Spritely Fellow

Hello all,

I have a small confession to make. I don't have a single clue where this story is going. I have a lot of ideas that I'm weaving into this, but for the most part it's just flowing out. If anything comes across as unclear, especially in sequences involving Mykris' power, tell me. Also I'm waiting for him to be older before he starts seeing things as an adult, so no sex for a while. Hang in there! Comments of all kinds are greatly appreciated. Thanks and enjoy.

Chapter 2

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Dreams and Meditation

It wasn't like a lucid dream where I was vaguely aware of what was happening. I was completely conscious while...unconscious. I suddenly found myself in a field of flowers and trees. A soft breeze carried the petals and scent of the flowers dancing gently through the air. The horizon curved upwards far into the sky until it came back down on the other side. It was like being on a planet turned inside out. I noticed that there were no animals, rivers, or mountains. Just trees and flowers in every direction. I sensed something move behind me, but I was far to calmed and pacified by the environment to care. I heard a gentle voice speak behind me in a familiar clear, feminine voice.

"Hello Mykris, welcome to my soul. Normally humans inhabit their own souls when they dream, but figured since I am tapping into yours I should do something to reciprocate. I suppose you have some questions but understand one thing: while the night may be long, dreams are always short as time passes faster here. We should have an hour to ourselves before daybreak." Cassandra was standing in a small clearing amidst several overly large flowers. She was sitting on a large tulip that lay one of its petals low as a footrest. Around that were slightly smaller flowers of every color and shade. The tulips deep colors served as contrast for her primarily pink and green body. It did especially well getting one to focus on the red of her eyes and the movement of her lips. She also seemed noticeably firmer in constitution here with a better mesh of flowers and leaves.

I started completely pouring out the questions I had been holding in. "What are you beyond just a sprite? I mean where did you come from?" Man, leave it to young me to bring in the creative touch. Still these were important questions. "I understand you said you were a sprite, but what does that mean for other woods? Are sprites just in the woods? What else do they inhabit? Why can I see the energy in stuff now? What is this new pow-"

"TAKE A BREATH! I realize you had questions, but this is ridiculous. Well, I did say I would answer ALL your questions I suppose... Let me answer them one at a time then. I am nothing beyond a sprite. A sprite is merely the product of large amounts of the same energies coming together. Some have come into being through newer energies in the world, although the natural and society sprites are thought o have been around since the beginnings. Before you ask, no I was not there from the beginning. I was a born from the final sapling being brought to those woods. I remember vaguely the forest I came from and its sprite, but nothing substantial. All sprites are born with a basic understanding of the world similar to animal instinct" She had a focused expression as if trying to recall these memories.

Cassandra then took a more serious tone of voice and she looked me dead in the eyes. "As for your newfound abilities, you have awakened your ability to manipulate and augment your soul. That particular ability is entirely new to me and the other sprites nearby knew nothing of it. While most magic users tap into their soul for energy to manipulate the world, they have never been able to shift and push the soul in the ways you do. The most I've heard of one doing was using their soul's nature to bend the elements to their will or having a passive effect on their environment. Your sight comes from the manipulation of your soul into your senses. As a result you are able to interact and see the energies of the world and the sprites they inhabit. Beyond that I do not know." She seemed weary after her explanation.

I closed my eyes and began to speak. "So let me get this straight: I am able to mess around with my soul by moving it and pulling in other energy. The energy I pull in can be incorporated by me into my soul. Did my soul change when you put the sapling on it and linked to me? Also what was the feeding thing I did before you put your mark?" I opened my eyes and looked at her as she rose from her throne and walked up to me. A small whirlwind of petals floated up to her waist as she walked.

"Normally a sprite remains unseen because it does not have enough energy to physically manifest. You see, if enough energy from the soul is poured into a space, it becomes material. This was always my form, but until I got the energy from you I was unable to appear for anyone to see. In rare cases, such as the ocean and the sun, sprites have been able to manifest by themselves. These were the old gods humans worshipped. Some of the smaller ones required sacrifice to keep going or people funneling their energy through prayer to grow in power. This only accounts for a very small amount of sprites however. A vast majority remains hidden from the world and magic users don't know of them because they tap into the many other supernatural forces in the world."

