The Ascender's Legacy [A CHAOTIC STORM LITRPG]

When Aodhán and Daruk arrived at the academy, they weren't surprised to see hundreds of students scattered across the front lawn—gathered in groups, chatting, laughing, and waiting for their other friends to arrive.

Scanning the sea of blazing cores, Aodhán quickly found their friends and began weaving his way toward them, while Daruk followed from behind. They were gathered, not too far from the statue in front of the admin building, and Aodhán smiled when his gaze finally landed on them.

Yurin, Scarlett, Ayisha, and Andrew stood in a circle, laughing as Yurin told a joke about an event that happened during the break. Aodhán was happy to see them after three weeks, but his gaze lingered on one person the most.

"He's changed so much." He stated after a moment of staring, and Daruk chuckled. "You should have seen him when he first stepped out from the holding chambers. He was like a whole different person."

"Perhaps, he is," Aodhán responded as he took in the changes Andrew's seal impartment had wrought in him. He had been too busy to visit when Andrew was released two weeks ago, and although they had texted each other throughout the break, this was the first time Aodhán was seeing his friend ever since the Nilhal event.

Andrew stood to the side of the group, part of it, yet not. His hands were clasped behind him in quiet amusement like that of an outsider looking in. His stance was so poised—rigid in a way that made it glaringly obvious he was a noble.

Gone was the dumb, bubbly, excitement he usually radiated. Gone was the barbarian who couldn't make it through an entire sentence without cursing. He looked so elegant, so superior, yet down to earth at the same time.

The fact that Andrew's personality had changed wasn't the surprising part. In fact, it was to be expected. The twisted effect changed people every time, twisting them to embody the nature of their affinities with each seal they gained. However, gaining multiple seals at once had caused a twisted effect so severe that the difference between Andrew's previous personality and his current one was like night and day.

The change hadn't stopped at his personality alone though, even his looks had changed, and his bloodline manifestations had finally entered what could be considered the severe stage. His vivid green hair flowed down to his shoulder blades, as luscious and fresh as nurtured grass. His skin had also taken on a rougher tint, almost the color of mahogany, but it was his eyes that drew the most attention. What was once a ring of gold around vivid green irises was now a ring of swirling plant hues surrounding vivid green irises, only separated by a thin band of silver to signify his advance in willpower.

It was hypnotizing. Vivid green irises surrounded by a swirling band of reds, oranges, yellows, and even blues changed so subtly that it was hard to pinpoint exactly when a color change occurred, except one was intently focused on his eyes.

Aodhán and Daruk whispered about the changes they could spot in Andrew as they walked toward the group, and as they drew closer to the statue, Aodhán suddenly realized that Andrew was currently the highest-tiered student in the entire first-year bracket.

With three seals under his belt, an opening, and an icon, his position as a tournament candidate was decided which meant there were only four slots left to fill for the upcoming tournament.

When they finally reached hearing range, Aodhán grinned and called out, "Hey! I missed you guys."

Yurin found them first, and he let out a whoop of excitement before jogging towards them. He hugged Aodhán first, and when he pulled back to hug Daruk, Scarlett took his place. "Oh, uglurkiran hrivershi mythshingr. It's so good to see you again."

Aodhán scowled. "I have no idea what that means, but it sounds very much like an insult. I swear if it's an insult, I'll kill you."

Scarlett laughed and shook her head innocently. "Why would I ever insult you, Aodhán? You're one of my favorite people."

"Yeah right." Aodhán snorted and then reached out to Ayisha for a hug. At first, he feared that she might not return the hug, deeming it too weird a contact to be having with a fated, but it seemed the break had given her enough time to process the whole thing because she reached out and hugged him tightly.

"It's good to see you, Aodhán." She muttered into his shirt and when she pulled back, she teased. "You do not know how to keep out of the public eye do you?"

Aodhán sighed. "It's never intentional, I swear. I'm working on it though. In fact, I spent the entirety of last week indoors. No drama."

"The drama of the Steppin' plains is enough to last a lifetime." Ayisha scoffed. "I finally understand why the principal is always so frustrated with you. If I were constantly thrown into the spotlight like that, I think I'd just… combust."

The group burst into laughter, and as it died down, Aodhán finally turned his gaze to the last member of the group. Without a word, he pulled Andrew into a firm hug and murmured, "I'm sorry I couldn't come visit."

"It's alright." Andrew patted his back reassuringly. "I know you were busy saving the world, so I understand."

