Beyond The System
Chapter 175: Flow and Focus

We stood by the water’s edge for a while, waiting for any signs of danger, but no sound came. No rush of claws tearing through brush. It seemed the beast truly had no real interest in chasing us.

“Any ideas?” Thea asked.

I shook my head.

“No fighting. Not yet,” I said, my voice thin. “Not until Griffith wakes up, anyway. But… I want to see the pillar. Could be nothing, but the last one showed a vision. Maybe this one will too.”

Elric stretched his fingers, knuckles popping. “How strong did it seem?”

“Strong,” Thea said immediately.

She glanced at me, her eyes asking for confirmation. “It was wrapped around the vein, and it seemed…”

I gave a slow nod.

“It was cultivating,” she finished.

That idea settled over us like a heavy curtain. A wild beast, operating on instinct alone, pulling in that much power.

Elric’s eyes widened as they met mine. “What about your ability? The one with animals, could it work?”

Wyrem cut in before I could answer. I wouldn’t recommend it. I resisted you, and I was weakened. Who knows what this thing could shrug off. If it's intelligent in any way that matters... Maybe if it’s half-dead you could try. Otherwise—

I end up as a snack?

Exactly.

You could just leave, you know. Luna’s voice was light, but I heard the hesitation under it. This place doesn’t have what you’re after anyway. We can still see the path ahead.

A part of me wanted to agree, to abandon this strange, oppressive place that might hold nothing but hints. But something in me tugged in refusal.

I turned to the others, asking them myself.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Thea said, settling onto the driest patch of sand. “The pressure here is already intense. Maybe the next place is different, but what if it’s worse? What if we can’t handle it at all?”

I looked above us, at the chaotic streams of energy shifting in the air—unstable and wild. I wasn’t certain, but I had a strong suspicion. The environment here wasn’t random, it was shaped, somehow, by the pillar.

Maybe it was the World Force itself, condensed and ricocheting off the Dragon Vein. We’d been fine until we stepped onto the island, so it would have to be the second bounced-away power.

But if that theory was accurate, then Thea was right. And we would have to learn the cause of the pressure before moving on.

“Then we train,” I said with no uncertainty. “At least you two. Push forward with your Spiritual Refinement. You’ll be the explorers for Spiritual Refinement.”

Thea’s brow furrowed slightly. “What about you?”

Her voice was soft, laced with worry. She knew how long I’d been stuck, how much it burned not to move forward.

“I can’t,” I admitted. “Not safely. Not without putting you both at risk.”

“Refining eats away at Inner Force, so we'll all have to spar. But now, everyone will fight using Spiritual Sense, and this won't be just training-for-conversion, it'll be a serious fight. Outside of not killing each other, no restraints. When Griffith wakes up, we’ll get his take on what to do next.”

Our time for safety was over.

If we were going to traverse this place, live in it, it wasn’t enough to continue as we were. We had to be sharpened further. No more half-hearted clashes ending in laughter or tired stumbles.

People had died here. We still could.

And in that place, if somehow my words were stolen from me, I could die in the tournament. I did all but die there already.

Only a relic’s grace and Elric’s strength had pulled me back.

Without a word, Elric dropped down next to Thea.

“So you’re on lookout?”

“Yep.”

They both closed their eyes.

It’s difficult for you to do alone now, but that man—Marcus—he told you not to think so much. You should try working on that, Wyrem recommended.

I turned, staring out at the woods.

That’s easier said than done. I have to think in order to fight. At least to use my abilities.

I don’t know, Luna offered gently. You already move your energy way better than when I met you. Do you still have to focus that hard on it?

I paused, considering. She wasn’t wrong. I’d been in far more dangerous fights since we’d met. Even during the attack on Ramus… or that ambush before the labyrinth, it was instinct that had pulled me through.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration knotting in my chest. Advice, then?

Practice. There’s nothing else, Wyrem answered matter-of-factly. Do it with your friends. Focus on control. The more precise you are, the less you’ll have to think in battle. Make it second nature. Same answer as always.

So I started.

I began with water. Drawing out a thread of that element, then shaping a narrow path for it to follow. I further developed it to the invisible channel, trying to mold that into a stable pipeline.