She seemed to be studying me as she spoke. "You are able to see hidden sprites with your enhanced vision and let them materialize and display their true ability by feeding them power. I was only able to influence growth, but now I am capable of manipulating nature to my will. When you took in my energy you gained the power to move freely through nature, and when you absorbed me completely your soul began to change the body with a tougher skin layer and plant cells beginning to grow throughout your body. Your soul is now more in tune with the plants I represent, so you their nature might become intuitive to you. No doubt as time goes on the changes will become more evident to you."

I began to start checking my body for any leaves or bark when she noticed and added, "Do not worry about very visible changes. Your soul is still human so the changes will act more as enhancements or latent powers. I would think you would soon gain the ability to grow plants or wood from your body in a shape of your will." When I thought about potential tree superpowers instead of random wood growths I calmed down considerably. She sighed and had a tired look in those rose eyes of hers as she walked back to her throne. "It should also be noted that the entry of my energy required an entry point or focus, so if you plan to meet other sprites, buy jewelry with see-through gems to prevent body marks. You will see in the morning."

She closed her eyes and leaned back into the violet. The breeze seemed to shift to get the best angle for her. I sat down and mulled over the knowledge she had passed to me. I closed my eyes and tried meditating like my mother had taught me. Normally I was too excited to do it, but with this much on my mind I found I remained still and focused. I could feel my soul began to permeate the air around me. I opened my eyes and found my extrasight had activated unconsciously. All the thoughts I had were pushed aside when I saw Cassandra.

The flower throne was a focal point for her energy and flowed upwards in a brilliant green aura before blooming outwards into the sky like a massive ethereal tree. Each flower glowed with the color of its petals. Cassandra herself was nothing short of breathtaking. Her skin emanated an ever shifting flow of colors that dazzled the eyes as it pulsed with each breath she took. Her face had a calm, regal grace that gave her an air of intelligence and agelessness. The best part was her eyes though. The red petals were like two perfect ruby colored stars. The lights all worked in perfect concert, none overtaking the rest and all moving in a steady flow upwards into the air. I simply sat and gazed at her resting until I felt like I was fading away.

My eyes slowly creaked open and a weight was on my chest. I looked down to see a brilliant mix of warm colors I recognized as my mom's hair. She must have come in and slept on my bed when she found I was awake. I gently tried sitting up to avoid waking her, but to no avail as she stirred from sleep. When she looked at me I saw hat her eyes were red and looked like she had been crying. I was about to say something when she grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me into a hug. I could feel her body shake as she wept. I tried to say something and she just told me to be quiet. We stayed like that for a few minutes before she finally let go and stood up. She then promptly slapped me across the face.

"Don't EVER make me worry like that again. Where were you young man? You nearly gave your father and me a heart attack." She looked very flustered as she scolded me. Her face looked like it was a balance of rage and relief. She looked like a little girl with her face all scrunched up and trying not to cry. I was still reeling from the slap and took awhile to notice she was looking at me for some reason. Wait, she asked me something that I couldn't hear through the ringing in my ears. What was it?

'She asked where you have been. ', whispered Cassandra in the back of my head. 'Whether or not you tell her is up to you. Be aware that knowledge of the world's supernatural elements tends to opens one's eyes to it. In other words, she would begin to notice these things if she knows of them. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.' Did I really want to tell my mom that I turned into a tree? No, of course I didn't but I had to say something and quick.

"I was in the woods playing hide and seek..." and what did you do that took 2 months? Come on, you got this. "...and I fell down into the ravine and got lost." We have already proved creativity with words isn't my strong suit, but this is another level. The ravine isn't that big and I've been down there before. Me getting lost there would be like you getting lost in your backyard.

