Chapter 17 - Let’s Get Emotional

Jiran held the heavy shovel above his head, preparing to swing it down like a sword. His muscles were completely relaxed, his arms held suspended with an automated Forcing.

Emotions. They are the bridge between thought and mana, mana and density. How can I control them in a stressful situation?

No point in thinking too hard about it. As the big green guy said, the secret is to always be angry.

Likely the best way is to practice constantly. If it becomes as natural as breathing, then I should improve rapidly with more combat experience.

More importantly, how do I maintain my emotions for long periods of time? Being more emotional on purpose sounds frustrating and draining.

Jiran ran through his thoughts multiple times, checking his assumptions to find an optimal path forward.

The women I passed in town before were being rude on purpose and I originally brushed it off as no big deal. Just harmless gossip. Why should I brush it off when I can use it instead? If I want to maintain my emotions throughout the entire day, I need to use everything I can get.

Jiran thought back to his passing encounter and allowed the emotions he had discarded to flood through his brain and into his body.

Frustration, annoyance, anger, and betrayal mixed inside him and slammed into his mana. The shovel immediately dipped as he lost control of the Forcing.

Okay, that was too much. if I let everything out at once, I’ll run dry in minutes. One emotion at a time, slowly, just a trickle.

He raised the shovel again.

Focus. Control the thoughts to elicit emotion. The emotion connects with the mana to control the skill. One smooth chain of events all starting with a single thought.

Angry dark clouds began to thicken in the skies above as Jiran ran through the mental exercise over and over.

Find the optimal strength of the emotion. Too much and the mana reacts chaotically. Too little and it fails to connect with the mana.

Each emotion seems to have a different wavelength of optimal strength. So many things to practice.

Jiran grinned, the pure joy of learning and growing suffused his being.

A particular cloud, darker than the rest, swelled in size as it absorbed its neighbors.

Cycle smoothly from one emotion to the next. When one wanes, replace it.

The black cloud shuddered with barely repressed power.

I can feel it, the mana. When the emotional strength is just right, the bridge connects both ways.

Jiran’s awareness of his body expanded like the cloud above as he connected with an information stream that spoke in screaming whispers. He felt every centimeter of his body come alive with the mana that suffused it.

A moment of clarity descended as he connected with his body in a way beyond his understanding.

His eyes snapped open, gleaming brightly like green lanterns in the darkened afternoon.

Release!

He swung the shovel down with a perfectly controlled Forcing that utilized both his mana-enhanced muscles and the strength of his technique.

The shovel stopped a centimeter from the ground and a blast of wind from its passing kicked up a wall of dirt that spread forward like a tidal wave.

Jiran’s grin split his face as he watched dirt swirling in the air.

A single green leaf caught his attention. He tracked it with fascination born from the surreal moment. Then he saw the dark cloud beyond burst like a popped balloon.

Three seconds of confusion passed before a wave of pressure slammed his body into the ground so hard his breath was taken from his lungs.

https://imgur.com/ZoblB8v

Wild and chaotic density bombarded his body, continuing to press him into the dirt for several seconds before the densoon wave passed. He drew in a huge gulp of air as his diaphragm was relieved of the weight.

Before he could collect himself, a second wave crashed into him. This one was much stronger than the first. The skin on his body was pulled toward the ground as if he were accelerating through the air at incredible speeds. His lips parted against his will.

Just as his vision began to darken from lack of oxygen, the wave finally relented. He held his breath, expecting another wave, when nothing happened for several seconds, he warily sat up.

Wow! They say the first wave of the season is always the worst but that was crazy. I haven’t been blasted that hard since the last time I went to a beach.

It was so thick with density too. That one cloud probably had millions of times more than a tier four meal.

The density didn’t feel normal either. It was far more chaotic, and wild.

Adrenaline faded as Jiran prepared to jump to his feet. A bout of dizziness and pain rolled through him, reminding him of his injuries. The pressure from the wave had not done his healing body any favors.

Groaning with every step, he dragged himself to his bed and checked his status to see how bad the damage was.

Durability + .4

Wisdom + .4

Intelligence + .3

Molding + 1

Forcing + 1

Molding + 1

Forcing +1

Molding +1

Forcing…

Molding threshold reached subskill available

NAME   Jiran of Feylon

RACE   Human

AGE   8

WEIGHT  33.59 kg > 37.45 kg

STATUS  Severe internal bruising \ Mild external bruising \ Mild nerve damage

\ Mild tendinopathy \ Mild bone fractures

TIER   1

GROWTH  45.0 > 52.3%

MANA   0.23

CONCENTRATION 1

STRENGTH  12.8 > 13.1

AGILITY  13.2 > 13.7

ENDURANCE  13.1 > 13.4

DURABILITY  13.1 > 14.1

WISDOM  15.7 > 16.5

INTELLIGENCE 15.2 > 15.5

SKILLS  Molding lvl 50 - Selection available -

TECHNIQUES Forcing lvl 19

OTHER  UNIQUE - Fo$%si%h(

Woah, that's a lot of changes.

