Chapter 46

Name：The New Journey of an Old Soul Author：
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Chapter 46

Author's note: Well, it seems we will hit 5000 average views with this chapter. To celebrate, and to test if anyone actually reads these notes, I think it might be fun if you, my loyal fans, got to name the psionic girl. So give suggestions in the comments. I reserve the right veto this whole thing, if all the suggestions are on the lines of xxxLegolas666xxx. I will arbitrarily choose the winner with the criterion of whichever name I happens to find the most pleasing. Thanks for your continued support, and I like reading your comments so keep them up.

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I didnt know we had people with psionic potential on this world. Neleh sent a thought to Elune, with a small tone of reproach.

We dont really. Every now and then a child is born without any magic or internal power as a result of different races mixing. It extremely rare and you can count on one hand those that survive to adulthood. The parents have no idea about psionic potential, and only assume the children are useless. Among elves that just means they live very ordinary lives, if rather short, while many of the other races have little patience for useless people. Demons and beastmen are especially bad with that, since they are so warlike and military focused. Children with no internal power or magic dont tend to survive very long among them. Elune replied a little regretfully.

Useless? Psionic potential is a great asset. I would think at least one of the gods wouldve put the word out by now. At least you couldve mentioned that they exist on the planet. I have not taken any precautions against them, because I assumed there werent any on this world. Neleh replied feeling confused.

They are useless because theres no one on this world who can teach them. Even if a psionic child reaches adulthood, theres no one here that can teach them to use their powers. There never has been. So how would we help in this if we have no idea on what to do? Why would I have to warn you against something that couldnt hurt you? Elune replied equally confused.

Neleh let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. Thats the whole damn point with psionics. They dont need proper training to use their power, although they might need help in cultivating their power. They dont use their powers with complex spells or martial techniques. They simply gather their power and lash out. Preferably with strong emotions mixed in. They can use their powers for anything ranging from telekinesis to strengthening their bodies to creating massive storms of power. Of course it helps if they have enough control to do a variety of things, but thats only a matter of training and experience. The only limits psionics really have are their imagination and their level of power. A powerful psionic can rip a mountain in two with his or her power.

She let out a sigh. Even a completely untrained psionic can cause real damage if she gets angry enough. You do realize that my method of detecting danger so far has relied on my extraordinarily sharp ability to detect mana and Ki? A psionic couldve just walked up to me and jammed a knife in my throat, since they have neither. Now Ill have to add a layer to detect souls too.

Theres little danger of that. Theres only three psionics on the whole continent, and none of them is older than twelve. If you get shanked by a child of that age, then you deserve what you get for being so careless. Aside from that, I already mentioned they dont tend to live all that long. Its not just their lack of usefulness that kills them, its the entire planet. You dont realize it because youve felt it for your whole life, but the planet emits a very slight pressure on everyones body. This stimulates the growth of the childrens power, because they have to constantly use miniscule amounts of Ki to resist the pressure. Everyone does this unconsciously. The pressure isnt dangerous for anyone with even the slightest dregs of Ki and the damage can easily be healed, but the pressure cumulatively gathers in the bodies of the psionics, and they tend to die at a very young age. Elune explained.

Well, Ill have to show our little friend here, how to counter such things. If she is willing, I would prefer to train her with her abilities. She could be a real asset. Almost all of the defenses of this world are designed to counter either magic or Ki. The biggest benefit of training her is that her powers are not either of those, and as such will by-pass most of those defenses. Neleh said with barely contained mirth. She had just discovered two potential trump cards in one day, unspeakable riches beneath the mountain range, and excellent weapon if trained properly in the little girl.

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It took several hours before Asheara and Azrael returned. Neleh had already performed the Rites of Passing for the elven bodies, and was now in the process of committing the beastmen bodies to the fire. According to Elune, the beastmen simply burnt their dead, and gave a few words to their god while holding the ceremony. Although Neleh wasnt a beastman, she still had a blessing of Sinir, the Protector God of Beastmen, and she was a priestess, although of a different faith. As such, she was still qualified for performing the small ceremony, before burning the bodies. The fire of the pyre had winked in a way to show that the god appreciated the gesture.

Asheara and Azrael had serious faces when they returned, showing that they had completed their duty.

The girl is still asleep? Azrael asked.

