Ten years ago.

  Edge of the Northern Solarian jungle.

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  "Visualize the flow of Essence deep within you, feel it as it flows through your body. Do not worry if you cannot see it, you shouldn't be able to, but your newly awakening senses will notice it," Healer Salem said in a calm, soothing voice.

  Damien focused deep within himself, trying and failing to find his Root Meridian. His spiritual senses were only just beginning to awaken, which made it difficult to sense anything in and out. On a hunch, instead of trying to visualize the flow of Essence already within himself, he focused his budding senses on the ambient Essence energy around him and then began tracing it back to the stream leaving his body. Luckily, he found that too. Daimen forced down a smile of triumph as he focused on the silvery stream of energy flowing out of his body, again tracing it back toward himself until he found an untainted line of silvery energy flowing out of the base of his spine.

  "For those of you who have successfully located your Root Meridian, I want you to slowly run your senses through it, familiarize yourself with it until you have gotten a better grasp of it, what it feels like to you. Remember, Essence is the building block of all that we see; it is in everything and everyone, a neutral force, one that comes in a different taste to everyone.

  Damien breathed in, sinking deep within himself. He ran his senses into the meridian and around it, getting a feel for it. To him, it came off as a crackling ball of energy as well as an ozone charged atmosphere.

  "Now that you've done that, I want you to run your senses throughout your body, starting from your Root. Trace a path through to your chest area where you will find something shaped like an upside-down five-pointed star. That is your Heart Meridian. Your Heart Meridian is the only meridian that connects to every other in your body, linking all through bridges in your body called Pathways. You should be able to feel the bridges connected to it, although that is all you will be able to do for now. Until you are awakened and ready to break into the next Meridian, your senses will be blocked from it."

  Damien found the line connecting to his chest, and just like he did the last time, located his Heart Meridian. It was a dull silver-colored upside-down star. But there was something off with it. It felt tainted... Somewhat blocked. Before Damien went down that rabbit hole, he left, taking his senses through the pathways running through his hands, torso, and eventually his legs. He pulled himself out soon after.

  He opened his eyes, staring up at the healer where she was seated, balanced on a long legged stool in front of the class. "I traced the pathways to my Heart meridian, but it's blocked, same as my Root. Why is that?"

  Someone snorted. "They are meant to be blocked until you awaken them, idiot! Seriously, where did this vegetable come from?"

  Keilan, who was sitting next to Damien, moved to get up, anger and the promise of violence exuding from him, but stopped when Damien grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him back. "Don't give him attention, that's what he wants; just ignore him," he said without lowering his voice.

  His intent was successful when Borvin turned back to glare menacingly at him, his expression deepening when Damien sent him an unconcerned and amused smile.

  Healer Salem loudly tapped her cane against the wooden floor, bringing the class's attention back to her. "Borvin, interrupt my class again and I will spank you till your buttocks turn the same shade as the sun. And you," She pointed at Keilan. "Learn to control your anger. Damien is not so fragile that he needs you constantly for his defense like a mother hen," She admonished and Keilan blushed, turning his reddened cheeks away from Damien.

  "Now for your question," She said, getting back on topic. "Your Meridians are always blocked until the appropriate time when you wish to ascend."

  Damien nodded and opened his mouth to ask another question, but was stopped by a raised palm.

  "Yes, you will be taught how to open your them soon, all of you," She said, looking around the room at the other students. "I will be there to personally monitor your awakenings."

  "Normally, I'd immediately start you all with learning how to channel Essence," she continued. "But considering none of you have an open Meridians, it'll have to be postponed. Class dismissed."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Damien rose to his feet as he and Keilan immediately began making a quick exit out of the room, nodding to some of the others who they hadn't had the time to converse with preluding to the beginning of the class.

  "Keilan! Wait for me!" Somebody called, voice managing to cut through the loud ruckus of the others who'd immediately devolved into chaos.

  They spotted the source easily. Boria. She cut a fast track towards them – almost running – smiling at Keilan and cluing the world in on the fact that two of her upper teeth were missing. Damien hid a groan when he saw her.

  Boria was the mayor's daughter and also Borvin's twin sister. It didn't help that she was ugly, frankly speaking, missing two of her upper teeth, with a nose so long that it could have been mistaken for a weapon.

