Arise the Mentor, Awaken the Student

Things had been quite the flutter in the days leading up to the meeting. Word was that a scholar was going to be granted leave to pursue a task outside of the Oasis in an attempt to ascend to Archivist- a rank held in high regard within the Grand Library. Such an ascension of a scholar was not unheard of, naturally, but it was rare that a scholar chose the much more dangerous path of ascension than what lay here at the Oasis. Here, surrounded by the comforts of their kin and the resources they had gathered, it was much easier to simply do your rites and pass your exams. A display of knowledge and dedication to the arts of the Owls was often enough though the amount of time one must dedicate to their studies was no small matter. Be that as it may, it was often much more preferable than venturing forth into the world unknown with no contract holder, and to be cut off from the powers that nestled in the Owls home. Most of the inhabitants of the Great Oak Library might find the idea of a permanent outing into the world of man somewhat abhorrent.

Such could not be said for Archimedes, however.

The horned owl rested comfortably on the perch had been anticipating- one made from the gnarled cane of an adventurer whose name most new though was simply referred to as The Third. The third child of man to seek the counsel of the Owls of the Oasis, and who later had become a hero of lore to the race of Owls. His talons gripped along the well worn wood as he swiveled his head about the large chamber. Among the grooves of the inside of the Great Oak lay a gathering chamber filled with Owls of various size and shape. Each a student or scholar in their own right, but for now they simply observed their fellow Owl in the midst of the floor. Despite the numerous owls, there was an eerie silence that hung in the air- after all, the Owls communicated rarely with each other by voice. There was little need since they all shared the ability to communicate telepathically with each other, making gatherings less noisy. Even amidst the excitement of Examination, the only sound to fill the outside of the Owl’s collective mental conversations was the shuffling of feather and claw, each waiting for proceedings to start.

Archimedes swiveled his gaze about the room, picking out small bits of conversation here and there though not reaching out to anyone himself. The stubborn owl had insisted on Examination despite warnings that he was not prepared to endeavor such a task. Granted, his body was not made of the same stuff of man, but his mind was sharp and he found himself no less prepared to face what might come than others who had come before him. It was with quiet resolve that Archimedes stood at the center of the chamber facing down a small high-rise set before a grand opening in the Oak. Beyond the opening could be seen a pool of stars that belongs to the land of Haven, twinkling as distant motes of fire often did so enticingly. Somewhere, beyond that opening, Archimedes was aware that his fate was waiting for him, and it would be dishonest to admit that he felt no anxiety over the matter. Mixed in with that anxiety, however, was the same excitement that came with discovery of the unknown- to forge paths others had not. To explore realms of potential yet laid veiled to the mind. The thought of it would send a ruffle over the horned owl’s feathers as the mental chatter about the room died down while one of the Archivist took center at the high rise.

Archivist Kaepora. A respected Owl in a respected position, Kaepora had made the decision to personally oversee the examination causing yet more stir among the branches. A wizened Great Grey Owl with a once dark coat of feathers having greyed with age and began to whiten at the tips of his wings. With a single motion, his wings spread out at his side covering near half the width of the opening behind him as a hush fell over the chamber. Big, dark eyes would peer from the grooves where the observers sat down to the center of the rounded chamber, where Archimedes rested upon the Gnol of the Third. “I, Archivist Kaepora, call to session the three-hundred and ninety third Examination amidst the Oak. Archimedes, you have taken upon the Gnol, a place where man once stood to make a plea before the Owls of the Oasis for sanctuary. You seek ascension through means of Expedition. Do you understand the task that may be put forth before you?”

The horned owl would straighten his posture if he could as the meeting began at the behest of the Archivist. “I do,” he answered shortly.

“And you are aware of the dangers that might come of you? Are you aware of the gifts of which you surrender in order to accomplish this goal? To be turned from our nests until your goal is complete- or you fail.” The Archivist continued the questioning, as was customary for those wishing to undertake such a venture. Even toned and confident, as his age had made him.

“I am.” Came another quick reply. This meeting had been played a thousand times in the mind of the owl. He knew how he wanted it to go. Short. Sweet. And to the point. As things so rarely were when steeped in tradition.

“Then let us waste little time. Few are unaware of the things you have accomplished- the Thousand Pages, countless hours as a Custodian, and your work on “Aerodynamic Calibrations” sits among the upper echelons of our halls. You distinguish yourself among your peers in the fields you chose to explore, and while your attitude has gotten you into some amount of trouble, I see little reason why these transgressions should cast shade upon your Examination. However, that is not for me to decide.” Kaepora shuffled in places, a talon lifting into a quick series of gestures equating to hand seals before a harmonious ring would sound through the chamber. Reverb casting it from the walls as the call was put out into the night only to fade into the distance. “Skymother! Your children seek your console- one of your own wishes to leave the nest and must be guided by your gentle wing!” A call to the sky as Kaepora turned, following the note of sound as it faded through the opening in the Oak.

