Training in Woa

“Merus.” A calming voice reached out with the sound of purring following soon after. “It’s time to wake up.” the voice said. Merus was fast asleep on his bed, drool slipping down his mouth as he quietly snored.

“Merus.” Himmsworth said once again as he began to make biscuits, or kneeding, on Merus’s stomach, moving his paws as if he were making dough. That’s when Merus would roll to the side. “Come on lad, get up.” Himmsworth said as he wiped the drool from Merus’s face.

“Mmhm.” Merus groaned, shaking his head no as his snores began to grow louder. Himmsworth got up and as he did so, Merus settled, laying on his back once more. That’s when Himmsworth would walk over to Merus’s face and put his chest onto it.

Merus would wake up almost instantly from being suffocated by the cats fur. “Himmsworth!!!” He exclaimed in shock as he quickly sprung up, taking Himmsworth off of himself. “What was that for?!?” He asked in utter confusion.

“I had to get you up somehow, now get dressed. We have a long day today.” Himmsworth said as he jumped out of Merus’s arms. Merus gave a sigh as he spat out cat hair as Himmsworth left the room.

Merus hopped out of bed, stretching as he did so. He felt the cold ground with his feet with each step. Though he was used to it by now. His room was fairly empty but only because it was decently new. The room was decorated with stars as the lights, able to dim and glow however Merus pleased. A blackhole floated above, unmoving, yet it’s properties not vanquished. Merus often used it as a trash can.

Since the room was fairly new, he hadn’t done much with it. He had gotten the room last year, after the incident in the twisted lands. Though it was long ago it still rocked him. Merus walked to his dresser, though not much clothes were inside, he grabbed a white long sleeved collared shirt and long blue pants.

Merus walked to the bathroom, throwing on his shirt and pants as he grabbed a toothbrush and toothpaste then began brushing his teeth, not missing a spot. Though he never truly needed to brush his teeth, but no matter, he always wanted to be his best no matter the day. After four minutes he spat out the toothpaste and swished water in his mouth to get rid of the residue.

He smiled, showing his teeth to be as white as his dwarf star hair. And with that done, he was prepared to go about his day. He exited the bathroom, grabbing his fingerless gloves and toeless socks on the way out and putting them on.

Merus exited his room, of which was then greeted by Himmsworth. “Good morning, Merus. How are the new clothes treating you?” Himmsworth asked.

“They’re fine, honestly I prefer these to my last ones!” Merus said with a gleaming smile. Merus kneeled down, extending his hand towards Himmsworth who instinctively climbed up and rested himself on Merus’s shoulders.

“Glad to hear. Your mother is in the throne room, she told me to come get you as we’ll be doing some training today.” Himmsworth said. Merus’s eyes lit up brightly like stars. He was excited, so much so just staring into his eyes felt as if a sun was radiating at you, you could feel the heat coming off of him.

“Really?! What am I going to learn?! Maybe a new ability? Maybe something to do with my Bio-Conduit?!” Merus excitedly said, though Himmsworth put his paw on Merus’s mouth before he could go on rambling about what other things it may or may not be.

“Calm down lad, it’s more of learning than training, though it’ll definitely train your mind. She’ll be having you learn more about the inner workings of the world.” Himmsworth said. Merus’s mood immediately dropped down a bit.

“So it’s more like school?” Merus asked with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

“Yes, but if you prod enough you may be able to get her to teach you something.” Himmsworth said. Merus’s smile grew back as he then began to walk forward which was the direction to the throne room. From afar he could see that the door was barely open.

Merus grabbed the door, opening it wider to put his head through. “Mutha?” He called out as he opened the door wider, walking into the room.

That’s where he saw Edra, goddess of the cosmos, and his mother, sitting upon her throne. She turned her head towards Merus, her cold gaze immediately turning to a delighted expression. “Merus, good to see you awake.” She said with a light smile. “Come here and sit down.” She demanded.

“Yes Mutha.” Merus nodded. He moved past the doorway, making his way to the throne. He sat down, crisscross, as Himmsworth jumped off his shoulders. Himmsworth walked over to the throne, sitting next to it.

“I’m sure Himmsworth told you what we’d be doing today.” Edra said, looking to Himmsworth for a moment before turning back to Merus who nodded once more in response.

“Learning, right?” Merus answered. “About how the world works?” He continued.

“Correct,” she said as she created a desk and chair for Merus to be more comfortable in. “Today you’ll be learning about the sources of the world, namely the Cosmic Essence, which I’m sure you’ve heard before, and the Nexus. Both affect the world in incomprehensible ways yet are vastly different.” Edra explained.

“You’ll also be tested on your knowledge on the subjects.” Himmsworth chimed in.

Merus groaned in response. “What?! Why?” Merus said, raising his eyebrow in confusion.

