For days, Pleo sat outside his room, repeating the same routine. Each morning and evening, he would touch the ground with both hands, closing his eyes and focusing on the subtle vibrations beneath him. He tried to attune himself to the earth's rhythm, just as he had read in the story of Prince Trallod. He hoped that, in time, he would connect with the earth in the same way Trallod had—gaining the power and understanding he so desperately sought.
It wasn't easy. The first few days felt like a test of his patience, as nothing seemed to change. The earth beneath him was silent, unmoving. His abilities remained as limited as ever, unable to grow past the small stone spikes he could already create. But Pleo kept at it, driven by his belief that he had to connect with the earth rather than command it. Slowly, he started to feel something—tiny pulses, faint and barely perceptible, but there nonetheless.
Night after night, he repeated the process, refusing to give up. He focused not on forcing his power, but on understanding the very soil he sat upon. He listened, observed, and allowed the earth's natural vibrations to move through him. His connection deepened, and with it, a subtle shift began to take place within him.
One night, after what felt like an eternity of trying, something finally clicked.
Pleo sat in his usual spot, his hands resting on the cool ground, his eyes closed. He was about to finish his routine when, without thinking, he clapped his hands together—a simple gesture he had done many times before. But this time, the earth responded.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him rumbled, and with a thunderous roar, a giant stone pillar erupted from the earth. It shot up into the air, towering above him like a monument forged by the land itself. Pleo leaped back in shock, his heart racing as he stared at the massive pillar, its surface rough and jagged, yet solid and imposing.
He couldn't believe what he had just done. For the first time, Pleo had shaped the earth in a way far beyond the small spikes he was used to. This was power—real power. And it had come from his connection to the earth, not from forcing it to obey him.
Pleo approached the pillar slowly, running his hand over its cool surface. It felt like a dream, but he knew it was real. Somehow, in that moment of harmony between himself and the earth, he had unlocked something deeper within his abilities.
A wave of exhilaration washed over him. The ground that had once seemed so unresponsive now felt alive beneath his feet, ready to answer his call. He could feel the potential within the earth, waiting for him to draw from it.
As he stood there, staring up at the pillar that reached towards the sky, Pleo realized that he was no longer the struggling student who could barely create a spike. He was on the path to something greater—something that would allow him to truly harness the power of the earth, just as King Trallod had before him.
With this newfound strength, Pleo smiled to himself. This was only the beginning.