Chapter 10 – Manipulation

“Relax. There’s no need to panic. I just need to see what we’re working with here.”

Vanessa’s voice was soft as her essence bolted through Sal’s body. It was nothing like the gentle stream that came through from Lucia in the Skill class. Sal couldn’t help but freak out at the sudden sensation. He was still reeling from the revelation that she was a Controller type with a Body Manipulation ability, and it crossed his mind that maybe her stunning appearance was something she created herself with her power.

As he tried to get control of his breathing, Sal attempted to ignore the rush of essence, but it was too overpowering. Was this what the Crafters felt when he unknotted their skills? Divinity hadn’t made any sort of reaction, so he doubted it was the case.

Vanessa’s eyes hadn’t yet reverted to their natural green, and instead kept his silver color. He never realized how piercing they could look and wondered whether others saw him the same way.

Just as Sal was going to ask what she was doing, his essence reacted to Vanessa’s. It was a lurching feeling that he didn’t enjoy, almost like he was a puppet being manipulated by an unseen force. The visualization he had created that pulled a string of essence around the gates was absolutely nothing compared to what he was feeling right now.

The hairs on his arms raised on end as a cold shiver swept across his body. Sal couldn’t quite describe the sensation, but it was like all the energy from around his body converged on a single point in his chest. He started to sweat as his temperature rose sharply. Whatever Vanessa was doing was having a drastic effect on him physically, and he didn’t feel comfortable in the slightest.

With a slight frown, Vanessa let a small sigh escape from her lips. “We’re not working with much, Sal. Your core looks like it was reset recently, so it’s slowly rebuilding itself. It’s a wonder you can use your abilities with this level of internal essence.”

Her expression grew thoughtful as her brow furrowed.

A moment or two later, his essence formed into a concentrated ball in his chest. His limbs went numb and his head throbbed. It was like everything he had was thrumming powerfully in his chest at the expense of the rest of his body.

A smirk crossed Vanessa’s face as she glanced at Sal. “It’s not much, but it should be a decent start.”

Sal panicked, thinking that she was going to leave him feeling like this. He wouldn’t be able to take two steps before collapsing at this rate, and he felt like he had regressed. He wanted to put it into words, but he could barely control his mouth. Everything felt wrong to him, and it was genuinely terrifying.

“Get ready.” Vanessa’s irises turned crimson.

Sal didn’t know what she was talking about and couldn’t find the strength or capability to ask her.

Vanessa glanced at Sal and laughed. “Sorry, it’s going to feel worse before it feels better. It’s your body doing the work, and it’s going to punish you for it.”

The moment the words left her mouth, the concentrated essence shifted in Sal’s chest. It was enough to make him gasp in a mixture of pain and…relief? He tried to ignore the bombardment of warning signals his senses were sending him.

Pain washed through every single one of his joints, but he tried to focus on what was happening in his chest. With a sheer force of will, Sal closed his eyes and attempted to sense his essence to see what was happening. He picked the worst time to check as the concentrated essence shifted again, sending another wave of agony through him.

It felt closer to torture than anything else, and Sal genuinely wondered what he had done to Vanessa to warrant this level of punishment.

“Three…two…one…” Vanessa counted down happily as the essence shifted again to a new location.

Sal was met with a moment of reprieve as a pleasant pulse of essence washed through him. The pain that followed, just like before, was suddenly a little clearer to him. The concentrated essence pulled the relief away and became slightly more refined.

Sal’s eyes shot open as he looked at Vanessa in shock. Realization had finally hit him, and her knowing smile confirmed it.

“We’ve passed three gates in under a minute. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, so you better buckle up. I can see how much your body can take, so focus on not dying and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Sal’s blood ran cold at the mention of dying, but the smile on Vanessa’s face was confident. He wanted to trust in her and believe her, but the pain shooting through his body made him hate her more than anyone he’d ever encountered.

When the next pulse of relief came through, Sal regained some of the sensations in his body for a moment. The dampness on his cheeks told him that he had been crying at some point during the process, but the feeling ripped away a second later as the concentrated essence found a new gate to target. He wanted to count how many they’d gone through, and created excuses to Vanessa so they’d stop at a certain number.

When the next lurch of pain rattled through his body, Sal fell to his knees with a strained gasp. Vanessa took a step closer, still holding his hand and watching him with those red eyes. He was sure that it was a sign that they needed to stop, but it seemed Vanessa had no intention of stopping.

Sal’s vision was blurry, and he could barely make out the details of the room. It felt like his mind was navigating through an impenetrable fog, stumbling constantly as it failed to recognize shapes in the room.

The only thing anchoring him to the moment was Vanessa’s grip on his hand and the vague blur of her heels that he kept his eyes on. Some small part of his brain told him that he’d fall unconscious if he closed his eyes.

“Three…two…one…” Vanessa’s voice was muffled and seemed deeper in pitch.

Sal tried to hear what she was saying, but the fog was too much. A dull ache in his neck prevented him from raising his head. His limbs were like lead, weighing him down and keeping him from moving.

The only sensation that told him that he was still alive was the burning pain that pulsated from his chest. Sal couldn’t do anything more than focus on his breathing, making each inhalation deliberate and counting the seconds before exhaling. He did this for close to a minute as he pushed away the fear that the little burst of relief wasn’t going to arrive.

