It felt like an eternity had passed before either person spoke again. Shinsou watched as Felicity failed to leash her feelings, her composure telling of a concoction of different emotions.

“I know,” The Telgradian finally asked, unsure of what to say but wanting desperately to break the silence. “There’s a lot to take in, and a lot to forgive. But we must make a move, because we’ve got a long day ahead of us. Follow me.” He leaned back against the rough cut of the chair, sucking the rest of his tea down, and then with the cup emptied Shinsou reached down and retrieved Enpera in its sheath from the floor.

***

Beyond the beaten track leading north, the Telgradian led Felicity Rhyolite to an open field of grass that held the knee-high remains of a much older, derelict part of the port town. There wasn’t much left of this part of Tylmerande, and the rotting wood and shattered masonry of the remnants spoke of a time long before the current settlement, but it was perfect for what they needed.

As they moved amongst the assorted debris, Shinsou secretly took a more thorough reading of Felicity with his senses. Her power had grown exponentially since the last time they had fought in the Citadel, but the girl was still crude and unorthodox. For all that raw strength and her unpredictable abilities, she was still dangerous to herself and everyone around her, and still unrefined.

That was where he’d come in.

“Sit down for a minute,” Shinsou spoke, gesturing to a part of a broken wall behind him.

Felicity had been bobbing about from tiptoe to heel, limbering up, but her hands drooped to her side. Her eyes glinted in the sunlight as she walked, her katana Copycat glimmering silver in the glow of the afternoon as one slender hand poised upon the hilt of the sword. This time, there was no puzzled expression etched on her face as she peered him. He matched her gaze, thinking of the veritable wall they would have to climb today.

“Enpera.“ The Telgradian spoke in turn, his blade swaying at his side in its sheath as he reached over and tapped it on the hilt. “Back in Telgradia, each one of us born is given a simple katana at ten years old. At our coming of age, we each place exactly half of our power into the sword in a ritual known as Shinto.”

Coolly, he tossed away a few bangs of his chestnut hair from his face and drew Enpera, holding it aloft. “Doing this was mostly intended to be symbolic; unity with our swords, and a commitment to a certain way of life. One can never be whole without the other. That was the idea, anyway. Shinto created a side effect. It gave our swords life. It is said our swords repaid their debt by granting us power.”

The Telgradian retrieved Enpera, returning it to the sheath from the cool air in a single fluid motion. “That’s partially true, but really it’s down to magical science. For a moment, think of this sword as a bank, and my power as money. I split my pot in half. I keep half out for myself, put it in a sock somewhere. What happens?”

Felicity blinked. “Nothing? It stays in the sock.”

“Right,” Shinsou continued. “Now, I take the other half to the bank. I deposit it. What happens?”

Felicity blinked again. “It gets put in a vault?”

“Yes, and no. It earns interest.” Shinsou smiled. “It grows. The longer that money is left there, untouched, the more interest I get. Same thing with Enpera. My half of my power doesn’t grow at all, but the half that’s inside Enpera is growing all the time. So much so, that I have to seal it until I need it.”

“Hakai and Senkai, right?” Felciity asked, nodding slowly.

“Right again,” Shinsou paced for a moment, gazing at the sky. “When I use Hakai and Senkai, I’m not increasing my abilities. I’m returning to normal. I’m opening the vault door, and making a withdrawal so that all my money is in one place. At any one moment in time, with those seals in place, I'm using about 10% of my potential. 50% once I release Hakai, and around 90% after Senkai. Beyond that, I've never tried to reach.”

The Neanderthal seemed to follow the banking analogies. The Telgradian was pleased so far, and pointed to the ring on her finger. “So, what happens with that? Well, Imperatrix is a fragment of Enpera. It’s separate from it, but contains and displays its characteristics. With it, you’ll be able to use some of my abilities. In time, it’ll adapt to you, absorb some of your own power and grow into something like a hybrid of the two.”

Shinsou looked back at the red-headed girl with those last words. Inside him was a smouldering determination to help Felicity realise her potential, and for the girl to take this boon and use it as an alternative. There was something they could both do to sway the Neanderthal’s path so that she could protect herself without raining destruction down on herself and everyone around her with those terrible, traumatic powers inherent in her. Shinsou gave her a small bleak smile. At times, it could be so difficult to discern what the redhead was really thinking.

“Now,” The Telgradian said, pointing to a tree fifty yards away, “Our first task is going to be learning how to tap into Imperatrix's power. Forge a dark matter lance using that ring, and hit that tree. You'll feel it in the pit of your gut if you've done it right. Will it into existence.”