All eyes turned in the chamber to the opening as the motes of distant star light seemed to gather. Slowly but surely, the lines of distant light would align into the outline of a massive snow owl- a form that all in the chamber readily recognized as the sacred symbol of the Skymother, wings spread wide as though they could encompass that of the entire world. In moments, the form took tangibility just beyond the gate of the chamber, Chakra flooding the form as color surged into the outline. Seconds later, the Skymother would stand amidst air before them, wings slowly folding back into her form as she greeted her children with her gaze.

“Skymother. One of our own seeks your blessing to depart the nest and join the world of man, such that he may prove his abilities as a Mentor, and join the ranks of the Archivist.” Kaepora spoke once the spectacle had concluded. No other might dare speak so suddenly, and yet no Owl would feel fear enter their system. Only reverence was held for She That Carries the Moon. “Archimedes seeks your guidance- as do we all. Please, show him the path to which he may achieve his goals so that he may trial to overcome the obstacles both studious and dangerous on the path that lay before him.”

For a long moment, there was silence in the chamber though it was anything but inactive. A palpable tension could be felt among the feathers of all of the occupants, anxious to see what task the Skymother would provide to the ambitious scholar. In moments that felt like they stretched on for an eternity, the great Owl would gather her thoughts before her mind reached to touch all of those in the chamber like the warm embrace of a gentle hand. “Archimedes. You have provided great service to the Oasis- adding to it’s stores of knowledge and assisting those around you in finding the path best suited to them. You show signs of becoming an exemplary mentor.” A mere wave of her wing conjured an image in the air above the midst of the chamber. A ball of light stretched into an image bearing that of a man- a young man with the symbol of a strike through a star etched into the flesh of his forehead. “I present to you, your pupil. A young human in the land of Haven, who has recently suffered the heartbreak of failure, and the joy of redemption. Within him rests an immense potential to which he has only recently become aware. You must seek out this boy and guide him in his growth. Free him of the ties that bind his mind, and bring him to revelation.”

Archimedes would tilt his head skyward, observing the dark haired youth with an etching in his forehead. A stoney expression covered his face. Admittedly, Archimedes had little in the way of expectations; all he knew was that this boy held the path forward. “I will do as you wish, Skymother.” Archimedes returned, his gaze looking back to the opening where the Skymother sat aloft on the air.

“Then go, Scholar of the Great Oak. I bid you free of your ties to the Oasis, to fly among the realm of man and grip your destiny with both talons.” Her wings spread, vanishing beyond the frame of the opening as a burst of translucent energy rippled across the room. The energy cascaded across the walls and the air like a crashing torrent traveling at a rapid pace through the chamber until it suddenly coalesced in the center of the chamber, Archimedes as the central crux as the energy gathered and then dispersed in a puff of gentle air.

All at once, there was silence. Archimedes looked about himself as he felt the release take hold of him; the silence of no longer hearing the thoughts of his kin. That urge that remained at the back of his mind that made him ready to be summoned at a moments notice vanished, letting the release fall over him like a coat taken from the rack after years of hanging. It was both freeing and horrifying in the same stroke; this wasn’t the first release he had seen, but it was not something that happened to a person more than once. The sensation was like that of being cut free from a bushel of fruit, now left on his own to drift amid a sea of uncertainty. That was, if he hadn’t known where his goal resided. The others could feel it too. He could tell as eyes turned to him as though to say something, yet no words entered his mind. By the time he looked back to the opening, the Skymother had vanished, and all that remained was Kaepora, who had turned back to address him one more.

This time, the voice would echo from the high-rise as the Archivist activated a simple chakra manipulation to craft a voice easily recognizable. “The Skymother has spoken. We in the Oasis wish you the best of luck, Mentor Archimedes. May your pupil learn swiftly and surely so that you might return to the Oasis in good haste.”

Archimedes himself had few words to offer in return to the council, and with only a few more moments of tradition observing the closing of the Examination, the chamber slowly emptied out. Archimedes would have little in the way of things to gather as he took not to worldly possessions. Instead, it was with a single minded focus that Archimedes departed the Great Oak within the same hour as his Examination had finished heading northward to the largest city in the country of Haven. If this boy was to be anywhere of note, it would certainly be there. 