Ever since he’d been knocked unconscious by the shirt he made, he’d been scared of losing control of his body. Even though it would be so simple to give in to the exhaustion and pain, he persevered and held on.

Vanessa said she knew how much his body could take and he wanted to trust her. As the tears flowed freely down his cheeks, Sal fought against the fears in his mind that this was a trap. That he’d somehow been betrayed.

A burst of clarity rushed through Sal’s head as his vision cleared. He blinked a few times and saw Vanessa crouched in front of him with a grin.

“I’m redistributing the essence so you can hear me. We’ve made good progress, but I want to warn you that the next part will be even more painful. I can stop now, or…we can get this over with and have you at the top of your Skill class. It’s up to you.”

Sal wanted more than anything to stop right there, but Vanessa’s smirk was challenging him. He had never endured pain like this, and every fiber of his being told him to tap out and call it quits for the day.

Logic told him that he could do this gradually and that he wasn’t expected to be extraordinary overnight. His body was practically begging him to stop, but that damned smirk caused havoc in his mind. He didn’t want to lose face in front of her. She knew that his body was weak and she’d seen him crumpled at her feet, but she wasn’t asking about his body…she was asking about his resilience.

Sal knew that she respected his abilities as a Mythcrafter and as an Appraiser, but he wanted her to respect him as a person. With a wince and an inward curse, Sal nodded and answered in an audible rasp. “Keep going. I can take it.”

Vanessa’s bright smile was enough to tighten his chest, and Sal was happy that he had found the strength to make the choice. He was going to add the caveat that she should be gentle, but barely a moment passed before all clarity left his head as the essence was siphoned off from every available part of his body.

Sal gritted his teeth as the process continued. The new level of excruciating pain made him regret his choice instantly, but he kept his resolve. He thought of Divinity, who was currently training her essence control, and how much time and effort she had put in to be the best she could be.

Sal didn’t want to coast through the academy, just relying on his abilities. He knew that his mental fortitude was lacking, especially with how he was avoiding outings and confronting demons.

Maybe it was the guilt of his cowardice that resolved him to endure the hellish procedure with Vanessa. Maybe he wanted to impress her.

All he knew for certain was that this was something he needed to do, to finally earn something himself, through hard work and pain. There was no trump card or ability to make this easy…no piece of equipment to rely on. His capability to handle the grueling ordeal would lead the way to true progression.

The concentrated essence was no longer moving gradually from gate to gate. It was surging through points in his body and breaking through them. Just like how he had tried on his first day of Skill class, which resulted in failure.

With Vanessa’s guidance and using everything available in his body, she blitzed through each point like a train piercing through barriers at full speed. Just controlling his breath had turned into a challenge, and Sal persevered as well as he could.

The momentary blips of relief had long evaporated as Vanessa stormed his body with ruthless efficiency. Her grip on his wrist was initially reassuring, but now it was like an immovable clamp that had likely shattered bone.

Looking forward, Sal tried to see Vanessa’s face, but all he could make out were the two red irises that practically bored into his soul. He finally understood why Villa’s terrifying aura didn’t have any effect on Vanessa. She was far too powerful to be fucked with.

When a sudden laugh washed through the haze, Sal realized that he had spoken that last part out loud. A warm hand cupped his chin and cheek, and it took him far too long to realize that it was Vanessa’s. He still couldn’t make out her expression as he fought to maintain some semblance of control, but he guessed she was smiling at him, if the laugh was anything to go from.

A few hums of words came through, but they were sounds that he couldn’t interpret. The hand slipped from his face to grasp his neck and shoulder, steadying him as he swayed. It felt nice and reassuring, and Sal thought it was probably a sign that they were finishing up.

That was when the worst pain he could have ever possibly imagined struck him. The hand that gripped his shoulder was also navigating his essence, and the added direction was beyond torturous.

A guttural growl left his body as Sal suffered through the onslaught. He couldn’t feel the essence moving anymore; it was an infinite sensation of burning up from within. At least, that’s what he thought…until the essence shifted upward and filled his skull with burning-hot needles, poking him through the eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.

Nothing was worth this. Nothing could ever be worth something like this. Sal couldn’t breathe, think, see, or hear. It was an unstoppable light that was going to make his head explode. It was like his eyes and nose were leaking blood as he felt Vanessa’s essence forcing him to breathe.

Both of her hands cupped his face, and Sal didn’t know when his wrist had been freed. He didn’t know anything other than pain. He wondered whether he’d ever feel anything else.

If Sal had retained any ability to speak, he would have told Vanessa to stop. He would have begged her. Done anything to make it end. There was no telling how much time had passed, and Sal felt as though he had been banished to exist in a purgatory that only delivered pain.

Barry’s illusion of emptiness had previously been Sal’s standard of absolute fear. Now, he knew so much better. Vanessa’s ability was the most terrifying thing in existence, and he had stupidly signed up for it. No amount of progression was worth this sacrifice of sanity. Just then, at the point where Sal had cursed Vanessa for the thousandth time with the limited fragments of his mind, it stopped.

Sal blinked in shock as he looked at Vanessa. She was still blurry, and he had to wipe the tears away with his hands. He didn’t see any blood on his fingers and was delighted that his fears weren’t confirmed. When his eyes met Vanessa’s, she still had those terrifying crimson irises locked onto him, but also a triumphant grin.

“So, do you still hate me?”