92 ll Royal Summons! Hidden Prescence And Breaking Stages!

She had been summoned by the King to be inducted as an official squire and be taken under the tutelage of one of his Knights. A ceremony was to be had along with a battle royale between all current and newbie squires. This was to display the new person's combat methods and abilities, letting the Knights' decide on who would take the task of teaching them.

Tara's interest is definitely piqued. She'd be able to learn the more advanced Riversword Blade Play which could help her own formation of the Retention Technique. After fighting the Gigantic Stone Guardian, she's close to a realization. All she needs is inspiration.

The teacher watches as Tara reads the summons. They notice that the girl's presence is different than a week ago at the fight with the twins. In fact Tara has no presence at all now, as if she's become a mortal!

Tara hasn't realized that the fusion of the Mote of Darkness has completely shrouded her from the senses of everyone yet. Only in actively peering that they'll see her stages, and even then they just see her as a high stage variant Bone Crystallization. The fact that she's started opening Gates or has three Nodes is known only to her alone.

"Are the twins awake?" Tara asked, going over the summons again. The ceremony was to be held in three days, allowing the capital enough time to prepare for the arrival of the Kingdom's nobility and powerful families. With everyone's eyes on the ceremony, Tara can make some preparations.

"Yes, just yesterday. The Nukura patriarch refined some pills to restore their states. They've already left for their home in the capital." The teacher relays.

"Alright, good! I'll just see them there and meet the patriarch in person. Thank you, teacher, for giving this to me!" Tara gives a small bow, which the teacher returns the gesture before leaving.

"You've made great strides lately, Tara. I'm proud of you." Msireta praises echo into her mind as Tara heads to Beiling's office.

"Thanks. I feel really good right now! Taking the time to center myself and slow down has really shown off. I could probably clear the Eight Swords of Death right now!"

"Without us?" A voice chimes in groggily from Tara's heart space.

"It seems, dear sister, she has advanced while we were resting." Another voice comments with a yawn.

Tara stops walking as she recognizes those voices! "Oorun, Wolyung! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a carriage and then stretched out to dry." Oorun mumbles as she gives a big stretch before changing into human form. Her joints all crackled with thunder from disuse, as she cracks her neck and knuckles.

Wolyung blinks around within the mind space, sniffing around a bit as a Tiger. Tara's entire energy signature is very off to her astute senses. "Just what have you done since defeating that gray monstrosity? And who is this!"

Changing into human form as well, Wolyung arrives in step with Oorun before Msireta, who has her appearance like a two colored Tara.

"I am Misreta, Tara's Soul Guardian. After you fell into hibernation, Tara had some encounters before we met. There was a resonance between us and so I became a part of your pack." Msireta says unflinchingly in their presence within Tara's spirit space.

Tara's recent phenomena both awakened the young Zolani but baptized them with the unique energies. The two didn't notice they were giving off extremely pure and powerful presences. Even Msireta, despite her age and experience, feels daunted. Any actual attention for a while and Oorun might turn it into Impinge while Wolyung might wield Intent long before she should.

"Good to have you. Thank you for looking after Tara while we rested," Oorun gives a toothy grin and a firm handshake. Wolyung gives a deep curtsy in respect as Msireta is their senior.

Msireta slowly guides the trio now away from Tara's conscious thoughts. That way Tara will not be bogged down by the conversation as the duo is given an update on the various changes. Tara quickly makes her way to her teacher's office, finding tea already brewed.

Beiling's eyes flash white upon seeing her suit after almost two weeks. Tara's presence can't hide from a Navel Enshrouding figure. "You've made some great accomplishments in such a short time. Truly, you're such a little monster."

Tara blushes at the affection in Beiling's tone, taking a cup of tea. "I've only gained what I have with the guidance of you and others."

Tara spoke the truth. Without the Beiling, the starry woman, Msireta, and her family she wouldn't be nearly as strong as she is. Their lessons and teachings were also great opportunities and fortuitous encounters.

"Would you care to share but you gained recently to cause such a change in your presence. I'm especially curious about how you defeated the Nukura twins in two moves?" Beiling asks somewhat expectantly. Tara had already thought of how to answer such a question on the walk over.

Displaying that she has achieved Elemental Raiment with the Light Element, Tara then says she considered doing the same with just physical energy. This led to explosive use of just her body instead of relying on aura. It was after this usage that her previous enlightenment gifted a basic energy gathering array, which Tara used to accelerate her body to its current presence.

It was not that Tara wanted to lie or distrusted her, and more so she was concerned Beiling wouldn't understand about the Nodes. It was clearly not a human technique, but that of the Animus and Zolani. Her status as an Animus was still something Tara kept close to her chest though she's certain her teacher knows and does not care.

