They were fast. Really fast. At first, Elise couldn't understand what she was sensing. The river flowed calmly, wrapping around her body without any intention. But those three Energy masses had appeared out of nowhere, coming straight toward her. They didn't have the same feeling as the rest of the river; they felt wrong, out of place, and… dirty.
As they closed the distance, she realized she could feel their intentions—their bloodlust. They were coming to kill her, to rip her body into pieces and tear her skin while she screamed in pain. Those feelings rushed inside and filled her head, causing her to panic.
She pulled her head out of the river, trying to find the source of the strange Energies. The river's surface bulged in the distance, revealing three fins with sets of pointy bones. Unfortunately, they were closer than she thought. Without any time to think, she tried to react as if she were on solid ground. It was a stupid decision, but it was too late to reconsider. She jumped backward to dodge the unknown threats.
But they never came. The next thing she knew, she was in the air, flying toward the shore. She fell on her back and gasped from the impact. She tried to get up quickly, but her body didn't respond. She could only crawl backward to escape. Her head bumped into something in that moment of panic.
"Nice flight. But you need to practice the landing." The Traveler stood behind her, looking toward the river. "I guess you are not ready for them yet."
Three creatures emerged onto the shore. First, their heads popped up. They had unusually big eyes and mouths resembling frogs, but their features were sharper. Lots of bony protrusions jutted from their heads in strange places. A fin-like structure made from a series of bones went down from the back of their heads to their spines. Their mouths were filled with hundreds of sharp teeth, drooling with hunger onto their shiny purple scales.
The rest of their bodies were not that different: giant webbed claws and a strong, long tail with a fin on top for swimming faster. The same unnecessary bones protruded here and there. They were not identical; each had unique features. Even though their bodies resembled aquatic creatures, they had a humanoid structure. They came out of the river and stood on their hind legs. They had a muscular build and were taller than an average human.
Elise looked at them in fear. She could still feel their bloodlust toward her. How could she even fight against such terrifying creatures? Her mind and body had given up; she was ready to die in their claws. They charged at her with a shriek. She just wished she could have said a proper goodbye to her father. She closed her eyes and waited for what was to come.
A strong wind hit her from the left, along with a weird sound. And then... nothing happened. She opened her eyes slightly. At first, she couldn't understand what had happened, but when she scanned the area, she noticed splashes of a thick purple liquid all over the place. She looked up and saw the Traveler with her sword in his hand, still in its sheath. He was as relaxed as always. He looked down at her with a questioning expression.
"How long do you intend to stay on the ground?" He rested her sword on his shoulder once again.
Elise flushed in embarrassment. What was she doing? Cowering in fear was not something she normally did. She could still feel the Energy inside her body, but the disturbing feelings that had filled her head were gone along with those creatures. She got up instantly. She was dripping wet and feeling dirty from the river. When was the last time she took a bath? She couldn't remember.
"Thanks for pulling me out. I thought I was dead for sure." She tried to wring the excess liquid from her hair.
"I didn't pull you. You jumped out." He pointed his finger at her and made a wavy motion. All the liquid on her gathered in front of it. Even her clothes became dry. He tossed the glowing ball of pink liquid back into the river.
"What do you mean, I jumped? I swear I was flying for a moment there." She tidied herself a little. "Thank you, by the way."
He dismissed her gratitude with a gesture. "You filled yourself with Energy, and your body instinctively used it to react to the situation without you realizing it. Muscles are capable of using more Energy than they need to operate. If you give them more than their capacity, they accept it and use it, even if it causes major injuries."
"Really?" She looked down at her legs. "But I feel fine."
"Fine? You are high on Energy. Release it and see for yourself."
"Release it? I almost died because of it. Why do I have to release it now?" The Energy inside her had a pleasant feeling to it. She felt powerful, like she could do anything, anytime.
"Because using Energy without proper guidance could harm your body or kill you. Now release it, or I'll do it by force. I assure you it will not be pleasant." His eyes warned her that he was not going to accept further objections.
The almighty feeling faded away as she looked into those eyes. She focused on the Energy inside her and imagined it leaking out from her pores—the exact opposite of being a sponge. The Energy slowly left her, and before she knew it, she collapsed onto her back.
She looked at the dark clouds in surprise. She tried to get back up, but even though her upper body straightened a little, her legs refused to respond. Pain slowly spread from her legs throughout her body.
"What is happening?" she asked through clenched teeth.
The Traveler crouched next to her. "Do you know anything about human anatomy?"
"Anatomy? Now? I am in pain right now, if you didn't notice." She tried her best not to scream.
"Normally, muscles have an emergency stopping system for situations like this. You can't use your full strength unless something extreme happens, like finding yourself in a life-and-death situation or filling them with Energy unnaturally."
Why was he giving a lecture right now? Couldn't he see she was dying from the pain?
"So, you just tore your leg muscles," he continued after seeing her eyes widen in fear. "Don't worry, it's not something serious for an Energy user, of course. I know it's painful, but I want you to focus on your inner Energy. Try to feel its flow inside you and direct it to your legs."
