The next few days, the camp fell into a routine as they prepared for the battle with Chet. Austin began extensive work on enchanting scrolls. It did not take him long to create enough scrolls for every person in the camp to have one. He was relieved that the first day’s Essence usage was mostly due to his trial and error and not due to the actual creation of the scrolls. After he created enough for everyone, he made a few extras and moved on. With that being his primary goal for preparation, he decided that he should spend time working on something else.

  Clive’s training was going very well throughout the time period. Natasha had put restrictions on how much he could push everyone in case Chet attacked. The training would be useless if no one had the energy to fight. His training had moved on from just working on footwork. While every session started with footwork to warm up, the group had moved on to light sparring.

  Maya was pleasantly surprised with her progress. She felt like her body and mind were acclimating to the training at an incredible pace. She soon realized it was not just her, but everyone was able to learn and grow quickly. She knew that Essence improved a person’s baseline athleticism, but she started to wonder if it also improved their cognitive abilities. That was the only explanation she could think of throughout the training since most people spent years practicing martial arts before becoming skillful.

  As their training session came to an end, Maya approached Clive. “Uh, can I ask you a question?”

  “What’s that, young lady?” Clive asked as he looked at Maya expectantly.

  “I wanted your opinion on something,” Maya said. “I feel like we are all growing pretty quickly. I was wondering what you thought.”

  “I definitely think you are,” Clive nodded. “I would like to think it’s because I’m an excellent teacher, but I know that’s not the case. I believe that Essence is above all an evolved combat ability. Somewhere within it is the ability to improve combat prowess more quickly.”

  “I was starting to think the same thing,” Maya nodded. “The pace of our growth just did not make sense to me.”

  “It is strange for me. I spent most of my life training in martial arts, and I am seeing you all grow so quickly,” Clive said. “But I guess I can’t complain because it’s overall a good thing.”

  “It is strange, though. Like, our brains are changing because of Essence. Would we become something different than ourselves at some point?” Maya said with a worried expression.

  “I think you are overthinking it,” Clive said with a warm smile. He placed a hand on Maya’s shoulder before he started to walk away. “I don’t think it will cause us to change that much.”

  As Clive walked away, Josh approached Maya. Ever since their discussion, his attitude had improved. “No wonder you two are married.”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Maya asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “You both always overthink things,” Josh chuckled. “I think we all have noticed our fast growth, but you would be the one to question it.”

  “You know, sometimes it is worth thinking about things,” Maya said. “You should try it sometime.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Josh shrugged. “Thinking tends to get me in trouble, though.”

  “I can see that. Maybe you are better off not thinking,” Maya laughed.

  “Wait, is that a dig?” Josh acted offended.

  “Could be,” Maya laughed. “Now, let’s get back to camp.”

  As they walked back to camp, Katie and Zoe joined them. The group had gotten closer throughout training and spent most of their time together outside of it. As they walked, they talked about their training over the day. They laughed as they talked about their silly mistakes and congratulated each other for the times they did really well. While Katie, Josh, and Maya did most of the talking, Zoe was mostly quiet and would occasionally speak up with a comment or two.

  Maya arrived back at camp with a huge smile on her face. Ever since becoming a mom, she felt that it was hard to make adult friends and relax. She was thankful that she was able to find them now. Even if it was within a dangerous situation.

  “I was wondering when you guys would show up,” Austin greeted the group with a smile. “Most of the other students had already made it back five minutes ago.”

  “Are you keeping track now?” Maya asked before she gave Austin a kiss on the cheek.

  “Just messing, I’m glad you made friends,” Austin said. “I did want to show you something. Actually, I kinda want to show it to everyone.”

  “Oooh, big announcement,” Maya’s eyes grew wide in excitement. “Any hints for your wife?”

  “I’ll let you be surprised with everyone else,” Austin teased.

  “I can’t believe you are gonna make me wait,” Maya groaned as she grabbed Austin’s arm.

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  “I’m literally about to gather everyone,” Austin laughed. “But if you could help me gather them, I would appreciate it. The faster we do, the faster I get to reveal it.”

  “Fine, I’ll help,” Maya sighed.

  The group walked throughout the camp and told them about Austin’s announcement. As they did, the members of the camp gathered around the center. After he created Total Defense scrolls for everyone, many people were excited for the next thing that Austin revealed. Exciting chatter scattered among the people as they gathered. After everyone was sufficiently gathered, Austin took center stage.

  “Hello everyone, I’m sure you are all wondering why I gathered you,” Austin said to the group. “Today, I was able to get started on my next project. It will be a while before I can enchant it into a scroll, but I wanted to introduce it to you.”