At first, I kept losing focus. The drop would distort, harden, and fall as a tear-shaped icicle.

But I had time.

Well… almost two days less than two weeks. Still though, time enough for now.

Eventually, I managed to get a proper stream going. A small jet of water that spurted out with the pressure of a toy water gun. Not much, but equal to what Velea could do when we last trained.

Wonder how she’s doing.

I thought about the way her eyes lit up with excitement whenever she showed me something new. For a moment, I looked forward to going home, returning with Thea and ditching all this.

I shook the thought loose.

Instead of shooting the water, I shifted focus. Elric’s advice drifted through my head—move Inner Force in small, steady amounts through the body.

I decided to try it with a droplet.

I raised one finger, holding the water in place. It clung there, weightless, unmoved by gravity. Moonlight caught on its surface, reflecting a delicate crescent.

Move to the water, Wyrem instructed. The waves will affect you.

I hesitated, blinking. And that helps… how?

Makes it harder. You could start simple, but I have confidence you’ll manage.

Luna cheered at Wyrem’s rare compliment. Same! Just focus. I’ll watch the beach for anything creeping up.

I walked forward, letting the tide reach me. Cold water lapped against my legs as I waded in up to my knees. The pull of the current tugged back and forth with steady insistence.

Again, I lifted my finger. I visualized the same invisible channel, this time letting it run down my arm, through my center.

The water responded.

Not pulled by my will, but guided by sustained focus.

It moved slowly, creeping along my wrist, curving upward like a ribbon catching the wind. Light continued to shimmer across its surface, continuing to show fractured reflections of sky, water, and moon.

It reached further than before and I smiled—Plop.

Oh, yes. It’s also much easier to tell when you fail now that we can all hear it, Wyrem noted dryly. Try again.

Luna, when are you going to eat him?

Soon, Peter. Very soon.

You both should get back to training and stop joking.

I didn’t think either of us were joking., but I went back to it anyway.

Over and over, I tried. Shifting from one arm to the other. Each time ending with the small sound of failure—ice hitting water, drifting for a second before dissolving into the sea.

“Maybe the waves are too much,” I muttered, taking a slow breath. “Deep breaths.”

One arm up, pointing to the sky, the other, barely grazing the sea. I let the cold settle on my skin, drawing my own body with Internal Force before starting again.

I let it flow down my palm, along my forearm, through my chest, then sharply turning horizontal. The whole time, I didn’t pre-set the path. I built it in real time, shaping and adjusting the channel as the droplet moved.

No splash or drop. Failure never came.

It streamed down my other arm and, finally, slipped cleanly into the ocean, merging with the tide like it had always belonged there.

Congrats! Luna shouted, making me flinch slightly. I still don’t really get the point of this, but nice!

“Peter?” Thea’s voice carried from the sand. “You want to start, or are you busy?”

I jogged toward her, a smile stretched across my face, impossible to hide.

She shook her head with a sigh. “When did I start liking that creepy grin?”

Despite everything. Despite the pressure in the air, the danger waiting beyond the trees, her teasing smile made it all feel distant. Like, for a moment, none of it was real.

I nudged her shoulder gently. “Guess you’re just a weirdo.”

She nodded. “Guess so… Ready?”

“Yeah. But Thea, I'm going all out. No holding back. I won’t try hurt you seriously of course, but with my body—”

She cut me off with a light punch to the arm, already stepping back. “I know. It’s okay. You’re trying to help us, right? But maybe I can show you how strong I’ve gotten too.”

Her eyes flashed as lightning sparked from her fingers, crawling up her arms and wrapping her body like a serpent of raw power. It thickened, darkened. Blue turned to purple, then deepened into something close to a deep violet.

“I’ll watch from here, but I’m next!” Elric called from the side.

Thea then summoned her weapon. A long, golden polearm that gleamed even in the low light. The lightning licked up its length, settling into the blade, making it hum with energy.

An awesome display.

Meanwhile, I stepped into a basic sparring stance. Activated every ability I had, none of which were visible. Summoned a pair of modest gloves, with faintly pointed, pale blue, ice-like nails.

I needed flashier abilities.

Elric raised one hand between us, paused for a breath, then swept it down fast.

“Start!”