Spell Weaver [Book 2 Complete]

Weeks passed in a blur for the team. With Olivia spending most of her time in the research center, Sarah training with Jonathan, and Alex out training almost nonstop, Sam found himself with free time for the first time in what felt like a year.

He and Mark spent time together for a while, until they both created self-appointed roles within the HA compound. Mark helped train other warriors, while Sam began working with some of the medics interested in healing, doing his best to pass on the knowledge he had.

Everyone continued to make progress, but it was more like a consolidation of the power they'd rapidly gained in the previous few months, rather than a continued grind.

Except Alex…

His mind drifted to his friend, thinking of how hard Alex was pushing himself for his companion's sake, though his thoughts were pulled back to the present as the formation he was standing in ended.

The sun struggled to shine through the thin clouds overhead while the commanding officer continued to shout his orders at the packed formation field. "Failure to comply with the mandate set forth by the Director himself will result in immediate termination or penalization. Does anyone disagree with this mandate?" The military officer, standing tall on the raised platform, looked seriously over the crowd.

Sam thought he was almost daring someone to speak out.

"Good. Dismissed!" He commanded, signaling the end of the afternoon formation.

He let out a breath and relaxed his posture some.

"You don't need to be so tense, Sam," Jonathan said from behind him.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Sarah and Jon walking side by side. "I know, but it feels weird to be a normal guy surrounded by all of these military people. I might not be in it, but they still asked us all to come and stand in lines and listen to that guy shout at us."

Jonathan laughed. It was the genuine kind of laugh that, when coming from such a stoic man, caused others to crack a smile as well. "The 'lines' are called formations and he wasn't yelling at you. Morning formations are standard in most military units. The commanding officer just has to yell to project his voice to the entire group."

"I don't know," Sarah added. "That time, it really did sound like he was yelling."

"Well, yeah… Sam, aren't you coming back to the common area?"

"No, I think I'm going to take a bit of a walk. I might take a trip to Tianluo before I jump on shift at the med-bay this evening."

They both looked a bit uncomfortable. "All right. Just be safe," Sarah said.

He thanked them and waved, walking in the opposite direction.

The crowd continued to disperse, and he followed those moving toward the inner section of the Hunter compound. He listened to the conversation of the two Hunters in front of him as they went.

"Can't believe that was another one," the warrior said.

"I know. People are just way too selfish. Do they really not understand that if they keep killing them, just for the small benefits now, the Rift will close?" The woman shook her head and scratched the head of the creature that rode on her shoulder.

From his angle, Sam couldn't tell what it was, just that it had a skinny pink tail that reminded him of a rat.

"Do you think we'll be the only rotation to get to come through?"

"Maybe… I am a little shocked, though. I could have seen this as more of an issue if it were still all of the highest-powered Awakened in the Rift. But the fact that it's some of the mid-levels and a ton of researchers, you would think that they could follow the rules a bit better."

The warrior snorted. "What are you calling us?"

"We're definitely mid-levels," the woman laughed in response.

They peeled off, heading toward the personal quarters section of the compound. Sam continued to walk in his original direction but thought about their conversation.

He pulled up the Rift Quest window too, feeling a sense of guilt ebb into his chest.

While there was a decent amount of blame to be pushed onto those who were continuing to kill aspects, he knew that his own group had started the trend.

Olivia killed the first before they'd even entered, and then months had passed without a single aspect being killed. At the halfway point of their rotation, he'd followed Alex and the team into the Spiral to kill Unity.

Unintentionally, Alex killed Concealment along the way, and by the time the mission was done, another two of the aspects were dead.

That alone was pretty bad.

He kicked a rock on the stone ground as he took a right and passed the Rift exit.

To make matters worse, though, Alex had somehow talked the leadership out of not punishing them. Sam wasn't entirely sure what was said, but in the end, they actually left with the researchers and commanding officer thanking their group for their work.

While that felt good for the first few days, many of the other Hunters grew jealous and started to target the aspects for their own reasons. They all just assumed that as long as they didn't kill the last one, then they weren't responsible for closing the Rift.

He sighed and made his final turn and approached the sealed building, and two of the guards he'd begun to recognize.

"Morning, guys," he said.

"Hey, Sam," both guards answered easily. "How's it going?"

"You know," he said with a shrug. "Be glad you didn't have to go to that formation."