“Just for you’re mother to know that you understand what these sources are and how they play a large role in the world. The more you understand the easier it will be to use these sources once you get around to being able to harness them, well, one of them at least.” Himmsworth explained. Merus looked to Himmsworth with some confusion.

“One of them? Why not both?” Merus asked with a rather curious expression.

“The Architect is highly protective of the Nexus and its sub-source, the Nullvoid. There is a reason not many possess these two coded sources.” Himmsworth said as he then turned his gaze to Edra. “And the list is only getting shorter.” He said. Edra stared at him for a moment before turning back.

“Now then, let’s start.” Edra said, standing up from her throne. “We’ll start with Cosmic Essence. The Cosmic Essence is the most common source of power that you’ll see throughout your life. It is what fuels beings such as you and I and especially that feline there,” she said, gesturing towards Himmsworth.

“It is what makes up most of the world from its structures to the people who live there.” Edra explained.

“A good example would be the beings from the Transvoid. The beings from the Transvoid all possess the Cosmic Essence which affect them in different ways. Beings with Cosmic Essence typically use theirs as they fight, create, and destroy. Though the more they store, the more they can do.

An example would be Avalon. He’s collected so much Cosmic Essence and heat that his death, and the resulting Ultranova, would destroy the Edensphere entirely.” Himmsworth explained.

“So he kind of just builds it up?” Merus asked as he put his head on his hands, getting fully invested into the lesson.

“Yes.” Himmsworth answered with a nod. “Another thing to note, when you grow up and are able to use Cosmic Essence, remember that it is an illogical source. Coming at it with logic will only little your understanding.” He continued.

“…okay.” Merus nodded slowly. “So how come I can’t use it now?” He asked with curiosity.

“The consequences of even having the Cosmic Essence without Cosmic awareness and Cosmic/celestial understandings would be deadly.” Himmsworth explained. “The price of Cosmic Essence would be dire as your entire existence would be crushed infinitely until you cease to exist entirely.” He continued. Merus’s eyes widened with fear and worry.

“I don’t know about using this source anymore…” Merus said with some worry.

“Don’t be frightened lad, you have years to learn before you actually use it. You’ll be a natural, nothing to be worried about if you stay on this path.” Himmsworth assured. Merus’s expression lightened a bit.

“Let’s move on.” Edra said. Merus and Himmsworth turned their gaze to Edra. “The next source we’ll be covering is the Nexus. Now, the Nexus is everything the Cosmic Essence isn’t, they’re like opposites.

While the Cosmic Essence is Illogical, the Nexus is the opposite, it’s logical and uses Code unlike the Cosmic essence, and for this reason they cannot mix. The Nexus is home to all types of Mathematics that I won’t be getting into, that list is way to long.” Edra said as she yawned and took a seat.

“It can’t mix? Why?” Merus asked.

“Well, it can, though the result wouldn’t be pretty. Short answer, you’d die. Though, luckily I didn’t get that fate.” Edra answered. Merus looked at her confused.

“But you just said that they couldn’t…?” Merus said, looking at his mother as if she went insane.

“It can’t, but can. Having both sources is rare, very rare, though in a world like this it may seem impossible, but anything is truly possible.” Himmsworth said, though it didn’t do much to lift Merus’s confusion.

“You won’t have to worry about having both of those sources, you’re only learning about them. It’s okay to be confused.” Himmsworth continued

“…okay.” Merus replied.

Edra cleared her throat, which had Merus and Himmsworth turn their attention towards her. “The last source we’ll be covering is the Cycle.” She said. As the words left her mouth, Merus’s expression began to grow somberly. Edra took notice almost instantly.

“It’ll be short, no need to get emotional about it.” She said. “Now, while the cycle may not be a source to all of us, it does affect us by restarting the world back to the beginning.” Edra continued.

“And while it may not affect someone such as you or I in terms of it being a source, it is the source where the Conduits get their powers as the cycle gives absolute power over abstract concepts to those it chooses.” Himmsworth continued on.

Merus looked visibly bored in his chair, rolling a pencil on the desk. Himmsworth and Edra looked at each other for the moment, they understood why he felt this way, though a year had passed and yet it never left his mind.

“…we’ll cut ahead to the test.” Edra said, and with a snap of her fingers a test of fifteen questions appeared on his desk. He took a look at it, looked easy enough. As Merus grabbed the paper Edra created a bell for him to ring when he wasd done.

“Good luck Merus.” Himmsworth said as he and Edra left the room for the time being. The two left into the hallway outside of the throne room.

“You’re worried, everything will be fine.” Himmsworth said as he sat down, looking up at Edra who peered into the throne room for a second.

“Hmm. Yes, however, that woman’s death still ties him down.” Edra said as she turned back towards the black cat.

