The fusion exercise wasn't just exclusive to Xerxes Vale at that time. In actuality, the entire trainees were mandated to take part in this exercise. This was part of what added to the thrill and the drive. The fact that every single one of their peer was working hard to be matched with a top level spiritual beast was enough motivation for just about every serious trainee. They all looked forward to announcing their individual successes to their peers.
An alarm sounded in the distance, signaling the completion of the long awaited fusion exercise. Xerxes and the other trainees who had been in isolation for a long period of time trooped out with different energies. Some rushed out excitedly, others moved like snails on their feet, some others were careful not to betray any emotion whatsoever. Whatever the case, an experienced veteran could look at any one of the many trainees and instantly spot those who had attained their goals. It was a cacophony of vibes.
One very loud trainee's voice rose above the din. His was the sound of victory as he announced boisterously to his peers that he had bonded with one of the finest species of symbionts anyone could wish for- a golden dragon! His cry of jubilation was infectious. While some genuinely celebrated with and felt happy for him, a good number of other trainees found it difficult to mask their jealousy. A golden dragon was one the ultimate prizes. Only a handful of trainees ever got paired with a golden dragon and for the small fraction of those who did, the sky was their starting point. Attaining perfect symbiosis with a magnificent beast such as a golden dragon was a sure guarantee for greatness. It was difficult, or even downright impossible not to be jealous, especially when your symbiont was an ordinary spore.
As Xerxes trudged on along feeling bad about his situation. He heard a faint gasp a short distance away that sounded very familiar. He cocked his head instinctively in the direction and saw a familiar figure standing and looking at him encouragingly. It was his homeroom teacher, the ever lively, ever young and ever beautiful Miss Janae.
Miss Janae always reminded Xerxes of springtime. It was in her breezy ambience and her carefree tone. She had the aura of spiritual royalty about her that always left whomever came to her for counsel feeling stronger and more encouraged. Physically, Miss Janae was a joy to behold. She was a slender, tanned, incredibly beautiful and intelligent woman who was always clad in modest attire. She had always been one to encourage her students and right now, Xerxes was in desperate need of some lifting up. Xerxes drew near to her with a downcast expression and she instantly knew that something was amiss without Xerxes even opening up to her with words or phrases. Miss Janae had a knack for these things. With her, it was almost like a sixth sense. She was an expert on picking up on vibes. She took just one look at Xerxes Vale and instantly knew. Her comforting voice that sounded like a cool ocean's breeze warmed his heart;
"Oh don't think too much on it Xerxes, it's going to be alright."
"But I…"
"Everyone has their own individual path to tow in this life Xerxes. Destiny is inevitable, no one can escape it the same way no one can escape their shadow."
Xerxes sighed aloud. Of course she was right. She was always right. He admitted it both inwardly and outwardly;
"You're right Miss Janae. But truth is, I just can't help but feel bad about it. I did try my best and put in my all."
Her encouraging voice came again.
"Take a breather Xerxes Vale. Everything and everyone has a destiny to accomplish, so believe that in the end, everything will work out the way it's meant to be. You just need to have a little bit more faith."
She allowed her words to simmer in his mind some more before she left. Xerxes pondered deeply on her words and what they meant as he made his way to his residential quarters.
On his way to his dorm room, Xerxes Vale thought of all the possible ways he could make his current situation work for him. The first and the most logical step was to get familiar with his abilities.
He tried as much as possible to ignore the turbulence around him and instead, focus on the very first rung on the ladder to his goals; become a proficient and skilled fighter with his symbiont. He shrugged his shoulders as he thought;
"Well it seems like I am stuck with a spore as my symbiote, I might as well make the best of it anyway."
Xerxes Vale navigated through the throng of trainees that crowded the hallways of the student's lodging and finally got to his room. He opened the door and immediately threw his exhausted self on the bed. After the long and tedious fusion process, Xerxes was seriously in need of a good refreshing rest.
As he poured over the events of the day, the silent purring of the AC unit in the background reminded him of the Infinite Symbiotic Evolution System mechanical breathing. His mind called to remembrance something the system had said earlier on;
"…their potential in battle and in real life situations is limitless."
Xerxes eyes immediately flared open and he sat up immediately like one who had just had an epiphany. In a way, it was kind of an epiphany. For the first time, Xerxes realized that he hadn't really tried out his capabilities. He had been too busy brooding over his fate that he had lost sight of the one of his most significant accomplishments- he had actually acquired a symbiote!
Xerxes immediately rushed to lock the door in preparation for the beta trial of his new symbiote. Like a kid testing out a new toy, Xerxes rubbed his hands together eagerly and took a deep breath.
"Here we go!"
He shut both of his eyes firmly and clenched his fists. He had no idea what he was doing at the time but he was confident that something was supposed to happen. He waited a few more awkward seconds before opening his right eye to check if something out of the ordinary had occurred. Much to his dismay, there was nothing out of the norm.
He sighed aloud and bounced on his feet some more in an effort to warm up whatever was supposed to happen. He was his own personal hype man so he encouraged himself some more;
"Okay Xerxes you got this! Just believe in yourself and let it flow out of you."
Xerxes decided to try a different approach this time so he climbed the bed, crossed both his legs underneath him and assumed the meditation stance. He closed his eyes and tried to get in touch with his inner self. After a few uneventful minutes, all of a sudden Xerxes began to feel a kind of growth on both of his arms.
They didn't feel alien at all, in fact he felt like they were very much part of him. He opened his eyes and was thrilled at the sight.
The spores on Xerxes' arms continued to grow at a rapid rate and increased in size until they metamorphosed into extremely impressive swaths of mycelium. They looked like ribbons, or like strips of bandages except they were extremely sensitive and relayed all data they collected on anything they came in contact with.
They flapped in the wind like ribbons and when Xerxes dispersed them in any distance, he could pick up on a lot of variables that were invisible to the naked eye. He could tell the level of humidity in the air, he could sense the wind direction, and he could instantly pick up on varying degrees of temperature.
Xerxes was impressed. But he soon found out that he had barely scratched the surface. To his delight, when he navigated them in the air, he discovered that they could latch on to the surface of both organic and inorganic material and parasitize them.
In taking over them as parasites, Xerxes found out that he could weaken these inanimate and animate bodies and waste them like the gradual wearing down of surfaces by corrosion.
To put it crudely, Xerxes' spores were extensions of his sense of sense of touch except that they were a million times more sensitive and more mobile. It was a very efficient mechanism and Xerxes was all smiles as he mentally drafted new and innovative ways in which they could be useful to him both on and off the battlefield.