"Hello Balance," Loo called up to the podium where the male figure stood.

Balance gave her a tight-lipped smile and a curt nod. "Hello, Loo."

Loo's memories of previous visits to the Soul Chamber had been unlocked. She scanned their now mildly familiar surroundings. Her family and friends were beside her; all fully healed and healthy in this place.

"Welcome back. I had a little peek at your Dungeon run. Congratulations on your success, and on your continued respiration. Since you are not currently in battle, we can use the maximum time of one hour today. I encourage you to use the majority of this time in quiet contemplation at your pools when selecting abilities." He avoided Loo's eyes. "However, please feel free to ask questions. As usual, I recommend you do not waste time on inquiries you will not remember when you leave."

"Could we talk about my class?" Finn interjected.

"Privately, yes. Once everyone moves to their pools."

"Same here," Loo said, raising her hand.

Balance gave her a dry look. "I figured."

"Where's Brad? Is he okay?" Bo asked.

"Yes, he is safe. He leveled up as well, but since he is not part of your soul pact, he is in his own Soul Chamber choosing new spells."

Bo nodded.

Balance's lips tightened. "Does anyone have any other questions?"

Yes! I have a million questions!

"Do we get two new spells every time we level-up?" Loo asked.

Balance inclined his head. "Good question, Loo. No, you will not receive new abilities at every level. I will not reveal too much information about future levels. Today, you will choose two new spells for reaching Level 4, and you will receive another two at Level 5. Levels 6 through 9 will not grant any new spells."

"What about Level 10?"

"We will just have to wait and see."

"If we do get spells at Level 10, will it be two of them?"

"Loo." Her Dad nudged her.

"What? This is important!" She turned back to Balance. "If we do get spells at Level 10, will they be stronger since we had to wait for them? Will they somehow depend on the spells we're picking now? That is important to know. It could change what we should and shouldn't pick today!"

Am I seriously the only one with questions?

During her previous poolside discussions, Loo had asked as many questions as possible, so she could understand and mold her class thoroughly. She wanted to stand out; to push the boundaries of her class and abilities. That was how her curious mind had approached everything in life so far. She wasn't trying to be difficult; she just wanted to learn everything there was to know about her new magical world. That didn't seem wrong or disrespectful; this was her new life, and she wanted to seize it.

Balance had made it clear multiple times that Loo's class was already unique. Balance often became frustrated that Loo's path constantly ventured into uncharted territory. Their last conversation had devolved; Balance had complained about how difficult it was to balance Loo's class and her team's synergy. As the discussion grew more heated, Balance had expressed the 'opinion' that Loo's choices lacked a clear theme or direction, and were—specifically—a pain in Balance's butt.

Loo couldn't argue with that; her abilities seemed scattered and disjointed to her too. Summoning magical mana didn't have much to do with ecosystem management, and then to throw in yoga poses on top of it . . .

Loo had argued for more options at Level 2, but Balance reminded her—through clenched jaws—that this was a specialization Loo had specifically fought for during her selection process—even if she didn't remember it. Balance expressed another 'opinion' that Loo had made her bed, and now she had to sleep in it.

Tom nudged her.

Loo plowed on with her line of thought. This time, she had to consider how to maintain her own self-balance. Hana, her father, and Chloe had recently shown them the consequences of neglecting self-balance. That was why Loo had chosen to add the jellies during her last level-up; they provided some damage capabilities to balance out her overall build.

Loo's father nudged her once more, pulling her out of her train of thought. She looked at her Dad and followed his subtle nod toward Balance.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, what were you saying?"

Balance let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Loo, did you not hear me when I took the time to answer your question on why it is pointless for me to reveal information that is too far into the future?"

"Oh, uh, I heard everything. Thank you, it was very informative."

Caretaker Balance studied her for a moment, his eye twitching. "Take some time to talk among yourselves before heading to your individual pools."

Shoot. I've made him angry again.

"Does anyone have anything important to go over?" Bo asked.

Loo hesitated, not wanting to be a nuisance. However, this was important.

"I believe it's super important for us to remember the lesson we learned last time about finding balance within our class. If we only have four spells left for a while, and that could be a long while—remember how many monsters we had to kill to get from three to four—we need to choose wisely. Dad, I know you're trying to protect us by focusing on defensive spells. You're doing a great job. But we can all see how much pain you're in. You're rotten at hiding it. Please consider choosing something offensive, or maybe something like mobility? Chloe, you should look for a better balance as well."

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Her father visibly squirmed.

On the dais, the female version of Balance nodded her approval.

Bo's brow furrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Speaking of balance, why is it that my wife gets sick, but nothing happens to me? Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining. But I don't understand. Everything I have is basically focused on singing one or two songs. Why doesn't my throat get sore, or something like that? Doesn't seem very balanced?"

