Soul Blaze [Progressive fantasy | No LitRPG]

***

Tao was not the only one troubled by the news of the cancelled expedition to the forest. Though Indres and Sofra did not know as much as he, they sensed there were too many oddities regarding the drake to allow that its appearance was a mere coincidence. But this only added to the confusion and uncertainty about what to do next. Even the selesti Neter looked worried. So it was no surprise that in the evening, after they had learned of the new expedition, both parents' faces were grim. Well, in Indres' case, grimmer than usual.

"Perhaps we should leave this place?" Sofra unexpectedly asked her husband after she had put the children to bed. Tao was in bed with his sisters, but was listening to his parents' conversation. His breath caught with anxiety, and his heart began beating faster. The boy impatiently awaited his father's answer.

"Leave? Where to?" Indres sounded surprised.

"To Keser or another larger city, for example. Where it would be safer."

Silence fell, and Tao saw in his mind how a steep furrow formed between his father's brows as he sank into thought.

"These are our homes. Settling in a new place, wherever that might be, won't be easy." The answer came after a moment. "Near Keser hunting isn't allowed; I would have no livelihood."

"Perhaps we could focus on potion-making."

"Only if the city guilds allow you to, wife. Or have you forgotten what kind of people they are? Guild fees, city taxes... moreover, you'd have to buy raw materials from merchants. That would be difficult." Indres listed the drawbacks to Sofra's idea.

"But what about your native region? Perhaps there..."

"No." Indres sharply interrupted his wife before adding in a gentler tone. "That's not a good place either, forgive me."

Silence fell again, making Tao think for a moment that the conversation was over.

"But if the drake is connected to... to everything that happened before... if it attacks again..." Sofra spoke in a quieter voice that seemed both pleading and full of unrest.

"It doesn't seem the beast has much interest in our village now. And we'll be better prepared if something similar happens again. The lords and citymen will soon go to defeat it. Even a drake can't overcome an organized war-band. After that, they can again devote their strength to what dwells in the forest. We just need to be careful until then." Indres tried to reassure his wife.

"I understand." Sofra's voice conveyed resignation.

"If it truly becomes necessary to leave the village, I promise we will do so, all right?"

"All right, thank you."

And that was all. Tao felt both disappointment and relief.

Disappointment, because a simple and easy solution to the problem slipped away. He felt the temptation to confess to his parents his knowledge about the threats, to urge them to quickly leave somewhere far away, away from the looming enemy.

Relief, because Tao understood that the enemy would surely act before the family could manage to leave. The same could happen if another expedition to the forest were organized. Or if he now revealed everything he knew to his parents. Perhaps it was already too late to do so now, or it would never have made any difference. Perhaps the enemy was only playing with him, and even Tao's secret plan was futile...

Tao tried not to give in to despair and dismiss the gloomy thoughts.

No, this is the only way out. I must become stronger while there is still time, he again strengthened his resolve.

***

Spiritual beings were not subject to sleep, so Tao did not hesitate to use Eleya's help every night when possible, until the first light of dawn. With fanatic fervor, he worked to change the nature of his spirit power so that it could reflect from other beings' spirit power. Without the forest spirit's guidance, this would be impossible. Unlike attempts to influence natural elements, like water, there was no way to see a physical result. Only thanks to Eleya being able to tell if Tao was progressing in the desired direction could he transform his spirit power accordingly.

Nights, when Tao was alone, he tried to figure out how to create more powerful battle magic. A logical first step would be to try to learn to invoke magic he already knew without incantations, just as Tao had learned with some everyday magic. He decided to both reduce the scope of this magic and otherwise limit it, so as not to cause disaster at home. Though some of these spell processes were known and understandable to him, others did not yield so easily. Tao now had insight into how to change spirit power to affect oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere, but that didn't mean he could do it immediately. Many attempts were needed before achieving any tangible results.

It also seemed strange to Tao, even unnatural, to try to expel fats from his hand for fire creation. The process wasn't too difficult physically; all he had to do was connect parts of specific elements with spirit power and push them out together at a certain point. The boy's mind wasn't easily freed from worries that this process would injure his tissues or otherwise cause internal harm.

The only thing that was truly difficult to understand and practically implement was vector change. This magic process was more abstract and seemed more supernatural than the others. Eleya agreed with this and even explained more:

"What happens in nature -- water freezes or boils, wood begins to burn from heat and wind blows -- all of this is possible even without magic, often by human hands as well. But magic can also accomplish what your hands cannot, in this case, making an explosion spread not in all directions, but only in one. Such things are harder for your mind to grasp, so these incantation elements seem more complex. In reality, it only determines to what degree the fundamental laws of the Material World are affected. Of course, the more you want to influence these laws, the more spirit power it requires. Fortunately, that won't be a problem for you..."

Tao also felt that, of all these spell processes, vector change specifically required more spirit power. He also understood that this process was very specific and affected the direction of kinetic vectors, rather than making static objects move. That is, Tao couldn't use this effect to telekinetically throw stones, for example. Possibly, Tao could change the direction of a stone that was already in motion, say, being thrown in his direction. Though such a possibility was interesting, throwing objects in the kitchen at night seemed too loud, so he set this idea aside for now.

