CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: SEEDS BENEATH THE SKIN

Arden had watched them grow, Nyra weaving hybrid spells with ease, Rael turning speed and force into instinct. And though he rarely said much, pride sat quietly in his chest. He had helped shape this, nudged them forward when it counted, and now, they were beginning to walk their own paths.

But he hadn’t been idle.

The organization that haunted the edges of their path wasn’t going to sit still. And Arden knew too well that when things went wrong, they could be split apart.

That kind of separation was dangerous, especially when the enemy had already shown they could trace them, track them, even anticipate their movements.

"If they can follow us," he muttered one morning, fingers absently tapping his wrist, "why can’t I do the same?"

It started as a whisper of an idea. Life energy wasn’t just force. It was connection. He had used it to heal, to sense pain, to feel the tremor of footsteps across the ground. What if it could do more?

"Can I mark someone... without harming them? Just a thread of energy, buried deep enough to stay hidden, but stable enough to hold?"

The thought gripped him.

He didn’t waste time.

His First trial was as simple. Rael was mid-training was his first test subject, catching his breath near the edge of the ruin wall.

Arden approached casually, rested a hand on his shoulder and let a thin current of life energy flow into him.

It disappeared in seconds.

Arden frowned. "Didn’t cling. It’s like pouring water on stone."

Maybe it wasn’t about force. Maybe it was rhythm and harmony.

For his second trial. He sat beside Nyra, who had just wrapped up a round of spell drills. They both fell into a slow rhythm, breathing in sync, letting their heartbeats align in quiet meditation. This time, Arden threaded the energy in gently, pulsing it into her signature.

It stayed longer. Just a flicker. A tiny tether.

Then she moved, casting a wind-ice combo, and it was gone.

Arden exhaled. "Her own spellwork washed it out. I need something deeper, under the surface. Under the elemental layers."

He stood up, gaze drifting toward the edge of the ruin. The others had fallen back into their routines, training with the kind of intensity he was hoping to see. He didn’t want to interrupt that.

So he slipped away.

The wilds beyond the ruins weren’t too far. And soon, he found what he needed, a lesser beast, something nimble but small, clawed and aggressive, though still weak enough not to be a threat.

That was his third trial. Arden fought it, wore it down without killing it, and when it collapsed under a shallow tree, he pressed his palm to its side.

"This time... deeper. Like planting a root into bark, not just the surface."

He pushed his life energy in slow, steady waves, not forcefully, but not gently either. His mind focused on weaving the current like a drill, driving it into the beast’s signature, anchoring it there.

It held.

He took a step back, eyes narrowing. He could still feel it, like a soft pulse at the edge of his awareness.

Then, without warning, the beast seized up and died.

And his head flared with pain, sharp and sudden.

Arden dropped to a knee, gripping his temple. "Backlash..."

It passed, eventually. It was not pleasant, but tolerable.

Also the risk had been worth it.

He stood again, brushing dirt from his sleeve, still breathing hard but smiling now.

"It works. But only if I can overpower or align... dominance or harmony."

It wasn’t perfect yet, but the direction was clear.

It wasn’t just research to him. This was a different kind of training, one not bound by swordplay or spell drills. It was the kind that made the difference in the shadows. And as far as Arden was concerned, this too was an adventure.

One mistake at a time.

He didn’t stop after his third trial. One beast after another fell into his trials. Sometimes he tried to slip in quietly, letting his energy blend and flow with theirs. Other times he forced his way in, pressing his will until they yielded.

Neither lasted.

Dominance worked, but only until the host pushed back or died. Harmony worked, but only until their own elemental force swept him out.

By the time his last test failed, the frustration was starting to itch at him. If it had to be one or the other... why couldn’t it be both?

Then it struck him. Maybe the problem wasn’t the method, but the balance. His early tags had been either too weak or too forceful.

He let the thought take shape. Harmony to enter. Dominance to remain.

In his mind, the idea unfolded into something clear. First, match the rhythm of their life energy, a smooth blend that draws no attention. Once inside, bind like a root slowly threading through wood. Not to harm, just to feed enough to renew itself.

That way, it would slip in quietly and stay there until cut out.

He didn’t waste time theorizing further.

Tracking another beast through the underbrush, he closed his eyes for a moment, letting his life sense reach out until he felt it, a steady pulse, faint but distinct. He synced to it, letting his breath and energy follow its beat.

As soon as the flow matched, he shaped his energy into a fine thread and coiled it deep into the beast’s life core. A faint pull came back, steady and warm. The beast’s eyes flicked, but it didn’t resist.

Then the tug sharpened. Arden could feel it, its movement, its tension, even a faint trace of its emotion.

And in that instant, his system came alive.

Arden’s lips curved as the familiar shimmer of his interface flickered into view.

[Advanced Technique Unlocked]

Verdant Anchor – Life Energy Imprint

Requires Harmony to embed, Dominance to maintain.

Effects:

Life-Link Tracking – Sense anchored targets within a wide radius. Distance increases with mastery.

Pulse Read – Detect fluctuations in target’s vitality and energy flow.

Silent Brand – Anchor remains hidden unless the target’s life energy is fully examined.

Dual Mode – Harmony for allies, Dominance for enemies.

Growth: Can develop and unlock additional features over time.

He let out a slow breath, the small ache in his head drowned out by the quiet satisfaction building in his chest. A week of trial and error, scraped knuckles, and restless nights, and now he had something that could change how he moved in this world.

"Worth every damn minute," he muttered, brushing the dirt from his hands.

This was no simple trick. This was a tether, a way to keep his people close and his enemies closer. And in the days ahead, that could make all the difference.

A/N:

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