Curselock

Chapter 258: Breathe

Walker came to while everyone was eating dinner. The boys and Gelo were sitting outside Sand Castle, Captain Tar not allowing them to enter. Though, she did force Bulldog to drop off an extra cot for the sleeping immortal. Bulldog did not stick around to meet him, however, instantly dashing back to the safety of the fort as soon as Leland waved her off.

Before Walker could so much as ask where he was, a plate of moist brisket and baked beans was thrust into his hands, a mug of mead was set beside him, and a big slice of orange pie was waiting for him.

From where the group sat, most of the horizon was taken up by black sand and the red lightning from the Tear. So when Walker looked around, he quickly found the plate of food more interesting.

As he gobbled down any and everything, Leland spoke to him in his language, “So, once you’re done, I’m going to call for my Lord to take you to her domain – or wherever she wants you. And if for some reason she’s not being nice to you, ask for the Lord of Dungeons.” He nodded to the cub. “Her mom.”

Walker blinked a few times. “Explain these… Lords to me again?”

With a nod, he did. The other worlder had plenty of questions about the power dynamic between Legacy and Lord, specifically how one raised their individual power if they were gated by a Lord.

“That’s easy,” Leland explained, pulling his grimoire from his hand tattoo. “As our proficiency increases with our spells or abilities, our Lords offer us grander aspects of our power. For example, when I first acquired one of my spells, I summoned four crows. Now I summon thirteen.”

“And where do your Lords get their power from?” Walker asked.

“See, that is a great question that I only know the barebones answer to. There is a secret form of power we,” he gestured to himself and his friends, “have only just learned about. We don’t even have a definite name for this power. True elements, element-Hearts, Rules. Suffice it to say, there’s a way to acquire power outside of a Lord’s Legacy. Gelo is a great example. Beasts instinctually can control their elements. Ice and cold in her case.”

“Yes, but that’s a recent change – as in last week. Before, she was what we’ve only just learned was called ‘Ruler of Ice.’”

The hesitance in Walker’s posture had mostly vanished. Ask any of those present, none would have guessed the man was ranting about destroying the sun only hours ago. However, he still acted similar to a beaten dog. An eternity of wandering had caused several odd ticks. Most notably, he and the others were not sitting on sand but rather hardened sandstone.

The man’s power never exited the area, always circulating around the group. To Leland and Gelo, this effect was as obvious as the thick mana in the air. To the others, they just knew their hairs were standing on the back of their necks.

“That is closer to my own power… and the power from my world. Before, people cultivated their powers over centuries of self-study and discipline. Only those who truly wished to touch the world would feel its warmth.”

“Hmm. How would they go about that?”

“Several long steps, the easiest explanation is the formation and training of a core.”

“And these cores, do they sit right beside one’s heart?”

Walker slowly nodded. “What did you call it? Elemental-Hearts? Hmm. It seems our worlds are not too dissimilar.”

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“Huh,” Leland mused before weighing his options. Did he want to ask for advice from the who-knows-how-old man who just found out life still existed? Yes, yes he did. “May I ask for advice? Cores, Hearts, how—”

Walker leaned back, the cot creaking with his weight. “I was a teacher, once upon a time… I had disciples, students who walked among the flames and brought vengeance as their reward.”

They were silent for a moment, the man caught in a cycle of long forgotten memories. Truthfully, the moment reminded Leland of Sybil and her ancestors in her head. He wondered how she was doing. They hadn’t been separated that long but—

“I will try,” Walker said, ending the moment. “But I have not— The starting line for power… those memories are mostly gone, even before my immortality.”

“You never told me, how did you become immortal?”

“Reach too high, and the height becomes crushing, like the depths.”

Leland pursed his lips before making his face as blank as possible. Walker reminded him of the Lords, non-answers and riddles. Always riddles, always. “I’m so sorry.”

Walker made eye contact, looking away just as fast. “It is but my own fault. Greed. Shameful greed.” Again he went silent, this time staring at the sandstone beneath his feet. For a moment, a few grains were released from their stone-like hold, brushing against his toes before snapping back into the hardened formation.

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“So cores. Hearts, whatever. What are they?” Leland asked.

“In essence? A path to power.”

“Mhm. To me, I see dust and crystals. Does that sound familiar?”

Walker didn’t look up, but his voice took on a note of surprise. “You see dust and crystals? At such an early stage of power? I can sense it, your core. It is weak, something a child would have had… before… when my world was…”

“I cheat, I think. I use a memory recall spell to look at my memories of looking at my core. For some reason my sight doesn’t show me the dust, but the spell does.”

“Of course. Of course. It takes a proper eye-technique to see the power of a core… that spell, how interesting. Fascinating even… not that it matters.”