Let's do everything one by one - first, I need to learn to control oxygen, and then, possibly, nitrogen as well. Tao decided to focus on the simpler elements of this spell.

***

"Tao, stop daydreaming!" his mother's voice tore the boy from the trance he had imperceptibly slipped into.

Tao bent down again to pull the next runuk from the earth, a small medicinal root plant, similar to turnip, that Sofra grew in the garden by the house.

Tao's organism allowed him to feel vigorous in the morning, after sleeping less than half the night, and even not feeling too tired from not sleeping all night. He usually managed to find moments to doze during the day if needed. But now he felt that even this body had limits. Not sleeping for several nights in a row was not good. Gradually, fatigue and heaviness in his head accumulated, interfering with concentration during the day. This reminded Tao of his previous life, when he had studied intensively for exams. Tao didn't think to complain to his mother about fatigue and ask for permission to sleep now. He didn't want to make Sofra worry unnecessarily or become even more suspicious.

"Mama, can't you use magic to get these out?" Safia asked displeasedly, trying to pull a runuk from her row.

This required certain skills, as too abrupt, forceful pulling could break part of the root, leaving it in the ground. Then one had to dig in the earth with one's hands to get it out.

"I don't know a spell that can pull plants from the earth. Moreover, spirit power, from which magic comes, is limited. I save it for medicine preparation." Mother told while gathering small flowers from another plant in the adjacent row.

"Why do you need these runuks that are in the ground? Aren't flowers and leaves enough?" Safia still seemed annoyed.

Once again, her runuk's turnip-like root had broken, forcing her reluctantly dig out the remaining root part.

"The remedy I make need precisely these runuk, their root juice. It's a good tonic, which I also gave you when your tummy hurt, remember?"

Safia became thoughtful, but gradually her hands stopped working.

"The sooner we finish all the work, the sooner you'll be free to play," Sofra said in a calm tone, but with a firmer undertone.

Safia sighed but resumed digging in the earth.

Tao had seen similar situations more than he could count. It's natural for small children to try to imitate their parents, even if it means doing simple, physical work. For a young mind, this is a new, interesting experience. Just two years ago, Safia had helped her mother in the garden with joy and great energy, pulling out weeds and gathering the harvest. Tao, too, who had no experience with farm work in his previous life, had tried his hand with interest. He also enjoyed it when his mother praised him for his efforts. But with time, as the child's mind gets used to this experience, their enthusiasm wanes. Now, Safia more wanted to play with other village children, be outside the home. Tao, in turn, wanted to return to his training. Or take a nap.

Inya was the only one who showed genuine enthusiasm for participating in this work. She occasionally tried to pull out some runuks next to Tao or Safia, though usually unsuccessfully.

Tao knew that Sofra wanted to accustom her children to diligence, but it was hard not to think that, in his case, it was a waste of time. The boy also got the impression that Safia had more freedom when she was his age. Perhaps mother reasoned that Tao was clever enough to be able to help more. Or she hoped she could more easily keep her son in sight this way and protect him from suspicious behavior. This was annoying, because mother's good intentions prevented Tao from acquiring the strength to defend the family...

Tao's hand unexpectedly pulled a runuk out of the ground with greater force than he had expected, causing half the root to break with a crack. This made him tear himself out of his thoughts again and focus on what was happening around him. Tao looked confused at the runuk leaves with the broken root part in his hands. It seemed strange that he had managed to apply so much physical force, moreover, unconsciously.

Was that spirit power? he furrowed his brow and tried to recall the sensation in his hand moments before.

Until now, spirit power had given greater physical strength only when Tao deliberately concentrated it in muscle tissue. The possibility that muscle strengthening could happen unconsciously was disturbing.

Could it be that I've influenced my muscles too much with spirit power? he felt growing anxiety.

"Tao! You too. Finish your part, all right?" Sofra's voice again made him pay attention.

The boy nodded and again focused his energy on getting the runuks. Fortunately, he no longer lost control over how much force he used. Having dealt with his part, Tao also helped his older sister.

This wasn't the last task that Sofra planned to do together with the children. When the runuks' harvest was gathered, she had the children wash their hands and change into cleaner clothes. Then Sofra went with them out of the house. Safia was entrusted to pull along a small cart in which Inya sat.

In the past, people usually went to each other's homes to buy what each needed, knowing who produced what. For example, Sofra made and sold useful herbs and medicines that others came to buy. As the population grew, more active trade also began taking place in the square in the village center. Tables and benches that earlier were only brought out during festivities were now left in the square permanently, allowing people to offer others fresh fish, warm milk, or freshly hunted game meat. Traveling merchants began visiting the village more frequently. Some village inhabitants who had spare coins also began trading in various goods they bought in the city.

This made the village square lively even on ordinary days. People came to buy and sell or simply look at goods from afar. Village elders heard disputes between people, while some newcomers tried to find someone who would hire them for work.