Jared laughed. "I'm still surprised that they'd make you go. You're not with the DOD or the HA."

"Eh, it was over pretty fast. How are they doing in there?"

"Not a peep all morning. Think this'll be a quick check-up?"

"I think I'll chat with them for a bit."

"No problem," Oliver said. "Just holler if you need anything."

Sam smiled again as they opened the door for him and let him walk into the huge building.

Just like the rest of those in the compound, it was made of skill-fused stone. Like most of the others on the outskirts of the compound, it had been created in haste and with a particular need in mind. This one was created as a comfortable lock-in style suite.

His boots tapped against the stone floor as he walked to the center, where a small group of five people sat in the morning sunlight. The center of the ceiling overhead had been opened up to allow a fair bit of light into the building at any time of day. It did expose them to a bit of weather as well, but with the number of rooms available to the five, they could easily get out of the way if water or wind began to bother them.

"Ahh, Young Master," the old man said.

It unnerved Sam how the man seemed to sense him whenever he was near. Even in this instance, the old cultivator's back was to the door that he'd entered through.

"Hello, Chen," Sam greeted him, and then the rest of the group.

"What brings you to our humble abode, Young Master? Is there anything that we can do for you?"

In the first few visits, Sam thought the old man was being sarcastic or condescending; however, the more he came, the more he realized that the old man's personality was genuinely just one of deference.

It didn't take many conversations for him to learn that he'd been a lifelong member of the outer sect and, despite his current power level, was told he could never rise higher. This led to him growing strong at a young age, but stagnating to the point that he was forced to serve entitled cultivators throughout his life in the sect.

Each of the five gathered was an outer member, so they'd chosen to remain in Tianluo when others had left. Even as outer members, though, they had strength enough for the System to recognize their levels between thirty-five and forty. They could leave their 'imprisonment' if they wanted, though they'd be met with immediate conflict in the compound beyond.

"Just wanted to chat. We only have one more month before my team and I will move on."

"Ah, I see. You are still troubled by your experience."

His eyebrows came together. "Wouldn't you be?"

"There is no way to know, Young Master. I have not faced such hardship."

Sam shoved his hands into his pockets and moved closer to the group, standing beside them while they all remained cross-legged on the ground.

"I don't really want to talk about it. Tell me more about the main branch?"

"If you desire," Chen agreed. "You must remember that I have not been there in more than a generation. I came to this frontier branch when I was still trying to ascend the sect ladder and climb the peak."

Sam listened as the story was told of how Chen had joined the frontier sect, following after Eura as he made a major move to suppress and contain the Night. While he did so, his right hand brushed against the ceramic bottle in his pocket. His thumb rubbed repeatedly against the cork stopper as he thought about the Celestial Sect's main branch to the west.

When the story finished, Sam let out a deep breath and sat with the group. "Tell me about Eura's essence again."

Chen nodded and launched into the familiar explanation. "The entire spirit of the sect is tied to the Sect Head's spirit. After the brutal fight with Rakshasi, a mighty blow was struck on both sides.

"While the shadow serpent sect was sure to fall, our illustrious leader had also been dealt a death blow on his home turf. He knew that without his power and the preparations that had been made at Tianluo, the frontier branch would surely fall." Chen's face fell, as it did each time he told this story. "He moved himself to a secret location, where only the senior members of the sect could know of. Then, an inheritance was left for his chosen disciple. Before his final breath was drawn, the Honored Sect Head gathered his essence into three cubes and sent them to the main branch, guarded by the most powerful warriors of the Council and Inner Sect."

"Why do you think he'd do that?" Sam asked. "I haven't done much with souls, but from my work with plants, I know that the essence of something is sacred… Why would he destroy his, or remove it just before his death, and send it to his people?"

"This one cannot presume to understand the Sect Head's thinking. I only know what the inner sect members told us before they began their journey. They told us that the selfless sacrifice of the sect head is what would keep the Celestial Sect going for generations to come."

"This is also when the elders told you about that cryptic message to pass along to anyone with Eura's eyes?"

"Yes, Young Master."

Sam sighed, having given up on asking the five sect members to drop the honorific. "Would you let me make you a cup of tea?"

Chen looked at him for a quiet moment. "Of course, Young Master. We would be honored to be served by one such as yourself." He bowed his head.

