Just beneath the surface

The course charted

"Goodness gracious when is going to wake up?" A voice asked.

Fernando's head was heavy, and so were his eyes. He couldn't move a part of his body at all.

"Oh it seems like he woke up", another said.

Fernando tried to move his arms and legs, but they were somehow bonded to a tree trunk. It reminded him of how he woke up chained back at the Quezian world.

"Took you long enough, you always wake up late after being caught", the voice said.

Fernando remembered something. It seemed like he heard these words before. Could it be he was actually dreaming?

"Is that you Jahmil?" Fernando asked, his vision still distorted.

"Yeah, good sleep you had", Jahmil replied.

Fernando regained his vision, and found out that his arms and legs had vines wrapped around them.

"Where are we? How sure am I that I'm no longer dreaming", he asked.

"It seems that you fell for the poison's eternal dream. Well, put it, i don't know where we are. Last thing I remember before waking up here was being knocked in the head from behind back at the camp. Oh by the way, Andres is here too, somewhere on the top of this tree", Jahmil replied.

"How long have I been asleep?" Fernando asked.

"As for how long in total I don't know, but it has been a day since they brought you here", Jahmil replied.

"They?" Fernando asked.

"Forest spirits also known as treants. They don't want us near the heart of the river. Well they've been deciding what to do with us for a while now", Jahmil replied. "Weird thing is that you can't see them", he continued

"Then how do you know that they brought us here", Fernando asked.

"Some strange things happened and now I can sense mana. Remember Mard Geerus? Yeah basically that's it", Jahmil replied.

"They're actually right in front of us right now, the bunch probably got intrigued in our conversation", he continued.

"You truly are an impressive one, I'll tell you that. Exactly why we can't allow you to run freely in this forest", a voice said.

Suddenly, tree like figures appeared out to thin air.

"So I really did see one of you back at the river", Jahmil said.

"You have keen senses, but that's going to be of no use. Why bother staying invisible when you are all immobilized?" One of the treants asked.

"I agree", another replied.

"You always agree with everything", another said.

"How long do they plan on keeping us here?" Fernando asked Jahmil.

"Until you starve probably. Or until the beasts of the forest dispose of you", a treant replied.

"Too bad. Don't worry guys I'll get us all out of here. Being cooped up in the same position really gave me a chance to fully concentrate and control the mana flowing within me. Now I understand my abilities a lot better", Jahmil said.

"You are also one full of pride, I'll tell you that. How's that gonna help?" A treant asked.

"Well, let's say I now have a plan, and it involves getting a weapon that was probably made for the use of those that can control mana", Jahmil replied.

"You still can't move or free yourself, so what's the point?" A treant asked.

"Let's say I managed to find a way to materialise the surrounding energy instead of merely controlling its flow. For example, turning the energy into a sharp edge", Jahmil replied. Suddenly the vines wrapped around him cut into pieces, and Jahmil ran for it. To the treants' surprise, he was incredibly fast.

"Get him! We can't let humans know!" A treant shouted, and they ran after him. Jahmil ran towards the river, where the boats were. He immediately went to Andres' bag, as he sensed the weapon there.

"You're outnumbered boy, what do you plan on doing now?" A treant asked.

Jahmil pulled an object wrapped in cloth out of Andres' bag.

"To think that an object as powerful as this was just inside his bag", Jahmil thought. He pulled out whatever was inside, and out came a blade.

"Something is odd about that sword", a treant said.

"I agree", another replied.

Jahmil then tried something out. The sword itself seemed to be made out of mana, so if he could control the mana in the sword, it meant—

"What's with that sword!" A treant shouted. Their large eyes were glued to the sword as it began to change in shape and size. It extended twice its original length, yet though it became longer, it still remained the same weight.

"Nonsense! Fret not! He's just a human!" A treant shouted, and ran towards Jahmil to clob him in the head. Jahmil swung the sword, and with its shape changing properties, the force of the swing was greater than normal, cutting the treant in half before it could even get close.

"Why- Why did you kill my brother!" A treant shouted.

"Nothing personal, and besides I can't tell which one of you is which", Jahmil replied.

Infuriated, the treant unleashed all its latent energy, and transformed into a menacing creature. It's branches dropped all its leaves to give way for spikes cloaked in poison.