"Oh Mykris I told you not to play near the edge and then you go and get lost. You must have been so scared down there all alone. And you must be starving as well! You only brought a backpack full of snacks with you! I'll go make something." It would appear I underestimated the gullibility of mothers everywhere. Anyway I was off the hook as I got out of bed and stretched. I took off and kid my shirt and jeans to hide the tears and put on a new set. As I walked out the door and started for the stairs I heard a low voice.

"Boy, you can be a lot of things when you grow up, but don't become a politician cuz you can't lie to save your life. Now tell me what really happened." Right, two parents and only one has maternal instincts. I turned around to see my Dad leaning against the wall near my door with a knowing look in his eyes. "What did you try to stowaway or maybe fight off some dragons? If you did it would be our little secret!" Should probably mention that mom was the serious one in the family. I decided in a moment of male bonding to be completely honest with him. I was young and in love with my parents. Sue me.

"I ...um ...turned into a tree. I was able to do all this stuff in the forest like see through the trees and swing the branches. Then I met this sprite names Cassandra and she was super pretty. I also got new colored eyes and got to see my soul too!" I was blabbering excitingly as I recapped the events over the last two months. It felt good to finally tell someone (other than Cassandra) until I realized how silly it probably sounded. I literally just said I turned into a tree. So now it would seem I was lying again in a more outlandish way then before. Then I saw the look on his face. He had a very serious withdrawn look on his face. It reminded me of the face of soldiers in the pictures when they come back from wars. It was the face of a man who had some history with trouble and was remembering it now.

He then looked at me with a warm face and said, "Son your mom is gonna take awhile to make breakfast. Come with me to meditate. Afterwards I have something to tell you, man to man." He never invited me to meditate after it became abundantly clear that I couldn't pull it off. My Dad was a practicing Buddhist that enjoyed the mental calm it gave. He even had his office turned into a near barren room with soundproofing and incense going round the clock. The only things in there were pads to sit on and a large wall sized mirror. With the lights off and the incense going only the person in the center was visible. As a kid, the focus it gave the self was powerful.

We sat side by side in the center after he turned off the lights. The incense put a lavender scent in the air as it floated around the room in wisps around us. It took me until I was 13 to realize it did that because the vent was above the center of the room. I closed my eyes and began focusing on my breath. He wasn't a fan of chanting and preferred to only have his heartbeat and blood flow for noise. Normally I would get a tingly feeling in my legs and restlessness in my bones, yet now I was extremely calm. I was serene to the point that this change didn't bother me. It was probably a part of the change induced by Cassandra's coalescence. Whatever the cause, I was finally able to focus for the first time after the awakening of my soul.

I tried thinking about the impact of this on my life, but I couldn't think of repercussions beyond the focus of my Dad. Instead I tried thinking of my new abilities and their application. I used my extrasight with my eyes and looked down to see my soul. Then I created one of my soulreach tendrils. It seemed almost entirely transparent with a slight red tinge. It seemed to skim off the surface of my soul as it stretched thin to reach outwards. I could reach forward about 20 feet before I needed to put energy into it to maintain its shape. Beyond 30 feet it begins to tap into me enough to leave me breathing heavy and sweaty. I quickly checked my Dad to be sure he didn't notice. He was still focused on meditation so I decided to try something else.

I grabbed a small bit of it with my soul reach and held it away from the rest. The space left by the piece I removed was immediately filled as the energy it was composed of was regenerated. I tried replacing the piece, but it seemed to require a push that used around the same energy in the chunk to get it back in. I grabbed a similar sized piece and held it at eye level. I could move and play with it using the tendril, but I also had control of the piece itself. Used in concert, I could do just about anything with it from shapes to movement. The chunk I held returned to its oval shape when I wasn't telling it to be something else.

Still holding the piece, I tried sending more energy through the tendril. The chunk swelled up as I held it. When I used it like a vacuum it met the same resistance it had when I tried pushing it in. I took out another piece of my soul and instead of waiting for my soul to recuperate, I drained the first chunk. There was no resistance at all when I did so. I figured that there was a limit for my soul that I couldn't go past, but I could carry or contain extra pieces for faster regeneration.

