(Not) Short Study and Breakthrough!

“Remember, you started this as an inquiry, so I reserve the right to deal with whatever that subject is later!”

Her grip didn’t waver as Zayobi hurried him deep into the forest.

After handing him a basket and constantly reminding him to chart the locations he hadn’t been to, they sat down on a rocky piece of earth.

“I’m more of a ‘the map is in your mind’ type, but that’s also because of my immense mental capacity as a Flame Soul. Just remember to specify the bushes in groups and allocate values not based on their size but the time it would require you to get there from where you enter the forest.”

“Because the bushes nearest to the border are ones I already harvested, I see. Then I’ll rank the distance in five tiers like with Spiritual Arts.”

He’s getting more confident in himself! I never dreamed I’d be shaping and refining my own cute prince!

“Exactly.” She nodded. “Neither of us need a map for the bushes growing close to our kingdoms’ respective borders.”

At that Zayobi stood up.

“I think it’s time to update you on my Divine Creation. I’m a bit taken aback you didn’t question me about it the instant you saw me today.”

“Oh, I simply had even more eventful happenings yesterday, I suppose.”

She took no interest in more details and said: “Come with me.”

At that now Agmon stood up.

Zayobi waved her arm down and no sooner a fiery gate appeared.

“You learned this in a day?”

“More like, it learned my body to allow itself to evolve? Say me vanishing is like walking on four, and this portal is the Creation walking on two.”

She wore a smirk. “It being a level five, as powerful as they go, is understandable for my lineage. So do you have an idea about its name?”

“Something that has to do with moving… What about in reverse, Isolation? Which allows you to appear near people you know to nullify your current loneliness, for the lack of a better word?”

“That would be a nice theory if I didn’t use it while on the bed with you. Though it’s something which utilizes connections in its original concept. Not Love or Trust, those would be more defensive or less responsive I would imagine.”

“Divine Creations can be categorized in three groups, right? Is knowing which it’s in a hint, or does it not matter as I already know enough about what it does?”

“Well…”

I didn’t think of that at all!

She put a hand to her chin.

Creations are either offensive, defensive, or proactive. Usually if it leans into both or happens to have more abilities that activate without much of the user’s interference they will be in the proactive group.

“It’s proactive, similarly to my sister’s Dream. Though hers activates when she sleeps and has passive capabilities, mine is in this category from how it stands between offensive and defensive.

I think…? When I actually think about it, my Creation was actually active since I was born, so I would’ve noticed if I had abilities not under my control.

Dream fit the proactive category simply from the fact that Sgura’s realm required her to fall asleep to utilize.

Another example for a proactive Creation would be that plants would grow on the earth you’d step on. Usually if a Creation gives more enhancements to the user than real abilities then it would count as one, for example heightened senses.

“Don’t try to guess proactive emotions or whatever, I doubt a Creation’s name fits like that.”

She shock her head.

“Never mind, I’ll be wasting time with this game. It’s called Empathy.” She stated as naturally as listing the ingredients in her breakfast.

“Empathy…” Agmon put a fist to his chin. “So, do Creations come with a set of moral policies or goals their users must act upon to maintain?”

“My Creation would’ve been Kindness or maybe Truth if it worked like that.” She seemed proud in this statement.

The princess pat his back. “Alright, go in please.”

And so he did.

She peeked her head in.

“Hey? Feeling any different?”

“Nothing internal, but this place is mesmerizing. I might lose the ability to differentiate between colors if I were to stare at this enough.”

Zayobi fully entered. “That’s one way to trap whoever I might in this place.”

Hmm?

Her next words were delayed by an emerging sensation.

“My chest is…?” She reached for her core under the blazer. “I expected it to be red, though...”

Agmon stepped closer.

“It’s like the fur from your tail and your water-colored eyes are now reflected inside of me. I feel like I have you in an aquarium that is my core… wait maybe terrarium is a better word?”

The blue haired boy tilted his head. “Excuse me…?”

It’s not like I stored his Energy directly inside my core, more so like… catching a reflection of the sun with many mirrors to keep the rays forever?

“Now’s the time to understand the practical meaning of Empathy, I have a theory.”

She pressed a finger to Agmon’s chest, to where a Flame Soul’s core would be.

“The realm itself ‘empathizes’ with the people who enter it, and my core serves as a storage. Similar to eating a cake and remembering the taste, so the realm is the tongue and I am the mind that pieces it together to say what it tastes like.”

She moved her arm away and gave a thumps-up.

“Zayobi, I lack the intelligence to understand your theories…”

“That’s completely fine, I’ll enlighten you right away.” She pointed to the portal. “Follow me out.”

Zayobi added the second they left: “Get away from this rock, move behind the trees to a place I won’t be able to see you.”

