Dean was already starting to read the book Art of Ascendance, searching for something that could get him any clue about enhancement. He was passing for many sections of the book that were essential to learning before going further, but he would give it a look in the future anyway, so he didn't care about it.
Also, he wasn't going to skip any step of his path to become a powerful Ascendant, so it was completely fine for him to read further now just to get some information.
He was lying on his bed again. The day ended in the blink of an eye, another extended night came, and several hours passed since the sun disappeared.
The third day of rest that the group was allowed to have was ending already, which was something that got Dean both sad and excited. After all, although he couldn't rest properly, he still wanted to discover more things of that world and shorten his distance from his home, even if a little bit.
The boy was done with his training for that day. His body barely could move anymore, he got a strong headache, and by now even a slight pressure was present on his heart. It was his first time dealing with such a thing. He didn't have any idea that controlling his "Willpower" would have such effects even on his heart. Anyway, he was yet to study the limitations of an Ascendant and its implications on his body.
After all, as a matter of fact, every power has its own limits. No one was almighty. Although the Crimson Apocalypse messed with the world and its nature, most of its rules were still untouchable. Dean knew very well about it, so he figured out that even someone as powerful as an Ascendant would have their weaknesses.
While reading through the book, he couldn't find anything at first. He needed to make an effort for hours in order to find out what he wanted. It was even harsher to read while that headache was annoying him, and every minute that passed made it seem more like torture than an apprenticeship.
Nonetheless, Dean used every gram of energy on his body and all his focus to keep reading.
At some point, he could find something interesting that could have a connection to what he was searching for. It wasn't so specific, but good enough to draw his attention.
"Spells" was the name of that section.
Dean could remember that Rick's group told him about something like spells. Apparently, those skills that they used while in battle were called as such. They were, roughly, techniques that needed "Willpower" to work.
They didn't go any further than that when explaining to him, which he found was strange. However, since they were on a trip, Dean figured that they just weren't in the mood to talk about technical things that everyone should know.
The boy was aware of his ignorance, after all. So he knew that he could not be a hassle for his group.
'Ok. It's a good thing that I won't need to ask them anything. However, I will still play dumb. I still am not sure whether I should or not tell them about this rare book I got. I know that it is quite expensive and unique, after all. It's basically a relic of the Three Greatest. Due to their opinion about my refuge, they might want to burn it, even.'
Brushing off those worries and focusing on the read again, he began to study that section starting from the very first paragraph. Now, he wasn't in any rush.
"Spells are a difficult thing to talk about here. It's not entirely based on technique or science, after all. This term is something new as well, but every Ascendant nowadays use it. Being straight is the very source of power and individuality of every Ascendant.
"The spells are skills that Ascendants can unlock. After learning how to control your "Willpower", how to nourish it, how to condense it, and how to polish, which are the four pillars of the Art of Ascendance, the Ascendant will get a stronger connection with his "Willpower", allowing him to control it completely, creating a spell of his own.
"These spells unlocked after these steps aren't exactly unique. One Ascendant can get the same spell as another. But, as a matter of fact, they are based on the deepest desires, dreams, and emotions of a person. For example, a trauma can be the root of a spell. The same goes for a strong desire for doing something or obtaining something. Or then a big passion for a specific thing. It varies from person to person. Also, an Ascendant can have three different spells, at most.
"After you can pass for the first level of every single one of the pillars, your "Willpower" will get polished enough to create this spell, a technique that can go beyond various basic laws of our universe, creating things out of nowhere, boosting your body capabilities to absurd levels, or affecting the environment. The limit is just your creativity and who you are on the inside."
After reading all of that, Dean nodded his head in understanding. Now he was aware why a section of a subject that could be highly explored was so small. In the end, the concept of spells was very subjective. It would depend on a lot of individual factors of each person.
'However, it also means that I can't know exactly which type of spell I will get. The Art of Ascendance needs a lot of self-knowledge. I need to look to my inside and sort out what possibly can trigger a spell... Also, the possibilities are infinite. I can find a trauma of mine that will trigger it for sure, but never know what kind of spell specifically will come out of it.'
The boy got in deep thought while analyzing himself.
'Maybe enhancement won't be the one I will get, after all. I never had any interest in something similar. I have a guess of what can trigger it, but I wonder what kind of spell will come out of it...'
While wondering about it, he fell asleep.