I looked to the piece I held in my other hand and considered what else I could do. I remembered the tree on the back of my soul and tried pulling from it. The oak didn't lose parts when I tapped into it, but lost leaves instead. They didn't fall, as this was no normal tree, but faded into a mist that flowed through my tendril to the chunk. The mist sat next to the chunk without mingling until I gave it a push. The mist mixed in and the chunk seemed to have roots come out of the bottom and the entire thing seemed to get a green translucent layer around it. I could feel a small breeze being created by the orb I held. Worried that the breeze would distract my Dad I decided to pull it close to hide it. I tucked it under the arm opposite my Dad.

When the chunk hit, the energy splashed over my soul in the area causing the entire arm of my soul to become greener. I felt my arm deadening and almost retreated from it before I remembered what that did last time. Turning my head slowly and quietly, I looked at my arm as my fingernails turned to bark and my skin became wood. My soul had begun to retreat instinctively, so I had to fight to gain control and reverse the retreat of my soul form my arm. The feeling returned to my arm and I tried moving it. It now took more energy form my soul to maintain and move my arm, but now the wood was completely mobile. I tapped the ground to check my skins consistency and a dull thud reported that it was still wood.

My soul-arm looked like I was wearing a green sleeve on it and my actual arm was made of wood that I could move freely. Now that the energy was there, I could focus on the two separate energies independently tried drawing form them. When I pulled from my soul, the arm became more human. When I pulled from Cassandra the arm became more wooden and the energy to maintain it increased. I couldn't exceed the limit of my arm with my own energy, but if I mixed it with Cassandra's I could go as far beyond as my own endurance would allow. I was so busy doing this that I had stopped checking my arm. I finally looked back and had to suppress a shout.

I had poured in energy equal to about twice my arm. Looking at where my arm used to be, a mass of wooden branches had spread in a 3 foot area around where my arm had touched the ground. My arm was a mass of different cords of wood connecting to this sprawling base. Trying to pull back my arm met little success so instead I cut off the excess energy on my arm. My arm pulled free and I quickly changed it back to normal. The wood on the ground still remained but at least there was progress. The wood on the ground may look normal to other people, but to my extrasight it looked like it was glowing with energy that was almost the exact same color as Cassandra's aura. I touched it again and tried pulling in the energy only to have it meet with the same max energy cap as before.

'You have become quite adept at your self-augmentation. You have even learned how to draw on our connection. I would even venture to call you a savant at this. As a sprite is born from such energy, you essentially gain control over my dominion.' I jumped slightly when I heard Cassandra's voice. My god did her voice sound especially beautiful when I desperately needed her help. I immediately responded in a panicked voice that didn't reflect my outward appearance.

'Cassandra, how do I put it back in me if I can't go over the limit of my soul? My Dad might just freak out if he sees that I just spawned in a rainforest starter kit! Do you have any ideas?' I sensed her move around a bit as she thought about the situation.

'That energy was mine to begin with, as all tree's energy is mine. This bit of wood is almost entirely solidified energy. I didn't know it as possible to have that much energy. Hmmmm...Ah! Can you funnel that energy into my tree? I can store a lot more energy up here than I started with.' She sounded more...childish when she spoke of things she didn't intuitively understand. I think that she does have some ageless nature bit's in her, but she still is just a young woman for the most part. I also think now is not the time to be considering this.

I soulreached into the tree and started to pull out some energy. It was happening but not nearly fast enough. I had pulled in about 3 inches in a minute. I pressed more tendrils in and started drawing it in and it picked up, but it would still take a few minutes. It took inhuman self control to keep from making noise or moving too fast, but I managed to calmly move my hand to the center of the mass and touched it. When the energy started coming, it seemed to arc up my hand at unbelievable speed. It wrapped around my arm and started going around my body when I focused on funneling it into Cassandra's tree. Its leaves were already half returned and when I poured in the extra energy in, the tree became more intricate. More branches came out of its trunk, and the roots seemed to start crawling up the walls of the balcony. It had also started to emanate a subtle green aura that was barely a glow compared to Cassandra's soul, but it nevertheless colored the surface of my soul green in the area.