Aodhán scoffed, pulling back. "Saving the world is a bit of a stretch, man. Don't be dramatic."

"I'm not." Andrew chuckled, his hair rustling in the wind like leaves on a tree branch. "Fortuna told me what you were out doing with champion Rhyntharion, and then I heard what you did at the Steppin' Plains. I can't believe you got to fight in the war before I did. I always figured I'd have to be the one to drag you."

Aodhán smiled, glad to see that Andrew still retained some of his old personality traits. Most likely, he would recover more of them with time, but Aodhán knew better than to hope. That personality was gone. The most they would get was a similar version of it.

"Well, I'm glad you don't have to," Aodhán grimaced. "Being dragged by vines onto a battlefield doesn't sound much like fun."

"It won't be a dull experience, that's for sure," Yurin chuckled, and they all laughed again.

Grabbing his arm, Scarlett sidled closer and asked. "So. How'd you, do it? I know it's prohibited for civilians here to participate in a war effort."

Aodhán grinned and then fished out his decree of honorary rank. "We found a loophole. Plus, I'm no longer a civilian. In this sacred moment, you're speaking to Lieutenant Aodhán Brystion."

His friends gasped, eyes widening in shock as they read the decree. Daruk, however, just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Show-off."

Aodhán had already shown the decree to his family, and since it wasn't a secret, he saw no harm in sharing it with his friends. Andrew took the decree, scanned it, and then passed it to Yurin.

With a bright smile, Andrew whispered, "I can't believe it. We're going to be comrades."

"Or brothers," Ayisha suggested as she scanned the decree. She shook her head when she was done and handed the decree back to him. "I'm both surprised and not surprised at this. Only you could gain an honorary rank in your first year."

Scarlett hummed in agreement. "I'm surprised Andrew didn't get one too, because nearly all of his family members are soldiers."

Andrew shrugged. "That doesn't count. To receive an honorary rank, you have to have an ability so extraordinary that the military can't wait to start making use of it. First-years rarely get such an offer, though, but then again, Aodhán's rain skill is truly an extraordinary one."

"Damn." Yurin sighed and shook his head. "Ayisha is right. You really can't help but be in the spotlight, can you?"

They all laughed, and their conversation soon moved on to other matters. Ayisha asked him about his mission with Geneva, and as he began narrating all that had happened, Scarlett groaned. "By ascendants! You had the best break ever."

"It was just cultist hunting," Aodhán laughed, but he couldn't deny that he felt proud of himself. His time with Geneva had been nothing short of incredible. He had grown immensely, gaining more experience with war and death than he ever could have on his own. He had gotten the chance to travel the entire kingdom, although he had yet to visit a few sectors. The truth was, the mission had been extraordinary, and there was no reason to downplay it.

The conversation took a serious turn when Yurin asked. "I've always wondered if there was a special prison for these cultists. I mean, with the terrible things they engage in, they should be locked up for life."

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"Or killed." Scarlett scoffed and turned pleading eyes to Aodhan. "Please tell me they kill some of them."

"Ahh…" Aodhán stuttered, uncertain how to frame the truth. The cultists hadn't been imprisoned, nor had they undergone any sort of trial by a judge. Instead, they had been massacred by Geneva and… by him.

He searched for a way to phrase it that didn't sound so bloodthirsty, but before he could speak, Andrew muttered, "There's no prison for cultists. They're all killed on the spot."

Silence fell over the group. As one, they turned to Aodhán, their expressions full of unspoken questions. Yurin was the first to ask. "Did you kill any of them?"

Such a simple question—yet Aodhán hesitated. He had deliberately left out that part of the story. Not because he regretted it—he didn't—but because he had no desire to wear it like a badge of honor.

The cultists had deserved their fate. They had tortured and killed children—starved them, subjected them to unspeakable rituals. If time were reversed, Aodhán wouldn't change a thing. But he took no glory in it.

Still, these were his friends. And sooner or later, the whole world would know anyway. After a pause, Aodhán gave a slight nod. "I did. I killed a few of them in Sector 6, and I don't regret it. I would do it again if I had the chance."

His words were accompanied by a heavy silence as his friends contemplated his words. Death wasn't an unfamiliar concept to any of them. They all understood that soldiers fought and killed to protect their kingdoms. And yet, the act of taking a life—of killing another human being—wasn't something so easily accepted.

