A few weeks before the fight atop the Fifth Master's mountain, Shoneyi was trying to magnify something extremely important to him. He knew there was a possibility of losing it if he failed the action, but without risk, there is no gain.
A voice boomed in his head to remind him: "Remember, little one," followed by a dramatic pause from the soul of the quill and inkwell, "keep in mind the purpose you need the object for."
Shoneyi made a slight movement of his head as if annoyed. This wasn't the first time Gambi had taken over his thoughts; in fact, it was happening with increasing frequency week by week. The boy knew that in reality, it was something like a Blessing of the Heavens. Why does he have to be so annoying, he thought to himself, knowing his thoughts were the only thing safe from Gambi's soul.
Shoneyi sat in front of his bed, one of his most valuable possessions. This was the place where he slept after his training, after his meditation, and it was the place where he guarded his thoughts. Losing it was not an option.
"First, visualize its true uses," he repeated while slowly inhaling air, "true uses."
His mind began to dissociate from reality to enter a celestial plane. Time ran slower there, and possibilities were nearly infinite. Rest was the word running through his mind incessantly. If he succeeded in magnifying his bed for rest, this would greatly aid his path to immortality.
Just as he took the quill in front of him to write the word Gaijin, in a matter of seconds, a second word began to revolve in his aura. The word was not easy to understand or read; it was almost as if it were in a lost language. "R… e… c…" the boy sharpened his senses to read it, "o… ver, Recover." Finishing the reading, he began to engrave the word on one of the edges of his bed.
A proud laugh could be heard in the background of his thoughts: "It's like watching a baby crawl." If the soul had a head, it would be nodding in approval, "baby steps, baby steps."
Upon finishing the magnification of the bed, a faint white light began to take over the place. "I've done it!" Shoneyi could be heard gasping. "I've really done it!"
The atmosphere in the room began to change abruptly, and the white light disappeared from one moment to the next. "Did I fail?" The desperation on the boy's face was nearly palpable. "But… but…"
Amidst his babbling and the desperation seizing the boy's body, and the terrible thought of having to get a new bed, tears began to stream from his left eye.
A loud rumble occurred a few seconds later; the bed began to vibrate. "What in the world is happening?" Shoneyi, startled, began to circulate his celestial energy. "Calm, calm," he repeated to himself.
The celestial energy inside the room began to be absorbed: one, two, three, four… five. In total, five cores of energy were absorbed by the bed, leaving Shoneyi almost defenseless with only half a core remaining.
A strong azure light took over the room, and immediately after, it was absorbed by Shoneyi's bed, leaving everything dark, except for the faint glow emanating from the bed.
A small dance could almost be heard inside the boy's head, as if someone were dancing with happiness. "Boy!" Gambi exclaimed in excitement. "You performed a Successive Magnification!"
The boy's face was everything but happy. "A what?" Shoneyi replied, extremely exhausted. "What are you talking about, Gambi?"
A sound of reproach was heard in the back of his mind. "You performed a Double Magnification!" the quill and inkwell said through gritted teeth, if it had them. "You infused two meanings into one object."
Returning to the present…
Yuiji carefully helped his friend so as not to cause him any internal damage. The young man could not believe his eyes. "A Level Two Magnification!" Although the exhaustion was almost unbearable, the boy endured it as best as possible. "Why a bed?"
Yuiji spent the night on vigil. He was determined to finish off anyone who entered through the door, even if it cost him his life. "Thanks, Yuiji," Shoneyi said with a huge yawn. "I think it's your turn to rest now. I'll take the second watch."
Struggling to keep his eyes open, the surprise the boy received was almost comical. "But… What are you doing?!" Taking a deep breath and groaning in pain, Yuiji said, "You need to rest."
Shoneyi's best friend checked his friend's body to make sure everything was in order. He couldn't believe that Shoneyi could move with his injuries already, but at the same time, he also couldn't believe Shoneyi possessed an object with a Double Magnification. Perhaps only the Sect Leader possessed one, and that was because he bought it at the annual Great Celestial Auction.
Yuiji saw the confused look on his friend's face and began to explain the different forms of magnification and what they entailed for the Heaven Sect. First, he explained that magnified objects are of vital importance to any great sect. It could be said that they help measure the military power of each one. The great sect leader, Tan Kuan, had in his possession a Grade Two Magnified sword—that is, when wielded, a faint azure light would shadow it, indicating a double magnification.
The other sect leaders also possessed objects with double magnification. This generated a balance within the continent. Otherwise, one sect could absorb another without problems. "I don't understand how you have something like this," Yuiji said, looking at his friend with fear and expectation. "You should hide it. I swear I won't say anything," he finished with a solemn gaze.
Shoneyi, taking in all this new information, said: "I understand." His gaze was somewhat lost, but he nodded his head. "It's not such a big deal," the soul of the quill and inkwell rejoiced. Shoneyi waved his hand as if swatting away a fly, and his friend viewed him as somewhat strange.
Shoneyi gestured a welcome to his friend: "You can use it." Without much thought, the boy stood up from his bed to sit cross-legged and begin meditating. "Come on, Yu, don't be shy."
The boy nodded his head in approval and let himself fall with all his weight. Dust under the bed scattered due to the great weight, and the light enveloped Yuiji. "It'll only be a few minutes," the young man said as he collapsed, unconscious from exhaustion.