"Junior Enril greets Chief Wantu."

　　"Junior Zelek greets Chief Wantu."

　　The boys removed their shoes and seated themselves at the table. From across the table, Wantu`s imposing figure, with broad shoulders draped in a cape, greeted them. Small plumes of smoke puffed over his shoulder.

　　Wantu asked, puffing a circle of smoke, "So you`ve reached the Third-Step but feel stuck. Is that it?"

　　They nodded and replied, "That`s correct."

　　"Are either of ye familiar with more than one attribute of riken?"

　　"Just wind," both boys answered.

　　"Let me guess, the Schemas you study describe wind and nothing more?" Another plume of smoke puffed over his shoulder after a deep sigh.

　　"That`s correct," they whispered.

　　"Foolish," Wantu said, "the creators should be ashamed." He paused, and the boys shared a concerned look. "It is fine to focus on one attribute as a primary, but you should always have a second to fill the gaps." Wantu spun around. A single, long-drawn scar traced from his eyebrow to his lip. His left eye was entirely white.

　　"We only have these Schema to learn from. What do you suggest, Chief?" Enril asked.

　　Wantu grumbled, "The solution is simple, what do Seekers do?"

　　"Train and fight?" Zelek questioned.

　　"Something bright, aren`t ya boy?" Wantu chuckled and puffed from his pipe. "Try using yer brain this time, ya?"

　　"A Seeker pursues the Truth of Heaven. To become enlightened," Enril recited.

　　"One brain between the both of you isn`t a bad start." Wantu gave a hardy laugh. "If your Schema can`t guide you, what should you do?"

　　Zelek shoved his fist into his palm, "We seek answers from other Schema!"

　　Wantu set his pipe down and gave a solitary clap. "Look who turned their brain on." Wantu replaced the pipe between his lips. He took a moment to scan Zelek from head to toe. "Either learn from another Schema or take inspiration and create your own. The Schema you study are incomplete and will stifle your growth. You`re dismissed." He spun around to face a shrine, flowers wreathed around a painting of a young man. A solitary candle burned to one side, and on the other a simple wooden ring.

　　The boys bowed, "Thank you for your guidance, Chief Wantu."

　　They roamed to the sect`s library. At the door, an elderly man greeted them and requested their identification. Each boy produced a small, flat blue stone with a single, golden line carved on it. "As Initiate Disciples you`re welcome to browse the first floor. You may make copies of anything you wish. It is all free." The elderly man closed his eyes. Before Enril and Zelek could give their thanks, soft snores drifted from his mouth.

　　The library boasted thirty rows of shelves thrice their height. Large wooden ladders rested on each shelf. The boys scattered, each snatching any Schema that caught their attention. With their arms loaded, they gathered at a table in the corner. Enril laid out seven Schema while Zelek spread out seventeen.

　　Zelek slid over a tattered purple book. "This was the most interesting one I found. Doesn`t it sound cool?" Zelek wrung his hands together with a wicked smile.

　　"Schema of the Violet Fist?" Enril flipped the tome over to inspect the back. "Yeah, I guess that sounds cool."

　　Zelek snatched it from his hands and stared at the cover. "No, that can`t be right." He scanned the cover for a long second before tossing it to the edge of the table. "I thought it said Schema of the Violent Fist," he grumbled before sliding over a bright pink tome.

　　"Schema of the Glowing Petals? Do you have an interest in AlSchemy and Herbology, Brother?"

　　"No, it`s Glowing Metals isn`t it?" Zelek ripped the book out of Enril`s hands and groaned as he re-read the cover.

　　Enril gave a small giggle and slid a tome toward Zelek. "Brother, I think it would be best if you slowed down. Here, take a look at what I found. Doesn`t this sound interesting?"

　　Zelek scratched his head and looked up, "Technique Tokens Template? What do you do with them?"

　　"I only took a cursory glance at the contents, but it sounds like you could make an object hold a technique. With the token crafted, you pour riken into it to activate it. It can be any technique. So with the help of another, you could utilize techniques that you`re not familiar with." Enril received the book back from Zelek.

　　"When the opponent thinks they have you figured out, you surprise them instead." Zelek held a hand to his chin. His eyes flitted back and forth.

　　"That`s what I thought, as well. It increases versatility in battle. I think it would benefit me greatly to borrow a variety of techniques." Enril picked up a bright yellow tome from Zelek`s pile titled Rebound Repository Schema. "What a mysterious name."

　　"It will probably be my choice since the other two weren`t what I thought." Zelek grabbed the tome back and flipped through its pages. "Besides your token thing, what else did you find?"

　　"I found this one called Liquid Temperament Schema. With my Maneuver, I thought a Modifier might be beneficial." Zelek nodded without looking up from his notes.