Standing, Sam moved to the small station that the Hunters had brought in to operate as a small kitchen. There were the bare necessities present, and it allowed Sam to create a pot of tea. In some of his early visits, he'd asked to learn from Chen, and the old cultivator had shown him gladly.

He had grown to enjoy the process over the last few weeks, though no one else in their friend group seemed to like tea in the same way. Alex only wanted to drink coffee from the common room, and didn't seem to have the patience to brew the tea the way that Sam was taught. Sarah and Mark had joined him once, and Jonathan had politely declined each time it was offered.

The first step was setting the water to heat, stopping just before boiling. At the same time, he'd warm the teapot by rinsing it with hot water, done through a small enchantment on the countertop and powered by his mana.

While they warmed, he leaned against the counter and watched the five cultivators. He chewed on his lips and steadied his breathing. Both hands in his pockets, he continued to play with the small vial.

He heard the bubbling of water and removed his hands quickly, turned around, and removed it from the heat. He added the tea leaves he'd gotten from Alex's inheritance and had begun to grow a small plot of the plants outside of this building. The last step was just to pour the hot water over the leaves and let it steep for a few minutes before service.

While the tea was preparing in the pot, he moved to rejoin the group and listened to them talk about meaningless things. Sometimes it was as simple as poetry, other times it was around the complex concepts of the Dao.

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Another hour passed before Sam stood to leave and told Chen that he wouldn't be visiting again. The old man bowed deeply to Sam, giving him a heartfelt thank you, and asked him to pass along a farewell to Alex as well.

When he stepped from the building, Sam felt a partial weight lift from his shoulders. He took a deep breath of the air and nodded to Jared and Oliver as he left.

The next one won't be as easy.

The thought caused his chest to tighten as he made his way to the front gate. He took his time moving through the compound, waving and smiling at those who greeted him. All of the attention was still uncomfortable, and he did his best not to get drawn into conversation with any of the other Hunters.

Sam arrived at the front gate ten minutes later and waved at those guards as well.

"Hey, Sam! Heading out?"

"I am. I think I'm going to walk to Tianluo," he answered.

"No worries. Be safe out there! Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do. Thanks," he gave a half-hearted laugh and scratched his head before a second voice drew his attention.

"Sam, do you mind if I accompany you?" A woman walked down the street behind him and waved.

"Ah, Lin…" Sam said a bit hesitantly.

The guard's face tightened when he saw the short, dark-haired woman. "One of us could come with you, if you want, Sam."

"No, no. It's all right," Sam said while waving his hand. "The conversation might be nice. It'll get me out of my own head. Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, sir!" Lin said with a smile.

The two of them walked out of the Hunter compound together after having their issued IDs checked. They walked a short way before saying anything to one another.

"Sorry for springing that on you," she said.

"It's no problem, Lin," Sam said, giving her a smile. "I meant what I said. The conversation might help me get out of my thoughts."

She nodded, but her facial expression didn't change. "You're quite the popular figure in the camp."

"People see value in what I do. It can be a little tiring, though."

"You don't like the recognition?" she asked, confusion clear on her face. "I'd assume that someone with your techniq—um, skills—you could have fame and wealth if you desired it. "

"I don't really want any of that. I just want to help others. Having the ability to save a life is a blessing for me and the others who need it."

"If you say so," Lin said, scrunching up her nose.

They continued in silence once more, and the scene along the walk was almost haunting. Even with the sun shining, the land sloped downhill from the Rift entrance and toward the city. But, instead of the beautiful golden grass and blooming cherry trees in the distance, everything was dead and decaying.

It looked like someone had cut away the beautiful oil painting that had greeted him several years before and replaced it with a black ink painting. Varying shades of black and grey washed the entire scene into a dull version of its previous beauty.

"What has everyone been up to?"

"You haven't been keeping tabs since Alex said you could go around without a chaperone?" Sam asked skeptically.

Lin kept a mostly straight face, only one corner of her mouth quirked up. "Some."

"The team has been good. It's a little weird not to spend as much time together after we spent months doing everything together at the start of the Rift. But… I think a break is needed. I've gotten to rest and recover, along with help heal a lot of the Hunters here. I feel like that relationship and reputation with the HA will go a long way in the future."

Lin stayed quiet and listened.