Balance nodded. "You are right, Bo. Your build is terribly unbalanced, which is why you have such extraordinarily long cooldowns on your songs, and why you are not allowed to practice. If you mess up, the debuff repercussions are horrendous to you and your party. Your unbalanced build suffers, as Hana's does. Just, differently."

Bo paused. "I see."

"Good. I also take pride in my work, and I too take it very seriously." Balance's tone was firm.

Bo nodded to himself.

Hana raised her eyebrows, and nodded toward Balance.

"Um, sorry if I offended you."

Balance inclined her head.

"I agree with Loo," said Hana. "I hate being sick all the time. So far, we've always had more than enough damage available. Maybe balance should be the name of the game for all of us this round?"

No one voiced any objections.

"Choose safe picks, guys," Tom said.

They dispersed to their respective pools.

The moment Loo reached her designated stone, she raised a hand. "Balance, can we have a conversation?"

The sparkling water in Loo's pool rippled peacefully, mirroring the beautiful light of her surroundings.

Balance materialized beside Loo and settled onto a nearby boulder, gazing at the shimmering pool before her. Balance used to speak with Loo from the podium, but now it seemed like she just knew to settle in for the long haul.

"What do you need, Loo?"

Loo took a moment to collect herself.

"So, during the Dungeon, I had to hold my [Mana Spring] till the last wave of Room 1, and then it was on cooldown all the way through Room 2, so I was useless that whole dang time. Then, I used it too early in the Boss Room, and it almost really cost us. The cooldown is too long on [Mana Spring] to only have one version available. Basically, I want to be able to summon a second mana spring under my [Mana Inundationist] specialization."

Balance scoffed. "No, Loo. I still have not balanced your [Mana Spring] yet. It is too strong, and needs to be toned down. Now you want a second one! No. I spend too much time dealing with your class as it is."

Loo scowled, and turned to face her stone. "Can you show me other spells that my specialization can use to summon mana please?"

The stone flickered, and returned no results.

"None?!"

Loo's scowl deepened. She crossed her arms and turned away from the stone. "Can we make some new abilities that do?"

"Loo . . . " Balance's hand returned to the bridge of her nose. "Mana was not originally intended to be summoned and made so available to humans when this universe was designed."

"So, you're telling me I'm a [Mana Inundationist] who can't inundate? What happened to 'you made this bed so sleep in it'? Why let me make this specialization in the first place? I can't be a [Mana Inundationist] with only one spell to summon mana. Please, let's make another."

Balance stared at her.

"Please? What if it has, like, a longer cooldown, so I have to be super serious about it? And, since it has a longer cooldown, maybe it can summon more mana than the [Mana Spring]? It could be called, like, mana creek, or something?"

Balance continued to stare.

Then she sighed. "There is already some precedent for this. I am allowing people to modify and create other abilities in a similar manner. However, mana is complicated, Loo."

Loo put on her best 'please' face.

Balance sighed again. "Fine."

A new choice flared to life on the stone. It read [Mana Brook]; it did indeed summon more mana than [Mana Spring], but its cooldown was twice as long.

"Thank you!"

"Loo, if you take this spell, it will force me to take some drastic actions to balance your class. I will be forced to make it much more difficult to control the mana."

Am I boxing myself in?

"Um, I actually didn't look at the other spells yet. Let me make sure I want [Mana Brook]."

Balance shifted. "Please do," he said with forced politeness.

Loo turned to the stone. "Clear filter, please, and show me all available spells for [Mana Inundationist]." A long list of spells was carved into the stone.

Loo read the list out loud. "[Mana Boil]; causes damage when enemies cast spells. Might have been helpful in the screaming head room, but eh. [Mana Freeze]; freezes an enemy's mana during spell casts, also eh. Next one is interesting; [Mana Filter]. Increases the potency of the mana. I didn't even know that was a thing . . . " The list continued on.

Loo closed her eyes. "I can't inundate without the spells to do so. I choose [Mana Brook]."

Balance closed his eyes, and a strange energy buzzed in Loo's chest. She looked down; there were glowing specks moving around beneath her skin, their light shining through her clothes.

Balance raised his hand in reassurance. "You are fine. I am just balancing the difficulty of controlling mana with your soon-to-be new ability. I will be done shortly. Previously, you would execute a yoga pose to manipulate the energy. This has now been changed to the more fluid movements of Qigong."

"What the heck is Qigong?"

"Qigong is a series of slow, deliberate movements that focus on breathing and energy cultivation. You must learn to incorporate these techniques into your summoning and mana control. It will not be as easy as simply holding a pose. Also, if you make a mistake, the mana will dry up, your summoned creatures will die, and you may even drain the mana of your fellow party members. The consequences for mishandling mana are much greater now, Loo."

"But I don't know any Qigong! And I highly doubt anyone on the hill can teach me. How will I be able to cast any spells?"

What have I done!

