章 20: Deconstruction Astralum
Tom stood there, wide-eyed, replaying the scene in his mind of the lioness using her power to freeze the hyenas before destroying the ice statues. What struck him the most was how the battle seemed to end before it even began.
After several minutes of reflecting on the scene, Tom found himself asking a single question, "Would I be able to avoid such an attack?" He contemplated this question for a few minutes before arriving at a sobering realization, "I would have been pulverized without even knowing what hit me, just like those hyenas."
With this realization, Tom rushed to leave the area, fearing that the smell of the meat he held in his hands might attract the lioness's attention once she finished her meal. Fortunately for him, there were no further encounters before he reached his cave.
On his way back, he took care to gather anything that could help him make a fire. It seemed that his decision to learn survival skills in the wild was paying off. Once in his cave, Tom started a fire and cooked the meat.
Since the disappearance of their parents, Tom had taken on the role of cooking for himself and his sisters. With time, he had become quite adept at it, not a gourmet chef by any means, but at least he could produce something edible.
As he savored the meal, Tom's mind wandered back to the events of the day. The power the lioness displayed was unlike anything he had ever seen. It wasn't just her physical strength, but her ability to control the environment around her. He realized that surviving in this forest would be a daunting task.
Tom once again realized the importance of controlling his Astralums and his rather raw manipulation of etherium. It was with this thought that he retired for the night, hoping that no creature would decide to seek refuge in his cave.
Very early in the morning, just as the sun began to rise, Tom woke up to start his training. He had decided that he would spend his days practicing within the cave, venturing out only when hunger struck again. On the first day, he chose to focus on training his Deconstruction Astralum.
Tom gathered a pile of rocks around him and activated his Deconstruction Astralum. As usual, the rocks began to separate from each other. Tom then gathered the rocks again into a pile and wondered, "Is it possible to target just one rock for deconstruction without affecting the whole pile?" Based on the information he had, such a thing should be possible in theory, but in practice...
Without hesitation, Tom decided to test his idea. He activated his Deconstruction Astralum but didn't directly touch the pile of rocks. He first focused on the rock at the top of the pile, attempting to isolate it from the rest. Only after doing this did he touch the pile of rocks.
Unfortunately, as had happened before, the entire pile deconstructed. Tom wasn't discouraged, though; he hadn't expected to succeed on the first attempt anyway.
Time passed as Tom continued to experiment with his hypothesis. Despite his persistence, he still couldn't separate one rock from the rest. At this point, even with his initial optimism and realism, Tom began to question himself. "Maybe I'm doing it wrong?" he thought, seeing the pile of rocks separate for what felt like the umpteenth time.
Tom adopts a more intuitive approach. He places his palm on the pile of rocks and closes his eyes. Instead of trying to mentally manipulate the bonds, he focuses on allowing the energy of his Astralum to flow naturally. He imagines the energy weaving through the rocks like a stream, gently caressing the surface of each.
As he reaches the rock he wants to deconstruct, he envisions the energy swirling around it, sensing the points where it's connected to the others. With a concentrated mental effort, he tries to weaken the bonds between the targeted rock and the surrounding ones.
Slowly, he feels a faint tug at his consciousness as the connection strengthens. The rock at the top trembles slightly, and with a swift mental "push," Tom manages to sever the bonds holding it to the rest of the pile, causing the rock to slightly budge while the rest of the pile remains unmoved.
Although the rock had barely shifted, Tom was content with his progress. However, he was exhausted. He had been training for hours, feeling both physical and mental fatigue. He decided it was time to take a brief rest.
Tom found a comfortable spot in the cave, away from the pile of rocks, and sat down. He took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs. Closing his eyes, he focused on clearing his mind, allowing the tension in his muscles to slowly dissipate. He could feel the remnants of the etherium he had been working with still coursing through him, like a gentle hum in the background.
As he sat there, he reflected on the events of the morning, his attempts to manipulate his Astralum, and the newfound understanding that controlling these powers required not only skill but also a deep connection to the astralum itself. He realized that while he had made some progress, he still had a long way to go in mastering his abilities.
With his mind and body gradually relaxing, Tom felt a sense of tranquility settling over him. The cave provided a sheltered space where he could rest without worrying about potential dangers lurking in the forest. It was moments like these when he could truly appreciate the solitude and the opportunity to focus on his growth.
As the minutes passed, Tom's breathing slowed. He found himself on the cusp of sleep, his consciousness hovering between wakefulness and dreams. Before long, Tom's breathing became steady and rhythmic, a sure sign that he had succumbed to the peaceful embrace of sleep.
Tom woke up a few hours after his nap, feeling slightly refreshed. He knew he couldn't afford to waste too much time, so he decided to continue his training. With renewed determination, he stood up and stretched his limbs before returning to the pile of rocks.
He took a deep breath and steadied himself, focusing his thoughts on the intuitive approach he had used earlier. Placing his palm on the pile, he closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to merge with the energy of his Astralum. This time, he approached the task with more confidence and patience.
For the next several hours, Tom experimented tirelessly. He repeated the process of targeting a single rock within the pile, attempting to weaken the bonds between it and the surrounding rocks.
Each attempt brought him a step closer to success, even though the progress was slow. He could feel the bonds giving way little by little, and he became more attuned to the subtle vibrations and shifts in the energy.
Finally, after numerous tries, a smile tugged at the corners of Tom's lips as he felt the targeted rock begin to tremble more noticeably. With a surge of determination, he mentally pushed harder, severing the weakened bonds with a stronger mental "push." The rock at the top shifted slightly, and separated it from the rest of the pile without causing a chain reaction.
Energized by the fact that he had finally succeeded Tom decided to continue his training. He returned the separated rock to the pile and then chose another adjacent one. This time, he wanted to deconstruct two rocks while leaving the others untouched.
With a more refined technique, he applied what he had learned, carefully weakening the bonds of the chosen rocks while maintaining the stability of the pile.It took several more attempts, but eventually, Tom succeeded in isolating two rocks from the pile. Encouraged by his progress, he repeated the process, targeting three rocks, then four.
He felt that his understanding of the Deconstruction Astralum was growing with each attempt. He also noticed that it took him less and less time to activate his Astralum.
Encouraged by the results he was achieving, Tom decided to take his training up another notch.
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