"Hmm. Sarah and Jonathan have been going into the field some more to practice. I think Jonathan is extremely relieved that there is a way to deal with his terrifying power.

"Mark has been training with a lot of the melee fighters. A few of them apparently have teaching classes, and he says he's learning a lot. I'm not sure how much there is to learn about holding a shield and swinging a hammer, but I know he's having a good time." He smiled, thinking of Mark telling everyone excitedly how he'd mastered a new footwork or striking pattern.

"Olivia is probably the one I'm most worried about. Nox seems to have completely stabilized, but just needs to finish recovering. Unfortunately, there's no telling how long that'll take. The celestial treatments worked well to balance out the two opposing forces, but they did a lot of damage to his body while rampaging against one another."

Lin nodded, having found Olivia one of the easier members of the team to find alone and prod with questions. "And Alex?"

"Well, maybe his work ethic is a little concerning, but otherwise, he's probably the one to worry least about. He's been in the field with Valtherion almost nonstop since we got back."

"Training?"

"Partly. I asked him to rest for a bit, but he just said he wanted to push his level as hard as he could, since this was the best opportunity for Valtherion to get close to his evolution. Even with things slowing down, I don't think he's wrong. He's been bringing back a ridiculous amount of mana stones, but he said they're just a byproduct of the other resources he's looking for."

"What does that mean?"

"Uh, I think he learned that he needs some really specific items to upgrade his eye."

"Does he not come back to relax?"

"Some, but normally when he's back, he's spending all of his time with the researchers. They're doing something with magitech now. Honestly, that's all a bit beyond me. Something about a skill they had and how to adapt it into spells or magitech? I'm sure when he's ready, he'll get that crazy look in his eye and reveal it to the team like it's no big deal…"

They walked on for a time in silence.

"Can you tell me some about him?"

Lin's voice cut through the silence between them. "Hmm? Alex?"

"Yes," she said. Her voice wasn't timid, but her typical forwardness was subdued.

Sam hadn't spent a lot of time with Lin. Not as much as Alex and Mark, but he could still tell she was trying to make up her mind on whether to stay with the group or not. From what he'd seen, Alex was being pretty demanding of her in terms of both training and learning how to change her mannerisms and way of thinking.

"What do you want to know?"

"Nothing specific. Just tell me about him. How did you meet? What do you think of him?"

Sam mulled over the question for a bit and decided to answer her honestly. "I met Alex here in this Rift. In Tianluo, actually. I had been captured, accused of being a shadow sect member, and then forced to be a slave for a merchant for almost two years."

Lin's lack of surprise was telling. In their culture, it wasn't abnormal to take slaves or to favor families with gifts, such as unconnected cultivators.

"When Alex found me, we were both much weaker than everyone else around us. Despite that, he killed the merchant and set me free."

That seemed to interest her. "Oh? How did he do it? Was it an assassination? Poisoning? Did he want your healing powers for himself?"

Sam laughed and shook his head. "You should know better than that by now. No. He punched the merchant in broad daylight, not ten feet from his own stall. Later, we found out that the punch was enough to kill the man. But he stood over me and refused to give me up to the five sect members who came to defend the known merchant.

He didn't do it for any reason other than that we were from the same place. There was a long while after that, when I think I hero-worshipped him. He seemed so powerful and so confident to me. Even Eura took a liking to him, seeing promise in his skills and drive. The guy is just always improving. He keeps getting stronger, and even huge organizations want to make nice with him now…"

"So maybe you wanted some of his power, then?" Lin mused.

Sam realized he'd never thought about it that way. "Maybe? There was a time when I just wanted to be safe, and the safest place in the world— in either world… seemed like it was next to him. But, the more time I've spent with him, the more those rose-tinted glasses have fallen away."

"Rose-tinted what?"

"It's just a figure of speech. Anyway, I'm saying that I started to realize he was just a normal guy. He's human and has flaws and quirks like anyone else…"

"Does that make you respect him less?"

"No. I think the opposite. Despite those flaws and weaknesses, he keeps trying harder than anyone else I see. He doesn't stop training… ever. I don't think he even sleeps much anymore. He's not the smartest and doesn't have knowledge of some complex topics like the researchers back there… but he's almost always willing to learn."

"What do you think drives him so?" Lin asked, sounding genuinely curious. "I have always heard that it takes the drive to move a mountain to reach the peak of power."

