Me, My Spirit, And I [Book 1 Complete]

Lusha woke in their own bed at the cottage. They had no idea how they got there or why they were naked. The ceremonial robes were found neatly folded on the floor. All traces of blood and dirt were gone from their body. Had they hallucinated the entire ritual? Lusha felt confused and disoriented, but otherwise fine.

After completing their morning ablutions Lusha dressed in simple yet comfortable clothes and went to find breakfast. Shinobin was sitting at the kitchen table with breakfast waiting for Lusha.

"Did you sleep well?" Shinobin asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Mom? What happened? How did I get back home?" Lusha asked the questions that were foremost in their mind that morning, but remembered their manners a moment later. "I slept fine, I guess?"

"You completed your coming of age ceremony and bound yourself to the Wyldwood. The Elder Tree returned us all home." Shinobin sipped her tea.

"A tree returned us home?" Lusha asked in disbelief.

"A very old, very wise, and very powerful tree did, yes. Never make the mistake of thinking the Elder Tree is some sort of ordinary tree as it is well on its way to Ascending to Godhood." For the first time that morning Shinobin's voice took on a serious edge.

"I see. Let me check my Guide." Lusha was somewhat at a loss for words as they sat down at the table and went through the mental gymnastics needed to access the Guide while not technically having regular access.

This message confused Lusha. Not because its meaning wasn't clear, but because they thought they could only have five Traits total, but they now appeared to have six.

"Wylderfolk Verdant Vitality?" Lusha said questioningly to their mother.

Shinobin's smile was radiant. "That is the same version I have! It is considered a key Trait to become a Vitalist!"

"What are the other possibilities?"

"Your nana has the Wylderfolk Verdant Seer Trait. It increases divination abilities when in or near nature. There are many others, but all have the same theme; enhanced abilities while in nature. Do you think you might pick the Vitalist Class?" Shinobin was clearly excited by the idea of her child following in her footsteps.

"I don't know." Lusha shrugged. "But that doesn't mean I can't still learn more Vital Healing techniques right?"

"Absolutely, the Guide provides assistance and breaks limits rather than impose them."

Lusha read the next message before asking more questions. "What's a Sub-Core? I haven't heard that term talked about much."

Shinobin sipped her tea thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "Everyone develops a Personal Essence Core upon Awakening." She traced a circle in the air with her finger and left a trail of light behind. "If you have an Attunement, then you can convert a set percentage of your personal Essence into that type of Essence. This is an active process, as you know, and not instant." A line was traced from the first circle to a second smaller circle. "A Sub-Core is a Core that branches off the Personal Core and can store a specific Attuned Essence type. In this case, Vital Essence."

"That doesn't sound right. I am fairly confident that my Personal Core has been storing Vital Essence already." Lusha looked off in the distance in thought as they poked at their Core. It was harder to sense when corporeal, but they could still do it.

"What? That isn't how it is supposed to work. Attuned Essence in your Personal Core should simply dissipate and revert to unattuned Personal Essence." It was as if Lusha had said fire was wet or water was burning. It was fundamentally wrong. "Come here, let me use a diagnostic spell."

Lusha didn't see the harm in indulging their mother and walked over to her side of the table. Shinobin laid her hand on Lusha's abdomen and began chanting out a rather complex spell. Her eyes seemed to cloud over as the spell revealed something only she could see.

"Well? What's my Core look like, Mom?" Lusha was genuinely curious and would have to look at their own Core more closely soon and compare it to others.

"Huh, that is odd. Sub-Cores are separate and distinct, but you seem to have five bubbles of Essence in your Personal Core. It's like you already have Sub-Cores, but they are submerged inside your Personal Core waiting to emerge."

"What do you think it means?"

"I am fairly certain these are Nascent Cores and that when you fully Awaken that they will automatically form Sub-Cores, but I have never seen anything like it."

"Hmmm, it is likely some strange artifact of my Precursor Traits," Lusha mused. "Let me eat and check the Skill before we talk more, please."

Shinobin nodded and returned to her tea while Lusha looked at the Guide again.

