Chapter-12

Chastity-Gluttony:

The ones who didn't differentiate, it just felt and let itself be felt by all.

Abstinence- Wrath:

The one who was angry at all who couldn't hold back, including itself.

Liberality- Sloth:

The one who wanted to be free; the one who escaped from all that bounded.

Diligence-Greed:

The one who tried its best, to achieve all it could.

Patience-Pride:

The one who first learnt to wait, to bode its time and be sure of all it did.

Kindness- Lust:

The one who was kind, but to only the ones it fancy.

Humility-Envy:

The one who understood its weakness; the one who only saw what it lacked.

These were just 'emotions' formed on 'instincts'. Something that just hatched from an egg called 'beginning'.

And hence the 'canvas' was painted in all known colors and more, resounding with noise of 'life'.

***

George had started taking jobs again, he joined a team which was working on the location and later excavation of a temple belonging to Fiztria, the one hailed by Sun. For which he had to find the missing journalist who knew its location. For the mission he had to go South, in the Yorbaian Continent.

He stood at the gate, watching the melancholic face of his wife, who was trying her best to see him off with smiles, she knew it wont be less than a few months if not a whole year before George could come back.

After hugging his wife a goodbye, he crouched to come face to face with Ethan, who still seemed to be a little lost in his own world.

"Don't trouble your mother too much okay ? And be sure to be a good boy" said he, patting the toddler who looked twice his age.

"Yes, I will if you bring me some souvenirs " Smiled Ethan.

"Sure" George ruffled his hair in response.

"Goodbye Honey, Take care." He opened the door

"You too" Amelia managed to say somehow as the door closed.

Ethan watched the exchange and saw some tears form in Amelia's eyes, making a face that clenched his heart.

Amelia saw Ethan grab her legs into a hug and looking at her with a smile; she saw Ethan making a strained smile while his eyes gave away the fact that he himself was on the edge of crying.

Amelia had been dependent on her husband ever since her Great-grandfather died and her only remaining family, her Grandfather went outside the country after her marriage. Perhaps she was a little too dependent on him as once she heard that he was leaving for months and maybe an year, all kinds of thoughts started plaguing her mind, the image of him lying in his own blood sent shivers down her spine, but George calmed her down by mentioning Ethan, about how he himself needs to go to find out more.

And now too, it was Ethan, the boy with short teal hair trying to calm her down while he himself was so worried, just like his father, dependable but slightly not.

"Don't worry, mommy's just fine." She smiled, the lump in her throat softening.

Ethan was glad, his mother's smile made his own smile genuine.

***

And so Ethan had more time where he was not under the watch of his parents eyes, so he decided to 'play outside' as he told his mother.

He went outside his house, a 2000sqft log-house in the outskirts of the city. They had few neighbors, almost none his age. With some vegetation starting around 400 meter away and a full forest about 1km onwards.

Ethan had started to train his perception through 'will' after finding no way to use nen without it. He picked up some rocks and tried closing his eyes to 'will' his aura to act as a way to 'feel' the surroundings while expanding, he felt it, the air the ground, everything in such clarity, before feeling a little headache right in the middle of his head, he had to 'will' it to stop expanding to as the headache was increasing, he threw the rocks upward only to 'feel' like they never left his hand as he felt them move up and down in a a parabola, he was even able to 'feel' his own body as if his skin rubbing on itself. Disabling en he felt a little tired, more mentally than physically.

Going near a tree, he tried testing his strength, he fist punched it with a little strength only for his hand to hurt a little, then he 'willed' nen to envelop his hand in a protective way, and punched the tree similarly, this time he hardly felt the pain other than the jerk of his arm, then he punched the tree with all he had and it shook, rewarding him with a few leaves. So he tried to 'will' the nen to cover his hand with the intent to destroy, since his 'will' would never harm him unless he wills it to, he felt the wave of air repelled by the changes in his nen as it took a slight red hue, then he punched the tree. The sound of crunches resounded as he felt the tree deform, his eyes were automatically closed, saving him from the splinters that were blown about.

There was a hole the size of his fist and a little more surrounded by cracks, his hand was bloody from the splinters and the jagged way the trunk was pierced as if thousands if not millions of nails were pushed inside.

Ethan smiled, dopamine and adrenaline were keeping the pain away and he hardly felt nauseous, letting him relish the power he has gained. But his smile was short lasted, realizing that someone may had heard the noise he escaped, the pain in his hands and arm becoming ever increasing.

Fighting through the pain Ethan tried 'willing' his nen to sense his body, and tried tracing the life energy of the splinters which were foreign to his body, weirdly enough he found just a few, not at all resembling the wounds he had received, so he took a different approach, he tried 'willing' to sense everything that didn't had his life energy signature, this time he found too many all around his body. So he tried sensing things that were foreign to his body and were bigger than 1 mm, he found a few scattered around his arm and stomach and some random body parts, deciding to check the others later he focused on the ones near his arm and 'willed' them to be repelled out of his body, it was a little painful but almost all of the splinters were removed, he then washed his hand in a stream before 'willing' it to heal.

The rest of the day was spent learning to sense better with the support of different sensory organs and well, playing around some more with his powers and the unfamiliar fauna and flora he saw.

Upon returning home he was instructed to stay away from the woods for a few days as a strange beast was sighted there.