Shielded by Seals [Chapter 21] (Patreon)

Whoops forgot to post yesterday. I'm out of practice. Two today.

ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/132353583

Trial of the Fang Stele has begun.

My body faded away. My awareness focused on the symbols at the base of the stele. Bits of light glowed and drifted. Two white circles appeared, one a fourth the size and off-center within the first. Three glowing motes of energy floated around within the larger space. A certainty filled me: I had to focus my mind and move those glowing motes into the smaller circle.

A powerful wave swept through my Mana Pool. I felt my energy surging, pulled directly through my chest by an outside force, likely the stele. Mana drained out of me at a constant speed.

Very quickly, I understood the connection; Threads of ice pierced out of my body and sustained the strange visuals floating in front of me.

Immediately, a sense of confidence filled me. With all the training I’ve done, with Mana Hungry… shouldn’t my Mana Pool be oversized? Especially compared to kids my age…

I focused. At my nudging, the glowing motes of light drifted into the smaller circle. Illumination filled my awareness. When it faded, new circles were in front of me. The inner circle had become smaller and additional little motes appeared. They also began sliding around. But a few bursts of focus guided them to the right location.

In rapid succession, I blazed through a series of tests like this. When I focused, those little motes of light were buoyed into place by my will. Plus, with a previous lifetime’s experience eliminating distractions, the wintry sensation of my flowing Mana wouldn’t give me pause. The stone stele shook as I finished a particularly difficult test. I felt myself shift upward to a place of brighter light.

Now, there were multiple smaller circles in the big circle and each were a different color. The sparks, too, had colors associated with their goal location. So I needed to take a few more seconds to guide the motes to their destination, while also controlling the other motes to remain with their circles.

I finished two of these tests and felt the beginnings of a headache tugging at my awareness. Yet as the feeling began tingling in my temple, another notification showed up.

Due to focused actions, your Role Genius has received Proficiency +1%.

Nice bonus, I thought. Then I closed my eyes and gave myself a few seconds of stillness to let the headache dissipate. I checked my well of Mana: the pool remained over half full. I had plenty time.

I continued to push.

It took about twenty more seconds for me to finish the rest of the tasks for the second level. The light intensified again and as the next series began, the motes of light resisted my touch. To my surprise, depending on the color of the light, the resistance was different. On the third tier, there were four colors of motes: white, yellow, black, and green.

Gritting my teeth, I managed to forcefully move the four colors into all the proper circles, one after the other. Every two tasks, I had to take another moment to recoup my focus. Gradually, the headache began to linger even after I finished a task. Yet, gritting my teeth, I completed the third level. Light exploded; On the fourth series of tests, the binding seals around me changed. 

A notification interrupted my focus.

Choose your way forward.

For a split second, I wavered, unable to quite understand the implication. Only the slow drain of my Mana triggered a realization. On this Level, I would only need to satisfy a single color in order to pass the test.

Due to focused actions, your Role Genius has received Proficiency +1%.

My awareness swept out through my Mana Pool. A sense of unease filled me as I felt how much more of my Mana Pool was depleted than full. I had perhaps only a fourth remaining. Mana Hungry would kick in soon and provide more time, but I didn’t know how much longer this would last. Yet thinking about it won’t help me at all. Only effort and time can bridge the distance.

I prodded all the colorful motes and checked the results. Both green and black were heavy, to my mind, and difficult to move. Meanwhile, white seemed the most neutral and gold…

Well, honestly, they move too much, I thought as I brushed a gold mote and it zipped across the circles. To my senses, they felt greased. A small touch would send it skittering away.

So I ignored the others and worked with the stable white motes. Right before I finished the fourth level, I felt my awareness beginning to darken. My Mana Pool spasmed, suffering from the absorption of the stele while already being empty. But then Mana Hungry activated and a frigid blast of energy reinvigorated my attention. I narrowed my eyes and continued.

Due to focused actions, your Role Genius has received Proficiency +1%.