  Austin was taken aback by the sudden uproar of excitement. The chatter turned loud as people theorized what Austin was going to show them. Austin could not help but chuckle when he heard multiple people theorize that it was going to be a giant sword that was as light as a feather. Apparently, many people dreamed of swinging a giant sword around.

  “I’m about to show you. There is no need to theorize,” Austin tried to speak over the crowd.

  The crowd did eventually quiet. Once they did, Austin raised his hand upward so he could properly showcase his new technique. A technique that he created specifically for enchanting into a scroll. Silver light flashed in his hand as the technique took hold. As the light faded, a gleaming silver sword appeared in his hand. The sword was simple in design but without blemishes.

  The crowd did not seem excited to see the sword. Many in the crowd had confused expressions. While many others seemed disappointed. They could not believe that Austin gathered them to just show them a simple sword. They could create weapons themselves.

  “Okay, I understand your disappointment, but you really shouldn’t be,” Austin explained. “This sword looks simple, but it really isn’t. This is my new technique, Essence Blade. It can conduct your Essence to allow you to perform stronger attacks. It can also take the shape of any weapon that fits you. So, it is not limited to a sword.”

  “What do you mean by stronger attacks?” Joe broke the silence of the crowd.

  “Good question, channeling Essence through it will allow you to swing the blade faster or even send out a burst of Essence,” Austin said. “It can even take on the affinity of your personal Essence. Which makes it an incredibly flexible technique that can be fitted into just about anyone’s style. I took inspiration from Josh’s sword. His sword can still generate more powerful blasts of Essence than my technique, but it’s similar in concept.”

  The group grew excited once they realized what the sword could actually do. Zack spoke loudly to break through the excitement. “When will we get to use it?”

  “Sadly, I don’t think I will be able to provide the enchantment soon,” Austin sighed. “Creating an enchantment is an arduous process, and our battle with Chet could start any day now. But I will try to make it as soon as I can.”

  The crowd seemed disappointed at Austin’s response. Even after he prefaced with the fact it would take a long time, they still hoped that it could happen soon. As the crowd started to disperse, Clive walked towards the center of the group.

  “I would like to talk too,” Clive said to the group before they walked further. “I have given many of you the tools to fight. From here on out, I will stop instruction until after the battle with Chet. I think it is important that you focus on your Essence development as we come closer to the battle. You still should do daily drills, but the long training sessions will be over for the moment.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better if you continued to teach us? Our combat abilities have grown so much since you started,” Maya spoke up.

  “I know how you feel, but I think you’ll need some more raw strength for the battle to come. The best way to do that is through focusing on your Essence and techniques,” Clive responded.

  Maya did not further argue the point. She figured that there was no point in arguing if Clive made up his mind. She just did not feel like she was truly ready to fight. She had seen him fight in the tournament, and she wanted that same level of skill for herself.

  After Clive’s announcement, the group scattered throughout the camp. Some went immediately into meditation, while others took a moment to rest from their day of training. As Austin returned to his family’s spot, Maya already sat there, but she was not doing anything. Instead, she sat with a frustrated look on her face.

  “What’s going on?” Austin asked as he sat next to Maya.

  “I really wanted to train more,” Maya sighed. “I was learning so much, and I feel like it could really help me.”

  “That’s not all, though,” Austin said. “If that was all, you wouldn’t be so bummed out.”

  “You’re right. I have been really enjoying training with everyone. It is the first time I felt like I was making friends again since Elliot was born,” Maya said. “Now that is cut off, and I am supposed to work on my Essence. Which isn’t really a thing you do with other people.”

  “I think you’re getting in your head about this,” Austin said as he wrapped an arm around Maya. “They aren’t going to stop being your friend just because you guys are working on your Essence. Also, you can ask them to do drills with you.”

  “I guess that is true,” Maya nodded.

  “It is true. You aren’t going to be working on your Essence all day either. That will have detrimental effects. So you can still spend time with them,” Austin said.

  “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry for being bummed out about it,” Maya said.

  “You don’t need to be sorry,” Austin said before he kissed Maya on the forehead. “I completely understand why you were worried. But everything will be okay.”

  “Thanks for talking me out of my head,” Maya smiled.

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Austin responded with a smile of his own. “You help me get out of my head, too.”

  “Yeah, I do, and you are way worse than me,” Maya laughed.

  Austin placed a hand on his chest as he acted offended. “I can’t believe you would say that.”

  “You know it’s true,” Maya said. “You are always thinking about something, but that’s part of what I love about you, my constantly thinking husband. You’re the guy who had to ask me if it was okay to kiss me.”

  “Ugh, why do you have to bring that up?” Austin groaned.

  “I thought it was sweet,” Maya said before she kissed Austin. “Like I said, it’s one of the reasons I love you.”

  “Well, thanks. I love you too,” Austin said before he kissed Maya back.