The room they entered was dark and damp. Shelves lined the walls, each filled with strange unfamiliar items.
Illuminated by a glowing circle in the middle of the ceiling. At the back stood a polished wooden table.
Behind it, sat a man whose straight grey hair not fully visible. His face looked drawn and sickly.
As they approached, the man looked up.
"Welcome. How may I help you?"
"Hello. Do you have the Tester?" Liana asked.
The man nodded. "Yes, we do. How many would you like?"
She raised two fingers. "Two"
A bag of pouch floated off a nearby shelf and drifted toward her. Liana caught it deftly.
"That will be 2 golds."
Liana reached for her belt and handed him two golden coins.
They left the building, which stood only a few yards away from Leif's store.
"Now, let's return." Liana said gently.
Ser nodded.
***
A few days later.
By now, Ser had recovered, if not fully, then close to it.
The door creaked open.
"Miss Liana, I am here." Ser said as he stepped inside.
Liana was resting on a wooden chair sipping tea just before a table, that stood at the middle.
"Come over and sit." Liana said calmly.
Ser obeyed and took a seat. He was still wearing the same clothes as before.
Setting her cup down, Liana reached for the pouch at her waist and opened it. Inside were two softly glowing leaves. She placed one before Ser.
"Place your hand just above it." She instructed.
Ser did as told.
"Now, gently hold it until the glow disappears."
Ser nodded and obeyed.
The faint light began to dim; slowly at first, then completely. Moments later, the leaf laid dull and lifeless, as though every trace of light had been drained away.
Liana's brows lifted slightly in surprise, though she kept her composure. She took out the second leaf and placed it in front of him.
"Again, place your hand just above it." She instructed.
Ser nodded and obeyed once more.
This time, Liana stood and moved beside him, placing her own hand above his. Ser watched her quietly, his void eyes following her movements.
A glow crept just above Ser's hands. Startled, Ser instinctively tried to pull away, but Liana's calm voice stopped him.
"Don't move your hand, Ser."
Moments later, as the glow slowly vanished.
The leaf's edges had been burned but at its middle it was as green as ever.
It trembled faintly before settling still.
"You may be wondering what we just did, aren't you?" Liana asked as she returned to her seat.
Ser nodded silently.
"Ser, do you know what Rii is?" Liana asked.
"No, I don't." Ser replied hesitantly.
"Rii is the fundamental unit of existence. It's everywhere, the very potential to disrupt the natural laws of the world."
Ser silently listened.
"It exists within all known phenomena and influences them in some way. To put it simply, Rii is the building block of everything. Without it, nothing could exist."
Her tone softened. "There are beings who can control Rii. Those beings are called Wielders. Roughly twenty percent of the world's population consists of them."
She leaned back slightly, continuing. "Wielders are categorized based on how they manipulate Rii. The two most common types are Transmitters and Infusers. Some wielders can command more than one type of control; they are known as Generalists. Such people are rare."
She paused, then nodded toward the drained leaf. "What we just did was a test, to see if you were a wielder. That leaf, known as the Testing Leaf or tester, reacts to Rii. If glow fades, it means you can influence Rii to some extent. The degree to which it fades reflects your Will's capacity."
"Will?" Ser asked quietly.
"Yes," Liana replied. "Think of Will as the container that holds your Rii. For humans, it rests near the heart. Since the leaf completely lost its light, it means you possess very high Will capacity. Even I was surprised."
Ser blinked, processing her words.
" As for the second leaf," Liana continued, "It determines what kind of Rii control you possess. I guided your Rii to interact with the leaf's nature directly. As you saw, its edges burned while its center pulsed faintly with electricity. This means your Transmitting nature scorched it, while your Infusing nature protected its core with energy."
"In other words, you belong to both sections; Transmitter and Infuser. You are a Generalist, Ser."
Ser stared at her, trying to digest everything. The amount of information almost made his head spin, but after a moment, he nodded slowly.
Raising a hesitant finger, he asked, "I have a question, Miss Lia."
Liana arched an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"What section do you belong to?"
A small smile crossed her lips. "I, too, am a Generalist, Ser."
"I see..." he murmured, thoughts swirling with quiet wonder.
"But" Liana's tone turned firm, "being a Generalist doesn't necessarily mean superiority. The possible applications of Rii are endless. In battle, a single-section wielder can be just as strong as a Generalist, sometimes stronger. Such wielders are known as Specialists."
Her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer.
"Remember that, Ser."