“So, tell us, David, are you ready to accept our proposition so that we can guide you to someday take over the mantle of the leader of the council?”

How are you supposed to answer that question, especially when you are being asked by twenty of the most powerful beings on the planet kind enough to provide you with tutelage? If I refused their offer, I would only come off as an arrogant, idiotic boy who hadn’t yet earned his place in the world.

On the other hand, I could only see advantages in accepting the offer. Training by the strongest Untethered? Check. Access to knowledge about the history of this world and others? Check. The only drawback was what this could lead to. A place on this council may seem like a position of glory to most but it also came with a load of responsibility. A responsibility I didn’t think I was quite ready for. For goodness’ sake, I had been an Untethered for only a month. That’s like a minute compared to the lifetime of these council members.

But the expectant looks on the faces of the council members had me relenting. I finally broke down and accepted. It wasn’t like I would be devoid of responsibility if I refused their offer. After all, being a third-slotter seemed like a big enough responsibility on its own.

It was finally decided I would train with a select group of the council members for the foreseeable future, leaving my home for at least a month. I would get training in combat, both hand-to-hand and weapons. I would also get to learn the history of the Untethered world and the Dimension and the war against the miasma monsters. But the part I was most excited about was the training to gain control over my abilities so that I could use it whenever I saw fit.

It was with these things in my mind that I reached home to set my affairs in order so that I could go back to the council for training. The hardest thing to do would be trying to come up with a reason to get away from my parents for a moment. My parents are very protective when it comes to me, refusing to let me even have sleepovers, the very few times I have been asked that is.

I needed help to try and convince them to let me stay away from my home for what would basically be the entire break. The long and short of it was I needed Frank. A familiar face who my parents knew to be an upstanding member of society.

With that in mind, I set off towards the direction of the club, knowing I would find him there. When I finally reached the club, I saw Frank conversing with Frost. It was Frost who saw me first and smiled at me. My mind went back to the conversation I had with Frost last night before leaving the council chambers.

“David, I would very much appreciate it if you didn’t tell Frank about the existence of this council.”

I asked him, “Why?”

Frost had replied in a tone that had brokered no argument, “He is not ready to know about the council’s existence and purpose yet. Even you are too inexperienced to know about this. If it were not for your special circumstances, you would not have been aware of the existence for at least decades. So, I ask you to keep this from Frank so that I can inform him when I deem that he is ready.”

I nodded, convinced by his logic. I also remembered what I had been told about the process of finding and nurturing successors. Frank was probably Frost’s chosen successor and it didn’t seem right for me to interfere with this process and its sanctity.

I was brought back from the thoughts of the previous night by someone clasping my shoulder. Looking up, I saw that it was Frank, who was looking at me with a lot of concern.

He asked me, “Are you alright? I heard about your battle against the griffin. That’s a battle even most veterans would struggle in.”

So, it seemed like everything before my confrontation with the grim reaper was fair game when it came to telling Frank about last night. I nodded subtly at Frost, letting him know that I understood. He nodded back at me and went back to his bartender duties.

Looking back at Frank I said, “Don’t worry, man, I am fine. Just a little shaken up, you know. A lot of stuff to take in in just one night.”

Frank released a sigh of relief and said, “I am glad, man. I was really worried there for a second, even though Frost had told me that you were okay. How’s Samuel doing by the way? I heard that he was heavily wounded last night.”

I shuddered mentally, thinking about what had really happened to Samuel last night. But keeping my emotions in check as much as I could, I said, “He’s doing okay now, don’t worry. Nothing a little rest won't cure.” ‘If only you knew!’, I mentally added to myself.

I brought things back to my current predicament. “Hey, man. I need your help with something. I was wondering if you could help me out.”

He looked at me with a curious look on his face, “Something to do with last night?”

I nodded, “You could say that. Yesterday made me realise how weak I really am, how unprepared I am to survive, let alone thrive in this world. Being a third-slotter is all well and good, but it’s all potential. I just unlocked my ability last night and a complete novice in its use. Now, I have got an opportunity to train myself, to learn more about this world. And I need to take this opportunity.”

