The sound of metal clashing resonated all around the 6th mansion, the source originating from the open lawn between the horse shed and the apple tree.
Xenon and Qweri were locked in a battle of swords, their weapons clashing against each other with no clear dominator.
They both swung their swords and it clashed once more, Xenon used the force of the clash to push himself back a few feet before he darted back toward Qweri, jumped into the air and spun around before aiming a kick to Qweri's head mid air.
Qweri blocked the kick with the side of his sword and stepped back before delivering his own kick to Xenon's side just before he touched the ground. The kick hit him squarely in the ribs and made him topple over.
Xenon rolled on the floor, stood and dashed towards Qweri, he raised his sword to strike and Qweri swung his sword forward aiming for his neck. Xenon didn't stop his charge but brought down his sword as Qweri's passed through his neck harmlessly.
He continued forward, phased through Qweri and spun around to strike him from behind with the side of his sword, Qweri managed to spin around quickly enough to deflect the blow, but that sent his sword flying.
°Ding
_________________
•Daily quest "Phase 3 times" has been completed
5 exp awarded
_________________
"I thought I told you not to use your ability when sparring with me." Qweri complained.
"I was just testing out this new skill I learnt, sorry." Xenon replied.
"Anyways, today marks the last day of my teachings, I cannot continue to train you anymore. I have taught you all you need to know these 13 months, and while I could still teach you more, my old body is tired and cannot keep up with the more advanced moves you will want to practice. Congratulations, you passed in leaping colours."
"Don't you mean flying colours?"
"Your performance isn't enough for the colours to fly." Qweri taunted.
"What do you mean, I'm pretty sure I performed very well for being taught by an old man within just 13 months." Xenon retorted.
"No matter, I can't teach you anymore, my bones are protesting against the rigorous conditions I've put them through during the better part of the year and don't forget I'm leaving the island after Mycel's wedding."
"You're the best of the two students I ever had, the second being your careless father, even though you resort to cheap tricks to win." Qweri said as he walked away into the mansion.
"Ah!". Xenon sighed and sat down, resting on the apple tree's trunk. He relaxed and opened the system
_________________
NAME: XENON PRASEDYMUM
AGE: 14
LEVEL: 7 | EXP: 1300/3200
STATE: FINE
HP: 35/35
OUSIA [<]
Stage: 2 (Transitional)
Progression: 73%
Àse: 297/300
Spirit Contract: 0
ATTRIBUTES [<]
|Strength:14| |Agility:22| |Endurance:15|
|Intelligence: 19| |Senses: 18|
[Fatigue:12% | Vitality:100%]
SYSTEM SKILL: SCAN (Lvl 3)
QUESTS [<]
MAIN QUEST: Pass Askesis' entrance examination
SIDE QUESTS:
▪︎Gain full mastery over HYPERCELERITY
▪︎Reach Level 10
DAILY QUESTS:
▪︎Meditate for 1 hour
▪︎Drink 3 litres of water
QUEST:
▪︎Phase 3 times. Completed
_________________
"I sure have come a long way these 13 months, but why does the exp requirement have to double with each level up!" Xenon cried. "The entrance exam is just a month away, but I still have a lot to do. I have no time to rest at all, but first let me complete the daily quests." He scooped his hair that he had let grow over the months, tied it up behind his head and stood up.
— — —
Xenon crossed the bridge that led to the recursive island within the manor and walked towards the study.
"Time to get my first spirit contract". He said excitedly. He opened the door to the study, turned the chair to face the bag of hay and sat down.
"Scan"
_________________
OBJECT: Hay Cushion
INFO: Physical form of "Kusin", a high grade spirit that protects the study and the land around it
STATE: INACTIVE
COMPATIBILITY: 85%
_________________
"Okay system, how do I bond with it?"
_________________
•You need to wake it up first by passing your spiritual energy into it's physical form
_________________
"And after that?".
_________________
•However it goes
_________________
"Huh?" Xenon stood up, knelt by the cushion. It was the same one he woke up in the day he died.
He placed his hand upon it and passed his spiritual energy into the cushion. At first he felt nothing, then after some seconds he felt his spiritual energy being drawn out very quickly, he drew back his hand in panic and fell over, his back hitting the ground. The hay cushion let out green glow and started to hover mid air, it came over to where Xenon lay down on the floor and hovered just above his chest.
"Arith? Is that you?" The spirit, Kusin said
— — —
"He still hasn't come back home?" Kusin asked.
"No one knows his whereabouts since he disappeared almost 8 years ago" Xenon answered.
The spirit Kusin, mistook Xenon for his father Arith, who disappeared almost 8 years ago after losing his sanity.
"You were very little when I last saw you, and you had some parasite inside you."
"I'm cured now."
"I can see that, I can also see you've formed your ousia, and is at the transitional second stage"
"You can see my ousia?"
"Yes, any high grade spirit and above can see the growth of anyone at or below their level"
"Oh..."
"May I know why I was woken from my slumber?" Kusin said, sounding annoyed.
"I wanted to bond with you as my first spirit contract." Xenon declared
"Oh... you do know how it works right? You have to have something I want, that's why it's called a contract."
"Yeah... I know"
"So? What do you have to offer?"
"What do you want?"
"There are three thing I do wish to see very much. The first is to see that old man, your grandfather get beating he deserves; The second is to see Arith once again, and the third is to see your mother's cruel mother suffer"
"My mother's mother?"
"Oh, you're not supposed to know about that, but anyways, you can't accomplish any of this, at least not now, so how about we do it like this... I'll bond with you on the condition that I leave half of myself here."
"Why have you been here all this while in the first place?"
"Your father made me promise to never leave here, can't you see the barrier I put over this part of the manor?"
"Oh, that was you?"
"Do you agree to the demands of the contract or not?"
"But won't that reduce you to half your strength?"
"True, I will only be half as powerful, but I'm able to use my full strength at the cost of one of my halves if the situation is truly dire, and leaving one half here will reduce my consumption of Áse as the measly amount in your ousia cannot sustain me. Do you agree to the contract?"
Xenon tore of the skin of his thumb, he placed his bleeding thumb on Kusin and passed his blood and spiritual energy in him.
"Yes". Xenon said. Their energies mixed and a little green dot could be seen orbiting around the –now orange– transcluscent ball in Xenon's ousia.
°Ding
_________________
•You have bonded with a high-grade spirit, Kusin
▪︎First spirit bond, 500 exp added
▪︎First high grade spirit bond, 1000 exp added
_________________
_________________
EXP: 2800/3200
_________________
_________________
OUSIA [<]
Stage: 2 (Transitional)
Progression: 70%
Àse: 332/350
Spirit Contract: 1 (Kusin [>])
_________________
_________________
KUSIN [<]
AGE: 40
GRADE: HIGH
STATE: ACTIVE
TYPE: DEFENSE
ABILITIES (4):
▪︎Protective Barrier: Creates a protective barrier around you or an area of choosing
▪︎Buff | Fatigue and Vitality (passive): Regenerates vitality and reduces fatigue automatically (at rest)
▪︎Debuff | Attack power (active): Reduces attack power of opponent by 5% (increases with progress in Ousia stages)
▪︎Healing (active): Heals minor injuries and provides treatments similar to first aid
_________________
"Activate Healing" Xenon's said and his thumb started to heal, he could also feel his fatigue alleviating.
"Wow! This is awesome!" Xenon said in excitement.
''I know right". Kusin said into his mind.
"I can hear you in my mind now. Great, I would be weird if I just started talking into the air". Xenon said. "Now, that this is taken care of, time to go". He walked off the study and headed towards the Onyx mansion.