iv. strange trails

A Quincy that couldn't control reishi? Now that was just unheard of. For the average Quincy, being able to manipulate reishi was as natural as walking on two feet. And to a more powerful Quincy? Well, it was just as natural as breathing. So what it would take to believe that a Quincy existed, in this day and age, who couldn't pull in a single particle of reishi? A whole lot of convincing, I bet. But, what if I told you that same Quincy couldn't do something so natural because there was an item getting in the way? Bet you'd believe that, wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you? It was the truth on this account. Elderon sat on the ground with his legs crossed and his palms resting on his knees, Senrei Glove resting promptly gloved on his right hand.

Pull in. Pull out. Release. In, out, release. This was his process. Eyes peeking through the darkness as he gazed at the grass in front of him. He could feel the foreign energy pulling in at his command. He'd keep it close to him all the while holding its position to try and keep it together. A smirk would come to his lips as he practiced, the reishi staying tightly together like penguins huddled together for warmth.

"Okay . . . time to let go," he thought the words as that particular smile on his face touched his lips, the particles of reishi dissipating instantaneously. Summoning a large amount of reishi he could feel the spirit particles rejecting him, desperately trying to swim away from his grasp. The constant push and pull that came with the Senrei seemed to be never-ending. Whenever he seemed to take steps forward in pulling in the reishi, he unconsciously took two steps back in the same frame. It was like an invisible game of tug of war and the spirit particles were winning.

Standing up in frustration the young Quincy took a deep inhale and lifted his arms above his head into a stretch. He stood on his tip toes and tilted his body slightly to the left, stopping momentarily before switching to the left.

He really needed to relax. He tried so hard to be a maximum chill with an unbothered state of mind, and yet here he was freaking out over a few failed attempts. This just wasn't like him. So why was he acting out of character? All that pressure of being a failure to the Sauer name was proving to be more taxing he expected. Elderon had been weaned on a regular diet of the Quincy zeal, pumped with ideas of bringing fame to the Sauer name. It is for that very reason that he found himself a Soldat in Ywach's army, and how he found himself here training to reach a higher plane of power.

He was going to get this right.

He sat back down and crossed his legs over one another and rested his palms each respective knee. Another inhale. He had to relax and inversely if he wanted to get this right. One more inhale. He pooled in reishi from the surrounding area and clumped it together around him the weight of the spirit particles feeling heavy on his shoulders. As the particles pulled in he could feel them swimming away and, against his better judgment, he allowed the reishi to free itself momentarily before instantly grabbing hold once again and holding them in place. He stood from his resting place and walked around the fenced in training area, still holding onto the reishi best he could. With each second that went by counted, one second turned to two, two into ten and so one and so forth until he reached 600 seconds (i.e. 10 minutes) before he released the particles from his mental grasp.

Just as soon as the particles dispersed did he collapse to the ground with his hands wrapped around his stomach as he took in heavy breaths. When they said this shit was tiring ... they were not lying.

Same position with the same results. If I didn't know any better, I would say this kid was stuck in a state of stasis. He wasn't changing or adapting to this new struggle of manipulating something that, at one point in time, came natural to his status as an Echt Quincy. The Sanrei Glove was meant to make this harder for him. Why? In order to reach the next stage of Quincy one had to be a master of manipulating reishi, and what better way to master manipulation when everything you've ever known on the subject has been stripped from you and you're forced to learn from scratch? Well, it proved to be a popular method in the past and several million Quincy could vouch for its success rate. Elderon wriggled his fingers about and gradually pulled in reishi from the surrounding area, clumping it together into a small mass about the size of a marble. The mass was unrefined, lumpy and seemed to pulse ever so often giving credit to its instability. He continued to hold the mass together while trying to give the mass a perfect shape, smoothing the edges of the spirit particles little by little trying to form a perfect shape. 

