Master Of None

”I use the shadows to hide a bit, but it’s not the same as wrapping the body in shadows like you and Midnight can. That’s why I have to focus on the sound of my footsteps, the way that I breathe, and even the way my mana flows.” Gil’s explanation was something that Walker had heard before. It wasn’t necessarily new.

However, that wasn’t the point. It was a comparison to the ways that others used their mana and skills to hide themselves. For Gil, it was a mix of techniques that were not always necessarily skills that someone would possess.

”I use the mana because that’s my best way. I can use wind mana to hide the sounds and scents. Then I use the shadow wrapping skill to move the dark mana and make shadows to hide in. I could even use light mana to deflect light and look almost invisible because of camouflage. But that is a lot more expensive when I use mana since it is a higher focus and drains on my mana.”

The two thought about their compared forms of stealthy while they looked at the ways that the dark elemental spirits moved through the shadows. For them, it wasn’t a way to use skills, it was just a part of them. But also, the ways that the dark elves moved through the trees and disappeared with their movements.

Gul had learned the high elven dagger technique as a skill he returned to its peak. Because of this, he had a lot of movements from the different elemental elves who were within Genesis now. He had also retaught them the better methods of using those techniques.

As such, he was able to focus on those techniques and even able now see how they were being used even without a dagger right now by the dark elves moving and training themselves in the dark elemental spirit tree.

”The dark mana in the tree is allowing them to use the shadows as a better hiding place. They also move with the sway of the shadows. What if we had the same habits?” Gil looked at Walker and leaped on to a lower hanging branch. He had trained this sort of movement, but specifically making it closer to the dark elven movement could allow him and Walker to better hide in the shadows without having to use their mana for some fancy skill.

Walker could sense the deeper manas playing around here. He could tell this was similar to how when Gil used the high elven dagger technique that drew in natural mana because of the skill itself. The way that the dark elves mimicked the flow of shadows allowed for some of the dark mana to attract to the outer body. From there, they were almost like shadows themselves a little more.

He leaped ahead and tried to stay on tune with the dark mana in the shadows. It was harder because compared to generally dark mana condensed in a palace that was dark to the sight, shadows were still somewhat seen. Theta dh other manas, including light mixed it which allowed them to be. They were not necessarily pure dark mana, but part of dark mana that was always in tune with the world itself.

The pair began darting around while focusing on their movements. The changes they made to their steps were closer to the ways that the tree branches swayed with the show’s they cast.

While a few of the dark elves caught on to this. They also were training so they didn’t hide their movements as much. Especially since they saw Gil training in the same way as them. They trusted him and also respected him. Seeing this was an inspiration that he was always learning from every elf and not just lording over them with the knowledge he had of them.

When they noticed Walker, a few actively used more skills with mana. They and most people, had developed the simple belief that Walker was a magic learning junkie.

Was that false? Not really.

Regardless, Walker began to differentiate the way he thought of dark mana before. Yes it had deep decaying aspects but that was when it was condensed. Only places dark continuously had that like the swamps or darkened forests. Even some caves were like that.

Entirely natural places where a lot of dark mana would condense because that was just the way it was done and the way that nature balanced itself. But naturally, dark mana rested in shadows and the night.

The perception that the places with a lot of dark mana were the more natural aspects of dark mana had to change. It was the shadows and bonds with other manas that allowed dark mana to flow and be beneficial.

Just like now where it began to attract to their bodies and help meld them with the shadows of the dark elemental spirit tree.

This simple change made Gil suddenly struggle to follow Walker’s movements. Especially since he saw that Walker had just attracted a lot more dark mana and that the shadows swayed around him too rather than Walker copying them.

But Gil had his own thoughts. He focused on the way that the movements were as if the body was a shadow itself. This thought was more inclined to his natural instincts which derived from the elven side of his blood now.

That being the case, he was following his heart. The beats of his heart copied the changes and he felt himself resonate with the shadows. The exact same feelings that the dark elves felt as they moved.

To them, it was a way to understand and bond with nature. That was what Gil could do now and what he learned more about with every elf. Their unique ways of bonding with nature was where his strength could learn and grow from.

The dark elves witnessed this and changed their perceptions. They had not expected that what they had trained for years was so easily being done by others. Let alone the fact that both Gil and Walker had been learning other aspects of mana, skills, and the world itself before this.

Every single person watching the pair went from amazed to incredibly driven in seconds. Their minds honed in on the fact that they were being surpassed and would be surpassed again by younger generations.

Those born in these times would grow incredibly quickly. Right now, if they did not improve they would have very little to teach their children. They had to grow now to be able to show the youngest the best possible basics to be a foundation. That was their role now!

Lay the foundations for the future.

The moment that Walker and Gil appeared down at the bottom of the tree again, they felt that they could better hide themselves. However, Gil was somewhat slow since his mind was so focused on the errors in his stealth for his whole life.

Even as a hunter, he could have used some of these tactics to be able to move through the forest better with his father. He felt that he had to start fresh and go through every basic he possessed to be able to properly address his current failures and the potential he still had for growth.

”Both of you look like you had fun. I see you even started a few rivalries.” A few of the dark elves were calling out each others mistakes in the tree branches. More or less starting a game of hide and seek tag. Something comical but great for training this sort of stealth.

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”It was enlightening. I always think of dark mana as being something more focused on destruction and also on the denser purer sides of its existence. Not as every day shadows. I guess I didn’t consider it because light is so prominent and dark is during the night or day. So I forget in the scheme of all mana in the world at once.”

”If you ramble on I’ll start too you know.” Gil elbowed Walker since he’d snapped himself out of his own thoughts. He could easily spend a few more hours here working on the ideas of stealthier now possessed.

”It’s calm here too. I think some patients would be happier to be healed here. Those with eye injuries would.” Walker raised his eyebrows, he’d never considered this sort of thinking. Alice was easily making better plans for healing treatments just standing here enjoying the calm of the dark territory.

The tree had needed very little adjustment. Walker barely added any natural mana or focused any dark mana. It had already adjusted with the other manas being shared and balanced from the central spirit tree.

Meaning That everything was on track perfectly for when a new saint for the remaining trees might be discovered too.

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