The wall is a called wall for several reasons.

  For all Awakened it requires a significant concentration of Energy. This can be achieved with time by anyone willing to put in the effort so is often overlooked.

  It also requires introspection, an understanding of self and how they, or their Energy, shape the world around them. This is much easier for some than for others for the answers range from elemental in nature through to philosophical musings.

  Finally for Combat Path Awakened the wall represents a hurdle that cannot be crossed by skill and strength alone. The 10th level Depths are beyond any 9th level Awakened. The danger is clear and present, a group might overcome a lone Depthsborn, but to find one alone is far rarer than spontaneous adult Awakening.

  ~ * ~

  Level 8 came and went without a farewell dinner. Every time someone brought it up one of them found an excuse to delay it, to put it off until the visit after next. They didn't have the right clothes for such an occasion, or the restaurant they wanted didn't have a table available on the day they had planned, or Fay had set up another double date. The reasons weren't important, the time spent together was.

  They all knew they could have moved their dinner by a day or two and gotten a table, they all had new outfits ready for the occasion. Even Fay's double dates were more an excuse than anything, they were never as bad as Claire, not even close enough for a comparison, but they always seemed to fall flat.

  "Sue seemed nice," Anya said as they ate breakfast. They'd headed straight to bed the night before, dinner had run late.

  "She was…" Fay said before sighing. "She just wasn't right."

  "You keep saying that."

  "Because none of them are."

  Anya nodded in understanding. The last few dates had seemed decent, they made Fay laugh, they didn't call her Phel, at least not more than once, they weren't completely self-absorbed. But Fay wanted something else.

  "I think we need to have that dinner," Seb said.

  "No. I have a date that night," Fay said.

  "I didn't say which night," he answered. "You're the one who said we needed to."

  "I know."

  "Next visit?" Anya suggested.

  Fay nodded silently as she sipped her coffee.

  ~ * ~

  The next two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Fighting creatures only one level stronger rather than two let them race through caverns faster than ever. Anya found herself more and more at ease drawing the focus of the goblins so that Seb could strike where he'd have the greatest impact.

  They encountered more screamers, their term for the ones that somehow enraged everything in the cavern and turned a controlled fight into a frenzy. They met them and learned to resist, to keep the fight on their terms. They were burnt, chilled, even left feeling ill on a regular basis. They stumbled and slowed, lost sight of their foes. Anya came to rely more and more on Seb's aura to supplement or even replace her vision. She couldn't see them the way he could, the way he was finally able to share mid combat without leaving either either of them with a migraine. But she could tell where the threats were, she could feel them creeping up on her to attack, recognize the feel of a projectile flying through the air.

  Anya startled as she felt the slightest flicker of energy against her cheek. Turning she saw Seb grinning at her from across the cave.

  Hey! she sent.

  You were lost in thought. I finished packing, he sent back. Fay's going to be waiting.

  Looking around she realized she had been distracted. Their basic camp was completely clean, everything ready for them to carry back to the Staging point.

  How did you-

  Flick you? he finished. I imagined that basic Energy technique you first taught me manifesting next to you.

  That's not how it works, she sent back. Energy can only be manifested within your touch.

  And yet I flicked you.

  She frowned, he was wrong but he was also right. Why was it he could, once again, do something impossible? If he was able to-

  That was as strong as I could, he sent. I had to try almost a dozen times before it was strong enough for you to feel.

  Grabbing her portion of the gear she stepped past him and onto the trail home.

  Seb, she sent. You know what this is, right?

  Bullshit?

  Bullshit, she agreed with a smile.

  ~ * ~

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Seb sped up ever so slightly as they got to the restaurant door so that he could open it. Fay stepped in first, her face lighting up with a faint smile as she looked around. She'd gone with a dress nearly identical to the one she'd worn for her first date, elegant and sure to catch the eye without flaunting anything. Anya followed on her heels, making a point to brush against him despite the space.

  Eyes on me, she sent with just a hint of playful warmth.

  Always, he answered before letting his appreciation flow through the band.

  Once again she'd stolen his attention from the moment she came down the stairs. It wasn't the same dress as the one she'd worn the day after their first visit here, the one that he'd never be able to forget. It was similar though, emphasizing her delicate features and making her his focus every time she drew his eyes. He knew she'd made a point to not upstage Fay, to ensure they would both stand out equally, yet in his mind there was no comparison.

  She'd made him wear a suit, picked it out in the story and told him that it would set her look off perfectly. He was happy not to have to make the choice, and if her thoughts when she'd seen him were any indication, let alone when she saw them in the mirror, then she was more than satisfied with her choice.

  Their table was the best in the house, or at least the one best suited for them. A corner booth small enough for privacy and friendly intimacy, as well as views both into the kitchen and across the floor. The service prompt without being intrusive, the food delicious as ever.

  "He what!?" Fay asked

  "Flicked me from across the cave," Anya said. "Energy manifestation right next to me."

  "But that's-"

  "Impossible?" Anya said. "I said that too."

  "Anya," Seb said. "You've told me it feels like everything is touching you inside the aura, almost like it contacts your skin but doesn't"

  "Yes."

