided to move my sight to the destructive trail left
by the pod before it had managed to come to a rest.

Badump!

The rise of my heart rate entered my ears as I focused

on one of the pieces of organic matter. I hurriedly
made my way towards it, not before coating the
outside of my body with my spirit as that was the first
thing they had drilled within us.

I moved with haste, not forgetting to take into account

my surroundings. The soil didn't have that much of a
difference from that of earth, except more muddy in
nature where I had dropped. The searing
temperatures of my crash had caused that in the
vicinity to harden, but trekking through the forest was
going to be a pain in the ass considering the doubled
weight on my body.

Even as I got closer to the remaining corpse of the

creature, I took special measure to try and sense the
surface of my body with my spirit and tried to fine
tune it so that I could get used to the gravity faster. If I
was slow, I would be consuming too much energy
otherwise. They had removed the ATP organ, after
notifying us that every living creature on the planet
was edible, even the aboriginals. Though, I wouldn't
want to eat sentient creatures...wouldn't that be
equal to cannibalism?
Chapter 55 :
TF Chapter 56 Far From Home

***Kim Bora***

I stood at the edge of the crater, taking in the all new

planet, breathing in the massive amount of oxygen in
the atmosphere, which was said to hold 56%
concentration. The gravity was a hassle, but with my
years of training, it wouldn't take long for me to
acclimate.

I could see two rising plumes of smoke in the distance,

my gaze cresting over the canopies. Its interesting
how those fluffy clouds don't entirely block the
sunlight. My spirit was coating my skin helping me to
adjust my muscles and body to the most optimal
condition.
I was going to stay here and wait for one of the other
two to find me. It was what we had agreed on
beforehand. I was resourceful, so I was the one who
had been put in charge of trying to build a simple
habitat. Judging by the commotion, this place was
most probably going to be overrun by curious
creatures in no time, so I made my way towards the
edge of the forest. During the previous year, our
spiritual powers were capable of forming a domain
with a diameter of a meter around us, and if we
manipulated it into forming something linear, we
could scan five meters infront of us. But, we had been
cautioned that we had to keep our spiritual powers
close to our skin. Releasing them wantonly was
tantamount to attracting whatever they brushed up
against. Most of the monsters here, even those
weaker than us had bodies that had evolved to the
level of easily killing us off with just a single blow so
we had to be extra careful!

I scanned my surroundings with my gaze, making sure

to muffle my footsteps even though the creatures
here lacked a sensory organ for detecting sound. It
was a habit that would be very hard to break. But it
was still effective as even without said sensory organs,
the biological lifeforms here were capable of using
their spirits to detect fluctuations within particles,
thereby determining the origin of a disturbance. Since
our landing hadn't been subtle, I was very sure that
creatures within a minimum diameter of 20km had
already detected us and some were making their way
over...if they weren't already here.

I decided to throw caution to the wind. As Nathaniel

and that detestable Danny had pointed out, fear could
lead to my death. I had to be bold!

So, I trekked over to the trees with the dark stems.

They appeared lush and taller than those on Earth,
probably owing to the high concentration of oxygen
and nitrogen in the atmosphere. This planet was a
marvelous example of how evolution could take
different paths even in conditions almost close to
those on Earth.

I released a breath I was holding before raising my

hand and stroking the dark starry bark. It was
perfectly smooth, unlike that of the trees on Earth,
but it also placed me in a conundrum, how was I going
to climb up?

Though I had watched plenty of memory videos and

knew that much of the plant life was carnivorous,
these trees hadn't appeared to have any of those
traits, so they were going to be our safe zones for
now.

Now, all I had to do was figure out how I was going to

get up this tree, whose smooth surface bordered on
slippery. Maybe I could try to create crevices within
the stem, right?
I pulled back my hand and thrust out, with the fingers
perfectly aligned to form a blade.

(Squelch!)

I almost puked at the sound released. It felt as if I had

just stabbed into a fruit.

"Yackk!"

I hurriedly shook off the blue fluid coating my fingers.

They had already warned us that the biological
ecosystem was unknown...meaning that a pathogen
could infect us, causing us to die instantly, or get some
unknown disease that could haunt us for life.

It looks like getting up these trees was out of the

question. I decided to simply watch the gash I had just
created only for my jaw to drop open at the sight of
something happening.

The stem of the tree appeared to have awakened

from a slumber as threads of fiber crisscrossed from
the edges of the wound I had created and started
weaving themselves into a net which covered the
wound. This had far surpassed the vegetation on Earth
which would take a while to recover!

Miraculous! It was very very intriguing! If I had the

time I would have started to research these
miraculous properties. If they could be transferred to
us humans...no no no, I had to focus.

In the time of about a minute, the stem was as good

as new, as if the wound I had created before had been
an illusion. Even the blue sap was dissapearing,
dispersing into the atmosphere as if evaporating. I
raised my hand only to see that even that which had
been coating my fingers was visibly decreasing in
volume.

This further compounded on the reality that I was far

from home. I trace of fear once again appeared as I
observed the tree, taking a few steps back. I had never
seen the trees attacking anyone or anything in the
memories, but this recovery speed was phenomenal
enough for me to start suspecting that maybe they
weren't that simple.

If the trees were like this, how was I going to construct

a shelter? Maybe taking refuge within the crater
created by the pod upon its crash landing was a better
idea? But then what about the curious creatures that
were about to be attracted here? All this was proving
to be a headache. Danny and Nathaniel had left this
task to me because I was somehow clever and more
resourceful, but this planet was bizarre.
It looks like I needed more data. Maybe I should take
this chance to do a preliminary inspection of every
plant in the vicinity of the crater? But first, I had to
hide from whatever monsters that were going to show
up. So I steeled my heart and once again dug into the
tree stem to climb up. High ground would probably be
better than low ground after all.

Chapter 56 :
TF Chapter 57 Jackpot

***Nathaniel***

Bizarre would have been an understatement if I had

tried to rationalise what I was seeing right in front of
me. It was very different from any creature I had seen
on Earth. Despite its bizarre appearance I still
managed to deduce that this thing had probably been
living underneath the soil, simply having failed to react
in time, or because it had thought that whatever was
causing the vibrations within the earth was something
it could handle, hence failing to flee.

I brought a finger closer to the black spikes on the

surface of its body, which I likened to villi in the
intestines of humans, since it was the only close
resemblance I could think of. They were black and
gleaming menacingly in the light of the sun. Though,
on second thought, I ultimately stopped myself. What
if I bled? Being traced through blood was a moot
possibility on this planet... What I feared were the
microorganisms that might take that chance to enter
my body. The risks were simply too great for me to
take on.

Its remaining half resembled that of an earthworm

that had had half its length destroyed, only leaving
behind the intact half with the head. It was dark, with
a mixture of brown that was in the middle of fading,
giving me the impression that the beast probably had
chameleon-like characteristics, though the purpose
eluded me since the creatures here lacked eyes...
Maybe this camouflage was also related to the
spiritual?...

I shook my head to get rid of the useless thoughts,

moving my gaze towards its head.

There were no spikes, only a very hard black

exoskeletal plate that only had one weakness through
it, the mouth. Breaking through this was going to be a
pain. Destroying complex structures using spiritual
energy was still beyond the level of an apprentice, so I
was going to have to smash the thing to get to the
good stuff inside its brain.

But looking at it intently, I was skeptical of my chances

at shattering it. You do have to remember that after
training with Bora I had improved to the point where
my strengthened body could crack skulls... And if I
added on the spiritual powers, using them to control
the propagation of force within my muscles perfectly
by observing my skin, I could shatter a human's head
with enough force to create an exploding watermelon
effect.

But I knew that this wasn't Earth. Here, the gravity

was twice that of my home, and these biological
lifeforms had evolved here, causing them to far
surpass my frail human body. I hadn't even adapted to
the gravity yet, a fact that I couldn't conceal because
of my slightly uneven breathing.

Yet I couldn't let it go! My instincts were already

telling me that this was it! The moment that might
give me a chance to survive! Just the features of the
beast had already confirmed my suspicions, that this
beast must have formed a spiritual core!
Spiritual cores were the only things that could allow us
apprentices here to have a fighting chance against the
beings of this planet. if they didn't exist, then we
wouldn't have been dumped on this planet and given
this hard mode trial!

I moved my gaze away from the hard shell and looked

at the mouth of the creature where its teeth ought to
be yet all I could see were black hairy things that were
almost as long as Bora's short hair.

I was considering sticking my arm into the mouth but

gave up upon seeing these things coated with a black
fluid. Considering that it lacked teeth when there were
other organisms here with such a tough exoskeleton
armor made clear one thing to me, that this fluid must
be extremely corrosive! I doubt that even my spirit
would be capable of protecting my arm from it since it
was a complex compound.
I unwound a strand of my spirit from my body and
released it towards the dead organism, moving it with
the finesse of an expert. After an entire year, we had
already reached the level of controlling the new sense
as if we had been born with it.

Even though the molecules making up the creature

were arranged in complex dense structures that made
it impossible for my current level of spiritual prowess
to budge, I could still permeate through the gaps and
scan the makeup of the organism. The spirit at my
level could only do this if it was met with complex
molecular structures or an item whose weight
exceeded my spiritual limit, which was barely a
kilogram, same as everyone else...but that was
predicated on items made up of only a single type of
atom not arranged into some complex structure...let's
say a lump of mineral iron. Refined iron would be very
strenous to influence.
Scanning the exoskeletal defence on the head of the
creature, my aim was to find a weakness in it that I
could take advantage of. After a thorough scan, I
withdrew my spirit with some happiness budding in
my chest. There really was an imperfection...multiple
imperfections no less. I had been puzzled for a fraction
of a second about why they would appear only to
recall that here, all biological lifeforms engaged in
battle from the moment of their birth to their deaths.
Injuries were commonplace here, and even with
better ways to heal provided by the existence of the
spirit, perfection was very difficult to achieve.
Reaching the third level on the forger path would be
incomparably easier.

I finally moved my gaze from the creature to the

surroundings looking for a stone, which I quickly
managed to locate, though it was a bit warm, in the
middle of cooling. But I was in a hurry, so I galvanised
my spiritual powers and moved the hot air particles
around it away and replaced them with the coldest I
could find, those with the least vibrations to get
excited and then I repeated the previous action,
thereby speeding up the cooling process.

While doing that, I was wondering when I would be

able to reach this level of manipulation with solids,
sighing at the far off destination.

Chapter 57 :
TF Chapter 58 Spirit Core

Standing a few meters away from the corpse of the

creature, I weighed the stone within my hands,
grasping every nook and cranny of its surface in my
spiritual senses. I was trying to gauge the weight and
speed needed for it to have the capability of
shattering the skull exoskeleton of the creature.
I had to hurry as I had already wasted way more time
than necessary. But the treasure within the brain of
this creature was going to be the key I would need to
survive in this world. Luck was an illusory and
intangible thing, yet right now I was giddily thanking
my lucky stars that this corpse had appeared.

I entered into a throwing stance, priming every muscle

that was needed for me to hurl the stone to
perfection. It was taking a few seconds, but had to be
done. If I had been in the second level on the forger
path, this would have been easier since at that level,
the spirit could permeate into the body, allowing for
far better control. It was really puzzling how the spirit
couldnt be used to scan the inside of a biological
lifeforms at my level...and even at higher levels, it
couldn't scan those that were sentient.

I felt all my muscles that were going to be used in this

throw tense and at the ready. After double checking
my stance, I took a deep breath, moved my dominant
hand which was holding the stone, and...

I felt as if my arm was about yo be ripped off after the

stone left my hand, travelling at a very high velocity.

Crack!

It shattered, the fragments near the impact even flying

away with some just skimming a little bit closer to my
body. Walking back to the corpse, I could see some
black liquid trickling through the hole the stone was
embedded in. I was elated because my idea had been
successful.

The smell of the black fluid was revolting causing me

to feel the urge to puke out the contents of my
stomach, but I held on and dug out the stone, then
pushed my hand inside and scrounged around within
the brain matter. I was sure that if someone were to
look at my current expression they would have been
shocked into speechlessness due to how ugly It must
have appeared to be.

After rummaging through gross, sticky, dark and

revolting brain matter, my fingers finally managed to
feel something solid. It was round and its diameter
made it so that my palm could enclose itself around it.
My heartbeat sped up at the sensation within my
hands. Had I finally managed to find it?

I grasped it and pulled from the biological matter that

had been connected to it and withdrew my hand from
the shattered remains of the creature's head.

Upon unfurling my fingers, a glass-like orb with a

misty substance within entered my vision causing my
heart beat to once again increase in rate due to the
excitement within. I had found my first spirit core!
This thing was going to be the most important useful
thing here in this planet during the duration of our
stay... And luckily, I had stumbled upon one without
the need to fight or scheme!

It was somehow beautiful, with the white mist within

tumbling around as if it was on the verge of birthing
something from within. This orb was so important to
us apprentices that many of us were going to kill each
other for them. And even I wouldn't blame them
because if you absorbed this spiritual mist within, you
would instantly become a forger, albeit, you needed
ten of these to successfully pull it off.

But its functions didn't stop there. It was as light as a

feather if you tried to lift it with your spirit, which I
was in the middle of doing now, causing the sphere to
circle around me with ease. It surprised me very much
as in my hand, it had appeared to be heavier, yet now,
it was lighter than a feather.
I could have absorbed the mist within now, but that
would be akin to being shortsighted. This sphere was
the only thing that could count as a weapon on this
planet, capable of being driven by our spirits to cause
untold damage due to high velocity.

Absorbing this pearl would make my spiritual prowess

increase a little but I still would have almost zero
combat power on this planet. All the training I had
gone through would only allow me to survive by
dodging or running away since the bodies of the
beasts and aborigines were more powerful than mine.
If I was even the slightest bit careless and allowed
even a single blow to get through, I would be severely
injured or die instantly. Both of these options were
unacceptable!

After getting familiar with my current prowess with

the core... Where I could tether just a sliver of my
spirit into it and use it as a projectile, I also got to
learn of the limits, such as not being able to surpass
the five meter diameter with it and also the fact that
the faster I moved it, the more impact force that I
could accumulate.

I heard a rustling at the edge of the crater, causing me

to turn in its direction only to glimpse nothing. My
ears strained, my body frozen, not out of fear but to
accumulate energy should anything pop out.

A spiritual sense crashed against my own in the next

second, lingering, giving me the feeling that
something was looking my way. The spiritual powers
clashed with my own, trying to pry them apart and get
a glimpse at me. Whatever was scanning me probably
only knew that I was humanoid due to my spiritual
defense, but in order really get more information, it
wanted to pry my spiritual defense apart.

I placed all my might on resisting the spiritual powers

which were greater than mine by a little. Make no
mistake, if I let up even a little, then it would mean
that I was the weaker party, giving whatever was
observing me the chance to strike. It wasn't just
prodding my defense, no, the aggressiveness of its
spiritual powers were portraying an intention to
challenge.

I felt a unique vibration on the surface of my spiritual

defense, probably conveying the intent to
communicate. This was the way all the creatures on
this planet interacted.

But I couldn't do that as I had zero knowledge on the

language of these creatures, not to mention the fact
that I had zero intention to learn. Seeing that I hadn't
communicated back, the vibration ceased and instead,
the spiritual aggression resumed, causing me to feel
discomfort.
If I didn't do anything, my weaker spiritual powers
were going to be exhausted first, so I started
contemplating what to do.

I didn't know which direction the spiritual pressure

was originating from since I was being pressed from all
sides. Except for the initial sound of the foliage,
everything was eerily quiet, causing a burst of rising
fear within my mind. This beast was most definitely
dangerous, considering its patience and hunting skills.
Though, I didn't rule out the possibility of the creature
being one of those native aboriginals.

Chapter 58 :
TF Chapter 59 Dangerous Situation
It is often said that fortune favours the bold. My mind
brightened at the thought of that quote as if it had
been doused in the Sun's rays.

What was the point of me waiting around like this

when I could take the initiative! My eyes lit up with a
glow of realisation, before I kicked off the ground and
sprinted towards the forest from the crater, with my
destination being one of the two columns of smoke in
the distance. I had decided to try and see whether I
could join up with one of my companions to team up
against this beast. Besides, with my weak physical
prowess relative to the beast, the trees would provide
ample obstructions to hinder it from catching up to
me.

Everything at the peripheral side of my vision blurred

as my body accelerated to speeds that would have put
Olympic gold medalists to shame. According to my
calculations based on the speed I was blitzing at, I only
needed just a second to reach the edge of the forest.
I also knew that with the creature/aboriginal having a
body more adapted to the gravity of this planet, there
was a high chance that wherever it was, it could reach
me in an instant, not to mention that the spiritual
powers that had been enveloping me hadn't yet left
my senses, always omnipresent as if a God was staring
right at me thinking of ways to dig into my deepest
secrets.

At any other time, I would have been cautious of the

unknown, namely, the forest before me, but lady luck
herself appeared to not be gazing my way this time.

Without even pausing for a split second, my figure

entered the forest, with my fabric covered feet
noticing the softer and wet ground contrasting with
the superheated solid ground in the crater.
I cursed inwardly at the swampy terrain which was
making my movement speed a tad bit slower. Seeing
that the foreign spiritual domain was still firmly on
me, I pushed with my spirit, transforming it from
enclosing my body to that of an oval egg-like shape,
albeit with some strain due to the outside pressure
acting on it.

I also started moving the spirit core around me within

the spiritual domain, speeding it up with every
rotation. Velocity was needed if I was attacked, such
that the impact would far surpass my original 1kg
force.

There were a myriad of plants on the ground but I was

making sure to avoid most of the suspicious looking
ones, though, I still had the thought that moving faster
than they could react was the safer solution, so I made
sure not to slow down, even with the terrain hindering
me.
A hair raising chill assaulted me within moments of
entering the forest, almost causing me to freeze at the
sheer will of the murderous intent. This was one of
those times I congratulated myself on having insisted
in taking those combat lessons from Celeste!

Without conscious thought, practically on instinct, my

body moved to the left, with my feet exerting force so
that I could leap away from whatever was attacking.
my eyes widened as mere inches away from me, still
mid-dodge, a limb, black as night and almost twice my
muscle was hammering down with such force I felt my
very skin breaking out into goosebumps.

The moment I leaped out of the way, I didn't even

stop for a moment, even making sure that when my
feet touched ground, I applied force such that I
continued forwards, with my muscles and bones
screaming in protest.
Fear and excitement intermingled within my mind
when I felt a crashing sound behind me. It was
exhilarating... I should have felt terror and a myriad of
other negative emotions, yet what I was feeling was
only tinged with a slight sense of fear. Most of what I
was feeling was excitement, the adrenaline only
adding to it.

Before I could even feel a sense of relief, the hairs at

the back of my nape stood up once again... And this
time, both my feet were still a few inches from the
ground, meaning that even if I applied force, the
chances of me evading were close to zero!

Without even wasting a millisecond, I pushed my

spiritual powers to their limits, causing the oval shape
of my defense to expand a little.

If it hadn't been for these perilous circumstances, I

would have been overjoyed to notice that my spiritual
powers had improved minutely due to the pressure I
was under.

With my oval spiritual domain pushed to its limits, I

wanted to detect whatever entered and be able to
swiftly react. The spiritual core had been gaining
speed with ever single rotation, and right now I was
even beginning to feel the strain my spirit was feeling
on having to make sure that it didn't break orbit.

Something breached within my domain, a clawed

hand, judging by the image my spiritual powers were
sending to my brain. With a single instantaneous
thought, the spirit core instantly shot towards the
palm of the creature the moment it exited the orbit,
its speed almost approaching that of sound.

Crack!
My sense detected the palm shattering, flesh and
bone alike, splintering outwards from the impact area.

Before I could even become elated at the amount of

damage I had managed to dish out, I felt the air
particles within my spiritual domain once again being
pushed towards me, after which, another clawed hand
entered my senses, almost giving me a panic attack.

Was pain an entirely extinct thing within this species?!

A normal living and breathing organism would have at
least slowed down or retreated! I cursed at the
creature for challenging my preconceived views of
common sense even as I hurriedly thought for a
solution.

My brain went into overdrive as I came up with many

ideas only to discard them due to their feasibility. And
this beast, whatever it was, appeared to have some
abnormal body makeup because of the fact that I had
just leaped away from its previous attack, only having
taken one single step before it once again attacked
me. I was starting to worry whether the plant life here
would even be able to hinder it from getting to me!

My eyes abruptly lit up as an idea appeared within my

mind, something that was downright crazy, yet might
work!

I galvanised my spiritual powers with a thought,

pulling back the spirit core that had been on the verge
of digging deeper within the other arm of the beast,
recalling it towards myself where I proceeded to have
it push against the upper middle part of my back,
where the spinal cord ought to be, causing my body to
start tilting towards the ground with such speed that I
tasted mud and even felt an aggressive wind passing
over my back. It looks like my idea had born fruit!
Chapter 59 :
TF Chapter 60 Backed To A Wall

The moment the aggressive wind sailed above me, I

applied force underneath my palms, raising myself up
hastily. Staying down for too long was the equivalent
of signing your own death warrant in a battle. The
pungent mud had managed to stick to my face like a
mildly powerful glue, with the only light at the end of
the tunnel being that I had managed to close my eyes
when my face had eaten the mud, so I could see very
well, if only barely due to the dark forest floor, with
the canopies only intermittently allowing only a few
beams of light through to the forest floor.

I regarded my assailant, who was now blocking the

way right in front of me, having recollected itself even
faster than me and was in the middle of tearing a
strange plant into shreds. The plant appeared to have
been one of those carnivorous species that we had
been warned about.
Though the light was sparse and the space a bit dark, I
still made out the fact that the creature was
humanoid, a fact that caused me to wonder whether
it was one of that aboriginals, considering the fact that
it had tried to communicate with me through the
spirit.

But, I had seen some of the aboriginals in the videos,

and this wasn't how they were supposed to look like.
Its build was similar to that of us humans. It was about
four meters tall, bulky, with well pronounced muscles
that appeared to be well regulated. Everything about
its body screamed absolute strength!

Fighting or running away was going to be hard

considering its physical specs. My own body was
already screaming at me from just that small exertion.
Getting used to the gravity here was going to be very
important if I wanted to survive as I had already
consumed way too much energy than intended
already.

There was a vertical line on the face of the creature,

probably the mouth which was currently closed
tightly, giving the impression that it didn't exist, but I
knew that the creatures here only opened it upon a
successful hunt, where the prey would already be
dead to even see what the insides looked like.

Its spiritual pressure was still acting upon mine. Even

when it had missed its previous attack, the spiritual
pressure hadn't let up one bit. I breathed in deeply,
inhaling whatever organisms were in this planet's
atmosphere along with the air.

I hardened my heart and prepared for a grueling

battle...no, a grueling escape. There was no way I
could even manage to be capable of exchanging
moves with this creature. The hand I had damaged
was showing signs of regeneration, the flesh fibers
knitting themselves back and that black bone looking
thing within also regrowing itself.

My spiritual shield was very effective in shrouding me

from the beast's senses only making me appear like an
egg shaped spiritual entity to it. But I knew one very
important fact! The creatures on this planet had had
many generations to develop and reproduce new
offspring, with their evolutionary path granting them
greater mastery over their spiritual powers than us,
who had simply awakened them using a solution.

It had probably already compiled basic information

about me by tracing the vibrations in the air particles
outside my spiritual shield. That's how scary this
planet was!

There was a way for me to escape its clutches, and

that was to damage it to the point that it withdrew its
spiritual powers, which would give me a chance to
bolt for it or hide.

A deep breath cleansed my thoughts, and with that

clarity, I sharpened every sense of mine. Running
away had just become an obsolete option as this
creature was probably better than me in every
physical activity.

Mud scattered as I entered battle mode, my body

moving with less thought, more instinct. Holding that
sword and training while using it had allowed me to
acquire an ability to make my body move without
conscious thought.

I sped towards the creature with evey sense of mine

heightened, while also using my spiritual sense to
connect with the cells on the surface of my skin to
better react to any changes in the air particles.
Its muscles twitched at my advance, a sign that it was
about to launch an attack. Specifically, it was the
muscles in its right arm.

When I entered within its range, a fist enlarged within

my vision, but I had already noticed the telltale signs,
dodging even before the punch was thrown. This was
the only advantage I had since it only relied on its
spiritual senses, it couldn't predict my movements
because of the fact that I had a spiritual shield around
me. Though I was passively defending with my
spiritual powers, my eyes were still in good working
order, even within the darkness, I was still capable of
seeing well.

I ducked under, preparing a punch of my own which I

directed directly beneath its armpit, a feat I could only
perform by leaping up slightly, due to the difference in
our heights.
It hit, but as I had expected, the creature didn't budge,
but my body moved with grace as I slid behind it, its
spiritual domain also eclipsing its body to protect it
from my spiritual powers, though, they were
essentially useless at this stage, but it was cautious, a
trait probably attained after numerous bloody battles.

Before I could even launch an assault at its back, it

spun around with such speed that for a moment its
body blurred... And by the time I had regained myself,
the right arm was performing a backhanded strike
which was going to be very hard for me to avoid, so I
galvanised the spirit core that had been gaining
momentum while rotating around me and slammed it
into the forearm. My plan was to try and see if I could
atleast disable it temporarily, only for a metallic sheen
to abruptly appear and a clang to ring out when it
made contact.

Though, I managed to stall it for a moment for me to

leap away and scrutinize the new feature. It must have
underestimated me before, allowing me to make it
suffer a loss, but now, it seemed that it had thrown
away that mentality.

My eyes narrowed while my heart pounded forcefully

against my chest at the danger level that had just
risen. The metallic glean didn't give me the impression
of scales, only that it appeared as if its skin had
instantly transitioned from being weak and soft to
hard like metal. What made me mildly impressed was
the fact that it still appeared flexible even having
taken on metallic properties!

Before I could even process the despair that was

about to engulf me, the creature kicked at the mud,
explosively launching itself towards me. The hairs at
the back of my neck rose up as it appeared just a few
inches away instantly, but I also hadn't been slow as I
had already pumped force into my feet and jumped
sideways, away from its path. My eyes were allowing
me to move before it moved! I thanked my lucky stars
that I had eyes and it didn't, because I was 100% sure
that I would have most definitely lost on our first
encounter if it had had some sort of visual prowess!

Even with I leaping out of the way a millisecond

earlier, I was almost torn to shreds as its arms passed
mere inches away from my shoulder, a testament to
its physical might and speed! Having a weak body and
being new to the gravity here were proving to be
massive disadvantages here!

Chapter 60 :
TF Chapter 61 The Forest

***Danny***

Luck isn't something that can be segregated into good

or bad categories. Its just luck. But if I was so inclined
at placing it into a category, then by all means its
good. The term bad luck is something that people
came up with... It shouldn't exist. If many things are
going badly for you, then you are under a curse, right?
Anyway, these were just my humble thoughts as I
raced through the dark gloomy forest of horrors.

Florescent vegetation here and there, plus the

occasional light that managed escape the barrier that
was the thick canopies, brought about a certain
beauty to the place that made it otherworldly... Well, I
was literally on another planet, so the term was very
apt.

A plant tried to strike out at me, thinking that it had

camouflaged its life signs well enough to escape me.
Utter ignorance! Well, it couldn't be blamed after all,
it lacked intelligence. Even if it had been sentient,
there is no way it would have managed to hide those
sparkling dots of light from my special eyes.
Since young, my ability had allowed me to see motes
of light from every living thing, whether plant or
animal... Even microorganisms! My father had made
me test it once, using a microscope. In the grand
scheme of things though, the motes of light from non-
human lifeforms were always small, something that I
had extensively tried to disprove only to become
dissapointed every single time.

But, the moment I had stepped foot upon this planet,

the theory I had tried very hard to overturn had been
effortlessly subverted by the living things on this
planet. Some trees here even had motes of light far
surpassing even those of humans in size...too bad they
were useless to me.

With a well timed movement of my arm, a stone was

given the privilege of being chosen from among the
many I was carrying around in my makeshift leaf bag
and hurled towards where most of the spots of light
were congregating, causing a splash of liquid and
naturally, the death of the carnivorous plant.

I didn't even stop to admire my work, simply speeding

along towards the trail of smoke I had seen from the
clearing caused by my crash landing. My gut instinct
had already told me that whoever was in that
direction was going to be facing immense peril. I had
to hurry. I didn't know whether it would be Nathaniel
or Bora, but I had already decided that I would save
them.

Bora wasn't important to me, but for Nathaniel's sake,

I would save the annoying woman. She had been
chosen mainly to make senior Nat, less suspicious. We
had worked together, fought together and even faced
death together, but I was a guy who looked at
benefits, not comraderie. Why? Simple! All those with
luck any less than that of Nathaniel had zero chances
of surpassing what he was going to achieve at his
peak!
Sounds, muffled enough to almost escape my
attention entered my ears, coming from the front
where I was headed towards. There were splashing
sounds, squelching sounds and many other sounds of
a nature similar to two liquids clashing. I wasn't
surprised though, since I had even found out that the
tree bark here was too...what is the word... Squishy...?

Anyway, the moment I heard those sounds, I knew it

right away that I was about to reach my destination,
so I slowed down, splattering some mud into the
surroundings due to my abrupt deceleration. If it
wasn't for the fabric covering the soles of my feet, I
would have most definitely worked out a way to swing
among the tree branches. Who in their right mind
would love to splash around in this gross filthy mud?
Good thing it wasn't the type to trap and drag you
under, like a sinkhole.
I restrained most of my life signs, the ones that would
mostly give me away, like my breathing, my body
heat, though, keeping my spirit firmly shrouding my
body. On this planet, this was the most important
form of defense a person had to keep up at all times!

Bora, that woman with those womanly martial arts

would have been the best person for this creeping
upon others type of thing instead of me. Cursing
inwardly at the thought of the stealthy approach, I
started to circle around anything that had enough
motes of light for me to deem it a threat. Not the
trees though, as they were harmless. This want based
upon those videos we had perused prior to
descending onto this planet. I was simply following my
instincts which had never failed me for even a
moment.

Darkness was all round the place, with the few sparse
beams of light only managing to illuminate a tiny
potion of the place.
Through the trees, I caught a few sparks here and
there because of the flitting nature of the culprits,
who never stayed within one place long enough for
me to get any more concrete information, though the
latest burst allowed me to catch glimpse of a face, a
familiar one at that, that of senior Nat.

The beating of my heart sped up at his current

predicament, bringing me on the verge of erupting
into rage, but I restrained myself. Throwing myself at
the creature right now wouldn't be me saving him,
more like me dooming the both of us.

I rummaged through the leaf bag, something I had

created while still at the edge of the forest. It was a
wonder why these plants even needed leaves if they
didn't depend on the light from that solar star.
Chapter 61 :
TF Chapter 62 Enraged

***Nathaniel***

I was tired, my body aching enough for me to even

feel it even with the adrenaline dulling my senses. I
didn't even know how much time had passed since I
had been fighting, even with all my attacks being
futile.

