With his strategy set, Daron went to practice as soon as he got home. Determination in his heart a fuel for him to dedicate every moment he could spare to honing his abilities. With the hours passing by, he felt himself progress a little further every time he tried.
The sun soon set on the horizon, casting a warm glow over the world around him, and he opened his eyes from his intense training. He could feel the incremental improvements, and he became more certain that he would be able to freeze his aspect in about a week, given the remarkable speed of his progress. The thought of achieving such mastery in such a short span filled him with excitement and anticipation.
With that thought in mind, a week went by, filled with daily visits to Mr. Gail's class for guidance and then returning home to continue his training routine. It was now nine days since he had started working tirelessly on trying to freeze his aspect, and the sense of accomplishment began to creep into his heart. He believed that today would be the day when he'd finally achieve it.
After attending Mr. Gail's class, Daron eagerly returned home, not wasting a moment. Closing his eyes, he delved deep into the core of his being, focusing on his strength aspect and willing it to freeze. Still, some resistance persisted, causing momentary blockages. However, this process happened near instantaneously, a remarkable improvement from the nearly twenty minutes it had taken before.
With relentless determination, he continued his training for about an hour, pushing his limits as he tried to will his aspect to freeze. And finally, a breakthrough! It listened to his command, freezing everywhere in the energy path instead of slowing down and causing blockages. The thrill of success surged through him as he released the frozen aspect and then attempted to freeze his two other aspects as well.
This part proved to be a new challenge. The other aspects, constitution and healing, exhibited some differences compared to his strength aspect, requiring him to adjust his approach. But, he managed to freeze them as well. Now, the next step beckoned, freezing multiple aspects simultaneously and, ultimately, all of them together.
He felt the resistance increase when he held his attention and grabbed hold of two aspects in his energy path. It seemed as though even his own body was resisting his actions, but he refused to be deterred. The hours passed by, and the twinkling stars in the night sky bore witness to his relentless efforts.
Finally, with a determined heart and steely focus, Daron took hold of all three aspects in his energy path. The resistance this time was even greater, challenging him at every turn. But he persisted, pushing through the barriers that stood between him and his goal. As the hours pressed on and the stars lurked in the dark canvas of the night, Daron willed one last time for all the aspects in his body to freeze, and they obeyed.
[Skill Learned]
[Skill: Aspect Freezing]
[Progress Added in Physique tab]
"What? Aspect freezing is also a completely separate skill?" Daron couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his mind buzzing with new revelations.
[Yes. As it can be used in a multitude of scenarios and is not just an intermediary action in a technique, it is classified as a skill, deserving recognition in its own right.]
"I see," Daron replied, his excitement growing as he realized the magnitude of his achievement. He had not only unlocked a powerful ability but also mastered a unique skill that set him apart on his journey of self-discovery and growth. The thrill of progress and the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles filled his heart, motivating him to continue his quest for mastery with unwavering resolve.
"Well, now I can move on to the actual trapping part of this step. However, for now, let me rest," he said as he stretched and got ready for bed.
As the sun dawned, tired eyes soon awoke and got ready for the morning. Heading to Mr. Gail's class, Daron was ready to tell him the good news that he had succeeded in freezing his aspects.
"Mr. Gail," Daron waved to get his attention.
"Good morning, Daron. How are you?"
"I'm great! I've succeeded in freezing my aspects! Even all of them at once!"
"Hoh, well, congratulations then. Onto the next part of the step, then; the actual trapping?"
"Yep, onto the actual trapping part of the step," Daron said.
Once they talked, he sat down in his seat and mulled over the description given for the next part of the step.
He needs to make the aspect in his body be seen as a foreign entity, and then have the other aspects in his body seal it.
Just thinking about it, he felt as though those two things could also be two skills in themselves. This realization meant that he might be in for a tough time in the remaining twelve days until school officially ended, and he went off to college. But Daron knew that merely contemplating these challenges would yield no progress. So, he closed his eyes and willed his strength aspect to freeze once more. Then, he attempted to make it move while frozen, trying to portray it as a foreign entity, but that just made it start moving again. Next, he experimented with infusing his strength aspect while it was frozen, hoping it would yield a breakthrough, but alas, he ran into the same issue.
With no progress yet, he tried another approach, imagining his strength aspect as a foreign entity within his energy path. Time passed, and he persisted despite initial setbacks. When class was over, he had not achieved the desired effect of convincing his body that his aspect was a foreign entity. Yet, Daron remained undeterred, knowing that the path to mastery was paved with challenges, and each obstacle was an opportunity to grow stronger.
Without having any clue how to make his aspect be seen as a foreign entity, he at least knew there was someone who could perhaps give him some advice. As luckily one of the authors of the technique, and the one who had gifted it to him, was his very own teacher.
"Excuse me, Mr. Gail," Daron asked.
"Yes, Daron?"
"How exactly am I supposed to make my aspect be seen as a foreign entity?"
"Ah, that? Obviously, freezing it is the first step, and then you need to just convince your body that it's a foreign entity. It'll take a while, yes. But that's the only way to do it."
Daron sighed, "Alright, thank you, Mr. Gail."
With the advice that Mr. Gail gave, he at least knew he was on the correct path with the last strategy he had employed.
Saying goodbye to Mr. Gail, Daron went home and got ready to train even more, though he felt like he'd feel crazy the next few days as he tried to make his body will for his aspect to be seen as a foreign entity.