Depthless Hunger

Finally, all three of them were reunited and moving in the right direction. Kai somewhat resented all the time they'd needed to sneak around and arrange indirect meetings, but that was the price they paid for being weaker than the Brightwind Sect. Hopefully, if they learned all he hoped at the Frontier, they'd be one step closer to competing directly.

For now, it would take them another week to return to the Frontier outpost where they could hopefully begin their training immediately. He was able to accept this delay mainly because he had so much he wanted to say to everyone. Zae Zin Nim clearly missed him, he could always talk more with Inafay, and he wanted to spend some time with the Tonjin brothers.

It was Omilaena, however, who attracted his attention first. No one else seemed to notice, so he wondered if he was just imagining things, but her behavior was withdrawn and muted.

So one night, after he'd finished mana training with the others, he found her out at the end of the Wind Union ship. With the land dark beneath them and the stars above obscured by clouds, they seemed to be in their own little world of darkness. If they turned their backs to the others, it might as well be just the two of them.

"You said you finally made a breakthrough?" he asked.

"I did!" She spun around to face him and he thought her grin was real this time. "I could talk for ages about the broad theory, but the problem is I'm not completely sure I'm right. So let's start from the angle I really hope I have: why can you use only six abilities?"

"No idea. I figured that was just how it works, like how different Classes and abilities evolve at different times."

"Nonsense. Those numbers, from levels to Power, all have some basis in reality. Your abilities are unusual, maybe unprecedented, but they must still have some connection to the rules of power. There are other systems that have limited abilities as well, though they usually work in slightly different ways. The power-bearers in the Coiled Empire learn one skill at each stage, for example." Updates are released by novel⟡fire.net

"Then why hasn't mine changed?"