I dug myself out of the tree, almost gagging at the

revolting stench of the blue slimy liquid. This time, I
had finally failed in blocking the creature. I had used
the spirit core to soak up most of the force, causing it
to shatter and scatter its precious stockpile of spirit
into the atmosphere.
Cursing was futile. The core had already gone above
and beyond in making sure that I could survive this
long. Wincing at the new pain in my chest, I crawled
out of the tree stem and stood up straight after
wobbling for a moment. My legs were getting weak it
seems. I had already forced them to surpass their
limits multiple times, so now, they were screaming at
me.

For the first few minutes into the battle, the monster
that is despair had tried to consume me as that
metallic defense loomed within my eyes, but after
many many exchanges, I had fallen into resignation.
That didn't mean that I was about to serve the
creature my life on a silver platter though! It was
going to have to work for it!

I chuckled while wiping the blue juice from my face

and looked at my opponent opposite me, who was
unscathed. Those muscles and bulging veins akin to
dragons were intimidating, but through its spirit that
was still oppressively trying to dig into my body, I
detected emotions of puzzlement and bewilderment,
not to mention surprise.

Yap! I cheered myself on for making it feel that way. It

had probably thought of me as an easy target before,
taking me lightly, yet now, it appeared to have
acknowledged my strength.

It's body blurred only for me to throw my body to the

left, evading a claw swipe that would have otherwise
decapitated me instantly. This battle hadn't been
without any gains just because I couldn't damage the
creature.

No, my visual prowess had improved to the point

where I could read its next movements by looking at
the twitching of its muscles, like perusing a book. That
had allowed me to survive this long, since I could
evade before it even attacked, sometimes even
dishing out counterattacks, no matter how useless
they were.

I kicked at its knee with such force that it buckled a

little, its momentum driving it into the tree hole I had
just crawled out of. I had learned a lesson about
dawdling, so I hurriedly backed away within a few
leaps, making sure that I put a few meters between
us. The ails of my body were starting to catch up to
me, with the next few altercations between us
probably going to be my last.

Strangely, I felt at peace, with even my fighting intent

increasingly getting even more roused. For a while
now, I had noticed that my spirit was trembling as if
heralding something, though even now I didn't know
what that was. There was no one I could ask why
something like this was happening... Besides, what
was the point when I was about to die?
The entire stem exploded, with the tree tilting in the
aftermath. Now, this was violent! It seems even the
creature had gotten tired of this battle. My face
hardened before I decided to gamble with my life.
With my entire will, I galvanised my spiritual powers
to try and breach beneath my skin.

Being stuck in a guagmire was an apt expression that

served to describe my current predicament. Even with
me willing the spirit, moving it past the layer of skin
was proving to be a very very hard endeavour. It was
supposed to come naturally at a certain point in my
path as a forger, yet now I was forcing it
prematurely... Of course it would fail!

But the current circumstances were very dire for me

to consider such things like waiting. Time had already
given me the short end of the stick.
The very air exploded right in front of me, my
attention shifting from the spirit I was forcing into my
body to the monster standing in front of me. Its entire
being was radiating such potent bloodlust that it had
seeped into its very spiritual powers that were still
oppressively pressing into mine. Except for a few dirty
spots here and there on its skin littered with mud and
juices, there was no visible injury on its body,
something that nonetheless causes my heart to drop
even though I had already known about the futility of
my attacks.

Its muscles twitched, a sign that its left knee was

about to strike me, so I tried to shift to my left, to get
out of its path only to be shocked by the speed of the
attack which caught up to me, with I only managing to
lift my own leg in defense, only for a pain to shoot up
and my body to be thrown with such force that I didn't
even manage to catch sight of any of my surroundings,
only feeling my body getting thrust into multiple soft
things, probably plants, which failed to slow me down
one bit until something finally shattered behind me,
yet managed to halt my body.

My chest felt heavy, my breath coming out in

protesting small puffs that I was straining to get out.
My vision was blurry and swimming around, not to
mention the fact that one of my eyeballs was seeing
red, a sign that I was bleeding somewhere on my
head.

I had been had! It looks like previously, the creature

hadn't even been using its all on me, simply probably
not wanting to waste its energy... But now, I had just
gone and decided to enrage it, or its patience had
already been wearing thin, and that last trick had been
the incentive it needed to cross into the rage territory.

My body was numb, but I still had plenty of adrenaline

still surging inside me, not to mention the fact that my
spiritual powers were still providing defense for me. If
they hadn't been pulsing, having slipped out of my
control temporarily, I would have been exposed to the
creature had they vanished.

We had been continuously told that all the lifeforms

with some sliver of sentience on this planet, hated us
with a zeal. I don't know what the previous
descenders had done, but all I knew was that the
moment you were exposed, you had to annihilate all
the creatures on the scene, or you would be faced
with a very relentless hunt.

Chapter 62 :
TF Chapter 63 Hesitation

***Nathaniel***

I stood up having managed to remove myself from the

stem of one of these trees with the blue spots in a
dark stem. They were beautiful on the outside, yet
gross on the inside.

Before I could even gather myself, I felt a palm

grasping my face instantly, raising me up by the head,
applying force to my skull.

I shouted, did everything I could, kicked at the

creature, tried to claw at its hand, a futile action that
only caused more bruises upon my hands.

I started to feel a shortness in my breath since its palm

had also enclosed my nose, causing me to feel as if I
was about to suffocate.

No, I decided that I couldn't die here, not like this! So I

took a risk, galvanising my entire reserves of the spirit,
which I crashed onto the creature in waves, causing its
spirit to be pushed back, until mine washed against its
body. Never underestimate a lifeform that had been
backed into a corner, cause that's when it becomes
the most dangerous!

Its palm loosened, causing me to free fall and land

onto the muddy ground, with my feet wobbling.
Weakness was starting to get to me, even with the
adrenaline still running within my veins. It looks like I
had pushed my body to its very limits. Though, the
good news was that the previous attack hadn't
managed to destroy any of my limbs or give birth to
any dangerous internal injuries, but I still felt like a
wrung out cloth.

My eyes managed to refocus at this time, where I

managed to see that the creature was simply standing
in front of me motionless, probably trying to get out of
the waves of spirit I was battering it with.
I spat out a glob of saliva, withdrawing my spiritual
powers and then backing away by leaping backwards
and then to the side.

Its spirit, which had been weighing on me had, for

now been withdrawn, a lighter feeling assaulting me
at that.

"Hahahahahahahahaha..."

I chuckled and then devolved into full on laughter at

that accomplishment. Finally! I had managed to
achieve the goal I had started out with... Though, I
knew that it was only temporary. There was no way I
could run out of its range before it recovered, which
was around 15 meters. If I had been in tip top
condition, It would have been effortless.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips along with a cough,
abruptly cutting my joy short. My body was shit right
now, almost out of energy, with me running on fumes.

"...ahhhhHHHHHHHHHH!"

A scream escaped my mouth causing even the very air

particles to vibrate as a pulse of pain appeared within
my mind, vibrating at the same rhythm as my spirit.
The pain was so much that it surpassed every instance
of pain I had ever felt since the moment I had arrived
within this world! I rolled around in the mud, having
lost my composure as I continuously smashed into the
ground, trying to make myself feel some bodily pain in
order to alleviate the one in my mind, but I lacked
anything that could actually injure me, so I screamed
and screamed and screamed!

I felt the creature's spirit pressing against my own, but

that was only a fleeting instant before the pain took
over all rational thought, then, I felt my stomach
caving in as a powerful impact hit me, causing my
mouth to involuntarily open, with a cracking sound
entering my ears from within my body. A bone, or
many of them must have shattered before, I felt my
body leaving the mud, the velocity causing me to feel
as if the very air wanted to impede its movement.

Another tree blocked my momentum, but this time,

my body had become so scrapped, I even lacked the
energy to stand, not to mention that even I had any, I
would be able to because of the pain, which pulsed
like the beating of a heart.

***Danny***

Maintaining sanity and keeping myself from jumping

out was getting increasingly harder with every blow
Nathaniel was taking, even as he screamed like a
tortured animal. What was happening to him? I had
no idea, only placing it on the creature attacking him.
Could it be that it was using its spirit as a torture
device?

I was still searching for a window, an opportunity

where I would be of help, yet was still short of such a
thing. And the current intensity of the creature's
attacks were even causing me to shiver in fear.
This...this thing was just way too powerful!

I bit my lips with enough force to draw blood at

Nathaniel's current state.

"In five seconds! If I don't get a window of opportunity

within this time range, I am going to save Nathaniel no
matter the consequences!"

FIVE!
Blood drops scattered into the air from Nathaniel.

FOUR!

Cracking sounds echoed within the forest at another

blow!

This time, I saw red! Every thought, every calculation

left my mind, with only a pure rage taking over me.

I jumped from my hiding spot, rummaged through the

leaf bag and picked out whatever stone my hand
touched upon, before throwing it at the creature. This
was my strongest attack in my rage. It caused even the
very air to explode before impacting the dark metallic
skin on the back of the creature's head, causing a dull
ringing sound, with the stone itself shattering into
fragments.
Stopping itself would have been a crime in my book
upon seeing the state to which Nathaniel had been
driven to. His voice had already become hoarse from
screaming, or maybe something was blocking his
mouth? All these speculations didn't matter as I simply
shrunk the distance between us with such speed I
didn't even notice, my eyes only on the prone body of
Nathaniel which was in the middle of convulsing
abnormally.

I knelt down by him, the presence of the creature

already out of my mind, like it didn't even exist. I
extended my hands towards him, only to see them
trembling uncontrollably. Was senior Nathaniel about
to die? That thought weighed down my mind such
that fear and terror appeared freezing my entire body
in place. I had been idiotic. Because of my cowardice, I
had delayed myself from helping, causing this entire
situation.
Why hadn't I acted? Senior Nat had already shown me
how he had been unyielding, yet I had been in the
shadows, waiting for a good chance. Could it really
have appeared?

I pushed through the cold in my body and laid my

hands upon him. His body was hot, like he had a fever.
Blood had clotted beneath his skin, causing red
swollen patches. The fabric we had been given, the
latest in humanity's advancement, had already
become no more than rags on his body, a testament
to the strain it had been under.

His spiritual powers...that's the next thing I noticed.

They were pulsing...!? Like a heart?!

No, that wasn't important, I had to find a way for him

so survive, but how?
Lost in my thoughts, I only remembered that we were
still in the presence of the creature when its
oppressive spirit pressed upon mine, a curse almost
escaping my mouth at my stupidity. How could I save
Nathaniel when this thing was still here? I paled at the
very cruel fact that we might perish here.

Chapter 63 :
TF Chapter 64 Intent

***Nathaniel***

I didn't know anything, didn't feel anything, and didn't

have thoughts of anything. I was simply here!

Where exactly? My consciousness, or the place where

my spiritual powers originated from. I didn't know
how I knew, but my instincts were telling me that this
was the most correct answer. Besides, the white mist
within that was pulsing like a heart beat had already
given away the identity of this place.

As I looked around to take in this place, something

caught my eye, a white oval shaped thing. An egg to
be precise. I moved towards it and inspected the
cracked white shell, which led me to the speculation
that it was my spiritual powers given solid form. Every
time whatever was inside pulsed, more cracks
appeared on the white shell.

After what I would like to call the longest wait of my

life, the shell finally fell away, dispersing into spiritual
mist, adding more volume to this space.

An orange light entered eyes, a light that even

proliferated through my almost transparent spiritual
body that was within this place, but it had this warm
feeling, like being in the embrace of a mother. It was
practically inviting me to hug that orange ball that had
appeared from the cracked shell. For some reason,
though it was somewhat blurry, gaining more clarity
the longer I gazed at it. Though, there were a few
sensations I felt from it, like a mild force that was
attracting my form towards it, some heat, which was
warm enough to soothe my spirit.

I also felt a closeness a weird feeling that made me

feel like it was a part of me, as intimate as an arm or a
leg. Curious! I wondered what it was. I hadn't heard of
anything like this from any of the forgers, so what was
it?

All the haze finally cleared at this moment, and

something unbelievable entered my eyes; there was
no way I could mistake this thing! It was a sun... No, a
star!

It was spinning slowly on its axis, with reddish orange

flames burning on its surface with such intense heat
its very atmosphere was distorting. Its diameter was
roughly that of my height, making me almost equal to
it. It had to be expending tens of thousands of degrees
in heat, yet all I felt was warmth, though I still didn't
entertain any thoughts of getting closer to it, even
with its gravitational pull mildly affecting me. Though,
it was sucking up all the spiritual mist in this place,
causing it to rotate around the star, the image akin to
a hurricane. Solar flares were also occasionally
erupting from it, a sign of its volatile molten makeup.

A star in my mind! No one would believe me even If I

told them. It was even more unbelievable to me, yet I
didn't feel as surprised as I ought to have been. Were
my emotions dull in this place?

My mind had just gone and decided to give birth to a

star... But what was the whole point of this? Why a
star? And why did it appear in my mind? The many
questions served to make my entire thought process
turbulent.
The yellowish light was warm and watching sprouts of
molten flame rise up and then sink back down onto its
surface like serpents was a really mesmerising
spectacle that made me feel like I was gazing at a
miniature copy of the sun, our solar star.

A solar star in my mind! Even in my dreams, this was a

phrase I would have never dared to imagine, yet the
reality was here bathing me in its light.

There were echoes of my current predicament in

reality here, but they had been diminished to the
point that the emotions and the pain of my body were
more like mosquito bites, inconsequential in this
place. But, I would never forget what had happened in
reality, or the fact that my body was most probably
wrecked beyond repair. This miniature sun didn't look
like a miraculous medicine capable of healing my
body, so I was probably going to die the moment my
mind left this place.
Though, there was a silver lining here. The time
outside had slowed to a crawl in my perception, a fact
that this brain of mine was firing at a way faster rate
than in reality, probably its dying throes, the last
hurrah before I ultimately vanished from this world.

Once again focusing on the star, a word popped up

within my mind, like the world itself had whispered it
to me, a truth that the universe was supposed to
unveil to those who managed to awaken something
akin to my star; INTENT!

This star was my intent. What was intent though? It

was a miniature of the word intention. Intention...was
the star my intention? Was my intention to give birth
to a star?

No, that didn't feel right the more I thought of it, so

what was it? As my eyes took in the rays, an idea hit
upon me... Was it my intention to become something
close or a star itself?

That was like the missing puzzle piece that made very
thing fall into place.

I have admired stars since young. It was actually the

reason I mostly fell in love with forgers because I had
had a thought one day, what if forgers could step
upon the surface of the very stars themselves?

That had led to the current me, who was now on this
planet, having awakened my intent that was to be a
star, yet I was about to die.

"Well then Mr. Star, what if I really want to become a

star at the last moment in my life?"
I chuckled even as I consciously pushed all the spiritual
mist that had been in this space towards the star
which devoured it all instantly, leaving me a little
shocked.

Now that the entire space became empty, the star

became all the more conspicuous. Could I control it
though? This star...intent?

Using my mind, I tried to wrench something from

within the star only for orange mist to come out,
sparkling with a few sparks as if at any moment it
would catch fire and burn.

I had seen nebulae in images, and this mist was just as

beautiful! I moved all of it to fill this space before
allowing some to trickle outside. Even with death
approaching, I wanted to see what was special about
spiritual powers with an intent.
Chapter 64 :
TF Chapter 65 Exposed

***Danny***

Looming shadows, metaphorical or otherwise were

hateful things. They gave the impression that there
was something imperiously gazing at you from above,
like a god. Gods... I ditasted that word.

Like now, for a moment, I had forgotten where I was

for a moment. The spiritual powers that were
squeezing mine with increasing intensity had woken
me up from my daze. I had been so taken in with the
worry that senior Nat was on the verge of dying that I
had forgotten the threat that was the creature. I
chuckled at myself for losing composure, but there
was nothing inherently wrong with my actions.
Though, I doubted I would have been this careless had
senior Nat been switched with Bora.
Fuck it! Now was not the time! Even though I had zero
eyes in the back of my skull, I knew 100% that the
creature was most definitely behind me, about to
strike, but taking its very sweet time.

I panicked... Well, inside! I couldn't... No, didn't have

the time to manifest the many fearful and terror facial
expressions upon my face, so all I did was simply stay
on my knees beside Nathaniel, waiting for death.
Regrets? I had some... Like how this situation couldn't
have happened had I been a bit more enterprising and
bold, but that's life. Spilt milk couldn't be recovered,
though in reality that had been made possible... No,
metaphorically speaking.

Why was I having this many thoughts? And the fear?

The terror? Where were these emotions when I
needed them the most?
As the situation was starting to get heavy, the
pressure all encompassing, senior Nat's spiritual
pressure abruptly vanished, causing my heart to skip a
beat for a moment that almost gave me a heart attack
if it hadn't been for my powerful willpower.

The question of whether he had finally kicked the

bucket circled within my mind, like sharks on prey.

But those motes of light which resembled a billion

stars rotating around a single point, a black hole, were
still circling his body, signifying that my senior Nat was
still alive. My heart, which had been on the verge of
stopping, once again took on life with renewed vigor.

I also hadn't missed the subtle shift of the creature's

spirit when Senior Nat's had vanished. Even now, it
was trembling with an intensity like no other. There
was fear, terror, relief, rage and many other feelings
being transmitted through its spirit.
This had been bound to happen, though, too bad it
had happened on the very first day here. It had
probably bumped into a forger during its life, or
probably some genetic shenanigans relating to
inherited memory?

Our distinct features from those on this planet had

already been given away. Due to the pressure upon
my spirit, I hadn't been able to shield senior Nat, and
now, it had probably figured out what we were.

I wondered whether I should sigh at this time. I had

never truly felt my life being in peril before, but even I
was puzzled of the fact that I was analysing everything
calmly... Except when it pertained to senior Nat
ofcourse.

What was good about all this was the fact that the
creature had paused, probably in shock at senior Nat.
It was probably wondering... No! It should have
already figured out that I too was a foreigner.

Yes. To the inhabitants of this planet, we were

foreigners, aliens that should be hunted with extreme
prejudice! Or in case where the aliens (namely, us)
were too strong, run like hell!

This information had also been part of the briefing

provided before we had been hurled onto this planet.

Something came out of Senior Nat's body at this

timing, causing me to recoil slightly, but reaction of
the creature shocked me to my core!

It leaped back, over ten meters away as if it had been

burned by fire. This hadn't been an action that was
executed from thought...no, it had been a reflex
move! When I turned back to look at where it was, my
shock multiplied massively.

It was...trembling?! Shivering!? What was up with

that?!

I hurriedly turned my head back to senior Nat,

ignoring the pain that had stung a bit with the swift
movement of my head.

My spirit, which had been defending my body alerted

me to a threat. I felt it the moment that beautiful
spiritual mist made contact with my own. It was
heavy, way heavier than even that of the creature!
This surprised me, not to mention the fact that for
some reason there was this weird attractive force that
was causing all the particles within my domain to be
pulled towards that weird spiritual force!
I frowned, not understanding what this was. It was
new, unknown...and most of all, I lacked any sort of
forger to ask. I hurriedly leaped to my feet and out of
its range the moment I felt the effects increasing in
intensity every second.

I was cautious enough not to leap in the same

direction as the creature though. Even with it acting
weird, there was still a chance that it might choose to
annihilate me.

I still made sure that I left a sliver of my spirit

connected to that strange spirit gushing out of senior
Nat. Its range was equal to mine, but its intrinsic
quality had changed.

If I were to explain it... I would say that me and this

creature had pure spiritual powers, lacking any sort of
taint or trait. But this new spiritual...whatever it was,
had become different from ours.
What I felt through my spirit was beauty... If I
discounted the strange effects. It was like gazing at a
cloud of stellar dust, the kind which gave birth to
stars.

As expected of senior Nat! It looks like his time hadn't

yet arrived, with the death god going to have to wait a
bit longer to claim him. Maybe he will explain to me
this strange spirit of his...

Chapter 65 :
TF Chapter 66 Safe

***Danny***
The air around senior Nat started shimmering,
distorting the surrounding light, making him appear as
if he was underwater and I was simply looking at him
from above. This phenomenon resembled that which
happened when heat was being expelled into the air.
Was his spirit actually interacting with his
surroundings...or was it his body? Side-eyeing the
creature, it was still trembling, its feet shifting within
the mud as if hesitating, ticked off by something.

I decided to transfer my senses to my spirit, an action

that caused a drastic change in my expression, causing
me to withdraw my spirit as fast as I could. His
spiritual powers had actually been hot and heavy!
Spirit could actually have mass!? What was with this
situation?! The circumstances prevented me from
straight up marching towards him and asking
everything that was in my mind.

Even those forgers who had reached the third stage

didn't have--- wait!? That guy who had been missing a
lot of skin like some sort of zombie had managed to
cause our spirits to feel a faint burning sensation that
time!? But that hadn't been on the same level as what
senior Nat was releasing!?

Sounds of something attracted my attention, where I

caught the creature edging away from this place
slowly. If it had had ocular senses like us humans, I
would probably have seen terror within, as its current
actions made me feel that very clearly. It was terrified
of whatever new spiritual power had appeared on
senior Nat.

This was worth pondering, after all, even forgers

didn't have such powers, so where had it experienced
these powers, developing terror and fear from them?
Was this planet not as simple as we had originally
thought? Had the forgers hidden something from us?
I decided to drag those thoughts to the back of my
mind for now, warily keeping my spiritual powers
upon the creature while my eyes were still trained at
senior Nat.

I believe everything within this world has an

origin...even these bizarre changes that were
happening to senior Nat. The creature's current visage
already eliminated it as the possible cause, but it was
most definitely the one which had influenced this
metamorphosis in senior Nat's spiritual powers, that I
believed.

A change once again appeared on senior Nat and not

one of the good ones. This was worse. His skin started
getting blisters, as if he had been plunged into a fire.

My heart sped up at this development. It appeared

that those out of control spiritual powers were
heating up the very particles in the air, causing true
heat to appear, not just that which was illusory and
intangible.

What had caused the change in his spiritual powers?

There was even the beginning of a glow, which was

produced by particles having too much energy.

This had just become troublesome. I was cursing

inside even though I knew that it wasn't going to solve
this problem. The creature, though acting strangely
fearful, was still here. Any course of action I could try
had the possibility of giving birth to a terrible
outcome.

This tension filled moment was broken by the

trembling of his eyelids. He was about to open his
eyes! The sheer elation that spread through me with
that one simple thing almost caused me to feel as if I
had become lighter, so I heavily suppressed it and
even took the initiative to inch closer to the direct
path that the creature could take to attack him. I had
made a terrible mistake before... Now, even if I had to
die, I was going to make sure that nothing happened
to my chosen one.

I had always wondered why the people in our clan had

harped extensively about the need to stick with your
chosen to an end. Now, I had also developed a kind of
resolve; that I would never let senior Nat die before
me. The previous me, the one from before the forger
training was probably laughing at me if it still existed,
having taken an alternative decision. Even I right now
was experiencing a bit of disbelief about the fact that
here I was, placing someone else's life before even
mine.

The eyelids pulled back, revealing a pair of eyes that

almost caused me to shout out loud and run away
from this place. The rims of his pupils had turned a
yellowish orangish and reddish amalgam of colors that
when combined gave the impression of looking at the
sun in our solar system from outer space. Though, the
color was different, it was a cruel reminder of the time
when he had been possessed.

Had that same circumstance appeared?! But we were

far from the continent on the sun in our solar
system!? Unless...could it be that that thing had
hijacked his body from the possession before?

The eyes were different though, and not

dead/emotionless like before. Instead, these ones had
a manic glow within them, as if the person had
decided upon something crazy. Like throwing away
their lives.

The forest undergrowth released a cacophony of

sounds causing my gaze to snap towards the source,
only for me to only get a glimpse of a back as the
creature sped away, its terror having won over its
curiosity.

My posture, which had been in the preparation of

countering the creature relaxed greatly, a breath I
didn't know I had been holding making its way out of
my lips.

I raced towards senior Nat, only stopping myself upon

reaching the a few meters away from him, making
sure that I was outside the range of his spiritual
powers. Just being near almost caused my skin to start
losing its moisture. Steam had started to accumulate
near him having come from the vaporised water in the
mud, almost obscuring my gaze.

"Senior Nat!"
I called out as loud as I could without surpassing a
certain level that would draw every forest dweller to
our location. Though the denizens lacked something
akin to ears, their spiritual powers alone allowed them
to sense artificial vibrations in particles, an ability
which far surpassed the mere ears of we humans.

"Nathaniel!"

I called out a second time, this time clashing my

spiritual domain upon his, though I screamed out loud
as my spirit itself burned, with the pain akin to
experiencing the horror of fire upon my very skin.

"NATHANIEL!"

This time, I let go of all my restraints and shouted with

such power I even had the illusion the very air had
warped.
Finally, a light of recognition appeared within his eyes
before those spiritual powers were absorbed back into
his body, those eyes of his turning to gaze upon me.

Even with all the wounds on his body, be they external

and internal, he didn't shout. He didn't cry and he
didn't even appear to be feeling anything. Had his
body become numb? I felt a prick of pain in my chest.
He had experienced so much that a situation like this
had become the norm to him.

Chapter 66 :
TF Chapter 67 Getting To Bora

***Danny***
The wind lashed at my face with an intensity that
would have caused a normal person to want to close
their eyes. It wasn't deliberately trying to collide with
me, instead I was the one who was moving with such
speed, I was basically offending it.

Yet, I didn't care...why? I was in a hurry. Not even the

ferocious undergrowth was enough to stop me. I even
weaved around the trees, my speed only dropping for
a moment, before going back straight up. I was racing
toward the crater where my pod had crash landed to
try and get a glimpse of where I was.

Senior Nat was on my back, passed out, and probably

feeling uncomfortable with my less than comfortable
transportation method because of his injuries, cause I
could hear a few groans here and there, though his
consciousness was probably still in dreamland.
I ground my teeth in frustration, with the knowledge
that I had been partly to blame for his current state. If
I had just been faster! If I had been braver! Or if I had
been stronger! None of this would have happened!

I crushed a carnivorous plant underfoot, splattering

mud everywhere and creating a mini crater due to the
force I had applied. I was venting on the poor
creatures, but who could they blame? They were
simply too weak, just like I was.

After that whole spiritual bravado thing had passed,

senior Nat had fallen unconscious. I had panicked,
thinking that he had finally managed to die, only for
my spirit to reassure me that he had been still alive.

I had inspected the surroundings to make sure that

the creature hadn't stayed around to sneak up on us.
Only after that had I breathed in a sigh of relief,
moving senior Nat onto my back...and here I was
racing back to my crater such that I could determine
the positioning.

I was also pretty sure that I lacked the required

knowledge capable of tending to injured people. Bora
had an inkling of such skills... Surely she would be able
to save senior Nat. Good thing I hadn't hastily tried to
push her away from us, or right now I would be
immensely regretting it.

I stomped powerfully upon the ground, proppeling

myself into an open space, the place where I had just
crash landed. An inner sigh of relief escaped my lips at
the fact that no creature appeared to be in sight. A
battle now, was the last thing I needed. But I was also
resolved to get senior Nat to Bora. If any beast tried to
prevent that from happening... Let's just say I was
lacking a punching bag.
The small string of smoke in the distance had probably
come from the place where senior Nat had landed. I
deduced that by calculating using the place where the
battlefield with the creature had been, so I chose the
other direction, the one where there was also a small
smoke string and let loose the greatest acceleration
my body could handle. In an instant, the distance
shrunk, allowing me to reach the edge of the crater,
and into the forest. There were already some small
signs of tiredness in me, like the slightly irregular
breath and the faint pain within my leg muscles, but
what was the point of whining when the person upon
my back had been through much worse?

That would be idiotic of me. I had already gotten tired

of my weakness. Senior Nat had already
demonstrated a will far surpassing mine, and yet he
liked to think logically! He had a flame within him,
something I sorely lacked for the time being. Would I
be able to get it at some point in time? No, I had to
also light my own fire or else I wouldn't be able to
keep up with him.
Time was something I hadn't even cared about when
running, with everything having overloaded my mind
to the point of only having the thought to get senior
Nat to Bora.

Now, I was standing here, upon the warm soil of this

clearing, my body so hot, I was getting lightheaded.
Sweat was running down my skin in rivulets, a gross
smell assaulting my nostrils, but with my fading
consciousness, caring about such a minor thing was
the last thing in my mind. The journey had been
perilous beyond measure, with the only saving grace
being the fact that I hadn't run into a creature on the
same level as that humanoid one that had injured
senior Nat.

There had been many predators among the

undergrowth, causing me to exhaust my storage of
stones, having resorted to stomping the plants near
the end, sustaining many wounds in the end with a
burning feeling assaulting me from some, while others
were numb. Poisoning...was I about to die because of
such a thing?

Heavy...senior Nat, who had been light at the start of

my journey, now had his weight bearing down upon
me, not to mention that this body of mine was still not
used to the gravity of this planet.

I raised my face, with my eyes scanning around the

place, my gaze landing on Bora's opened pod, and
other things, which were blurry in my eyes before
fatigue and whatever else overwhelmed me, knocking
me out instantly. The last scene had been that of a
pair of long black legs...

Chapter 67 :
TF Chapter 68 Awakening
 ***Nathaniel***

"Its been two months." The voice entered my ears,

calm, as if there was nothing that could ruffle its
owner, a woman. Also, there was this finality about
those words, like some sort of resolve...

"So what? Bora, you wouldn't be chasing after death,

right?" That was most definitely Danny. And he
seemed to be having trouble dissuading the woman.
Weariness was something that no one could fail to
detect within his voice, as it sounded like this
conversation had happened so regularly he had gotten
tired of it.

"Danny, we need to search for a water source, food,

other people...and many other things. Its a pain to
always have to distill water from the plants with such
a crude method. You...(sigh)"
Two months? Was that how long I had been out? Time
really flies when your consciousness is murky.

"Bora, I know that. But you are the only expert here
who can take care of senior Nat. What if you die off
somewhere? Will he live? I know next to nothing
about nursing people."

"So, all of this is about your precious senior Nat. You

aren't even seeing me as a person, is that it?" The
voice had risen a small amount even though it was still
somehow calm. Danny...(sigh)...it looked like he still
hasn't acknowledged her.

"Two months ago, you stumbled upon my landing

place, all injured and beaten up. I tended to both of
you without any scruples yet here you are, still
treating me like a stranger. It hurts you know. If
Nathaniel wasn't here, I would have most definitely
abandoned you after bringing you back from death."

"...don't try to explain anything, I know your type...you

care about benefits more than anyone else. All your
friendships are superficial, only useful if they can
further your goals. The only perso-no, even Nathaniel,
you don't really take him as a friend, no, you gaze at
him like he's your lottery ticket. You remind me of a
certain man and my siblings...and not in a good way!"