It’s official, densoon season started today, my status says I’m eight. That means I’ve crossed into my eighth season on Madra already. Twenty more to go before I’m older than Brandon was.

Jiran totaled his attribute gains and ran through a quick mental calculation.

My weight has increased by nearly forty-four percent. That’s crazy. I only feel a little heavier, that must be my strength attribute pulling double time. It’s my lowest now, I should really focus on it more.

At least my growth is staying ahead of my gains, another eight percent, and I won’t be able to increase my attributes anymore without absorbing more density.

Dang, I really took a beating. I bet the storm cloud made it a lot worse too. I probably shouldn’t have been outside swinging a shovel around.

My body didn’t feel as bad as all that. Probably because my durability has increased so much. I guess I’m getting a lot tougher, that's super cool!

Jiran clenched his fists in excitement.

Molding fifty. I wonder how many other people have reached this far. I didn’t read anything about a subskill selection when I was looking through the book Samris had me read.

Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Jiran hovered his awareness over the selection available and read the options.

Mana Hardening

Condense mana into reinforced plates increasing resilience of mana defenses by 200%

Mana Compacting

Concentrate mana into a smaller space increasing potency of offensive mana by 200%

Mana Expansion

Control mana beyond initial parameters

A shiver ran up Jiran’s spine as he read each option repeatedly. He licked his lips in anticipation but held himself back from making a hasty decision.

I need to think this through very carefully. I may never get another subskill, so this could affect the rest of my life.

Jiran forced himself to take deep breaths until his rampaging heart rate slowed to a more normal level.

The first two would obviously be amazing in almost any situation. I don’t have any offensive mana skills yet but eventually I’ll get one like Micah and Skandor. I can’t imagine how powerful their attacks would have been with a two hundred percent increase. Wowza!

The same could be said for defense. I could protect my family easily with a shield that’s three times stronger than normal.

The real question is the last option. What does that mean, beyond initial parameters?

Molding - freely move mana to any part of the body

Does it mean I would be able to move mana outside of my body? Or maybe it means having more control, or being able to create complex shapes with it or the clue could be in the name, expansion.

Clearly, all three of these subskills are meant to be used in conjunction with other skills and techniques that I don’t have access to yet.

Jiran tsked in annoyance.

For now, I’ll sleep on it and see if I can get any information out of Samris in the morning. I shouldn’t be making important choices like this when I’m tired, injured, and uninformed.

Jiran was awakened several times in the night as densoon waves crashed into the manor. The windows rattled slightly but the mana-infused materials of the building kept most of the chaotic energies at bay. After the third jump-scare, his senses became dulled to the intermittent disturbance and he slept soundly.

When First Father finally crested the horizon, he found some breakfast and ate in the staff dining room while he watched the clouds outside swell and break apart.

Just as he was about to finish his meal, a bleary-eyed maid entered with a soft greeting and then handed him a letter from Samris before scampering out of the room without another word.

https://imgur.com/n0zgUnl

“Salutations, Jiran. I will be gone for the next two days. Stay near the manor and recover from your injuries. Upon my return, we shall resume your training.”

Crap. There goes asking Samris for more information. I’m locked out of the library too! Damn.

Jiran immediately reigned in his frustration, remembering everything the man had already done to improve his life. The only feeling he wanted to have toward Samris was gratitude.

His wording almost sounds like a test. I bet he’s going to check and see how far I push his instructions. Staying near the manor can have a wide interpretation after all.

I’m not going to push it this time. I really do need to recover. There is plenty I can work on without leaving, like increasing my strength and growth stats.

If I keep gaining weight without increasing my strength, moving is going to get a lot more difficult. My attributes have almost caught up with my growth too, I’ll need to eat more to stay ahead.

Jiran put thought to action and methodically moved through the complicated stretching and balancing routine Samris had been teaching him. In the middle of his second round, as he found his mind beginning to wander from boredom, a sudden thought struck him.

What if I use Forcing to push against my muscles as I move?

A memory of Micah from what seemed like moons ago flashed through his mind.

‘Don’t waste a single moment. Every chance you have to grow more powerful, you need to grab it and tear into it like a dissipating beast.’

Each stretch became a battle of centimeters. Sweat dripped freely from his skin as he grunted with exertion against the constraints he created within his body.

He chuckled to himself on the occasions when the maids peeked at his bizarre actions. He knew he looked completely ridiculous with his body in strange positions while he grunted and struggled against nothing more than the air.

Jiran redoubled his efforts as he watched the increases steadily mount.

Someday, I have to join the army. I’ll be put on the front line against the graymin hoards. I can’t afford to stand still, I need to keep pushing forward.