She stared at him for a moment. Was he really expecting her to focus right now? Answering her stare, he gave an encouraging smile and kept looking at her in anticipation. "Don't worry that much; I will guide you."
"Ah, whatever." She tried to gather her last bit of focus. After encountering those three creatures, her mind was not in the best shape, and the pain was making it even worse. She looked for the 'inner Energy' the Traveler mentioned. It was easy since she knew what feeling to look for.
She tried to ignore the pain and calm her mind. One of the first things her sword master had taught her was how to maintain focus in combat. She had always been a distracted child with endless questions on her mind.
She could feel it. Her Energy flowed inside every cell of her body, but it seemed a little disturbed in her lower half. She focused on the disturbed parts and tried to fix their flow. Surprisingly, the Energy reacted to her wish and started flowing toward her legs. It was hard and required an insane amount of focus, but she did it.
"Good. Using your inner Energy is easier, but it burns you out much quicker. Absorb some from outside and feed the flow with it," he said slowly, trying not to disturb her focus.
She did as he instructed. She drew Energy and directed it toward her legs along with her inner Energy. They fused inside her and moved as she wished. The disturbance slowly fixed itself, and the Energy flowed directly into her injured muscles.
The pain slowly faded. She could feel her muscles healing faster with the Energy. The misplaced parts of the flow in her legs reconnected with the rest of the Energy flow. It took some time, but she could feel her legs again. She tried to move them, but the Traveler laid a hand on her leg.
"Let's not go that far. You did well, but you are still new to it. Your body needs to get used to it. I will handle the rest, so just rest a bit." He stood up and sat on a nearby rock.
Elise lay back on the ground and closed her eyes. The healing process was far more exhausting than any of the workouts she had done. She felt her inner Energy flow and heal her by the Traveler's will as she slowly fell asleep.
***
Elise thought about what she had accomplished in such a short time. Her understanding of Energy had gotten much deeper, and she had even used it to partially heal herself successfully. But there were some things she still couldn't figure out.
"I felt something there." They continued their journey under the dark clouds. Endless lightning strikes brightened the sky with ever-changing colors. "In the river, I could sense everything surrounding me, almost like everything was connected to me through Energy. But then, those creatures appeared. I could... feel them. Their bloodlust, their hunger. Not for food, but for destruction. They just wanted to kill for the sake of killing. They wanted to see my shredded flesh and dripping blood. I could feel all of it."
She closed her eyes to deal with the flashbacks. "Those feelings got into me, and I couldn't do anything. They overwhelmed me with fear." Remembering it made her body shiver again. "I don't want to ever feel something like that again. So, I want something from you."
The Traveler took the lead as usual, but catching up to him was not as hard as before. He kept walking as she talked, but Elise knew he was listening. "I want you to make me strong enough to never feel fear again." Yes, that would be her resolve.
He turned his head slightly to look at her while walking. She caught something in that look. Sadness? Pity, maybe? But why? She thought he would praise her resolve. He kept walking without saying anything for a while.
When he finally spoke, the sadness in his voice was obvious. "Fear is not about strength; it is about having something to lose. Having something to lose is not a bad thing, girl."
She opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted. "I know what you meant. But trust me, not feeling your emotions is not the strength you are looking for. Even if it is only your fear, the rest will follow before you even realize it."
He stopped and turned to her. "I'll never teach you how to be fearless. I will teach you how to keep going despite the fear. You will learn how to keep going while in fear of losing what is precious to you, and how to protect it at all costs."
Elise had never seen his serious side before. Even though she didn't know him very well, his ever-changing, colorful eyes said what needed to be said. He was talking out of experience, either his own or someone he cared about. She felt this was not the time to ask and remained silent.
"I understand." His way of describing strength sat with her better than her own, which now sounded childish. "I trust your judgment and will entrust myself to your teachings."
He was not like the heroes from the stories she grew up with. She had always thought that to be a great person, she needed to be fearless like them. But the Traveler's words influenced her far more; they felt… realistic. For the first time, she felt she was in the right hands—hands that could shape her into a stronger person than she had ever imagined.
"Good. About the other thing you mentioned." His mood returned to normal as he turned and kept walking. "You said you felt a connection with the surrounding Energy when you absorbed it. Energy can easily be filled with 'intent'. When you absorb it, you absorb those intentions too. They can harm your mental health and even corrupt your thoughts. But that is also how different uses of Energy are created. It shapes according to your intentions."
"So, you are saying they were using some kind of technique to attack my mind?" She had never thought such creatures could use Energy to that extent.
"Not exactly. Those creatures were created artificially with Energy, so what you felt was their leaking Energy filled with their intent."
"So, an Energy user can influence another Energy user's mind. That sounds... dangerous."
"It is, if you are an amateur. It all comes down to how strong the user's will is. It is a hard thing to train. But a great man once said: a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. So, no slacking, keep moving!"
The characteristics of Energy were still a subject she couldn't fully grasp. But the more she knew, the more exciting it got. She kept walking behind the Traveler, lost in her thoughts.