Frank looked flabbergasted. “You are going away to train? Why? Why can’t you train here? I and Frost can help you.”

I looked at him imploringly, saying, “It wouldn’t be the same, mate. I have got a chance to learn under a veteran. I can’t let this opportunity go. Please help me here, man.”

Frank seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before agreeing with my point of view. We decided that we would say something about an internship we had been offered and we would have to be away for a month. We anticipated some difficulty in getting through to my parents.

We were wrong, so, so wrong. Once Frank had worked his magic, they seemed to be enthusiastic about their lazy son getting an internship. Some nonsense about me ‘growing up’ and ‘finally becoming a good person’. I didn’t know whether to be glad that our plan had worked or insulted why our plan had worked. I decided to let it go, not needing another battering to my confidence, especially when I was going somewhere where I needed all my self-belief and confidence.

I had my bags packed in an hour and after a heartfelt hug with Frank, I set off towards the council headquarters. I reached it without encountering any trouble. I was immediately met by Shadow just as I entered the door in the shed. She took me to what was supposed to be my room for my stay there.

As soon as I had set up my belongings, Shadow asked me to follow her. She led me to a large room which had a huge arena in the centre of it. I followed her to the centre of the arena, where she proceeded to tell me the plan the council had prepared for my one-month stay over here.

“For the time being, I, along with Light and Nova will be taking care of your training. The other members of the council will be busy taking care of their respective territories for the time being. We need to focus on your combat skills and ability and miasma manipulation for the foreseeable future. I will be teaching you the various methods of manipulating miasma,” Shadow said, sitting down on her knees and expecting me to follow her.

I proceeded to sit down on my knees as well before asking, “When I, you know, brought Samuel back to life, I felt a massive drain within me, as if I could wilt and die like a flower which hadn’t had water for a few days.”

Shadow nodded at me as if expecting me to ask that question. “It’s quite a common phenomenon among inexperienced Untethered who don’t have much semblance of control over their own cores. I remember, in my younger days, I once made the shadows of the miasma-monsters explode, killing the monsters themselves. I have had to train for over two millennia but I still haven’t been able to unlock that power.”

“Cores are very powerful things, but they are also very volatile. Lack of proper control has resulted in many catastrophes throughout the years among younger Untethered. The core supersedes its vessel, it will do anything to save itself, even destroy the reason for its existence. That’s why it is very important to have impeccable control over your core, and that’s what you will strive to achieve with me.”

I nodded at her, seeing the importance of having a proper connection and proper control over my core. It made sense that the thing that made Untethered special, that separated us from the mortals would have its own drawbacks and an instruction manual if you will.

“How do we do that,” I asked, wondering if this was going to be as difficult as it sounded.

“The first step is quite simple and the most boring at the same time. But it will be what you will require for your first lesson with Nova, so you better concentrate.” Her tone took on a stern note as if any slacking on my part wouldn’t be tolerated.

But she needn’t have worried. I was determined to make an effort to grow as strong as I possibly could. There would be no lack of effort on my part, not when I knew what was out there.

Seeing that I was serious about my training, “Okay, the first step is meditation. Not meditation without any purpose though. To control your core, you need to find your core. Meditation will help you do that. The stronger your connection with your core, the stronger your control. So, close your eyes and search your being.”

I did what I was instructed and came up absolutely blank. A few minutes of this and I was already frustrated. I opened my eyes to see that Shadow still had her eyes closed and she was exuding an ethereal glow that made it seem like some divine being had decided to grace me with her presence.

Apparently, she had sensed my unease and frustration with the exercise as she opened her eyes and looked at me with a contemplative look on her face.

“Having trouble, are we,” she asked, before proceeding without waiting for me to answer her question, “I have found that finding your core becomes easier if you concentrate on a moment that affected your core the most. You have had such a moment recently, haven’t you?”. She didn’t wait for me to answer as she once again closed her eyes, eager to get back to her meditation.

I knew what she was alluding to. I doubt that any moment in my life would ever come close to the moment when I stared at the grim reaper while it stared back at me. I closed my eyes and almost instantly the sight of those empty, soulless eyes permeated every part of my being. Against all my instincts screaming at me to open my eyes, I continued to concentrate on the feeling of seeing those eyes up close and personal. After some time, it seemed like my whole body was being absorbed into bottomless pits that were the eyes of the reaper.

