Master Of None

2067  2067. Changes And Learning n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Walker woke up and felt his body. Every sense that was related to him felt different. He could hear the smaller waves and creaks, but also the distant conversations happening below the deck of the ship. He could smell the different breezes that were moving around the ship. Some that carried the cooking scents from other ships. Others that were coming from the distant oceans filled with a more concentrated salt. He could even taste better. The slight hint of the last email he had and the taste of salt in the air that he would not have noticed before. This was all overshadowed as he opened his eyes and found that it was the middle of the night. He was left sleeping out on the top deck. A pillow resting under his head with a thin blanket to allow him a little more comfort. He knew well that he should struggle to see. Yet he did not. The stars and the slim fingernail shaped moon gave off enough light that he knew that he wasn't even in need of skills related to seeing in the dark. Not that they didn't activate on their own. While he had slept, Walker had dreams of various things. He recalled the ancient dragon shapes moving through the world with domineering will and strength. He could almost feel the coiling serpents that reached beyond the world and in to the elemental planes as they saw fit. He could also grasp at the strands of natural flow. An odd feeling that whispered to him. Secrets of how the world balances itself. How life and death form a perfect cycle that allows peace and harmony for all that exist within this world. It spoke to him. These dreams. But they also welcomed him to another level beyond who he was. That was why Walker noticed the changes. The longer hair tickling the back of his neck. The sharper vision as a whole. The tougher skin that he could see slight scale patterns on which any normal person might miss unless they knew him well enough to compare their skin to his. Beyond this, he could feel the manas around him. His mana senses had become much more clear. Exceptionally so. As if he could sense the individual resistances of every mana in the smallest of movements. When someone would walk nearby patrolling the ship, he could feel how that person's body changed the flows of mana. Not in a bad way, but in the way that he could close his eyes and build the world in his mind. A much more defined sense of mana than before. This just went beyond what he had expected. He had felt a spur of the moment sense to pursue the same feeling of purer and new life from beneath the ocean. If he had not received a quest from the world, he would have most likely failed in such a risky move. However, he had succeeded. His body had changed greatly. He knew all that he was stronger. However, he also noticed that when he tried to look at the system, he was not getting much of a response. So many words were jumbled now. Like he was trying to access something that had just been smashed together and was partially blocked from his view. 'The will of the world requests patience.' The single line that came up was something Walker would have never imagined to happen. The world itself was stopping him from seeing his own system. This didn't make Walker worried though. He had a feeling that he had done something right. Not only had he looked at the wider picture, he had used the feeling of new life in nature to support his body in their view. If he was like the echidna, then he was surely closer to the world in a way. That he was simply closer to the true mana that he should be researching. That he should be grasping instead of just natural mana. The eternal codex connected with him again. His body seemingly acting on habit to reach out to the one thing that he had been bound to as another part of himself. When Walker looked at it, he found that the manas moving within were purer than what they had been before. They also swirled around one another much more closely. It was as if they wanted to come together, but they were held back slightly. Like there were a few missing pieces that should bring them to perfect balance. It only took a moment for Walker to grapes that the manas could not fuse together in to true mana because he had not comprehended enough. That he might have taken a drastic step toward doing sso in mind and body, but he was still somewhat far. He needed more time to comprehend it all. Looking to his side, Walker found Alice sleeping. She had fallen asleep with a charcoal pen in her hand. Her song book on the metal deck beside her. She had her head to the side on another pillow. She clearly expected she might fall asleep working on a new song. One more powerful and full of emotions than before. Using the blanket to cover her, Walker grabbed the pen and the book to set beside her. He looked around and found that Midnight had curled up nearby as well. However, her head raised when Walker stood up. She had been waiting for him. "I'm sorry I risked a little too much just then. Thank you for helping everyone get out of the danger." Walker felt bad that he had left things to rest on everyone when the ships were at risk. "We can protect you." Midnight was fairly soft in her voice. She quickly took dragonkin form and stood up next to Walker. The pair looking at one another. Midnight and him both sensing the newfound closeness of their bind being much stronger. "Brother is training too. He got stronger." Midnight almost sounded jealous of Onyx as she made it clear that Onyx had yet to sleep. But that was to be expected. Onyx had a drive that was all his own. One that pushed him to try and catch up with the rest of the party even though he was strong enough alone right now. Not that a single person would say that. Onyx was hard working and deserved every bit of that strength from that work. "I can tell that you understood a few things too. But why aren't you training?" Walker knew this was because Midnight was waiting for him. But he asked anyways. "Can we fly?" Midnight asked this and Walker nodded. He could tell that Midnight just wanted to spend time with him. To grasp a little more of the new senses that she had about mana that Walker shared through their bond. As they took to the air, Midnight flapped her wings harder. In The dragonkin form, she still struggled to fly a little more than what she would as a dragon from. But, as she flew, Walker noticed that she was unconsciously using the wind mana around her to help her fly better. "The wind is always moving. Even moving around you while you are making it move. So, try to sense the best way for it to move without resistance. It will let you fly better. It will only take a moment to feel that." Walker explained this while also directing the wind around him. The wind mana that resisted him moving as he used the wind ripple skill was less and less. Midnight could feel this being sent through their bond. It is why she was able to adapt her own way of flying. To angle her body more while relying on the natural shape of her wings in this form. The two spent some time doing this, although, they also shared feelings of other manas. Midnight with the manas that naturally gathered within her body as she prepared to breathe certain dragon breaths. And Walker how the manas might be better able to flow. He could feel that Midnight understood this much better. That she was becoming more calm in mind because she was developing a better understanding of how her body interacted with the manas that she could control. Each one going further to work with her than against her. Especially since she had taken advice to mimic what the other royal dragons did as well. He could see their movements and techniques in every action that she took. He could only feel pride in seeing this. Midnight had done what he had done. Watched, learned, and absorbed information constantly. It was why she was proving to be a pillar of Genesis well beyond her age just like the rest of their family. But moments like this were short. They always had more pressing matters. So he had to enjoy this while he could.  …

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