The mass wiggled around under his control, twitching and shaking ever so often. He smiled as the ball was finally smoothed out and rested on the earth in front of him. He tugged on the reishi and lifted the ball into the air, that particular smile plastered on his face. Then, the worst thing imaginable happened . . . the bubbled popped. The way the spirit particles flurried in front of him made him drop his head to the ground and let out a low grumble. He was disgusted with himself. Why wouldn't he be? Just when he thought things were getting good did he realize that his control was not as strong as he liked to believe. The ball of reishi crumbled before his very eyes, and for Elderon, it was like watching his entire life fall before him. He had just finished smooth the reishi into an actual ball just for the ball to pop, and in his face nonetheless? Wow. It seemed the Fates weren't as nice as he once thought. 

Elderon summoned more reishi from the surrounding area, this time pacing himself as the particles slowly clumped together. Like glue to paper, the reishi began to hold itself together as he continued to shape it and manipulate it into a physical form. It took a few moments before the reishi was compressed into a small ball. He continued to add more clumps of reishi causing it to grow in size until he was the size of a softball. He lifted the ball and levitated it before allowing it to disperse into blue particles. He pulled in reishi from the surrounding area and morphed it into forming an arrow which he shot out into the world. He did this about 10 more times, amping the arrows created by 2 with each attempt.

This shit was getting easier.

In case you were wondering Elderon was still in the same spot he was left we mentioned him; sitting on the bench pulling in a mound of reishi only to form a bow that looked like a cluster fuck of spirit particles. A sad day it was! It seemed the happy days he had hoped for were currently being put on hold. The skies were clouding and, at this very moment, the spirit particles he so adored were slowly coming together. There was a sadness in the air that made him want to give up and go home. Elderon had found himself in the same spot for the better half of an hour with a glazed look in his eye that stemmed from his negative self-reflection. He hadn't been able to fully form his bow since he started and from the looks of it, he was nowhere near close to accomplishing such a feat. It looks like the concept of stasis was catching up to him.

Smart as he was, you can only imagine how angry he was that he couldn't think of anything to aid him. Hidden behind that casual demeanor and that light-hearted smile was a man packed with an intelligence that just seemed to draw in mounds and mounds of information every day, almost like a sponge so to speak. Come on, kid! You can do this! I don't think he's been paying attention, lately. He was running of frustration and blindness at this point. He slammed his hands on his knees in frustration with a loud sigh that followed. The lad adjusted his glasses and released a barely audible grumble as he pulled more reishi into the surrounding area. As the reishi began to pull in the young man snapped his fingers as if hit with a shocking revelation. It was true, though! He was just chock full of ideas and it seemed he had found one that could work.

When the reishi pulled in, he took it was the opportunity to place individual pockets of reishi in precise locations that outlined the shape of his bow. From there, he pulled in smaller pockets that would fill the middle, the ends and so on and so forth. Elderon dispersed the reishi all the while still maintaining a hold on them, which he spread them across to form a bow. He repeated this process a few more times, holding the bow together long each time and giving it a little more definition. 

Almost there. He could his lips twisting into an unintentional smile as he pulled the reishi into the area and mentally began putting his bow together. The spirit particles came together relatively easily and in no time he had his bow in his hand, in the same exact likeness as it had always been. He pulled his arm back and fired round after round of arrows. He would start with creating three, and from 3 would turn 5 and from 5, 20 and so on until he reached 100. The arrows shot out wildly lacking that natural Quincy precision when it came to aim.

Four more days!

All he could hear was the sound of his arrows smacking against wood, with a frustrated sigh that followed behind them. The spurning nature of the Sanrei Glove was posing a major inconvenience to his training. If this were back in the day, Elderon could've hit every single target with his eyes closed. In those days, he was a prodigy. But what did that matter? The past wasn't common around these parts nowadays, even though the past is what had him in this predicament. Ironic, ain't it? Or maybe it was just sad. The past war with the Shinigami left a river of salt in the wounds of the Quincy elders. Fast forward a few thousand years and Ywach popped up from the grave to repeat the past all over again, only this time he was obsessed with winning. Tagging back to the present day, our young Quincy was a Soldat in the Wandenreich bulking up to help the past repeat itself.

Missed targets and frustration aside, Elderon was determined to hit the target(s) in question and pulled his arm back as he summoned another arrow that he released from his bow, this time tilting his bow slightly to alter the arrow's trajectory which, much to his surprise, actually worked. He hadn't hit the target but he wasn't too far off, only having missed by an inch. The Quincy smiled and performed the action over and over, slightly tilting his bow slightly with each release for better accuracy. It didn't take long before the Quincy had hit the target's centers and move onto to the moving targets where he managed to hit those targets as well.