And while she has some more comprehension of the Nodes than before, it's not enough to share with others. Especially with the strangeness surrounding her Mindful Dark Node and Lunar energy. Instead Tara wants to see if she can help her teacher advance in the Navel Enshrouding stage.

"Teacher, if I may?" Tara holds out a hand. Beiling without a hint of worry takes her student's hand. Tara sends all of her current stock of Solar Ember Wisp towards Beiling's stomach.

In a moment, the rush of power vitalizes the already existing wind and aural energies surrounding her stomach. As if breaking glass, Beiling's stomach is coated completely with wind and aural energy. A burst of air explodes forth from Beiling's body and throughout the entire Academy and hundreds of kilometers away. Even the air in the Wind Chamber stills as if honoring the arrival of someone great.

The wind dissipates as quickly as it arrived. Not a single item or piece of clothing is out of place, a testament to Beiling's even control before this breakthrough. The phthalo green fades as Beiling stares at her student with awe, wonder, and trepidation. Tara for her part actually looks tired. While it won't take long for her to recover, using all the Solar Ember Wisps has drained her body. It seems that her new energy isn't without consequences.

"Thank you, Tara." Beiling says. There is so much she would like to ask her first student, but knows what happened was best kept another secret. Tara would tell her in time, eventually.

"It's the least I could do. Actually, would you like for me to share the array?" Tara asks. to which Beiling rejects with a shake of her head.

"Share that with your family. Now that I've reached the peak of Navel Enshrouding, the Sect will send a few of their Arraylists for installation around the campus. It's a matter of celebration, so they'll focus on increasing our resources for sometime." Beiling admits.

In the same way the creation of a new Arraylist was a sign of a power's rise, each peak Navel Enshrouding aurator meant an increase in their legacy and longevity. Peak Eye Illuminating or Navel Enshrouding had a lifespan of 1000 years. Beiling herself had only recently crossed 150!

"I was planning on returning home anyway, I had something I'd like to do." Tara admits. This was the reason she came to visit her teacher. To use the teleportation array and go home, then ask for two halls for Solar and Lunar users to be built. Tara does so, bowing once more before heading to the Hufang Mountains. Beiling calls her Master over to inform him of the news and he's ecstatic while on his way.

Upon arrival, Tara finds her parents and sister, grandmother, and her aunts with their daughter are all away from home. They headed to the capital once the news was announced for the ceremony. Tara goes to greet the other Elders of the family who can implement her idea.

Originally some of the Elders disliked Tara due to being the Matriarch's favorite. None of their grandchildren had a chance in the spotlight, Neijin who's grandfather was Elder Jin. That changed after Tara became a member of Dark Saber and then when she was conferred the title as a squire after rescuing royalty.

Tara demonstrates each array's capabilities after taking the time to draw them out. It takes more time to do it without her clones, but as more time passes and the more complicated each array becomes, the more willing the Elders become.

The Twin Sphere Conversion technique is what let them become a new noble family. The power of such an array to further that even half of such transcendental technique was something the Kingdom would go to war for. And now Tara is simply asking for twin circulation halls where such diagrams are drawn all over in individual rooms--though she had even suggested carving large scale versions into the very mountains of their home.

"That would take a long time and would not be so easy to hide as the training halls. But the idea will definitely be thought upon and explored once the Matriarch returns. We will begin the process and once at least the basics are complete, you will be contacted on how to instruct the family's inscriptionists." One of the Elders answers her dream calmly, though their eyes betray excitement at the prospect.

Night has fallen as Tara returns to the Academy. Tara heads to her room instead of the Chambers. It's only now she realizes she could use the rest. Then she can gauge the effects of the Demonic Slumbering Moon Array etched into her mind while seeing what entering the Sleepscape means.

The moment her head touches the pillow, her surroundings change. Instead she finds herself on a three tiled stone floor. Each tile goes black, then pink, then burgundy. There are three distinct areas off in the distance. The center has a bridge connecting to a sole isle overlooking a lake full of burgundy water. The left looks like a training ground with white sand for floor and a small sparring arena cordoned off by a stygian blue rope division. The last is a circulation hall made of lilac, amber, and turquoise.

On the isle, Tara can see Wolyung practicing the initial stages of Riversword Blade Play with the Lunar Body Arts. Beside her is the Mindful Dark Clone in perfect sync with every motion as they guide Wolyung. Oorun and the Cluster Soma Clone are going fully duking it out within the fighting arena. Oorun looks pumped to have someone who won't break so easily when she goes all out! Both aren't holding back their strength and Skills, Tara feeling the clash of energies even from far away.