"I'm not sure. I think he sees some responsibility in helping others, even if no one is placing that burden on him. Another part of me thinks he truly just enjoys training, progressing, and learning more about magic. I don't know… You should ask him."

"Truly?"

Sam shrugged. "I think he'll give you the best answer he can. But I doubt he's thought about it so deeply."

"Perhaps I will…" she looked thoughtful as they continued their walk.

"What makes you want to follow him?" Sam asked.

"I desire power," she stated simply. "It's clear that he's strong."

Sam laughed. "Probably stronger than you realize. But… Do you want me to be honest? Or tell you what you want to hear?"

"Honesty, please."

"I'm not sure he'll give that to you. You are smart enough to see that there's a lack of trust there…" He was a bit hesitant to speak so plainly to her, but thought it was the best route, considering how plainly she saw most things.

"I understand that. Trust will be earned, and I'm happy to do what I must to show him that I deserve it."

"You understand it can't be an act?"

She shrugged. "Everything is an act. You can't decide who you're going to be without acting like someone else first. When you find the act that fits you, it becomes who you are. I have acted for so long, ingratiating myself with the sect's elders, and then again when they followed the aspect. This won't be any different." She paused and smiled. "It will be a change to do the right and honest thing to earn the approval of a master, instead of the ruthless thing."

The term of master reminded Sam of Edwin, and for the first time, he thought of the well-mannered butler dealing with Lin's blunt and crass nature. The mental image made him laugh, and he felt a bit more of the earlier tension shed from him.

"What is funny?"

"I'm looking forward to you meeting Edwin. Actually… he'll probably be in charge of you."

"Is he a strong warrior?"

Sam shook his head, trying to rein in the giggles. "No, but he has Alex's full trust. He helps manage the house we stay at and is probably closer to Alex than anyone else at the house other than the main team."

"Ah, he is the senior servant?"

"Sort of?" They walked through the first archway leading into the city, and Sam waved his hand back and forth on a tilt. "I guess his job is technically a butler or servant, but Alex doesn't own him. He employs him. Like… a job or an ongoing mission?" Sam tried to think of a way to explain it in terms that Lin would understand.

"Profession?"

"Yes, exactly. Alex and Edwin also just get along well. I think Alex likes how stiff the old guy can be, and Edwin is always respectful." He gave her a pointed look before turning. "I appreciate the company, Lin. I'm going to head off on my own from here, though. I need to do this by myself."

She said her goodbyes and walked back toward the Hunter compound.

Alone again, Sam removed his staff from the spatial pouch strapped to the small of his back. The wooden totem clacked against the staff with each step.

Sam took deep breaths as he took a long and winding path through the city. He had several stops in mind on his trip.

The first was the market square, where he'd spent the majority of his time in captivity. Old Man Jing had often left Sam bound to the stall through the day so that anyone could come to visit if they were in need of his healing skill.

Sam stood in the spot that the stall was normally positioned, though the open space was now clear of such stations. All that remained was rubble, broken sticks, and most of that had even been pushed to the side by looters.

The entire city had once been lively and beautiful. So beautiful that even in the later stages of his enslavement, it was hard not to notice on days when the weather was nice. Children could run around without fear. Many people would train and spend their hard-earned allowances from the sect in ways that just seemed so normal.

He idly wondered how different his opinion of the sect would be if he had been introduced to it, as Alex had.

Startled, Sam noticed small spikes of nature mana beginning to poke from his hands and forearms, naturally lifting his sleeves an inch from his arm. He deactivated the unconscious use of his [Thorns] skill and moved on to the next area.

He passed the Grand Pagoda and took a short walk out to Eura's garden. He had fond memories of this space and sat on the dead grass near the blackened plot of dirt. The entire forest had once been filled with beautiful and vibrant plant life.

Alex had even told him once that the garden was so full of mana it hurt his eye to look at.

His thoughts flashed to Alex then.

It's not that easy, though, Alex…

He closed his eyes tight and tried to imagine the garden around him. He knew what his friend wanted from him.

I want it too, okay? You think that I don't?

His chest tightened, and his lip quivered in a way that made him angry.

Clenching his jaw, he stood and paced around the space.

"It's not that easy," he said to the air.