“He was close with Reia, only makes sense for the lad to be upset about it.” Himmsworth replied

“It’s been a year, he should have gotten over it by now.” Edra said, crossing her arms.

“Grief takes time, much time. Some people grieve for years, decades even, for their lost ones.” Himmsworth said. Edra grumbled in annoyance. “I’ll talk to him after this, he’s about done anyways.” Himmsworth continued as just a few seconds later, Merus dinged the bell which gave off a loud ring.

Edra and Himmsworth entered the room once more, Merus was looking at them with the paper in his hands. “I have a good feeling about this.” He said as Edra took the paper out of his hand.

“You did well lad, two questions wrong, but still good.” Himmsworth applauded, of which Edra took a look at the paper. Eight and ten were wrong, though not a big deal, they were questions about the cycle.

“Eighty-seven percent. Well done.” Edra said.

Merus nodded, getting out of his chair. “I’m going to head back to my room now.” He said, however, as he began to walk to the door, Merus felt the heat of fur on his foot which stopped him instantly. He looked down to see none other than Himmsworth at his feet.

“Mind if we talk?” Himmsworth asked.

“Uh, sure.” Merus said as he then followed Himmsworth out of the throne room. To which Edra put her ear to the door to listen.

“How are you?” Himmsworth asked

“I’m fine.” Merus said with a shrug, though Himmsworth looked at him as if he were crazy.

“Doesn’t seem to be that way.” Himmsworth replied, to which Merus’s eyes drew to the side for a moment. “You know you don’t have to hide anything from me, lad. Even if I do know everything.” He continued.

“I…” Merus stuttered, as if he wanted to get the words out yet something kept him from doing so.

“I understand lad, with all the craziness you endured last year, you had barely any time to grieve for her.” Himmsworth said as he put his paw on Merus’s foot, they felt cold.

“He put you down when you were, but you’re safe here, you can talk to me.” Himmsworth said. With Himmsworth’s words beginning to get to him, Merus began to visibly shake. Edra opened the throne room door just a little to see it. He was messed up from it and holding it all in wasn’t making it better.

“I…” Merus said as he slowly sat on the ground. Tears were swelling up in his eyes before they slowly began falling down his face. “I-It was m-my f-fault..” he said, though the words were hard to make out through the cracking voice.

His voice was wobbly, his tearstained face was puffy and scrunched as snot ran down from his nose. It felt hard to breathe, as if he were drowning in his tears and own sorrow. That’s when Himmsworth got into his lap and hugged Merus, his paws going around his neck.

“It’s okay lad.” He said. “Just let it out.” He comforted. Merus hugged Himmsworth back, his tears dampening the cats fur. Edra looked at her sobbing son with a somber expression, though she let Himmsworth do what he was doing.

“I-I’m…S-S-Sor-rry…” Merus slurred out in an almost erratic tone. As he spoke, saliva drooled down his mouth.

“It was never your fault, Merus.” Himmsworth assured. The two sat there in an embrace with Edra closing the door.

Minutes went by and Merus was slowly calming down from his crying, his face was red, eyes were bloodshot and puffy. He sniffed, yet his nose was clogged with snot still running down. Merus took a look at himself. “I’m such a mess.” He said with a cracked voice.

“That’s alright, why don’t you freshen up? We’ll go see about training you afterward.” Himmsworth suggested. Merus stood.

“Yea, I’ll go do that.” Merus sniffed as he then walked away to his room. A few more minutes later, Merus came back to the throne room, though his face was more pink his eyes were still bloodshot and a little puffy from the crying.

He opened the door only to be greeted by Edra. “Merus, how are you feeling? Himmsworth told me what happened.” She asked.

“I’m fine now.” Merus answered as he walked forward, wiping his nose.

“That’s good. Well, since you did good on your test I’ll reward you with something.” Edra said as she got ready to make something for him.

“Hey Mutha? Can we do some training instead?” Merus asked. Edra stopped and thought about it.

“Hm, well, I guess that could be an alternative. Alright, let’s go then.” Edra said, standing up from her throne. Merus smiled as he then followed her to the training courtyard.

Within minutes the three of them made it to the training grounds with Edra instantly creating dummies close together. Merus looked to the few dummies his mother made in anticipation.

“I suppose it was in due time that I'd have to train you again. As you grow older, you’ll be able to do many great things, maybe not to the extent as I but great things nonetheless.” Edra said as she stepped forward. She waved her hands to the side as stardust began to form and flow around her, like a current in a river or an ocean.

“Since you can’t use a source at this age, and that Bio-Conduit of yours isn’t trained yet, training with this will be difficult considering you have no idea on how it works. Though the affinity to use the source flows through you, I’m sure. You are my son after all.