“Okay…”

She didn’t wait for him to shout her way a question about what to do next, instead the princess entered the portal by herself.

The gate closed as she stepped inside.

I’ll keep them at one open at a time, no idea if more can suddenly exhaust me.

She opened another in front of her and stepped outside.

The second her shoes touched the ground she crouched and softly grabbed onto a blue fluffy object.

No sound came from Agmon’s mouth, as he nearly chocked on his own breath from her touch. It was a miracle he didn’t stumble.

She stood up. “Now I can say that I caught the prince of Mizrakah by surprise yet chose to spare his life.” She sent him the widest, brightest smile yet before he could respond.

“...So this is?”

“I believe the realm remembers the Spiritual Energy of anyone who goes inside, and thus allows me to open gates to their location. Instead of needing an object with the person’s Energy I just need to have them step inside it.”

She proudly explained as if she studied her whole life just to teach about it.

“Maybe I don’t even need to go inside the realm to create a portal to the people it remembers, or at least I could do it in the future if I’ll evolve it enough.”

“Can you force people to enter it though? I mean, create a gate at someone’s feet?”

“You want to see me try? I doubt something happens if someone were to be left without me inside the realm, but let’s see.” She grinned. “I’ll just do it below you then. You’re ready?”

“Oh, okay…”

She crouched again and waved her arm in a circular motion at the ground he stood upon.

And Agmon dropped into the crimson ring fast enough to say he simply vanished.

“And now I’ll just close it…”

She counted ten seconds in her mind before opening another gate in front of her.

“Yo? Agmon? Everything alright?”

He awaited her in place. No visible change on his body nor was his expression altered to anything negative.

“It was as swift as falling into water. A part of me wants to say the landing was softened from how cloudy it felt upon the… impact?”

“Interesting. Flame Souls have the soul in the name, yet I doubt the soul can describe enough our ability to liquefy and change shape. So whatever this Spiritual space is made of seems to have the same properties.”

“Shouldn’t you name it?”

“Uh...? Zayobi tilted her head.

“You’re the only one in the world who can claim to govern this place, not to mention you’re the first to come upon it, and even if unwillingly, created it.”

She blinked twice at the end of his sentence.

You better say the same after I’ll give birth to your child. Anyway…

“I think just ‘the Empathy realm’ is fine.” She turned to the portal. “Apologies for the sudden exit, but I believe I should get going.”

“Ah, before six in the morning, right.” He followed as she left through the fiery gate.

“This was a fantastic, marvelous day, Agmon. Next time I’ll arrive by teleporting to you.”

She materialized her chakram and held it to him.

“May you charge it?”

And so he did.

I need to think of a way to get home faster. If I were to leave the chakram to open a gate directly in my room with it, I’ll be left defenseless. I can’t replicate an object made with the literal Divine Creation called Form after all.

As her thoughts span around the chakram, an idea birthed.

“Agmon?”

She asked upon taking back the blade.

“Yes?”

“I have a dangerous idea that might not work.”

“Does the risk lay in the process or in the failure?” He tilted his head.

“Maybe both.”

There was no expression to be seen on her face when she gave that statement, because she had already turned her back to him and opened another gate.

However, for some reason it was angled diagonally, aimed toward the sky.

That didn’t stop Zayobi from entering inside.

“Okay let’s see if I can…”

With utmost carefulness in her steady hands, she grasped the ends of the gate she entered the realm from.

Massive breakthrough!

“Okay now move you like this…”

She placed it flat on the floor.

Now’s the tricky part.

Then the princess made an exact copy in the same position facing the ground in the air above it.

She ever so timidly threw her chakram into the bottom portal.

Please connect!

And her thoughts were reality.

The same gate on the floor that should’ve dropped the round blade outside instead shot it back down from the portal above it. Thus began a lop of the chakram falling infinitely and gaining momentum each time.

“I’m a genius…” She swallowed saliva to delay the real excitement, she couldn’t celebrate too soon.

She reached her hand in the air toward the piece of metal, and vanished.

Phew… Being inside an object protects you from whatever is going on with it outside.

She mentally swallowed saliva before continuing.

And now…

At the blink of an eye, the top portal disappeared as she fell through the one on the floor.

An instant would be an understatement, as the second she was about to celebrate the succuss of the experiment, Zayobi was already zooming in the air. She gained height faster than her eyes could adjust.

Okay, and to be safe I closed the same portal I left with. Or should I say as plurals? I desired to close the one I had in this world, so that obviously means it closed the one in the realm too...

She pondered.

Well, there is no exit door or entrance door in most cases, it depends on where you are. Should I find a word to mean two interconnected gates? While I have the magnificent mind of a Flame Soul, I might need to start noting some of the logic.

The princess continued to praise herself, souring across the sky toward the castle she resided in. Conveniently it was tall enough to stop the chakram from flying over it.