CHAPTER 66 - TEST OF DOUBT
The group of warriors roared with pre-glory. All pointed their weapons to the roof of the castle. The sound of metal and screams for the battle overwhelmed my ears that I had to cover them.
Aldir on the other hand wasn't so enthusiastic like the others, and instead watched with his third eye everything and everyone carefully.
I hesitated on asking him something, not because he was someone with a higher level of power than I was but because he didn't seem to like this parade of screams and roars.
Kezess Indrath on the other hand seemed pleased with it. Almost like he wanted to see if they were still on his palms, and they were.
They were going to die on Alacrya but no one else knew about it aside from him, Windsom, Aldir and I.
Only four people knew about these people's death and might not do anything aside from showing them the door to death.
I at least would like to try something but, again, I didn't have influence over either of them, so I rather save my breath until the time is right.
Now that I think about it, everyone has their own equipment while I only have my tethered clothes along with some armor that Kodri provided me.
I looked up from my gear and witnessed Kezess Indrath giving a nod to someone, someone who was close to me at the moment. I tried scanning everyone here but mostly everyone was in their own world, still having their weapons in the air, unlike Aldir.
"Follow me boy." He ordered, this time there wasn't any cold tone or something that made me worry about his presence or actions like before.
I only nodded since that is the only thing I can do at the moment.
We walked away from the crowd of "Gods" that roared with triumph. Upon crossing the door just behind the crowd, their roars died down in mere seconds. At first I thought it was because these doors were thick enough to be moved only by the asuran race.
But something else told me I was wrong but I had to ignore it.
We continued to walk, and honestly I felt like I had walked for eternity, that was until we had reached a certain door.
Around the door were runes carved into the stone wall, they were dimmed in light and no signs that it was alive in some way. Aldir was the first to walk through, when he did, he turned to me with a "You know what to do" face.
I let out a sigh of defeat and proceeded like he expected it. However, as I walked towards the door I felt the heaviness weigh down on my body like I had a truck on top of me. It was difficult to continue walking at this pace. Yet, when I finally thought I had the strength to walk with that gravity designed magic, I placed a foot in front of me and the force of weight got heavier.
I let out a groan of pain.
Instantly, I thought of using mana reinforcement and I tried to. I pushed the mana from my core to my limbs that withstood the most weight, eventually it got to the tips of my fingers and to their destination but something was wrong. The mana that I leashed upon my body was escaping my body and my orders. They were not listening to my orders or will and instead gained their own consciousness and walked or ran away from me.
"W-What!" I let out with extreme confusion and I ranted on my head the possibilities of mana running from the user. I tried to run the memories of my past life when I had read the novel but nothing came to mind.
Aldir did nothing to help, instead I felt my anger rise seeing his third eye look at me like I was some insect being tested.
[Acceleration]
I activated the sole spell that would help me move this force from my positioning.
However, when I activated the spell, the force was still moving, everything else was in non-motion. Stopped. Halted. Yet the force of brown motes was not. I stood there, seeing if Aldir too could move but he didn't.
"What the hell is going on!?"
I activated more spells, destructive spells, in hopes of moving or disorienting the gravity. Nothing works.
In all the arsenal of spells I had, there was one thing that I was afraid of using.
It was what I had used when Cadell had first appeared in my graduation test.
That spell was something I wouldn't want to use after spending all my mana like a stupid kid.
But is that the only choice?
I moved my hands, stretching them out like I was asking for help to those right next to me. My hands felt like they were pushed down almost as if I wasn't welcome to do so. Still, I struggled.
Keeping both of my hands pointing outwards from my body, I struggled to keep it like that. I needed to keep it like that even if it meant for eternity. I needed their help but I didn't know how.
I needed Aether.
My own mana wasn't helping me to what I wanted it to be, it was leaking from me like I was a broken dam. There was a point where I had regretted accepting this stupid deal but with time I learned that I had to take this deal and opportunity.
Unnaturally, this all felt off. Almost like they were testing my abilities after being trapped with that asuran teacher for so long. They wanted to know whether or not they could keep tabs on me, if I was still on the leash they provided themselves.
But not now.
I had to show them that I was capable of not being a burden, maybe until then I can establish a connection with them, in the time that Arthur becomes more powerful than them all.