Despite the understanding in their eyes, Aodhán felt the shift. A quiet distance settled between them—not hatred, not fear, but a silent recognition that he had stepped into a place they had not yet reached. A gulf now stood between them, one that felt unbridgeable until Andrew placed a hand on his shoulder and said. "Thank you for what you did to keep the people of Ragnarok safe. I can only hope to one day kill in the name of my kingdom the way you have. Besides, the fewer cultists we have to deal with, the better."

Andrew's words eased the tension, and Scarlett wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Really? Kill in the name of your kingdom? Isn't there a better way to phrase that?"

"I'm sure there is." Daruk chuckled. "But I quite like the way he phrased it. In my opinion, it's better than saying he wants to kill for the greater good or worse, to fix the world."

They all laughed, and Aodhán finally let himself relax. Minutes passed, and as he watched his friends bicker, he realized just how much his friends had grown and changed in the last few months. The break had shaped them all in unique ways and given them a chance to evolve and grow stronger.

Sunstone's retaliation had opened their eyes to the brutal future that awaited them should the war persist, and that had shaped and strengthened their minds. However, their minds hadn't been the only aspect to have evolved. All around him, cores blazed brightly, and Aodhán could only imagine how drastically the leaderboards would change once the tower was opened for challenges.

Gwendolyn Tideborn and Lupin soon joined them, and Aodhán was relieved to see that Lupin seemed to be doing better. The weight that had hung over her last term had lessened, and for the first time in a while, a hint of a genuine smile played on her lips when she saw him.

Aodhán hadn't expected that—not after their last conversation—but he was glad. When she stretched out her arms for a hug, he didn't hesitate, returning the embrace. She felt lighter as if the burden she had been carrying had eased, even if just a little.

Their conversation soon returned to easy banter, until Yurin suggested heading to the training halls to test each other's strength. Aodhán had no complaints, but Ayisha and Scarlett were hesitant, clearly reluctant to reveal whatever progress they had made over the break.

Convincing them wasn't easy. Scarlett, stubborn as ever, put up the most resistance—until, ten minutes later, she finally caved. Once she agreed, Ayisha had little choice but to follow, albeit very grudgingly.

They arrived at the training center shortly after, but instead of the usual rooms, they opted for a larger hall designed for group combat. The space was a spatially expanded square, stretching sixty feet in length, with solid concrete walls, polished wooden floors, and a circular dueling ring at the center.

At first glance, It was no different from the usual training rooms until Aodhán noticed a recent upgrade in the form of a small transparent glass panel fixed to the opposite wall.

They all gathered around the panel, and Ayisha explained, "It's a scenery control panel that alters the theme of a dueling ring using creation and reality essence." She tapped the glass screen and whistled. "It's super expensive."

"Of course it is." Yurin rolled his eyes. "Heavens forbid that good things ever come cheap."

Andrew chuckled and stepped closer to the panel, frowning at the transparent glass in a way that revealed a hint of his former personality. "When you say alter the theme of a dueling ring, what exactly do you mean?"

Ayisha shrugged. "We can swap the concrete floor for normal ground, a marsh, an ice rink, a lake—" she tsked, "the possibilities aren't endless, but they're close."

"How do we operate it, though?" Gwendolyn asked.

Ayisha chuckled, running her fingers along the panel's edge until she found a small button. A quiet hiss sounded as she pressed it, and the screen flickered to life, displaying an image of the default concrete dueling ring. On either side of the image were two arrows—one pointing left, the other right—hinting at other available options.

Curious, Ayisha tapped the right arrow. The display shifted, revealing a battlefield of molten rock and shifting lava, islands of solid ground scattered throughout. Another tap brought up a frozen wasteland of jagged icicles and thick layers of snow. The next was a dense forest filled with medium-sized trees and hanging vines.

They spent the next few minutes scrolling through the options, and Aodhán had to admit—it was an impressive addition. It eliminated the limitations that came with certain elemental affinities, granting duelists the ability to fight in environments tailored to their strengths.

By the time they had cycled through nearly a hundred different themes, they were finally ready to begin. But before anyone could step forward, Yurin raised a hand. "Why don't we make this a mini-tournament? There are eight of us, so we can break it into three stages. Winners advance each round until we have a final champion."

"I'm not sure that favors me," Lupin complained and gestured towards the rest of them. "Not to put myself down, but my abilities aren't exactly offensive, and I don't see myself winning a duel against you guys." She frowned, then added. "I might stand a chance against Yurin, but I'm not sure."

"What!" Yurin exclaimed, offended. "What about Gwendolyn?"

