The next day brought no breakthrough. Nor the day after that. Each session in the library followed the same discouraging pattern. Progress on individual elements, followed by collapse when I tried to integrate them.
"The three spheres." I muttered to myself on the fourth day, trying a different approach. "They have to flow into each other, like three wind currents."
This perspective helped somewhat. I managed to hold two spheres stable simultaneously for a few precious seconds before the mental construct dissolved again. But the third sphere remained elusive, slipping away whenever I tried to incorporate it.
By the end of the week, I was ready to throw the book across the room. My intelligence stat had risen to 9, making it my highest attribute. I should be able to figure this out. I'd mastered Pulse in two days. Why was Quickstep proving so impossible?