After those words, I heard footsteps heading away my

from me. The words at the end had contained too
much emotion, particularly sadness and loneliness.
What had she experienced?

Another set of footsteps heading away also entered

my ears. People have a propensity for change, but was
Danny capable of it, or was he simply going to stay the
same?
I sighed after the place became empty within my
senses. Wait!? I had sighed?! I tried moving my limbs,
only to feel that there was absolutely nothing wrong
with them, a surprising development. Even if two
months had gone by, there was no way I should have
been able to recover this fast, let alone with a full
recovery! I had been kicked around like a football,
though with less malleability than the ball itself,
causing my injuries to be so serious that I wouldn't
have been surprised if death had finally won out this
time.

I opened my eyes, with the blue specks of light from

the ceiling failing to elicit something within me for the
moment. I was still wondering what could have made
me receiver this fast? There was some lethargy within
my limbs as a result of my muscles not working
themselves out, but all in all, everything was okay. I
had vivid memories of hearing cracking sounds from
within my body, yet here I was, with not a fracture
within that I could feel. This was bizarre. Something
wasn't right and I was going to ask those two...right
after I managed to stand up.

The hide of some beast I didn't know had been turned

into my clothes, a skirt and a vest, all black and
glittering, not to mention uncomfortable as hell! It
was akin to wearing a plastic bag!

I wobbled after getting on my feet, my legs almost

failing to center themselves well, but they ultimately
succeeded, allowing me to take in the view of this
small shelter.

All its walls were shining, with the blue specks

providing a soft starry glow that made me feel as if I
had been dropped straight into a fantasy setting.
There was only a single exit, being blocked by what
looked like a leaf, with the same starry blue spots. The
blue light illuminated the crude items in the room,
from stone bowls to sharpened wooden spikes. There
were bowls which were filled with what appeared to
be herbs, with their pungent smell already making me
uncomfortable. The light was too dim for me to truly
make out the contents, so I gave up, opting to instead
try and start taking my first steps outside.

Now that I was in a relaxed mood, I had this vague

feeling that I was lighter on my feet, as if there had
been some heaviness before.

Whatever I was stepping upon didn't appear to be

ground though, and since it was also blue specked, I
had a hunch that this was a branch from one of those
trees I had seen earlier, during my battle. It also
alerted me to the fact that I might be high up in a tree,
with any wrong step having the possibility of causing
my death. I didn't trust the leaf walls around as I was
scared that they wouldn't be able to support my
weight, so I stopped in place and allowed my feet to
adjust to the new stimulus.
A few minutes later, I pulled the leaf curtain to the
side, allowing some light to fall onto my retinas, which
elicited some intense blinking as I tried to adjust to it.
Apparently, two whole months had passed, meaning
that all they had been looking upon had been
darkness!

When my eyes finally managed to get used to the

light, what entered my eyes was a gloomy sky that
was covered in dark grey clouds, the ones that
signified that rain was about to fall. Some part of me
became disappointed at the fact that I hadn't seen an
overcast sky as my first scene after two whole months,
but the world was like that. The wishes of a simple
creature weren't much in the grandness of the
universe.

The moment my gaze lowered though, was when I

became blown away. It was simply too breathtaking!
The myriad flying creatures which were adopting a
symphony of colors, the black blue specked giant
leaves that resembled the night sky...it was simply too
beautiful! Was this what I had been missing all along?
This view alone beat all the sceneric memories I had
accumulated all my life!

Many branches and leaves were almost blocking my

gaze, but not as much as when I had been on the
forest floor. But this was far too beautiful! It had far
surpassed the forest floor below!

This had most definitely been the machinations of

Bora. There was no way Danny was able to come up
with such an idea!

"Wow! Senior! You have awoken!?"

A voice filled with so much surprise and way too loud

almost led to my death as I leaped up, almost falling
off the tree branch.
"Danny! That was rude!"

I shouted back with such rage that the man flinched,

and shrunk into himself in mock fear. What a pain!
Danny was a pain!

"How are you?! Are you okay? You should be resting!

What are you doing outside? Hey! Are you listening,
senior Nat? What..."

I tuned out the rest. The way he was jumping around

me gave me the chills. Even girlfriends don't act this
happy! There was a need to keep a distance from this
guy, or else...

"Where am I?"
"Ah! On top of a tree."

"I can already see that. Where are we in relation to

our landing points?" Danny liked playing around too
much. And what was that smile, like that of a kid that
had just been given their favourite candy? I hadn't
paid much attention before but Bora's words were
now playing in my mind. This expression wasn't that of
someone who was truly relieved that their friend had
recovered. There was something creepy about it. Was
he regarding me like some sort of object?

Chapter 68 :
TF Chapter 69 Feelings Bloom

"Its good that you're alive."

That one sentence, coupled with that radiant smile
made my heart skip a beat, with flowers blooming
within my mind. For a moment, I thought the clouds
had gone away...

She...was beautiful. A mini black dress made with the

same material as my current attire, those purple
petalled eyes that gave her an otherworldly quality,
the way she was leaning against one of the branches
that was large enough to almost be mistaken for
another tree.

At this very moment, I had the thought that Bora was

beautiful. That snow white skin, a trait of the Asians,
truly was magnificent on those long legs of hers. This
was the first time I had seen her...less covered, and do
trust me on this, she was both beautiful and seductive
alike!

I wonder...was I going to fall in love?

"(Cough!)...thanks, I guess!"

I hurriedly looked away from her to hide my current

expression as I was very sure it was weird.

"Since you're awake, there are many things to discuss,

plans to make...and Danny." Her signature calm face
returned at this moment. And Danny's name at the
end made me forget that sunny moment to adopt a
serious expression. Even the man himself wasn't
talking right now, probably because of her presence.

But, there is this strange thing in the world, something

about the fact that the moment a human realises
something, it never leaves their mind for, maybe an
eternity?
I peeked at her, admiring her short hair, which just
made it past her ears. That long tantalising neck...no
no no! I had to get a grip! We were about to speak of
important matters!

"Huh!?" I exclaimed when something cold splattered

onto my forehead, a rain drop. Many more started
falling, yet I simply stayed in place, soaking in my first
encounter with rain in a foreign planet.

"We need to get inside, now!"

Someone pulled on my hand, urgency within their

tone of voice. My gaze, which had been into the sky
lowered, only to see Bora's dainty hand holding onto
my own, pulling me towards the shelter.

This was the second time since I had awoken, that my

heart skipped a beat. The softness of her palm almost
made me feel as if heaven had appeared right in front
of me, but seeing that fearful, cautious and urgent
expression of hers caused me to forcefully chase away
all the other emotions and feelings I was having...even
the butterflies in my stomach.

***Danny***

I didn't blame her...that would never happen, as any

normal person would react even more drastic than
her, maybe chase me from the group, or show a
disgusted expression... There were many ways that
this could have gone wrong, and this was simply one
of them.

The rain, the hateful rain had chosen to fall at this

inopportune moment, ruining any chances I might
have had of running away from the coming
conversation. This wasn't that much of a big deal, but
the stifling atmosphere within this shelter made it
clear that those two were going to take this
conversation very seriously.

I didn't care much for what was about to be discussed,

but I couldn't bear falling out with Nathaniel. He was
the ticket to all my goals, far more important than
even Bora. If a chasm appeared between us, I don't
know whether I will get the chance to find someone
with as bright a future as him. This guy was going to
create legends! And I wanted to be there to witness
them!

"I really hate procrastinating, but this is a very

sensitive topic that could even split us up...I don't
even know how I should start." Bora, that hateful
woman spoke. Ever since senior Nat had laid eyes on
the woman since waking up, he was struggling not to
look at her. She was beautiful...that much I could tell,
but romance wasn't something he needed right now. I
needed to find a way to squash those embers before
they become a full fledged blaze.
 ***Nathaniel***

Thunder roared and lightning lit up the shelter

through the small gap in the leaf curtain. The rain was
surprisingly normal, even though this was an alien
planet. I had been expecting something bizarre or
crazy, yet surprisingly, I had been given normal.

The atmosphere within this space was... off. Bora was

uneasy, something I was sensing from the way she
was playing with the strands of her hair, and the fact
that her sitting posture was shifting and changing as if
she was in a fire pit. She was a very logic driven
woman. Emotions were troublesome to her, a fact
that was weighing heavily upon her now. She had
spoken, managing to attract my attention successfully.

How I wished that I wasn't here at this time! But this

had to be handled right now because if it wasn't, there
was a very large possibility of her leaving our group. I
didn't want that to happen, mostly because we had
gotten too used to being a trio...and also because of
something else, something I couldn't explain. I felt
that something would shatter within me if she left.
What was it?

"This is how I was born, how I, Danny am,

fundamentally as a person. I doubt any of your words
will do anything to change me, but I also don't want to
leave our little group."

An irritated voice interrupted my thought, also

managing to chase away some of the gloom in this
place.

"Danny, what am I to you? And don't lie, saying that

we are friends." I had to ask. This was important going
forward.
"You...are a person who will make my dream come
true."

"And, what's that dream of yours?" I pressed.

"Its a secret... but don't worry, it won't be detrimental

to you in any way!"

I narrowed my eyes at that. Being secretive at this

time wasn't exactly going to help him.

"What about me then? Why was I chosen to be part of

this team?" With something bubbling beneath her
calm exterior, Bora asked.

"You were just an addition at the time for senior Nat

to not get suspicious. I hadn't thought much at the
time, as there were many with the same qualifications
as you, so I just picked randomly." He spoke as if he
had been shopping vegetables at the market, so calm
it was somehow frightening!

"So, all along I had been just someone you had

randomly picked...hahaha..."

Tears slid down her cheeks, tinted blue by the specks

of light from the spots of light in the dark walls. My
heartbeat rose up, a rage almost taking over my
rationality. For a moment, I imagined a dozen
gruesome deaths I could bring to Danny. But I decided
against them in the end and took a deep breath. Too
bad we weren't close enough for me to have her
crying in my chest.

"(Sigh)...I don't even know where to start or what to

do. If we were still back on Musana continent, I would
have chased you from the team..."
"Its okay Nathaniel. He has already made it clear that
he will never change. All we just need to do is
remember to never trust our lives with him." She
wiped away the tears, her face regaining that calm
logical expression once again.

Chapter 69 :
TF Chapter 70 A Slap

"Besides, we have far more important things to

discuss, like this rain here..."

"What do you mean?" I asked, truly puzzled by her

change of topic.

"The forest floor is a dangerous place during the rains.

Plants become the masters of the jungle, and any
creature that doesn't come up the trees is devoured,
except of course, those that dwell underground."
"I still haven't understood what you are really talking
about."

"During the first time that it rained, I had set up a

shelter somewhere close to the ground, that's when I
managed to get a glimpse of the true terror of this
forest. When it rains, its like the plants are given a
shot of adrenaline...and I also have the belief that
most of the dangerous plants only truly bare their
fangs during a time like this."

Thunder roared and lightning illuminated her face

through the gap. The expression upon it was partly
serious and partly fearful. It looks like she wasn't
joking around.

"She is right. Believe her on that." Danny chimed in,

earning a disapproving expression from her.
"Danny hadn't woken up at the time, so I had
struggled with fending off the creatures escaping the
forest floor, while also making sure to protect you. It
had been very hectic!"

"Oh! Interesting! This means that the tables get

turned during the rain, huh!"

"That's why we are this high up. Those creatures

taking refuge in these trees don't dare to get this high
up...well almost, so we are temporarily safe." Danny
continued.

"Safe...that's a word that shouldn't be uttered lightly.

Aren't there monkey-like creatures here?" This had
been bugging me ever since I had arrived here. There
were tall trees here, so if there were no such
creatures, it would be very puzzling!
"We don't know. Danny didn't allow me to explore."
Bora's teeth practically grinded, with those words, like
she wanted to devour Danny whole, not to mention
the death stare directed towards him.

"Before we get to that, have two months really

passed?" Waking up and realising that such a long
time had passed was really unbelievable to me.

"Yes, that's how long you were unconscious for. And

your body naturally healed itself, with me only
providing minimal assistance. It is really a miracle that
you healed from such devastating injuries." The
surprise in her eyes was genuine. Even though my
mind had been in a muddled state after that battle, I
had still been pretty sure that my chances of survival
had been slim, even with someone working to save
me.
I flexed a bit of my hand, amazed that the fracture I
had remembered happening to the bone, gone
entirely.

I directed my gaze back to her when I thought she

wasn't looking, and found myself staring into those
beautiful purple petalled pupils of hers. I had been
caught, but instead of averting my gaze, I forcibly held
her eyes with mine. Acting bashfully now would only
expose the fact that I was starting to find her
attractive, and possibly girlfriend material. But if I let
her catch on, our future interactions would all become
very very awkward.

"So...did you craft all these stone bowls and collect all
these plants?" I schooled my expression into one of
seriousness and asked a question I didn't really want
an answer to at this time as I was sure it would just be
boring.
I was even starting to curse at the rain for its bad
timing. I had all this energy within me and yet I had to
sit here and wait for it to let up.

"I had nothing to do, so I tried some things..."

Was she being bashful now? Embarrassed? Why?

"...I am not very good at practical stuff as you can

see."

She was right about that as the stone bowls were

weird looking, as if someone with absolutely zero
talent in art had tried to create a painting.

"There is no need to be embarrassed. Even I don't

think I could shape rock successfully. And it was even
your first time."
"Now that I am awake, what are your plans?" I
changed the topic, as I had discovered my eyes trailing
her tender juicy lips, imagining how it would feel if I
were to kiss them.

All the desires I didn't know I could even possess were

showing themselves. Its interesting that here and
now, I had become attracted to the opposite sex.

"I want to explore our current location, map it out and

then start collecting spirit cores."

"I had found one where my pod had crashed, but it

was destroyed during the altercation with that
creature."

"Senior Nat, there is something I am wondering about.

I have been extra vigilant ever since I woke up, due to
the fact that the creature discovered your true
appearance, meaning that there should have been an
attack, yet none has happened so far-"

"Danny! Why didn't you inform me of this?" Bora

interrupted with pursed lips. She was most definitely
fuming.

"Danny, why can't you get along with us very well?" I

sighed with building frustration. This guy... was he
really intent on acting like this?

I tussled my hair, passing my palm through forcefully,

wanting rip out my hair or something.

***Bora***
This was starting to get on my nerves. I had tried to
calm myself repeatedly but now, I was slipping. I
wanted to kill him, to punch him so hard, his jaw
dislocated, or to even serve him to the creatures of
this forest. Danny was that infuriating!

Even Nathaniel appeared to be exhausted from trying

to get us to work together. Poor guy! Danny wasn't
going to change, why? Because he had been born
privileged, just like my brothers and sisters. There was
this superior mindset that could never be removed
from them, something that some didn't even know
they had, but this guy knew it very well. The only
reason he was even interacting with Nathaniel and I
was the fact that he needed him for
something...something we didn't know. He was very
secretive about his goals. What was he really after?

An impulse overtook me, with my body moving before

a coherent thought could form, and the next thing I
knew, was my palm smacking something both hard
and soft, Danny's cheek.

I should have been angry, enraged even, but surprise

was the only feeling I felt as I was shocked at the fact
that I, Bora had actually raised my hand at someone!

I caught the raw disbelief within Nathaniel's eyes as he

gaped at the both of us, well, mostly me as if he had
just seen a ghost in broad daylight. The howling wind
and the thunder had covered the sound produced by
the slap, but the visual couldn't be covered up.

I had let my emotional quotient overwhelm my IQ.

This...had never happened before. What had he done
such that I had slapped him? I tried to remember, to
comb through my previous words and feelings, finally
managing to capture the moment where it had all
went wrong. I...had superimposed Danny with my
siblings, causing my emotions which had always been
in control to passionately gush out and take over,
causing this very scene.

"I do admit to deserving that...but if you ever try to lay

a hand on my body ever again, I swear that you won't
love the outcome, Ms Kim Bora."

Those blue eyes contained a glacial cold that seeped

within me and caused even my burning emotions to
freeze. Such strong murderous intent had never
appeared from Danny before. He was most definitely
enraged beyond reason, only holding back because of
Nathaniel. I didn't have any definite evidence of that,
but my instincts as a woman were never wrong.

I scooted away, back to my place and looked at my

palm, the one that had slapped the guy.
Chapter 70 :
TF Chapter 71 A Star

***Nathaniel***

"Danny said your spiritual powers transformed

weirdly, even causing the creature to feel fear...how
exactly did that come to be?"

Minutes had passed before Bora threw out this

question. Those minutes had been the time that had
been needed for all of us to regain our faculties.
Though, I had to admit, that slap was something I
hadn't expected from her. Witnessing that side of her,
which had lost control had somehow made me feel
more elated. When her emotions had taken control,
she had appeared more animated, more vibrant to
me, instead of her dull cold self. It had been the same
with that genuine smile she had shown when
congratulating me about my recovery. She had been
truly happy.

"I don't really know what could have caused such a

phenomenon, but I remember them pulsing like a
heart at the start, as if truly alive. But because I had
been in the middle of a battle, I ignored them and
continued fighting..."

Even now, as I looked within myself, I could see that

star, burning, attracting and compressing my spiritual
powers. It was an exact replica of the true stars,
whose images I had seen in the virtual word, except
that my star, this intent, appeared to resemble the
real thing.

I also had the feeling that it wasn't really real, just an

amalgam of my spiritual powers given form. The word
intent had naturally formed within my mind the
moment I had gazed upon the star the first time, but
what was intent exactly.

A star...once, when young, I had yearned to transform

into one of them after laying eyes upon a virtual
construct. It had been so beautiful, so powerful, so
magnificent...I had been mesmerised. Could that
moment have led to the creation of this star?

While delving within my thoughts, my mouth never

stopped moving as I narrated every little detail,
without leaving anything out to my two companions. I
wanted to see whether they could pick out something
that would allow them to awaken their own intents,
such that I could have some reference material.

I explained everything I had experienced to the best of

my ability, not adding any falsities within as that
would only cause problems for them. Bora's purple
petals glittered within this place as her eyes were
focused on me, absorbing my every word.

I felt a bit hot on my face, but held down the urge to

turn away, instead pretending to have my gaze
focused somewhere between her and Danny, yet my
eyes involuntarily always returned to her. I had never
been this conscious of her when we had been training,
even when our bodies had been at zero distance from
each other.

Now, even her gaze alone was enough to fluster me

this much.

I took a breath, closed my eyes, and ran away to my

spiritual space, where the flaming molten star was
burning with a powerful intensity. From the moment I
had woken up, to now, I hadn't had the chance to try
out this new spiritual transformation. Now was as
good a time as any. Honestly, I didn't want to gaze
upon her once again as that might make me do
something I might regret.

(Sigh)

Did all those people who fell in love feel this way, the
butterflies in the stomach, the failure to hold a proper
conversation and most of all, the urge to always have
your eyes on her. I was 45 years! I shouldn't be acting
like a teenager!

With a thought, I triggered the intent, causing the

sparkling nebula of mist to reappear within this space,
which had previously been empty. Last time, the mist
simply liked to linger within this space, but the intent
seems to have become some sort of new storage for
it.
After triggering it, I opened my eyes to see the effects
for myself in the real world only for Bora's flinch to
make me withdraw my spiritual powers into my core.

Fear and terror. Those two emotions had been

expressed so vividly within those purple pupils of hers
that I had been shocked into pulling back. What had
startled her so?

***Bora***

Those eyes! Though the rims of his pupils hadn't

turned white like previously, this time having been
akin to flames, that memory had still been brought to
the fore, causing me to flinch.

I suddenly became embarrassed upon seeing that look

upon his face, like he had just been rejected. Honestly,
I should have gotten over that months ago, yet...
(Sigh)

I had just shown Nathaniel something I had been

trying to hide all along, the fear that he might one day
get taken over and kill me. I had gotten nightmares
many times from that single memory. That hadn't
been Nathaniel. It had been a being who had had the
power to annihilate me in an instant. At that time I
had felt weak...very weak and terrified and...

"WHAT is intent?"

The question naturally came out of ny lips to stave off

the fear that had been threatening to consume me. I
had seen an expression on Nathaniel's face that made
me want to never show an unsightly side of me in
front of him ever again.
"I have no idea. The word simply unveiled itself the
moment I had laid eyes upon the sun within my
spiritual space, like it was apart of the universe."

"I don't believe in such things, like luck or something,

only coincidences. There must be a force on this
planet, akin to that on Musana continent...of course
this is just speculation on my part as I have never
experienced your exact circumstances..."

The more I spoke, the more my fear and terror

dissolved into nothingness, causing me to feel like I
had just started a reaction to change myself to a
better person.

I had a thought that if I managed to change myself,

maybe I could gain the courage to confront my father
head on, instead of what I did before, sending that
crappy message.
"I believe that we shouldn't speculate carelessly
here...you do remember what had happened on
Musana before, right? What if there is some being
here who has an even shorter fuse than that?"

I mustered all my willpower to prevent myself from

flinching after the guy had spoken. I would never
forget that moment when the possessed Nathaniel
had had those silver rimmed pupils of his boring
directly through me. The fear I had felt from that day
forth had given me multiple nightmares.

(Cough)

I decided to drop that topic there and then as I didn't

want to enter into an entity's bad books. What had
happened to that Ross' family boy was still vivid within
my mind.
"...the word will also probably appear within your
minds when your intent appears?" Nathaniel's words
didn't have any other point instead having the
purpose of trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"You said that there was an egg shaped cradle within

your mind...one formed of your spiritual powers,
right? I do remember you complaining about how
your spiritual powers hadn't grown when that being
had temporarily taken over your body. Could it be that
it had compressed your spiritual powers at the time?"
After much pondering and calculations, this was the
only conclusion I could come up with.

"...now that I think about it, that is a plausible

explanation. I wonder...can the two of you also try to
compress your spiritual powers?"
Nathaniel asked the question with the faint light from
the gap in the leaf curtain lighting up his face, from
the lightning raging outside.

Chapter 71 :
TF Chapter 72 Test

The next day, the sun peeked up from the distant

horizon, with the annoying rain clouds having
vanished into nothingness just before the morning.

I stretched my body after making my way out of the

shelter, which had been a bit cramped. I couldn't even
stand straight within...but there was no use
complaining as Bora had to have had her reasons for
constructing it like that.
The scenery that greeted me was beautiful. Those
water droplets lingering upon every branch and leaf,
refracting the morning sun such that the scattered
light created a very beautiful painting, left me
mesmerised. This was the reason why many humans
loved exploring. If you could see such scenery in new
places, everyone really ought to travel.

"Seeing this makes me feel as if it was worth it for me

to be dropped onto this planet."

Bora spoke while standing beside me on the dark

branch. The moment I registered her presence
though, all the other scenery lost their colors, leaving
only she as the sole colorful one.

Just gazing at the side profile of her face made my

heartbeat speed up and butterflies to flutter within
the depths of my stomach. Right now I even had the
thought that no matter how long I gazed upon her
beauty, I would never grow bored or tired of it.

"Why are you staring? Is something on my face?"

The question snapped me out of it. I hurriedly averted

my gaze, pretending to have gained an interest into a
water droplet that was dangling from a leaf which was
swaying with the wind, yet the drop was still hanging
on tenaciously.

"There is nothing. I just thought you were simply

too...beautiful this morning."

For a moment, I had seen a dash of red which

vanished as fast as it had appeared. It looks like she
had liked my comment.
"You shouldn't speak that carelessly next time. A
woman might fall for you unintentionally."

Her voice came out soft, almost barely a whisper, yet

it entered my ears all the same, causing me to develop
a foolish grin on my lips.

"So, how are we going to plan this day?" Danny's voice

ruined the atmosphere, but I was still happy that I had
managed to elicit a reaction out of her.

"First, I have to test out my new spiritual powers. It

won't do if we simply set off without me knowing of
its limitations and what not."

Last night, both Bora and Danny had tried to compress

their spiritual powers, which had worked! Now, their
spiritual eggs were in the gestation period. We had no
idea how long we were going to have to wait until the
birth of their intents, but exploring couldn't be put off.
Besides, since my intent had already bloomed, maybe
I would be capable of protecting them during the
journey!

"Danny, come with me. I need an observer." I started

to move, descending through the branches with ease,
with the forest floor being my destination.

After the previous night, I couldn't really invite Bora.

Just thinking about that expression of hers made a
sigh escape my lips. If she was that scared of that form
of mine, how was I going to have her fall for me?

I chuckled at the last thought. I had really developed a

desire to make her mine...

"I will also go along!"

Like a declaration, those words entered my ears
causing me to halt my momentum. I turned around
and gazed at her. Those purple pupils of hers roamed
the surroundings, refusing to focus on me. They
contained her fear, yet there was also a certain
resolve, like she was about to take a plunge or
something.

"Really?" Danny asked to confirm her choice.

"If I stay the same, I might put your lives in danger at a

critical moment. I must push through this fear if I want
to improve myself!" Her hands were hanging at her
sides with her fists tightly balled up. This was her
trying to change. Smothering her resolve right now
wouldn't be good.

"Okay."
With that one word, I resumed my descent, making
sure not to turn back and gaze at her. Her nervous and
fear filled visage had almost caused me to lose
control. I had wanted to give her a hug of reassurance
in that moment, but had held myself back.

If love was this...weird, then I was going to be in for a

world of trouble.

"I hope your new powers can give us an edge and help
us at least take on the lifeforms of this world. I
wonder how long the eggs will gestate."

"Danny, that's what I am about to test. Considering

that mine only cracked after we had stepped foot on
this planet, the timeline might be that of a year or
even more. Waiting that long is going to be
troublesome for the both of you. We might need to
acquire some spiritual cores for protection."
"All these plans are predicated on the fact that your
spiritual powers are useful, Nathaniel. What if they
can't help in a battle?" Bora had posed a valid
question. I had this feeling that they would be useful
though, so I wasn't particularly worried.

After some time, my feet finally made contact with the

roots of the plants in the ground. The mud looked like
a very gross sludge in my gaze, and was too wet for
my liking. Because of the little amount of light that
made it to the forest floor, it was a bit dark looking.

"I hate this forest. Why weren't we dropped off into

some open spaces or grasslands?" Danny's
dissatisfaction was equal to mine.

I took a breath, collected myself, then galvanised my

spiritual powers, manifesting them in the outside
world. What surprised me though, was the fact that
my eyes managed to capture their reddish orange
coloration.

I exclaimed in wonder as they started acting upon the

particles in the space around me, giving me control
over everything they touched...another thing that
amazed me.

The colorless spiritual energy had allowed me to

control particles, but it had been more like, encasing
them and dragging them wherever I wanted.

Yet here, every particle that was made contact with

became a part of me, like an arm or a leg.

"The air around you is shimmering, like its heating

up...or a mirage?" Bora's voice came from behind me,
yet I didn't turn around as I knew that I wouldn't be
able to take that fearful and terror-filled expression.
"My intent is a star, so the particles in the space my
spirit is affecting are trying to take on the same
composition. I have a feeling that if it wasn't for my
weak body, my intent alone could annihilate this
planet given time." I explained.

After speaking, I once again directed my attention

towards my spiritual powers, noting the changes in
the particles around me.

I didn't have a god complex, yet right now I felt like a

God as every particle my spiritual powers came into
contact with naturally fell into my grasp, moving to my
every whim. This was way better than previously
when I had lacked the intent. Was this how those
idiots with God complexes felt when everything was
within their grasp, moving upon their every whim?
I didn't linger much on the sensation, instead, jumping
from the tree root into the mud. Do trust me on this,
you never want to stand within this mud. I could feel
some sort of things crawling across my skin from
within the mud, on the potion of my legs submerged
within it.

It was gross, but I grit my teeth and did my best to

ignore them, instead hurriedly making my spiritual
powers come into contact with the particles of mud.
The air particles had been very easy to control once
my intent had infiltrated them, so I wanted to see
whether I could also have that same control on solids.
This was going to be the most critical part of my
experimentation, since it would open up very many
combat ideas.

When my spiritual powers made contact, I felt all the

particles start to vibrate intensely, with the water
molecules even wanting to escape the mud in the
form of vapour, but with my intent having infiltrated
them, I held them in place, causing the mud to start
warming up around my feet. My intent infused
spiritual powers even managed to seep half a meter
underneath the mud, easily surpassing the depth to
which my feet had sunk to.

The mud my feet had sunk into got increasingly

warmer at a rate far faster than I could keep up with,
mostly because of the fact that the water within was
being kept from escaping, causing a buildup of
pressure. Seeing that I was about to scorch myself, I
leaped out onto the tree root. Not a second passed
before an explosion rocked the place where I had
been, scattering heated mud upon us all and the
surroundings.

Withdrawing my spirit had caused the particles to

finally naturally do what they were meant to do when
having too much energy, expand!
"What was that?" Asked Bora. There was a ton of
dissatisfaction in her voice, brought upon by the mud
coating her body.

"Sorry about that. I was performing a test and this

happened." I had already noticed the lack of any
water in the shelter.

Chapter 72 :
TF Chapter 73 North

"What did you find out? And how exactly did you
cause that explosion?" Danny asked with glittering
eyes.

"I galvanised my intent to heat up the mud and

trapped the vapor within by controlling the particles.
After withdrawing my spiritual powers, this
happened."

"What? You managed to force the vapor to stay in one

place?! How did you do that?!"

Bora practically jumped on me, her face showing so

much excitement she had forgotten her previous bad
mood.

"H-Hey!"

I called out to signal that her body rubbing upon mine

was very inappropriate.

The swampy mud smell filled the place with an

unbearable stench, yet through all this distracting
smell, my nose managed to pick up her womanly
scent, a scent so tantalisingly attractive to me that my
hormones started to get out of work.

I felt an erection coming on, so I placed my hands

upon her shoulders and pushed her away, forcing
myself not to look directly at her.

"Bora, are you okay with your current...slutty

behaviour?"

"Danny!!! Do you have a death wish?" Bora jumped

away from me as if she had been electrocuted.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips at the same time that I

felt despondence at her body leaving my range.
"You could distill water for us!" She ignored Danny
after that, speaking directly to me. The hope for taking
a bath was thick within her eyes.

"I still have to experiment more. One of the

discoveries I have made is that my intent works as its
supposed to...for example, I can heat up an atom, with
its eventual direction being that it would become
something akin to a sun. I can't cool it down, and can't
stop the process unless I withdraw my spiritual
powers."

This was a massive detriment as it seemed like I would

need other people's intents if I wanted something my
own intent couldn't achieve.

"So, basically, you mean that if you heat up water, you

can't cool it back down unless you deactivate your
spiritual powers?" Danny had his hand under his chin,
pondering the implications.
"So, intent has some flaws...or you could say that its
traits can't be changed or manipulated." Bora
appeared to be deep in thought.