"Verdent Regeneration seems like a useful Skill, but I didn't know that someone could actively increase Essence regeneration via meditation. Shouldn't Shada have a Skill for that or something?"

"Meditation alone doesn't increase Essence regeneration." Shinobin gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Why would it? It is just a mental technique for calming one's self, increasing focus, and clearing the mind."

A pleased look appeared on Lusha's face. "So increased regeneration isn't common?"

"It isn't uncommon. It just requires specific conditions. Someone with a Fire Attunement can develop a Skill to pull Fire Attuned Essence from the Ambient faster than others, but you need the environment, Skill, and Attunement to all match." Shinobin pointed towards the City of Westlin. "Verdant Regeneration will still work in the city, but there is little Vital Essence in the Ambient there, so its effects would be greatly diminished."

"That makes sense; though it does create some funny imagery. Do Water Mages meditate underwater?" Lusha asked with a laugh.

"I have actually heard of some that do in fact, but most just meditate beside a water source rather than in it. Most people still have to breathe while meditating after all." Shinobin's voice was sardonic, but she was smiling along with her child. She glanced at the window before speaking again. "Finish your breakfast. I have to head into town early today. Mina and Westlin should be up soon. The ritual was likely harder on them than us."

Lusha stood up and gave their mother a hug before turning back to filling the empty void that is a teenage stomach.

Westlin was the first to wander into the kitchen yawning and stretching his bulky frame. He was nearly a foot taller than Lusha at nearly six feet. Lusha noted that Westlin looked a little different today. The spots from his Wylderfolk heritage were more pronounced, his wavy light brown hair had grown at least an extra inch beyond what he normally kept it at, finally his light brown eyes seemed to be a richer color than before.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was hard for Lusha not to be envious of Westlin's height advantage. Being short, slender, and pretty was somewhat disconcerting for the part of them that had been John. Back on Earth they had been tall, bulky and rather out of shape from working from a desk most of their life.

Here on Sierrallas Lusha's strange mix of human, elven, and Precursor heritage had blessed them with a nearly otherworldly beauty, especially if they didn't use Shapeshifting to turn off the subtle glow they emitted from their skin. The same odd heritage combined with having a Body Stat from birth had caused them to grow rapidly at first, but then their development slowed considerably. At less than five foot tall Lusha was shorter than average for their age.

With snow white hair, bright blue eyes, pale white skin, pink lips, and delicate features Lusha had an angelic appearance. Rather than the dark brown markings of most Wylderfolk, Lusha had light blue markings that had a bioluminescent glow if they allowed it. Lusha's ear's were larger than a human's, mobile, and were distinctly pointed like their father's much larger ears. The ears and frequent mischievous expression often made them look like an imp or fae spirit.

When outside the privacy of the cottage and Wyldwood Lusha would turn their hair reddish brown, turn their eyes a light amber, and shift their skin tone to become a light coppery brown in imitation of their parents. Their light blue markings were shifted to a darker brown with a copper hue.

The giantkin and half-elf were always an odd contrast when compared side by side, but they had been best friends practically since birth. It was rare for them to not appear next to each other and there were few things they did indepently.

"Mornin' Wes, last night was wild right?" Lusha said in greeting to the sleepy boy.

"Too true, I had no clue what was going on." Westlin appeared to shiver as if cold. "Strangest night of my life."

"I have had stranger experiences thanks to Shada, but that was definitely different."

"Yeah it was," Westlin said as they started grabbing the pre-made breakfast foods that were being kept warm in enchanted containers on the counters.

After settling a massive amount of food on the table and sitting down, Westlin turned back to Lusha. "It feels strange to sleep in this late, but ma isn't up yet. Think we can skip out on training today?"

Lusha looked thoughtful while chewing. "Maybe? You never know with your ma. She can be a bit relentless when it comes to training."

Mina walked into the room as the two teens were talking and caught the tail end of their current conversation. "Relentless am I?" Mina humphed playfully. "I have you know, I am half the taskmaster my own parents were. They made me train til I puked."