WC- 2087

The visit to the archive had not been quite as helpful as the two of them thought it was going to be. While the library stored a great deal of information on jutsu, the village, and the nature of chakra in practice it held little to identify more readily the new abilities Yuuma had found himself with. Of all their findings, however, they were able to glean a name at the very least: Nara. A clan that is scattered throughout the land and is largely unknown in the wake of the bigger clans. The Uchiha, the Hyuuga- bloodlines that once spelled royalty in certain parts of the word. For the most part, it seemed the Nara were as disconnected as islands that lined the straight. Their techniques were a thing of mystery, and not even the archives could reveal much on how they worked let alone the particulars of any technique in question. While the study was quite helpful in compiling a few sources of information to be studied for the upcoming exam, it didn’t put Yuuma any closer to understanding the nature of what he had come to learn. In spite of the setbacks, however, Archimedes seemed not at all deterred by the lack of information they had found.

In fact, even as the two of them made their way back to the small single room apartment Yuuma inhabited, the owl would have quite a few things to say; expectations on study, the responsibility that their new relationship entailed, and several other fine points that filled up the Genin’s head until he felt wobbly on his feet like an overfull glass of water that teetered at the edge of the table. A hand would twist the knob to the doorway before pressing the paneling inward to relieve the door of it’s guard duty and allow Yuuma to enter the space with his new companion perched upon his shoulder. “So, this is your abode, hmm?” The owl strummed out, his head swiveling to take in the meager space. “Modest. Adequate. I’m pleased to see you don’t clutter your living space with thoughtless knick-knacks that distract you.” With a flutter of his wings, Archimedes would take a brief flight from the man’s shoulder to land on one of the few pieces of furniture in the room; a squat, round table that sat in the center of the room that had clutter. Talons clacked gently over the wooden surface as Archimedes inspected its contents. Basic scrolls, books related to chakra manipulation, and a fair bit of medical reference books. An approving coo would emit from the owl, who’s gaze would pause over a scroll hung on the wall. “Where did you find this?” He asked, a wing lifting to motion to the scroll.

The scroll in question depicted a proud stag amidst a clearing in a lush green forest, and moon full behind the stag casting it’s antlers in shadow along the ground. Yuuma had found the piece hung upon a clinic in the Narrows when he had gone searching for answers and had since hung the scroll on the wall nearest the bed he usually had rolled up to save on floor space. “Ah.” Yuuma said, sinking onto said bed and relieving himself of the armful of books he had been carrying onto the table besides his new companion. His own blue gaze followed the motion up to the scroll despite knowing full well what the owl was referring to; it was the only piece of “art” he had hung in his living space, after all. “I found that after I learned about...well, me. It was hanging in a place my mother used to run...oh!” A thought struck Yuuma like a flash of lightning, and the young man would press himself up once again to go to the closet inlaid into the wall of his apartment.

Opening the doors, Yuuma would begin to rummage around the bottom of the closet until he withdrew a bundle of scrolls. The white parchment marred with a heavy dark ink and bound in its bundle at both ends by some ribbon. Returning to his seat, Yuuma would place the bundle of scrolls down on the table and begin to undo the ribbon. “I found these as well. I’ve tried to look them over but they just kind of seem like...gibberish.” He said, his tone betraying the frustration he had felt upon his initial inspection. Although the scrolls never strayed far from his thoughts, Yuuma had poured over them more than a few times, and each time only found himself more and more confounded by the dark ink that he could have sworn shifted every time he looked at it to be yet still unrecognizable. Setting the bindings aside, he’d take up one of the scrolls and unfurl it to display to his companion. “See? These were in a safe, which makes me think they are important but...I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

Archimedes inspected the scroll as it was presented, his wings opening in surprise as he bobbed his head this way and that to look over the peculiar piece of parchment. “My boy, if you had mentioned you had this sooner, we could have bypassed the need to go to the archive all together! Do you know what these are?” A small shake of Yuuma’s head was answer enough as the owl continued to look over the scroll. “Yes you do, you just don’t know it,” Archimedes chided gently. “These scrolls hold a great potential to be unlocked. Despite what it might look like, these scrolls contain precisely the sort of teachings you have been searching for.”

“But...I cannot read them.” Yuuma protested, setting the scroll down and folding his arms across the table in front of him, his attention flicking between his supposed mentor and the incomprehensible scroll of gibberish.

“But you can. In fact, you may be the only person in this entire village that may be able to.” A further confused expression from the young disciple pulled a coo of frustration from the feathered mentor. “First things first. You will need to tap into the element of Shadow- not really an element, mind you. But an energy that you and your kind can pull on and manipulate. The very essence of shadow itself. The energy of light without light. Of chill without the cold.” When Yuuma’s brow began to furrow, Archimedes knew he was going to have to do more than simply speak theory for the boy. “Close your eyes and clear your mind like you would when you focus on your chakra. Normally, you might be expected to summon the energy within you- the natural energy of the elements. This time, however, you are going to do the same thing but not for any element but of the energy in your immediate area. Reach out, and see if you can find it.”