Once again, I released my intent, this time facing her.

There was a flinch before her eyes showed a sort of
resolve. Her gaze had been about to shift away, yet
she forced herself to gaze at me.

Even though no one had told me anything, I had a

hunch that my eyes, the pupils specifically, were
glowing. That was the only thing I could think of that
could dredge up that familiar terror within her.

And she was fighting it right now. She wanted to get

past that barrier that was holding her back from truly
facing me...and I was going to help any way I could.
After all, how could I even think about dating her if
she was terrified of some part of me?
"I think I will be okay."

A few minutes passed before those words bloomed

from her lips. For some reason I felt as if a massive
weight had just been removed from me.

"I hate to interrupt, but the experiments need to

hurry. I wouldn't like the idea of experimenting until
sunset and having to set off tomorrow."

"You dissuaded me before. Why the hurry now?" Bora

became more relaxed with every passing second.

"Now, there is practically nothing here that should

hold us back. I was waiting for senior Nat before."
"With my next test, I want to see whether I can move
solids."

I directed my spiritual powers towards a dry twig and

tried to will all its particles to move. I became amazed
when the thing was easily lifted up and started flying
around me with ease.

"How great it would have been if we had awakened

our intents on Musana continent!" Bora lamented.

"I believe no forger had discovered intent yet, but

judging from what I felt from that scary looking guy
before we left, it won't be long before this new power
spreads."

"Yeah. Too bad those people chose to dump us on this

planet without giving us such valuable information."
Her complaints were valid. Why did they hastily throw
us on this planet? Could it be that those who had
discovered intent had kept it to themselves?

"Oh, its smouldering. Now its burning? Intent really

can be a double edged sword."

The twig burned into nothingness within a minute of

me taking control.

"Your combat looks like it will need to rely on

projectiles. That way you will have many expendable
materials." Danny chimed in.

"I just have to watch out and make sure that I don't
set my clothes alight, or burn myself."
I said while checking myself to make sure that the
clothes weren't alight. Bora was the one who had
taken the time to sew them. If I lit them on fire or
destroyed them, we might have to delay our scouting
trip.

"I want to try my intent out with a rock. Maybe the

result would be even better."

*****

After testing out my intent, having figured out its

limitations and advantages, we were now in a
triangular formation wondering what direction our
exploring needed to take.

"I suggest north." Spoke Bora with finality.

"Why?" Danny asked what I had been about to put
into words myself.

"While you were stuck inside the shelter with

Nathaniel, I scoured the surroundings and found out
something interesting. Many creatures, even those
that are weaker, periodically make their way north
and then come back to their shelters. Its mostly
prevalent during times when its very hot. So I believe
that there is some kind of water source in the north.
Also, most of the creatures in this forest are
carnivores."

I had never seen her with such a smug expression

before. To her it seemed that this was a deduction
that had taken immense effort on her part.

"I wouldn't have been able to figure out what you just
did." I spewed out the praise, though, it wasn't mere
praise as I was sure as hell that unless I was truly
alone, with no teammates, I would have never taken
the trouble to do all that she had done.

"It was mostly rendered useless because senior Nat

can make water now."

"Danny! Shut up!" Like a cat that had just had its tail
stepped on, she bristled back at him.

"Anyway, since we have chosen a direction, let's go on

to scout out our surroundings. I wonder though, is it
okay to leave our shelter unattended?"

"Don't worry, there is nothing valuable in there. If it

ends up destroyed, we can rebuild. How many times
do you think I have had to change the leaves because
the old ones have decayed?"
She changed the leaves?

"Danny, did you help her?" I intensified my gaze upon

him. I had seen the size of those leaves. If she had had
to harvest them by herself..."

"I helped out! Senior Nat, even though I don't

particularly care for her, allowing nature to harass you
while you were unconscious was unacceptable to
me!"

Chapter 73 :
TF Chapter 74 An Impulse

The forest was teeming with life, with most of them

being critters or small animals that were weaker than
us.
It was beautifully dark, the sparse light painting a
gloomy picture, not to mention the silent eerieness,
only broken by the ocassional sway of the foliage.

We didn't particularly try to stay silent, as we had

already learned that sound wasn't something the
creatures here had a sensory organ for.

Danny was yapping away, complaining about the mud,

the undergrowth that was trying to eat us, and the
tree roots that snaked every which way, requiring us
to either crouch, or jump over to move on.

But I was in my very own world at this moment,

enjoying this time while serendipitously stealing
glances at Bora. Her movements were smooth,
probably having adapted to the ecology of this planet
smoothly. And she also had some knowledge that was
useful to us, like how to spot those carnivorous plants
that liked to hide, though, that was apparently useless
to Danny as the guy avoided the areas as if he had
already known about them in advance!

A critter, centipede-looking in design tried to get the

jump on me from atop the trees only to be burnt into
a crisp the moment I flared my spiritual domain,
having activated my powers to a great extent in an
instant. At first I had thought that control had been
beyond me, yet now I was surprised to see that I could
even keep the temperature constant, without
elevating or lowering it, a happy discovery!

It had also allowed me to pick up the other traits of

my intent that I had failed to register the first time,
like the faint gravitational pull that appeared from the
atoms in the presence of my spiritual powers.

"Halt! There is a carnivorous tuber some meters in

front of us. You see that dark thorn-like spike? Let's
take the long way around."
"Why? Can't we kill it?" Danny's voice contained a hint
of taunting.

"I managed to get a glimpse of its full form during one

of those times it rained...and trust me on this, you
wouldn't want to get entangled with it." She answered
with seriousness.

"Let's take to the trees for now."

I took the lead and scaled a nearby tree until I found a

suitable branch that could hold my weight.

Many organisms made the forest their home, but

plants were the ones that were on top of the food
chain here. Even without intelligence, they were a
force to be reckoned with. Underestimating any would
only lead to death.
"I know that it has been late of me but...thank you for
taking care of me before."

Taking the chance that Bora had followed me up this

tree, I spoke.

"Its what anyone would have done, there is no need

to thank me."

She was mostly right, but I was simply in the mood for
a chat with her. To get to know her better.

During my youth, I would have probably been

overwhelmed trying to speak to a beautiful girl like
Bora. That wasn't anyone's fault though. It was what
youth did to nerds like us. The handsome and
outgoing guys didn't even need to do anything for
beauties to throw themselves at them.
It was lamentable, yet the truth. Anyway, now I was
past those years, now in the prime of my life. Even
though I had never had a girlfriend, I wasn't at that
age where I had to fumble around and act all weak-
kneed.

This was either going to be the beginning of my love

story, or the crashing of my hopes, but it was far
better than sitting on the sidelines and watching her
being taken by the next charmer that comes along.

"Bora, I would love to know more about you."

I spoke while leaping from this branch to the one on

the next tree.

"What brought this on?" She threw me a guarded

look.
"Huh? Nothing in particular, just trying to get to know
you a bit better." Now, flustered was the closest
description to that which was raging within me, but I
made very very sure to keep my expression almost
neutral!

"Why?"

"...Bora, due to certain circumstances that befell me, I

now find you attractive and would love to try
dating...with your agreement of course."

What did I just say? Did I just let my thoughts spew

out of my mouth? Now this was heading in the wrong
direction!
I panicked, with my body threatening to escape my
control, almost slipping from the branches, or leaping
with too much energy.

Seconds passed as we moved, with me in the middle,

while Danny had a sizable lead over us. I was sure
though that he had at least heard our conversation.

"Dating...I have never thought of having any sort of

romantic relation with a guy."

"Really now! But do I have a chance of any sort with

this, or should I just drop it?" My hopes had sunk to
the pit of my stomach with her words, so this question
was just me trying to grasp a chance.

But with the way those words had been uttered, it

seemed like romance had never been on her table.
"I object! Senior Nat! There is no way I will allow
something like romance to get in the way of your
ascension!"

Danny shouted, slowing down enough to match our

pace. He was the very picture of agitation, with eyes
glaring into Bora with the intent to sear her to death.

"Danny...!" Her teeth audibly grinded with anger

taking over her very features.

"What the hell are you talking about? This isn't related
in any way to you! This is between the two of us!"

"Bora, I don't really give a damn whether you like him

or not. Or whether he likes you or not! That can
happen after he achieves greatness!"
"Danny! Do you want me to kill you? No, I am going to
start dating Nathaniel! What are you going to do
about it?!"

Even with her agreeing to it, I didn't feel happy in any

way. This was simply because she had been coerced
into agreeing. I didn't like that...at all.

"I refuse. A relationship shouldn't be started just

because of some rage-fuelled words."

I glared at Danny when saying that. Seriously, the guy

was simply racking up points of dislike from me.

"No, Nathaniel. You have to agree. If you don't...you

will forever lose the chance of ever courting me."
Those purple eyes of hers locked with mine, a
challenge within, plus the confidence that there was
no way that I would choose otherwise.

This woman! She was taunting me! Danny had just

triggered her competitive and unyielding side! I was
just the collateral damage, the chess piece on the
board while the two were the players.

"Little girl! Are you really going to enter a relationship

with me? Do know that I want to do all the intimate
things couples do. Are you up for the challenge?"

My voice became deep. She had just provoked me.

Plus that cocky expression on her face had just raised
her attractiveness to a whole nother level.

I stopped on a branch and pulled her into my

embrace, our eyes meeting, metaphorical sparks
clashing between us with intensity. No one was willing
to back down!

"Heh!" I scoffed at her, wondering how long it was

going to take before she wanted out of my arms.

Though, there was a bit of a problem that was

cropping up as her bouncy body was within my
embrace, I was getting aroused!

Chapter 74 :
TF Chapter 75 Ambush

With these loose clothes there was no way it would go

unnoticed the moment it started poking her!
Maybe I should release her? As I wondered about
that, my attention was brought back to her only to see
a gaze filled with defiance!

Who cared if it poked her! I want to see what

expression she was going to to make when she
noticed it, so I squeezed her onto me, having kicked
everything within my surroundings out of my head.
Here was a woman challenging me, I was going to
make sure she was the one who was going to want to
run away from my arms first!

"What? This little bit of skinship is nothing, after all,

we have been in contact multiple times when I was
training you."

"Heh! Wait for it. I wonder how long you will hold
on...hehehehehe." my chuckle came out ominous
sounding.
If I spontaneously combusted right now, I wouldn't be
surprised as her body caused mine to react in a very
violent way. Heat, starting from my lower body,
spread all around my body, like the branches of a tree
the more her body remained in contact with mine.

I was burning up from passionate thoughts that were

flooding my mind, thoughts about how I would have
her moaning within my arms.

Those very thoughts caused me to break out in a cold

sweat while she was in my embrace. There was this
fear that I would lose control and do something that I
might regret, but that defiant expression of hers
caused my wavering thoughts to once again become
firm. I couldn't let her get her way!

Since she was making my body react, then I was also

going to spread that feeling to her!
Lowering my head ever so slowly, deliberately, I
moved in as if I was going to kiss her, causing her
defiance to scatter, and her eyes to dart every which
way, shyly.

I chuckled inside. This meant that she was simply

being brave. She had never experienced the relations
between men and women.

"...are you scared? You can withdraw you know." I

whispered as my face increasingly drew closer to hers.
It seems taunting her had unearthed some cuteness
from her.

"Don-Don't think that I will let you win!" She tried to

project a fierceness that had already diminished.

"You don't mind me kissing you then?" I asked, my

very body threatening to escape my control.
If she knew just how much I was holding back from
pouncing on her, then she wouldn't be making this
expression that was continuously stocking the flames
of my passion.

"You can...try!" Her voice became increasingly lower,

while her face took on a reddish sheen.

This wasn't fair! I was here restraining my inner

fantasies from becoming reality, yet all she was feeling
was shyness!

The heat got to my brain such that my slow moving

head sped up and my lips felt something soft and
bouncy connect with them. Her lips were so soft that I
nibbled a bit before my tongue invaded to try and pry
them apart only for me to be violently shoved
backwards with such force I was pushed off the
branch I had been on, plummeting to the ground.
Before a question or any anguish could form though, I
caught sight of something having appeared where we
had been standing before, a humanoid beast. Its
uncanny resemblance to that other one two months
ago signified that they were of the same species.

The heat that had been burning up my body from

within instantly cooled off, with my body becoming
gripped with an ice cold feeling, which was abruptly
chased away with a new type of heat, that of rage!

My flaming spirit abruptly sprang from my mind and I

used it to scan behind me. Knowing that there was a
tree trunk behind me, I realigned myself such that my
feet were the ones which made contact, causing a
splash of blue liquid upon sinking within.

My knees folded as I tried to conjure a force from

inside the tree only for me to fail and my body to exit
through the other side, crashing into the mud and
roots and other debris.

But, being interrupted when I was about to have a

session with Bora had already ticked me off the wrong
way, so I regathered myself and practically sprinted
back towards the battlefield where I could already
hear sounds of fighting.

With a step, a leaped from the root and held myself

onto a tree trunk, which I speedily clambered up, with
my feet and hands leaving holes leaking blue in their
wake, not to mention the scorched tree stem that had
to face the wrath of my intent.

Letting your emotions take control of you was

something that was unacceptable during situations
like this. Even though I had gotten enraged, my mind
was still working perfectly, so before I had even
clambered up this tree to join the fight, I had picked
up a twig with my intent, and now it was floating
behind me.

With that taken care of, I hoisted myself back onto the
branch, where both Bora and Danny were busy
dodging the creature, making sure that it stayed on
the branch, yet also making sure that they didn't
become roadkill.

I didn't jump into the fray right away, instead simply

looking for a chance. Its spiritual powers were
probably focused on those two, so I had the element
of surprise behind me.

I maneuvered the twig to my right hand and judged

that it was at least hard enough to surpass the trees
back in Earth. It seemed that the dicarded branches of
these trees became more durable than when they had
been on the trees themselves.
The moment I held it though, memories of my sword
were conjured, which I hurriedly removed and then
focused my intent onto its tip, where it heated up and
became similar to charcoal, though, since my spiritual
powers were holding the particles together,
preventing even those of water from escaping.

A chance opened up and I moved, instantly appearing

behind the creature where I proceeded to stab
directly at where its spinal cord was. Its spiritual
pressure practically burned and parted before my own
which was infused with my intent.

This, as far as I could remember was my most

powerful and fastest strike as I had practically placed
all my concentration on achieving it.

I was shocked when the burning tip of the twig simply

hit nothing as the creature's body blurred, before an
explosion of air sent me scuttling back with Bora.
Danny had been unlucky, being on the other side of
the branch and all. The creature's leap into the air had
been with such tremendous force, that the branch had
snapped! Now, the guy was hurtling towards the
ground.

With the training and physical prowess he had, he was

sure to survive, so my gaze moved upwards, where it
collided with the faceless features of the creature as it
landed on a branch above this one.

"It is fast! If your body had been as strong as its own,

there is no way it would have survived your attack."

"It isn't running..." I ignored her words, instead

narrowing my gaze at the creature. Even with its
spiritual powers clashing with mine and being burned,
it didn't appear to develop any thoughts of retreat.
Danny had already given me a rundown on what had
happened when I had been on the verge of passing
out two months ago.

Through my intent, I felt the creature's emotions

through its spiritual pressure, which were curiosity
and challenge. This one didn't fear me one bit, instead
it was throwing me a challenge.

Now that was interesting! After ruining that intimate

moment with Bora, it had the audacity to challenge
me?!

"Bora, it would be better if you climbed down for a

moment. This beast just interrupted my fun, and now
its challenging me..."
The twig within my hand had it's tip's temperature
soar even further as my intent became affected with
my emotional state.

The creature had its right arm, which had been

somehow smooth before, become covered in pulsing
veins as it lifted it above its head in a motion to palm
down.

"There is no way its arm would-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, its arm blurred

for a moment, causing me to feel a deadly threat. I
reacted as fast as I could, with my body moving
practically on instinct. I turned around and hugged
Bora who had yet to make the descent down, and
leapt off the branch, with a squelch and explosion
sounds entering my ears not a moment too soon.
It was practically horrifying to watch something that I
had thought mostly existed in movies and animations,
being used on you!

The palm had practically pushed air towards me like a

projectile! If its body was that strong, then I had to
make sure that its attacks didn't so much as touch me
or any of the others as we would simply bite the dust
too fast!

Chapter 75 :
TF Chapter 76 Another Encounter

"You know, there is no way that attack would have hit

me, right?"

The heat of arousal had just been rearing its head

once again before those words of hers slammed into
me like a truck, waking me up from my delusions. At
some unknown time during my descent, I had changed
the hug into a princess carry, which was causing her
bouncy and soft body to rub against my chest, sending
heat searing through my whole body.

"It had been a reflex action. There is no need to take it

to heart." I let her down gently, while speaking with as
calm a tone as I could master.

She scoffed at my words, refusing to believe them. But

that's what had happened. The reason my body had
reacted was probably because of some protective
instinct I had developed towards her.

A sigh escaped my lips as I dug myself out of the mud

my legs had sunk into due to the force of the landing
and our combined weight.
"Senior Nat, it would be better to focus on the
opponent instead of romance at this time."

Danny spoke, his words causing me to wonder

whether it was okay for me to wish that he had died.
His words as always were jarring.

"It looks like I will have to take a bath after this

battle." I didn't answer him, simply because it would
be pointless, and this mud, covering my legs was
seriously grossing me out.

Mud splattered once more as something landed right

in front of us, adding even more mud to me and the
rest, yet this time, I didn't have time to grumble,
instead focusing on this creature, whose long tongue
was leaking its lips. It was excited, that much I could
tell.
For a moment there, rage threatened to take over due
to the fact that my first kiss had been interrupted, but
I reigned it in, not entirely, no. I made sure that it
drove the adrenaline within me to spike.

I pushed off the mud, and charged the creature with

my twig at my side, my hand looking relaxed, yet
tense with the preparation to strike.

The creature did something which puzzled me at first,

by bending down and lowering its hand within the
mud only for those sinuous veins to once again appear
on the surface of its arm.

I weaved through the flurry of mud which it had dug

up with such force that it transformed into deadly
projectiles while I tried to shorten the distance
between us.
But this one appeared to know that it couldn't allow
my spiritual powers to make contact with it, so it
continuously retreated while slinging mud and other
things it managed to get its hands on, like stones and
twigs, causing the already large distance between us
to widen.

This was very troublesome. Its physical prowess was

already above mine, and if I kept up this high speed
movement, I was sure that I would run out of juice
first, so I decisively halted my momentum and acted
upon an idea that had been brewing within my mind
for a while.

I held out the twig horizontally while my eyes kept

track of the monster, whose spiritual powers were
locked onto mine. In order for my next trick to work, I
had to deceive it, so I flared my spiritual powers for a
moment, allowing those in contact with its own to rise
in temperature.
Then, with a thought, I withdrew some of my spirit
powers from the heated particles of the twig that
were facing away from the creature, triggering an
explosion due to expansion, forcing the other particles
to be hurled towards the creature at a speed faster
than a bullet!

A scream from it almost caused my eardrums to

shatter as the heated particles, which had turned into
something akin to plasma made contact with its chest.

It went haywire and jumped from place to place,

spattering mud and destroying the surroundings as
the pain overwhelmed it, until it decided to take a full
bath in the mud where its screams came to a slow
stop.

I moved the moment it simmered down, as even its

spiritual powers had been withdrawn due to its
panicking.
Within a few steps, I appeared above it and stabbed
down, having heated the next segment of the twig
after the other had been turned into a projectile,
having even shaped this one in the shape of a tip.

As I brought it down, I felt a sense of danger

overwhelm me, causing me to change my previous
stabbing trajectory from the head, to its arm that was
punching towards my legs. Feeling the heat, it
withdrew its attack, giving me the chance to retreat.

I panted, with the clothes Bora had sewn, sticking to

my body because of the massive amount of sweat my
body was letting off. Some had been caused by my
speedy movements while the rest had been a result of
my intent.

"Shit! I am expending too much energy!"

The creature stood up from the mud, showing off the
injury I had just given it, which was grotesque to say
the least. The image gave me the feeling that I had to
be cautious when using my intent as I could hurt
myself or my companions if I ever lost control.

"Are you still up for the challenge?" I shouted, with a

smirk playing on my lips. That successful attack had
made me feel that I had finally managed to get out of
that feeling of powerlessness, where I had faced death
many times. Now, I was effectively powerful enough
to at least not be kicked around, right?

It's spiritual powers once again made contact with

mine. Even though they were burning, I felt that they
were calm, not like before when there was a
challenge.
But the chill that raced up my spine caused me to
come to the conclusion that I had thoroughly pissed it
off.

Its disgusting mouth was now closed and it was simply

standing there as if in the middle of contemplation. Its
injury had to still be immensely painful, yet it was
simply standing there, as if it was a statue!

I forcefully made my posture more combat ready from

the previous relaxed posture. With a thought I
activated my spiritual powers to the extent I could
control, causing the very air around me to shimmer
with an orangish hue, a sign that the particles had
been thoroughly infiltrated with my intent. Though, I
made sure to keep those particles firmly away from
my body.

Thoughts about my previous close calls with death

entered my mind as I beheld this creature. Previously I
had been weak and my mindset hadn't been in the
right direction, but now, I could feel a rising intention
to battle, to prove that the previous weak self had
been obliterated, only leaving behind the strongest
parts of me.

Even though its quietness and almost calm demeanor

unsettled me, I made the first move. This wasn't the
previous me who would have sat back and waited to
receive an attack, or the reckless me who had chosen
to throw away their life, no, this was a new me, an
improved version!

The moment I appeared within range, a foot enlarged

within my vision, causing me to shift to the side,
bypassing it and thrusting out with my twig, only to
feel the very air above me compressing.

I didn't even waste a moment, immediately rolling out

of the way with all my strength, but before I could
even gather myself, another foot was coming down
upon my form, causing me to once again roll away,
this time making sure to push myself off the ground
faster, leaping up into the air.

A black palm greeted me, but this time, I was

prepared, so I thrust out my twig, whose smoldering
tip was even causing the air wherever it passed to
explode away due to conducting the energy within the
tip.

Chapter 76 :
TF chapter 77 A Win

Before the twig could even get within 5 inches of the

palm, the creature withdrew it and its body blurred
before appearing at my side where, its open mouth
was just a grasp away from biting my head off!
Seeing that any movement I could attempt, was
slower than the attack, I leaned back, with the mouth
missing, only for a punch to be thrown towards my
stomach!

I let myself fall to the ground and rolled away, feeling

my very muscles screaming in strain. Just those few
movements alone were exhausting! But the beast had
changed its attack pattern. Where it had been content
to attack from afar, now it was going for close range.
Though, I had been the first to initiate an attack, it
wasn't withdrawing from me, instead matching and
even surpassing my reactions.

I cursed at its well endowed physical body. If one of its

attacks so much as hit me, I was pretty sure that I
would most definitely be severely injured, if not dead!
As I dodged attack after attack while also dishing out
my own which were also being effectively dodged, I
noticed something. The creature was fighting calmly,
all its moves the picture calculation.

My dodging was haphazard, while its own was perfect,

allowing it to conserve more energy while I wasted a
lot of it.

A breakthrough was needed. If I only relied on the

twig, a battle of attrition would only eventually lead to
my own death instead of its own.

With a bit of concentration during a minor respite

from its continously chained attacks, I concentrated
immensely, causing the surroundings of my body to
become lit up as I formed a few balls of burning
brightness.
They expanded until they reached the level of tennis
ball, where I stopped them as being too big would
only make it easy for them to escape my control.

Another attack came at me, a swipe of the claw, which

I barely dodged by taking a step back before mentally
moving my intent spiritual balls, one of them, towards
its arm as it passed by. I hit it on the elbow, causing a
pained scream to reverberate in the surroundings as
the creature once again retreated a few meters away.

Its disability of having zero eyes was serving to be the

greatest advantage for me. It had been capable of
dodging my attacks with the twig because my physical
prowess had been lower than its own, but these
flaming plasma balls didn't have that same constraint
as with just a thought, I could move them way faster
than even its reaction speed, as long as it was within
the domain of my spiritual powers!
There is no human who won't feel the satisfaction of
wielding power, the rush that came with feeling
unbeatable. Some, became taken in and turned
prideful arrogant and conceited while others, became
even more humble. As they always say, there are even
greater mountains beyond those that you see.

The rush of joy and pride and many other complex

emotions alone added to my spike of adrenaline.
There was this satisfaction that bloomed within me
the longer I looked at its thrashing and screams.

This was power in its truest sense!

The orange plasma balls floating around me made me

feel that I had finally reached my peak!

I pulled my hand back and through the twig, which

after exiting my spiritual domain, where all its
particles had been in perfect control; its tip exploded
due to the abrupt expansion brought upon due to me
relinquishing control.

The explosion was minor in nature, simply kicking up a

gust of wind, but the screaming creature took off,
scared by the mere shockwaves of a mild heat
battering at it.

I smirked at the fact that I might have caused it to

develop some sort of trauma.

"That was cool! How I wish I had power like yours!"

Exclaimed Danny, while I disabled my spiritual powers,
only after hurling all the balls of plasma away from
myself, where they exploded at a safe distance.

"You were struggling. If it wasn't for your intent, you

would have been dead." Bora's calm analysis broke
me out of my pride. She was right, its physical body
was far far above mine.

"If I hadn't analysed where it was going to attack just

by reading the movement of its muscles...I would be
most definitely dead. But, the idea I figured out at the
end helped me. It looks like I will have to figure out
more uses for my intent. Adding more fighting styles
to my repertoire would allow me not have to contend
with these physically stronger creatures."

"It will also allow you the versatility to take on

multiple of the creatures." She added.

*****

I winced as one of my scrapes was rubbed at using

some sort of rudimentary cloth from some animal
dubbed with some sort of thick paste. It almost
caused me to scream as the pain was akin to being
rubbed in the wound with salt.

Bora wasn't being gentle here. It was like she was

taking her revenge out on me. I could practically see
the wrath that was seething within her by gazing into
those purple pupils of hers. But I wasn't going to
apologise, no way! I had kissed her and she was going
to have to live with it!

Though, the taste of those lips wasn't something I

could easily forget. I even developed the urge to lean
in closer and go for another one, but decided against
such a course of action as I wouldn't love something
ambiguous to turn into hate.

We were up within one of the tree branches, resting

and with me trying to at least get back into
exploration shape. The strain upon my body by the
battle was making me feel pain everywhere, like I had
just had every muscle stretched to its limits...which I
had.

"We can't always be fighting every creature we meet

as that will cut down on our exploration time. You
need to come up with a move that would make you
win easily and cleanly without tiring yourself out...
Those balls of plasma were a step in the right
direction."

Even angry, she was still capable of seeing the big

picture.

"A star isn't just known for being very hot. There is
gravity too. But for now, I think I will go with the
plasma balls as they are easier to manage." I had put
much thought into that decision.
"We can't linger here for long. The day might end
without us having even made any headway!" Danny
reminded.

I stood up after a few minutes and moved on, this

time being cautious. We had started noticing signs of
increased creature activity, which made us certain
that we were entering a part of the forest that was
home to them.

At first, it was critters like mis-shapen centipedes,

rabbit-like creatures that had a leap so powerful, their
counterparts on Earth would be put to shame...as we
had even caught sight one leaping so high, it had
practically matched a tree! You had to know that
these trees would make the ones on Earth feel like
babies!

Of course, we made sure to avoid most of them,

which was made even easier with their lack of light
sensory organs or sound ones. All we just had to do
was not be in the range of their spiritual perceptions,
a fairly easy task.

Though, there were those that we failed to avoid,

whether because the meeting had been surprisingly
abrupt, or that avoidance would have been even more
troublesome! These ones we killed. Most of the kills
were being done by me. Some of the edible ones were
harvested by Bora and carried within her leaf bag.
They were going to be our night snack.

Chapter 77 :
TF Chapter 78 Trapped Fish

***Nathaniel***
Also, something else that I noticed was the fact that
the ground had become harder, losing the muddy
state as we continued on. The mud hid many
predators, the flora that devoured even the fauna!
Here it seemed that there were no such worries as the
hard ground made it a bit harder for the weak plants
to even be capable of moving within it.

This section of the forest really gave us the feeling

that life was abundant, as opposed to the other
gloomy and creepy part.

Though, the fact that it was teeming with life

increased the danger level of the place, causing us to
be cautious with every move of ours.

There was a lack of birds in this forest, probably

because of the fact that they lacked organs that
sensed light. Even those critters akin to insects didn't
fly, instead having strong feet that allowed them to
leap high. What made me interested though, was the
fact that they only occasionally ran into obstacles. It
led me to a speculation of whether they had some
sort of long term memory superior to ours that
allowed them to map the place out, but I hurriedly
dismissed it after finding out how they were
maneuvering in this place.

On Earth, death was typically caused by some

predator devouring prey, but here it was instead
mostly brought on when something killed itself by
accident, and boy, was that almost every second! It
was probably why this part of the forest was teeming
with life, because of how short every critter's lifespan
was!

"This some messed up evolution. Its like a failed

scientific experiment. Look at those rabid creatures!
They are fighting just because they bumped into each
other by accident! Honestly, this is twisted! Why
didn't these critters develop some sensory organ for
light? The sun reaches this place just fine, but for
some reason these critters didn't evolve something
akin to sight!" Bora looked like someone had stuffed a
bug in her mouth.

***Danny***

There was something wrong with this new place. I just

knew it. There was no chill on my back, no shivers, and
most definitely, no strange feeling like that of being
stalked or anything...but I could feel it within my very
bones. This was way abnormal!

All the observations that Bora and Senior Nat were

making were already bizarre enough, not to mention
the fact that for some reason, these creatures had a
lack of specks upon them! The trees had them, that I
could tell, yet there was absolutely zero on these
creatures!

I could have told them, but that would mean exposing

my ability, something that I was very much trying to
keep hidden, so how was I going to warn them? Not to
mention the fact that for some reason, all this seemed
real...wait! An illusion? It couldn't be!!!

They had already drummed information about this

planet into us! There had been no creature in the
records that had been capable of illusions!

"There is something wrong with this!" I whispered as

we leaped into another tree.

"Of course everything is wrong here, Danny!" Bora

raised her voice, something that told me that she was
still not happy with me.
"Yes...the ecosystem is practically broken! Some of the
species here look like things that should have been
extinct a long time ago due to their imperfections yet
here they are!"

Senior Nat chimed in, but the two weren't getting the
point I was trying to make here!

Something was very wrong here!

Since I was the only one who had any idea about my
own conjectures, I decided to become extra vigilant.
There was probably something masterminding this
whole scene, something hiding within the shadows.

I tried to spread out my spiritual powers, something

that I had done unconsciously, only for my heart to
drop down into the abyss.
These creatures, the fake things, weren't randomly
moving around as we had thought, no no no, they
were closing us in, like a tightly woven net.

"Stop!"

