Beyond The System
Chapter 152: Change of Force

“Who wants to get on first?” I asked, glancing around.

Even the dogs gave me blank stares, as if the question itself was offensive.

“Well,” Thea said gently, “you made the binding… shouldn’t you try it?”

A round of nods confirmed the group’s consensus. Even—wait. “Did anyone else just see Bristle nod?”

“Maybe you need some rest, man,” Elric said, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. “Pretty hot out today.”

“I swear I just—You know what, whatever.”

The raft looked about how you’d expect if you handed Trevor a vague blueprint and told him to make a boat. Not movie-quality or anything, but a solid chunk of effort layered with steaming ice. We ditched the ‘bathtub’ idea early on and instead went with small pillar supports at each corner for stability.

We stood thigh-deep in water, the hounds lazily paddling around us, nipping at each other occasionally.

Taking a breath, I hauled myself up from the corner.

The whole thing wobbled just a little as I climbed aboard, but the others held it steady enough for me to find my balance on the wood-ice hybrid.

“Seems okay,” I said, testing it with a shift of weight. It hadn’t even dipped. “Who’s next?”

All eyes turned to the biggest guy in the group.

“Fine,” Griffith huffed, wiping his nose before lumbering up beside me. The raft dipped deeper this time but held firm. Good call making it big enough for double capacity.

Then came a scramble of paws and claws. Bristle clumsily tried to climb up, so I helped him out, grabbing his scruff and giving a pull.

And as thanks, once up, he shook off like a wet sponge, flinging droplets all over me, then flopped down to sunbathe.

“I think it’s stable,” I called out. “Still better to go one at a time, but yeah, go ahead.”

Lyra climbed aboard next, then Sia and her family, trailed by Trevor, who seemed to be getting close to Marcus these days.

Then Elric, Vel, and Thea followed. Drake was last, staring at my boat with deep suspicion.

“Wow,” he said, wide-eyed. “I can’t believe it actually works. I gave you way too little credit, Peter.”

“Whatever, subordinate,” I scoffed.

“Most people would be in serious trouble for talking to a prince like that.”

I ignored the man who had long since graduated from ‘prince’ to ‘menace’ and focused on the ice. Still cold, but the slow curl of vapor rising off it warned me it wouldn’t last forever.

“If anyone notices a weak spot, speak up immediately,” I said. “I should have plenty of energy, but worst-case—” I looked at Marcus.

“The dogs should be able to understand commands to reinforce the… what’d you call it? Cement?” Marcus added, clearly still enjoying his expanding vocabulary.

“I can help too!” Vel chirped, throwing up a hand.

“Great. Sooo…” Sia drawled, “how do we move?”

Instead of answering, I moved to the end of the raft and placed a hand in the water. Time to let my new discoveries do the talking.

I didn’t really understand how rudders worked. It wasn’t what I imagined anyway, more like a watermill, maybe, with long oars to push through the water.

But obviously, I couldn’t manifest anything that elaborate with just willpower. Even basic control wouldn’t cut it here, so I activated my domain, sculpting the form.

Slowly, it manifested.

Probably not perfect, but it sealed to the raft, and more importantly, moved when I willed it.

I kept it tethered with a line of Internal Force, then pulled my hand back and turned with a smile.

They all stared at me.

I glanced at Thea, who smiled softly. “Good job.”

Still no reaction.

“Dude,” Trevor finally said, breaking the silence. “Did you even do anything?”

I looked around. Fair. We hadn’t moved. Fine. If they wanted movement, I’d give it to them.

I placed my hand on the other end of the raft and repeated the process, now with two rudders. Honestly, probably necessary if we didn’t want to spin in lazy circles across the sea.

Then I released all my power.

“Whoa!”

A few people yelped as the boat pitched slightly from the sudden force, water spraying out in wild arcs behind us.

I sat down, smug grin firmly in place. “How’s that for moving?”

“I said good job,” Thea jokingly huffed, shifting to move herself beside me. Her sister followed close behind. “And… you have to show me what you just did.”

“Of course,” I said, sweat already clinging to my brow. “Maybe not right now though. I’m kinda focusing.”

“I can show you!” Velea volunteered brightly. “You just have to not think about things. Or… wait, no—you think about them sometimes.” She turned to me for backup.

Tired or not, I couldn’t resist. Especially with another pair of eyes, attached to a certain overbuilt boulder, boring into the side of my head.

“It’s tied to will,” I began. “Or intent. However you want to phrase it. The key is balancing two parts.”

