The Rift in the Domain- The Auranos Stories Book 2

Chapter 11 - Many Eras Ago...

Ahkra

Mossy and I spent hours practicing, discussing tactics and techniques- while Cavern and Relako preferred to explore their new abilities alone. After Relako awoke, he refused to talk to anyone for a good deal of time. Mossy said it was fine, that different people could react differently to such a drastic change. He'd return to his old self in no time.

But meanwhile, Mossy and I had long, detailed conversations about the properties of our realm. He told me about spirit fighting, about creating visions in the minds of others, and even controlling them.

The fighting struck me as incredibly fascinating. I could never explain the nuances here, but suffice it to say that our first lesson with the vase was just the tip of the iceberg. If, for instance, a spirit created an object meant solely to defend, the effects of an attack on it were entirely different from an object meant as a weapon. Defensive objects diffused attacks better- reducing the amount of damage done to the spirit by absorbing some of the power. Weapon objects, on the other hand, amplified attacks. Different spirits were better at various types of objects, and some had better amplification or defensive skills than others.

"I must warn you, Ahkra," Mossy said one morning. "There is a battle tactic that you ought to be informed of. Personally, I like to refer to it as burning out. It is incredibly dangerous- but I want you to know about it so that you can properly defend yourself."

"Burning out?"

"You know that attacks and defense are based on energy, right?" Mossy said.

"Yes, of course."

"So what would happen if you simply directed all your energy at me?" he asked, gesturing at his chest. "If you imagined the simplest attack- a beam of energy, perhaps- and directed it squarely at my chest with all the power you had, what would happen?"

"Well..." I trailed off. "I suppose I'd get tired, eventually. But I'd be draining your life force- your available energy- it would tire you out, too."

"This sort of attack is incredibly inefficient, Ahkra," Mossy explained. "It's a last-resort. There is no strategy or advantage behind it, no precision. It isn't like creating a weapon to amplify your attack. Burning out is simply power on sheer power. All of your available energy versus all of mine. And the spirit with the most available energy will survive, burning the life out of the other spirit."

"Wait, so if I tried to burn you out, I could end up dead?"

"Well, yes. If you overestimated yourself, you could burn through your own power and run out before I did. You'd be dead and I'd be rather tired."

"Is this... is it a common thing that spirits do?"

Mossy sighed, looking across the hut. "Well, I'd assume so. I don't get out much."

I laughed. Mossy laughed too.

"But if you find yourself in a situation where a spirit tries to burn you out, unless you're sure that you're the stronger one, and in good condition, you need to get away," Mossy insisted.

"I thought Relako, Cavern, and I were all stronger than typical spirits," I said.

"You are," he said quickly. "Just... be careful."

I nodded slowly. "Okay, Mossy. I will."

After a week in Mossy's valley, we left.

At the end of our final morning, a little blue bird with its claws gripping my talisman took flight from the roof of Mossy's hut. Two birds were already soaring up and out of the valley above. But the third lingered, staring down at the man who watched them. Mossy was standing on his porch, staring at us in the sky. My bird prepared to ascend.

"Wait, Ahkra," Mossy called to me, and I paused.

"What is it?"

"Keep an eye on them, won't you?" he said, darkness clouding his face for a moment. His eyes glittered like a golden sun. "I mean it."

What could that possibly mean? I wondered.

"Of course, Mossy," I said nonetheless. The bird chirped once in response, and, with a swish of feathers, it climbed up into the blue.