Kian Goldmaul POV

  It’s been a year since the sparring has started. My hands are rougher now—at least for a five-year-old’s.

  I could easily beat the version of myself from a year ago. Well, in skill-wise.

  But after all this time, I still haven’t managed to land a single hit on the doll. Not even once.

  Today’s different. I’m attempting my second core filter—the one that should push me into White Core.

  I already told Father about it. He said he’d be watching, making sure nothing goes wrong. And then he added, voice quieter than usual, that I’m the first person ever to try a second filter at age five.

  In fact, the youngest person to even form their first filter—the Gray Core—was also five… the same age as me.

  We’re in the backyard. The only difference from usual is the padded seat sitting in the middle of the grass.

  I sit down. Father, Mother, and even Niko are standing in front of me, watching.

  Father holds a device about the size of a modern phone, with a thin cable sticking out from the bottom.

  “Alright, Kian,” he says, “put this in your mouth.” He hands me the end of the cable. It’s shaped like a whistle—smooth, cool, slightly heavy.

  I put it between my teeth.

  He watches me for a second, then presses the screen. A few seconds later, he nods and hands the device to Mother. He picks up a small plug and gently inserts it into my nose.

  “Alright, you can start. Breathe in and out through erm… the thing in your mouth.”

  I nod. The nose plugs press against my nasal passages, slightly uncomfortable.

  I close my eyes and breathe in and out. No sound comes from it as I breathe out.

  I started creating the second filter carefully, using the same process as the first—only the principle was different. It took longer this time. Fifteen minutes stretched like an hour. But I finished.

  I opened my eyes and looked at my parents and Niko.

  Father nodded slightly, his eyes lifting from the device. He murmured something too quiet for me to hear—more to himself than to me.

  “…The youngest with a White Core, huh.”

  Then, louder, with a warm smile: “Well done, Kian. Congratulations on your second filter.” He leaned forward. “And don’t worry—everything’s clean. Perfectly stable.”

  Mother spoke next. “Since you’ve finished, let’s have a celebration.” She turned to Niko. “Mr. Niko, you’ll join us too.”

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  Niko tried to decline—once, twice—out of politeness. But Mother insisted, and he finally bowed his head in agreement.

  Father went home first, heading straight to his office. I emptied my core in the courtyard, then went into the home and sat in the living room, tired but relaxed.

  A few minutes later, he came in and sat beside me and Niko.

  “Kian,” he began, and his hand rested gently on my head. “Don’t rush to make a third filter anytime soon.”

  He paused for a few seconds, choosing his words.

  “Your body isn’t developed enough to handle it safely. I know you’ve heard the words undeveloped, not ready, too young a lot during training. It can’t be helped. That’s just how biology works.”

  Another pause. His voice softened.

  “Even after thousands of years of evolution—from the original Zero-Point Humans to us—there are still natural limits above us that we have to follow.”

  He looked at me.

  “So wait. At least until you’re twelve. That’s the earliest age it’s safe to use advanced Omnishape techniques or expand your core. It’s also the minimum for a third filter.”

  Niko nodded from the side. “And don’t forget—your core means nothing if you don’t know how to use it. Even infinite Veythar is useless… like someone with infinite arrows and a bow, but no idea how to draw or shoot.”

  Father added, “Exactly. Veythar is just energy. Skill is what gives it purpose. So until you’re twelve—keep studying. Keep training. Master the basics. The advanced stuff will come easier later.”

  …

  …

  …

  It’s been a few days since I made the second filter.

  Now, in the courtyard, I’m ready to test The Fool’s Line at full strength I can now do.

  I can channel 0.03 Veythar, forming a lens in my eyes—three times the base requirement. Before, 0.02 was my limit. The extra 0.01 just faded into nothing. Now? It holds steady.

  At 0.01, I’m able to see lines that look like the life force of an object or person, and other lines that symbolize connections—like the faint thread that linked the training doll to Niko when he was controlling it from across the room.

  At 0.02, I’m able to see lines that predict movements with will. What I mean by “will” is it can’t predict movements of things without it—like if a rock rolls down a slope, it won’t show where it will go or where it will stop. Same with tree branches that snap—it won’t predict where they’ll fall or how they’ll land.

  I start channeling Veythar to my core. After activating The Fool’s Line, I push the flow to 0.03 points.

  After a few seconds, I see lines on everything—walls, grass, the bench, even the leaves in the air.

  I look at the bench I’m sitting on and see a single line connecting its center to one of the legs.

  I stand up and kneel down to check the joint. Right where the line ends, the wood is slightly cracked—dry, worn, barely visible unless you’re looking for it.

  ‘Does it show damage?’ I think to myself.

  I walk over to the backyard door. A new line appears, connecting the center of the door to a spot just below it—the weaker part of the frame, where the wood is thinner.

  ‘There’s no damage where it connects this time.’ I stare at it for a few more seconds, thinking.

  ‘Could it be weak points instead?’

  Then I remember a small rock in the courtyard with a small crack. I go to it, and just as I suspected, the line from its center leads straight to the crack.

  ‘It’s probably not just damage—it’s showing weak points.’ I look up at the trees nearby. ‘Even they have them, and multiple lines too, not just one.’

  I stop channeling Veythar to my eyes. ‘So first mode is life force or connections, second prediction, and third is weak points.’

  As I think about that, I start to wonder: is there a way to use all three modes at the same time?

  ‘I could try to stack the magic on top of each other, but I still don’t know how to use multiple magics at once, and my flow control is lacking.’ I sigh, frustrated but not defeated. ‘I guess I’ll wait until I get stronger.’

  Chapter end