A devilish little smirk formed across his fair skin as ran into the house and brought back two small cans, two pencils, and one egg, of which he placed in various locations. Taking aim he managed to hit the cans with ease due to being larger targets in comparison. He aimed at one of the pencils that he stuck in the ground and missed his first few shots. He could only assume that because the pencil was so thin, it would take him a few moments before he managed to snap it in half. He pulled his arm back and closed his left eye, using his right eye to focus on the pencil as he tilted his bow slightly and released the reishi infused arrow into the skies. The arrow shot outward like a rocket and slipped between the wooden pencil cause it to explode on contact with the arrow dissipating moments later.

Before we continue, can we take a second and praise the power of experience? One's experience was a wonderful thing that once you did something once if you applied your past experiences you would more than likely be able to repeat the action. That said, Elderon applied his experience with the last pencil in order to take his shot and aim at the other one, which was a few meters away and placed in a small corner near the edge of the cabin's fenced in yard. Once again, there was another bullseye on Elderon's account and another smile that followed.

The only thing that was left now was the egg he had placed on the top of the fence, held in place by particles of reishi. He took his aim and he grinned from ear to ear as the arrow released and clashed with the egg sending the contents flying out in all directions. The young Quincy clapped as he watched the egg being wasted away all for shits and giggles.

The thing about water flowing over rocks was that gave him time to think. Elderon was a man who prided himself on his pleasantly chill disposition and such he appreciated things that complimented the latter, and the sound of water tapping dancing through the riverbank happened to make a pretty chill song that he'd interpreted differently every time he heard it. He supposed it was because the water rushing through was never the same, it was always a new bred in the same old space, it was a good thing too as it never managed to bore our hero no matter how blasé he claimed to be. The river always managed to put him in his feelings, though. Even on his happiest days, the sound of that damn water did something to him that had him reflecting on the good ole days. Poor baby. Life was cool back then and he was just another little rascal living a carefree lifestyle free of all this war against the Shinigami nonsense. So how in the hell did he get here, then? Fighting a century-old battle against a group of villains that he'd never met as if he were born just to throw his life away. He couldn't tell ya. He was a young gentleman cruising through the streets of New Orleans when he met Ywach, born and bred on old-school Quincy traditions and hearing the name which since as far back as he can remember, His Majesty, Father of the Quincy The Almighty; and every story that followed he believed to be true. And why wouldn't he? He was born into a legacy bred from the blood and tears of a blind man turned God, believing in Ywach was part of the package.

Ywach had that power about him, that commanding allure that pulled you in like a moth to the flame. There was a duplicitous je ne sais quoi about him that made so unorthodox he was irresistible. And that was how he pulled them in. Acting as an all mighty king wanting to protect his children, when in reality he was just another man with a bruised ego. Sad thing. But did that matter though? Of course not! He was Ywach for christ's sake! He could eighteen bruised egos, and it would be overlooked by his 'the God that loves you,' routine. And they all feel for it hook line and sinker. Elderon could see right through Ywach's facade. You can't bullshit the bullshitter. And yet, here he was here fighting the good fight for a war he wasn't really bothered by. So why was he doing this? The Sauer family wasn't a prestigious family and Elderon didn't have any shoes to fill. The truth was, on his account, there wasn't much for him to aspire too. And there's the reason why Elderon joined the Wandenreich, to make something out of the Sauer name. He was going to make something of himself. No matter how chill he tried to be, leaving behind a legacy had crossed his mind awhile ago.

Fast forward a few years and Elderon was sitting outside a Quincy complex doing some complex training exercises to become stronger. The Sauer name was going to become a legacy, and there wasn't a soul alive that was going to stop him. He was going to shine.

But it wasn't all for not. His time in the Wandenreich had introduced him to Rupert whom, much to his own disdain, he had taken a liking too. He'd even become acquainted with a few members of the infamous Sternritter. Ah, that was a rewarding experience! The Wandenreich was just chock full of surprises and entertainment. Absolutely enthralling!