"Her too." Lupin consented. "But my point still stands. The tournament doesn't favor me at all."

"It's not supposed to favor you, though. It's supposed to challenge you." Daruk replied, and Andrew nodded.

"I was about to say that. But if we pick our opponents randomly, that might give you a fairer chance."

"Against me, you mean." Gwendolyn snorted and created a tendril of water to curl around her fingers. "Well, I guess I'll just have to show you all that I'm no longer someone to be underestimated."

They all cheered, agreeing to leave the matchups to chance. To do that, each of them picked a number between one and eight, writing them down on scraps of paper before handing them to Aodhán who placed the numbers into a spherical construct, and shook it thoroughly before drawing two at a time.

Curious, they all leaned forward to stare at the first pair of numbers and Lupin groaned when she saw that by some bizarre twist of faith, she had been paired against Yurin.

"Don't lose hope." Scarlett chuckled. "I say you have more of a chance against Yurin, than Aodhán, Andrew, or Ayisha."

"Hey!" Yurin exclaimed again and tapped his chest with two fingers. "No one stands a chance against me, not after the skill I gained over the break. I am invincible."

Aodhán eyed Yurin suspiciously and asked. "What miraculous skill is this?"

Yurin cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Wouldn't it be better if I just showed you?"

"Cocky much." Scarlett scoffed, and Aodhán pulled out the next pair: Gwendolyn versus Andrew.

"Well, we already know who's winning that," Yurin muttered and Gwendolyn sighed dejectedly. She turned her gaze to Andrew and said. "Make it quick and honorable."

Rather than say something dumb and funny like he would have done before, Andrew nodded. "I shall be quick. Even in games, it is important to preserve honor."

Gwendolyn nodded, and Aodhán sighed, not quite sure he was loving Andrew's new personality all that much.

The third pair was Ayisha and Scarlett, and the moment he pulled the numbers out, both girls turned to glare at each other, their gazes calculative as they weighed each other.

Aodhán was glad that this matchup had played out in this manner. These two had been hesitant to participate in the game, and now they were facing against each other. The tension between them was so thick it felt almost tangible.

Scarlett broke the silence first. "If you lose, I want it to be because you gave it your all and failed. Don't half-ass me."

"I won't need to," Ayisha replied with a slight smile. "And I won't lose either."

Aodhán was inclined to agree with Ayisha. From what he could sense of her core, she had pushed her opening to the limit, developed her willpower greatly, and was the only other person within the room aside from Andrew, who was at the 24th tier.

Aodhán shuddered at the thought of being so close to evolution with the academy tournaments just around the corner, but it was obvious Ayisha didn't have as much interest in the tournament as he did.

The last matchup was already obvious, but Aodhán pulled out the papers anyway and smiled at Daruk. "Looks like we're to duel, little brother. I'm genuinely concerned."

It was true. There was a time when Aodhán would have had full confidence in victory against Daruk, but now, he suspected they were nearly evenly matched—thanks to the sheer amount of willpower Daruk could bring to bear.

Empowering skills using the perfect imbuement technique was an effective combat strategy, significantly amplifying a skill's effects while efficiently managing willpower. It was undeniably superior to simply flooding a skill with raw energy—but with the way, Daruk's willpower reserves were expanding, that advantage was beginning to fade, especially since, in the last three weeks, he had only increased the number of threads he could imbue a skill with by one.

No. As powerful as the perfect imbuement technique was, there was something to be said for the sheer, unrelenting force of overwhelming an opponent with a barrage of skills, each one supercharged by vast reserves of willpower.

It wasn't as precise or direct, but by heavens was it brutal, and that was the only way Aodhán could hope to keep up with Daruk, even with his self-imposed limits.

Rather than respond, Daruk chuckled and rolled up his sleeves in anticipation. With the matchups decided, everyone gathered around the dueling ring as Yurin and Lupin stepped in.

They had both opted to keep the concrete floor setting and after some brief discussion, they officially declared their mini-tournament open.

"Do I need to go over the rules?" Aodhán joked.

"No rules!" Gwendolyn called out, then hesitated. "Well… maybe just don't injure anyone."

"Or use seals," Daruk added.

"Or familiars," Ayisha threw in.

"Or Icons," Scarlett finished.

"So basically, no heavy buffs," Aodhán concluded. "Aside from that, go all out."

Yurin and Lupin exchanged nods, signaling their readiness, and with a grin, Aodhán raised his hand and started the countdown.

"Three… two… one—fight!"