Convergence

by TurtleMe

  The fire had long gone out, with only a faint, smoky aroma left. I wasn’t sure to what degree my wounds had healed, but I grew restless at the thought of idly wasting away time.

  Abandoning the idea of going back to sleep, I sat back, upright, and began doing the only productive thing I could do in this state: meditate.

  As I concentrated on the mana core swirling deep in my sternum, a blast of unfamiliar energy welcomed me. Suddenly, the mountain that I had been chipping away at to reach the silver core was but a flat plain, rolled out like a map for me to cross.

  Absorbing mana from my surroundings, I tentatively began refining when the alien energy began hungrily sucking in the mana I had absorbed and coalesced it with my mana core. The light yellow hue of my core started glowing as mana surged throughout my body, filling my veins, muscles, bones, and skin with a fiery energy.

  I could feel myself shivering uncontrollably as my core began glowing brighter until it wasn’t yellow, but instead, a bright silver.

  The untamed energy that had been raging inside my body continued to chip away at the layers of my core, making my silver core grow brighter and brighter with each influx of energy that hit. I held my breath, afraid that even the slightest shift would halt the rapid progression of my mana core. Eventually, the mysterious energy source that had refined my mana core to the peak of mid-silver stage subsided.

  Just when I thought the transformation had finished, the sharp scream of a metal clang filled my ears. As if an invisible wall that had been restraining my mind was gone, my body forcibly shifted into the second phase of Sylvia’s Dragon Will.

  Prying my eyes open, I could see the golden runes emerging from my arms and shoulders. To my surprise, the glowing runes began changing, their design growing more complex as they shaped themselves into some kind of ancient language. My disheveled hair started changing colors from my naturally auburn hair to white, then back to auburn again.

  The furniture inside the one-room cottage started trembling as straw and splinters fell from the roof, filling the room with more rays of moonlight. However, despite the pots and pans clanging against one another, the only sound that filled my ears was the high-pitched ring.

  While my hair changed back to its original color, the newly-formed runes on my body glowed brighter as the color began to drain from the world. Soon, the only colors I was able to see were in the minuscule particles floating around me. But something had changed. During the times that I had used Dragon’s Awakening, I was only able to see four colors: one for each of the four elements. However, specks of purple were dotted abundantly within the array of blue, yellow, red, and green.

  After using this form to kill Lucas, I thought I had gotten better at controlling the harsh compulsions that came with using the second phase of Sylvia’s will. However, the will seemed to reject my body more than ever, until I couldn’t bear the agony of my body ripping itself apart anymore.

  I released Dragon’s Awakening, and as if a bucket of water had been thrown to douse a raging fire, all of the energy, power, and pain that had been growing larger and larger inside me abruptly vanished. An eerie silence surrounded me as I was left feeling confused, powerless and frail despite the progress my mana core had made.

  Chapter 118: The Glass Of Water

  “So it’s true.” I turned my head to see Myre leaning against the entryway. “You truly have inherited Realmheart…” The asura’s voice was both solemn and sentimental as it trailed off.

  “Excuse me? Realmheart?” I echoed as she approached me with slow steps.

  “The physical manifestations displayed from you tapping into Sylvia’s powers, My Dear— the iris glowing purple and those unmistakable glowing runes imprinted on the body. Even within the clan, it is rare. Realmheart—or The Realmheart Physique—is an ability that only the Indrath Clan bloodline can possess. Tell me, Child, were you able to see them?” the asura pressed as her eyes stayed glued to the faint markings which continued to fade from my arms.

  Myre reached out and tenderly ran her fingers along the runes. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. See what?” I replied, snapping her out of her daze.

  “Were you able to see all five of the colors that make up the physical realm?” The asura had an expression I couldn’t quite make out as she awaited my answer.

  I thought back to the array of colors that floated around me while in my second phase. “I think so...”