　　The candles flickered with dim light, shadows danced across the boys` notes as they scribbled past sundown. As they studied, more flaws of the Schemas from their clan were revealed. The greatest difference was that no Schema in the library relied on a single attribute. Their Patriarch held the greatest strength of the clan, yet he followed a Schema which only held the attribute of wind. Zelek protested, stating there must be different copies, but that was not reality. At the end of the night, they agreed that something must be done when they returned to the clan.

　　Enril and Zelek gathered their notes as the library keeper announced the closing hour. After returning the books to their respective shelves, the boys bid the keeper farewell. Down the gravel path outside the library, the boys strode, an invisible weight sat in their hearts. Zelek flipped through his notes. "So much to study& I think this is tougher than my last spar."

　　"Don`t be so dramatic Brother. Between these notes and a little practice, our next spars shouldn`t be so one-sided." Enril gave a slight squeak as he looked at the front page of his notes.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　Zelek clenched a fist and grit his teeth, "I couldn`t land a single hit on Adrik." He dropped his head with a sigh.

　　"I know how you feel. Shoyin`s technique was fierce and I was lacking." Enril heaved a sigh. His heart pounded as he played the memory of the battle in his head. Even with his Maneuver, he had only dodged a single strike of hers. He furrowed his eyebrows as he saw her finishing move flying at him.

　　Zelek shook a fist skyward, "Let`s go, Brother. We can grow stronger." They dashed off toward the storage hall, gravel flung from the path with each speedy step. They had not consumed their pills yet this month and exchanged them for pills related to different attributes. Once the exchange was complete, they sprinted back to their residence. Reading through their notes again, they began to channel their riken in the fresh patterns. Sleep eluded them as they practiced, fueled by the stimulus of their pills.

　　Dawn arrived.

　　"And why are you two half-asleep?" Sheng berated.

　　"Apologies, Instructor Sheng, practice," Enril bowed with a yawn.

　　"Practice? You dare accuse me of not training you well enough?" Sheng growled.

　　"Not at all. Instructor Sheng`s training is invaluable to us. We felt that we were lacking in our abilities, which required extra training." Enril bowed again.

　　Sheng huffed and shoved the banner into Zelek`s hands. Without protest, he ran off, the banner waving in the wind. Enril began to count breaths once Zelek was out of sight. He wondered how long it would take to return. They had seen steady improvement since their first day, but it was far from enough for them.

　　Zelek tagged Enril`s hand upon return. Enril shouted over his shoulder, "Sixty-seven today, Brother."

　　Zelek gave a half-smile as he sat to recover. It was still slower than his peers, but the gap had narrowed. Once in a while, his breath still caught from the thin air of the mountain peak. He contemplated learning a Maneuver but no disciples, save Enril, seemed to utilize them.

　　Before he could finish his thought, Enril had returned and tossed the banner to the next disciple. He settled next to Zelek. Not a single drop of sweat adorned his forehead or neck.

　　"Incredible, you put my new record to shame and you haven`t even warmed up," Zelek laughed.

　　"You put too much stock in me, Brother. It`s just because of my Maneuver. You take a third of the time compared to when we began. We`re hardly over thirteen years while most of our peers are older than us. Let`s focus on what we`ve achieved."

　　The boys recovered until it was time to spar.

　　"Disciples Enril and Adrik to the center," Sheng announced. The two boys met in the arena and bowed before Sheng commanded, "Begin."

　　By this time, all the disciples in this group had seen one another spar. There were few secrets between the group. Adrik opened by launching a fist to where he assumed Enril would try to sneak attack from. His fist swished through the air as he stumbled forward.

　　"What are you swinging at, Adrik? Since you have a strong fire technique I was hoping you`d let me experience it." Enril clasped his hands together. Adrik peered over his shoulder, finding Enril motionless in his starting position. He sighed, clicked his tongue, and conjured a ball of flame to his hand. It bounced up and down in his palm. Enril`s eyes followed the ball`s every move. Adrik wound up and calculated his toss before flinging the fiery ball. It whistled as it flew through the air.

　　Although the flight time was a mere three seconds, it was long enough to activate his new technique. Enril`s enhancement tinged with a new hue. With a graceful lean, he twisted his body enough so the fiery ball would shoot past. From his leaning stance, the ball of flame had just crossed the midpoint of his body. Enril reached a hand out. He scooped the ball of flame and spun his body around. Much like Zelek, every movement was fluid and elegant.

　　The ball of fire spun in Enril`s hand as he continued to twist. The flame whistled out of Enril`s hand and slammed into Adrik`s chest, singing the center of his otherwise stark-white robe. Adrik brushed off the soot and laughed, "Guess you learned a new trick. Maybe this will end up being fun." Enril nodded silently, and the bout resumed. Adrik would try to close the distance, but each time Enril would use a WindWard Step to avoid him. Adrik grew more annoyed as Enril continued to play the mouse.