"Now I know which one you are, you look a little different", Jahmil said.

"Why you little!" The treant shouted as it shot out vines from its fingers. Jahmil quickly sliced through the vines, but the treant's arm was already towering above him, waiting to pummel down. In that instant Jahmil widened the blade four times its original width, and covered his head. Blocking the attack, he pushed the treant back, and struck it with the full force of the sword.

"That's what he got for being too rash", a treant said.

"We should better hide in the other dimension, so that we can attack him without being attacked back", another said.

"I agree", another replied.

They soon started to fade into thin air.

"Go at him all at once!" A treant shouted.

Jahmil then began to count. He tried something new. Instead of just changing the blade's size, he actually wanted to see if it could change into a different weapon. With his concentration at its peak, he changed the blade's shape into a whip-like weapon, with serrations running down its entire length. He changed it in order to fit the situation, as a blade would be too slow to hit all seven treants coming at him at once. He swung the whip, and all of the sudden, shattered pieces of wood appeared out of thin air.

"It- it can't be! But they were in the other dimension!" A treant exclaimed. One of the treants survived having only lost an arm.

"We must stop him!" A treant shouted. They reappeared and merged into one. The result was a combination of five treants, each releasing their latent power. It towered over Jahmil, standing over thirty feet tall. He immediately switched to the wide sword, to prepare for the treants' next attack. Spikes came flying from the treants' bodies, like a rain of wooden thorns. Jahmil took cover, using the blade as a shield. He dashed forward, and chopped the leg of the bottom most treant, making the treants collapse to the ground. He swung and swung with all his might, like a rising whirlwind levering the forests.

"Damn That Jahmil! Where did he go now!" Fernando shouted, trying to break free of the vines.

"Andres? Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes captain, I'm alright. It's just, I think I'm too high up for comfort", Andres replied.

"Are you not starving, you haven't eaten for a day", Fernando asked.

"Jahmil made energy from the sun move into my body, which is why I'm not hungry at all. That's what he said", Andres replied.

"Are you sure all this was a good idea?" Jahmil asked.

"Jahmil your-!" Andres exclaimed.

"I'm... alright.." Jahmil replied. A spike was lodged into his shoulder. And it couldn't be pulled out. The spike was designed to penetrate deep into the skin, then once it was deep inside, roots would grow out of them. Jahmil turned the blade into a whip and smashed the vines that bound Andres, then smoothened it to catch him.

"What was that!" Andres exclaimed, thrilled at the sorcery he saw.

"Well, it's the blade you had in your bag. Turns out it was a powerful weapon", Jahmil replied, and fell to his knees.

"Well I don't think you can do the trick I just did, but use it to cut off the vines of the others, and wake them up", Jahmil said.

"Yes", Andres replied. He then went to Fernando, then to the others.

"How is Andres freely moving? I can barely move a muscle", Fernando asked. With his body immobilised for about a day, his entire body went numb.

"Just clench your first for a bit and let the blood flow"; Andres said. Fernando then went to Pedro and woke him up.

"Goodness lord!" Pedro shouted upon being woken up. " What happened?" He asked.

"Long story, but to make it simple we fell asleep got captured by trees and we're saved by Jahmil who happened to be captured days before along with Andres", Fernando replied.

"I had a strange dream", Pedro said.

When everyone was up on their feet, Fernando immediately ordered them to be ready to set out. Suddenly Jahmil fell to the ground, and leaned to a nearby rock.

"It's... the poison", he said, and passed out.

"Quick! Carry him back to the river! I need all of you to be on full attention! The others will make the camp, secure the perimeter and ration the food, while the others will search for herbs. To the search party, go in three, and arm yourselves!" Fernando instructed.

"Yes sir!" They all replied.

It wasn't easy to pull the spike out. The poison would have killed a normal person in seconds, but Jahmil knew how to stop the flow of the poison by controlling his blood with the mana. His recovery abilities were put to the test, as each time the skin would heal, it would corrode as it touched the spike.

"We'll have to cut open your flesh to cut the root inside, can you handle it?" Randall asked. Jahmil couldn't speak due to the pain, but he signaled a thumbs up.