  "If you can feel it like your skin-" he began.

  "-then you can manifest there," Fay interrupted before covering her mouth when she nearly squeaked. "Sorry."

  Seb could feel Anya's amusement and knew that squeak would be ammunition in more than one of their future discussions that turned into teasing.

  The discussion slowed as the main course arrived. By habit they limited their band communication when out with Fay, tonight they only held the band for the emotional proximity, the awareness of one another that transcended any words. It might not have been fair to Fay, to keep that slight bit of closeness when the night was meant to be for the three of them, but their bond already left her separate.

  They talked of this and that, of their plans for the next months, of what Fay would need to do if she had to buy more coffee or wanted to go out for dinner on her own in the Shallows. Anya shared her memories of their first visit to this restaurant, how she'd insisted on paying after he bought her dresses. Seb admitted he couldn't remember what they ate, or even the details of their conversation, only that they were one of the last couples to leave despite arriving for an early dinner. Fay smiled and dug for details, teasing them both on their horrible memories of such an important night.

  "I remember the night," he said. "I remember Anya. I know I ate, I know we talked. I know we didn't have nearly as good a seat and that we both went for the simplest dishes."

  "I remember they had good dessert," Anya added. "We came back because of the desserts. I remember worrying whether you'd like the dress, whether I was being silly."

  "You weren't," he said. "I was stubborn and clueless."

  Fay laughed, drawing them both out of their publicly private moment.

  "Sorry, we-"

  "-got caught up-"

  "Again," she finished for them both, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

  ~ * ~

  Fay paused at the foot of the stairs and turned. Seb and Anya were a few feet behind her, the door to their home still swinging shut behind them. The night had been wonderful. They might forget the food but she wouldn't. They might forget the conversation, but she'd remember every word.

  They'd ignored the band, she'd gotten to hear the words they normally kept private. No doubt they'd have said more if they'd been using the band, or said something that left them both embarrassed and trying to pretend, for her sake she was sure, that they hadn't just started verbally tickling one another.

  She knew, not from experience but from accounts, just how intense band communication could be when you had a pair bond. She knew, from direct observation, just how strong their bond already was, how quickly it was growing. She knew they never meant any harm when they slipped, that they weren't excluding her by choice, that they simply spoke in the way most natural to them.

  For them to have spoken aloud, to have included her, to have made sure to be part of this night, this dinner, meant more than she felt she could put into words.

  "Thank you," she said. "For tonight."

  "Fay," Anya began.

  "No," she answered. "You could have slipped into band. The night could have been about all of us, but still partially about you. You didn't."

  "We don't mean to," Seb said.

  "I know. And I don't mind. I really don't," she emphasized when Anya went to say something.

  "I'm going to miss you both," she continued, trying to stay calm. "I know I told you that isolation was your best and fastest way to find the answer, to get there and be able to reach level 10 as soon as possible."

  She saw Anya take a step towards her and moved to meet her. She wasn't crying, she wasn't breaking down, but her eyes were damp. She pulled herself into Anya's hug, holding her even as she spoke.

  "Be careful. Don't be stupid."

  "We won't." She heard Seb say right as she felt his arms wrap around them both.

  "You told us nine months ago this was best," he added. "We've spent the last four planning everything, making sure there would be no surprises."

  "I lost my family," she said and felt them both tense. "No, that's not true. I left my family. I left because I wanted to learn, to research, to grow."

  "Fay," Anya said. "We didn't know."

  "Family came first, family had to come first. That's what they said, what they wanted."

  "You don't have to talk about-" Seb began before she cut him off.

  "I lost that family, I lost them," she repeated. "I became Seer Feh-lan. With you I'm Fay again."

  They said nothing, they held her and said nothing. She started to tense in fear, to panic when they stayed silent. She'd just told them how she left, why she left. She might not have told them what she lost, who she left behind, what life had been like, but she'd-

  She felt Energy brush against her thoughts, awkward and hesitant. She knew the feel of a band connection, she'd been taught how to create one. But they had their band? She felt the connection establish and her eyes widened despite seeing nothing but Anya's arm.

  We're-

  here.

  She could feel the differences, the intense fluctuation that was Anya and the flowing consideration that was Seb. She could feel their acceptance of her, their care for her.

  How?

  Group band, Seb sent. You mentioned it when you explained our gifts. I found the pattern.

  He never used it, never had a reason or chance, Anya sent, a mixture of pride, frustration and a hint of an emotion quickly suppressed.

  Sorry, she added very quickly. This might not be the best idea.

  Fay could feel Seb's amusement before she felt his laughter. She felt him dissolving the bond, separating them once more even as more emotions started to leak through.

  Thank you, she sent along with the depths of her appreciation, hoping they would catch it all.

  "You're welcome Fay," Anya sent before she and Seb stepped back. "We won't vanish without saying goodbye, but I think we need to go spar a bit before we sleep."

  Fay blushed, she had no doubts in her mind what the sparring would likely turn into, not with the hints she'd felt as the band broke apart.

  "I'll make sure there's coffee ready in the morning," she said as she watched them slip into the Holding below.

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