Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent

The morning breeze blew across Ethan's face as he did his usual warm-up routine — nothing extraordinary, just a few exercises to keep in shape.

Perhaps physical strength derived from muscles wasn't what a Carrier depended on, but Ethan's grandfather had taught him that not only the mind but also the body must be in fighting condition. Simple endurance was important, and it didn't come only from energy.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Ethan was doing push-ups while sweat dripped from his back and forehead, yet his face was not tense, but rather pensive.

'Hmm, even though Menir said we're at the same stage as the others right after the ceremony, that's not entirely true, right?'

He got up and looked around.

Living on the outskirts of the city had its advantages. He had extra land and a place to train, even if it was essentially a junkyard.

'We've already assembled all the Patterns. We had to do it because of our unusual situation, where we ended up being donors for each other. But what should we do now?'

Ethan still thought of them as a team, as they agreed to do one more thing together — use Revolve for the first time.

Did Ethan want to split up with Menir?

Well, he never had any plans to make her his partner in the first place. Everything that happened in the battle against the Crooked Growon was necessary for them both to become the True Carriers and survive.

Getting rid of Konrad and the Black Horn was just as much of a priority as finding all the Patterns and completing the Dual Key.

Crack.

The door opened, revealing Menir's silhouette.

"Ready? I don't know about you, but I don't want to drag this out. The waiting is killing me."

Ethan grinned, poking himself in the chest.

"Me neither! Just let me grab a glass of water, and we can get started!"

He rushed past Menir as her eyes scanned his back and arms. She bit her lip at the sight of the sun running across his muscles.

'Tsk, the way he looks... It only makes things harder!'

Soon, they sat down across from each other.

"Look, I'm doing this for the first time as well, but as far as I know, we have to focus and let our Circles absorb the energy."

"So... What about our Constructs?" Ethan tilted his head.

"Well, your Construct works no matter what you do. It's a Construct, the gears in its depths that drive our Circles, Catalysts, Patterns, energy, and ultimately our abilities. It's the foundation that controls all processes, without the Constructs, nothing would exist."

"Damn, how do you know all this? I mean, I already asked you, but you even know things that are available to the True Carriers, even though you used to be a Broken One."

Menir smiled faintly.

"Well, I was a little luckier than you. My mother was terminally ill for most of my conscious life, but she left me some wealth. I had the opportunity to learn about the Carriers before reaching the age of the ceremony."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, hah, your gold earring helped us a lot on the first day!"

Menir blushed.

"Let's get back to the matter. First, let's close our eyes and concentrate."

He followed her example.

"There isn't much energy around us, we're in the city, not in some saturated place, but... I think we will make it."

The Revolve's effectiveness varied greatly depending on the location, because in some places there was a lack of energy, while in others it was unusually dense. The same Carrier could achieve completely different results with the Revolve if they happened to be in a good spot, but usually, places with dense energy were controlled by some faction, influential individuals, or were located in dangerous areas.

A minute passed, then two, then twenty... Menir remained calm, but Ethan's eyebrow began to twitch with irritation.

The Revolve was not a difficult art, but it could not be called as simple and natural as breathing or walking.

Practice was necessary, and Menir understood this, unlike Ethan.

"Damn! Why isn't it working?!" Ethan exclaimed irritably, keeping his eyes closed.

"Calm down. As soon as your Circle shakes, it means it has touched the energy and is ready to spin. I think in a few hours, or by nightfall at the latest, we'll do it."

Ethan's eyes opened in shock.

"WHAT?" 

He jumped up from his seat, forcing Menir to open his eyes as well.

"I thought we would quickly absorb the energy and start progressing. I don't want to sit in this stupid position and meditate for days like some kind of monk! I'll die of boredom!"

"Calm down and get back into position, or nothing will work."

"Fuck no! This fucking Circle will start spinning right now!"

Menir frowned.

"Ethan, this isn't how it's supposed to happen, you are—"

Before she could finish, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Streams of energy, barely visible, slowly made their way toward Ethan along with his growing grin.

"Here we go!" He sat back down on the floor, placing his hands on his knees with satisfaction. "Hah, I told you! All it took was a little push, and it worked! You should try it too!"

Menir gulped, stunned.

Ethan was right about some things. In order for Revolve to work, it wasn't necessary to sit in a cross-legged position, it just helped to enter a calm state and achieve the focus Menir was striving for.

But energy didn't work according to strict rules.

It was impossible for Menir to make her Circle rotate by force and brute will. Well, at least until she believed it herself, that wasn't a case.

"Just... be quiet!" Menir exclaimed as she closed her eyes. "Just because you can treat your Construct so harshly doesn't mean I have that option. Let me immerse myself, I need silence!"

In response, Ethan merely shrugged with a mocking grin.

He didn't want to show it, but deep down, he felt good that he surpassed Menir in this.

It was a small but sweet victory.

Eventually, Ethan closed his eyes as well.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The sound of gears turning echoed through the space as Ethan directed his gaze to his Circle.

His Circle was spinning dozens of times per minute, and now that it was complete, all the parts moved effortlessly as one, absorbing the energy from outside and directing it to the center of the Circle.

Soon, under Ethan's astonished gaze, something happened that every Carrier experienced.

Not far from the edge, inside his Circle, the outline of a ring appeared, slowly filling with energy and becoming brighter and brighter.

It was his first step to become a Second Rank Carrier.