"Interesting."

"That's it? Just interesting? It seems like a big deal."

"Of course it is, but it is not unexpected either. You killed part of the Spark in you. Is that what the skill wanted to do?"

"No, I…I forced it."

"And that allowed the skill to change. Sit and tell me about it while I get a few things ready."

I settled into a chair, and she popped into the back room, coming back with a leather satchel. She headed to a table on the side with a few tools and bowls. "Go on," she said. "I am listening."

"[Sterilize] changed to [Sterilization]."

"So, an expansion more than true evolution."

"You can tell that by just the name?"

"It is speculation, but I feel strongly about it. Before I explain, tell me why you think it is called sterilization?"

I shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"

She clicked her tongue. "Do not be so flippant. This is important. As a [Healer], you have a skill that can eliminate a Spark, and then you used it beneficially."

"I think beneficial is pushing it."

"Is it? You should not have been lucid with those injuries. Instead, you managed to assist me in healing enough that I could care for the [Pathfinders] later. It was reckless, but overall helpful. So take a moment and really think about why it is named that way."

Always piecemealing knowledge.

But I did what she asked and then struggled to come up with a good answer. I stood up and began to pace, trying to collect my thoughts. She continued to pack, and when she finished, she grabbed a pestle and started to grind a substance in a wood bowl.

Her work caught my eye, but before I could drift toward her, she said, "If you have time to observe me, you must have an answer to my question."

I froze, face heating up slightly. For all my use of potions, I still had no idea how a person created one. Yet, understanding my skill's change was more important, and I forced myself to get back on topic.

[Sterilize] implied eliminating contaminants, but what I had done to my ganglia wasn't that. To me, sterilization meant removing all life or preventing the ability to reproduce. The latter didn't fit with what I did; the former only made sense when I applied Esper's teaching: removing the Spark ended life.

Despite leaning over a bowl and grinding away with the pestle, she raised a finger just as I started to give my answer. She turned, leaving the pestle resting in the bowl. "Allow me to provide a framework. First, does your skill have its original ability?" I nodded. I hadn't tested it, but I could tell. I just knew it. "Second, would you have named your skill [Sterilization] if it lost its original ability?"

The answers came quickly. "No. I would have called it ablation."

She tilted her head, face scrunching. "So strange." She mouthed the word before finally saying, "Erosion… Why would—it does not matter. Now, tell me why you think it retained its root instead of becoming [Ablation]."

For that, I also had a ready answer. "It's the method. Sterilize removes the Spark, and I removed the Spark to kill the tissue." Her face cracked into a smile before she hid it behind her usual mask. "What?" She didn't respond, and her reestablished poker face gave away nothing. But I had seen the slip. "I saw that smile. Tell me why."

Something warred inside her, but eventually, an exasperated sigh slipped from her lips. "Because you honored me."

"I—"

"Do not diminish it. I know you do not know why, but it does not change the truth. I had a part in the development of one of your core skills. As a teacher, there are few greater honors."

"Can you explain it at least?"

She hummed in response. "It's complicated, and you don't even have the basics. You are such a child."

I sighed in exasperation. "Then teach me. Didn't I just show you that I was open to learning?"

She clicked her tongue but didn't deny it. "First, the Mother touches all things." She made a dismissive gesture toward the room. "It is harder here, but even in a place like this, her presence can be felt. She provides sustenance for all. All living things are connected to her, and because of that, we are all connected."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I see your disbelief, and it can be hard to understand that when living in lands with so little of the Mother's gift. But you have experienced a connection with another being deeper than most, or have you forgotten how we connected over the absolution of animus?"

I shook my head. I wouldn't forget that any time soon. "But that was…"

"Special? It was, but some connection is always there. Let me give you another example. How are we talking with each other?"

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I opened my mouth, then shut it. She chuckled at my response. "We should not be able to." She pointed between the two of us. "We both grew up speaking a different tongue. Yet, we, without any thought, converse easily. I dare say that you know less than half the words you speak. Your Marks just find the closest analogue, just like they did for me when hearing the word 'ablation.' When it cannot…well, you have experienced it."

I nodded. Most common medical terminology didn't translate, ending with a strange twisting sensation in my tongue. "This happens to everyone?"

"Not for native speakers of Common. These children learned Common from birth. It is all they know. For the rest of us, Common comes unbidden unless there is no translation or you suppress it."

The next few words came out guttural and harsh, nothing like the Common language, though some sounds did seem similar.

"What did you just say?"

"Learn Ættarsk and find out."

"I will add it to the list. Actually, some of those words sounded close to Common."

"Of course, we have influenced Common's growth."

"Really?"

"Common can change. If enough people from distant lands meet, a new Common will arise by integrating the two."

Languages drifted, but if every new generation learned the new language from birth, the change would be quick. A language could be lost in a generation, and language drives culture. "Is that why the Ættir speak their own language—to protect it?"

She shook her head. "You continue to surprise me, Junior. It is one of the reasons. Common has many words from my language. We like to think it brings wisdom."

"Huh, that tracks." Languages could cram a lot of meaning into a single word, and if movies could be believed, plenty could get lost in translation. "When was the last time that happened?"