Bora's order signified that she had also noticed the

anomaly, though it appeared that we had been too
late. It didn't matter much though, because most of
them could be taken out by even us who had no
intents. We had already fashioned a few primitive
weapons from twigs and stones.

But...there was something wrong. There was no way

these simple minded creatures had the brains to think
of this strategy. So, who or what was behind all this?
"This is weird and bad." Senior Nathaniel's
surroundings started to distort, signifying the fact that
he had just activated his intent.

"There must be something controlling all these

animals. Look at that bug. There is no way it has the
intelligence to think up this plan, let alone work with
the other creatures." I spoke out.

"We are caught in a trap."

Bora spoke even as we placed our backs to each other

in a circle and vigilantly scanned around.

"No matter what happens, we must keep within five

meters of each other. I wouldn't be able to protect
you both otherwise should the unexpected happen."
Senior Nat spoke with seriousness.
How I wished my intent awakened faster!

***Nathaniel***

"I can sense a spiritual aura in the animals, a foreign

one."

It was bizarre to say the least. These animals weren't

truly living, and were only constructs created through
intent infused spirit!

"I don't sense anything!" Bora exclaimed.

Could it be because I had awakened my intent, or was

there some other reason that made it so that I was the
only one who could detect it? Even Danny was giving
me a side eye of astonishment.
"A great observation!!!"

"""WHO?!?!"""

We all shouted out at the same time. The voice hadn't

come from just a single place but all around us and
was weird as if...I couldn't tell, but it was like it wasn't
coming from the person directly.

"I spent years after my close encounter with one of

your species, recovering! I wonder, this is our planet,
but every single year aliens appear. Where do they
come from? Where do YOU come from?"

"A native! Interesting! How did you learn our

language?" Danny asked, having calmed down
significantly from before. It seemed that finding the
origin of the weirdness had allowed him to relax some
of his tense nerves, something that we all were
experiencing.

Chapter 78 :
TF Chapter 79 A Native Alien

"Yes, I am a native. A hunter! You call yourselves

humans, an apt designation. To you all, our species is
flawed, something I learned after using my methods
upon a few humans...but that's all in the past. What I
really want to know is this, how did you manage to
awaken an intent, something we have tried through
extensive means to hide from your species,
HUMAN!!!"

At the end, its voice practically reverberated through

the place, yet these animals, the intent constructs
didn't seem fazed, another trait to add onto their
fakeness.

"Oh! Your flawed species actually had beings like you,

who have awakened intents?" Bora became curious.

"Curiosity...is your disease, humans. Its good that I

have met you before you managed to get off this
world of ours. I can't let an alien get away with this
knowledge."

"Heh! Are you really capable of taking on all three of

us?" Danny taunted.

"You dare to underestimate a hunter!

Hahahahahahaha...humans! Humans! Humans! I have
to say, you aliens are even more flawed than us..."
The constructs, which had been creeping towards us
in a steady slow rhythm, abruptly sped up and lunged,
forcing us to defend ourselves.

With a small movement, I leaned a little bit to the

side, letting an insect which had hurled itself towards
me, pass by, missing me, only for it to burn up before
it could even reach one of the other two's backs. Its
composition appeared to be interesting though. It was
made up of an amalgam of molecules and trash, like
dead leaves and what not.

With a thought, I took control of all the particulates

with my intent and forced them to start spinning on
their axis while their temperatures rose, effectively
turning them into a plasma ball, which I kept
suspended within my domain.

More were being created every second until I started

feeling the strain when I got to just above 20. The
others that made it were incinerated, while those
large creatures that attacked were greeted with the
plasma balls, like a creature in the form of a rabbit,
which took a plasma ball to the thigh while trying to
kick me, causing the rest of the foot to be severed
from its body before, the other plasma balls tunneled
through its body, doing so much extensive damage
that it was forced to dissipate because the intent that
had been driving it had been incinerated.

Even with a lack of intents of their own, my

companions were handling the seige very well,
managing to dissipate many of the creatures with
their martial arts moves which were lethal enough to
injure or outright kill the creatures.

"I have to say, you are good, but I have seen better.
Now, let's really DANCE!!!"
The voice once again reverberated within the the air,
with the creatures ceasing their attacks and
withdrawing as if they had just been commanded.

"This is weird. I thought there was a limit to intent. I

don't feel any sort of domain yet, these creatures are
moving... What's up with that?" Bora pursed her lips
after asking that question. I noticed that, because I
had been paying attention to her, a habit that had
appeared because of my budding romantic feelings for
her.

"It looks like we don't know everything. We have to be

careful. This alien's intent is different. Though, I have
noticed a fact that it seems like its related to
animation or something close. Definitely not illusions
though." I spoke about a few of my observations.
A nearby branch had its leaves rustle as something
with a significant weight landed upon it, drawing all of
our attentions to it.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha-kkuk!"

Danny's spittle went flying before it tried to prevent

him from breathing aost choking him.

The reason he was laughing in such an unsightly

manner was because of the lifeform that had
appeared on a branch of a tree nearest to the one we
were standing on.

Even I laughed at its appearance, with Bora also failing

to keep a laugh from escaping her lips.
You know those animations and cartoons where some
comical expressions, like eyes popping out of the
sockets due to immense shock or surprise always
happen, with a single muscle still attached, with the
capability of pulling the eyes back into their rightfull
place? This was that same scenario that was
perpetually happening to the creature before us. It
wasn't in a state of shock or anything, just that its eyes
were somehow frozen with such an expression. It was
gross, yet also funny.

"Hahhhhh...man, you just made my day! How did you

come up with this...joke?" Danny spoke while
recollecting himself, failing due to how comical the
creature's eyes were.

"What are you talking about, alien? This is my greatest

work, a being that could detect photons themselves,
just like your race. Its modeled after myself after all.
Do you like it?"
The words that came out of the creature's mouth
caused all of us to pause in a moment of shock.
This...alien had managed to somehow copy our visual
prowess?!

Now this was troublesome. If I was thinking this right,

then this lifeform which was attacking us had to be
one of those natives. If it had managed to figure out
how to see, what about all the others? This was very
very alarming!

"Oh! Has this stopped being very humorous? Has it

sank in that a native has managed to push evolution to
its limits? You know, I had to pry apart most of this
knowledge from the many humans I managed to
capture, over countless years. It was a very hard and
slow endeavour...learning all there was about your
species, but I managed to piece together most of it,
starting with learning the language."
It paced around on the branch, bringing it home how
close it had managed to mimic the human behaviour.

"You don't capture a target or targets right away if you

want to learn their culture. No no no...you first watch
and take in everything before you get enough of the
routine and capture to pry out that which isn't
observable. I take pride in my methods of prying out
information from your species. Through trial and
error, mostly due to their fragile bodies not holding
up, I have managed to create a few dozen methods
which are all very flawless. Now, you human with the
intent, my goal is to capture you. Those next to you
are simply not needed, so, do you want to easily give
up? Or struggle? Frankly, it would be a bit more
interesting for me if you struggle."

The way its head tilted to the side alone was horrific
enough to give us nightmares, but its monologue
alone caused the chills in me and the other two,
judging by the minute shifts in their facial expressions.
"...ah! I almost forgot. I do have to warn you that this
body, even with it being a mere intent construct has
many many modifications that can't otherwise be
done to normal bodies, so be careful of your choice as
it will most certainly lead to some sort of lost limbs,
especially you, intent holder. I wouldn't want to
capture you in pieces."

With a tilt, I leaned forward as if I was going to fall

before pumping some force into my feet and a smaller
controlled release of my intent below my feet,
creating a small explosion, propelling me to the
branch that the creature was standing on.

"Watch out for its true body!"

I shouted even as I reached the other side in an

instant, where with a mental command, three of the
plasma balls were pushed towards the creature with
my intent domain covering it in my range.

Its body blurred, dodging the projectiles. Though one

of my aims had been to take over its position, so I
landed where it had been, releasing my domain to the
limit, where I managed to sever one of its arms,
turning it back into an amalgam of things.

"Interesting. If I am not mistaken that's plasma, a high

temperature state of matter, right?"

Even while asking that question, it was looking at its

stump of the remaining arm, which had been charred
at the edges due to the high heat.

"Do you even know what Matter is?"

"You would be surprised by the broad uses of my
intent."

My eyes narrowed at those words. An unknown

intent. I had to be cautious. This creature hadn't
turned tail. My intent was very destructive in nature.
Since it had the confidence to even try capturing me,
then it must have had some sort of insurance, or
trump card.

With a thought, I targeted a few molecules in my

domain and gave them another one of the things a
star had, gravity!

After designating a few particles as an origin point, I

activated my intent fully, causing all the particles
around me to be sucked into those points, with the
ability even yanking the beast towards me. A grin
played across my lips as I directed every plasma
sphere, even the gravity points, making a few singed
holes to appear, not to mention those that twisted
and became bigger due to being sucked into the
gravity points.

Before I could rejoice though, I had leap further back

as a kick aimed at one of my knees proved to be too
dangerous for me to tank. It looks like I had to destroy
this entire puppet intent in order to annihilate it.

Chapter 79 :
TF Chapter 80 Improved Control

***Bora***

The soles of my feet were wet with sweat, a

testament to how nervous and terrified I was. If its
creation was this powerful already, then what of the
creator itself? It had already given word of how both I
and Danny weren't needed alive, meaning that as
Nathaniel was duking it out with the intent creation,
we could be killed! That was one truth I didn't want to
accept. Was this how Nathaniel has always felt when
he had been attacked by foes more powerful than
himself?

I tried to calm down my rapidly racing heart with a

deep breath, yet that failed. So I focused, on the
battle, though also keeping a sliver of my attention on
the surroundings. I had only trust in myself, maybe
even Nathaniel, but Danny? That guy would most
definitely throw me in front of an attack to save
himself.

Honestly, I was a bit baffled by Nathaniel's

improvement with the usage of his intent. I was
wondering whether he was a true genius or was it the
intent itself that was improving. The way he was
trading blows with this intent creature was unlike
before, when he was fighting the other creature. I
never knew he could use a star's gravity itself as an
attack! It was mind blowing and made me all the more
giddy for when my own awakened.

The battle was even more epic than the one before, as
if two super beings were duking it out, though, instead
of only watching from the comfort of my home, I was
here, at the front row, with even my own life hinging
upon him winning and protecting me.

A sigh escaped my lips on how our previous roles had

now reversed, where before, I had been the protector,
now I was the the protected. Ironic, wasn't it?

"I wonder what your intent truly is! Those plasma

balls...those balls which appear to have the ability to
attract everything...if I am not mistaken...its akin to
gravity, right?"
The intent construct spoke while holes in its body
were closing, distorting the air in the surroundings. So,
even air molecules were part of its composition,
though, if it could recover, then that meant that his
battle was going to become harder.

"I am also interested in knowing how your intent

works, and how long this construct can survive my
moves. I thought all the natives were true warriors,
the kind of aliens that would fight head on instead of
hiding behind a puppet."

It was bizarre how this creature could speak without

even having some sort of spiritual tether, though, as I
was starting to find out, intent was abnormal, so it
was to be expected.

"...why should I follow in the footsteps of those

blockheads? Its the entire reason I am alone! I can do
whatever I want without any constraints to hold me
back!"

After those words, Nathaniel lunged. He had probably

only made conversation to allow himself to recover,
and so had the intent construct.

***Nathaniel***

I pushed myself off the branch with such force that I

felt it snapping behind me, but that didn't matter
because this battle was taking its toll on me. The
plasma balls and the gravity wells floating around me
were taking all my concentration just to keep in line. It
was like walking with those plasma grenades, having
removed the pin, and only holding onto the trigger
while having to fight mobs. For me, I was simply
holding way too many grenades, where the smallest
slip of my concentration had caused a patch of skin on
my left arm to burn.
My lunge brought me close to the intent construct,
with my spiritual domain encapsulating it before I
once again attacked with the balls, only for them to
pass through harmlessly, causing me to move my gaze
to the sky, and the branch to snap, with a weightless
feeling enveloping me.

Thinking fast, I connected all the plasma balls, creating

a makeshift whip which I hurled towards the creature
above, all the while thinning and elongating my
spiritual domain to go along with it. With a single
attack, the creature was bisected vertically in half,
even as I conjured a few minor explosions that shifted
me towards the tree trunk, where my fingers dug in
and left long grooves in their wake until my
momentum was halted.

If I was thinking right, this intent construct wasn't

about to go down even with those two halves
bisected, a theory that was proved when they pulled
back together as if they had attracted each other.

The whip had already returned to me, and back into

orange plasma balls that floated around me. Though, I
made sure none of them got close enough to the tree
trunk. Accidentally destroying the tree wasn't on the
agenda at this time.

With a burst of strength, I propelled myself towards a

nearby branch, before leaping back upwards to catch
up with the intent construct which was falling down,
courtesy of gravity. I had to get within range once
again, and this time, I wasn't going to hurl plasma balls
towards it, no, I was going to set it aflame by having
my intent try and infiltrate it. It was a hard task,
considering that it was being animated by foreign
intent, but I wasn't about to let that stop me.
I bent my knees, and with a leap, I caught up with the
intent creation that was free falling, before
commanding the very air around it to take on one of
the traits of a star, heat!

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

It screamed as the air encasing it became orange,

which ultimately increased to the point that it almost
looked like I was staring into a humanoid shaped sun!

Before I could revel in the taste of victory though, I felt

something entering my domain at speeds far faster
than my body could move, but with a single command
using my intent, I froze every single particle within my
spiritual domain, even the burning humanoid sun had
flames that appeared to have been frozen in time, yet
that didn't slow me down in my next course of action
nonetheless because even with me stopping every
particle, whatever was breaching my spiritual domain
had only been slowed down marginally!

With another command, I willed a plasma ball into

being on my right side, just below my armpit, where I
relented control over my intent on the side that was
away from my body, causing an explosion that
propelled me in the opposite direction.

When the force had hit my side, it felt as if one of the

creatures had kicked me, with me feeling the sound of
cracking, which most probably came from my ribs. The
impact itself caused me to almost pass out, but it
saved me from whatever attack of thing that had been
entering my domain.

With a squelch, I was sure that I had become

embedded into a tree at this point, with my injuries a
bit too severe, but with adrenaline and a strong will, I
pushed myself out as fast as I could.
I spat out blood from in between my lips, with the
droplets falling far below into the darkness that was
the forest floor. Two figures were standing on a
branch of another tree, gazing at me with identical
fury filled gazes and those comically cartoonish eyes
of theirs...the intent construct and its master, who
had finally decided to show up.

"Finally done with hide and seek I suppose..." I spoke

while wiping away a trace of blood from my lips with
the back of my palm.

"I had thought that this would be easy, but for some
reason, probably your intent, my construct is
struggling."

It was like looking at identical twins, but even they

would have some flaws here and there. Yet these
were perfectly identical. If they were within the scope
of my spiritual domain, I would probably have been
able to tell them apart, yet here I couldn't figure out
who was the real native and who was the intent
construct!

"Your race appears to have the flaw of having too

weak a physical body, something that is going to lead
to you being captured...though am starting to wonder
whether I will be able to get you alive, or having your
body still intact."

After those words, I watched as all the limbs of the

intent construct and the native almost doubled in size,
with muscles and veins snaking across the surface like
dragons that were under immense strain.

I curbed my surprise by taking in a very massive

breath of air before hurling the plasma and gravity
balls away from me, causing explosions that rocked
the air a few meters away from me. The speed at
which I could conjure them has increased to the point
where basically, a thought was all I needed, so there
was no point in keeping them close to me at all times
where accidents were bound to happen at any given
time with a slight lapse in concentration.

"I am also going all out. I will show you the resolve and
power of a human!" It was nothing much, but I too
had thought that a statement, or some sort of
shouted sentence was needed to rouse my fighting
spirit.

Chapter 80 :
TF Chapter 81 Disadvantage

"I physically outclass you...don't I? This is the perfect

body that we natives have managed to acquire after
evolving for thousands of years. The gravity of your
planet alone makes it so that on our planet, you
are...what's the word...lighter? Yeah! Lighter than us.
Which brings me to my current experiment. Can your
intent account for my speed? Will you be able to burn
me up before my attack destroys you? Hmmm!?"

This creature likes talking too much. Did it love the

sound of its own voice? Though it had made its point.
Even those creatures I had fought back there had
been troublesome when they decided to move faster
than I. What about this intelligent native?

Within the large hole in the tree, my eyes captured

the twitch of a muscle. I didn't doubt it for one
second, pushing myself out of the whole and into the
air, only for something to cause my heart to pong
against my chest in shock, not even a second later,
while I was still midair.

An explosion behind me caused my very heart to leap

out of my chest, because I hadn't even managed to
make it a meter away from the damn tree! Yet my
ears had captured the sound waves! I even had the
thought that the act of turning my head to look
behind me would be too slow to the creature and its
intent construct, both of which by the way, still had
afterimages in their previous places!

My earlier plan of leaping to another tree was hastily

discarded as I simply let gravity take hold, only using
my hands to hold onto the other tree had I leaped
towards in order to slow my descent and tweak my
landing. I was going to have to rely on the mud below
to at least try and slow these creatures down.

Was I cursed or something? Because, every single time

I became stronger, some being popped up that was
stronger than me. Was I some sort of magnet for
these beings, or was there something about me that
attracted them?
I even doubted whether a command to stop every
particle within my spiritual domain would even slow
down that crazy speed of theirs!

***Danny***

Senior Nat's ability to always attract troublesome

things or creatures was getting out of control. Was
this universe out to get him? That question alone had
me wondering whether I should visit a diviner in the
future. And what frustrated me the most was the fact
that I just had go lack the strength to even help him in
those times!

It was honestly frustrating how we were just here on

the sidelines while he was facing such strong
creatures! We didn't even have the capability to
help...and trying to join in as we were right now would
only cause him trouble!
My gaze drifted to my other weak companion, whose
current demeanor and gaze almost caused me to kill
the damn woman! She was simply standing in place,
lost in a daze and having absolutely zero awareness of
her surroundings! Wasn't this the same as courting
death!

"Hey! Bora! Wake the hell up!" I shouted at her which

made her jump in surprise.

"We have to at least keep up with those three, in case

senior Nat needs a little help!"

"Let's go."

I didn't even wait for her, leaping away from this tree
to the next, and then started my descent into the
forest down below.
How I wish I could kill the damn woman, or better yet,
trade her to the native, for both my and senior Nat's
safety.

These trees appeared tough with just a glance, but

when it truly came to touching them, it was surprising
how soft their stems were. With just my bare hands, I
was able to dig inside with my fingers. I used them as
brakes when sliding down, also as trajectory alters,
which made me avoid most of the branches. Even
before my body touched the ground, I could hear the
sounds of battle going on down below. I also heard
something else sliding down with me into the depths.
It was above me and I knew who it was, but I didn't
have the thought of sparing her another aorta of my
attention. Senior Nat was more important.

The thought of his name alone caused my heart rate

to increase. I was fearful. Scared that he might not
survive this encounter. From the words of the alien
native, I had managed to pick up on the fact that he
had spent longer with his intent than the just
awakened senior Nat.

***Bora***

My previous conjectures about intent had been

shattered. This alien creature, the native, was
displaying intent that was breaching most of them. For
example, its intent construct was somehow moving
without the need for a spiritual tether, as if there was
some quantum connection I was unaware of. And do
trust me, I had investigated! Even though I couldn't
physically get close, I had arrayed my spiritual powers
into a long thin strip that I had used to check.

Nathaniel's spirit had a flaw of only manifesting within

just a few meters around him, something that this
native was practically rendering moot. Could it have
been caused by the different intent? Or was it one of
those perks associated with the length of training? Or
was it because it had awakened far earlier than him?

There were very many speculations, some of which

warranted merit, yet I couldn't sit down with the
creature and ask it, now could I?

Faintly, I heard someone calling my name, and when I

directed my attention towards the voice, I almost
ground my teeth. It was Danny! The hateful guy who
liked to make me feel as if I was less than an ant to
him.

I didn't say anything, simply opting to follow him as he

followed the sounds of battle to the forest floor.

Honestly, Nathaniel was in huge trouble. Even if you

discounted the native's weird intent spiritual powers,
there was its physical body! That last attack it had
used before they had both sank down below to the
forest floor had been scary! Frankly, I didn't think I
would have been able to react!

Calling the forest gloomy upon reaching down below

was an understatement that was borderline craziness.
It was dark, icky, and most of all, had mud! Mud! For
all my years on Earth, I had never trekked to that
rainforest that humanity had decided to preserve...I
believe it was called the amazon?

Anyway, there was some change from the previous

gloominess, flames and embers were floating around
the space, with the swampy smell so thick, it
practically felt like breathing in liquid sewage!

Apocalyptic would be a gross overstatement of the

current scene that was being cast over my eyes, yet I
would have still liked to say that it was closest
description to what I was seeing.
Dark figures, three of them, were flickering here and
there, meeting, colliding, separating, and then once
again doing the same thing. The separation mostly
resulted into the current apocalyptic scene, not to
mention the dodged attacks that gave the impression
of dropped bombs once they made impact with the
surrounding area.

I looked at a hole in the trunk of a tree that had been

blasted until I could see through it to the other
side...yet it was in the process of repairing itself. I had
a feeling that if these trees didn't have this crazy
regeneration speed, then this place would have
looked a lot more worse.

I moved my gaze to where the battle was taking place,

catching glimpses of Nathaniel's techniques which
were either sucking in air and stuff into a single point,
or bright balls of flame that were probably thousands
of degrees hot. Even with all his power, he was on the
back foot, a fact that was immutable because of the
intent construct and its creator's superior physical
might, which apparently, was even allowing them to
breach his intent domain, which I was pretty sure was
very hot, judging by the distortions in the air around
him.

***Nathaniel***

I took a step to the left, barely evading a kick aimed at

my head. I was barely fast enough to dodge, judging
from the fact that the black foot having four toes was
passing just a few inches away from my face!

Before I could even breathe out a sigh of relief, I felt a

crisis coming from above, causing me to roll away in
the mud and powerful splash of mud to add to the
one already caking me. I was tired, bruised and almost
running on fumes at this point.
Chapter 81 :
TF Chapter 82 Intense

But losing wasn't an option as my companions would

be killed, while I would most probably be captured.

As I rolled away from an attack for the umpteenth

time, something hard and thin grazed my arm within
the mud. I didn't hesitate, pulling it up instantly and
directing my spiritual intent towards it, where two
thirds of it became orange while the remainder
became my hilt. I swung it without hesitation towards
an incoming clawed hand, where I severed it at the
wrist with a single move!

That elicited a howl from the alien native as he backed

off with his intent construct. I grinned at my luck, the
luck that managed to allow this attack to connect with
the true body instead of the construct.
Even through the darkness, the extent of the
destruction that had been caused to the surroundings
became all the more clear as my gaze roamed the
surroundings. I had been so hard pressed that I hadn't
had any time to take a moment to gaze at the
surroundings. Charred tree bark, severed branches,
large gushes on the tree stems that were leaking the
blue pasty liquid...and many more damages, like
craters in the mud which were slowly getting filled
with water, were littered everywhere. If in the past,
you had asked me if I would be one of the causes of
such widespread destruction, I would have said no,
yet now, it was reality!

Growing up, I watched all manner of media that had

cool and epic battles that lay waste to landscapes and
changed the entire terrain forever. There were even
those that shattered planets, or destroyed space like it
was a physical construct, entering other dimensions to
continue with the apocalyptic destruction. During
those times, my heart had pounded within my chest
with delight and yearning. I will say this, no man
disliked epicness!

On Earth, humans, especially forgers, had laws in

place that stopped wanton destruction, but here...I
could let loose! It was fun and exciting and many
other things that caused my adrenaline to spike.

I probably had the silliest grin on my face right now,

but who cared! As long as I got to enjoy this battle, it
was worth it!

The howling of the alien creature a few meters away

only widened my grin. There was this stray thought
that wondered into my mind, whether I was a battle
maniac, or just plain crazy? But I kicked it away at the
vision of two figures descending even further away
from the battlefield, Danny and Bora.
I heaved a sigh of relief when those purple petalled
pupils of hers fell onto mine and didn't flinch away. It
seems that progress had been made, eliciting a bubble
of happiness to appear in my mind.

The glow of those eyes made her appear beautiful,

not to mention her ruffled hair which simply drove my
heart to a million miles a minute.

With my entire body full of positive energy, I initiated

an attack, appeared right in front of the two beings,
instantly unleashing a horizontal slash with my
glowing plasma stick that aimed to bisect the two in
twain, only for them retreat out of range, but that
didn't make my spirits go under. Since I was high on
happiness excitement and many other things, it was
going to take more than their superior physical
prowess to hinder me!
I had noticed something different about this alien
before, the fact that it didn't try to sense me with its
spiritual powers, something that was probably a result
of the eyes it had managed to evolve out of its DNA.

This was better as I was sure that if it tried to

overwhelm me with its spiritual prowess, I would
become the lone boat in the middle of a storm, no
matter how niche my intent was.

I took another step and swung horizontally once

again, before leaping with more force upon another
failed attack, reaching just a few inches away from the
two. They were fumbling, probably a result of the pain
that was preventing the alien from concentrating, or
even having the luxury to command its creation.

I pressed my attack, swinging the stick as if it were a

sword. It was very easy and exhilarating, yet also
making me feel the void of the sword that I had left
behind. But there was also this feeling that the sword
wasn't a match for me, mostly brought upon by the
fact that my intent wasn't anything sharp, instead,
being a literal star!

Seeing my attack producing almost nothing, I picked

up clumps of mud with my intent, hardened them up
through compressing the water out, and hurled them
towards the two beings causing them to become even
more flustered!

I breathed out slowly, and then leaped with all the

physical strength I could muster, even exploding the
air behind me with my intent to give myself a push,
which allowed me to reach within an inch of the alien
instantly, slashing down vertically, with the intent to
separate it into two halves.

I almost lagged when its comical eyes showed an

expression of pure shock and fear, before it pulled on
its intent construct and used it as a shield to take on
my attack, effectively surviving.

But the construct wasn't so lucky, with both its halves

falling towards the mud. This time, I decided not to
talk chances, flaring my spiritual domain and
transmitting my intent to the two halves, incinerating
them to ash.

Even as the ash fell towards the ground, I pushed

through, targeting the alien that had paused, slashing
horizontally, through its waist, though, only a gash
was left, due to the fact that it had stepped back,
almost dodging my strike.

After that, there was a need for me to catch my

breath as the series of fast movements had just left
me winded, so I stopped in place, allowing it to widen
the distance between us.
The gash closed up abruptly, though, there had been
no liquid splashing out due to the high heat that had
seared whatever had managed to survive my
makeshift plasma sword.

"ALIEN! I underestimated you!"

It spoke while heaving in the middle of the words. It

was tired, just like me. Good! That meant that moving
at speeds higher than my own took too much energy
and couldn't really be kept up eternally.

"Have you...finally registered the fact that you are

going to lose?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself! Your intent is the only

special thing about you. The rest of you is just plain
weak!"
It tried mocking me, but I offered back a grin.

"The intent is mine. It isn't something foreign you

know." I pointed out the obvious.

"Hmpf!"

It snorted, yet didn't attack right away. Even the rage

that had previously been clearly defined upon its face
was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Its flickering
eyes were suggesting a contemplation of some sort,
something that I didn't want to happen, so I attacked
once again even though I really just wanted to drop to
the ground and take a nap in the nice cold mud.

With a push using my leg muscles, I appeared right

below it, having crounched and entered a sword
drawing stance. The sword back on the continent
hadn't had a sheath but I had practiced drawing a
sword nonetheless as it had been one of those cool
moves a few characters in the virtual movies and
animations used. It was cool in the way that with just
a single fast draw, the villain...or someone bad would
have his body halved instantly!

Its body blurred before I felt a threat at my back

causing me to reform the plasma balls to intercept the
hand that had reached into my domain to try and grab
at me.

One of the good things about spiritual powers was the

fact that when paired with intent, things could be
moved at a speed far faster than even the alien native
could achieve!

Chapter 82 :
TF Chapter 83 Radiation
Though, what i had just envisioned didn't happen as
the plasma spheres harmlessly passed through the
image, which I had already known because of the fact
that spiritual powers were practically godly senses
that worked at...maybe the speed of light? Anyway, I
turned to my side, where I caught the alien standing,
regarding the reddish orange balls that were leaving
colored traces while moving within the confines of my
intent domain. There was fear and terror within those
eyes, a great expression to me.

Actually, I had already put a plan in motion. The two

attacks that had managed to connect had already
helped me secure my win, it was just that it would
probably take moments before the alien noticed how
deadly they had been, not that it mattered anyway. I
had already won!

I just had to keep it occupied until it finally noticed

that fact and it sank in. I resisted the urge to smile as
that might give me away and cause it to take extreme
measures...like targeting Danny and Bora.

I lunged once again, even as my body was screaming

at me, every muscle telling me no, we want to relax! I
swung my thin plasma sword towards the alien, even
with the knowledge that I was probably too
slow...easily allowing it to sidestep the blow entirely
while also making sure to stay out of my spiritual
domain's range. It had finally decided to behave like
its brethren on the planet, where its spiritual powers
pressed into mine such that it would always know
how it was fluctuating.

As I pursued, it slipped, a very unlikely thing to happen

which now happened as if by coincidence, allowing
me to sever the other palm from its hand causing
another guttural scream of pain.
"What is happening? Why am I...no, why is my body
slowing down? And my wounds! Why are they
bleeding out without closing?"

It had finally noticed. Of course there was no way it

wasn't going to notice with that orange liquid that
wasn't stopping at all, only increasing instead.

"What? What is happening to me?" It crawled away

from me, looking at itself with an expression that was
vividly showing horror at its current circumstances.

"Do you know about radiation?"

"Radiation? What's that?" It asked in bewilderment. It

looks like even with it managing to gain some
information from the humans it had captured over the
years, it still hadn't pieced together the entire
knowledge of the human race...a thing that caused me
to smile.

Feeling the tiredness and the screaming of my body, I

decided to do what any MC did when they felt they
were winning, dragging out the end with conversation.
So I squatted before it, though, not disabling my
defence of spinning plasma balls in case it decided to
try for one last attack before biting the dust.

"Even with all your methods, collecting the entire

accumulated knowledge of our species...that which
we have taken countless years compounding didn't
happen, why, because you have no internet, man!"
My grin became wider at that jab which the alien
failed to understand, yet I faintly heard Bora's amused
laugh. Could it have been my imagination?

"This, the battle, was great...but now, we have

reached the e-"
"What is radiation? What is happening to me? Your
monologues aren't important!" The alien shouted with
increasing terror, and even spittle flew out of its
mouth only to be incinerated by my intent domain.

"Explaining it to you would be very difficult as I even

have...only some superficial understanding... Just
know that the star that is giving this planet of yours
light also releases dangerous radiation that a barrier
protects you from...and that radiation is afflicting your
body."