Alex had encouraged Sam to find closure while they were here. The talk had been supportive, and they'd talked about different ways to find that closure. Ultimately, Alex left it up to him to find, and said that he'd support any decisions he made.

Stopping, Sam glared down at the garden.

"I don't want to. No part of this place deserves to be redeemed…" He closed his eyes again, but didn't move from the edge of the garden.

He took several deep breaths and opened his eyes to find thorns once again beginning to protrude from his skin.

Deactivating the skill with a mental push, Sam knelt by the garden. He thought again of Eura and the few masters that he'd been paired with once freed from Old Man Jing. They'd been nice to him. Supported him, and they deserved to be remembered.

Minutes passed without him moving.

His fingers pressed into the lifeless dirt, and he knew he had the power to change things here.

It was impossible for him to tell exactly how long had passed, but after he'd let his mind spin the problem around, over and over, he stood. He let out another breath and felt some finality to it.

Without using any magic, he turned and walked from the still-dead section of Night forest and back into Tianluo.

It was another short walk to his final destination. The stairs that ascended the Grand Pagoda were damaged and required some careful navigating, but soon he found himself at the sliding doors that led to Eura's office.

He paused there before sliding them open. One side fell immediately, broken and barely standing upright in its track. Glancing at it, he walked into the office.

It had been exposed to the elements for months at this point, and half of the upper building had been destroyed in the final fight between the two B Rank entities.

The garden that had once been here was gone as well. His heart rate picked up and his breath quickened as he neared the edge of the office.

Closure? How can I get closure?

He looked down at the destroyed, looted, and abandoned city. His thoughts went to the 'prisoners' at the HA compound and then further west to the main branch, where he knew many of these rotten people had run away to.

Eyebrows drew together, and his jaw clenched.

Part of him wanted to stew in this feeling. There was something powerful, he felt, in embracing this anger. In the end, he pushed against the feelings and reached up with his free hand to surround the turtle spirit totem that hung from his staff.

Sam took several more deep breaths while holding it, calming himself. Pushing his mana into the totem, he felt his passive skill begin to come alive.

The totem dissolved in his hand and the liquid wood flowed into his palm and through his veins. Sam gritted his teeth and groaned against the pain as his body took on more changes. He felt his shoulders and cheeks change as they grew harder. He blinked and he saw faint lines of power through his eyes as they, too, took on an ethereal green quality.

Most notably, though, was the feeling of warmth and blanketing calm that settled over his entire being. As a result, his Trait bloomed to life, and ethereal grass spread out around him and covered the splintered wooden floor of the office.

Along with this feeling of serenity, he felt a mountainous presence rise up in his mind.

Ortugo'nal.

Hello… seedling….

The spirit's voice was so deep it rolled through Sam's mind in a way that made him wonder why his skull wasn't vibrating. The words came out so slowly that in moments of his natural state, Sam wondered if he'd get constantly frustrated at the spirit if it weren't for the overwhelming feeling of calm that settled over him when summoned.

Sit… breathe… contemplate…

Sam let out a deep breath and moved forward to sit at the edge of the destroyed building. His feet hung over the edge and he felt like his entire world view cleared.

He looked over the destroyed city that had followed him for almost a year, housing his nightmares and waking thoughts alike. Something was just at the edge of his mind, and he knew that it was close. Something that could help him. Something to change his mind.

You… didn't… do… it…

His thoughts went to the small vial in his pocket and Sam shook his head. Messy blonde hair swung back and forth.

No. They weren't at fault for what happened to me.

Who… is? Be… careful… of… this… path…

Sam took several long moments to organize his thoughts. It was then that it crystallized for him.

It doesn't matter who's at fault. I am different now. I'll never get rid of what happened to me… but I can grow past it in time. I'm not the same helpless kid that I was then. I want to grow like you. I want to 'be the forest.'

Tears welled in his eyes as he opened himself up and made the admission.

Say… it… from… your… heart…

Feelings of encouragement and pride came through the rumbling voice.

My roots are my own. I grow beyond my past. My path is boundless, and no cage can hold my growth, for the forest within me knows no limits.

This… is… your… Root Vow… witnessed… and… sealed.

Sam felt something within his chest shift and open. He had no idea what it was, but the spirit portion of his class recognized his growth, and he gasped as his entire being seemed to change.

Slowly, he sat up straighter and opened his eyes to the blue, floating window.