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A Hero Tale {Complete}

"You should be proud of that, acknowledge the fact that you are worth more than everyone around you. You are strong, and you are, in a way, better. You can't protect anyone if you can't even recognize that you're stronger than they are," Nexus insisted, dispelling the balls completely. "It may take a while to believe, but it's necessary for what I'm trying to teach you."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Nexus sighed at Jenso's remark, and took a moment to think over how he'd approach the man's resolve. "Less than.. That's not it," Nexus whispered. His eyes closed and he took a thinking pose. But within moments, he realized excatly how Jenso learned. Simply talking to him and explaining it like he'd explain it to somebody like Yzeira, who thought solely with the logical part of their mind wouldn't work. Jenso had to learn with his heart. Nexus lowered his hand, palm up, and conjured up several small rubber balls. Within moments, one of the balls was at the center, and the rest began to float around it. The center ball grew larger, and the balls around it began to slow down, rotating around it peacefully. "This ball is strong, and the other use it as orbit. It maintains them, and it keeps them at a regular pace. What if, suddenly, that ball was gone?" With a small pop, the center ball dissipated, and the other balls all fell to the ground, and bounced away. "Where is the order? Where is the peace? All of the other balls are now gone. Without their hero, they are forfeit to the darkness. Wouldn't you say that.. The bigger ball was indeed more important than the smaller ones? Wouldn't you say that it matters more for the safety of all?"

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"No no, nothing so moronic, trust me. But it does require a certain level of ingenuity. It's a selfish technique, but it's absolutely necessary. You need to start putting yourself before everyone else. It's really that simple. From there, everything falls into place."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

~ Chapter III ~

_{Otherworldly Regimen}

Nexus brought Jenso to a small gazebo atop a nearby transparent hill, and waved him underneath. "Trust me when I say, learning how to achieve peace will melt away your worries and make your soul stronger in the end."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"Then it's settled," Nexus spat, tossing his cup into nothingness, "I think you're going to enjoy it here."

---

~ End Of Chapter II~

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"It's not that simple, but I'm sure you'll learn eventually. In a year, you'll have to wander the void for quite a while before I can reestablish this dimension. Hopefully you'll have known peace by then, haha.." Nexus slammed his cup down and stood up quickly, "Unless, perhaps you'd.. Like a teacher?"

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"That's not it. It's a little more applicable than that, literally. Hah, I didn't learn about it for the longest time, but Ki is actually quite simple. It should be obvious that Ki is influenced by our emotions quite drastically," Nexus began to explain, "Which is why you are they way you are, and why Yzeira is the way he is, now." Nexus patted his bare chest and conjured a small cup before Jenso. There was nothing in it, but he handed it over nonetheless.

"Anger overclocks the soul to the point of absolute fatigue, damaging it and leaving it in tatters. Much of the time, it can kill a person who harnesses their Ki this way. Occasionally, it will give them a permanent boost. Likewise, hope can expand the limitations of the soul, but it cannot exceed natural limitations in quick bursts the same way anger can. Determination, drive, the ability to never give up, the power which you hold far more sternly than anyone I've ever seen... Well, that's one of the most influential factors in determining strength. It naturally gives Ki limitless growth, on top of its already limitless potential. You hold that power, as does my master, Yzeira. It's a matter of pride, really." Nexus paused and looked down to his cup.
"The passionate emotions all work the same way, changing how Ki flows, in both dangerous and harmless integers. The less passionate however, the gloomy and depressing feelings we get, do something else. While it is impossible to reduce the overall might of a soul without access to the void, it can be dampened, disoriented, and shaken by things like sadness, hopelessness, and heartbreak. But, there is a center to all of this- Erm, a point where emotions lose their chaotic effect on our Ki. Peace. It's no so much a state of mind, it's the lack thereof. Normally, our Ki expands and contracts randomly within our bodies, changing in size and power based on how we think. But with proper training, a person can mold Ki to their bodies, sealing it in a stasis, where energy can be output without any fatigue. In this state of perfect concentration, it's possible to make more informed decisions, react faster, and be without worry. A literal peace, you see," Nexus explained thoroughly. "Peace is almost like a fourth state of energy, outside of the arcane, Ki, and void that encompass all of reality. It can shape the other energies perfectly, but it is limited, and can only be created by our conscious decision to do so, through meditation, and way of life. The way we speak, the way we act, and the way we live. Peace is an energy we create, and expend, for tranquility..." Nexus paused and looked around him at the beautiful realm they were in.

"This dream realm is not a simple task. I can only hold it for a year at a time, by expending the peaceful energies inside of me in order to break the normal laws of magical physics that bind realities together. It is a literal production of my peace. No analogies or metaphors at play here, heh."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"Haha, we do make things a little... Unruly, to say the least," Nexus quipped, picking up his drink again. "Jenso, peace is a powerful tool, and it can persist indefinitely, even in the heat of battle. It isn't something we look forward to, it's something we create. It's a resource, in our Ki," Nexus chuckled and nodded, "Literally."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"To each their own, but you speak of defending so many. Haha, still, you do not quite understand what peace is. Such is necessary in our lives, Jenso. Without it, our efforts have nothing to defend, and our weapons are frail... I'm so tired of the chaos that I've been forced to partake in for the past five thousand years, but I've found an outlet, where peace pulls me away from it all, here, in my dream dimension. Time flows slowly, here. I feel away from it all, away from those idiots, and Yzeira. Despite my values, I've found peace."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"Life is precious, but I don't think it's precious enough to protect. Life needs to defend itself, otherwise it becomes something evil, driven by darkness. I don't think it should be a matter of can or cannot, or whether you have the right. In the multiverse, there are no innate rights. What do you care about more, though? Yourself? Your people? Or your moral fibre."