After those words, I saw skin starting to peel with the

origin being the wound.

"Bora! Danny! Don't come any closer!" I shouted

when I felt them approaching.
"What does it all mean? I don't understand anything!"

"Just know that your body is going to break apart

piece by piece, then degrade into just a puddle of
liquid, with every cell unravelling from its peers as if
ripped away!" I tried to be vivid with my description.

I watched as liquid bubbled out of its mouth, with its

head lolling to the side, where vomit came out in the
form of a waterfall. The sound of gas coming out of its
rear also entered my ears at this point before I felt
some particles trying to enter my spiritual domain that
were incinerated upon contact. Diarrhea had set in,
even as its skin continued sagging and tearing away
from its body.

The disgusting way it happened caused me to stand

up and move away. This was an opponent I had
defeated. Before, I hadn't been taking my intent
seriously, but now, seeing this, I was scared for Bora
and Danny. What if one day I lost control?

Fear gripped my heart and squeezed with such force I

almost passed out. There was no way I would wish this
on any of them and also, this place had just become a
taboo location, a place where no one was supposed to
come by again. As I imagined someone stumbling
upon it in the near future, becoming contaminated
and the dying...I simply failed to stomach such a
scenario.

I turned around as the alien heaved its last breaths,

which came out strained and whistly. I had decided
that I wasn't going to gaze upon it ever again, so with
an effort of my feet, I moved away from it, splattering
the mud. Our battle had managed to drag us back into
the gloomy, almost lifeless part of the forest.
Apart from its constructs, there had really been other
critters within the part that had semi-dried soil.

At the very edge of my vision, two figures started

blurring towards me, their faces failing to register for
me as my consciousness started to fade around me.
Was I tired? Could it be that I was so heavily injured I
didn't know?

I had all those questions within me, which bubbled

into nothing as I felt my cheek contact something wet
and cold.

***Bora***

Two hours had already passed since that battle and

we didn't dare to go to that site.
Radiation!

That one word was enough to scare the hell out of us.
After the tragedy of Japan, Earth had never been
inundated by nuclear bombs, but our generation knew
well enough what could happen due to the many
accidents that happened in space when a person was
exposed to the sun's radiation sometimes. Such
stories made the news very often, with the large
companies being taken to court every now and then.

If this was Earth, the area would have been

quarantined, yet here, only the three of us had any
knowledge of this place.

Anyway, my trail of thought was going somewhere

weird, so I decided to gaze at that which was in my
lap...Nathaniel's sleeping face that was...grudgingly
handsome. The man had been cool during the last
moments of the battle, something that this hovering
fly and idiot that was Danny, could never pull off.

For some reason his face, his short hair, his peaceful
face, his fluttering eyelids and that smile that said, "I
am having a good dream." Everything about him was
vivid, vibrant...in a way I had never noticed before!

"Hey! Don't hog him!"

"Danny!!!" His interruption actually caused a flash of

rage to color my thoughts. For a moment, I
contemplated clawing the skin off the man's face. I
swear, one of these days I will kill him!

"Don't tell me that you suddenly gained the expertise

needed to take care of him. Did you?"
I loved it when he looked away, squirming because of
the fact that my words had hit a metaphorical nail on
his head. He was the one who had practically dumped
the task of me nursing Nathaniel back to health on me
a while ago.

I moved my gaze away from him as the sun was

proving to be too bright for my eyes. We had moved
into the tree tops, having found a secluded corner
devoid of any sort of life that would require battling.

I was aware of a certain fact, something that had been

the reason that I had just snapped at Danny. A heat
was rising from my thighs, the area where Nathaniel's
head was resting, invading my entire body with a
passion that threatened to undo my intellectual
persona. For some reason, my thoughts were on his
handsome face, his large hands, his cool fit body, and
the various ways we could fit together.
I lowered my head, causing my hair to cover my face
as I knew that I was most definitely blushing furiously.
Me and relationships hadn't had any times together,
so this was the first time my body and mind were
betraying me, pining for a guy, and not just any guy,
but one almost twice my age!

Like a startled faun, my heart leaped to my throat the

moment his eyelids fluttered open. Those brown eyes
threatened to draw me into their deepest dark
depths, and the sheer passionate heat that coursed
through my veins made my breath come out warm.
There was this impulse that almost took control of me,
to lean down and kiss him, but I shook myself out of it.

Chapter 83 :
TF Chapter 84 Exploring
 ***Bora***

"Since you are awake now, there is no need for my lap

anymore, right?" I tried to sound as collected as
possible, even schooling my facial features into an
unreadable expression, yet I was still leaning, with my
shadow covering the light that might have fallen on
his face. I felt like I could gaze upon him for an eternity
without getting bored, or standing up, no matter
what, yet I forcibly straightened myself up. It would
have been weird if I lingered considering the words I
had spouted previously.

He sat up, with me remembering that...weird

confession of his and the way I had been prodded into
challenging him due to my anger at Danny. Then there
was that kiss! It had been just a light brush of our lips
before the rude interruption, yet, the sheer electricity
that had jolted both my body and mind had been real!
If it hadn't been for the fact my life had literally been
in danger, I would have stayed frozen in that one spot.
I had never kissed a boy, or dated a boy/guy for that
matter. I had always had many other things on my
mind, not to mention the fact that everyone I knew
was a parasite, making sure to either keep as far away
from me as possible, or trying to cosy up to me in case
they earned that guy's good graces.

Unintentionally, when I raised my eyes to gaze at him,

those brown orbs of his were boring through me with
such intensity I squirmed inside. He had caught me
staring! It was like a match had been lit and dropped
upon the inside of my body which was running on fuel
instead of blood. Images of the closeness from before
entered my mind. The close contact was so vivid, as if
it had been etched into my mind permanently! And
now that his gaze was practically undressing me...
I stood up abruptly, and ran towards another branch,
where I put the tree trunk between us. I couldn't let
him see how he flustered me so.

***Nathaniel***

The sun was shining and the forest was still its own
gloomy self, yet there was this bright feeling in my
mind that was making me feel like everything was
bright, or you could say vibrant. The drops of water
from the rain of the previous night were still lingering
upon the leaves, the stems and the branches of the
trees as we continued our trek further into the north.
This battle had only cost me some bruises and
exhaustion, an otherwise fair trade off that saved us
the long rest should there have been serious injuries
involved.

The reason I felt light on my feet and body was the

fact that since my awakening, Bora had been staring
at me imperceptibly. When my gaze fell on her, she
hurriedly averted hers with a faint blush upon her
cheeks. If this wasn't the way love started, then what
else could it be?

My heart was pounding in my chest, telling me how

excited it was at the fact that she was starting to find
an interest in me.

The sun really was glorious today!

"Get your head out of the clouds, senior Nat. You will
make a fatal mistake if you keep grinning like some
lovestruck fool!" Danny spoke, his voice a mixture of
frustration, rage and a few other dark emotions that
didn't put a dent into the bright emotions that were
gushing within me.
"Are you a teenager? You should act like the adult you
are!"

"I am trying...but my mouth can't stop wanting to

make such a curve." I countered back while giving him
the widest grin I could.

The forest was teeming with life...if you could call

silent critters life. Their movements were the only
actions that were producing sounds, causing this
creepy melody that was resounding around us. When
Bora wasn't actively trying to pretend that she wasn't
staring at me, she was scanning the forest with
vigilance.

The click of a limb was enough to cause her body to

flinch, as if her soul was about to try the impossible,
leaping out of her body. She was scared and nervous
and many other things, yet she was trying very very
hard to appear composed, a task she was failing at
miserably.

"Bora, interesting, isn't it? The fact that a big girl like
you is scared of some random weak critters!" Danny
taunted even as his foot kicked something that almost
resembled a spider, down into the forest depths.
Apparently it had been in his way.

"Why aren't you retorting back like you always like to

do? Are you so scared that the words simply can't
make it out of your mouth, huh?"

"Danny! Shut the fuck up!"

Rage consumed me at his words causing me to blast

him with that. There was this budding flower of
violence within me, the violence that I wanted to
unleash upon the guy. I gave him a stare that said, 'if
one more word comes out of your mouth, I am going
to burn you to a crisp.' That shut him up and brought
about an uneasy silence in the group.

My rage was extinguished by the awkwardness, not to

mention the fact that I didn't dare look at Bora
because I didn't know whether removing her chance
to defend herself by becoming her knight in shining
armor had been the best decision or the worst.

I almost chuckled at the fact that previously I had

thought I could treat this romance as an adult, yet
here I was having devolved into a teenager.

As I was ruminating on what words to use in order to

try and initiate some sort of conversation with her, the
sound of flowing liquid, preferably, water, entered my
ears. This is an alien planet. So, there was a chance
that whatever was flowing, wasn't water, even though
there was rain composed of H2O.
We slowed down our travelling momentum and
approached the direction where the sound was
coming from. It had to be a stream or river, though,
my money was on the stream as we would have heard
the roaring of a river from very far away, not to
mention the fact that rivers were a gathering place of
large creatures, yet so far, only the small critters were
what we were seeing.

Abruptly, we came to a stop on one of the large

branches that could handle the combined weight of
the three of us, peering down onto the small-meter
wide stream that had water as clear as...the sky...? I
could see the rocks underneath with such clarity...it
was beautiful, the way the rays of the sun simply fell
into the bottom, dragging the beauty within into my
eyes.

"And here I was, thinking that the big creatures here

practiced lonesome living..."
Danny's words dragged my gaze from the small
stream to the creatures occupying the shorter or
probably young-looking trees by the banks. The
reason they were young probably having relation to
the many stumps nearby. Could it be that the trees
near the shores were always cut down? Though, the
cuts weren't clean, something that allowed a sigh of
relief to escape my lips as I didn't want to have
another encounter with a native. The previous one
had already proved to be a handful after all.

And finally focusing on the things that had aroused

Danny's words, I was taken aback. The two creatures I
had previously tussled with were probably part of this
bunch of hundreds that were congregating by the
banks of the stream, playing around with their young,
doing something that seemed like fishing...if whatever
they were capturing could even be called fish. Then
there were those that were doing an activity that
caused Bora's entire face to become scarlet, including
mine and Danny's. Why? Mating. Even though they
were aliens in nature, their sexual intercourse was as
close to that of us humans as possible, and it was even
more stimulating. Just a few seconds into watching
alone, had already caused a bulge within my groin.

"Well. Well. Well. This is surprising! We should watch

as long as we want...for research purposes of course!
Also, since the both of you are...virgins."

The last word almost had me pouncing on the guy

only for Bora to beat me to it.

"Stop spewing nonsense!" She shouted. Good thing

the critters here lacked sound perception... Trust me,
you wouldn't want to face the collective groups of
these monkey like creatures, which in my estimate
were almost over a hundred in number.
"Its nothing to be embarrassed about really!
Hahahahahahaha..." He laughed at our expense.

"Danny, I suggest you forget all about this

conversation." I spoke while giving him as menacing
an expression as I could manage. Because I knew that
he didn't respect Bora enough to stop bitching about
this.

"Okay! Okay!" He complied, with Bora picking herself

up from him, her face a mixture of embarrassment,
anger and...shame...? Probably I had mistaken that
last one.

Chapter 84 :
TF Chapter 85 Leaving The Forest

***Nathaniel***
The exploration towards the North had went well,
considering that now, weeks had passed and here we
were, trekking towards the south. The monkey-like
creatures had been making that part of the forest
their territory, but by unleashing my spiritual powers
fuelled by intent, I had managed to make them wary
of making a move against our trio, allowing us the
breathing room to draw water from the stream safely.

The previous weeks, I had managed to manipulate my

intent with such finesse, that we had started distilling
water from the swampy mud instead of having to trek
all the way to the stream. The most ecstatic person
about my improvement had been Bora of course,
since a bath was very important to women as I had
found out the previous weeks, where bathing three
times a day had become the norm for her.

Our budding mutual attraction was another matter

altogether that was causing me immense frustration.
Why? Because we hadn't managed to surpass the
stage of exchanging subtle glances and admiring each
other from a distance. She appeared to be okay with
it, but it was driving me crazy! And, there was this
annoying fly called Danny that hovered around us all
the time, preventing me from gaining some alone time
with her. The pent up frustration was building only for
me to have to shelve it when our exploration target
had become the south of our landing area.

The previous weeks, we had managed to explore the

west and the east, which were composed of the same
monotonous forest, except for just one alarming
discovery in the east, other creatures, the true
predators of the forest. The monkey-look-alikes were
mild mannered compared to the four legged
inhabitants in the east, which had caused us to
theorise that maybe, that direction was the deepest
and most dangerous part of the jungle. We thanked
our lucky stars that the landing pods hadn't
crashlanded in that potion of the forest as we were
100% certain that we would have most likely died.
Now, back onto our trek to the south. Before we had
even decided to embark east and west, we had first
tried to head to the south, only to postpone it after
we had climbed one of the tallest trees and gazed in
that direction. The scene there had made us agree to
leave it for last. And now, the time had finally arrived
when we were supposed to head there.

This wasn't a temporary trip like the times we

explored the other parts of the forest. No, this was a
permanent journey that was going to take us away
from the gloomy forest into the wide open plains of
the planet!

Except that there was this great inconvenience that

had made us even make the decision to postpone the
exploration in the first place...native activity!
The south had a gorge a few meters wide that served
as the cutoff point of the forest and the plains. It was
a deep chasm that appeared to have been cleaved
with a sword.

But, there were those rope and plank bridges, linking

the forest to the plain. There was no way the
creatures in this part of the forest were sentient
enough to construct such a thing, so that only left one
other group, the natives. That alien I had fought a few
weeks ago had probably arrived into the forest using
the bridge.

As we settled on top of the closest tree to the bridge,

we finally managed to make out the natives that were
carrying out a lumbering project on the edges of the
forest. They were cutting down trees with their
primitive tools made of what I could only assume to
be iron, and carrying them to the other side, vanishing
into the path cutting through the tall grass, which was
probably leading back to their village society.
"So...how are we going to slip past all these...aliens?"
Danny asked, the playful lilt he always has in his voice
know here to be found, only seriousness.

"Let's give it some time, maybe nightfall...or better,

lunch? Though, I have a feeling they most definitely
have their meals here. So, nightfall it will be."

Bora's idea was acceptable.

So we searched for a tree that would afford us some

comfort from the sun and the wind. With Bora's clever
way of gathering information by simply shadowing the
creatures in the forest, we had finally managed to find
some edible vegetation during the previous weeks,
though, not without boiling it thoroughly first, as we
were sure, our physiology was most definitely
different from the native aliens of this planet, not to
mention DNA.
*****

"Bora, are you satisfied with how we haven't made

any progress in our relationship for some time?"

I asked while my body was resting in a pelt that was

tied between two branches and my gaze was looking
at the dark sky with the twinkling stars. She was next
to me, on my right with Danny to my left, snoring.
Though, I was pretty sure he was simply pretending to
be asleep. The reason why we were all clumped
together was the need for heat. The sun had just set
into the western horizon, and the aliens were still
doing some of their work, so we were waiting. They
were already showing signs of withdrawing and going
back to wherever their village was based. All we just
had to do was wait.
"I don't particularly see anything wrong with the
pacing. Could it be that you are referring to the fact
that we haven't done all those intimate things a
couple is supposed to do? You haven't even actively
courted me...just stealing glances from a distance."

That last addition was said almost inaudibly, but my

ears managed to pick it out. And the fact that those
words caused me to become filled with shame was...

I didn't even know what to say. She had been waiting

for me to take the initiative, yet here I was
complaining to her about the fact that I was unhappy
with our current progress without even starting
anything!

"Heh-kukh!"
I hit Danny with an elbow before he could income up
with some mocking words, effectively silencing him.

"When we reach the other side, maybe I will do

something. Dating is something I haven't engaged in
ever since I was born, so pardon me if I make
mistakes." I spoke while keeping my gaze upwards
towards the stars. I really wanted to turn and stare at
her all night, but I couldn't do it so blatantly. At least I
could feel her warmth on my skin. That was probably
enough for this night.

The arousal that had been about to engulf me settled

down the moment I started to seriously view the little
specks of light that were dotting the canvas that was
the sky. It was a cloudless night, and even with the
cold, there was a hint of warmth that signified the fact
that we were either enjoying summer, or in the
tropics during the dry season. The more I gazed at
those blinking dots, the more my heart sped up, as if it
wanted me to go out and explore the vast universe.
Wormholes had already been discovered...maybe, one
day, I might get a chance to come into contact with a
thriving Forger civilisation. I was so looking forward to
it.

Though, the current state of the Forger upper echelon

of humanity was worrying. Those people were hiding
something, and my gut was telling me that they had
made first contact with an alien race... A race that was
unlike these primitives on this planet, no! Those ones
were powerful or advanced enough to have injured
our leaders and killed many others. Now that I am
thinking about this, I think that guy who had spoken
on the podium had been injured by intent!

*****

The night deepened as we waited...until the last of the

natives crossed the bridge back to their village. What
caused us to breath out a sigh of relief was the fact
that no guards were left behind to guard the other
side. If there were, then it would have been tricky.

We climbed down and as stealthily as possible, made

our way towards the bridge. The night was a
dangerous time in these woods. The predators liked to
start prowling at this time. Even though being at the
edge of the forest made it safer, we still exercised the
necessary caution.

"These aliens...they probably have no lack of geniuses.

If they managed to capture one of us humans, and
extracted our knowledge, they could advance by leaps
and bounds!" Spoke Bora, marveling at the splendid
construction that was the bridge as we crossed to the
other side.

On reaching the other side, we were greeted with a

tranquility like no other, where a mild warm breeze
rustled the grass and the sounds of the various little
organisms within the tall grass. It was...picturesque?
The faint light from the stars caused us to have very
little in the way for shadows, but we didn't stop to
marvel at the surroundings, only hurriedly wiping our
tracks to confuse whichever native tried to make
sense of the ground upon arriving tomorrow morning.

We entered the tall grass, avoiding the path that

would have led us to the alien village, which was our
goal, mostly. There was no particularly important goal
that we needed to accomplish there, only just to
satisfy our curiosity. We wanted to at least see what
level the civilisation had reached to.

"Do you believe that this tall sun-dried grass could be

hiding a predator on the level of a lion? Maybe the
path was the best idea?"
Danny spoke in a voice that contained all his fear. He
was even whispering even though we had already
judged that the large beings of this planet lacked an
auditory canal-like evolution...of course, there were
exceptions to that rule, like how that native had
managed to create himself a working version of our
eyes, even with all the comic relief they had provided.

"Relax, Danny! Don't jinx us!" Shushed Bora who was

within our midst, with I myself taking point. I had
arranged it like this so we could have someone with a
calm mind in the middle, who could save us when I
and Danny became dumb, or tried to do something
dumb. But now, I was regretting the decision. Maybe,
Danny should have been the one in our midst...?

As we were walking, sudden sounds, a cacophony, hit

us like a truck from the front. They appeared to be far
away, yet they were frantic, as if something important
had happened. We sped up, only for something, a
ripple to impact our spirits like a sledge hammer,
causing us to stumble back, paling.

"Wha-What was that?!" Danny shouted.

Chapter 85 :
TF Chapter 86 Acquaintances

"This is bad! Very very bad! If I am not mistaken that

was something akin to a sonar! Shit! This ability wasn't
mentioned before! We have to run!" Bora spoke in a
flutter, her words spewing out like bullets from a
machine gun.

"Where? We most definitely shouldn't go back to the

forest as we might get trapped there forever. That
was most definitely not a spiritual domain! Is there a
spiritual domain that powerful?" I wondered even as I
tried to regain control of my nerves, which were
threatening to have me shouting at something or
someone.

"Maybe there were others who triggered the natives.

We need to find them!" Danny spoke, his eyes holding
a gleam of calculation.

"Let's break into the path!" With a pulse of my

spiritual powers in a linear direction, where the dusty
path was situated, every single stalk of grass was
charred by my intent instantly. I didn't even wait to
see if the others were following me, only sprinting
instantly. I wanted to see those outsiders who had
managed to rile up a tribe of the natives. What had
they done? Who they were? And most of all, did I
know them?
The very wind caressed my face as I ran, sucking away
the heat that would have clung to my body, making it
hotter. It was almost akin to running in the rain.

Within mere moments, I was back on the path, staring

as two humanoid forms were being chased by other
similar but large forms baring torches burning with
flame.

"They can use fire now?! Can they all see?!" Danny
shouted incredulously.

"Shit! The information we have is outdated! These

aliens have managed to evolve far faster than
anticipated!" Bora cursed under her breath.

"And is that poor couple running towards us, Alistair

and that girl who always follows him around?!" Danny
shouted, this time genuinely surprised and shocked.
After those words, everything else became a blur to
me, my focus shifting from everything else to the
natives chasing the couple. Alistair and the girl sped
up upon noticing us.

I felt the ground sink when I applied force to my foot,

launching myself into a sprint towards Alistair and the
girl, passing between them without so much as
sparing them a sideways glance as I headed for the
natives, flaring my domain and conjuring my plasma
balls instantaneously with just a single thought.

At its edges, I set my domain aflame with the highest

temperature I could handle, causing the aliens'
spiritual powers to sizzle and withdraw. When I
reached within a suitable range, where my spiritual
powers could interact with their bodies directly, I
commanded my plasma balls with a thought, turning
the first two into a cheesecake in just a mere instant!
I didn't pause, passing the bodies before they could
even hit the ground, I did the same to those in the
back. There were about twenty natives that had been
on Alistair's tail. I didn't have the luxury of stopping to
admire my work, so I continued on, causing those that
were faster in reaction speed to leap out of the range
my domain covered while I was still taking care of the
next two.

I stopped in place, my feet skidding upon the ground,

causing me a dull pain, which I am sure I will feel later
when the adrenaline wears off. The natives had
surrounded me in a circle, their eyes less comical than
the one from before. And for the first time since I
attacked, I took a hard critical look at them and
noticed how their necks appeared to be somehow
bigger, not to mention the fact that they had two
things at the aides of their heads that give me the
faint feeling that they are sensory organs.
Was that native back in the forest lying? Or could it be
that he had been out there in the forest for too long?
Not to mention the fact that when we had been up in
the trees, I had managed to make out the fact that
those who had been logging hadn't had these
advanced features.

So, what was up with these ones?

I didn't dwell too much on the thought now that I was

surrounded. This impulsive move of mine hadn't been
entirely uncalculated. I wanted to prove to these
creatures, this planet, that I had gotten stronger, but
most of all, I had to annihilate these ones. I didn't
want to go back into the forest, but that was the only
option considering the fact that we had been
discovered.

And because of that pulse of spiritual energy that had

washed over us, I was sure that there was bound to be
another hunting party headed where we had been
previously, not to mention the fact that maybe these
native aliens could release another pulse of the same
nature.

Everything became quiet in this moment, except for a

few embers flying around and the gentle breeze that
was swaying the grass tall enough to reach my chest
at the sides of the path. It wasn't wide enough to
accommodate all the native aliens, so some of them
were within it.

Their veins bulged, a sign that they were about to

move. These ones were different from that lone one
in the forest. I could see it in their eyes. There was
caution, but no fear. They must have been fighting
against intent awakened alien forgers for a while now.
My heart pounded in my chest for a moment, with
fear almost overtaking me, yet I forcefully pushed my
concerns down. There was no way they had ever
managed to face someone like me, a person who had
awakened an intent meant for pure destruction.

Every sense of mine was heightened at this moment,

yet I was very certain that my spiritual senses were
going to be the most useful...and not even a moment
too late, I felt a limb tearing through my domain,
heading for my stomach with such speed, my spirit
managed to capture every particle in its path being
carried forward, compressed to the point that they
almost developed the properties of a liquid!

For a split second, I was flustered, only for a calm to

clamp down on me such that I moved my plasma balls
to counter the alien's attack, which burnt through the
entire part that was inside my domain, leaving behind
ashes, which before they could even settle, my plasma
balls were redirected to handle another attack.
This must have been a meticulously trained unit that
had been created for the sole purpose of going after
the intent awakeners, yet they were failing to stop
me, why? Because the speed of my plasma balls was
almost equal to that of my thoughts!

Directing a sliver of my thoughts into stopping the air

particles that could have blasted me flying, or injured
me severely was a piece of cake.

They once again stopped with those probing attacks,

none of them even showing some sort of response to
their charred stumps. These were highly trained
operatives that must have been tempered through
even worse situations. I had the faintest thought that
maybe their limbs could be regrown...maybe that's
why they appeared to be at ease.

As I was vigilantly staring at them, they too were doing

the same...before something that threw me for a loop
happened. They started conversing in a language I
didn't know!

It looks like we had been looking down on the natives

for too long! They had become civilised. And I bet that
not too far from now, humanity would have to treat
them very seriously! Even the forgers will have to stop
dropping recruits like us onto this planet.

Their conversation wasn't important to me so I started

scrutinizing those that were in my field of vision,
trying to spot one that appeared relaxed, but was
disappointed. These aliens were like soldiers in a
military, or special forces. Even when conversing and
making gestures with their arms, I didn't manage to
pick up any weak points to exploit.

It looks like I had still been impulsive, but that didn't

matter right now. I needed to gain the upper hand! So,
with a backward leap, I brought some three creatures
that had been behind me within my domain, only for
my spheres to miss as they had leaped away, still
maintaining the circle.

But I didn't relent, turning around by pivoting on my

foot, I broke into a sprint, causing those that were
circling me to let me out after a what I took to be a
command from their leader, allowing me to make it
back to the group in one swift move.

I turned back, only to see the special native task force

vanishing, probably heading back to the village.

"We need to go. Those aliens are like a dog with a

bone to pick. They won't give up!" The petit woman
beside Alistair spoke, giving me a once over with a
gaze that contained some surprise, which caused me
to wonder why it wasn't shock.
Chapter 86 :
TF Chapter 87 Preparations

***Danny***

Faint light from the stars filtered through the leaves of

the trees in the night to fall upon me and Alistair, who
were on the ground below while the others were up
above, in the safety of the trees. I was scared of the
ground but since I was the one who had suggested
this whole get together with my enemy, I couldn't
afford to show any weakness.

Alistair was dishevelled, yet that smirk upon his lips

was one I would have loved to wipe off with a punch
to the cheek. He was an insufferable human. I had to
admit that in terms of scheming, he was above me,
but there was no way I would ever say that to his face.
Clothes, a pair of dark pants and a brown vest,
adorned his being, a size too big for his small frame,
probably a steal from the natives, as those ones who
had gotten into a small scuffle with senior Nat had
been wearing the same.

"Alistair, what are you really doing here, near our drop
off point?"

"Danny Danny Danny tsk! Tsk! Tsk! We both know

that that's a very dumb question to ask, right?" His
grin widened as he mocked me, giving me more fuel if
I ever decided to punch him in the face.

"Okay...why don't you leave me and my group alone?

Why don't you focus on your little plots somewhere
else?"
"A great being is about to rise and you want me to
give this all up when I have such knowledge? Wouldn't
it be better if I hugged his thigh when he's still too
weak?"

There was a metaphorical sound of thunder as our

spiritual domains clashed, each trying to gain ground
on the other. This guy was simply very insufferable,
the kind of person I wanted to kill with all my being.

"What? I am pretty sure that there is absolutely no

way I would be stepping on your toes or anything for
that matter. We can even aid each other." His face
had lost that smirk, instead adopting a serious
expression.

"I am pretty sure that with your talent and

background, you can still rise to the pinnacle, so why
are you encroaching into my territory?" I asked,
genuinely curious.
"(Sigh)...this is the difference between you and me,
Danny. You weigh everything with materialistic
eyes...don't look at me like that! Just listen!...I do the
same, but...I never ever try to degrade a human being
into an inanimate object. Even with the small time I
have spent with your group I can see it. The fact that
those two don't trust you!"

That was a nail in the heart right there. I had thought

that he had been too panicked and tired to catch such
a small thing, but it seems I had once again
underestimated the human known as Alistair.

"You have this mentality that you can just jump ships
when you find a better one, but trust me on this, no
one! Absolutely no one would give you their full trust.
Why do you think your other family members have
stuck with being tied to one single person their entire
lives? Do you really think that they hadn't met those
with greater providence or luck than their current
charges? Think very very carefully about your next
steps."

Those words had caused my mind to become so dazed

I even missed the time of his departure. His words
resonated with me on such a fundamental level, they
had hit home. He had been right and I had been
wrong. Ever since I had been born, I had never met
anyone with as much providence as senior Nat, yet
here I was, thinking that if it all went wrong, I would
simply find someone else! That was a very wrong trail
of thought! Even those forger prospectives back onto
the continent had failed to have any single one, have
luck on par with his...

I slapped my face, the pain causing my mind that had

been in a rut to awaken. As much as I hated to admit
it, Alistair had been right. I had been taking this the
wrong way.
 ***Bora***

Alistair... I barely knew the man, yet I was happy that

he was around. Why? Because I had seen the uneasy
and wary looks Danny had been sending his way ever
since we had met him.

He had just come up from below, having told us some

joke about Danny having finally achieved
enlightenment and was in the middle of having his
dumb brain ascending into the heavens of
intelligence. It had been hilarious!

"So, Alistair, right? Why were the natives pursuing

you? With you good head, I doubt you would have
simply sauntered into their village or whatever they
call it here, willy nilly?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes
maintaining a gaze that was screaming, Zero Trust!
"Thank you for saving us by the way. I hadn't had the
chance to say that to you yet. Its interesting how you
have managed to get a headstart on that intent thing.
Even we, only discovered it upon infiltrating the alien
village."

"Oh! You managed to get inside the village!" I

exclaimed almost too loudly. I hurriedly covered my
mouth when I noticed my mistake.

"Is there anything particularly interesting? For

example...how these natives have managed to evolve
this drastically?" I asked. Whatever they had managed
to gather was going to be important. And there was
no way I was going to let them off without learning
everything they had to offer.

"Apparently, a genius was born within their tribe,

someone whose mind was sharper and curious..."
*****

I sat there, my back to the trunk of a tree as I stared

up above, into the stars. It was interesting how the
mist that covered this whole planet was visible
outside the planet, yet didn't obscure anything the
moment you stepped foot onto the planet.

Alistair...the guy was...organised...? It was like he had

many plans and contingencies in place. I, on the other
hand, lacked direction. I wanted to become a forger,
but right now, I lacked any concrete plans, simply
sailing along any whims the wind decided to blow
towards.

He had just given us plenty of intelligence about the

natives in the village...and I couldn't lie to myself
about the fact that these natives were going to be
very difficult to take down. I plucked my gaze from the
stars and decided to look at my companions, failing to
read any facial expressions due to the darkness, but I
knew that they must have been ruminating about the
information.