I forced myself to endure it and soon I found it. Amidst all the darkness inside the reaper’s eyes, I saw a thread, woven out of the most radiant fabric possible, just floating around in the void. I reached out and almost instantly, the whole void was permeated by a golden light, piercing through the darkness.

I looked towards the source of the light and it made me want to cover my eyes. The light was blinding but I knew it meant me no harm. I knew what I was looking at. My core, in all its brilliance, calling out to me, to come and seek it.

But the strangest thing happened when I went ahead to go and reach the core, I was thrown back and it was dark again. I looked around and saw that all that was left as evidence of the sight I had just seen was a golden thread.

Before I could reach out and grab it again, I was broken out of my trance by a voice. Opening my eyes, I saw that it was Shadow who had stopped me from seeing my core once more.

“Why did you do that? I had just found my core and was close to approaching it.”, I asked, angry at the interruption.

“You have been out of it for over two hours, David. It’s time for your lesson with Nova.”, Shadow replied, amused at the shock she caused me.

“What? Two hours? It felt like a few seconds to me.”

Shadow quickly replied, “That’s what happens when you focus on your core. Your sense of time slips away. Tell me about your experience.”

And I did, I told her about concentrating on the eyes of the grim reaper. I told her about the golden thread and the blinding sun. I also told her of my frustrations at losing the sight of the brilliant sun.

She listened to my account patiently before replying, “Don’t worry about losing sight of your core. You have just begun this exercise. Your connection to your core is still fragile at best, as evidenced by the fact that it was thin threads connecting you to your core. You shouldn't fret though. It took several decades for me to become one with my core.”

I was shocked. “Decades,” I asked. I couldn’t wait that long, not when I could feel my core calling out to me, even now, in the deepest recesses of my mind.

“Yes, decades. Don’t lose your patience, David, as that will only make the going tougher. Get your mind off it. It’s time for your lessons with Nova and he won't appreciate an inattentive student.”

I nodded towards her, indicating that I understood. But that didn’t mean I had to be happy about it. It must have shown somehow because the first question that Nova asked me was, “You seem agitated, boy. What's the matter?”

I sighed to myself, wondering if was really that easy to read. However, I did tell him everything from my training with Shadow. He hummed to himself before saying, “You are going to love the aim for today’s training then. Today we are going to find your miasma weapon.”

“Miasma weapon,” I asked, wondering what this was all about.

“Yes, miasma weapon, a unique form of miasma manipulation that lets you convert your inner miasma into a weapon. Everyone's weapon is unique, depending on their personality. It’s a manifestation of your core, in its most tangible form.” Saying this, he gathered miasma in his hands which quickly took the shape of a mace, exuding power in waves.

I was amazed and eager to find my own weapon now. “Okay, that’s awesome. How do I do that?”, I asked, my eagerness evident in my voice.

“The same way you set out to find your core. Meditation. But this time, instead of going towards your core, try to make your core come towards you.”

I nodded and closed my eyes. almost instantly, I was face to face with the reaper again. But this time I was not unnerved. Instead, I concentrated on his eyes and almost immediately was back in the void, with a golden thread dangling near me. I reached towards it and I was looking at my core again, as resplendent as ever.

Resisting the urge to move towards it, I instead beckoned it towards me. nothing happened for a long time before dozens of thin threads began to move towards me. I was surrounded by the threads on all sides, almost like a warm cocoon engulfing me. I felt safe and warm, never wanting to leave this place.

But almost as soon as it began, it was over. I opened my eyes in the real world and saw Nova looking at me with a stunned expression on his face. I felt a warm feeling in my hands, almost as if my core was present in my grasp.

Looking down at my hands, I saw the reason for Nova’s stunned state. There, in my hands, was a weapon I had seen before. The weapon was entirely reminiscent of the weapon I had seen in the hands of the reaper, the same weapon which had killed my mentor and painted my face red.

In my hands was the most menacing scythe I had ever seen, sure to be a constant reminder of my confrontation with death itself.