We kept walking. Every step sent a sharp jolt of pain up my spine—whatever hit me before had done real damage.
Damn it, I can feel that in my teeth…
And then a thought hit me like a truck:
How the hell did they stop their Essentia from flowing?
As far as I knew, Essentia was always flowing. Whether you wanted it to or not—it moved. That was its nature.
So I asked the question aloud, my voice tinged with curiosity and that familiar ache of needing to understand.
“How do you stop your Essentia from flowing?”
Eryndar glanced at me, eyes sharp but relaxed, as always.
“Well… it takes years of training, and an absurd level of control over your internal flow. Not exactly beginner-level stuff,” he replied.
Then, with a shrug:
“But when you do it, you’re left completely vulnerable. Even a novice could knock you out cold with a lucky hit.”
“I see…” I muttered.
These guys really want the book, huh. Desperate enough to take that kind of risk.
“Let’s stop here,” Eryndar said suddenly, veering slightly toward a small clearing in the forest.
He raised his hand—and his Essentia responded.
A soft, green glow like living moss shimmered through the air. The ground shifted, and out of the earth rose small stone shapes, smooth and round like miniature hills. Perfect seats, grown from the land itself.
So that’s Earth Essentia…
“Sit,” he said, glancing at me. “I’m going to heal you.”
I blinked. I hadn’t said a word about the pain, but somehow he knew.
Is he reading my breathing? My steps? Or does he just… know?
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I sat down slowly, careful not to groan like an old man, and he knelt behind me.
“Are you a healer?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “To be a healer, I’d need to synchronize my flow perfectly with yours. That takes time, precision, and trust.”
He paused for a moment, then added:
“Instead, you’ll use my flow for a bit. I’ll guide it through your channels and patch up the damage.”
Huh. That’s actually kind of brilliant…
Man… how much does he know?
“Remember my flow,” Eryndar said, placing his hands gently on my back.
The moment he touched me, I felt it—his Essentia entering my channels. It moved like a quiet tide, steady and sure, flowing from my back to my arms, chest, head, and finally my legs. It wasn’t forceful… it guided.
I stayed quiet as I felt his Essentia begin to enter my system—cool, grounded, steady like mountain air.
It felt foreign… but not invasive.
I mimicked it instinctively, tracing its path within me. Matching the rhythm. Learning the shape of it.
It felt solid. Heavy, but not in a way that crushed. Like standing next to a mountain that had no reason to fall—but if it ever did… nothing would survive under it.
(He got it already. He’s a natural at this.)
Eryndar’s thought passed quietly, unreadable on his face, but pulsing clearly through his focus.
After a few minutes of this shared rhythm—him leading, me following—he pulled back slightly.
“All right. Don’t do anything now. I’ll patch you up.”
I stopped channeling and stayed still. Then I felt it again—his flow returning, but this time it moved differently. Slower. Almost sluggish.
Focused.
It traveled precisely to the areas where I’d been hit. Where my Essentia felt… torn. The slow pace wasn’t because of weakness—it was intentional, a careful, deliberate reconstruction.
He stayed like that for a minute. Maybe two. When he finally pulled his hands away, I sat still for a few more seconds, just… feeling.
The pain was gone. Not dulled—gone.
“You’re not fully healed,” he said, tone steady. “I’m not a proper healer. But the pain should’ve faded by now.”
He was right. I rolled my shoulder carefully. No wince. No sting.
Wow…
And then a question hit me—simple, but important.
“Wait… isn’t someone’s flow the most important part of being an Essentia user? Like, the thing that defines them?”
He looked at me.
And then—smiled.
Not his usual smirk. Not that calm, unreadable nod. A real, warm smile.
It caught me off guard.
“Yes,” he said softly.
Was this his way of saying he trusted me? Showing me something personal, something sacred?
He didn’t have to do this. But he did.
“You’re using a version of Leon’s flow,” he continued. “A simplified form. One meant to evolve into something greater. Use mine as inspiration too. Let it shape you in a new way.”
He stood up, brushing the dirt from his hands.
“Try it out later.”
Yeah… I will.
Excitement surged through me.
A new way of flowing my Essentia?
I’d never even considered that was possible—aside from that one time Leon showed me his version.