Maybe I can use these purple motes I had seen earlier…
I moved my hand, my right arm, and began pacing my vision to the brown motes still moving while I had [Acceleration] active. Again, it was odd. The force was like it had its own stopping time power or slowing down time. It felt like it had a will of its own and I wasn't on a level to compare it or maybe I had enough to compete with it.
I saw how the purple motes would dance, wouldn't go up, down, left or right. They stayed in one single spot waiting for something or someone.
This had to be my chance.
With the strength I had to muster, I began to move my hands towards these purple motes. The brown mana seemed to move as my fingers swimmed around them, reaching the purple motes that moved with ease. I was able to feel the insane pressure of force diminish slightly until there was no longer something on top of me.
The mana I had activated around my core vanished without a trace, perhaps it was needed for this phase form but in reality I felt different from usual. My senses were much more enhanced. Normally in this form I would be able to see or notice some changes, whether it be physical or in mana.
They would be small changes, like enhanced hearing from seven meters or a higher capacity in my mana core, but this was something different.
My hair had changed colors, at a part of my hair. It was a single side bang that grew longer than my front and back hair. I turned to the left right thinking maybe that both were in the same situation but no, I was completely wrong in hoping that.
My right lock was the only colored white silverish while the rest of my hair was reflectionless black.
Wait… my hair is back to normal…?
I turned my attention to the asura in front of me. His third eye wasn't the only one open anymore. Honestly it scared me seeing all his three eyes staring at me like I was some sort of unpredictable variable that was a threat.
"What was that? Aldir. Elder Aldir, what was this force?"
The white clad Asura stood quiet for a moment, collecting his thoughts and choosing his next words carefully. "You have passed the small doubt of my own selfishness in your powers, Luke Hodges."
The older Asura masked his surprise and walked the way we were supposed to before this little test.
I followed closely to him, questioning everything about the previous time. Yet he didn't mention anything and kept looking forward as if nothing happened. Though his aura around him was slightly different, like he was not able to concentrate on his own power suppression.
Yet the question still stood higher than any mountain there ever existed. Why?
Why is everyone so curious about my abilities? Why does no one ever say something about it to me in person?
Aldir wasn't going to tell me anything, and neither was Indrath Kezess. No one was going to tell me anything… unless…
A single name popped into my mind, no perhaps there was one more but I wasn't too sure whether or not I was going to get an answer.
My jaw tightened at the single thought of even imagining asking that person for the truth or maybe a lie coated in sugar. Either way that person was the only one I could ask, someone who would give me the truth just to destroy me.
Dammit to think they would be the solution…
Before long, we had arrived at our spot. Around me, there were multiple weapons and armor of different colors. The Armory, I thought. It was astonishing seeing the multitude of weapons that might be enough to kill Asuras and Wraiths.
The white dressed asura turned to me, his expression was that of before that unknown test. "Lord Indrath has instructed me that you are to wear armor even as a spectator. In any case you need a specialized gear unique to you."
Aldir then turned again, walking even more deep into the armory.
"That would mean you need my measurements? Yet that would take time, no?"
"You are right. Hence the reason why your measurements have been taken. Now we need to retrieve it." His raspy old voice echoed a little bit as we entered the tunnel where loud strikings could be heard from.
I took a second to process the words spoken to me, yet my mind couldn't stop thinking of what was down here. "Wait. You took measurements of my body? How is that possible? I haven't slept, god knows how long I've been here, so enlighten me with some asuran knowledge."
The old asuran man took his time before waving his hand towards the door, willingly, the door opened with sheer force as if someone had pushed it open. On the other side of the door was a man with long black hair, dark circles below his eyes, his outfit being somewhat similar to those teens in the twentieth century. A large sweater and baggy pants all while his tank top shirt stood out more.
He didn't notice us until a couple of minutes later, his concentration was high enough to let his eyes leave the pure fragment–a size of a coin–be hit on the center by a small hammer with precision into the center.
"Oh, Aldir! What a pleasant surprise indeed." His first impressions did a number on me, he truly seemed harmless to me but Aldir still gave the man a concerned look. "Bleh. All these worthless exchange of words only to be met with the same critics you give. But enough of that, is this the human boy?"