"Untold generations."

"That's…"

"The Mother works at that scale, and so must we."

Everything about these people is intense…

I tried to wrap my head around everything. What I viewed as possible had expanded greatly in my time here. Still a connection with everything?

"Do not touch," Esper warned.

"What? Oh, of course." Lost in thought, I had wandered to her table. Fine powders lay within the variety of small bowls, though one had a dried, dark leaf with a shape vaguely similar to the petals of the deathweave violet we had harvested yesterday. Behind them sat a set of vials ready to be filled. Based on the way my skin tingled, at least one had some high-grade Aether. I would have to bring my hand closer to detect—or remove—a Spark.

She pushed the bowls to the back. "I am sure you are interested in learning this, but one lesson at a time. When I do teach you this, it will be methodical. I expect precision. And you will keep [Sterilize]—[Sterilization]—far away from the materials. You will not test the skill without my order."

I eyed the bowls. "Fine. So, say I am willing to believe these connections exist, how does it relate to my skill?"

"You should do more than consider. Skills are a gift from the Mother, not from the Ascended, as so many peoples believe. Like Common, skill names create a shared language, a way to understand the gift."

"That seems rather arbitrary."

"It is not. People with similar classes follow the same path and need similar skills. Inevitably, they will develop common names. But when they don't," she gestured to me, "then, like with Common, you get a merger, which is what happened with your skill. My teachings had such an impact that they shaped its growth. Hence, the honor."

Ablations used heat, as with radiofrequency ablations, or chemicals, as with ethanol ablations. I'd done neither. "Huh."

She tapped the Mark on the side of her head. "We are all connected, and that connection allows for guidance. You will find, over time, just how similar many skills are. They take something vast and narrow it. It is less flexible but more powerful. As you grow in strength, many can broaden the skill without losing strength, or you can strengthen it further."

"And I broadened it?"

"I think so."

"Should I be doing that with all skills?"

"No. Pushing skill can be dangerous. It strains your Marks, which can cause damage. Most wait for a natural evolution—an increase in Tier, but with caution and time, you can shape some skills, especially if another is providing guidance. However, do not make what you did a habit. You were lucky, though you may have had an advantage because you are a…"

Prodigy. She didn't say it, but her look told me everything. "And that matters because…"

"You have more capacity to expand and grow, and so your skills are more flexible. If you are closer to the edge of your limits, then any change would be much, much more difficult."

I shrugged. "Lucky me, I guess?"

She scowled. "Do not be so flippant. The Mother has gifted you much. Many would kill to have a bit of your Potential."

"Okay. Okay. I get it. It's just like a target on my back."

"It is, but it is also an opportunity."

"Wonderful." I let out a sigh. "But thank you for explaining things. Though I feel like I'm still missing a lot, it helps."

"Of course you are. You know nothing. You are a—"

"A child." I rolled my eyes, then froze when her eyes sharpened.

"But you are not a child, are you?" Her emerald eyes bored into me. "I believe you when you claim ignorance of my people. Even if you did not know of the Mother, you should have known of Her gifts. Yet, you are blind. I should call you a fool, but you know too much in other ways. How did your masters not teach this?"

I forced myself to keep her piercing gaze. "We studied other things, and her gift—the Aether—was not so…available."

"How did you get here without it?"

"I honestly don't know. If I had to guess, I think a god—an Ascended—was involved."

She scowled. "Fitting."

I waited, but she didn't continue. "That's all you're going to say?"

"What? The Ascended love to meddle. Our histories are filled with those 'touched by the gods.' They die like anyone else."

"Oh."

"Keep your beliefs quiet. Keep your ears open. You are a child, but one who might learn. Remember that, and maybe you will be less reckless. Now, enough talk. We must practice gathering more herbs."

"Is that safe?"

Puzzlement briefly crossed her face. "Ah, you are concerned about the Fel Wind. The part of the forest near us is safer now than at any other time. The beasts have thrown themselves at us and died. It has cleared the nearby forests."

"If that is the case, how are there still beasts around to attack? Hasn't this been going on for some time?"

"Yes, but not at this level. I do see your point. However, the Wilds are different than the lower-tier lands you are familiar with. The Aether density sustains much more life."

"Still, we must be doing something. Just how many packs of direwolves and raptors can a place support?"

"These lands are not familiar to me, but I do not expect too many."

"So, these could be coming from further out? That seems troubling."

She nodded. "Like I said, I am not familiar with the wilds. If this were the Grass Sea, I would feel more confident. However, it is something to ask the [Pathfinders]. Now, you are not wearing your strange coat. Was it damaged beyond repair?"

"No. It will just take time. Which reminds me, I need a salve to allow Kyria Rhaptis to harvest a piece of my Mark."

Her eyes narrowed. "That seems excessive."

I shrugged. "A woman of her skill does not come cheaply, though she will cover the cost of the materials."

"Good of you to think that. However, that cost still falls on you." I frowned, and then Esper laughed when I got it. "Yes, you will be helping gather all the supplies for the salve. We are not going deep, but we should find all you need on this trek. Now, we should go. With your skill at harvesting, you will need all the time you can get."

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