When Sofra arrived at the square with her children, Tao didn't hesitate to use the opportunity to gather information and enhanced his hearing.

"Me were a farmhand back in Hestaria, aye. Done all manner o' work, wool shearin' an' all, honored-one. Know me way 'round it, I do, on me word." An elderly man tried to offer his work to livestock keepers, knowing that wool shearing season for animals was approaching. He spoke with an accent that differed from the local one.

Tao saw his tired face and desperate eyes. This man wasn't the only one. The drake had devastated many villages in western Hestaria. Many people, having lost their livelihood and homes, were forced to become refugees. Some made it to Ueki, often poor and weak. Not all had skills and abilities that allowed them to easily settle in this village of livestock keepers, woodcutters, and hunters. Most couldn't afford to buy a plot of land in the village and build a proper house. The village elders eventually allowed simple wooden huts to be built next to cattle sheds, where there was an unpleasant smell.

While his mother bought several large fish, so fresh their gills still moved, Tao paid attention to some men he recognized as village gate guards. Now their duties also included maintaining order in the square. Some had complained that since the refugees' arrival, coins had begun disappearing from pockets...

"...a drake isn't easy to hunt, I think. Hard to sneak up on this one, eh? This one will rise into the air and fly away. No, I heard from hunters that they'll have to find its lair, that's how it is."

Hearing the drake mentioned, Tao focused his hearing more toward the guards, trying to filter out other noises around from his consciousness.

"Think our Felis joined this host too? He signed up to go fight the forest thing before." The second guard spoke.

"That's what his mama and papa say, aye. Poor lad, I think. Talented boy with a spear, but 'gainst a drake? Spear ain't gonna do much good. Hope he doesn't get roasted, same as poor Kevan, if he gets in his head a notion of bein' a hero."

"Nay, the lad's got some wit about him, I say. Won't go jumpin' into no danger fer naught. But aye, who's to say when them hunters'll find the beast or its lair. Meanwhile, villages'll be burnt to ash and folk'll come runnin' here..."

Tao had already heard that the new expedition would begin quite soon after its announcement. Luckily, the war-band had already been prepared beforehand; it remained only to include a larger number of hunters and archers. Selesti Neter said that Light's guard Baern had also gone with them. His blessings weren't suited for fighting a physical monster, but he could still provide support and healing. How soon this new war-band would find the drake and whether they could defeat it -- for now, one could only wait.

Even if someone found the drake's arrival suspicious, Tao hadn't happened to hear such conversations. Most seemed pleased about the new expedition. Why not, if it meant the region would be freed from a dangerous creature? So what if the forest remained unexplored? The mysterious human disappearances had subsided, and hadn't been experienced in Ueki village in the first place. Most saw no connection between them and the drake or the spawn attack on the village a year and a half ago, and the events at the cursed tower last summer. Tao didn't know whether the blame lay with short memory, carelesness, or some unseen spell from the enemy.

Perhaps my attitude would be the same if I didn't know so much and the threats weren't personally against me... he could only sigh to himself.

Information gathering was part of Tao's plan. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy to find something useful among the many voices in the square, most of which talked about goods or everyday trifles.

"I were hopin' there'd be a mason 'mongst them refugees... Me boy's wife keeps poppin' out babes like a she-rabbit; we was wantin' a new bit added to the house... But deorgs won't take on nothin' new now. Only thinks about the mines, it seems." The woodcutter brigade leader, whose hands seemed as thick as others' legs, complained to his friend.

"Don't know if it was wise to allow them to do that. If there really is silver there, d'ye think they'll speak true about it? Way I hear tell, their folk don't mind chewin' on shiny bits..."

"Well, they have to build a safe shelter there for us if any danger comes to the village. Like a drake or something similar." The woodcutter shrugged.

"Well, in the mountain might be safer from flyers, true. But that'll be a two-day climb up and up, not easy for my legs..."

Deorgs had successfully bought the mines from the village elders, promising a share of profits from silver if found, as well as a safe shelter in the mountains where to hide in times of danger. Tao mentally praised Gareth, who found a way to use the drake attack to his advantage.

Tao and his sisters weren't the only children in the market square; some were with their parents, while others played in their group. Safia looked longingly at the other children, but still continued obediently pulling the cart behind her, in which purchases accumulated alongside Inya. Well, there was a reason for that.

"Mama! Look, honey-berries!" Safia pointed out to her mother bowls of sweet, golden berries.

Honey-berries were very sweet, similar to honey but with a milder taste. They usually grew in shady places in the forest among mosses.

"Yes, I see. All right, dear, I'll take some." Sofra smiled at her daughter and led the children closer to the woman selling various forest berries and plants.

Safia's patience was tested, however, while her mother began a pleasant conversation with the elderly seller.

"You really have worked diligently, gathering so many..." Sofra praised the woman.

"No, dear, my children have four grandchildren, little rascals who tear around the house... I took these off my daughters' necks and put them to work." The woman looked out at some of the children running around the square.

"But isn't that too..." Sofra tried to find appropriate words, "too unsafe? There are spawns in the forest, and... and other threats."