"There are several knowledge books dropped throughout the Dungeon as part of your team's loot. They cover a wide variety of topics, such as blacksmithing and tailoring, and I will place a manual for Qigong in your loot pile."

Loo nodded. "It'll just take more practice." She took a deep breath. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Now, if that is all, I will give you some time—"

"No, wait! Sorry. I want to speak about my [Conjurer] spells now."

Balance's sighs were growing weary.

Loo scrolled through the relevant spells on the stone. Her mind raced. "Do my current spells serve as a sort of base for future spells?"

Balance paused. "They might. But that is up to you."

"Ugh, so vague."

Loo returned to the ability stone. The number of mana creatures that could be conjured seemed endless.

"Okay," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Currently, I can [Summon Blue Mana Plankton], which is eaten by the [Silver Mana Zooplankton], which is eaten by the [Mana Jellyfish]. So, my next summon should eat jellyfish?" She paused, thinking.

"Please filter the list to show what eats jellyfish."

The list shifted around. "Wow, [Summon Mana Turtle]!"

"Mana turtles are based off sea turtles, which are known to consume jellyfish," Balance said. "A summoned mana turtle would potentially intercept attacks directed at your allies by taking the damage on its shell."

"That is pretty awesome, and super cute!" Loo tapped her chin thoughtfully. "But if I choose mana turtles, what will I be able to choose for my next level? What is a sea turtle's predator?"

Loo's ability stone filtered once again.

"Mana sharks and large mana squid are among the most common predators of mana turtles," Balance informed her.

Loo's eyes widened as she imagined commanding a fierce mana shark, or an enormous squid.

"However, keep in mind the size constraints of certain environments, such as Dungeons."

Loo frowned. She backed up the filters to see which other creatures fed on jellyfish. Her jaw dropped when she spotted the giant mola mola fish and—even larger—whale shark. A grin spread across her face as she imagined the colossal ethereal creature swimming around through her mana flows. The whale shark could suck in and consume harmful magical effects, keeping her family and friends safe.

"Whale sharks would be amazing!"

If Loo could get a whale shark, did that mean she could get something that ate a whale shark?

Loo changed the filter to see which creatures preyed on whale sharks. To her surprise, several entries were blurred and marked 'unavailable'. She turned to Balance for an explanation.

"Ah, those creatures are too powerful for your current level. You need to progress further before you can access them."

"Ah, so we do get more spells at future levels."

Balance let out a long sigh.

Loo perused the ability list without really reading them. As exhilarating as fierce mana sharks and colossal whale sharks sounded, in her core she felt like they were the wrong choices.

"Maybe I'm thinking about this all wrong," Loo thought aloud. "If I went straight into sharks or giant squid, my ecological system would be way to flimsy. Like a Jenga tower. What about algae, or bacteria, as another solid base next to my phytoplankton?"

"An unexpected and insightful idea." Balance leaned closer, and examined the options with Loo.

"Let's say I pick algae, which creates excess oxygen and gives allies stamina regeneration . . . lots of things eat algae. If future spells build upon early spells, I really want to have a wide base for my food chain. I think that will lead to the most flexible options in the future. I'm sure there are tons of creatures I haven't even considered yet."

The stone filtered the options in accordance with Loo's spoken thoughts.

"Like this!" Loo's eyes widened. "Stony corals! They feed off both algae and phytoplankton. They grow a reef around the party, creating safe structures, blocking passages, and providing protection with their sharp skeletal branches. I have nothing in my build that offers defense, and these would help balance out my abilities." Loo paused. "For now, though, [Summon Mana Algae] and its stamina buff seems like a solid pick. We sure could have used the stamina boost in the Dungeon."

Loo turned to Balance. "It may not be as flashy as giant mana sharks, but it feels like the right fit for a solid ecosystem. I'll finish up Level 5 with the stony corals, or bacteria."

Balance nodded, and shifted.

Loo hesitated. "Hey, Balance? Do you think I'm making good plans for my build?"

"Loo, there is no 'one' path." Balance's voice was gentle. "Your choices are a reflection of your unique perspective and priorities. As long as you continue to learn and grow, you will find the way that is right for you. But, between you and me, your mana ecosystem is off to a great start." Balance smiled. "Even if you frustrate me." She winked.

Loo thanked Balance. She took a deep breath, and stepped into the cool water. Tiny motes of light danced and spun around her; their shimmering movements were mesmerizing. Two of them zoomed toward her chest, and warmth bloomed within her core, before she sank beneath the surface.

****

Loo blinked. She looked around the Boss Room. She felt the mental stutter; the familiar lurch in her brain that signified new spells.

With excitement bubbling inside her, Loo brought up her list of abilities. "Sweet! New spells, everyone! Oh . . . uh, ew, algae?"

Her confusion increased as she delved further into her ability list.

"What the heck is Qigong?"

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