30 the way ahead

Atasha glanced at Alex with a smile. The young matriarch was making an effort to demonstrate her usefulness to Alex, and he still didn't quite understand where such a need came from. From his point of view, it was clear that they were in the same boat. From the little information he had gathered from the dwarves and elves before they left, the entire peninsula they were in was infested with creatures of the dark or demonic side, most of which would kill him on sight, and the rest would enslave him to death.

Upon arriving at the tent, Raknar asked Alex about his knowledge of asi energy, and without knowing exactly what to say, he proceeded to recount more or less all the details about the trial.

"There are many things that don't add up, young man, but now everything makes sense. You have no warrior foundation."

"What do you mean by that? You've mentioned it many times, but it seems we have different notions of the word. To me, a warrior is someone who trains for war, and in that aspect, you could say I have training."

"Although your conception may sound natural to you, I think you're still using the knowledge of the world where you come from. Here, the most important thing is that your body can wield the world's energy. There are many names for this, as well as many varieties with different effects. For example, I use the most common energy, also known as life force."

"I see. So is there something wrong with how I use my life force?"

"Of course, there are many things wrong with you," said the irate gnoll warrior. "Let's start from the beginning. In the foundations of a training warrior, there are the following five fundamental steps. The first is perception and control. About 70% of people don't have a natural affinity and can't control the energy."

"So many? That would make it very difficult to raise an army in good condition for defense."

"At least those are the numbers for gnolls, although I heard it was similar for humans if nothing has changed," Atasha interjected. She was much more fluent in general knowledge about other species.

"And what comes next? I already fulfill that requirement, and I can feel and manipulate the energy in my body."

"Well, it depends on what energy you managed to grasp in the first step. For example, life force is the energy granted to all living beings, so theoretically, even a plant can train with it. However, it's known that capturing this energy is very difficult, and its intrinsic properties are not very high. In comparison, I can sense that the type of energy you captured is of a much higher order. I can tell you its name."

"I call it Ashen Energy or Ashen Force. This power helped me greatly in fighting against the demonic and corrupted hordes invading my world."

Raknar looked at Atasha, and they both understood each other, as the gnoll was visually asking the matriarch if the human was crazy. A power like that was legendary; it was impossible for it to just appear out of nowhere. Raknar's internal hypothesis about Alex being a high-ranking guard of some kingdom was becoming more obvious.

"Furthermore, Sir Alex should know that each species has a specific internal energy for them. There are also many other energies. I'm not sure if this energy you mention is specific to humanity, but you should know that the training procedures vary for each one, and all these secrets are closely guarded by each species and kingdom," Atasha explained to Alex and reaffirmed to the gnoll warrior that his benefactor wasn't crazy.

"The next natural step would be the creation of a vessel. You need one to slowly store your energy. At this point, you must train to improve both the quality of your vessel and the quality of it."

"Why do I have to do that?"

"At this point, you've probably noticed that the energy you don't use disappears over time. That's what you want to avoid because the next step is creating energy channels in your body. These will allow you to use your own energy to defend your body, as I did during our duel."

"I see, it makes sense. When I tried to do that before, I always found it impossible to create a circuit."

"You're crazy. How did you even think of creating a circuit out of thin air? You should know that the process must be done in a single session. If you don't succeed, you'll have to destroy the circuit before trying again, which is an extremely painful process that can even leave you crippled."

Cold sweat began to run down Alex's back. He had truly been dancing with death for a long time, tempting it so much that he had no doubt the next stupid thing he did could blow up in his face.

"So, do you have any idea how I can create the vessel?"

"I understand that for many species, it can be done by oneself by training the energy in a certain pattern, although this option takes a prolonged amount of time. The usual, faster way is with the help of a superior who is also initiated in that same energy. That's also how kingdoms control people who train in such techniques," Raknar responded.

"I think I'm the first of my kind, so there's no one else who has already mastered this energy. So I guess I'll have to go with the longer process," Alex finally said, letting out a sigh. At first, knowing that his energy was unique and powerful brought him great joy, but with it came the problems of being a pioneer. He had no path to follow, and he had to blaze it himself for those who would come after.

"Well, my lord, those are the usual ways. You can also use certain supplements and treasures rich in natural energy. Remember the herbs we talked about with Zalika? These can be key elements. There are also other natural treasures or areas of high energy density that can help temper the body and accelerate certain processes," Atasha said, trying to improve Alex's mood.

"At least now I understand why most of my efforts have been futile. I'm going to study the ways of creating the vessel and see if I can adapt it to my specific needs."

At that moment, little Lunaria appeared in the tent and stood proudly in front of Alex, raising her head and refusing to communicate. Everyone present was stunned, not knowing what the little predator wanted.

Finally, Alex decided to take a more direct approach to the situation.

"Lunaria, is there something you need? Are you hungry, or are your wounds hurting?"

Upon hearing Alex's respectful voice, the little predator finally moved, responding negatively with grace and finally meowing to express her decision.

Just like when he was exploring her collar, it resonated, and somehow, he understood the meaning. He knew what she was conveying, approximately.

"Nobody will hold you back; you can leave whenever you want, so take your time to rest your wounds."

The predator softened her proud attitude and shook her head.

"Alright, if you want to leave, know that you can always come back here if you have any problems."

For a moment, the little predator hesitated in her position, but soon an unyielding determination burned in her eyes, and Alex could see it. There was hatred and resentment. Lunaria approached Alex one last time, and he misinterpreted her gesture, trying to pet her. This time, the feline reacted by avoiding his hand and biting it.

"I guess you don't want a farewell caress. You could also stop biting me now; it actually hurts," Alex said in a soothing and gentle voice.

He stayed still in his position and allowed the little one to finish her business. She climbed onto Alex's legs and supported herself with her front paws on his chest, getting close to her collar with her mouth, and remained in that position for almost a full minute.

During that time, Lunaria underwent a complete transformation, and what had looked like a normal cat soon turned into a completely different species. Her tail split into three tails, each ending in a heart-shaped spike. A pattern of silvery white appeared all over her body, forming mysterious symbols. The most striking change, however, appeared in her eyes, which began to glow with a silver tone that sent chills down those nearby.