The woman didn't seem to share the same concerns as Sofra.

"Eh, what's unsafe there? A day's walk, not far from grazing clearings, moreover with a hunter watching nearby... The forest isn't as dangerous as before, dear, that's what I say. Neither wolves nor other fanged ones show even their noses anymore."

"Well, I'm glad for that..." Sofra replied with a strained smile.

"Your husband is a hunter, isn't he? Goes into thickets and mountains where massive beasts roam. That's different, where I take my little ones, don't worry, dear... But that makes me think, don't you have any useful herbs from the forest depths? And your potions that you make... Wouldn't it be valuable for you to also show people what you have in stock? Coins flow better than if you don't keep everything under cover."

The seller changed the subject, possibly deliberately.

"I don't know if that would work in my situation." Sofra smiled politely. "Everything I gather from the forest is ingredients for medicines, whose preparation requires me to devote much time. I wouldn't have much time to trade in the market... And people usually buy herbs only when illness has already found them, others are shy about buying publicly, and also... Well, there are many reasons why I think to leave the art of commerce in your capable hands..."

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"Ahm, sweet words, dear... Sweet words... So you were interested in honey-berries?"

As far as could be judged, unhurried shopping was part of the culture. When mother finally began talking concretely about how many berries to buy and agreeing on a price, Safia could barely restrain herself from starting to jump and fidget. Tao, in turn, had to make an effort not to start smiling at his sister's struggles.

Sofra bought three small straw bowls of berries, which she gave to her older daughter and Tao, while she herself crouched by Inya to help her snack on berries. Honey-berries were juicy; they seemed to melt on the tongue. Tao ate the golden berries one by one to enjoy their taste longer. Safia, in turn, managed to devour them fairly quickly and began looking longingly at Tao's bowl. He smiled teasingly in response and continued demonstratively eating berries one by one.

Safia's mouth turned down, as if she had just eaten not sweet but sour berries. She raised her hand as if to take what she wanted by force. Whether the girl was restrained by understanding that it wouldn't be fair, or awareness that she wouldn't succeed in overpowering Tao physically, wasn't clear. Safia stretched her hand forward with an open palm.

"Please, will you give me some?" She asked shyly.

Tao rarely saw his older sister behave gently, his heart softened. He stopped teasing Safia and poured half of his remaining berries into her palm. The girl's face immediately brightened, and she set about eating berries with new vigor.

"Are you sure, Tao? Didn't you want to eat the berries yourself?" Sofra had noticed the boy's generosity toward his sister and turned her head toward him.

"I already ate some." Tao quietly declined.

"Oh, I see... You're such a good brother..." Sofra smiled knowingly, making him blush slightly.

"Maybe you want something else instead of berries?" she suggested, studying her son's face.

"No, everything's fine..."

"Really? You never ask for anything... Sometimes it's even hard to understand what you like..." Sofra became thoughtful for a moment, then smiled again. "Ah, maybe you want a new book?"

Tao didn't really know what to answer; he felt himself blushing again. He had tried not to show special interest in books, as it didn't seem appropriate for his age. At least it seemed so to him. Apparently, his mother had noticed something...

Sofra interpreted her son's reaction favorably.

"All right, then let's see, maybe one of the traveling merchants has something readable for sale."

Books are expensive though... Tao thought to himself.

In the village, the paper wasn't easily available, usually only for important documents or records. He had noticed that people made records on wax tablets or thin tree bark. Without doubt, Sofra knew this better than Tao, which only confused him more. He didn't object to something new to read, though. Ideally, it would be a book about magic...

An older, round woman approached the berry seller, and Sofra and the children stepped aside. She was Asarate's mother, so Sofra politely greeted her. Asarate's mother didn't seem inclined to conversation, though, so Sofra left when the children had finished eating all the berries.

Her intention to buy a book seemed serious. She approached one of the peddlers who had arrived from the provincial capital with various household goods, including paper and ink.

"Books? No, honored-one, unfortunately, we don't have those." peddler shook his head. "Perhaps the honored-one would like to order something from Kesara?" he tried not to lose the opportunity to make a deal.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'd prefer to look at a book myself before buying it..."

Perhaps she also wants something new to read, Tao reasoned to himself.

It was still hard for him to imagine that his mother would buy something valuable for him, considering that Tao had made both parents worry severely.

When the mother's and the merchant's conversation turned to other goods, the boy's eyes began wandering, looking for some other interesting conversation he could overhear. He noticed that the berry seller and Asarate's mother were talking among themselves, glancing at Sofra and her children.

Tao furrowed his brow and concentrated to be able to hear what the women were saying.

"...this 'un really thinks she's some grand lady, don't she?" Asarate's mother spoke disdainfully.

"Well, a mite uppity, I'd say, but speaks kindly, I felt..."

"Bah, honeyed words but dirty hands... Mye girl helps from a good heart, she does, but no coin to her... Her husband's already cross wi' her... what we be - their servants?"