His eyes examined me before Aldir got to confirm with him. This being got close to me and began poking my body and got a few feels here and there.
"Hey!"
"Don't rant, boy. I am doing this to make sure your gears are perfect–but of course it will be after all I took visual measurements and succeeded–and now are fully done. I am just making sure."
After some time of visually searching every inch of my covered body, the man took that as a victory in his book before he waved me away like a fly.
"Now go get that gear behind you and put it on, it should automatically fit you without any flaws."
My attention turned from the man to the set of armor behind me, sitting on a white marble table. The armor itself was the pure color of silver on the outside, when I got closer the inside was red just like my eyes. I could see the reflection of myself on the armor. My lock on my right side was white, fully white that it could be mistaken as if I had gotten a bucket of white paint and dipped it myself.
I tried the armor on and just like how the man said. It adjusted itself to me without any flaws. For a second it felt like I had a sweater on, it was comfortable. My arms, chest, back, and legs all felt like I had an extra layer of thin clothes but no… It felt more like a mana reinforcement instead.
This felt like the nano technology that Brook had given me with the mask.
Sensational, I thought. The first thoughts were not about the battle that was to come or how I would get back home if the asuras were to fail–and they were likely to do so.
No.
The powerful thought that coursed through my brain was that now I would be able to fight a retainer at full strength if I were to use my will phase at the starting of the fight, maybe, perhaps, I would be able to keep up with a Scythe.
Though it sounded naive and rash. These thoughts had fueled the fire in me that was dimming as time passed in the world where Kodri and I trained in.
Yeah…Power….
Instantly, my vision turned from vivid colors to full on monochrome grey. Motes of the four elemental colors including these purple motes. Excited, I turned to my armor, where I noticed multiple elements covering over me like I was calling out to them. What is more, the purple motes became more obedient to me in a way where if I were to command them, everything around me–elemental affinity related–would lose its power.
With a curious thought, I pushed all the elemental affinities and brought forth the purple omniscient motes. I felt stares from behind, perhaps from the asura who had seen my actions but didn't intervene. Their eyes radiated with a form of curiosity and warning of a possible mistake on my part but I took it no further than I had expected.
This armor could hold its own against the four elemental affinities and this purple affinity, but how well would it be with Aether?
I tried looking for the affinity in question but no motes reassembled it. I whipped my head left to right multiple times but I had no success in reaching vision.
Worried that it was due to my lack of using all my power I decided to unleash more than ten percent, it was at least something I could manage before I quickly got backlashes.
Waves of power surged from my body, lifting up the white coat that was placed on top of the silver armor. While I was more focused on catching Aether for my own satisfaction and greed, there was another thing on hand, something incredible.
As my power had arrived at ten percent, changes happened. My right hair lock was still the same color as the white coat around me. More power started to flow into my veins. Strength increased by three folds.
Nevertheless, the armor didn't break or falter upon increasing the capacity of the power wall.
"This armor is insane." The words drove off my mouth without much thought. I was more concentrated in my hands and the feeling was drifting into my palms. "Maybe I am able to use more than half of the will and pour it into this armor." My voice sounded excited but I was quickly taken off my high horse as the Asuras had their eyes locked on me.
"What?" I asked, confused by their eyes that spelled and yelled amusement and surprise.
"Aldir, where did you get this kid? No, why does he have 'that' power?"
"That is not for me to say in front of the boy or to answer your question, Wren."
Wren? Like Wren Kain IV? The maker of Dawns Ballad and Regis?
It seemed that my taken aback jolt made the asura know my true emotions at the time, yet, I quickly let it go with a cough to break the tension. "Ahem! I feel like I did something wrong here or at least something unexpected."
Both Asurans took their time to answer me, Wren's two eyes giving Aldir's one eye a concerned look. "Look brat, don't concern yourself with those things and instead worry about the fight up ahead."
Aldir on the other side was nodding to Wren's words.
Again. Something they got caught for but no explanation for it.
"Now let's get rid of those thoughts you have in your lesser brain and follow Aldir," Then he took out a device similar to the ones that Windsom and Aldir carry. Placed it on the floor and it ignited on itself without any buttons. "Prepare yourself boy, beyond that portal is Alacrya and when you cross, your only mission is to watch how the rest kill Agrona Vritra."