Volume 3: Prologue

(2nd moon, 3rd day, 460 Lu)

Alphonse's eyes darted around as the cold of the winter night seeped under his blanket. 'Something's going to happen, I can feel it.' Alphonse thought to himself as he sat up in his bed. 'Prism, is there a way to avoid going?' Alphonse asked as he looked around the room.

{Nothing bad will come of going to the feast. It is just a celebration for the founding of the sect. Either way, it is required that you go, so I cannot see a way to avoid it.} Prism said. Alphonse shuddered.

'But... One of the requirements is to socialize... Am I ready for that?' Alphonse asked.

{It doesn't matter if you are ready. What matters is that you put in the effort to try to push past your fears.} Prism responded.

'I guess that's true...' Alphonse responded as he stood up. The chilly wood touched his feet as he walked to his table. He pulled out a chair and sat. Alphonse looked at the scroll he has sprawled out, open and ready to read.

Alphonse straightened his posture as he looked at the diagrams and text on the scroll. Alphonse focused his energy in several locations along his body starting from the root chakra. {Remember to focus the energy of earth there and not all of it.} Prism reminded Alphonse. Alphonse didn't respond as he tried to regain focus.

He continued focusing until he could feel his energy fill the chakra, he then moved onto the navel chakra. Alphonse imagined tea filling a teacup, a constant, yet steady stream of liquid that filled the cup as a warm feeling encompassed his chakra, slowly.

Alphonse began to breathe in an unsteady way as he expanded and deepened the heat he felt. After a few minutes, Alphonse's focus broke as he started breathing deeply and unsteadily. 'Looks like I passed to third step physical enhancement stage.' Alphonse thought to himself.

{Congratulations on making it to the next step.} Prism said. Alphonse nodded as he stood. Alphonse walked to his bed and climbed on, crawling to the other side of it and opening his window. He looked outside as snow began to fall.

He looked to the sky and saw nothing but darkness, not even stars. He continued to look up and after a few moments eyes opened back to him, yellow piercing eyes, those of a snake. A chill shot down Alphonse's spine as he looked up at the eyes.

"Beast, wake up before you no longer have the ability to. Unless you'd prefer your soul to be crushed. wake up and enter your day." The creature spoke in a loud booming voice. Alphonse's eyes opened wide as he sat straight up in his chair in a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

Alphonse hurried over to his window and looked outside. He saw the ground and plants were covered in snow as the bright sun shone down on the world. Sarah looked over to him and waved, to which Alphonse immediately shut his window.