Yes. Her body is exhausted, and her spirit is scarred. Although I healed the damage done to her body, I am unable to heal her spirit. Her body will require a few days to recover, but she will only wake when her spirit has also recovered enough. That may take a few days, or it may take years. Shes been through a lot. Neleh replied a little sadly.

What do you plan to do with her? Asheara asked.

For now? Well take her with us. I sent a word via magic to the neighboring towns about what happened. If she has family somewhere, then a word will get back to us eventually, and we can return her to her family. If not, then well see. She has some interesting potential, and I would very much like to have her trained to serve the duchy in the future. That will be her choice though. If she isnt interested, Im fairly sure we can find someone to take care of her. In the worst case, we can try to look after her. I always did feel a little bad being the youngest sibling, and we now have another opening. I think she could use a new family, and we might be able to provide. Neleh said with a sad smile, bringing a small choked whimper from Asheara.

The bandits have been dealt with. Azrael said, stating the obvious in an attempt to change the subject.

Youre not planning a civil war, are you? Nimue asked sharply.

Planning? No. Preparing for one? Yes, always. We already saw one, and I doubt the unrest will much abate in the future. We are heading for some difficult times, and I for one plan to be ready. Neleh replied seriously.

You know something I dont. Nimue narrowed her eyes, looking at Neleh.

Dear Nimue, I always know something you dont. Now how about an imperial decree of some sort concerning that mountain range? Neleh replied with a small grin.

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Once Neleh had managed to finagle the imperial decree from Nimue, she and her companions finally returned to the academy. They had already lost several weeks on their trip, and Neleh would be taking her first rank up test soon. Neleh decided to pay a visit to the dragons a little later, since the matter was hardly urgent. They wouldnt be able to start mining until Neleh formally took the position of duchess anyway, and she wasnt even sure if that should be among their first projects. She had after all managed to find several other mining sites, and she didnt want a word to get out about the riches of the mountain range before they had the ability to defend those riches. Which meant that they had to have the Order up and running.

Neleh almost got bowled over by Kanako when they entered the mansion.

Finally! I was afraid that you would miss the deadline! Come one, we have to get you registered right away Kanako almost yelled in a rush, pulling Neleh towards the door.

Registered for what? What deadline did I almost miss? Neleh asked confused.

Kanako looked at her surprised. The deadline for registering to the qualifiers of course. Kanako said as if stating the obvious.

Neleh was getting dragged along towards the administrative building. Qualifiers for what? What are you talking about? She asked still confused.

You forgot about the competition between different academies? Each academy sends representatives to the competition, and the results then determine the relative position of the academies when compared to each other. You picked the Rhianon academy because it was the best academy in the elven lands, yes? How do you think they determine that? Kanako replied with a raised eye-brow.

Truth be told I didnt pay attention to that part. Are you sure they let first circle mages participate? I mean they should be sending the best, right? Neleh asked thoughtfully, finally starting to get a grasp on what was going on.

We wont be first circle mages then. The first rank up test will be next week, and the schools internal qualifiers right after that. Dont even try to tell me youre worried about passing the rank up test. Besides, Im pretty sure youre among the best of this academy, and I fully intend to ride on your coattails to fame. Then Ill have something to brag to my family about. Kanako replied cheerfully.

They were finally reaching the administrative building. So I get why the academies try to put their best forward, but why exactly should I care? Im already famous enough, and Im not exactly lacking in money department. Neleh inquired somewhat reticently.

You might want to care. The event is sponsored by the empire to promote new talent. The most standout performances and the winners are rewarded by the empire, and usually that reward takes the form of a wish that will be granted in moderate boundaries. Im guessing your name might come up in quite a few wishes. They cant ask anything too egregious since the empire cant really force you, but you might get some wishes like for a date or a kiss that you might have more trouble turning down. Id wager that you might want to get a wish of your own to counter all those wishes. Kanako replied with a wide grin.

Khali dammit, why are we moving so slowly?! Why didnt you tell me this earlier?! Neleh yelled suddenly very motivated, dragging Kanako along in a half run.

After they had managed to register for the qualifiers, they heard a familiar voice behind them. Well, well. If it isnt our resident Chosen. I think I finally have a way to force that duel on you. They saw the grinning face of Lucian behind them.

If they had been paying attention, they might have also noticed Aneirin standing to the side with a complicated mix of emotions on her face. This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com