Chapter Twelve

One thing had become glaringly obvious to Aster. Having a new body did not mean that he was magically in shape. After a dozen hours of walking, Aster nearly collapsed from exhaustion. He unpacked the small bag he carried, nibbled on a couple of tasteless pieces of bread, and promptly laid down with the quilt he had been given.

He had been told by Shevron not to make a fire as it could attract animals and beasts, but Aster wasn't even sure how he would have gone about that. The tundra was devoid of fauna, and there was absolutely nothing he could see to use to start a fire.

His entire body ached, the ground was cold beneath him, but he had managed a couple hours of sleep. It wasn't restful. Every sound made him twitch, eyes darting open at smallest hint of a threat.

Aster had packed up his camp and set out once more long before the sun rose.

Despite the difficult night he had just survived, the hardest task was still in front of him. 

3231. 3232. 3332. 3333... Shit.

Aster lost count of the rocks he had passed.

-

"HEAL!" Aster exclaimed with his arm outstretched.

"Levio... Sa?" He announced in an uppity voice while swinging his arms.

"aaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He shouted with both hands forming a triangle.

Aster exhaled deeply. He had been at this for a couple of hours and made absolutely no progress, other than feeling like a total fool. Aster was thankful that, at the very least, there was no one who could see him fumbling around like an idiot.

-

Aster's younger brother Louis giggled while staring at a small screen.

"Lou! It's not nice to laugh at people, especially not your brother. He is going through a lot right now..." His mother scolded him, while she herself stifled a small smile.

"What..." he said in a dejected voice, "I thought that Astie was joking. Am I not allowed to laugh at jokes?" He pouted.

"He's... trying his best, sweetie." 

-

Aster walked in silence with his hands clasped together. He took slow deep breaths as he walked, almost in a trance. 

He was meditating. Well at least, he was trying to. 

Focusing inwards, feeling your inner Ki, feeling the magic in the environment around you. He was trying them all, anything possible to get a feeling for the power that should have been forming inside him at this very moment.

Frustration welled, but he continued his silent pace, praying that he would feel anything at all.

-

> [STATUS]

- Name: `Aer`

- Title: `None`

- Account Tier: `Iron`

- Outstanding balance: `$23,500,000`

- Path: `Support (Pending)`

- Echelon: `Pathless`

- Feats Completed: `None`

- Stats:

 `Constitution: 11` 

 `Stamina: 9` 

 `Strength: 9` 

 `Dexterity: 8` 

 `Intelligence: 7` 

 `Mana: 2` 

- Abilities: 

 `None`

- Items: `

 `White Buttoned Shirt (Common)`

 `Black Pants (Common)`

 `Black Boots (Common)`

 `Burnt Quilt (Common, Unique)`

 `Provision Bag, 68% Available (Common)`

- Quests: 

 `Supplies for Harboridge (Unique)`

Aster looked over his status from his bedroll, the stars shining brightly above him. He had hoped that his aimless training would have led to even the slightest change, but the status still read the same, other than the provision bag's slow descent toward zero.

He sighed and dismissed it, staring at the quiet night sky above him.

Colorful nebulas swirled in mystifying patterns, sprinkled with shining stars beyond count. It was foreign to him, and most others from earth. Rampant industrialization and light pollution had long left the stars inscrutable back home.

Its beauty left an ache in his heart. It was the kind of sight that was meant to be shared, his mind wandered to his family.

I hope they're alright.

He stifled down a myriad of emotions, if he wanted to stay standing tomorrow, he needed sleep.

-

He continued the next day with his meditation walking. Not because he felt that he was accomplishing anything, rather, he found himself enjoying it. Time seemed to bend in weird ways as he focused inwards, and for short periods he was able to forget his aching muscles.

-

A small chime played within Aster's head as a small message appeared before him.

> [NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED: MEDITATION]

After three days of walking, he had finally accomplished something. He stopped walking almost instantly, his fingers shook with giddy excitement, and a wide smile was plastered across his face.

Without hesitation, he opened up his status.

- Abilities:

 └ `Meditation`

 └ `Attributes: Active, Basic, Non-combat`

 └ `Mastery: Unlearned (0%)`

 └ `Description: It seems that there is more to oneself than meets the eye. You have chosen quiet introspection as a path to understanding. Who knows what you will discover?`

As he read through the ability, his wide smile faded to a slight grin, punctuated by a soft sigh.

That's pretty... Barebones? He thought to himself. It wasn't that the ability itself was bad, more so.

This is just telling me what I already know. The unlearned mastery was the worst part, as if the skill was mocking him for his failure.

Despite this, Aster couldn't seem to wipe that stupid grin off his face. Even if this was the smallest step he could take towards achieving his goals, he had finally done it, he had taken his first step, and this notification only served as proof of that.

He read through the description again. Rather than a simple description of what meditation is, it almost seemed like a guide, pushing him in the direction he needed to go.

Most importantly of all, this allowed him to ascertain information about how his status worked.

It seems like abilities are not something that I obtain through leveling up, but rather serve to describe, organize, and guide the skills that I learn myself.

If that was the case, Aster found it rather unlikely that he would be getting magical stat increases throughout his journey either. 

It seems like I have a lot of training ahead of me. Aster sighed, an acknowledgment of the work to come. 

With that, he continued his meditation as he walked. He had plenty of time to worry about the future later, for now, he had a quest to complete.

-

Six gnarled hooves trod lightly upon the frozen soil, accompanied by the slightest wheeze. This was the beast's last chance, so it followed with caution.

There was no such thing as a free meal in this tundra.