We’ll start with the basics, stuff like telekinesis and such. Over the course of the years we’ll move up the ranks, sound good?” She said as he looked down at Merus who stared at the dummies.

“Yeah.” Merus nodded in agreement.

“Telekinesis is one of the most basic abilities beings can learn, it involves moving matter without a physical interaction. Just watch.” Edra said as she just looked at the dummies of which began to float and then drop back down with ease.

Merus looked at his mother with awe, no movement at all besides the look in her eyes. “Is it really that simple?” He asked with curiosity

“It can be if you’re not a weakling. There are many beings around the cosmos and orbs that are born with the power to warp realities, to move the cosmos with their minds from the very moment they were born.

Luckily for you, you’re my son. Just as the feline said earlier, you’ll be a natural.” Edra assured. Merus looked towards Himmsworth who smiled at him. Merus looked at the dummies with his confidence at an all time high.

“So how does this work?” Merus asked, looking towards his mother.

“Simple really, it’s similar to that blast I taught you last year, but instead of directing your energy towards your fingertips you direct them towards the object you want. It’s like extending yourself outward towards your target. Though it takes more concentration and control.” Edra explained. Merus looked towards the dummies with a grin.

“Sounds easy enough!” He beamed with glee. Merus put his arms forward, he could feel the energy flowing through his being and towards his hands. That’s when he slowly clenched his fists, the dummies began to shake and rise above the ground…only for them to fall back down.

“It’s a good start.” Himmsworth said as he patted Merus on the leg.

“It’s definitely better than your start last year.” Edra agreed. “Just remember to keep practicing, you’ll get the hang of it.” Edra said as she rubbed Merus’s hair.

“Now Himmsworth, watch the boy's progress. I have some things to attend to.” Edra said, walking away.

“Alright lad, you can do this, I know you can.” Himmsworth assured. Merus smiled at his words.

“Thanks.” He said as he then tried again, putting his focus and energy into his arms once more. As he did so, the dummies began to float up once more, moving around with some ease. Merus looked up in amazement but that was when it all came crashing down as his focus was disrupted at that moment.

Merus looked at the dummies, of which two out of the three were broken upon impact with the floor, with disappointment. That’s when Himmsworth patted his leg once more.

“Hey, let’s take it from a different approach. You got the basics down, which is moving an object let’s use something that would inspire you, say for instance, space.” Himmsworth said.

Merus turned his head towards Himmsworth, a confused expression upon his face. “What do you mean?” He questioned.

“Well, I was going to let you figure it out yourself, I do think it would help push you into the right direction,” Himmsworth said. “It is as your mother said, you are her son, which means you may take things after her, one of which being the affinity for the cosmos.” Himmsworth explained

“So…what does that mean?” Merus said with confusion.

“Think of the space in between you and the object, then think about the space around it. Now here’s the thing, since we are beyond space and time you must use the cosmos around you and the object to actually move it.” Himmsworth explained.

“Oooh, I got it.” Merus said as he stood back up. He put his arms out forward once again, but instead of focusing on the dummies he instead focused on the cosmos. It took a few attempts to grasp what he was doing, but soon enough he got it down…almost. The dummies shook and continued to fall but as he continued to practice, the better he got.

That’s when he used the surrounding cosmos to lift up the dummies into the air, even going as far as fixing, or putting back together, the two dummies that were broken from his last attempt. He placed them back down with ease and began to do it again, and again, again.

He continued to train for what felt like hours, picking up the dummies and putting them down or even making them fly around. But that’s when he got an idea as he made the dummies fly around the stardust his mother left behind.

Merus put the dummies down for a moment each were a great distance apart. “Let’s see if I can do this.” He thought as he looked to the first dummy. Merus point his finger at it, firing a cosmic blast at it, of which, Merus then redirected it around the dummy and had it land on top of it, causing an explosion.

Merus then looked to the second dummy, where he then grasped the cosmos around it, putting pressure onto the dummy until it just popped like a balloon. The resulting pop made Merus jump back a bit in shock. Himmsworth chuckled as he continued to watch.

Merus then looked to the third dummy then up to the stardust left over from his mother. Merus moved the stardust down to his hands, from there he began to put pressure on the stardust, causing it to burn up and combust into flames. Merus moved his hand out of the way to see that from the leftover stardust, a star was made, a miniature one at that.

That’s when he threw the small star towards the last dummy, causing a large explosion which resulting in more stardust and gasses to expand outward.

Merus just stared in awe at the progress he was making. Himmsworth looked towards Merus with a smile upon his face. “Truly amazing Merus. You did well.” He praised.

Merus smiled back at Himmsworth who then jumped onto Merus’s shoulders. “Why don’t we go tell you’re mother on your incredible progress.” Himmsworth suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” Merus nodded in agreement. He looked towards the doors of the training grounds as he began to make his way to it.