A thick, heavy leather book manifested in Holt's hand. It looked ancient, inscribed with pictures and text in languages and myths Nemo neither recognized nor had ever heard of. Yet the book alone exuded an undeniable air of authority.
Holt opened his eyes and glanced at it. The cover had already flipped open—right to the middle—so that both visible pages appeared symmetrical, apart from the differing symbols and drawings. Then, a moment later, the book dissolved into essence again.
"Ah, damn it, I lost concentration." Holt tried again, managing only to form a ghostly outline of the book before he collapsed back into the sand. At their level, their essence reserves were simply too limited.
"We should ask Solomon how to increase it quickly. I want to try so many things—I felt like the book was only the most basic way to use my aspect." Holt turned to Giada, nodding for her to go next. "Come on, let's not dawdle. Nemo's going to need to eat again soon after he uses his hunger."
Giada remained silent, gazing into the sky. As she focused, the wind around them began to stir. It grew steadily stronger, whipping their hair in all directions. Giada especially was assailed, the gusts battering her from every angle.
Then her aspect activated. Like Nemo's formless root, a large cloud coalesced around them. But unlike his, it wasn't repelled by the wind. Instead, it lingered for a moment, then surged toward Giada, centering near her head.
When it settled and vanished, a cloudy white crown floated above her brow. It was simple—almost halo-like—but from the center of her forehead, a straight spike extended forward. Its material appeared solid, yet ephemeral, as clouds visibly shifted within it.
Holt stared at her new crown. "Goddamn it. She gets a crown, and I get a book? I'll take that crown for myself." He activated his aspect again. This time, however, something subtle changed—almost imperceptibly, yet somehow fundamental. A quiet shift that, if completed, would alter something deep and defining.
It was too faint for them to understand. So Giada and Nemo simply watched as the book began to reform. But again, before it could manifest, its outline unraveled, and the hovering essence dispersed.
Now Nemo could also see what Holt had used to manifest his essence. It was cloth, royal red and purple, lined with delicate gold. The essence spun around Holt, then gathered at his head, gradually shaping a crown.
But his crown was nothing like Giada's. Where hers was elegant and airy, his appeared forged from solid gold. Instead of a spike, it bore intricate figures—beasts, monsters, and legendary warriors—who acted as its spikes, eternally straining against their golden prison yet never escaping.
The authority once faintly hinted at in the book now radiated powerfully from Holt. Nemo instinctively bowed his head, compelled. Giada, however, remained unaffected. She summoned her ice spear, adding to her own commanding presence.
Smirking, Holt interpreted her stance as a challenge. He activated his second aspect. The air around him grew hot, and a golden stream extended from his crown, forming a scepter. Its rounded top radiated intense heat.
The two stared each other down before both shuddered. The surrounding phenomena collapsed. They fell into sand that was simultaneously scorched and frozen. Nemo shook his head—they had definitely overexerted themselves.
Time was running out, and Nemo still needed to see what his aspect could do. He distanced himself in case it went out of control again, then initiated the now-familiar process.
When his essence connected with his body, it chose his blood. A new strength surged within him—sharper senses, unmatched vitality, and resilience. And he could feel that there were still two more abilities waiting to be uncovered.
He reached into his unconscious, searching for the force that had harmed Solomon when he bit him. After a while, he found it—a strange red-black power. The moment he touched it, he understood.
[Natural Plundering]—a way to steal the world's natural resources. Not just consuming essence but analyzing and mimicking it. Nemo had tried to steal Solomon's essence and, thereby, a piece of his aspect.
He was stunned by the raw, predatory nature of his aspect. But time was running out—his essence was thinning—so he plunged deeper into the river of power running through his blood, seeking more.
Deeper and deeper he searched, feeling his strength begin to fade, the enhancement fading from his body. Just as the last of his essence burned away, he found it—the second ability hidden in his aspect.
An evolved form of his ability to understand how to consume. If he wounded a creature enough or fought it long enough, he would gain insight into its inner workings—its abilities, its tactics, and its weaknesses.
At first it seemed underwhelming. But Nemo knew how valuable such an ability could be. He wouldn't underestimate it.
Returning from his meditative trance, he found Giada and Holt still collapsed in the sand. He walked over and helped them up. "Come on, we've got to hurry. The next class is starting soon."
They were all exhausted and barely motivated, but they knew they had to keep going. Slowly, they dragged themselves to class. They barely paid attention to the teacher. Only Nemo fared slightly better, having brought a big bag of fruit from the mess hall to eat through the lesson.
The day wore on. When it ended, only Nemo went to dinner—the others collapsed into bed. As he ate alone, he saw the boy he'd met that morning.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
The boy sat alone too, eating in silence. Nemo was curious but lacked the will to approach him, especially after how their last interaction went. So he shook his head and finished his meal.
On the way back to the camp, he ran into Bast and Lars. They chatted about the island and what they'd been doing. Like Nemo, they were focusing on martial arts and basic aspect training—skipping most other classes.
Instead, they concentrated on refining their essence, draining and recharging it repeatedly—one of the core methods Nemo had also learned. It wasn't efficient, but it worked like building muscle—the more you used it, the stronger it got.
He returned to their room with Lars and Bast, hearing Holt's light snores. He assumed Giada was just as deeply asleep. A small smile crossed his face as he got ready for bed.
Lying there, he activated his devouring aspect. Strength flooded him once more. But he didn't move. He simply let the essence drain away. When the last drop left his body, he fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning Nemo was running through the forest toward the cliffs with Giada and Holt. They had all met at the clearing. He was wracked with hunger, but recalling Solomon's words, he pushed through.
He didn't activate his aspect—unsure whether it would still count as physical training. Better to do it properly. But he wasn't idle. As he ran, he practiced summoning his runes over and over—call and release, call and release.
He was improving, but it slowed him down. The others left him behind.
By the time he reached the cliff, they had already jumped. Sighing, he thought of his now-warm clothes that would soon be cold and wet and leapt. The water was brisk but not cold. He began swimming but quickly realized how difficult it was with heavy clothes and an empty stomach.
Exhaustion hit fast. Just as he was about to give up, he activated his aspect. Strength surged. The clothes felt weightless, and his hunger faded.
He continued swimming. Much later than expected, he reached the shore and collapsed, coughing seawater.
When he looked up, he saw two figures lying next to him, wrapped in a giant leaf. Their stems led up to a tall, smiling man standing over him.
"Not bad," Solomon said. "You managed to swim it yourself. But next time—no aspect. Go change and get some food. I'll wait till they wake up."
Nemo nodded and walked off. Behind him, he heard coughing, followed by Solomon's warm—but now haunting—voice.
"Welcome back from the drowned, dear mentees."