Present Day: Year 523 A.B.
Rai sits in the center of the enclosure, waiting for Kahnyne who walks to various sides and corners of the room, collecting all of the items they will need for their lessons. After a few trips, he places the last of the items in front of Rai.
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“Alright, let us begin.”
Kahnyne says with a clap.
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Rai stands up as his attention is snapped from the sheer size of the room and items that he has only read about before, to Kahnyne.
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“Today you begin your training for the Exorcist Registration Exams. If things have not changed in the time that I have been away, the exams should remain largely the same. You will most likely be tested on the fundamental aspects of astral energy manipulation, but rather than explaining it all through tongue, let us take a more hands-on approach,” he explains.
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“So what's first Kahnyne?”
Rai says, listening intently.
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Kahnyne points.
“Well, first how about you fire a wave straight forward.”
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“Okay.”
Rai raises his hand and fires a blast from it that disappears after traveling a few meters in front of him, then turns to Kahnyne.
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“You see, during your training before, that is about where your target would have been standing, and as such, you have gotten adjusted to that distance…” This time Kahnyne projects energy in the shape of a bullseye on the far end of the room. “Now, I want you to do it again, but targeting that.”
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Rai focuses, blocking a majority of the bullseye from view with his outstretched hand to make sure he doesn't miss; in a flash, it is shattered, sending fragments of the projection raining from above.
“Wow, that was easier than I thought.”
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Kahnyne silently chuckles.
“A bit much, Rai, but you've definitely got the idea. You see, simply firing projectiles comes as easily to an Ahstralan as the action of throwing a ball. But, distance, however, boils down to the quality of Permanence: the ability to connect and disconnect yourself to and from manifestations of energy, while simultaneously making them independent.”
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Rai scratches his head.
“So kind of like what you did with the target?”
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“Precisely! I had a feeling you would catch on to all of this quickly.”
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Rai embraces the praise, eager to continue.
“So, what's next, Kahnyne?”
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Kahnyne grabs one of the swords lying on the ground.
“The quality of Permanence leads directly into the next part of our lesson. I want to you to project a sword just like this one.”
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Rai stares at the sword, taking note of all its visual features. Slowly a purple projected sword takes shape in his hand.
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“Good; now, swing it at me, anywhere you'd like.”
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Rai looks up at him in shock.
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“It's okay, just go ahead.”
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Reluctantly, Rai swings the sword at the thickest part of Kahnyne's vest, but instead of cutting, it simply thuds against him as if it were made of plastic.
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“What you created was a perfect photo copy of the sword, but a real sword is sharp; you need to imagine sharpness, the ability to cut, which is why I brought these swords to-.”
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Rai cuts him off.
“Wait… I think I understand.”
He closes his eyes. An image of a piece of glass, the sensation of being cut and the warm wet feeling that follows flood his mind. Suddenly, with both hands, Rai grips the sword and swings it at Kahnyne. This time however, Kahnyne blocks it with the sword in his own hand and parries, knocking it out of Rai's hand. As it spins and flies through the air, Kahnyne calls out.
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“Now! Keep its image in your mind!”
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The sword pierces the floor behind Rai, and keeps its shape; moments later, it fades away.
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Kahnyne approaches Rai and meets him eye-level.
“That was great, Rai. What you did was an example of Formation Accuracy, how accurate a projected object is to its intended purpose. If I had let that hit me, I may have been cut, and if you hadn't caught on to Permanence, the sword would have disappeared before it even touched the ground...” Kahnyne rubs the top of Rai's head. “... but please don't think about that every time you project a weapon.”
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While faintly nodding his head, Rai wipes tears from his eyes.
“Okay.”
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“Would you like to continue tomorrow? A break or two won't hurt us.”
Kahnyne says sympathetically.
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“No, let's keep going.”
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Kahnyne stands.
“That's the spirit. For this part though, you may take a seat, Rai.”
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With his composure regained, Rai sits cross-legged on the floor.
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“I have always given you books for your education and even more so for your enjoyment. However, they serve another purpose as well. They have built up the quality known as Power of Thought within you without you even knowing it. Ultimately, it is one of the major qualities that distinguishes one exorcist's style from another's. This next part is very important.”
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Kahnyne suddenly becomes more serious; not angry, but serious, prompting Rai to listen even more closely.
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“It is divided into two parts. Creativity influences the many different ways you can apply your projections, which operate around the laws or conditions you imagine for them. Additionally your level of Concentration affects how many different and complex actions or projections you can complete and control simultaneously.”