  Now Damien wouldn't have had an issue with this, however, if not for the glaring fact that her attitude matched her physical appearance.

  As usual, she pointedly ignored him as she reached them, raising her chin and sniffing. "Keilan, why didn't you come sit with me?" She said, and Damien had to hold back a laugh this time. She sounded like a mewling cat. To avoid any issues, though, he turned his face away to hide his obvious amusement.

  "Um... Damien and I were already late for class, so we decided to sit anywhere," He replied with a wince, body bracing for an incoming disaster.

  And he was right

  "Damien this! Damien that! Why do you keep defending him!? You even chose him over me," she screeched, scrunching her face so bad that she almost looked like a bird. This time, Damien couldn't hide his amusement which, unfortunately, turned her anger to him. "And you! It isn't enough that you're an outsider, coming from god's nowhere! An unwanted stranger from obviously a group of bush people; you have to steal my Keilan away from me, too!"

  They had already walked a good distance from the healer's home and were making for their house. Damien would have preferred the gentle peacefulness that came with walking down the street. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to have that today. Boria's outburst cut down the street, turning inquiring faces towards them.

  Damien said nothing, hiding his disappointment. He didn't even bother to look at her.

  "You see! See how he ignores me, his lack of manners! Don't let him corrupt you, my boogy baby," She said, turning to Keilan.

  Damien wanted to argue that she had started it, but tamped down the urge. The girl was naturally insensible. She was more likely to scream foul than admit to any fault.

  "I'm sorry, I'll ta..." Keilan paused what he was about to say as they were interrupted by the group of boys who now blocked their path, led by none other than Borvin.

  "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The boy said, trying for a mischievous look that instead made him look like he was holding down a fart.

  Damien and Keilan stopped, glancing at the cronies behind him and then back to their leader. "Go home, Borvin; we don't have time for this," Damien said.

  Borvin's face turned red with obvious anger. "You don't talk to me like that, you bushman!" He spat.

  "You've got some nerve, publicly trying to start a fight like this. You know your daddy won't help you if all hands point at you as the instigator of this fight," Keilan said, ignoring Boria as she tried and failed to drag him away from Damien.

  Damien saw the way some of the boys were fidgeting, which clued him in that some of them didn't want to be here.

  "For those of you that don't want to take part in this nonsense, you can go, I won't hold it against you," He said.

  Their nervousness intensified as they glanced fearfully at Borvin.

  Their leader looked back at them. "If any of you take one step backward, I'll make sure you regret it."

  "Keilan, don't risk yourself for him, I'm pretty sure he deserves what's coming for him. He lacks manners and doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut in front of his betters," Boria mewled, again trying and failing to pull Keilan away and only getting ignored in turn.

  "If any of you join him, you'll be leaving here with broken bones and deep bruises," Damien warned.

  This time, three of the boys left, fleeing as they left Borvin and his last three cronies.

  "Seems we're now evenly matched," Keilan snickered.

  "Count the odds, dimwit, we outnumber you twice over," Borvin spat, trying for confidence even though his cockiness was beginning to disappear.

  "If you follow him, don't bother coming to meet me again," Boria threatened, to which Keilan ignored. Damien did see how he winced when she said those words, though.

  Dimwit that he was, Borvin threw caution to the wind when he saw his twin sister being ignored. He attacked, followed by his three toothless hounds.

  The fight didn't last long.

  Damien took Borvin and one other, leaving Keilan to the rest.

  He stepped forward, kicking back the leg of the second boy, who fell on his face as he lost his balance. Without slowing, Damien stopped cold the fist Borvin threw at him, returning in kind with his own punch to the nose, and the other boy screamed in pain when his nose crunched, spurting blood everywhere.

  Damien left the screaming Borvin and turned to the other boy who had just stood up. He kicked him again on the side of his calf, watching as the boy fell on his arm, erupting into a scream. He wasn't concerned. Healer Salem would heal him in seconds.

  He turned just as Keilan was finishing his fight. One of the boys bled from the mouth alongside the other who sat on his butt with a black eye.

  "Well, nice meeting you all. We should do this again sometime," He said, laughing along with Keilan as both of them made their way home, leaving Boria who screamed as she rushed to her brother's aid.