The natives had managed to make progress in genetic

technology, even creating their own unique path that
didn't require the advanced technology humanity had
developed. They were instead relying on the clarity
provided by their spiritual powers. Alistair had even
claimed to have seen some bodies of the creatures
from this forest, signifying a fact that they weren't
simply targeting humans.

I sighed for the umpteenth time. The reason was the

fact that I knew what was to come in the
future...tussling with these natives. And it was all
because of an important piece of information, one
that had caused these natives to pursue Alistair and
the woman following him. There was something in a
cave system that allowed these aliens to learn more
about intent. Alistair had even theorised that these
natives had gained information about intent from
there.

I didn't know whether it was even important, but the

statue had called out to Alistair, dangling a bait that
he and all of us simply couldn't resist! Information
about the universe!

That alone had already proven that the statue had

originated from a civilised space faring alien race!

"We need to come up with a plan." Alistair was the

first to break the stifling silence that had enveloped
us.

"I believe all of us here want to really meet the statue,

right?" He continued, standing up from his seated
position with grace. His family must have been some
sort of nobles in history.
"How are we supposed to take on an entire village of
those natives? That spiritual pulse would locate us the
instant we enter into range!" Bora analysed. She
wasn't trying to dissuade the endeavor, only asking
the important questions.

"That...device can't be kept on for a long time, not to

mention the fact that my plan involves us not taking
action right now. A year later would be the optimum
time."

"You want to attack the village with all of us

possessing intents." It was a statement on my part,
not a question.

"Yes, and we won't be going in stealthily. We are

going to have to battle groups of creatures in this
forest in order to hone our 'multiple-opponent'
combat prowess."
"Alistair, are you certain that the five of us can pull it
off? You did say that most of the natives are also going
to birth their intents. Won't this be detrimental to us
in the long run?" Danny's question caused my heart to
skip a beat. I hadn't thought of that!

"It doesn't matter really, does it? The forger path is

one of risk and reward. You must have the resolve to
head forward without looking back or having any
regrets. Currently, the three of you lack this trait."

Alistair's words resonanted with me intensely. I had

been too laid back, simply letting the situation drag
me along. A forger had become as strong as a
tempered metal if they were to survive in this world.

I breathed out a sigh and stood up, feeling as if I had

been ignited. I was going to work hard such that I
could get stronger in this one year!
"It looks like we are going to have to stay in this
gloomy forest for another long duration!" Lamented
Bora, though, her eyes were bright, a sign that a flame
a desire had been ignited within her.

"There are certain monkey-like creatures that live as a

collective of some sort in the north. Maybe we could
start with them?" Danny appeared to be rearing to go.

"Alistair, we must first find something to eat. I am

starving!" The woman who had accompanied him
complained.

Chapter 87 :
TF Chapter 88 One Year Later
A year can be long or short depending on the
perspective and experiences of the subject that was
experiencing the passage of time. The thought that
this had been one hell of a long year was the
prevalent one within my mind.

The sun was bearing down onto my skin, unleashing a

fury that was practically nonexistent to me as I had
already gotten used to it. A gentle breeze blew,
causing the thin branch I was standing on to sway with
the leaves, but my feet remained steady. I had
climbed up to the top most tip of this tree, gazing at
the ocean of black that was before me. A year and a
few months had passed. More time had been added
because the others had had to get used to their newly
awakened intents.

Me on the other hand had tested the limits of what

was possible with my intent, even having managed to
grow my spiritual powers to the limits of the first level
with the many spirit cores we had managed to
procure. Right now, I was confident that anyone
without an intent was simply mere canon fodder to
me. And this wasn't me being arrogant by any means.
It was the cold hard truth!

With a small leap, my body plummeted, with

everything that appeared within five meters of me,
from leaves to branches to creatures, turning to ash
and steam without even being given a chance to
ignite!" It was exhilarating how my intent domain
could achieve something so great with just a little bit
of my input.

Before my feet even touched the ground, I created a

globe of orange above me that tried to suck me
upwards, causing a strange equilibrium with the
planet's gravity, allowing my body to halt midair.
The mud instantly turned to solid ground as I
evaporated all the steam and let my self drop towards
it.

"You simply love showing off your power, don't you?"

A soft voice spoke while my smile widened in
recognition. It was Bora, who had arrived to pick me
up.

"I don't love showing off. I just love using my intent." I

clarified while pulling her into a hug, where, with just
the barest hint of our lips touching, I gazed into those
purple pupils of hers that were looking at me softly.

"You know, I love men who like to show off." She

teased.

"Oh! Then I was most definitely showing off."

Through my body, I felt hers' heat up, and a crimson
blush to adorn her cheeks yet, those purple petalled
eyes never broke eye contact with mine. They
contained something that verged on a challenge, as if
she was daring me to do something.

And I knew what she wanted me to do...and that was

to taste her lips, but, I didn't give in, instead, I moved
my right hand to below the hem of her short black
beast skin dress and dragged my index finger on her
thigh with just the right amount of pressure for a
caress, only for a shiver to cause her body to tremble,
but she still didn't avert her eyes.

I scoffed at her attempts to make herself appear

unfazed, but I was also starting to get excited as her
gaze was stimulating my desire to dominate her, so I
started moving the finger upwards, with my hand
causing her dress to slither upwards.
Her lips parted a little and a hot breath was released.
For a moment I had an illusion that her body had
almost buckled at my touch, almost crumbling to the
ground. This was what I loved about her. Her body
was honest even though she tried to appear
nonplussed. It was cute!

"What are you happy about? You haven't won yet."

She spoke after seeing the grin on my face.

"Bora, you are one interesting woman. I would have

liked to continue this and see the various expressions I
could elicit out of you...but didn't you come here to
pick me up?"

I broke our close contact abruptly. l was scared that if I

continued, I might not be able to stop myself. This was
not the time, besides the others would be drawn over
if we took too much time.
"Coward."

That one word caused every self control I had been

trying to exert upon my desires to almost break. I
pulled her once again into a hug and placed my lips
upon her ear, where I proceeded to lick the tips
before saying...

"...if I ravage you, I wouldn't be able to control myself

to stop. You...wouldn't be able to handle my big dick
for over 24 hours."

After those words, I pulled away from her and

sauntered off before I truly lost control. She was the
bane of my existence.

*****
Walking through the mud, with the occasional light
falling onto my body, I took a deep breath, to try and
calm my raging boner. Bora was behind me as I could
hear her soft footsteps behind me yet, she didn't
come to my side, probably still shaken by what I had
just whispered into her ears.

A grin appeared on my face as I felt happy of the fact

that I hadn't been the only one flustered.

"...and I had placed my bet on you two taking a much

longer time to appear." Danny smirked as he gave
away a spirit core to Alistair, and it was probably
related to his words. With our current power, hunting
for spirit cores had become all too easy that they had
become useless to us.

"I already told you that you would most definitely

lose, why did you have to go and insist? Those two are
too conservative. They are new to this relationship
thing." Alistair spoke with a smile.

"You two are weird creatures. I really want to

document you! How can you spend over a year
together without even having sex once?" The short
haired woman who had followed Alistair spoke with
genuine surprise in her tone.

"Shut up!" Bora raced over and closed a hand over the
woman's mouth. She was someone who could murder
people with just words.

"So...now that we were here, are we prepared to

storm the city?" I asked, with the question causing
everyone's eyes to become a tad more focused and
serious.
I crossed my hands over my chest as I pondered upon
what we were about to do. What had surprised us in
these months was the fact that the tribe hadn't sent
anyone to hunt for us. And even the previous aliens
who had been cutting down the tress hadn't appeared
ever again. Even on the other side of the bridge, there
were none that appeared. It was as if they had
decided to retreat from this area. But why didn't they
come back to destroy the bridges? There were many
questions that I had due to their bizarre behaviour
that would only be answered when we truly reached
their village.

"Their behavior...or lack of ever since we escaped

from their village is puzzling. I had thought they would
hunt us down." Alistair scratched the back of his head.

"It looks like we will need to be cautious. I believe that

many of them would have awakened their intents.
This is going to be a very dangerous situation...and we
might lose our lives. Are you still sure you want to
attack the village?" My gaze roamed all of them,
searching for any traces of hesitation. This wasn't a
game! Our lives were literally going to be at stake
here.

"We need to understand about that statue. And I

don't want to live a life where am just going to sit
around worshipped by people. Whatever happened
that caused the death of many forgers is something I
wouldn't want to happen to me." Alistair's fists were
clenched and his eyes had the luster of resolve in
them.

I was of the same decision as the man. From the

moment that Alistair had revealed information about
that weird statue, my heart had been moved. I had
felt that maybe, I was going to learn about the
universe at last! If that statue knew about intent, and
even had the means to pass on such knowledge, them
that meant that there was some sort of higher
civilisation at play. There were risks...that I couldn't
deny, but if I gave up here, then what would have
been the whole point of becoming a forger? I didn't
like the act of sitting around, trying to synthesize new
materials for our civilisation, getting rich by bleeding
people dry, and sitting around with absolutely zero
excitement in my life! I wanted to be on the front lines
of whatever event was going to happen related to
forgers.

"...I agree with you all, but I want you to promise me

that at least, we will first scout out the place...okay."
Bora asserted. Her gaze travelled through all of us,
causing each and every one of us to give her a verbal
agreement.

Chapter 88 :
TF Chapter 88 One Year Later
A year can be long or short depending on the
perspective and experiences of the subject that was
experiencing the passage of time. The thought that
this had been one hell of a long year was the
prevalent one within my mind.

The sun was bearing down onto my skin, unleashing a

fury that was practically nonexistent to me as I had
already gotten used to it. A gentle breeze blew,
causing the thin branch I was standing on to sway with
the leaves, but my feet remained steady. I had
climbed up to the top most tip of this tree, gazing at
the ocean of black that was before me. A year and a
few months had passed. More time had been added
because the others had had to get used to their newly
awakened intents.

Me on the other hand had tested the limits of what

was possible with my intent, even having managed to
grow my spiritual powers to the limits of the first level
with the many spirit cores we had managed to
procure. Right now, I was confident that anyone
without an intent was simply mere canon fodder to
me. And this wasn't me being arrogant by any means.
It was the cold hard truth!

With a small leap, my body plummeted, with

everything that appeared within five meters of me,
from leaves to branches to creatures, turning to ash
and steam without even being given a chance to
ignite!" It was exhilarating how my intent domain
could achieve something so great with just a little bit
of my input.

Before my feet even touched the ground, I created a

globe of orange above me that tried to suck me
upwards, causing a strange equilibrium with the
planet's gravity, allowing my body to halt midair.
The mud instantly turned to solid ground as I
evaporated all the steam and let my self drop towards
it.

"You simply love showing off your power, don't you?"

A soft voice spoke while my smile widened in
recognition. It was Bora, who had arrived to pick me
up.

"I don't love showing off. I just love using my intent." I

clarified while pulling her into a hug, where, with just
the barest hint of our lips touching, I gazed into those
purple pupils of hers that were looking at me softly.

"You know, I love men who like to show off." She

teased.

"Oh! Then I was most definitely showing off."

Through my body, I felt hers' heat up, and a crimson
blush to adorn her cheeks yet, those purple petalled
eyes never broke eye contact with mine. They
contained something that verged on a challenge, as if
she was daring me to do something.

And I knew what she wanted me to do...and that was

to taste her lips, but, I didn't give in, instead, I moved
my right hand to below the hem of her short black
beast skin dress and dragged my index finger on her
thigh with just the right amount of pressure for a
caress, only for a shiver to cause her body to tremble,
but she still didn't avert her eyes.

I scoffed at her attempts to make herself appear

unfazed, but I was also starting to get excited as her
gaze was stimulating my desire to dominate her, so I
started moving the finger upwards, with my hand
causing her dress to slither upwards.
Her lips parted a little and a hot breath was released.
For a moment I had an illusion that her body had
almost buckled at my touch, almost crumbling to the
ground. This was what I loved about her. Her body
was honest even though she tried to appear
nonplussed. It was cute!

"What are you happy about? You haven't won yet."

She spoke after seeing the grin on my face.

"Bora, you are one interesting woman. I would have

liked to continue this and see the various expressions I
could elicit out of you...but didn't you come here to
pick me up?"

I broke our close contact abruptly. l was scared that if I

continued, I might not be able to stop myself. This was
not the time, besides the others would be drawn over
if we took too much time.
"Coward."

That one word caused every self control I had been

trying to exert upon my desires to almost break. I
pulled her once again into a hug and placed my lips
upon her ear, where I proceeded to lick the tips
before saying...

"...if I ravage you, I wouldn't be able to control myself

to stop. You...wouldn't be able to handle my big dick
for over 24 hours."

After those words, I pulled away from her and

sauntered off before I truly lost control. She was the
bane of my existence.

*****
Walking through the mud, with the occasional light
falling onto my body, I took a deep breath, to try and
calm my raging boner. Bora was behind me as I could
hear her soft footsteps behind me yet, she didn't
come to my side, probably still shaken by what I had
just whispered into her ears.

A grin appeared on my face as I felt happy of the fact

that I hadn't been the only one flustered.

"...and I had placed my bet on you two taking a much

longer time to appear." Danny smirked as he gave
away a spirit core to Alistair, and it was probably
related to his words. With our current power, hunting
for spirit cores had become all too easy that they had
become useless to us.

"I already told you that you would most definitely

lose, why did you have to go and insist? Those two are
too conservative. They are new to this relationship
thing." Alistair spoke with a smile.

"You two are weird creatures. I really want to

document you! How can you spend over a year
together without even having sex once?" The short
haired woman who had followed Alistair spoke with
genuine surprise in her tone.

"Shut up!" Bora raced over and closed a hand over the
woman's mouth. She was someone who could murder
people with just words.

"So...now that we were here, are we prepared to

storm the city?" I asked, with the question causing
everyone's eyes to become a tad more focused and
serious.
I crossed my hands over my chest as I pondered upon
what we were about to do. What had surprised us in
these months was the fact that the tribe hadn't sent
anyone to hunt for us. And even the previous aliens
who had been cutting down the tress hadn't appeared
ever again. Even on the other side of the bridge, there
were none that appeared. It was as if they had
decided to retreat from this area. But why didn't they
come back to destroy the bridges? There were many
questions that I had due to their bizarre behaviour
that would only be answered when we truly reached
their village.

"Their behavior...or lack of ever since we escaped

from their village is puzzling. I had thought they would
hunt us down." Alistair scratched the back of his head.

"It looks like we will need to be cautious. I believe that

many of them would have awakened their intents.
This is going to be a very dangerous situation...and we
might lose our lives. Are you still sure you want to
attack the village?" My gaze roamed all of them,
searching for any traces of hesitation. This wasn't a
game! Our lives were literally going to be at stake
here.

"We need to understand about that statue. And I

don't want to live a life where am just going to sit
around worshipped by people. Whatever happened
that caused the death of many forgers is something I
wouldn't want to happen to me." Alistair's fists were
clenched and his eyes had the luster of resolve in
them.

I was of the same decision as the man. From the

moment that Alistair had revealed information about
that weird statue, my heart had been moved. I had
felt that maybe, I was going to learn about the
universe at last! If that statue knew about intent, and
even had the means to pass on such knowledge, them
that meant that there was some sort of higher
civilisation at play. There were risks...that I couldn't
deny, but if I gave up here, then what would have
been the whole point of becoming a forger? I didn't
like the act of sitting around, trying to synthesize new
materials for our civilisation, getting rich by bleeding
people dry, and sitting around with absolutely zero
excitement in my life! I wanted to be on the front lines
of whatever event was going to happen related to
forgers.

"...I agree with you all, but I want you to promise me

that at least, we will first scout out the place...okay."
Bora asserted. Her gaze travelled through all of us,
causing each and every one of us to give her a verbal
agreement.

Chapter 89 :
TF Chapter 89 The Wait

The sun bared its wrath upon my back as we crept

within the tall grass that was as dry as wheat that was
about to be harvested. The soil and gravel below was
hard enough that if it wasn't for the sound of the
grass, our footsteps would have been heard by
anyone. Having been located in a literal swamp for
over a year, this was heavenly to me.

The mud and the icky rot that festered on the forest
floor were both things that no one wanted to stay
with for a long time.

We were all crouching and I was taking point since my

intent had the most destructive power in the group.
The other's intents, except Danny's, were also
destructive, but they were less than subtle about it,
not to mention the fact that they had severe
restrictions placed upon them. When they had
awakened, I had been amazed by the bizarre intents.
But, that also made me very very scared of fighting
against an unknown intent, as I was sure there was a
chance that an intent could exist that could simply
erase me from existence.
Even though I could burn the grass around me,
allowing us to move forwards faster, I didn't. We had
agreed not to activate our spiritual powers if
necessary. Bora and Alistair had speculated that there
was chance that wide spiritual pulse from the village
would read us as normal creatures if we didn't release
any spirit and intent powers.

I was scared even as I led the group, with the thought

that any moment now, something would jump out of
the bushes and attack us, giving us little time to react.

During our time in the forest, we had been ambushed

by all manner of bizarre creatures, with some even
almost succeeding because of how truly weird their
ambushing methods were. I still had a scar on my
thigh from when a creature had bitten me, with I only
managing to detect it the moment its teeth had sunk
into me! And I had even had my intent out,
surrounding me!
That had made me feel that I couldn't underestimate
this planet just because I had a strong destructive
intent.

"Do you hear something?"

While I was lost in my thoughts, someone's question

brought me back to reality. It had been that short
haired woman, whose name we now knew to be
Carol.

Her question made me signal the others to stop and

stay quiet, after which, I strained my ears to catch the
faint whispers in the wind. At first, I heard nothing,
then they made their presence known, snarls, roars,
the clashing of metal and the explosion of things.
Someone was fighting! I looked towards the others
and saw that they had all reached the same
conclusion as me.
"One of us should stand up and try to see into the
distance." Danny suggested.

I didn't waste anytime in nominating myself, which

the entire group agreed to. When I stood up and
looked into the direction where the sounds were
originating from, I was taken aback at the sight.
Flames were furiously burning the wood of a tall
fortified wall, while many small beings clashed. They
were still far away from us and that was why they
were small, but I knew that they were natives.

"It looks like the natives didn't pursue us before

because they had been preparing for war." I gestured
for the others to stand up too, as there was minimal
danger in doing so.

"Oh my God! Are they under siege?" Bora clasped a

hand over her mouth in shock. And I knew why. It was
because this was a scene that couldn't be seen on our
planet now days as wars had changed. This primitive
way of fighting was...epic, if I was being honest with
myself.

Though, I was far away from the battlefield, I could

feel the fighting spirit of the natives, as if I was fighting
with them, or against them.

"So, what's the plan? Clearly, this siege started way

before we even came here." Carol started the
conversation while we sat around a clearing I had
created within the tall grass.

This had just become a troublesome situation. The city

was clearly closed off. The natives were strewn around
surrounding it. And we couldn't even blend in with
them as we would be discovered instantly!
"Actually, this could be our chance. The village city is
under siege by another tribe of natives, giving us the
perfect cover to slip under their radar. There is no way
they would even entertain the thought that we might
take this chance to I filtrate their village..."

"Alistair, we can get the gist of all that. Could you

please get to the part where, how we are going to
appear in the village, bypassing the hundreds or
thousands of native warriors seiging the city?" Danny
interrupted rudely causing a scowl to appear on
Alistair's face. He glared at Danny with murder in his
eyes, before taking a deep breath and gaining a stoic
calm look.

Danny had toned down his dislike for Bora

considerably, but he was still the same pain in the ass
guy that most of us would really have loved to murder
in the next second.
"Those natives must have a time when the battle
takes its toll and rest is needed I believe...so we will
take advantage of that window. Though, I would
prefer that we move after dusk as that would be the
most ideal. What does everyone think of this plan?"

"Alistair, what about those tall walls. I am pretty sure

that they are also very thick. I do believe your plan
hinges on them as the gates of the city are surely
heavily under surveillance."

"We have intent, Bora. We will figure it out. And no,

Nathaniel, your intent isn't exactly subtle, so we will
go with Bora's."

"So...we are going to wait until nighfall, what a pain!"

Carol complained even as she simply collapsed on her
back and blocked the sun with her arm. She was an
unpredictable person, that much I knew.
How I missed the virtual world! It looks like I was
going to have to stare at the grass until dusk, a thing-

"Tell me you two, how long are you going to keep

procrastinating? Sleep together! Have babies!
Discover the joys of sex! What the hell are you waiting
for?"

Carol interrupted my thoughts, with her words making

a full grown man like myself blush. How good it was
for her to be bold.

"Carol!" Bora threatened. A blush was coloring her

cheeks and her eyes were looking everywhere but me.

"Now now, don't look at me like that. I can see the

way that guy looks at you. He clearly wants it. Why
don't you give it to him?"
"Carol, take my advice and keep quiet. Death comes
to those who poke the hornet's nest." Danny spoke in
lazy voice as a leaf shielded his face from the sun.

"I concur with Danny. Drop the topic." Alistair spoke

with a finality in his voice and the glare in his eyes, did
the trick.

Honestly, was it that bad that the both of us were

inexperienced here? These guys were embarrassing
us...and if it wasn't for the fact that we needed to say
as a team, I was 100% sure Bora would have walked
away from us.

And I could see that everything they had talked about

had upset her. I also picked up on the fact that she
didn't want to talk to me, so I simply sighed and lay
down, taking a leaf from my small pack and imitating
Danny.
We were going to wait for night to fall, and yet, here
we were, having to endure the awkwardness Carol
had caused. Maybe that was why she had awakened
that particular intent. She wasn't one who loved order
or calm.

Chapter 90 :
TF Chapter 90 Moving Out

***Alistair***

Night had finally fallen and we were in the middle of

preparing ourselves. I must say that I had been a bit
selfish in wanting to go back and meet that statue, but
everyone here too, wanted the same thing. My heart
had pounded with fear when I had thought that we
were going to have to blaze our way into the city.
Imagine my surprise and elation when we discovered
that the natives were caught up in a war themselves.
I was curious about why they were even fighting, but
that was something unimportant right now. Currently,
there was no sound of battle, so this was our chance.

Besides, the whole reason I had chosen to take such

an impulsive course of action was Danny and
Nathaniel. I didn't have a full grasp of Danny's abilities,
but I had heard rumors that his ability to detect
fortune far surpassed that of any member of his clan.
And the fact that he had chosen Nathaniel, meant that
the guy was special.

When I had first seen the guy on Musana continent, I

had wondered what had truly made him special, but
now, I could see it. After all, who awakened an intent
that was related to a star? I know our intents were
special, but my instincts were telling me that he was
going to have a smoother path than any of us in the
future.
The grass masked our approach as we made our way
to the battlefield. I and the others had activated our
spiritual domains, using them to scan for anything that
might produce a higher than normal sound if we
stepped upon them, like small dried twigs and what
not.

Even as Nathaniel took point, I wondered how we

were going to cross the plain land surrounding the
fortress. It was a shame that the grassland hadn't
taken over the entire land...or maybe it had at one
point, but had been cut down to make way for the
battle.

A stench like no other assaulted my nostrils, alerting

my mind to the fact that I had forgotten...no, I hadn't
thought about certain things. A battle wasn't like a
computer game where everything simply dissapeared.
No, they lingered. The rotting bodies, the trash that
accumulated because of the consumed resources on
the battlefield, the excrement of the lifeforms. All that
had led to this nauseating stench that caused my face
to become filled with wrinkles.

"If this was how our ancestors had managed their

business during that age, then we have truly come a
long way. People! Make sure you try to sense
excrement or rotting corpses! Don't step on the damn
things!" Whispered Carol who appeared to be holding
a hand to her nose.

"You do know that you could simply isolate the

particles of the rot and decay from entering within
your spiritual domain, right?"

Nathaniel's idea was a good one. It looks like it was

going to take sometime before we managed to be
capable of passively treating our spiritual powers like
we had been born with them. I had been sensing the
particles that were tinged with the scent of rot, but
that idea hadn't even registered within my mind...that
I could isolate the damn things!

I, Alistair prided myself on the fact that I had a good

head resting upon my shoulders, but I knew that no
matter how much money I inherited back on our
planet, I wouldn't reach the same level as forgers,
people who could simply rearrange molecular
particles into a new meta material...and then, billions
of currency would drop into their account.

Most people hadn't yet woken up to that fact that

forgers were going to be the future. It was like when
AI and the quantum age had been upon us. Now, it
was an era where forgers were going to become more
important than technology.

Besides, another reason why I had chosen to embark

upon this path was simply because of the mysteries of
Musana continent.
There was absolutely no way that Musana continent
was a natural construct. I also didn't believe it to be
technological in nature. My belief was that it had been
created by a sufficiently powerful forger, and I wanted
to see whether I could reach the same level.

Finally, the grass gave way to soil, though, all of us

simply stopped at the demarcation, making sure that
there was some grass between us and whoever would
take a look in our direction.

"It looks like this battle has been going on for

weeks...maybe months." Danny spoke while his gaze
was directed towards a particular area. A black
skeletal frame entered my vision when I followed his
gaze, with the flesh having fallen off and some plants
sprouting just within it.
"Or, it could be that decomposition is faster on this
planet."

I too, had reached the same conclusion as Bora.

Skeletons, flesh and dried blood weren't the only

things that filled the battlefield. There were also
craters, grooves, destroyed siege weaponry that had
been constructed from wood, beast pelts(probably
attire), and a few other odd things here and there.

"So, how do we cross this wide open space. The

sentries will most probably spot us the moment we
try, not to mention the fact that we are just a small
distance away from the camps of the invaders." Bora's
question caused all of us to ruminate.

It was a moonless night and the only light that fell

onto the planet came from the dots in the sky, the
distant stars. It was dark enough, but for the natives, it
might have been as clear as day, so simply walking or
running towards the city wasn't an option.

"The problem could probably solved with our intents."

Once again, Nathaniel made a valid point.

The man appeared to either be clever, or considered

multiple angles. Though, I had the feeling that the
man simply liked experimenting with intent a little bit
too much. He was like a child who had been given a
new toy.

"We could distort lights round ourselves."

"A good idea. If we could actually manage to capture

individual photons, we could have been able to even
create illusions. Too bad that even with our intent
infused spiritual powers, we can't really capture them.
We can only influence their direction." I lamented.
Though, if we could even take control of photons at
our level, we would be too overpowered.

We were going to have to be fast! So fast that we had

to reach the wall of the fortress within mere seconds
as any discrepancy in the alien natives' vision might
trigger an investigation.

Intent was a godly power that had given me the

illusion of omnipotence the moment it had awakened
within me. Imagine being capable of doing literally
anything! Reality could be warped into your own
image! The laws of physics as I knew them became
pointless when intent took control. For a whole damn
day, I had gotten drunk on that power, until a memory
from when I had awoken my spiritual powers as a
forger had hit me, causing me to come back down to
reality.
It hadn't been something overly complicated, just the
image of the electrostatic field that held every particle
in the universe. That had been true omnipotence, yet
it had also been scary enough to the point that you
would start doubting your very existence!

Nathaniel took the lead as always agile we followed

just behind him, with just enough space between us to
prevent the clashing of our intent domains.

My face warped at what my spiritual domain was

sensing along the ground as we sprinted towards the
city. Most of what I could sense were rotting corpses
of the aliens that were so infested with maggots, or
whatever the dark mass was, that I had the urge to
puke. I made sure to try and make sure that my feet
chose the few small patches of pure soil, the only
islands devoid of taint, to step upon.
The rotting bodies weren't the only ones as there
were also weapons, spears, shields and many other
weapons that made me wonder whether the choice to
create similar weapons was a disease of the universe.
There had been no particularly large deviations, as the
weapons were almost the same as those that had
been used during the medieval part of our history.

They had black stains, probably dried native

blood...and many were embedded within the corpses
themselves, though, none of us particularly needed
any as intent was enough to get us along.

"It looks like the gates had opened at some point in

time." Nathaniel suggested. And he was right, as the
clothes on the corpses suggested that the rotting
bodies here had been of two different camps, with
some having even died with each having their weapon
embedded within the other.
Chapter 91 :
TF Chapter 91 Breaching The Wall

***Nathaniel***

A behemoth entered my eyes as we had finally

managed to reach the wall of the fortress. It was tall
and intimidating to the point that all of us felt as if it
was a monster capable of devouring us. Blood and bits
of flesh were sticking on it, not to mention the various
weapons embedded within it, yet, it was still standing
tall, having proven that it was insurmountable.

When you have seen multiple marvels of technological

ingenuity, it becomes hard for most things to ruffle
your feathers, yet as I found myself within the shadow
of this wall, I couldn't help but be awed by its majesty!
I developed some respect for the natives as they had
managed to create something this...epic with just the
use of their hardworking and ingenuity, lacking the
technological advances of our civilisation.

"It is most definitely not as great as the wall of

Musana city, but I must say, these natives do deserve
a tiny bit of my praise." Carol spoke as her eyes tried
to see the ends of the wall above.

"...let's put everything else aside. Who's going to get

us into the city?" Alistair's question caused everyone's
eyes to blaze like torches except mine, as they all
wanted to try and experiment with their intents. I
could understand them, as I too had at one point been
as excited as them.

Though, I couldn't deny the fact the even my heart

had accelerated at the prospect of taking a crack at
this wall, that had been constructed from stacking logs
upon each other and tied with some vine I hadn't seen
anywhere within the forest. It was shoddy at best, but
there was absolutely no doubt that it had already
worked wonders for the defenders.

"Bora, it will be better if you do it. For everybody else,

don't worry! You will get your chance to shine the
moment we make it to the other side of this wall."
Suggested Alistair, dousing the spirits of the others.

For just a small imperceptible moment, my heart

fluttered as I saw the smile that graced her face when
she had been chosen. The night could lie to my eyes
but, my spiritual powers couldn't be lied to. And, I was
sure that she had allowed me to capture that by
withdrawing hers for a split second...as there was no
way I would have seen that otherwise, not to mention
the tiny wink.

We circled her with our backs to the wall as we kept a

vigilant eye over the expanse that was the plain.
Somewhere on our left and right, there were two
camps of the invaders, whose large bonfires served as
a beacon to their position. Maybe during the start of
the siege, they had patrolled the entire circumference
of the fortress, but as the fighting went on, they had
managed to glean a fact. That the people within the
fort had absolutely zero intentions of fleeing.

Alistair had spoken of a genius among the natives.

Such an alien was worrying. There was absolutely no
way that he hadn't increased the security measures
leading to that statue.

"Ah!"

I exclaimed as a question popped up within my mind.

How were these invaders keeping up with the
defenders who had awoken their intents? That
demanded further exploration.
"What?" Alistair whispered upon catching my small
moment of losing control.

"Nothing." I decided to keep that to myself for now as

the invaders weren't our priority. Instead, I decided to
keep an eye out for Bora and her awakened intent.

