My body felt different, perhaps faster, stronger, or more resilient...
"Close your eyes and say this: recensio," Axel ordered, his gaze thoughtful.
The three of us closed our eyes and recited the incantation.
Recensio...
I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a place of shifting colors, like a rainbow. On the ground were two symbols, separated by about three meters.
I walked until I reached the first symbol. It was a figure that seemed strangely unfamiliar: a circle with black arrows protruding from it.
I crouched down to get a better look...
The circle and its arrows glowed purple and were quite large, about a meter in diameter. Cautiously and fearfully, I touched the circle.
First, a word repeated itself in my mind: Path of the Void...
Second, a purple line emerged from the circle. The line created 11 circles, each half the size of the symbol.
I approached the first circle that appeared and observed it. This circle also had a symbol, the Roman numeral 11.
I touched it as I had the previous one...
Next to the circle, words appeared in a single line. I settled into a comfortable reading position and began to examine the words.
Rank 11: Magician.
Magician?... Like Merlin?
Ritual Ingredients:
Kinio blood powder, water, a clean container, and the recipient's blood...
Kinio?
...
I remember now!
Kinio is a type of rabbit whose blood turns into white powder when it dies.
...
Power:
Ability to create small objects like a knife. This is done by visualizing the object and shaping it with aura; 10-second cooldown.
Is this "cooldown" like in a video game?
They can surround their creations with aura, making them stronger, sharper, and more durable.
They can destroy their creations, regaining half the aura used to create them; 10-second cooldown.
Slight increase in strength, speed, and stamina.
...
All that... Wow.
I can do so many things, but... how do I use the aura?... I'll ask Axel later.
I walked toward the next circle, but this one was different...
It was completely black...
That must be rank 10. I'm not that rank yet, so I can't see it.
Wait a minute...
I turned toward the other symbol. If those symbols are paths, that means I have two paths.
I slid through the black "room" until I reached the second symbol.
The symbol was a fox with nine white tails, the tips of which were blue.
A Kitsune...
I touched the symbol, and the same thing happened as with the path of emptiness, only the line that appeared was black, and the word that came to mind was: Path of Cunning.
Cunning, like Axel's path!
So it's true... I have two paths, but... why?
Perhaps because I have two souls in my body, but that also means I have two Centrum.
I went to the first circle, and when I arrived, I touched it.
Rank 11. Watcher.
Ritual Ingredients:
Kinio's blood powder, water, a clean container, and the recipient's blood...
Do Rank 11s have the same ritual?
Power:
When you are suspended in the air, the user can focus their aura on the soles of their feet to leap into the air; cooldown period of 1 minute and 30 seconds.
By focusing their aura on their eyes, the user enters the Zero state...
While in the Zero state, the user can see the weaknesses of others and anticipate their movements.
Slight increase in speed and agility.
...
At least I can attack with objects using the power of a Mage, which will help me in attack... but I wanted firebending.
Wait...
How do I get out of here?
I think if I do the same actions I used to get in, I can get out.
I closed my eyes and said, "Recensio." I opened my eyes again and saw Axel, Kōri, and Lux.
"You took your time. What's your Path and rank name?" Lux asked in her usual amused tone.
"Axel, where was I?" I asked, standing up.
"You were in your Centrum. It might seem like you were only inside your Centrum for a short time, but 10 seconds in the real world is 1 second in your Centrum, and that answers Lux's question."
"I have the Path of Void, Rank 11 Mage, and the Path of Cunning, Rank 11 Watcher. Axel, is it normal to have two Paths?"
"Yes, it's common but dangerous. It's best not to tell anyone. And hey, we share a Path."
"Lord Axel, now that Nero has woken up, you can answer the question about how to use aura?" Kōri said elegantly.
"Well, I'll take this opportunity to give you a general lesson on the Sinners, and the questions will be at the end."
"We already know what a Sinner, a rank, a path, the centrum, and the aura are.
"First, the types of paths. Paths that represent emotions are called common paths, those that represent moments are called abstract paths, and those that are a fusion are called infrequent paths."
"The types of ranks." "Low rank 11-10, mid rank 9-7, high rank 6-5, angel rank 4, archangel rank 3, demigod rank 2, and god rank 1."
"The dangers of being a Sinner: there are many, like other Sinners, the corruption of the soul, among others... but the most important and dangerous is the Daemon."
"The Daemon is what happens when a Sinner performs a ritual incorrectly, advances in rank without being prepared, advances in rank without knowing the name of the rank they are going to advance to, and forces the Centrum."
"Daemons are people with long limbs, completely gray skin, deformed faces, a total loss of human senses, and total aggression."
"Sinner artifacts. These are objects like weapons or common utensils, which, if their wielder is a Sinner, upon the wielder's death, gain powers according to the wielder's rank and path."
"The aura. The higher your rank, the more mature your centrum; the more mature your centrum, the stronger your aura."
"Digamos que su aura empieza en 100, cuando pasan de rango se vuelve 200 y cuando avanzan de nuevo 400. Esto significa que tu aura se multiplica por 2 al avanzar de rango".
"If you want to see your aura, open either hand and focus on seeing it. Don't worry, only you can see your own aura.
"The aura is activated by saying 'activare' and deactivated by saying 'deactivare'. The aura is a different color for each path and is moved by telekinesis."
"The aura regenerates over time."
"A person knows they are ready to advance in rank when a personalized mark appears on their chest."
"That's all I know. Any questions?"
"¿Why can daemons use their Sinner abilities if they don't have a centrum?" I said, trying to process so much information.
"Good question, this happens because of the remnant of the Centrum. When your Centrum disappears, a great deal of its aura remains."
...
"Right, Kōri and Lux, state your ranks and paths."
"Path of Coldness, Rank 11 Cryokinetic," Kōri said elegantly.
"Path of Happiness, Rank 11 Clown," Lux said lightly and confidently.
"Alright," Axel said seriously. "Kids, remember that a powerful Sinner is the Sinner who best knows how to use their abilities and imagination."
"Experience beats brute force."
"Look, tomorrow is our first mission. It's an assassination, Their work clothes are ready and I'll give them this afternoon, and I'll also give them a sinner artifact."