  “The Realmheart Physique was named by the ancestors of the Indrath Clan because, in this form, the user’s attunement with the physical realm is said to be unparalleled. While the ability itself does not hold much strength, the power to activate Realmheart allows the user to gain knowledge and insight that those without could never hope to have,” Myre explained. “Which goes to say that knowledge truly is power.”

  I reflected back to when I had first used Realmheart against the elderwood guardian. I had assumed that the form was a just a power boost, allowing me to gain access to more mana, but from what Myre had just explained to me, it seemed like using Realmheart actually just allow me to utilize mana with much more efficiency. “There is one thing I don’t quite understand. When I used the second phase—Realmheart—last time, I was only able to see four colors. Why am I now able to see the purple particles?”

  Myre pondered for a moment.

  “Are you not allowed to tell me about this as well? It seems like none of the asuras want a lesser being learning their techniques and secrets,” I sighed, disappointed.

  “Mmm, we asuras are prideful beings indeed. Even amongst the members of the same race, we asuras stay secretive and greedy, the Indrath Clan particularly so.” Myre chuckled for a bit then gave me an inquisitive look. “I won’t say that I’m different from all of them, but I’ve lived long enough and experienced far too much to care about such frivolousness. If you’ll be content with an old lady like me, I’ll be happy to teach you a thing or two.”

  I honestly didn’t expect her to go as far as offering to teach me, but taking no chances, I immediately bobbed my head in consent before she could change her mind.

  “Good! Now… practical lessons won’t be possible in your current state, but I think a more theoretical approach might be good either way,” Myre answered, tapping her chin with a finger.

  Myre explained to me the fundamentals of mana itself and how it affected the world, or what she referred to as “the physical realm.” Much of what she went over was something I had already known to a certain degree. However, the way she strung her words together and explained everything in such an easily digestible manner, it was obvious that she was much more knowledgeable than any of the professors at Xyrus Academy.

  She went on, clarifying how it wasn’t natural for lesser beings or even asuras to manipulate raw mana. Mages with a certain affinity to an element had a much easier time absorbing the atmospheric mana that coincided with their particular element. However, in the end, it still had to be absorbed and refined in order for to be utilized. To someone with the Realmheart physique, a fire-affinity mage will appear to be absorbing only the red mana particles, but after completing the refining process, the mana would appear white when first used. This was why body-strengthening spells could be used regardless of what type of affinity a mage was.

  “So if, in the end, mana that is absorbed and refined turns white, how come it’s not possible for them to utilize different elements?” I inquired.

  “Good question.” Myre seemed pleased by my interruption, rather than annoyed. “It is impossible to control the specific type of element that a mage absorbs, so it is inevitable that the mage will naturally take in the mana particles that his body is most inclined towards.

  “Let’s say that a mage’s affinity is towards water; during the process of refining raw mana, the amount of water element his body absorbs will be disproportionate compared to the other elements. So, even though the end result is a purified white mana, during the stage where that mage refined the water elemental mana
his body absorbed, the raw mana altered his body to become more predisposed, and his mind to become more insightful of that particular element.”

  It must’ve been obvious that I looked a bit confused, because she explained it in more detail.

  “Remember when you conjured your first remote spell, whether that be a stream of fire or a sphere of wind? You had to concentrate much more in order for the spell to manifest in the proper form, right? Even infant asuras are taught to verbally chant spells to help them concentrate and visualize what they want. However, after so much time absorbing and refining a specific element, the need to visualize and chant becomes much easier and comes more naturally.

  Going back to the water-affinity mage scenario, that mage—no doubt—would have to concentrate on the shape, proportion, density, and even the speed of launch if he were to execute a fireball. However, that same mage will have no trouble raising a stream of water, separating it into multiple orbs and casting it to barrage down on an enemy with just a flick of his wrist. Why?”

  “Because of the influence that absorbing a majority of water element had on the mage during the refining process,” I answered.