I raised my plant-ish hand, pointing two fingers upward. My other hovered near the rudders in case something went wrong.

“Control and Will. Form and purpose… I think.”

Velea nodded vigorously. “Exactly what I meant!”

“I’ve thought about this before,” my old commander mumbled, “but since I use my system for most complicated skills…”

“Well, it’s because you taught Vel that I figured this out.” I glanced at Drake. “And your exploding pellets helped me pin down how I think Force behaves.”

“Core Powder,” Drake corrected.

“Sure.” I adjusted the rudders again, steering us gently toward a clearing on a sandy stretch of beach.

Whoa, Luna murmured in my mind. Her petal veins pulsed with shifting colors, showing a drastic change in mood.

What is it? I asked.

There’s a lot underneath us, she said. Small stuff. Just… a lot.

Microorganisms? Fish? I didn’t know. But with the mental pressure already gnawing at me, I didn’t feel like checking. Even inside my domain, all I saw were flickers, brief flashes of motion below.

“Peter?” Griffith prompted.

“Oh. Uh, right.” I cleared my throat. “Anyway, there’s not much more to it. I don’t know much about pure Natural Force, but with water... If you manifest it without intent or control, you just get water. Add intent but no structure? It’s less solid. High control with intent results in—” I gestured behind me with my head.

“I should’ve practiced more myself,” Griffith admitted. “Could’ve figured this out too, but that helps pave a path for me. I’ll dive deeper into Natural Force, and how it connects with the system. Maybe it can improve us even more.”

It would’ve been great if this helped everyone push their mastery of the system and progress their cultivation, but I couldn’t help feeling just a little bitter.

“You’re the scholar, right? That’s why I asked you to come. So focus however you want on helping us... when we’re actually safe.”

Griffith smiled. “Thank you.”

I was really starting to feel the strain, but we were making good progress. Already nearly halfway across, so I grit my teeth and pushed a bit harder.

Time slipped by in a calm haze. Some of the others closed their eyes to cultivate. The rest lounged in silence, soaking in the warm sun and the soft mist kicked up from the sea.

Bristle crawled over to me awkwardly, but also amusingly, and gently rested his head in my lap.

“Hey, buddy,” I murmured. “How’s it going? Any progress with that Body Refinement stuff?”

He didn’t give any indication of understanding. I might’ve been going crazy for expecting it. Still, when he looked up at me, there was something in his gaze. Maybe because he was mine now, and not Marcus’s. Something his siblings lacked.

I placed a hand on his head and scratched behind his ears.

“He likes you,” Thea said as she leaned on me. “And Vel.”

“Yeah, he does.” I smiled faintly. “You’ll keep an eye on Thea, right?”

“Rrmm,” Bristle groaned softly, sinking into my lap. Probably just enjoying the attention, but I decided to take it as a yes.

“Such a good boy,” Thea cooed, rubbing both hands into his scruffy fur.

“Got it!” Elric shouted from the other end of the raft. “Want a break, Peter?”

“Don’t you dare tell me—”

“I can handle one paddle. Should be fast enough,” he said, grinning like a maniac.

I hate him so much. “Yeah, please. I need a break.” Though, not quite enough to say no.

He made his way over while I peeled my hands and attention away from the rudders. The paddles stilled almost immediately.

“Can you get rid of these?” he asked, nodding toward the ice extensions.

“Just build around them, genius.”

He did.

I scooted away to give him some space.

More time passed, and others started to mill about. Stretching, chatting, or dozing under the sun. Eventually, the island loomed closer. Even without Spiritual Sense, we could start to make out details of the beach and treeline ahead.

Peter… um. Look through me, Luna said, her voice laced with unease.

I activated true sight. “Whoa…”

Yeah. She echoed my reaction. Remember how the Voidseed attracted beasts? I think I know why this place is dangerous.

I saw it now. Not just from above, but all around us. It seems different right?

What are you two talking about? Wyrem asked, sounding already exasperated.

Almost chaotic, Luna replied.

World Force, every color surged toward the island in massive currents. It wasn’t drifting gently like its usual stream-like manner. Instead, it was flooding in like rapids. Violent and turbulent. Crashing into itself like opposing tides fighting for dominance.

As if the land itself was cultivating.

I tried to extend my senses deeper, pushing them to the limit, but I couldn’t pierce the storm entirely. And at its center, something pulsed.

“There’s something at the heart of this place.”

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