Other, louder voices nearby prevented Tao from hearing everything clearly; moreover, both women had switched to the local dialect, which he didn't understand well. He sensed, though, that they were talking about Sofra, and not in a favorable light.

"This 'un's from the city, born near Ilara way, so I heard... Folk there all got their noses pointed to clouds..." The berry seller seemed to give in to the other woman's influence.

""Aye, plenty o' older women in these parts what could mind the little 'uns, but nay, she needs me girl special-like. I'd wager she knows me lass is soft-hearted, that's why... And now I gotta listen to her husband's bellyachin'..."

"Right unpleasant, that..."

Tao felt his jaw tighten and his hands clench into fists, listening to this gossip.

"This 'un thinks her kids be little lords and ladies or summat... Won't let 'em outta her sight even here in the village, from what I hear. And that boy o' hers... look there, even now he's starin' this way, like he can hear every word we're sayin'..."

Tao instinctively lowered his gaze and then also turned his head aside. Perhaps reacting so quickly to the women's words wasn't entirely wise, as it seemed to confuse them.

"Eternal Father... as if he really heard us, eh?" the seller murmured.

"Folk been sayin' fer a long while that 'un ain't right... Not like a proper child should be... Looks at ye all queer-like..."

Sofra finished her conversation with the peddler and began moving further away from both women.

Tao followed his mother and could no longer hear their conversation.

This is nothing serious, just rumors... he told himself.

Until now, people had occasionally given Tao strange looks when they noticed him doing something untypical for his age. That these women felt comfortable enough to gossip about him was a bad sign. It confirmed that suspicions among village inhabitants were growing.

What worried him more was how these women had spoken about Sofra. It was clearly felt that Asarate's mother had something against Tao's mother. Unfortunately, there were others who looked at Sofra with crooked eyes. The neighbor women felt that Sofra didn't respect them, by rarely asking for help watching the children. Another medicine maker in the village was also dissatisfied with something. It didn't seem that Sofra had many close friends; Tao knew only of Reyte and lately also Asarate.

Was it only because she was better educated and born near the Empire's capital? He felt bitterness and anger rising in his throat.

Sofra was a gentle, warm mother who always worked hard to take care for the family. She hadn't deserved such gossip.

Unfortunately, Tao saw no way to do anything. His hands were full with training and more serious problems.

In the afternoon, the children were free to play. Safia received permission from her mother to go play with other children, while the younger children stayed in the kitchen under their mother's eye. This gave Tao the opportunity to continue his training; he tried to repeat Eleya's exercises to feel his spirit power. But he occasionally had to break away when Inya demanded attention. He could have ignored his youngest sister, left her care to his mother, but Sofra was also busy making new potions and salves. Tao usually just sighed, opened his eyes, and began playing with his little sister.

***

"Don't forget your banya." Sofra reminded her daughter when they were already preparing to leave the house.

About once a week, village inhabitants went to wash in the communal sauna. Since Safia had turned 5 years old, she was allowed to go with her mother.

It was evening hour, the sun near the horizon. Tao could see through the window that some other women with daughters were also heading toward the sauna house.

"Here it is." Indres took down the banya, a wool cap, from the shelf and gave it to Safia, who was already holding a towel in her hand. Though not as excitingly as the first time, the girl's face clearly showed that sauna visits were still an adventure for her.

Indres had patrol duty near village, in places where cattle were grazed, so he was home in the evening; Sofra didn't need to ask others to watch the younger children.

"Don't fill the tub full and don't heat the water too much, especially for Inya," Sofra warned her husband just before leaving.

"Yes, I know." He answered patiently.

Tao and Inya were too young for a sauna, so they were still washed at home, in a wooden tub. In the past, Sofra did this herself, not on sauna days. This summer, seeing how much children sweated due to the heat, she decided it was better if all children bathed on the same day, especially because they shared a bed.

Over these years, Tao had gotten used to his mother washing him. Although this task was sometimes entrusted to Indres, Tao still felt awkward. The boy felt how big and calloused his father's hands were when Indre washed his head and back. The soap used in this world seemed rougher against the skin, but smelled pleasant. Tao didn't know if this was normal or if Sofra had specially added fragrance extract to the soap. Tao was glad he had reached an age where washing his own crotch was normal. He wished he could erase some embarrassing memories from his early childhood.

Someone knocked at the door during the children's bathing. It was one of the deorgs, Gareth's eldest son, whose name was similar to his father's, Gar'eh or something like that. Indres asked for a moment and finished bathing the children, quickly dried them, and then took both to the bedroom.

Of course, Tao didn't hesitate to listen to the conversation at the front door.

"Word came from our cousins. 11 our kin are ready to come immediately when the path is cleared and the mines are safe."

"If this is a request be more swift, I'll repeat that haste is dangerous. I already said that mountains are no joke; they are mostly stranger to us, poorly explored. And we still have other duties to the village. Not every day is free when we can go together on this venture." Indres spoke in a patient, slightly tired voice.

"My father mentioned that it would be hard for the four of you to do... maybe it would be wise to bring in someone else?" the deorg suggested.

"I invited those I'm completely sure, whom I trust with my back and life."