　　Another ball of flame materialized in Adrik`s right hand. Then, another into his left hand. He flung the twin flames at Enril. Once again, Enril`s white enhancement tinged with a hue of blue. Twisting out of the way, he tried to redirect the two fires back to Adrik. Heat pierced through the blue enhancement and startled him. The blue faded from his enhancement and the balls of flame erupted. His hands gave a soft tingle and felt numb.

　　Adrik took advantage and began to throw a fresh barrage of fires streaking through the air like missiles. With wide eyes, Enril utilized his Maneuver. He flickered around the arena step after step. Each time he glanced at Adrik, he was greeted by a fiery flame. He continued to utilize his Maneuver to evade the barrage.

　　Sheng`s voice announced, "Adrik wins by ring out."

　　Enril lay on the ground ten meters from the edge of the arena. Adrik approached and saw Enril`s dizzied eyes. He offered a hand, "Great match."

　　Enril grasped Adrik`s hand and was pulled to his feet. "Thank you, Adrik. I learned a lot. Your ferocity is overwhelming." They bowed to one another and took a seat to meditate.

　　"Next, Disciples Shoyin and Zelek forward." Sheng wasted no time in announcing the next pair. Zelek and Shoyin faced each other, she towered over him by more than a head. Her shoulder-length blonde hair flowed in the breeze. She scowled at Zelek who had cracked a smile.

　　After Sheng`s command to begin, Zelek cracked his whip at her. His eyes widened as she snatched it from the air. She yanked and pulled Zelek off-balance. A punch connected with his shoulder. Sparks flew from the contact. Zelek rolled back and pushed himself to his feet. The two met with a clash of fists. Thunderous booms erupted from the two with each clash of fists. Enril rubbed his eyes and blinked in rapid succession. He wasn`t seeing things, tiny sparks were flashing, and they were centered around Zelek. He wondered if this was the result of his new technique.

　　As the battle drew on, a stalemate seemed to be the most likely conclusion. Zelek couldn`t overpower Shoyin`s incredible endurance and fortitude. His attacks did keep her defensive, with no room to utilize her strength for offense. At times, she would try to utilize her Conjurer technique to move fist-shaped rocks, but Zelek`s whip kept them from presenting a threat. He began to think her second technique must be a Modifier because of her monstrous physical power.

　　Shoyin puffed and panted as Zelek pushed her back to the edge of the arena. As her foot threatened to slip off the edge, she let out a ghastly wail. A chill rushed down Zelek`s spine and immobilized him. His body felt heavy and sluggish. Shoyin stepped forward, grabbed Zelek`s robe by the collar, and hoisted him skyward.

　　"Winner by ring out, Shoyin," Sheng announced.

　　Zelek stood on weak knees, his body still heavy. "What the hell was that?" He rested his palms on the edge of the arena. Two legs appeared in front of him. "That was a great match, Shoyin. Your technique was amazing."

　　She brushed the hair from her eye and snorted, "I`m ashamed I needed to use it. Whatever you were doing exhausted me unlike any match before. Your stamina is remarkable. Despite my technique, you seem like you could begin again this instant."

　　With a loud laugh, Zelek rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess I could. I`ve got a little riken left." The two bowed, and Zelek joined Enril for recuperation.

　　"Brother, does your technique&" Enril glanced from side to side and lowered his voice to a whisper, "Does it steal riken?"

　　"You figured it out, just like that, hey?" Zelek clapped a hand on Enril`s shoulder. "If you ask me, your technique was more impressive . Between your Maneuver and Modifier, it`s going to be tough to create an opening."

　　"My Modifier merely mimics you, Brother. You have two techniques to use against me. I have to use an entire technique just to mimic your combat prowess."

　　"You give yourself too little credit. I could not redirect an attack as you did. If it wasn`t for your misstep, you could`ve exhausted Adrik and won. My match? It was lost before it began, sad to say." Zelek frowned.

　　Enril sat in silence, staring into Zelek`s emerald eyes.

　　"We`re growing stronger," Zelek whispered. "I think we can stand a real chance of winning future matches. If the occasion rose for us to team up, I think we`d be unstoppable. I understand Patriarch`s warning now. Had we remained two halves, we would be one whole. Since we are now two wholes, the result will be even greater."

　　"Yes, I have begun to see that as well. We need to focus on increasing our strength. The pattern I use to manipulate riken for my new technique is still unfamiliar to me. If I can just master it&" Enril clenched a fist.

　　"We will get there, Brother." Zelek bumped his fist into Enril`s. "Together we can do anything." Enril smiled back.