Enough of a boring Quincy musing over his own experiences. Elderon pulled himself out of the hammock and rolled himself on the ground, standing up slowly as he put his arms over his head and stretched. The Quincy gathered his things and headed back to the complex. He stopped for but a moment to listen to the water gush down down the banks and into the river before making his departure. 

Trial and error: the process of experimenting with various methods of doing something until one finds the most successful.

The thing about trial and error was that at some point you were bound to find the right combination of variables to achieve your goal. Some would say, that the process took too long but for Elderon it was the perfect learning opportunity. Before he had come out here, he assumed that the Hollow Bait only lured unclassified Hollow, but after several attempts he had come to find that with enough bait he could lure in something much larger. Though large was they were, they were equally mindless. The ebony gaze of the moon shined around it, the light created a spotlight for the large beast as it stepped from black opening. Over the vast amount of forest the beast stood taller than the trees and stared out into the distance as if unbothered by the Quincy's presence. The sounds of nature ceased and the wind was at a standstill, not even the crickets played their song when the beast came into full view. Amid it all, Elderon stood with a dumbfounded look upon his face as he stared up and gazed at the beast's white mask and pointed goblin noise.

The air was growing thinner with each passing second and the hairs on the back of the lad's neck began to stand. The Hollow's first steps were the most terrifying, it knocked Elderon back into reality and reminded him that the beast that stood before him truly existed and wasn't just some figment of his imagination. The bone chilling roar that followed was nothing short of a reminder that he was probably going to die. Dressed in black with white spikes protruding from its neck, the creature looked down and cocked its head to the side. It stood there staring Elderon down as if trying to come to terms with what stood before it. He supposed the creature thought him to be of Shinigami blood, since, on Elderon's account, this was his first time encountering such a creature so maybe it was the same on the demon's end.

The two stood there in a Mexican standoff waiting for the other to move and set of a chain of reactions. Elderon felt beads of sweat trail down his spine and while his breath slowed, his heart began to beat faster. The silence was soon cut as the beast opened its massive maw revealing a dark red orb in its mouth. Even though he didn't know what it was, the bright red light was enough to knock Elderon back into reality. He tugged on the reishi in the surrounding area and forcefully pulled his to his feet where he performed the Hirenkyaku, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. When he reappeared the beast had unleashed the orb creating a wild explosion that destroyed near half of the forest.

The color from his face faded as he watched the forest go up in flames. The Quincy coven was not going to be happy to hear that there sacred cabin was almost destroyed by a large beast dressed in black. The creature craned its neck to look at Elderon, opening its massive jaws once again, this time releasing another roar. He snapped back into reality. The lad took in a deep breath and watched with his gaze shifted lazily from the beast's jaws to its forehead. He summoned his bow and without hesitating, raised it and shoot an arrow into the monster's eye. The Hollow screamed again and lunged forward in an attempt to devour Elderon. With reishi already at his feet, he performed the Hirenkyaku once again and this time appeared at the Hollow's right side, tilting his bow slightly as he released another arrow into the beast's side. 

The beast charged another one of those red beams, but this time Elderon had the upper-hand. He had deduced that the blast took a while before it could actually be released and in that short amount of time, Elderon launched flurry after flurry of arrows into the skies, the rained down on the Hollow's massive frame, each one piercing a different part of the body. The large Hollow collapsed to the ground and stared over at Elderon, still clinging to life it snapped its massive jaws at Elderon and crawled across the close the distance between them snapping and roaring in the process.

The beast's massive size would've worked better had it not been close to death. Elderon jumped on the beast's nose and walked down his personal runway until he was at the base of its nose, his hands reaching out to touch the monster's mask. He watched as the beast's eyes locked onto him. They were void and empty of all emotion, no fear, no anger, nothing just a darkness that swirled behind a mask. He stood up and took a few steps back with his arrow taking aim to the middle of the beast's head. He stared down at his Sanrei Glove then back at the beast, nodding his head and releasing the arrow that resulted in the beast's death. It dissipated like all the others and Elderon landed softly on the ground, hand clutching the right side of his chest.

He didn't plan on attempting that shit ever again.