Pondering Power

It'd been a couple of months since that fateful loss.

It'd been heart-breaking, humiliating, and educational. Power alone didn't win fights. It could certainly lose fights, blinding one to one's own weaknesses.

Perhaps it was necessary to black out to truly see what was there.

Hence...a return to humble roots, a time spent alone into the deepest darkness to do some soul searching. Water dripping in the distance, echoing about. A breeze coming from somewhere. Temperatures most people wouldn't want to endure.

A perfect place for meditation. Not a single soul would be by for sure.

Distractions no longer a possibility, it was time to soul search.

If power was not the way to victory, what was?

Attitude? It seemed likely, but having courage could do as much to give you a needed boost as stark terror. It certainly was a distraction sometimes.

Ability seemed obvious, but then again how many badass uber-sword kings that could cut mountains in half 100% of the time had been beaten by someone getting lucky with a spell and dropping an ottoman on their head?

Raw power was already ruled out. Someone who had the power to shut down the electric impulses in someone's brain seemed to be no match for a yo-yo swung by a madwoman.

Need? Thousands of Las Vegas citizens and millions of folks on Porphyrion needed protection from giant monsters and armies of freaks. How many of them were able to defend themselves just because of that?

Perhaps it was some combination of all of those things. That, then, was the secret: finding the right blend of mind and matter. It was certainly something to muse upon while doing sit-ups and push-ups, and drinking plenty of juice.

Gentle footsteps provided a distraction. So much for perfect solitude.

"Incoming text message from Cian," Shen said. "'How long are you going to sit in the shed? I made soup."

Ah, soup. Musing could certainly be done over soup.

And then the push-ups.

Maybe.