"Well, can't say that's not wise... And yet..."

"What about those who want to come, your friends? Are there warriors among these 11?"

"Security provision is your responsibility, honored Riggi. If we ourselves were confident standing against monsters, we wouldn't ask for your support."

"Then you must reconcile with our pace... I won't drive my men recklessly forward. I hope your father will understand that."

"I see... Well, I'll convey your words to him."

The deorg project was gradually progressing, and Indres was an integral part of it. Tao worried a bit, hearing that the mountains were more dangerous than the forest. Even ignoring possible enemy involvement from the forest, there were always regular monster threats. He hoped that his father's experience, caution, and skills would be sufficient to protect him.

After bathing, Inya soon fell asleep in her father's lap, allowing Tao to devote time to his training for a moment, but soon, her mother and Sofia returned. It was interesting to see how usually pale Sofra's skin had become redder, and she looked more relaxed than usual. In his previous life, Tao had been to hot springs a few times, but never to a sauna, so he felt some interest in this way of bathing. True, he would have to go with his father and sit together with other village boys and men.

It's not like I'd want to go with women, but... That would be more interesting? He wasn't entirely clear about what he felt in this regard.

Sometimes Tao thought about how odd it was to live without feeling sexual desires, but overall, he found it a liberating sensation. Not having such distractions allowed him to concentrate on what was important. That didn't mean Tao was free from distractions, though.

On bathing day, clean, fresh bedding was laid out, which, together with the clean feeling after washing, made sleeping more pleasant. Well, as pleasant as it could be for three rapidly growing children in one bed.

"Don't push..." Safia grumbled and pushed with her feet against Tao.

"I'm not pushing, I need space..." he objected, trying to defend himself with his legs.

As the children grew larger, Tao began sleeping with his head at the foot of the bed. This helped somewhat reduce the fight for territory in bed, but not much.

"Peace, children, there's room for everyone." Sofra tried to calm both siblings, stroking their heads. "Hm... maybe we'll need a second bed soon... or maybe replace it with a bunk bed?"

Finally, Safia calmed down and found a way to straighten her legs without crossing them with Tao's. He heard his parents go to their room and began waiting for the whole family to fall asleep so he could, as usual, sneak out to the kitchen.

The whole day passed... and I managed to train very little... Tao felt anxiety rising in his heart.

He had a similar feeling before, long ago, when important exams were approaching. Now the situation was more serious, not only his own but also his family's, and many other lives were threatened.

Not only parents, but other people in the village are already suspicious, I can't... mustn't do more during the day, Tao nervously clenched his hands into fists.

Do you want the drake to show up again? What will you do then? Another, harsher voice in his heart objected.

The boy felt guilty that he had enjoyed going to the market square with his mother and sisters, that he had allowed himself to momentarily forget about the threats around him. That he was still so afraid to reveal his strangeness to others.

It's fine, the whole night lies ahead. I have time... Tao again strengthening his resolve.

He didn't know what impact sleep disturbances would have on his brain cells, but hoped it wouldn't be as serious as for a normal person. He couldn't fall asleep anyway, even if he wanted to. Unrest, guilt, and anxiety became stronger precisely in the evening, when the family went to rest, and for a moment, he had nothing to do.

All of this unpleasantly reminded Tao of his previous life, the time period before his university entrance exams. Remembering how that had ended, his heart clenched. Tao definitely didn't want to experience anything similar.

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by unclear sounds from his parents' room. He didn't try to focus his hearing, though, as he understood what the noises meant.

How annoying... Tao could only grumble in his mind.

He covered his ears with his hands and tried to think about something else, anything. No matter how natural such things were, even for a reborn person's consciousness, the awareness that parents were doing that in the next room was traumatic.

The bed moved, and Tao realized that his older sister had slipped out. Turning his head, he saw Safia's silhouette quietly moving toward the door.

Usually you sleep like a log after sauna... what's going on? Tao wondered to himself.

He assumed Safia had gone to the toilet, but she didn't return for quite a while. Sighing, he also got up from bed, being careful not to wake his youngest sister. Poking his head into the hallway, Tao saw Safia pressing her ear against their parents' bedroom door.

For a moment, his head was empty of thoughts. The sounds from his parents' bedroom pulled him from his trance.

I hope being so curious is normal at this age... Tao felt a bit of worry.

It would be strange to let his older sister continue listening to their parents' activities; moreover, while she was awake, he couldn't begin his night training. Tao lightly placed his hand on Safia's shoulder. She jumped and let out a gasp. This woke Sigi, who was sleeping further down the hallway. The dog lifted his head and whimpered.

The sounds and movement in the hallway, unfortunately, attracted the parents' attention. Tao soon felt his father's footsteps on the floor. He decided to retreat to the children's bedroom, leaving his sister alone in the hallway.

"Were you fighting?" Safia quietly asked when her father brought the girl back to the bedroom to put her to bed again.

"No, we weren't fighting..." Indres' voice was quieter than usual and sounded... embarrassed?