On the fifth level, the difficulty increased; all of the energy motes were white, but they possessed shapes. Circles, triangles, squares. And the most annoying part was that, every few seconds, they shifted from one shape to the other. Instead of just having inner circles, now there were locations for each of the shapes.

I wasted several seconds trying to catch up, but then I realized that it was confusing, not difficult. I first gathered the motes into groups, then waited for them to change and shove them all into their proper channels. Once the tasks were divided like this, it became possible to push through the fifth level.

On the sixth level, the requirement was the same, but just… the motes became heavier. The changes came more quickly. My headache grew more pressing, but a scan of my Mana Pool demonstrated that I didn’t have much time remaining.

I gritted my teeth. My mind expended itself, hauling the motes around to their proper place. Yet the Sixth Tier possessed a reward.

For accomplishing a level of the Fang Stele, your Role Genius gains +2% Proficiency.

We love being called a Genius, I reflected. Then I couldn’t spare any attention. As soon as my awareness shifted, I attempted to the next Level. I could feel the veins of my neck beginning to bulge as I concentrated. Trial by trial, I forced my way forward, even as the headache made me woozy.

For completing a test of the Fang Stele, your Role Genius gains +2% Proficiency.

Due to focused actions, your Role Genius has received Proficiency +1%.

For completing a test of the Fang Stele, your Role Genius gains +2% Proficiency.

For completing a test of the Fang Stele, your Role Genius gains +2% Proficiency.

On the final test of level 6, even as I dragged the last few motes toward their proper place, my mind faltered. The energy began to dim as my Mana Pool emptied for the second time. My whole body trembled. The piercing cold of Mana might be uncomfortable, but the hollowness I felt as my Mana Pool strained was worse. 

It forced me to recall the horrible process of dying.

An axe of overexertion hacked apart my consciousness. My eyelids drooped. The motes were only a short distance away and my awareness-

Heh, exhaustion, my old friend. My eyes glittered. Do you think this is my first rodeo? The last step is always the most fraught. If your focus wavers here-

Some part of my mind flexed. In the face of my physical inability, I mentally gritted my teeth and tried to endure. My whole body shook and my Mana Pool began to twist as it tried to squeeze out a small amount of Mana to keep the test going. I felt like I was about to vomit-

An unusual activation has been detected. Checking…

My Mana Pool squeezed… and the world around me coughed up a small amount of energy.

Due to your Role Genius, an unusual action has occurred. Your Trait Mana Hungry gathers a small amount of Mana. Due to focused actions, your Role Genius has received Proficiency +5%.

The seals flared back to life. My awareness returned, just for a moment. I had just enough time to shift the last few shapes into place. I felt myself shift again, moving to the next level-

Forget it. My consciousness began to blur. After all, it’s just a first try. Won’t I be able to come back later and get further? Just wait, you stupid steele.

*****

Ryonu Fang’s eyes widened as the test Stele began to glow with a resplendent emerald light. It spat out fists of dazzling flames, in celebration, in warning, to herald the inheritor who had finally arrived, after all these years.

Ryonu’s eyes shifted to the small body that collapsed in front of the test. A few things tumbled in his mind. He had received word that an interesting one was coming… but to think the kid would move so fast-

His heart firmed. Keekri’s supposition was right; this boy clearly possessed the direct bloodline of the Fang Family. He could be used to stabilize this ancient family that teetered toward rot and ruin. But until he had grown and realized his potential-

Ryonu looked around at the surrounding individuals. Several aides watched the steele with confusion. Even more problematic was the two and three-leggers, interrupted from their practice of exterior arts, who were bewildered by the strange development.

Ryonu spoke in a rumbling voice. Although his connection to the Prime of the Feng Family had long withered, he squeezed out just a bit of that power. “None may speak of this.”

All bowed their heads.

Because all the heads were bowed, no one noticed that an individual continued to look at the stele, its eyes glowing with emerald light. That individual hunk’d out a sigh of weariness as the full inheritance contained in the steele filled his mind.

It was confused… but it also understood that this opportunity would change its existence