Holding both the bow and the arrow, I steadied my grip and focused.
I adjusted my stance slightly and positioned the arrow carefully against the bow, aligning it the way I had seen Vaela do during hunts. My attention narrowed completely onto the movement. At the same time, I maintained control over both shapes, keeping the flow of refined energy steady as it moved from my forehead to the book.
I prepared to draw the string... but just as I was about to pull it back, the structures began to falter. The bow flickered slightly in my hand and the arrow wavered beside it.
Their shapes started to distort, as if the energy holding them together was slipping from my control. The outlines blurred for a moment, and the stability I had maintained began to weaken.
At the same time, the strain on my focus increased sharply.
A sudden pain spread across my forehead, stronger than before, making it harder to maintain control over both forms simultaneously.
Before I could stabilize them, both the bow and the arrow began to collapse.
The outlines flickered once more, then broke apart completely. Their forms dissolved into faint fragments of energy, scattering into the air as my control slipped away entirely. The connection I was maintaining weakened in an instant, and the gathered nature energy dispersed without resistance.
I let out a slow breath and lowered my hand.
The strain lingered for a moment, the sharp pain in my forehead gradually easing into a dull ache. It was clear now that this was not something I could manage easily.
Controlling two different shapes at the same time was far more difficult than I had expected.
The strain was not just slightly higher. It felt almost double compared to controlling multiple shields at a time.
I stepped back and sat down near the edge of the pond to rest.
The cool air and the quiet surroundings helped settle my thoughts. A gentle breeze moved across the water, and the still surface reflected the trees around me. I closed my eyes briefly, allowing my breathing to steady as the sharp pain in my forehead slowly eased into a dull ache.
After a few moments, I opened my eyes again.
I was not done yet.
I stood up slowly and focused once more. Refined energy began to flow from my forehead toward the book inside my shirt, forming the familiar invisible connection. As the link stabilized, nature energy from the surroundings responded and gathered under my control again.
This time, I proceeded more carefully.
I formed the bow first, focusing entirely on stabilizing its structure before attempting anything else. The translucent frame appeared gradually, its shape becoming steady as I maintained my concentration. Only after confirming that the bow was stable did I shift my focus.
Then I shaped the arrow beside it.
The energy condensed once more, forming a slender arrow that hovered next to the bow. I held both structures carefully, maintaining my focus as both remained formed at the same time.
The moment I maintained both shapes, a sharp sting returned to my forehead. This time, the strain was immediate and more intense, as if the effort of holding two separate forms was pulling at my concentration from different directions.
I steadied myself and ignored the discomfort.
Holding both the bow and the arrow, I tried again.
I carefully placed the arrow against the string, aligning it as I had seen Vaela do, and began to draw it back. My focus tightened as I attempted to maintain both shapes while applying force.
But the moment the arrow touched the string, nothing happened.
The string did not move.
It remained completely rigid, unresponsive to the force I applied, as if it were carved from solid material rather than something meant to bend or stretch.
I frowned slightly and adjusted my grip, trying again with a bit more force. I pulled the arrow back once more, focusing harder this time and applying steady pressure instead of a sudden movement. However, the result did not change. The string remained completely rigid, unmoving under my effort.
I paused for a moment and observed it carefully. The energy string of the bow was not elastic. It behaved like a solid structure, just like the other shapes I had created. No matter how I tried to manipulate it, it did not respond like a real bowstring.
After a few seconds, the strain began to take its toll again. My concentration weakened under the pressure of maintaining both shapes, and the sharp pain in my forehead intensified to the point where I could no longer hold it back. I released my control, and the bow and arrow dissolved into faint fragments of energy, scattering into the air as both forms disappeared.
I let out a quiet breath, lowering my hand. A slight sense of disappointment settled in as I realized this was more difficult than I had expected.
I paused for a moment and thought carefully, letting my breathing settle as I considered what had just happened.
Could I make the energy string elastic?
The thought lingered in my mind, refusing to fade. If the problem was not the bow itself but the nature of the string, then perhaps the solution lay in how I shaped the energy.
I remained still for a few seconds, thinking it through.
Then I reminded myself... I had already limited my ability once before by assuming it was only shields. Because of that, I had never even considered shaping the energy into anything else until now. I did not want to repeat the same mistake again by deciding too quickly that something was not possible.
If I wanted to truly understand my ability, I had to explore it without setting unnecessary limits.
I focused again, steadying my breathing as I prepared to try a different approach.
This time, I thought of a string made of rubber.
I pictured it clearly in my mind, not just its shape, but its nature. I imagined it stretching under force, bending smoothly, and then returning to its original form without breaking. I held that image firmly, trying to translate not just the structure, but the behavior of the material into the energy I was shaping.
Refined energy flowed from my forehead toward the book, forming the familiar connection. Nature energy responded once more, gathering steadily under my control. I guided it carefully, shaping it according to the image in my mind.
A thin energy string formed in mid air, its shape clear and stable as it hovered before me.
I reached forward and held it between my fingers. It felt firm and solid, consistent with the other energy shapes I had created so far. There was no give in its structure, no sign of flexibility.
I applied a slight force and tried to stretch it but it did not stretch at all.
No matter how I adjusted my grip or increased the force, the string remained completely rigid. It behaved like a solid object, just like every other shape I had created, showing no sign of flexibility or stretch.
After a few attempts, I stopped and released it slowly. The energy dispersed quietly, fading into the air as my control loosened.
It seems like it might not be possible. For now, I decided to leave the bow aside and move on.
Instead, I shifted my focus and began experimenting with different shapes.
I started with something simple. I formed a leaf, concentrating on its thin structure and the slight curves along its edges. The shape appeared gradually, and I adjusted it until it resembled the leaves around me. After that, I shaped a small plant, trying to capture their form as accurately as possible.
Once I became more comfortable, I moved on to other objects that I had seen around the village. I formed wooden bowls, spoons, and a few other simple items, recalling their shapes from memory and shaping the energy accordingly.
Each shape formed successfully as long as I maintained steady focus. The energy responded clearly to my intent, taking form based on how precisely I visualized it. As long as my concentration did not waver, the structures remained stable and well defined.
After some time, I began to understand something more clearly. I could create many different shapes using energy, and the form itself was not the limitation. However, all of them shared the same nature. Every shape I created behaved like a solid object. No matter what I formed, whether it was a leaf, a bowl, or a weapon, it remained rigid.
None of them stretched or bent like flexible materials. The energy held its structure firmly, resisting any attempt to change that behavior.
As I continued practicing, the strain gradually caught up with me. The dull ache in my forehead grew stronger, and my body began to feel tired from maintaining control for so long.
Realizing that pushing further would only worsen the strain, I exhaled slowly and decided to stop for the day.