  “Correct! Being exposed to a particular element for so long, the mage would no doubt gain insight during their meditation.” Myre continued on about this subject, stressing heavily again that asuras and lesser beings alike could not manipulate natural mana. After hours passed unheeded on the subject of mana, Myre finally brought up what I had wanted to know most about: aether.

  Rather than start from the beginning, Myre asked, “Can you tell me what you know about aether?”

  I proceeded to explain what little I knew about aether and the times I had experienced the phenomena that aether produced: the instances where I was able to freeze time using the first phase of Sylvia’s will and how I had trained using the aether orb.

  “Aether is fundamentally different from mana; this much is clear to anyone. While both entities make up the world that we live in, aether works very differently than mana. To what degree, no one has a solid answer. Some have speculated that aether is the building block that the world is made of, while mana is what fills it with life and sustenance. More simply put, aether would be the cup, while mana is the water that fills it.” Myre held up a glass cup, filled halfway, for me to see.

  “It is quite easy to manipulate the water inside without mana, but much more difficult to change the shape of the cup without breaking it. Quite a crude analogy, I know,” the asura smiled as she began slowly shaking the cup, stirring the water inside.

  Shaking my head, I responded, “No, it helps a lot.”

  “Good. Well, despite the many speculations and theories, even the Indrath Clan, hailed for being the most adept in utilizing aether, has no solid theory that can justify what they are able to do. What they did have that no one else did, was the ability to physically detect aether through the use of the Realmheart Physique.” Holding the glass close to her face, Myre dipped a finger in the water. “Those in the physical realm cannot sense aether. Everyone alike knows that there are laws that hold our world together, just like this glass that holds the water. However, it is impossible for them to fathom the boundaries that exist to keep order in the world.”

  “Then the purple particles I saw when I used Realmheart…” I said, trailing off at the end.

  “Yes, My Dear. That was aether.” Myre smiled. “Through the use of Realmheart, you are able to see the glass cup from within, the boundaries of this world.”

  “Now, I can go on to explain the history of how aether came to be slowly studied, but I doubt that will be of any use to you. You just have to know that you possess a skill that even asuras would kill for. However, I suspect that there will be certain limits because your body is not of the dragon race. But the true power of Realmheart lies in the ability to gain insight while in the form.”

  “I noticed that while I use Realmheart, I become a lot stronger. At first, I thought it was some sort of power boost that the form gives, but it’s more of a big improvement in control,” I confirmed with Myre, who nodded in reply.

  “Yes, especially for you, who has the strange composition of being quadra-elemental, there is a vast difference in mana manipulation using Realmheart. But let’s set aside the aspect of mana for now. Not to sound biased, but control over mana is much more linear than aether. For mana, the greater your core is, the more water you can manipulate,” she continued, still using the glass-of-water analogy. “Your insight and mental aptitude is how many ways you can manipulate the water inside. However, through the manipulation of aether, we can control the cup itself. Do you understand?”

  “How would you manipulate the world itself?” I pressed.

  “It’s become habit to say ‘manipulate,’ but in actuality, it is more important to think of it as influencing aether. And you’ve already had a taste of this quite a few times, My Dear. Windsom had mentioned you being able to stop time for a brief moment.” Myre set the cup down and distanced herself from where I was.

  “Yes! That was actually the first ability I was able to use with Sylvia’s will!” I exclaimed.

  “The control over time, aevum; the authority over space, spatium; and the influence over all living components, vivum…” Myre recited. “These are the three components that make up aether.”

  This was knowledge that I might perhaps never come across again, so I hungrily absorbed every word the asura was saying.

  “No matter how powerful, how insightful, and how lucky a practitioner may be, he will only be able to master one path. Ancestors of the Indrath Clan have lived all their lives trying to gain insight on one of the three paths, only to realize that they don’t have the capability of mastering it. However, over time, we’ve realized a way for some asuras to know where their aptitude lies,” the asura confessed.