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Rai nods his head. The tiny hairs in his arm begin to stand up in anticipation for something that he himself hasn’t even mentally registered yet.
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“When you find yourself being put to your biggest test, something even more shaking than life or death, you may find yourself etching a chant onto your very soul. That chant spoken within you will give birth to a projection that is the culmination of what has been lost and found in your soul: your trump card. Chanting it aloud is the same thing as telling your opponent that you’re not steadfast in your soul.”
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Kahnyne raises his hand face-up in front of him preparing to hold an item that has yet to materialize itself.
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“This is mine, the Book of Thoth…”
A tornado of pages whirl from the book projected from his hand.
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“With this, I control hundreds and sometimes thousands of projected pages as a means to strategically attack and defend at the same time.”
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Rai looks on at the pages dancing in the air in awe.
“That's amazing; will I ever be able to do that?”
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“Possibly, Rai. However, the trick to the effectiveness of this is the fact that I control every single page independently from the others. It is a heavy mental burden and as such, once it is deployed, I can't spread my Concentration across much else.”
He closes the book and it, along with all of its pages, fade away. Rai's gaze shifts from the large space they once occupied to Kahnyne.
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“Which brings us to nearly our last topic of discussion, something you are fairly familiar with. You see, part of the reason why exorcists usually focus on one particular skill to specialize in is to make their mental burden less complicated. This is done so that they can excel so much in one area that they can adapt to cover the flaws that such a specialization may have.”
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Kahnyne points to the family crest above the enclosure's entrance.
“Your father, known as Arthur in the field of exorcists, is unrivaled in swordplay. Taking him on at his own game is suicide, so what would many people think to do?”
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Rai stops to think.
“Overwhelm him from far away?”
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“Exactly, but he knows that many would follow that train of thought, which is why over the years he has likened the speed of his blade and body to that of sound and most likely unimaginably faster.”
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“But couldn't he just fire from a distance too?
Then, he would be able to use that as a chance to get closer.”
Rai inquires.
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“In theory, he could, but the other reason why we exorcists tend to specialize is because we have a limited Capacity, the amount of astral energy stored within our vessels. As you know, you on the other hand do not have that limitation, Rai. It is a great gift, but also a responsibility, like your parents, many people will treat you differently because of it.”
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Words spoken by Sirian echo in Rai's head as Kahnyne continues.
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“This may make it sound like it is the most important quality that an exorcist can have, but that is far from the truth. While you can infuse more energy into an attack to make it stronger, there is something even more important. Remember what I said yesterday?”
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Rai touches his hair ponytailed at the top of his head.
“I guess you're a SamuRai now?”
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Kahnyne turns away for a moment to chuckle to himself.
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“No, no, before that.”
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“Oh, about being in your prime?”
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“Yes, well, what I was referring to then was not age, but the last and most important quality of an exorcist, the Weight of the Soul.”
Kahnyne sits down next to Rai, holding the front of his vest where his bandage is tied.
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“Many see it as rubbish, as it is something unquantifiable, and thus they chalk it all up to a layer of Capacity. But I know better than most that the things that drive you, your hardships, and whether you let them drag you down or pull through them, play an astronomical role in your strength. Two years ago, when I was in my darkest times, I could not have hoped to be a match for your father, but thanks to you, Rai I have started to heal.”
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“I don't fully understand the weight of my soul because I can't really feel it, but I feel a lot better too, Kahnyne. Even though I didn't want to do this before, doing it now makes me feel something.”
Rai smiles.
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“And that’s perfectly fine. Everything we covered today will become more and more clear as you see more of the world, but for now, we're done; you did a great job today.”
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“Wait, really? It feels like we just started.”
Rai says, looking at the sun shining through the enclosure's windows.
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“Don't worry, today was just the beginning; the qualities you learned today will build and evolve in you over time. But what we will be doing over these next three to four years until your exams is applying them all to a particular fighting style.” Kahnyne kneels down in front of Rai amongst the training items, opening a bag full of books. “Besides, if you're not too tired, we will always have time for these.”
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Warmth builds in Rai's chest as he comes to the realization that things are finally back to normal, but even better than before. Then, questions bloom in his head.
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“Hey, Kahnyne, if we only spent a day going over the qualities by themselves, and the next few years will be for one fighting style, then what could it be?”
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Kahnyne stops rummaging through the bag of books.
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“It is a style thought of by Zuo himself that he never got to put into practice. I gave him a lecture similar to the one you heard today and later on he came to me with a statement that was so unorthodox in theory that it would be named after its very nature.”
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“And what's that?”
Rai asks.
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“We called it, ‘Unorthodoxy’...”
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