Anna then said, "I'm sorry, Lina, I didn't know it was Gen. Hey Balkan, let's go."
And Balkan said, "Ok. I'm sorry, Lina."
They then went towards the bedroom door, and when they got there, Anna said, "Make yourselves at home, and Lina, don't forget to lock up when you're done."
The two of them were about to leave, but Lina called them, saying, "Hey! Wait for me. I'm done doing everything. I'm going home with you."
And Anna said, "You're going home? You know there's a party at the pub in front of the adventures guild, right?"
"Yes, but I'm tired from the expedition today."
Balkan then asked, "You got tired on the expedition? That's strange."
And Anna said, "Balkan ...", and then gestured to the bed.
When Balkan saw this, he said, "Ah, it really makes sense that you're tired. Let's go home then. Is Gen coming with us?"
And Lina said, "Better not, I just changed his bandages. It's better to leave him here."
Anna then asked, "Bandages?"
"Yes, this idiot hurt himself on the expedition to protect me."
"Let me see how he is."
Anna then walked over and started looking at the bandages, checked him out, and then said, "He's really hurt bad, but he just needs to rest to recover. You can leave him here."
Balkan then walked over to look, too, and then asked, "What happened on this expedition? How did he get hurt so badly?"
And Lina said, "I was ...", and began to explain what happened.
Anna then said, "Have you finally understood the beauty part?"
"Yes, mother. Now, finally, my essence is complete."
Balkan then said, "That's great, my angel. You said Gen has an essence. What was the essence he got?"
And Lina said, "I don't know, he didn't tell me, but if I had to guess, I would say it has something to do with distance."
"Why do you say that?"
"When I saw him using it during the expedition, he always used it in some way related to distance. He could walk further with fewer steps, he made my sword reach one of the frejars faster, too, and when we had to escape, he practically teleported us away."
Balkan then said, "Interesting. I wonder what essence he got?"
And Anna said, "There's no point in standing here thinking about it now."
"Aren't you curious, Anna?"
"Of course I am, but it's easier to ask him when he wakes up."
Balkan then said, "True. Now, on the subject of the larger frejar that attacked you, Lina. Your mother and I came back here looking for it, but unfortunately, we couldn't find it."
And Anna said, "Yes, and by the way, I found your sword while I was looking for it."
Lina then said, "That's right, my sword! I couldn't get it back because of the huge frejar. I'm so glad you guys found it."
"I left it stored in the usual place."
"Thanks, Mom, but what about what you said before? How come you two came here after the big frejar?"
"Well, your father and I left town because we received a message from the guild leader of the city of Dune asking for help in dealing with a group of awakened monsters that were attacking people leaving town."
"In total, he said there were ten awakened monsters, so your father and I went there as quickly as possible to prevent something bad from happening, such as them attacking the city, which would be a catastrophe because a group of ten awakened monsters could certainly destroy the city without much difficulty."
Lina then said, "The same thing happened here, only it was a group of three awakened monsters."
And Balkan said, "It wasn't just here, and in Dune Lina, all the cities in the desert were attacked by a group of monsters."
"All the cities?! What's going on? It can't be a coincidence that they were all attacked at the same time."
Anna then said, "It really wasn't because each monster group that was attacking a city always had the same characteristic, which was that they always had one more awakened than the city had."
And Lina said, "What do you mean? Even though you and my father live here, they only sent three here, and as far as I know, Dune doesn't have nine awakened ones to be attacked with ten."
Balkan then said, "You're right, but when you stop to think about it for a moment, it's very easy to understand. They attacked Dune with ten awakened monsters to make your mother and I go there to deal with them, and based on the fact that we would be in Dune, they attacked with three awakened monsters here."
"That makes sense, but I just remembered that Gen told me that he and Raja had participated in an expedition in Diton, and there only one awakened monster attacked. I can understand why they didn't count on Gen since he told me that he had just left the ordeal that very day, but Raja was already in town. Why didn't they attack with two awakened monsters?"
Anna then said, "It's because Raja hid his essence."
"He hid it? What do you mean?"
"If you pay attention to him while he is out of battle, he looks like a normal person with no essence."
"What do you mean, Mom? We all look like normal people. It's not like people who have essence emit an aura or anything."
"Actually, Lina, we do emit an aura."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well, it's not literally an aura. Usually, when we talk about essence, we say that they are like a mist that exists in the world, which is always obscuring the vision of those who don't have it. So instead of an aura, what awakened people have around them is the mist of their essence."
"You mean that at this moment, I am emitting a mist around me?"
"Yes, you are, and through the mist, you are emitting, I can tell what level of essence you are on, and that is not the only function of the mist."
"What is the other function of it?"
"Have you ever noticed that any awakened person is stronger than a normal person?"
"Yes, but is it not natural for a person who has mastered an essence to be stronger than someone who does not have it."
"Yes, it is normal, but not for the reasons you are thinking of. An awakened person is naturally stronger because of having an essence, but have you ever noticed that awakened ones are more resistant, always have good senses, are usually very fast, and several other things?"
"Now that you mention it, all the awakened ones I know fit in with what you said."
"And why do you think they all are like that? Do you think these characteristics are a prerequisite to being able to awaken an essence?"
"From the way you are saying it, I imagine they are not."
"Yes, they are not really necessary. The reality is that all of these characteristics are improved when you awaken an essence, regardless of what essence it is. Can you imagine what it is that enhances these characteristics of yours?"
"The mist, right?"
"Exactly. The mist that surrounds the awakened ones is what improves all these characteristics. The awakened ones resist more because the mist helps them to defend themselves from being hit. They have good senses because the mist becomes an extension of their senses and perceives things earlier for them. They run faster because the mist of their essence pushes the mist of the others away, thus clearing the way and taking away from their front the resistance that the other mists would do. All this happens thanks to the mist that surrounds us."
"I didn't know that. How can I see my mist and the mist of others? And you also said that Raja hides his, so how can I hide mine?"
"Well, at the moment, you won't be able to see the mists."
"Why?"
"Unfortunately, to be able to see them, you'll have to reach the influence level first because that level has a lot to do with the mist. As for hiding your essence, it's not that hard. I'll teach you how to do it."
"Okay, how do I do it?"
"First, close your eyes."
"Done."
"Now, start using your essence."
"Done."
"Now, start controlling it and try to bring it into your body."
Lina then began to try to do what her mother had said, and after a while, she began to succeed, but every second that passed while she was doing this, she felt weaker and weaker.
She then said, "Mom, I-", but she was interrupted by Anna, who said, "I know, but don't stop, keep going until you can't take it anymore."
"Okay."
Lina then continued the process for some time until, at one point, her legs started to wobble, and she then fell to the ground.
Anna then came towards her and said, "That's good enough.", and then she supported Lina to get her off the floor.
Lina then asked, "Did I do it?"
And Anna then said, "You did it. Half of your mist has hidden in your body."