  “How?” We had reached the climax of the story and I was greedy for more.

  “The runes that run down the body from using Realmheart.” Myre closed her eyes and went silent.

  A palpable force suddenly pushed down on my shoulders, forcing me to use my arms to keep myself sitting up on the bed. The air turned thick and heavy as I stayed seated on the bed in awe. The pressure that Myre was emitting was neither violent nor ferocious like Kordri’s had been, yet, in terms of level, it was much more overwhelming. I had no confidence that I would be able to muster up the will to fight against her—that much was clear. It was as if I could almost see her transforming into dragon form.

  Golden runes began carving down her bare arm but they looked very different from mine. Whereas mine appeared complex and detailed, her runes flowed like branches of an elven tree, or interconnecting streams of water being woven together.

  Myre finally opened her eyes and stared at me with an icy gaze of radiant lavender. “These runes are different for each Realmheart user, but the markings, when studied, show that I am of the vivum path. And that is also why I could heal you.”

  I found myself unable to muster a response as I stared in awe. Her very presence felt different than mine when I had activated Realmheart; the runes that ran down her arm were much more vivid and bright compared to the dull glow I had when I used this profound power, and her eyes seemed to almost pulse, as if they had a mind of their own.

  “Now, My Dear, activate your Realmheart,” the asura gently nudged, despite her intimidating presence.

  Chapter 119: Bearer of Grim News

  An indescribably chilling sensation burst out from within my mana core as I activated Realmheart. Liquid frost coursed through my veins, desperately seeking a way out of my body. I watched the golden runes begin to form on my arms, glowing hotly against my frigid skin as my vision began to achromatize.

  “I was only able to catch a glimpse of what your runes looked like earlier, but it truly is fascinating,” Myre mumbled to herself as she studied me.

  Remaining seated and motionless as my caretaker continued to inspect the engravings on my body, I couldn’t hel
p but become enthralled at what I was experiencing. This was the first time that I had actually taken a step back to study the changes in my perception while using Realmheart; watching the different particles move as if they each contained intellect and a goal in mind made me realize why magic was more accurately described as “mana manipulation” in this world.

  Testing out a hunch I had in mind, I willed a small ember to appear at the tip of my finger. Sure enough, the red particles around me began to react as I conjured the fire. Even though what I had used was the refined mana from my core, there was a definitive response to the particles around my finger. I did this using spells from different elements to see the response in the particles, but no matter what I did, only the purple specks remained unchanged.

  “Having fun, are we?” The asura was still in her Realmheart form as well. Her soft purple eyes peered through me as the edges of her lips curled upward in amusement.

  “How is it that I’ve never noticed this?” I asked, more to myself than to her.

  “It’s understandable that you would assume that this form was some power-up rather than a means to observe and study what cannot normally be perceived.” Letting go of my arm that she had been examining, Myre took a few steps back. “I’m not exactly sure how long you’re able to stay in this form now that you’ve broken through to a stage where you can sense aether, but there are a few things I want you to see before you release Realmheart.”

  The asura raised a hand in front of her for me to see, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Suddenly, the purple particles around us that had refused to comply to my will slowly began to drift towards Myre. The movements of each tiny glimmer of purple seemed to differ from one another. Rather than manipulating mana, it appeared more like the asura was herding in a legion of tiny fireflies toward her hand.

  “As I mentioned earlier, aether behaves fundamentally different from mana. You will be met with only failure if you try to manipulate aether as you have done with mana. Let me reiterate my point with the cup-of-water analogy since it has worked so well for us until now. You can drink, gargle, and spit out water as long as you know how, but you would be a fool if you tried the same thing with the cup. Aether is present all around us, yet it is the very boundary that confines us to the limits you and I have,” she explained as the particles of aether began drifting around the hand that she held up until it was completely enveloped. “Vivum, the influence over all living components. This is the very power I had used to piece back together your shattered legs.”