"Everyone follow my lead, I studied Medicine before I enrolled at the military academy", Randall said. Slowly but surely, using small knives, the cut through Jahmil's flesh to dig deeper, and root by root, the spike slowly came off. They had to be careful not to touch the spike, as neither of them would be safe from the poison. Finally, Randall managed to gauge the spike out, and Jahmil immediately closed up the wound.

"I'm very sure that you left humanity behind in order to do that", Randall said.

Fernando and Andres were relieved upon hearing the news. They immediately went to the tent where Jahmil was staying.

"Are you guys sure what we're doing is right?" Jahmil asked.

"What do you mean?" Fernando asked.

"I destroyed the sentinels that protect the sanctity of this forest. If we leave, what is going to protect this forest", Jahmil replied.

"It is part of the risk in undergoing this endeavour. Nature always finds a way to fix the cracks and crevices on its surface. The price will come to us soon, but while it lasts, I think it's best we treasure the opportunity of the present", Fernando said. The poison that affected them previously had already disappeared,but Jahmil didn't take any chances.

"The scent and the urges we experienced all come from one source, which is probably the chorus flower's last line of defence. It's a fume of pollen rich in poison, so if we put a mask on, we should be just fine for the next wave", Jahmil said.

This time, the lookouts took the job seriously and preyed on the shadow of the woods. Fernando lay down and thought of something. He was sure he had already achieved his mission here, but then it turned out to be a dream. He was just scared, afraid that the real deal would be a lot less convenient than the one he dreamed of.

The next day, there was no rush. The crew ate their breakfast in peace, enjoying the calming corral of nature. Jahmil could sense the spores in the air, but the men remained unaffected. Andres concentrated and tried to do the trick Jahmil did with the sword.

"You look so tense,'' Jahmil said.

"You better teach me how to do that trick you did earlier with this sword", Andres replied.

"Well, I can't really teach it to you. Remember that time Mard Geerus controlled the water? That's basically what I'm doing. You'll have to find a way to be one with the mana before you can do tricks like these", Jahmil said, as he swung the blade around, changing it to different forms.

"How did you get to be one with the mana?" Andres asked.

"Well, I cut myself with the knife and all of the sudden mana flowed into the wound. It was probably from the fumes that made us feel the urge to swim", Jahmil replied.

Andres immediately cut himself in the finger, and waited. Minutes went on, yet Andres did not feel anything.

"Well, perhaps your body reacts only to a certain type of mana. Don't worry, you'll somehow get it soon enough", Jahmil said.

"Everyone pack up! We're heading out in about half an hour!" Fernando instructed. The crew broke camp and loaded the supplies to the boats.

"Like before, not everyone is going along. Marines will stay and guard the boats under sir Randall, except for my personal Guard. The rest will go with me as well", Fernando said. Jahmil then noticed something. There was a congregation of moderate energy concentrations in the direction of the massive one. They seemed to be animals, but of different kinds. Even in such a lush environment, Jahmil was sure that it would be naturally impossible for that many animals of different kinds to gather in one area. It could be the work of the chorus flower, he thought. He then sat down, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

"What are you doing? We need to leave now", Fernando said.

"I'm trying to see if the path I saw earlier was the right one. There's so many distortions that I can't make it out that well", Jahmil replied. Fernando then remembered his dream. It was Jahmil who led him to the spring, and he felt rather uneasy. Not because he felt like there was a conspiracy, but, the thought that Jahmil was the one leading threatened his position as the captain.

"Alright, I'm sure this is it", Jahmil said, and stood up.

"Oh and Captain, I would like to have a word with you", He said.

"What is it?" Fernando asked.

"I'd like to clear up any misunderstandings. I'm not going to be asserting authority over you. It's just that, first, we're not on the ship, and second, I have the power to locate what we need. So please, I'll take the lead", Jahmil replied.

"So you have mind reading powers now, go ahead", Fernando said.

"Alright, I need you to tell everyone to keep a close watch on the animals on our way there. I sense dark mana inhabiting the bodies of those animals, so we must keep them in check", Jahmil said.

"I got it. Oh I see, I'll relay it to see to it that my authority is still supreme", Fernando said. Jahmil looked at him with a face of disgust.

"We better hurry, we don't have much time", Jahmil said.