"Did you have to walk fifty miles in the snow uphill to get to school in a blizzard too?" Lusha snarked. They couldn't help making a reference to the cliche 'back in my day' comment.

"Sometimes," Mina said with a playful smile. "Anyhow, you are in luck, as I had planned to give you both the day off to adjust." She said this while gathering her own breakfast.

"Really?" Westlin asked excitedly.

"Really. You both need to get used to the changes from your new Traits." She gestured towards the forest. "Go out and spend the day in the woods. You will find it feels different now."

"What do you mean, different?" Lusha asked.

"That's hard to explain, but you will figure it out while playing on your own, I am sure."

"Aren't you coming with us today?" Westlin asked in confusion. Mina never let them wander alone. There were too many dangers in the forest and too many potential threats against Lusha to wander off like that.

"Not today; the forest will watch over you. As long as you don't do anything too stupid you should be perfectly safe. Besides, there are always Shadows watching over you." Mina shrugged while gesturing vaguely around the room.

Lusha couldn't help but glance at the wall near the front door where they knew one of the Wyld Elven Shadows lurked. They were used to the invisible guardians, but were always aware of them on some level thanks to the benefits of Essence Perception.

"Yes! Free day!" Westlin was excited. Having his mother around constantly as both watcher and guardian could be trying at times.

"Shada has work to attend to. Let me split him off before we head out." Both Mina and Westlin were used to Lusha's multi-facetted nature, but statements like that one always came across as odd.

Closing their eyes, Lusha reached inside themselves for that place where their Traits lived and found the means to activate the Split Mind and Spirit Walking Skills. From everyone else's perspective nothing was happening. There was no light show or strange mists. Unless he chose to manifest, Shada was invisible and intangible. So when Lusha split into Luca and Shada there were no visible clues. However, Lusha's presence felt different to either Luca or Shada's so they could almost instinctively tell when the split occurred.

Shada chose to manifest in his ghostly old man form. His torso trailed off into vapor like a genie and they floated next to Luca. "I'd really rather take the day off and play in the woods, but work on the skyship we are taking to the Academy isn't finished and time grows short. Enjoy yourselves, and Luca remember I am just a thought away if you need me." With that Shada didn't wait for a response and vanished before heading off to the work on the skyship.

Luca was blinking slowly as he adjusted to being less than whole while somehow being a whole and distinct person. It was always harder for him to reorient after a split than it was for Shada for some reason. A few bites of food and a bit of tea helped him to orient himself before he looked at Westlin with a smile. They didn't need to use words to communicate, but they both suddenly spoke simultaneously.

"Free day!"

Mina winced at the loud noise, but didn't say anything. Energetic teenagers were just part of her life.

Luca was already shifting to their more human appearance. It helped them feel distinct from Lusha as much as it disguised their heritage.

The boys quickly finished eating and were out the door without even saying goodbye to Mina. She didn't mind and needed a day to herself anyhow. Her plan was to visit the Dungeon monument and pay her respects to her dead lover who died during her last Dungeon run as a Delver. They had met in the city of Westlin and had a whirlwind romance that only lasted a few months. Long enough for Mina to become pregnant and long enough for him to ask that the child be named after the city where they met. She made it a point to pay her respects at least once per year.

—

Luca and Westlin raced down the path through the vibrant cottage garden that bloomed all year round. They often spent hours helping tend the garden alongside Shinobin or Vanestra. There was a difference to the feel of the garden now. A vibrancy that they had ignored. Luca gestured to the garden and Westlin nodded back confirming that he felt the difference to.

Several hundred yards into the forest Luca stopped suddenly. Westlin had trouble slowing down and skidded on the rich forest loam as they rounded a tree before returning to stand by Luca.

"Why did you stop?" Westlin asked curiously.

Luca was grinning a wicked grin as he reached into a hollow in a tree. This was a secret hiding spot Shada had arranged for him. From the hollow came a dark glass bottle and a package wrapped in preservation enchantments.

Westlin's eyes grew round. "Is that what I think it is?"

Luca's answering grin was downright naughty. "It is, berry wine!"