Naturally, there was some hesitation. A brand new practice after his head was so full might have normally turned Yuuma away from trying anything new, but if this owl was correct then he may very well hold enough knowledge to see him through on his journey. Closing his eyes, he would focus on the energies of the world around him, shutting out the pull of the elements he had since grown an affinity for, and instead sitting in the dark, waiting for something to tug on him. It took several long minutes of focus, but like a current beneath dark waves, Yuuma could indeed feel the pull of something else. Something he had never noticed before. It was subtle, quiet. Like a predator stalking just beneath the surface. It was as though Yuuma had found himself waist deep in a pool of water he could not see the bottom of, the drag of some monstrous creatures tugging at his legs as it moved around him, circling him. “Now, lift your hand and move it forward.” Archimedes finally said. Slowly, maintaining this startling feeling of an unknown pressure, he could feel his heart race the same way prey might feel adrenaline shoot through their system as the shadow of a hawk passed them. Still, despite this fear welling inside of him, Yuuma would lift a hand and begin to move it forward as though reaching out in the dark for something he couldn’t see yet somehow knew was there.

When he felt his hand brush against something beneath it, he had to fight the urge to withdraw in panic. With a slight shake, he twitched his fingers, pressing down into the substance and exploring the tactile sensation it offered. It was cold, malleable. It shifted easily beneath his touch like some kind of gel, yet never did it stick to him. When his curiosity finally overrides his fear, Yuuma would open his eyes in an attempt to see what it was that was offering him this feeling. To his immeasurable surprise, he would see no creature nor object beneath his hand. In fact, he’d see nothing but the scroll, unfurled on the table beneath his hand. The shadow of his ligament has strewn across the page, and it was here that Yuuma recognized the sensation; he was feeling something after all. It was the text on the scroll. The lettering began to shift and morph as he held that sensation aloft, and ever so slowly, the gibberish began to morph into something recognizable. After a few moments of manipulation, Yuuma would breath out an excited breath. Shapes and splotches morphed beneath his hand, forming words- instructions and guidance on techniques he had never heard of before. “This is..” Yuuma started, finding it difficult to gather the words he was looking for under the flurry of thoughts that flashed through his mind.

“This is the beginning.” Archimedes started. It was at this time that the tug of the shadow began to slacken before withdrawing back to Yuuma’s hand once more. He had expended what energy he had utilized for the technique in order to unravel the key to the mystery. Although it was not easily discernible, Archimedes found himself to be incredibly content with the progress made. Not even his voice dared to admit as much as he continued. “You have a rather remarkable gift. One that not many of your kind have the ability to manipulate. It is very rare, indeed. You should be diligent with your studies, and take great care in who you share the knowledge of this technique with.” This last line brought a look of question from Yuuma, who had withdrawn his hand back to his lap. “There is a reason information on your bloodline is no easy task to find. Even my former compatriots would have to put in some serious effort to uncover much more than what I think these scrolls of yours could tell us. Truth be told, they probably belong in a sealed archive.”

Yuuma would press a thumb into the plan of the once extended hand, rubbing back and forth as he looked back and forth from the owl to the scroll and back. “I...yeah, you are right.” He said, sighing out some. Yuuma had hoped that he could share his findings with someone- anyone if it meant helping the village, but the owl’s words rang true. These scrolls hadn’t been found in some archive; they had been locked away in a safe that was sealed by some manner of fuinjutsu he hadn’t recognized. In the quiet of his contemplation, another thought bubbled to the mind of Yuuma. “Your former compatriots?” He questioned, looking to the owl with the same curiosity he held for just about anything else he experienced. A curious creature by nature.

“Yes,” Archimedes chimed, somewhat dismissive in regard. “The Owls of the Oasis. I’m certain you will meet some of them before long. You might not know it, but you caused quite a stir in their little nest.” That look of curiosity morphing to confusion was beginning to grow on the owl; he wasn’t sure that strange look of curiosity was ever going to get old, though the owl could feel deep down that it might not remain if he shared with the boy everything that might be expected of him. Of the nature of the things he would be learning, and the decisions he would have to someday make. But that was something to be addressed at another time. “Don’t concern yourself with it for now. Let us take our victories as they come to us. Now that you have learned how to access the learning material, shall we begin putting it into practice?”

WC - 2,109
TWC- 6,024

EXIT

Claims:

Stats- +60
+40 Chakra
+14 Vigor
+1 Speed
+5 Strength

Other-
Claiming bond to familiar Archimedes. 2000
Ranking Shadow Imitation from B to A. 1000
Learning Shadow Stitching Technique. 2750
Using 224 WC to rank Earth Style Wall from D to C. Previous progress here.

The last 50 WC can just sort of go to space tbh.

Approved