Tao had managed to climb back into bed and pretended to be sleeping. Safia, fortunately, didn't betray him. He had no desire whatsoever to see father's or mother's face immediately after they had been... intimate. Tao also hoped that in the dark room, his face wasn't visible, as he felt his cheeks growing redder.

"What were you doing? Were you playing some game?" Safia wasn't satisfied with her father's answer.

"It doesn't matter. It's night, go to sleep and don't... don't listen behind the doors anymore, understand?" Indres tried to inject sternness into his voice, but couldn't easily free himself from the awkward vocal tone.

Tao simultaneously wanted to smirk and cringe.

***

Some time passed before Tao finally felt safe going to the kitchen. Doing this every night, he had learned to move quietly almost without thinking, knowing which floorboards creaked and which didn't. How to get around Sigi without disturbing the giant dog's sleep.

Again, I'm losing time... he felt the anxious feeling returning within him.

Tao worried that such disturbances would increase and opportunities to secretly train would become fewer, even at night.

But worries were also an obstacle; they prevented focusing on what needed to be done.

All right, I don't know if Eleya will come tonight, but that is no reason to waste time... So -- oxygen control, Tao focused his mind on what he wanted to master.

***

Both Tao's parents and other village adults occasionally brought news from the outside world about how the expedition to defeat the drake was progressing. Tao learned that people in other villages and cities had begun calling this monster the Ueki drake, since it was first spotted in this village. This didn't please the Ueki inhabitants, and in their conversations, they spitefully called the creature the Hestari drake, where it was now rampaging.

Mostly, though, the village inhabitants discussed minor news and heaps of rumors. The most knowledgeable was selesti Neter, who received news from the Temple and other sources as well. He told Tao's parents that Light's guard Beren had joined the new expedition, hoping that afterward it would be easier to restart the expedition to destroy the evil in the forest's heart. When that would happen wasn't known. The war band hunting the drake was trying to find its lair and lure the monster into traps, but it didn't seem as if anything had been accomplished yet.

Meanwhile, the drake continued attacking villages, mainly devouring livestock, but sometimes also severely devastating habitats. As weeks passed, people from the Hestari region continued arriving in Ueki village, in small groups or individual families. Having lost their livelihood to the drake's flames, they carried with them stories of the monster's terrifying power and merciless nature, making smiles fade and faces darken.

***

Despite Tao's inner unrest, fatigue from sleepless nights, and his own difficulties continuing to train unnoticed by the family, his persistence began yielding results.

He learned to bind his spirit power with oxygen around him and concentrate it at one point. Perhaps the fact that he already knew how to influence water, which contains oxygen, helped. Concentrated oxygen above Tao's palm was still invisible, only his own sensations confirmed that the magic was working. He risked bringing a wooden splinter with a flame at its tip close to the concentrated oxygen. Of course, he was careful and initially concentrated a small amount of oxygen, but the flame on the splinter immediately flared brighter.

Tao had planned to master the other processes from fire battle magic as well, but it occurred to him to try something else.

What if I concentrate oxygen in a larger volume, make it liquid? Liquid oxygen and oxygen are dangerous, right? A scene from a Terminator movie floated into the boy's mind. He tried to recall what he had learned in chemistry classes about gases like oxygen and nitrogen being extremely cold and destructive to living tissue in the liquid state, possibly also to drake's skin.

***

"May I ask for a moment's break? I want to try something else." Tao asked Eleya, as usual, in a whisper, when they were training in the kitchen in the night darkness.

He sensed that much more spirit power would be needed for this experiment, so he could only do it when Sigi wasn't home.

"As you wish. What do you plan to do?" The forest spirit didn't object and showed interest in his actions.

"Well, watch and tell me yourself what you think... But don't be too close."

Assuming he would succeed in creating real liquid oxygen, Tao decided not to risk damaging the floor or table surface, so he crouched on the floor with a piece of firewood in front of him, reasoning that no one would be devastated if his experiment left its marks on it.

Raising his hand, Tao made oxygen concentrate in front of it, but not too close, so as not to accidentally harm his body. His spirit power spread throughout the kitchen to direct oxygen together. Initially, he was careful, doing it slowly, not wanting to cause strong air fluctuations in the room or reduce the oxygen volume so much that he himself would have trouble breathing.

It wasn't easy to concentrate on two processes -- concentrating oxygen at one point and keeping it in place. Tao also discovered that he couldn't simply compress the gathered oxygen into a small sphere to make it liquid. He felt the matter resisting and demanding more and more spirit power to hold the compressed gas together. Tao decided that another process was needed -- slowing molecules, or cooling, which he had previously done with water.

Three actions simultaneously won't be easy... No wonder everyone uses those artificial spirits that do everything for you... Tao had to admit that spells had their advantages.

"So much spirit power... what are you trying to achieve?" Eleya quietly asked him from behind.

Tao didn't answer, but tried to cool the compressed air. Unfortunately, oxygen gas resisted more than liquid water. He tried to use even more spirit power, hoping it would somehow help. It was hard to understand if it was working; it seemed to him that the air around the concentrated oxygen was getting warmer...