"Wow! I can't believe Shada actually got that for you!" Westlin said with an impressed look on his face.

"Its hard to argue with yourself. Besides, I remember enough from being John not to do anything too stupid. Come on, let's go to the cave next to the creek!" Luca shoved the wine and package in the satchel he always carried when out in the woods. It was part of his standard hunting kit along with his favorite bow, a sharp dagger, and some basic supplies. No one walked the Wyldwood unarmed. Westlin had a spear strapped to his back and dagger on his waist.

The cave and creek were close enough to the cottage to still be affected by the wards, but far enough to give the boys a sense of privacy. It was their favorite camping spot and they often used it in their youthful combat games. They would take turns defending the cave, which basically just resulted in a few exchanges with practice weapons before devolving into a wrestling match.

Luca stashed his prizes in the cave for lunch while checking on their collection of firewood. Shada had helped Shape low wooden seats and other rustic furnishings for their little cave fort and the boys took up their normal seats to plan out their day.

"It has been awhile since we got to come out here alone. It feels different now, doesn't it?" Westlin asked while breaking sticks to build a small fire.

Luca looked at the surrounding forest. "It does. Is it more alive and yet more peaceful? Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah, I feel safe, but everything feels… more, you know what I mean?" Westlin asked.

Luca nodded in agreement. "I do! I like it, but it is different." Luca inhaled deeply and could feel the Vital Essence in the air more distinctly than ever before. It was energizing and relaxing at the same time.

"Swimming?" Westlin suggested.

Luca just nodded and began stripping down. There was no one around to see them and they had been nude around each other many times before. It also helped that nudity wasn't inherently sexualized as much among the Wylderfolk as it was back on Earth.

There was a bend in the creek near the cave that created a large swimming hole. It was fall, but the day was warm. However, the creek water was not.

"Sweet Sierra this is frickin cold!" Westlin exclaimed after surfacing from his cannon ball.

Luca had dove in more gracefully and was treading water next to Westlin. "You are part Ice Giant, shouldn't you be enjoying the cold?" Luca teased.

"Doesn't mean I can't feel cold! Just means it won't hurt me. Damn, this might have been a bad idea." Westlin complained.

Luca laughed as he watched Westlin shivering. Unlike Westlin he had enough control over his own Essence to ensure he stayed at a much more comfortable temperature by conjuring a thin shell of heat around himself.

"Wait, why aren't you cold?" Westlin glared at Luca who was floating nearby with a grin.

Luca stuck his tongue out. "Magic of course!" he said in a sing-song voice.

With a narrowing of his eyes Westlin lunged for Luca. "Make me warmer, dammit!" Westlin shouted as he began trying to catch and hug Luca who was staying just out of arms reach.

Laughter filled the forest as the two teenagers chased each other and wrestled in the water enthusiastically. Several hours later they emerged from the creek to dry off in the noon-day sun next to their camp fire. They traded the bottle of berry wine back and forth in companionable silence.

"What do you think the Academy will be like?" Westlin asked after the warmth of the berry wine had filled their stomach.

"I don't know. I mean, I have some ideas from John, but this is another world. There will be [Nobles] and noble-born kids there. Earth has a lot of stories about how that tends to go. I really hope there are no arrogant young masters trying to prove themselves and throw their daddy's names in our face," Luca mused while taking a drink straight from the wine bottle.

"Arrogant young masters? You mean snooty noble scions?" Westlin asked.

"Exactly, in the stories there are always those types trying to mess with people."

"Well it isn't like you can't drop a few names yourself my prince," Westlin said with a laugh. Luca wasn't a prince, the Queendom's rules didn't work like that, but it had become something Westlin liked to joke about for a long time now.

"As my loyal knight it will be your job to beat those who offend my royal self, right?" Luca joked back.

"Of course, no one messes with you without messing with me!" Westlin said enthusiastically.

The boys continued talking about the Academy, the future, making friends, about girls, and about boys. As they talked and passed the wine bottle back and forth their hands would occasionally touch, and linger a bit longer than necessary. Both boys would smile at each other when this happened, but never mention it.