Chapter 48: Resonance

Chapter 48: Resonance

Tom lay flat on the ground, his chest rising and falling as he panted heavily. Air flowed into his lungs with ragged gasps, the practice crystal sword in his hand slipping out of his grasp.

How am.I , Toms hoarse voice echoed out between gasps, his fresh, roughly knit linen shirt now completely drenched in sweat. ... supposed to master this.

Aleph stood at the opposite end of their makeshift arena, a crystalline shield protectively floating before her as she gazed upon Toms recumbent figure.

Her expression remained as jovial as ever, though this time it was tinged with a bit of amusement.

I learned the Control Glyph when I was nine and mastered it by the age of fourteen, Aleph replied with the playful condescension of an older sibling.

Way to kick a man when hes down, Aleph, Tom retorted as he finally managed to catch his breath.

Honestly? Youre doing way better than I expected, Aleph admitted, letting a little acknowledgement seep into her voice.

But its not enough, is it? Tom asked as he grit his teeth, forcing himself to get back onto his feet.

Perhaps not, she conceded. You have your own reasons, dont you?

Tom raised an eyebrow.

Your obsession with gaining strength.

I do, Tom honestly admitted. Youve already established that I dont want to be found, but that, well, it isnt enough. Care to hear a story?

Alephs eyes sparkled with clear interest, though from the expression she was making, it seemed like she was caught off-guard. It was hard to believe that someone cautious enough to change their display name would willingly be candid with her, after all.

Because I am done letting other people society even the system choose my destiny for me. Ive seen where that path leads and I would rather stake it all on the here and now instead of running away from my own desires, Toms words were spoken with the conviction of a man that had experienced two lifetimes; known the consequences of relinquishing control of his life simply because he had been too afraid to struggle.

With a resolved expression on his face, Tom abruptly closed his eyes.

Isnt that why you chose me? To rebuke destiny? he asked inwards, his question directed towards the card that was nestled within his soul as he visualised the Control Glyph in his minds eye.

From a single point stretched out a dozen branches that further split off into smaller offshoots in the form of twig-like structures, resulting in the creation of an intricate pattern that resembled the chaotic spread of a banyan tree. There was one exception to this rule, a single branch the size of a wide canal that stretched out in a straight line from the very inception of the glyph and the pathway Tom involuntarily utilised each time he used a [Deck Card] without trying to modulate the output.

Merely memorising the pattern had required his [Mental] stats aid, but visualising and directing the flow of energy down specific pathways to control the end result required months of practice, if not years.

Im going to surpass the limit of what I believe myself capable of. WIth or without you,

[The Fool] hadnt replied to his desperate cries when he had been struggling for his life but now, at this moment, he felt a mild resonance with it. His [Soul Card] allowed a wisp of its aura to leak out, but even that caused Alephs expression to change; from relaxed to serious.

A fiery red energy flowed down five of the eleven available pathways and the twig-like offshoots lead to dead-ends that further trapped more excess energy.

Toms eyes shot open as he finally understood the true purpose of the Control Glyph.

Instead of the torrent of flames he had come to expect from [The Flame] card, a flame lance was sent careening forth from his open palm, possessing less than half the intensity of the original.

But in return

Its activation time was down to half of what it usually was.

Clear shock was reflected in Alephs eyes as she jerked her head to the side, causing her hair to flutter in the opposite direction.

As the flame lance ratcheted past her, it singed the tips of her lustrous silver hairmarking the first time Tom had managed to land a real hit on the Noble Scion.