Master Of None

The reminder that nothing was ever the way it seemed hit Walker yet again in his life. He had tried to mimic the scale step to get a dragon style movement skill. Yet, he had used the natural mana to force his other movement skills together and come out with a style that was far beyond what he had imagined he would be able to use or understand. 

The information that came with this skill was mostly from the world around him. The natural mana slowly moved through the seasons constantly. But this was just the way of the world and the flow of nature. There was plenty of hidden information that Walker could perceive and learn from the way the natural mana was able to change and affect the world. Adding this to the way he could move to copy these, Walker felt that he was able to better feel the natural mana in general. 

The natural mana he had taken in to his body was being held by the spirit mark and for the first time, Walker realized that his own mana was mixed with the natural mana. It was normal for every living creature to hold some form of natural mana but having the awareness of it was rare. Now that Walker could feel it he knew just how the natural mana and his mana could interact under his control. Meaning he could pull it towards him to use the movement skill easier. 

The next surprise came as he read the effects of each movement skill. The dance of seasons was a magnificent movement technique with multiple acts. Walker could use any of these acts to his advantage. When he needed to defend he could use fall to block and become stronger but slightly slower. If he needed attack power he could use summer. The possibilities of confusing an opponent and beating them as much higher by using multiple acts. 

The fifth act was the one that shocked him. He was sure that the four seasons were the natural flow of nature. The fifth act even required his own mana to be mixed with natural mana. This meant that he would be acting to change the flow of nature around him. The four season acts were how nature properly flowed. The fifth act was how he changed the flow and pushed using his own mana. 

The fifth act also brought massive strain on his body which was most likely why he had pain at the start of his attempt to learn a new movement skill. The attempt was all four acts that strained his body, especially since he didn't know how to use them properly. That was a blessing in disguise because it allowed him to learn the natural regeneration skill. That skill alone would make hum much safer in any battle. There was also the faster recovery from any injuries that would counteract the fifth act; symphony of seasons. 

A light tug on his clothes made him snap out of his hyper focused state. Alice was looking down at him in curiosity and worry. Fleur, on the other hand, was looking at him very carefully. She had seen exactly what had happened and she could feel the change in Walker's ability to use natural mana. The mixed mana was also felt by her. 

Fleur had extreme sensitivity to nature mana being a nature spirit. She would one day become a real world spirit but for now, she was just the natural spirit bound with Walker. Now she and he would be able to better work together since she also had some of Walker's mana inside her. Their bond was strong and they would constantly be able to share mana for their entire existence. Having him able to sense the mixing of mana was a prerequisite to them being able to better come together. She could feel this. 

For one of the first times, Fleur melted in to the spirit mark on Walkers' back. She had a sudden sense of lethargy and gave in to the rest. Walker was surprised by this but felt that she had been more tired than he knew. "Get a good rest." He looked at Alice and stood up after whispering this to Fleur.

"Sorry. I was a little caught up. I just learned something I didn't try to learn. I hope it didn't take too long." The height of the sun had changed so Walker knew he had been moving for a few hours now. The feeling of his muscles aching was slowly improving but it was a telltale sign he was pushing himself without realizing it. 

Alice shook her head. She was not at all unhappy with waiting. While Walker had done his thing she had been standing in direct sunlight feeling the light elemental mana around her. Not only had she witnessed the way Walker had slowly changed his movements and pushed himself, but she had also worked on her own understanding of light elemental mana. Alice believed that she would need to be able to multitask anyway, so this was an ideal practice for it. 

"I discovered a skill using natural mana instead of a dragon skill. But I think this is better. I can change my movements based on the season I want and if I really need to I can push myself harder and combine them all at once." Alice was entranced by this. She had felt the slight breezes every time Walker had moved and now understood why things changed. He had been moving through the seasons. 

"Better than a dragon skill? You are bold to presume that royals such as myself do not have better." Current had been well above in the sky and descended to land in front of Walker. "I was curious about the mana I felt and came to see. I did not know you were actually a young sage. That title can be lied about if one can not sense the natural mana. I will accept that you are able to hold the position of a royal with such a title and skills." The sudden intrusion was not at all what Alice or Walker expected. But hearing the more relaxed tone of Current told Walker that this was all because they were more or less alone. 

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