"That's too much, Tao! Too... dazzling! Even from a great distance, spirits will notice." The tiny being anxiously began tugging his shirt and even risked whispering louder.

Tao gave in and released the compressed oxygen, which instantly spread in a wave that he felt as a cool air gust.

"What was that? Why did you risk like that?" Eleya sounded displeased.

"I wanted to try to make an air element liquid," Tao answered, turning his head toward the forest spirit.

He realized he was breathing harder than usual. With the kitchen again becoming rich in oxygen, it was pleasant.

"Only a being with your level of spirit power would think of..." Eleya disapprovingly shook her head, standing in front of the boy. "Spending so much spirit power on such crude magic... Remember to keep yourself within limits, Tao. You don't want another evil spirit to notice you, right?"

"It was just an experiment... But I promise I'll be more careful... Moreover, that's why you're here, to help me not cross those boundaries, right?"

Eleya seemed to narrow her eyes, sensing that Tao was becoming more confident with answers and even allowing himself to be playful. She put her hands on her hips and, for a moment, seemed ready to quarrel, but then relaxed her body and quietly sighed.

"Well, at least I felt you're still getting stronger..."

"You can tell that just from my released spirit power? That wasn't my maximum." Tao furrowed his brow.

"Well, I can tell like... what would be a good word... quality? Density?" Eleya thoughtfully put her finger to her chin. "Compared to how it was before, it's becoming thicker, if I may put it that way. Someone who meets you for the first time won't be able to tell, but I know..." The forest spirit showed the usual smug face.

"Hm, that's convenient..."

That meant Eleya would be able to tell if Tao started slacking on increasing his spirit power volume.

Wonderful...

"So, do you want to continue doing that? Because I can help you feel the spirit power more." She asked after a moment.

Tao found it hard to say what was more important -- learning to defend himself from spiritual or physical threats. The answer was that he needed to learn both.

"Spirit power... let's continue that." he decided to focus on what he could not learn without the help of the forest spirit

If something suddenly happened and she disappeared for a long time, Tao would be stuck.

"Wise choice." Eleya looked pleased to be useful.

Putting the piece of firewood back in place, he returned to the table, while the tiny being sat in front of him.

"I'm ready." She said, spreading her arms to the sides.

"Why do you do that?" Tao asked, noticing this wasn't the first time Eleya had taken such a pose during their training.

"Well, it doesn't hinder you in any way, right? In the Material Realm, space matters... In this way, more of your spiritual power connects with me... It's pleasant..." came the strange answer.

"Pleasant?"

Eleya smiled.

"I've gotten used to your spirit, Tao. Though I can't absorb it into myself, it's no longer... bothersome, if I may put it that way. Rather like a fresh breeze."

Apparently, she derived some kind of enjoyment when the wave of spirit power hit her body. Tao briefly considered asking more about this, but decided it wasn't worth it. Most likely, it was some strange spiritual beings' thing.

The exercise was simple - Tao spread a wave of spirit power toward Eleya, hoping it would bounce off her spirit power and return, allowing him to feel it with his mind. He repeated it again and again. Again and again.

And again.

"Oh! It bounced!" Eleya suddenly announced, when dawn was already approaching and the birds outside the window were getting louder.

Another night had been sleepless.

"You say? But I felt nothing..." Tao answered skeptically.

He felt tired, but was certain he wouldn't have missed the strange sensation when spirit power affected his mind.

"It happened, I felt it." The forest spirit confidently stated.

Tao repeated it several more times, trying to maintain spirit power in the form that yielded results. Eleya again claimed that the radar technique was working, that the boy's spirit power bounced and returned to him.

Tao turned his palms toward himself and invoked spirit power in the same way.

Nothing.

"It seems different from before, though... Maybe you've changed your spirit power so much that you can no longer feel it?" Eleya thoughtfully suggested.

Tao had to agree that might be the case. Change your spirit power too much, and the mind no longer perceives it. But if you change too little, then it can't bounce off other beings' spirit power. There was no compromise here; Tao had to learn how to maintain both these properties in his spirit power.

"There's nothing to be done. Many skills and magic can only be mastered with time." Eleya tried to be reassuring.

"Time I don't have." Tao gritted his teeth. "Let's try again."

"It's almost morning... Do you really want to continue?"

"Until mother wakes up, yes." He stubbornly confirmed.

***

Almost two months had passed since the drake attacked Ueki village when Tao finally managed to feel spirit power returning from Eleya's body.

Shortly after, news came from the Hestari hills. The expedition had managed to find the drake's lair and attack it suddenly. The war-band achieved victory and wounded the monster, forcing it to flee the region. Later reports came that the drake was seen flying north, beyond the Empire's borders. The town of Silvaya and Hestaria's remaining villages rejoiced. The people of Ueki also felt relieved.

But a few days later, selesti Neter received other news, from Light's guard Baern. His requests to restart the expedition to the forest no longer found receptive ears in Silvaya.

Tao didn't know whether this meant he had more time or less. One thing was clear, though - it didn't make him feel safer.