A star was my intent. It was something that had been

created with the sole purpose of taking up space and
nurturing life...though, the life that could be nurtured
would have to be protected by another stellar body, a
planet or an asteroid, or whatever other manner of
thing. But when that same star appeared within the
confines of the planet or asteroid, the only outcome
for anything close to it was destruction. And that's
what my intent was all about.

But Bira had awakened an intent that was interesting

to say the least. At first, you might think that its
normal, or even outright useless, but it was special in
its own way. Anything that entered her intent domain
was forcefully rewritten into a shower of purple petals
that complimented her very pupils.

Just by standing within the petals, her beauty was

enhanced to levels that even made Alistair take a
second glance. But the petals weren't entirely
harmless, as each was capable of cutting through
whatever she designated as a target.

Though, for now, we wanted her to transform the logs

that made up the fortress wall, into petals such that
we could infiltrate within silently. A task which she did
well. Though, after a few meters, when the petals
made it out of her intent domain, they once again
transformed into wood chips.

After a few steps through the tunnel formed by her

intent, we reached the literal end of it, where she had
simply left behind a thin layer of wood and created a
few holes for us to peek through, only to catch sight of
the welcome party.

They were lounging around the place, having set up

camp and taking a breather. These were the
defending aliens, and with the numbers we could see,
there was absolutely no way we were going to
succeed in sneaking past them.

"So, what do we do?" Alistair asked as we settked

down within the tunnel, a few paces away from the
thin wooden wall we had left behind as cover.

"We can simply wait for the siege battle to once again
commence..."

"Danny, we don't have the luxury for that. Any

moment from now, that spiritual scanner might pulse
in our direction!" Bora interjected.
"We should punch through them."

Those words surprised even me as they had come out

from my very own mouth. But in hindsight, I, no, we
had every right to take such a course of action as we
were strong enough to handle whatever could block
our way.

Without any objection, everyone agreed to my words

and once again, we found ourselves facing the enemy
encampment, with only a thin wooden wall between
us. They didn't know we were here, but we knew that
they were there. So, the element of surprise was on
our side.

"Now!"
When Alistair spoke, we crushed the wooden barrier
into smithereens, with our bodies not even slowing
down for a moment as we barreled towards the crowd
of discombobulated aliens that were struggling to
believe the reality right in front of their very eyes.

My opening move was knee to the head of an alien,

with small film of orange covering my entire body,
causing its face to cave in before transforming into ash
and vapor. Not even a moment after, a spear swept
towards my midriff, causing me to leap over its torso,
before a burst of hot wind causiled the attacker to
scream out as its facial skin sizzled. With a chop using
my left hand, its head was separated from its body
with the two halves charred at the edges.

With another leap, I appeared atop the tent and took

in the dark view of the camp and the entire fortress.
Small flames were scattered all over the place with the
native aliens congregated around them, with all of
them now facing direction because of the commotion
our attack had raised.

Seeing my companions pulling a head, I didn't slack off

for even a moment, leaping down from the top and
breaking into a sprint to catch up with them. Every
native in my way failed to even halt my momentum,
as through a series of movements, limbs were torn off
bodies, heads separated from necks and holes
appeared where previously, there had been none.

Previously, I had been creating a domain of spiritual

intent when I had been fighting the aliens and the
creatures within the forest, but during one moment of
a dangerous encounter, a light bulb had gone off in my
brain, causing this film of intent that was now coating
my body, allowing me to slaughter with just contact.

"This is exhilarating!"
Carol's shout reached my ears even as her twin
daggers dismantled a native alien as if he were a
butchered animal. There were a few screws loose with
the woman...even Alistair had admitted to that.

She was one hell of a chaotic monster, someone who

didn't conform to the normal rules if the universe.
Even now, as she killed the natives, her bone daggers
kept on shifting, from becoming shields, to swords, to
any manner of weapon that the mass could form. And
those changes didn't simply stop at the weapons
themselves.

Her attacks alone were capable of warping both flesh

and bone, turning severed pieces to dust or flowers,
or even something akin to diamond. There was simply
no way to determine what whatever happened to
come into contact with her intent domain was going
to end up looking like.
I decided that I had enough of gazing at her, opting to
direct all my attention to the swarms of natives,
whose very physical prowess was a threat if I made
any slip up, so I decided to dodge those that I could
while simply destryong the aliens in passing.

It was exhilarating, waltzing within these creatures

with superior physical might, treating them like
weaklings as every attack of mine simply proved fatal
to the aliens. With a small thrust of a finger, a hole
opened up within the head of an alien, with a swipe of
a hand, an entire torso was severed from the lower
potion of a body.

The blood of the natives didn't even manage to land

onto my body as my simplified spiritual domain
evaporated it, and any piece of flesh was simply
incinerated into ash when it came into contact.
Except for Danny, who was following us closely, the
rest of us were slaughter machines that were mincing
everything living in front of us.

We were headed towards the general direction of the

caves. When we were almost to the edge of the camp,
where small primitive tents gave way to wooden
permanent houses, a burst of cold air caused all of us
to halt our tracks.

A native was blocking the way, her arms crossed

across her chest, her demeoner oozing confidence and
some hints of rage. We had just came across our very
first intent awakener among the natives.

Chapter 92 :
TF Chapter 92 Cold
The coldness on my skin didn't simply originate from
the native's intent. It was also because of the danger
the female alien was giving off. She was as muscular as
the males, except with one simple differentiating
feature, her black short hair. Learning her gender had
surprised me at first because Alistair had spoken
about how the tribe was a partriachy before. But now,
it seems that there had been some changes to the
authority within the tribe, probably having to do with
that genius native.

The woman was wielding a long spear, constructed

from solid ice, yet I felt that it most definitely wasn't
brittle.

And the other thing about her that triggered my

caution was the way she had coated her body with her
spiritual intent domain, which was akin to the method
I had discovered on my own. She twirled the spear in
her hands, playing with it as if the five of us weren't a
threat to her. It seemed that she was most probably
high on self-confidence.

"We can't afford to slow down! Many other aliens are

making their way towards us!" Alistair barked.

"Yeah. Let's attack together!"

Carol, the one who had agreed with Alistair moved

first, one of her daggers causing some of the ice to
turn into sand, before the alien's powerful strength
forced her away.

I formed a miniature sun in my palm, and smashed it

into the shaft of the spear when I reached close,
causing the alien's eyes to widen imperceptibly
before, it parried my attack to the side and proceeded
to thrust towards my mid section.
I dodged the attack by moving to the left, before
changing the properties of the orange ball within my
palm...adding a gravitational pull that caused the alien
to falter for an instant, opening up a window which
allowed Alistair to get close.

But before he could even make contact with the alien,

ice gathered on the finger tips of her other hand,
transforming them into claws which slashed at Alistair.
And despite her lack of balance, the claws were sure
to connect.

Even though, Alistair couldn't see the attack, rich

combat experience caused the man to trust his
instincts, allowing him to retreat safely.

After that tussle, we had surrounded the female alien,

whose cold air was even leaking out of her intent
domain and affecting the surroundings.
With a small exchange of glances, I activated my
intent domain, causing an orange glow that resembled
dusk to cover my body before hurling myself towards
the female alien, where I proceeded to exchange
moves with her while trying to pass by her, causing
her to continously retreat towards the inside of the
village as she tried her best to impede us.

For a moment, I became envious of her intent as her

ice couldn't easily disappear even when it made it out
of her intent domain, making it so that even though
she was concentrated on me, she still managed to fire
projectiles towards the others, slowing them down
enough that they failed to pull ahead. Of course, it
wasn't entirely because of her efforts as we had
already decided that we wouldn't split up. So, before
we defeated her, there was absolutely no way the
others would leave me here.

I became elated when a palm of mine managed to

break through her guard, slamming into her broad
chest, only for it to make contact with a hastily
conjured ward of ice, bringing a grimace onto my face.

Her ice was too cold! Even with I having raised the
temperature of the orange domain around me to the
level of plasma, her ice was managing to keep up with
it in sheer cold!

"Beware of her ice! Its cold enough to even affect

plasma!" I warned my companions who were looking
for any window of opportunity, through which they
could help me.

Bora's voice entered my ears, causing me to retreat

before bullets of air caused the female alien to
retreat, making sure to dodge many, though some
were also thwarted by her spear. Though, chunks of
ice fell off because the bullets were simply too
powerful.
The alien woman was forced to hide behind a thick
wooden wall that had once been part of a house. The
tip of a rock jutting out signified that a siege weapon
had caused its destruction.

Carol took the opportunity to appear by the wall,

directly opposite where the female alien was hiding
and stabbed her daggers into it, where it vanished
before my very eyes. An explosion of air spread out in
a cone in front of her, hurling the alien woman away
as if she had just been slammed with a car.

I didn't know whether to admire Carol for using her

brain to turn the wood into air, or be terrified of her
ruthlessness! I had managed to capture a glimpse
before the woman had vanished into over a dozen
houses, leaving destruction in her wake. Her entire
body had been covered in what passed as blood for
the natives. She had most probably been grievously
injured!
The natives had great combat experience...but lacked
the ingenuity of us humans...well, I will hold off on
that thought before meeting their so-called genius.

Our intents allowed us to forcibly take control of

reality and shape it into the image we wanted, for
example, me. The particles that entered my intent
domain were made to act like miniature stars, causing
them to gain gravity and heat. But Carol's intent was
ever changing. Whatever entered her domain was
capable of either becoming a drop of water, a leaf or
even sand itself. It was chaotic in nature.

She was the one person among all the others that
could probably go toe to toe with me. Actually, I didn't
want to fight the woman if I could help it.

Without a moment to waste, we proceeded to

continue towards the cave system after the alien
woman's defeat, taking inconspicuous paths that
made it so that the chances of being discovered by the
angered aliens from the camp were small.

The houses weren't too shabby for a primitive race.

They were the standard multiple room ensemble
comprised of a bedroom, a living room, and an
outhouse. My intuition was telling me that most of the
wood from the logging activities had been used for
these houses. These natives in the fortress appeared
to be more civilised than those ones outside, who
were more like savage barbarians.

And it looked like the experiments to gain visual and

smell and auditory senses had gone well because all
the natives we had encountered appeared to have
been given the three senses.

"That was exhilarating! I finally managed to get the

chance to beat up a native with an intent!" Exclaimed
Carol.
"That was very clever and ruthless of you." Bora said
while eyeing the woman with some measure of
caution. Her intent was simply too unpredictable, just
like her mind.

"This is a battle, honey. There is no reason to pity your

opponent. If I didn't kill her, she would have probably
already killed one of us."

"Her ice was super cold, far surpassing normal ice. If

she had had our knowledge, then there is no way we
would have won that easily. One, or some of us would
have gotten seriously injured or dead."

Alistair was right. An intent capable of going against

the heat of a star was a dangerous weapon in the
hands of an enemy. If I hadn't been part of the team,
the only one who would have stood a chance against
the alien woman might have been Carol...and the one
who would have managed to survive the encounter
would have been Danny.

This was a battle that was pitting our very lives against
those of the natives. We couldn't afford to pull our
punches.

"I know what you are talking about. I am just saying

that your battle lust is too much!"

"I am a prodigy. Thinking on the fly is my thing.

Changing wood into air had been the most optimal
solution that had come to me."

The woman bragged. Bora was getting visibly more

unhappy with the woman, but in the end she chose
silence over bickering with her.
"I don't see any hills in the distance, is the cave system
somewhere beneath this ground?" Danny asked as we
raced towards the direction Alistair had indicated.

"Yes, its beneath the ground. But its ancient, probably

dating back to before the Natives even evolved to this
point. Those are just my conjectures based on
instincts, but I have a feeling that they are right."

"I have to agree with Ali here. I too think that the
natives aren't the ones who crafted the tunnels, as
they are simply too ancient." Carol added.

"So, you are saying that the natives only settled here
for the caves?"

"We should be careful of them...they regard the cave

and the statue like deity."
"You should all be prepared. We are going to have to
make sure that we kill any native in the tunnels and
the cave itself, as they are fanatics who will even be
willing to sacrifice their lives!" Carol's face took on a
measure of seriousness.

This was going to be very troublesome. Religious

fanatics were the kind of creature that couldn't be
reasoned with! They will use any means necessary to
kill us. And I doubt there are no intent awakeners
among them.

"We will get through this! Maybe their genius has

already converted them away from the path of
worship to the mysteries of science." Danny jested.
Chapter 93 :
TF Chapter 93 Geni

***Nathaniel***

"Can you please reveal yourselves, our most

distinguished guests. We can't have our guests
scurrying around like rats, now can we?"

A voice so normal that it was almost human entered

all our ears. For a moment, we exchanged puzzled
gazes as to whether a human had joined the natives. It
was coming right in front of us, where the buildings
gave way to a large clearing.

We sped up, breaching into the clearing, where we

were greeted with a sight that almost brought terror
on our faces.
"Ah! Now we can finally speak face to face! Though, I
don't really know how rats look like. All I know is that
they like to skulk around in the shadows... Anyway,
greetings!"

Their was a mad grin on the alien that was speaking.

From the moment that I had first laid eyes on it, I
knew right away that it was the genius! And my
comrades too, shared the same opinion.

Just like a well oiled machine-a military, alien natives

numbering in the hundreds were standing in neat
rows within the clearing. My instincts were telling me
that all of them were most definitely intent users!

This...was the sight that had caused us fear. If they

had just been some normal riffraff, then we wouldn't
have had such a reaction, but these were elites!
"I see that you are shocked by my comrades. Don't
worry, they won't attack you. I just want to talk."

"Oh! What about that welcome party from before?

That woman with the frozen intent?" Carol elaborated
upon seeing the puzzlement on the alien's face.

"Well...as you know, there are those who always

oppose a leader. She wanted all of you to be killed.
But honestly, why would I do that? Hmmm? You are
an advanced civilisation, I wouldn't want to face your
wrath. From what I have gleaned, you have planet
destroying weapons in your arsenal...a risk I am not
willing to take."

"...so, what do you say to talking things out?" The

alien asked.
After we nodded, the alien genius ordered some of
the soldiers to bring a table and some chairs from the
nearby houses.

"Do we trust his words? I believe he's being sincere

but we can't really put all our eggs in a single basket."
Carol whispered.

I kept an eye on the alien man, who appeared unfazed

by the fact that we were huddled together, whispering
things out of his earshot. Reading alien facial
expressions wasn't easy, but I could still make out the
fact that he was deep in thought.

"We will trust him, but under no circumstances should

we drop our vigilance! All of you will have to keep
your intent active at all times!" Bora warned, her gaze
jumping between each of us.
"Why do you want to speak with us? It would be
better if you just killed all of us off to save yourself
some trouble." After we were seated, Carol broke the
silence with a pointed question. Alistair grimaced at
that as the woman was simply too straightforward.

"Kill you? Why would I do that? I am not a barbarian!"

As the alien protested, specks of light gathered
around him and illuminated all of us. Since we had
been on high alert, we almost took action right then
and there.

"I was just creating some light." The alien's

explanation caused us to settle down.

"So, your intent takes control of light?" Bora asked in

curiosity as we beheld the dancing specks of light
which greatly resembled fireflies in the night.
"No...light is a small word. My intent allows me to
control photons...to the point that I can change them
into any wavelength I want, even radioactive ones."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Was he threatening us, or

simply stating the obvious?

"So, why do you want to speak with us? What do you

want? And don't beat around the bush! Your little
army there is intimidating, but I doubt their chances
against us if we were to go all out." Alistair took
charge. His voice was filled with a calm confidence
that belied our current circumstances.

"Oh! It looks like you are one of those...nobles. All I

want from you people is simple, an alliance."

"Why?" This time I was the one asking.

"I am a genius in your eyes...but to me, I think of
myself as someone born in the wrong era. If you
humans hadn't found our planet, I would have stayed
a frog in the bottom of a well. What I want is simple,
to jump out of the well. I want to explore the stars."
The alien's gaze shifted to the skies, where the
twinkling stars appeared to be vibrantly inviting.

"Sorry to burst your bubble pal, but I don't think we

have any strong sway among the higher ups of our
species." Carol said, earning a glare from Alistair. This
honest answer wasn't how someone was supposed to
negotiate.

"You have intents. When you two were sneaking

around our village, you were blank sheets of paper,
without any knowledge of this particular power. Don't
underestimate my intelligence. There is a 90% chance
that none of your higher ups have discovered this
power, which means that currently, your words will
hold immense weight among them the moment you
leave this planet."

"I do believe they have already discovered intent."

Alistair burst his bubble.

Though, his words did remind me of the scorching

feeling I had once felt the last time we saw that half-
dead guy. That had most definitely been intent. But
how could he have awakened it so fast?

"But, you are the first of your kind here to discover

intent. I doubt any of your peers on this planet have
stumbled upon this great an opportunity, right? And
please, stop degrading your value, wanting to prevent
me from getting what I want. I want to step upon a
space ship and journey into the depths of
space...nothing is going to prevent me."
"Lead us to the statue and I will see what we can do."
Alistair decided to go for the straightforward path.

"I knew that was your goal all along. There is no

problem with showing you the statue. Besides, its
origins are interesting. Its the entire reason I want to
explore the stars."

"Oh!" I exclaimed in wonder. His implication meant

that the statue might not have come from any
civilisation on the planet...something that we had
already deduced, but finally confirming it increased
my eagerness to see it.

"By the way, do you have a name? We can't keep

addressing you as alien. In exchange, we will reveal
our names to you too." I decided that this was the ripe
moment for such pleasantries to be dealt with. I
already had the feeling that we were going to be
dealing with this alien extensively for the foreseeable
future.

"A name...you can simply call me Geni."

"Did you come up with it on the spot?" Carol accused.

"Our native names aren't capable of being translated

into your language without sounding weird. You will
just have to address me by this name."

Chapter 94 :
TF Chapter 94 A Warm Night

***Nathaniel***
"Let's forget about the difference in our races for a
moment and discuss something that is binding us
together at the moment, intent."

After a few minutes of silence, Geni decided to broach

a new topic that piqued my interest. Though I had
been experimenting with the limits of my intent, I
hadn't had the chance to discuss my discoveries with a
peer. Since he was the prodigy, the genius that had
managed to rise out of this race of aliens, then his
mind had to be of a high enough caliber that it could
compare to those scientists back on Earth.

"Have you discovered something new?" Danny's

question had a sarcastic ring to it. The man was
basically looking down upon this being of the alien
race. I directed a withering glare his way, causing him
to wipe the smirk off his face.
"...so many discoveries. Did you know that the range
of your intent domain can be expanded upon
sacrificing pure spiritual cores?"

My eyes bugged out at that question, my gaze moving

towards the others, who also sported the same
constipated look. We had wasted a lot of spiritual
cores, shattering and destroying the things like noveu
riche. Yet now, someone was telling us that we might
have been capable of using the damn things to
increase the domains of our intents, though probably
temporarily.

"Dang it! I should have kept all of them! Danny! You

destroyed many of my marbles! I will get vengeance
for them!" Carol's vicious glare caused Danny to shiver
and cower within his seat.
"...well, it looks like you are the dumb ones of your
species..." Geni's mumble caused my face to heat up
but I couldn't come up with any clever rhetoric.

"I believe that they can only be be used to enhance

the domain temporarily. But, what about those with
special intents, those which don't require an intent
domain to function?" I decided to move on such that I
could spare all of us the embarrassment.

"There are far too many variances with the

enhancement they can provide to those special
intents. If I were to try and get into it, it would take us
the whole night...so, I will list out some and maybe,
you can provide valuable input."

"The second thing I have discovered is that

experiences can affect the awakened intent. Let me
put it this way, the younger you would have awakened
a different or a variation of your current intent if you
had chosen to awaken it at that time."

"I beg to differ on that. My intent would have still

been the same." Danny outright refused that theory.

"Now now, don't be hasty. I don't mean that such a

thing happens to everybody, besides, I don't think that
even you believe your words, right? Maybe it would
have been the same but with a few small variances."
Geni appeared to hold a wellspring of happiness the
more he spoke. It was like he had been lit on fire.

"I managed to capture a glimpse of some parts of the

battle with that resistor of change...and I must say,
you have some pretty interesting intents. Would you
allow me to research them?"
For some reason, I connected the alien to me with
those five year olds that would get excited at the
prospect of having candy. Though, I had to say that
the alien's genuineness was slowly winning us over.

"Hold it there buddy! We still haven't established

some modicum of trust." Alistair was the one who
held the reigns. I was grateful that he had managed to
stop me in time as I would have surely engaged in a
delightful conversation with the alien. I have always
wanted to meet two kinds of people within my
lifetime, a genius and someone capable of divining the
future. Even I sometimes wonder why, but I have
come one conclusion, I am way too curious about
many things...and they seem to be the only kinds of
people capable of answering my questions.

"Too bad! I haven't been able to find peers like you

among my race. Anyway, you can casually choose one
of the houses to rest in. Tomorrow morning, you will
be taken to the cave system." Geni stood up after
those words, vanishing with the troop of intent
warriors. Judging by the direction, I had a feeling that
he was finally going to deal with the invaders camped
outside.

"That guy is interesting. I would love to keep him with

us."

The light from the orange ball floating above my

shoulder illuminated the space as Carol broke the
silence left in the alien's wake.

"We can't afford to be dragged into his pace. And

before you frown at me, I know that he's genuine with
his words... But all of you have to keep in mind that
geniuses are always a thin line away from
derangement."
We all shivered at his words. He was right. Geni hadn't
acted out of character when chatting with us...but
should he get impatient and resort to more extreme
means...

"And here I had been thinking that we were finally

going to fight to our hearts' content!" Carol sprawled
upon the table, appearing to have lost energy.

"...it would be better we don't. The chances of us

dying are 100%. Did you see that army? Those intent
awakened aliens are enough to take over this entire
planet!" Bora's voice was trembling.

I held her hand to try and reassure her. But I was sure
that her nerves were never going to settle that easily.
We were in a lion's den. Being safe for the moment
didn't mean that the lions wouldn't try to eat us
sometime in the near future.
"He wants to go back with us. He wants an alliance
with us. Those two things can be fulfilled if we ignore
the figures above us...but the consequences aren't
ones we can bare." Danny loved the stubble that had
developed below his chin. Rubbing it made a smile
appear on his face...and the first time I had seen it, I
had been shocked by its genuineness.

"I want to go rest. Being tense for such a long time

isn't good for health." I said before standing up and
moving towards a house behind me.

"Why are you following us?" Bora's question caused

me to turn back. For a moment, I was befuddled, but
then everything clicked and fell into place.

"It looks like we will be enjoying one house. Don't

worry you two love birds. You can use the bedroom. I
promise not to eavesdrop." Danny chuckled, a shit
eating grin on his face.
"We ought to stay together at this time...Danny! Stop
teasing them!" Alistair berated the guy.

"They outnumber us by many times. Separating would

only easily lead to our doom." A yawn escaped Carol's
mouth.

***Danny***

Sometimes, seeing stars frustrated the hell out of me.

It sometimes made me question the universe as to
why I hadn't become one of those protagonists, the
people who were going to become legends. Following
them in a sycophantic manner wasn't always glorious.
I had plenty of relatives that had been dragged
through the mud because of the choices made by
those they followed.
I had thought Senior Nat was the only one who had
been chosen by the universe, the favored one... Yet,
his galaxy of stars was rivalled by another, Geni. The
moment I had laid eyes upon the guy I had known that
should we get into an altercation, he and Nathaniel
were the only two who would have certainly survived
while the rest of us would probblably have gone to
hell.

A panic attack had almost taken my life even before

we had crossed swords... A sigh escaped my lips as a
breeze caressed my face from the outside on my
perch on the window. The fireplace was releasing light
and heat, making the newly minted house seem
homely in a way that made me just want to let go of
every thought and simply sleep.

"...I have a feeling that should that alien get a chance,

legends will be left in his wake."
Another sigh escaped my lips at Carol's words. This
woman didn't have the same power as me, yet she
was very intuitive. She was practically someone who
knew how to hedge her bets. Honestly, she was a
puzzle all on her own. Sometimes, her stars even
temporarily surpassed those of Nathaniel...always
fluctuating with no set limit. Basically, I hadn't been
surprised by the intent she had awakened because
she was simply the embodiment of chaos itself!

"The universe is a wide pool. Many dragons are

hidden within it. If you underestimate any, you might
not even understand how you died." Alistair was most
definitely referring to me with those words, but I
didn't have the energy to argue with him.

"Yeah...we too are still frogs at the bottom of a well. I

believe the statue will enlighten us of that." Senior
Nat's words were true.
Even with humanity achieving space travel, we were
still frogs at the bottom of the well. I couldn't even
begin to fathom the powers of beings capable of
leaving an entire continent within a star!

"There is no need to be intimidated. Even the greatest

races took one step at a time to reach the pinnacle of
the universe. Humanity will eventually reach that level
too. We just have to have faith." Bora spoke out even
as she knead Senior Nat's shoulders. I still hadn't
gotten around to liking the woman. Besides, she was
leading senior Nat astray with romance...all the more
reason for me to hate her deeply! A part of me even
fantasized strangling her once.

Chapter 95 :
TF Chapter 95 Quantum
 ***Nathaniel***

Few things in this world excite me as much as being a

forger, and one of those few things is the concept of
food. Honestly, if I were to say the thing I missed the
most ever since coming to this planet...also included
within is when I was dumped on Musana continent...
Was my favourite meal. Fried bean soup and boiled
rice! That is one meal that was even making my mouth
water just by thinking of it.

I hurriedly wiped my lips and directed my attention at

the dishes laid out on the table.

A new day had finally dawned with no disturbances or

ambushes during the night. The sun had just peeked
over the horizon, which we couldn't see quite yet
because of the tall fortress walls, but that was no issue
as eventually, the warmth of the rays would surely
reach us given time.
"Danny, about my spiritual cores...I suggest you give
me that piece of delicious looking thigh on your
plate."

Carol was a bundle of energy this morning, appearing

to be in a particularly vengeful mood.

"Come now! You can't be serious!"

"Danny, this is just the start. Besides, you wouldn't like

me to get my vengeance at an inopportune time, now
would you?... Like when you go to the toilet."

He almost choked on his food at those words while

the rest of us chuckled. No one would defend him at
this time as he had brought this upon himself.
"My dear friends, it seems that this is shaping out to
be a good day for you. Your chuckles bring warmth to
the heart. May I come in?"

A voice came from outside the door, causing all of us

to pause before Alistair agreed, with Geni opening the
door and sauntering in afterwards.

"Good morning to you, Geni. How was your night? I

take that you and that special battalion of yours
annihilated the invaders?" Carol took on the same
tone as the alien when asking the question.

"My dear Carol, those unevolved insects weren't

worth too much of my time! They were simply idiots
from another tribe who failed to accept the
advancement of our tribe into a higher civilisation...it
really was a pity to kill them...but I had no choice as
we would never see eye to eye." A sigh filled with
lamentation escaped his lips.
"You are of the same species...why would you view
your fellow brethren as insects?" I asked. Lines had
probably appeared on my face due to how frowny it
had gotten.

"...why do I have to explain everything?... Imagine you

yourselves meeting a caveman from your historical
times, what would you think of them? And not just
some caveman, but one whom you have offered to
teach the ways of civility, only for them to refuse,
wanting to stick to the ancestral ways...wouldn't you
too see them as beneath you?"

"...and, not only is the caveman refusing to learn, he's

also attacking you to kill you because he sees you as
an unpardonable fiend."

"I wouldn't be as patient as you. I would have already

trampled the insect into the ground." Carol instantly
answered without taking a moment to contemplate
an answer.

"I agree with you there." Danny was the second, his
voice containing seriousness.

"Okay! Now that that's out of the way, let's head to

the cave system the moment you finish breakfast!"

"I am pretty sure that you must have met the statue.
Did you learn anything apart from intent?" Alistair's
question perked my ears. He and Carol had been the
only ones to have gazed at it among us. And it had
been just a glimpse.

"Apart from intent, it hasn't divulged anything else. I

have a feeling that it looks down on our race, or there
must be some milestones that must be achieved to
once again elicit anything from it."
-----

"Wow! Did you do this?" Alistair exclaimed the

moment we entered the shaft.

Stairs had been constructed, leading from the top to

the bottom, where a tunnel, whose smooth walls
glistened from the light above, greeted us. For a
moment there, I had thought that I would be greeted
with a typical underground tunnel...with all the moss
and the unevenness, not to mention the dampness,
yet here we were, in a tunnel so clean and warm, its
like I was back on Earth, standing within a hallway of
one of the buildings.

"By the way, I have a certain conundrum that has

been chipping away at my mind for the past few
months...could you care to enlighten me?"
Taken in by the beauty of the tunnels, the question
caught all of us off guard.

"Oh! A genius alien man like yourself also gets a

conundrum he can't solve....mmmmm!"

Danny never failed to amaze me with his witty self

destructive ways.

"Of course! If I don't have curiosity, why would I call

myself a scientist?..."

"...during one of my tests with intent, I tried to create

a void within my intent domain, an area with
absolutely nothing in existence. But something
interesting and absolutely mindblowing happened!
Particles, some unknown to me, and others
familiar...simply popped into existence within the
void!"

"Ah! I never did try to test something like that. All I

can tell you is that you just witnessed the spookiest
branch of physics, Quantum phenomena." Carol
enlightened the alien, but his experimentation was
interesting. This alien was increasingly giving me the
feeling that all of us would most probably die if we
faced him in a frontal battle!

"Spooky? Are you trying to tell me that this

phenomenon is connected with supernatural forces?!
Are you pulling my leg here? I am a scientist! Are you
telling me that your brains have devolved to become
equal with those of the insects I just annihilated?"

"Oy! Crazy genius douchebag, are you trying to start a

fight by insulting us?" Danny's demeanor entirely
changed. His eyes glinted with coldness as they beheld
the raving alien.

"Please...you people aren't even on the same level as

me! I have researched as many things my intent can
do as possible. Do trust me. The five of you would be
decimated the moment you tried anything!"

"Spooky is simply a term to describe such behavior.

What you have witnessed falls under a branch of
physics that deals in such bizarre phenomena known
as quantum physics." Alistair patiently explained,
though judging by the twitch of his lips, he wasn't
entirely unfased by the alien's outburst.

"It would be better if you gave us the same respect as

we give you, alien! Don't look down on us!" Carol
shouted at Geni.
"I apologise. What other effects can be observed
under that peculiar branch of physics?"

"Let's see...there is the phenomenon where a particle

can exhibit two states at the same time...the ability to
influence another particle across vast distances...
Teleportation... Well, I got nothing more." Bora was
the one who answered. She caused me to raise an
eyebrow at her in surprise. I had never known her to
be such an enlightened individual.

"What? I was one of the best back when I was still

studying."

"Anyway, it would be better to exercise caution.

Quantum phenomena is bizarre to say the least... And
so far, no one has tested what might happen with
intent added to the mix." I warned, with as serious an
expression as I could muster.
End