Water crashed against a small sailboat as it ventured away from the sunrise. The cold deep blue of the Korai ocean disintegrated the light, creating an atmosphere of a forbidden eerie plane.
A splash of sea salt made its way into Obai's snoring mouth, catching him off guard and forcing him to tumble awake.
He leaned forward on his thin legs as he spat out his unfortunate breakfast and looked up towards the bow of the ship. At the very tip, balancing with inhuman accuracy, was Nova.
Dressed in a loose, white shirt and slick, black pants held up by a tight and expensive looking belt, the ghost nearly looked like a pirate. A clean pirate, just without the hat or eye-patch. Obai chuckled as he pictured a parrot landing on her sturdy shoulder.
Glancing up, he watched her white hair blow in the wind as he flashed back to her explanation from the previous night. He tried to ask some more questions about why she was bringing him along but wasn't able to get a straight answer. All he knew now was that there was an important lesson to be taught on some remote island northwest of Kokoronashi.
However, as confused as he was, Obai still felt excited. He'd never left the island before. Maybe it was time for a little adventure.
Of course, his parents weren't happy, but they reluctantly let him go after a quick exchange with Nova.
Obai quit his staring and stumbled over to Nova.
"Won't you tell me what this is all about now?"
Slowly, Nova turned her head, giving Obai a pale smile. She glanced out at the ocean one last time before stepping down from the edge of the boat and giving Obai a pat on the shoulder.
"I told you," her light words bounced off with a smile. "It's training."
The boy sighed, shoving his sister's arm away.
"Mind being more specific?"
Nova chuckled and walked towards the mast, calling over her shoulder.
"It's more of a lecture, really. You won't be doing much, just watching."
She leaned down and picked up a rope, pulling it away to turn the sail slightly. The wind shifted and another wave crashed a foot away as the ship shifted starboard. Glancing back at Obai, she continued.
"I've told you about the Traits. I've taught you energy perception. Now, you'll see the more astounding and secretive details."
Her smile widened as a gleam shined in her eyes. Nova's thin hands shot up as her fingers mingled in excitement. The way she talked about her teachings always excited her. It was honestly kind of creepy.
"Firstly, what do you think is the limit of a Trait's power?"
Obai raised an eyebrow.
"There's a limit? Doesn't one's level of energy determine that?"
Nova chuckled pleasantly as she shook her head.
"While more energy does mean more power, that doesn't mean more skilled. You see, Traits are like tools for the energy to flow through and to take shape in. Therefore, someone who's just awakened a Trait, versus someone with the same energy but a mastered Trait are on entirely different levels."
Walking over to the front of the boat once more, she dropped to the floor, getting into a comfortable position.
"The more someone uses a Trait and understands it, the more refined their stages will become, and more efficient uses of their energy will ensue."
She glanced out at the ocean. Clouds rolled over the bright blue sky.
"So... where's the limit?"
Obai stayed silent, thinking. He still didn't see how there could be a limit. Couldn't anyone just refine their Traits more? Practice even more?
Eventually, he shrugged.
Nova sighed as she gave the answer.
"The limit is when a Trait takes the form of pure energy."
Obai's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean? Like all of your energy is used in one attack?"
"Wrong!" Nova shook her head violently.
"When a Trait is used for a self-stage transformation, only a percentage of energy is truly put into the transformation, while the rest activates the Trait. If someone trains their Trait to the limit, then the activation cost is zero. All of the energy can be put into a transformation, turning into a Trait's true self. Its blade."
"A blade? Like... a sword?"
Nova smiled. "Not necessarily. It depends on the person."
The sky continued to grow darker as clouds rolled over the sun and the dark water crashed more heavily.
Obai glanced down in thought.
Then he asked, "Well, what about the world-stage? What happens if you have all of your energy to trade with?"
Nova shot up with joy. "Excellent question, pupil!"
She pointed a finger out at the sky. Giant dark clouds covered the canvas, making it seem like it was night. A sudden boom of thunder rattled the world, and the waves churned into massive behemoths.
The ghost's pale lips curved upward as she glanced at the young boy.
"Let me show you."
Just then, the air around her swirled, and a heavy pressure made of energy converged on Nova's core. It only took her a second for her Spirit Trait to activate, morphing into a visible weapon held in her hand.
Swirls of bright mist took Obai's breath away as it wrapped itself around Nova's arm and grew out into the shape of a magnificent katana. Its misty blade gave off a chilling aura as the hand that drew it shot forward.
A flash of lightning shot down from the heavens and met the tip of the ethereal blade, creating an invisible shockwave of energy. The world stunted for a second as Obai studied the surroundings in shock, his body jittering in awe.
Then, in just a blink of an eye, the bright blue sky returned and the terrifying waves settled into a calm, flat plane.
The misty blade disintegrated, and the energy absorbed back into Nova's body.
Her bright smile remained on her face as she turned around to stare at Obai, who was now rattled with his back on the ship's deck.
"Did you catch all that?"
Nova laughed as she crouched down to look Obai in the eyes.
"Both self and world stages. A blade can flawlessly influence both. So... what'd you think of my Spirit Blade?"