Kael then went to the table and brought back some papers, he placed two papers each in front of them.

"This is called skill formation, patterns that guide your essence to create skills," Kael said.

Azaroth studied the papers in front of him, clean white papers that had lines and angles drawn with black ink on them. Once Azaroth’s mum had tried to teach him math and he had opened the textbook to a place his mother called geometry.

This was exactly what this formation looks like to him, shapes drawn into each other.

"Here in the Inferno Legion, we use this formation to guide our skills," Kael said.

"There are different ways?" Stallus studied the papers in front of her, frowning down at them.

"Of course. Essence is used in different ways to provide the same outcome. We have spells, they are words used to channel and control Essence to create physical effects," Kael said.

Kael continued. "We have those who use gestures to create effects and those who use their imaginations. Wishing has been known to work. Some simply visualize their skills. I’ve heard of a cult of ritualists who use human sacrifices as their focus for creating skills."

Alex shuddered. "Why would they do that?"

"Because it was easier for them to use essence that way. We have those who use prayers," Kael shrugged. "Praying to gods and through that they use skills."

"Do you know what all this have in common?" Kael asked them, snapping his hands as he asked.

"They want to use skills?" Stallus asked, her brows raising in skepticism.

"That’s in line but it is not the main point," Kael said. "Anyone else?"

Catena spoke. "They wanted to do something. All of it points to their intent to use essence."

Kael stopped and thought about it before he shook his head. "Still not hitting it in the head."

Azaroth thought about it. All these things Kael mentioned—gesturing, formation, and spells—it all came down to something. A thing that made it all happen.

"Will," Azaroth said. "They willed it to happen."

Kael clapped once. "Exactly! They all conveyed the desperation of using skills. The will. This was one of the things the monsters taught us—essence needed something to shape it, then will to bring it out."

Shape and will. Seems simple enough, Azaroth thought. Was he not willing enough? Was that why the chaos technique skills didn’t work?

"This formation serves as a shaper and your will makes the skill activate," Kael said. "All the other ways provide the same solution but different methods."

"When the monsters taught them this, all the First Awakeners looked for ways to shape their essence. Inferno Legion came up with the idea that the world is connected through patterns and if you study these patterns enough you can make use of them. Hence, the formation." Kael pointed at the papers.

Stallus raised her hand.

"Why raise your hand? Just speak."

"Well, I want to divert a little. Why did the monsters teach the First Awakeners how to use essence?" Stallus frowned. "It’s like giving your enemy more weapons against you."

Good question, Azaroth thought. He had always wondered why they did it. Was it because they found the humans too weak for a challenge?

Kael shrugged. "Who knows? The monsters are not like humans. The High Monsters are even worse, they plot and scheme. Who knows what goes around in a monster’s head?"

Stallus settled herself back on the floor, her face still looking unsettled as if something wasn’t adding up.

It wasn’t adding up at all, Azaroth thought. Why would they teach them when they could just wipe the humans all out? Also, why weren’t the monsters uniting against humans instead of keeping territory and engaging in occasional raids?

Lots of holes in the short history of the Awakeners. Not like it interested Azaroth to know. His goal was rather simple—burn down the Inferno Legion. Nothing else matters.

".....so the formation is what the Inferno Legion came up with. In front of you are two papers. The one at the top is for simple light formation, but it would form in your techniques."

"What do you mean?" Alex gripped the paper at the top and looked at it doubtfully.

"What I meant was that the light formation is made respectively for your techniques. For example, Stallus’s should be a blue soft light and you Alex should be like a lightning spark." Kael raised his finger and a small red glowing ball of energy appeared, spinning gently.

"Like this for fire techniques." The ball spun above his finger like a small red star. If stars glowed red.

Nobody was asking the important question here, Azaroth thought. The question that could change a lot of things.

"How do you make this formation?" Azaroth asked because it looked like the formation was just as important as the essence.

Kael dissolved his light ball. "Good question. We have specialists whose job is to create formations that we use with our techniques."

Bad. Bad, Azaroth narrowed his eyes. "Can one learn how to make formations?"

Kael shrugged. "You can, but I won’t advise it now because you have no understanding of essence and how it all works. I know what you are thinking, but rest assured that once you reach the level of Master Awakener you won’t be held down by formations and all that."

Azaroth relaxed a little, but his brain had already started working. So this was how they kept the Hounds down with bad techniques and watered-down formation.

Azaroth had to at least respect them there. The Inferno Legion knew how to keep a force made of rebels in a tight fist—the mask though. It was their masterpiece.

He would have to ask Evernight when he saw him, Azaroth’s lips twitched even though his face was cold and blank. Evernight, that tongue twister.

"Let’s learn how the Inferno Legion makes skills with formation," Kael Hound said.