Leland felt that if the conversation devolved, that would be the end. So, he tried to keep on pace, asking, “Eye-technique? Is that similar to a spell?”

“No so much. A technique allows for spells, think of them as a catalyst for moving the power necessary out of your lungs or what have you.”

“Lungs?”

“A breathing-technique, yes. The most basic of techniques.”

“How—”

Walker stirred, staring uncertainly at Leland’s chest. “You do not breath… how does…”

“I am breathing?” he asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yes. You are, but you are not.” Walker sat up straighter. “Follow along.”

Taking a deep breath in, the man pulled air into his lungs before holding. Together Leland did the same, but when he felt worse and began to tinge purple, he released. But then Walker did something strange. Instead of releasing, he breathed in again.

As Leland watched, he saw that the man never exhaled.

“How?”

“A technique. One forged over… a long time.” Walker shook his head. “Tell me, what do you call the fuel for power here?”

“Do you mean mana? Lifeforce is sometimes used as well.”

“Mana, lifeforce. Yes, these words fit. Do you know the difference?”

“Mana is all around, lifeforce is internal.”

“Correct, but also not. Lifeforce and mana are one and the same. Two parts of a singular hole. Call it what you will, but when you learn to combine the two, the path of cores opens. Dust, crystal, mana, lifeforce. They all connect. Like a quantum focusing lens entwined with a gyrotelescope.”

“Err, what?”

Walker looked up. “Which part?”

“Quantum focusing or whatever.”

“The electromagnetic components needed to advance gyro stabilization—” He stopped himself, only finding confusion on Leland’s face. “I think there is a cultural difference here. Tell me, have you begun the refinement of your home-star?”

“Uh.” Leland swallowed. “No?”

“Ah. My mistake. Allow me to go back. Breathe in, collect mana and lifeforce together, then breathe out. Eventually, instead of inhaling air, you will only inhale mana. From there, when you combine lifeforce and mana together inside your lungs, it will be in its purest form – we called it ‘ether.’”

“And what do I do with ether?”

“Store it in your core. Use your core to amass ether into whatever you want or need, spell wise.”

Leland looked away, ideas appearing in his mind. “It cannot be that simple, can it?”

Walker chuckled, pausing at the sensation. “Forgive me,” he said, “I forgot how the feeling of teaching could be so pleasant. To answer your question, no. No, it is not simple. Most will never learn to breathe correctly, and only a fraction of that number will learn to purely breathe mana.”

Leland watched as he placed his plate of brisket off to the side, downing the mead in the meantime. With only the pie left, the conversation returned to the Lords.

“My Lord is the Lord of Curses. I do not know what you wish to do, but if anyone can help you break your curse, it would be her. I… I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but if breaking your curse means you die, I suggest you wait to make that decision. There are other Tears, others that might need help, like you. I—”

Walker raised his hand, stopping Leland. “I understand. Do not despair. I will not be dying any time soon, not with that thing in the sky.” He scowled at the air, Sand Castle blocking the sun from his view.

“How would you even go about destroying the sun?”

“With ether and technology.”

“And if that doesn’t work, would you take on an advisory position for the world stage? Help them keep the world from being destroyed by world-ending threats… like the sun?”

Leland didn’t know why he asked those questions, but something told him that he should. He was out here, with Jude, Glenny, and Gelo to help people. If he couldn’t help Walker, then what good was he? Breaking a curse only went so far. If the man was content with staying alive, then there was no better place than beside a king or Lord, even.

“Actually,” Leland said, “my girlfriend is kind of the Queen of the kingdom we are in. Once you get checked out by my Lord, if you need a place to live, I’m sure she’d be happy to—”

“No,” Walker said simply. “If I am to live in this world, I will do it as I have been in mine. As a wanderer. Maybe I should become a wandering teacher…”

Leland smiled at that. “Regardless. If you ever need somewhere to stay, I’m sure Sybil will help. Us as well, but we don’t actually own any land, so.”

The orange pie was finished off in three bites. Walker said, “I thank you, Leland.”

“Are you ready then?”

The man nodded.

“Alrighty.” Leland switched languages and spoke to the open air. “Uh, he’s ready for you.”

And just like that, Walker disappeared from the cot, it squeaking from the sudden weight change.

Leland looked at his friends. “Okay guys. I may have just been taught a super, special, secret breathing technique.”

Jude and Glenny were playing cards against each other while Jude taught Gelo on the side. All three looked up.

“And?” Glenny asked.

“It’s just another piece of the puzzle.” He stood, brushing the crumbs of his own dinner off his lap. “Are we ready to move out? If we hurry, we can exit this sand before nightfall.”

Grumbling, they packed up the cards and camp.