NOVEL NEXT Chapter 250: A Much-Needed Break.
Aodhán woke up several hours later to find himself in a dark cave, the faint crackling of flames echoing in his ears. He was still weak, but his willpower had regenerated enough that he wasn't in any danger of collapsing at the slightest breeze.
Groaning, he pushed himself to a sitting position and turned to glance at Daruk, whose core blazed a few meters away from him. Daruk had his eyes closed, legs poised in meditation, yet he smiled when Aodhán's gaze fell on him.
"You're awake." He opened his eyes and gestured towards a plate of roasted meat. "Have a bite."
"Thanks," Aodhán replied gratefully, his stomach rumbling as he drew the plate closer to himself and took a bite of the unseasoned meat. A pile of feathers lay in one corner of the cave, telling Aodhán all he needed to know about where Daruk had gotten the meat.
Nevertheless, the meat was delicious. Awakened meat usually was, but advanced meat even more so. Aodhán devoured the entire plate in seconds and licked his fingers before he finally asked, "What happened after I lost consciousness?"
Daruk shrugged. "I dragged the nearest carcass I could find and ran. Found this cave a few minutes later, and we've been here ever since." He cocked his head and smiled. "Five hours now."
"Without any attacks?" Disbelief colored Aodhán's voice.
Ever since they'd stepped into Abyssos, it had been one problem after the other. The idea that they'd had five whole hours of relative peace was hard to believe, but Daruk confirmed it with a chuckle.
"I'm surprised too, but I suspect it has something to do with our likability ratings."
Aodhán scowled and reluctantly raised the wristband to his eyes. The holographic screen came on immediately, and his scowl deepened as he stared at the massive numbers he had accumulated since the tribulation.
HARVEST 122: Aodhán Brystion.
Affinity: Storm (High Priority)
Current level: 1—Plain of Endless Waves
Duration: 48 hours.
Number of hours remaining: 40 hours, 23 minutes.
Number of harvests left: 121
92% Likability
0% Neutral
8% Detest
Total ratings: 17,762 votes.
"How is this even possible?" Aodhán asked, his scowl still firmly in place. "I defy the cultists, and I gain… fans? Shouldn't they hate me?"
"I'm just as surprised as you are." Daruk shook his head. "Nevertheless, I'm grateful for the peace. We certainly need it after all that happened earlier."
Aodhán nodded in agreement, sighing as he dismissed the screen. That was when he realized something was missing.
"Where's Cyrus?" he asked.
Daruk scowled, and the temperature dropped immediately. "He's gone. Left just as the horde showed up. I want to say I'm surprised, but then again, he was never an ally."
"No, he wasn't." Aodhán frowned."But still—"
"It was cold of him." Daruk shook his head. "Even I wouldn't do that, and I'm supposed to be the cold one."
They both chuckled, but Daruk's expression sobered quickly, and he asked, "Tell me what happened during the tribulation? I wanted to pull you out, but Varéc insisted you were benefitting from it."
"I was," Aodhán responded after a moment's pause, his mind flashing back to the tribulation and all that he had experienced within it. "I was benefitting from it. There was a lot of pain, but I cemented my ideal, gained a new understanding of the origin planes, and even gained an aspect."
"The aspect of water." Daruk nodded. "And a seal too…"
His words trailed off, but Aodhán understood what he was asking. How didn't you succumb to the twisted effect?
Aodhán couldn't answer that—not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't understand it either. His best explanation was that his new understanding of the origin plane had unlocked something within him. Something that made the chaos less of a nuisance and more of an enhancer.
Then he remembered a line from one of the many notifications gained after the tribulation: "Congratulations!" You have gained true insight into the Origin...
True insight. Aodhán was almost certain this was it—but then again, perhaps it was because he had unleashed his willpower so deeply into the origin plane? Had he somehow marked himself as part of the origin plane that way? Was it possible that no one before him had ever done so, even by accident?
He shook his head, realizing just how much he was still ignorant about. There was so much valuable information lacking in this world, and even more that was hidden—all so that those in power stayed in power.
Aodhán wasn't a fan of hiding knowledge. But as much as he would have loved to explain all that he had learned from Az'marthon to Daruk, doing so would also mean sharing that same knowledge with the cultists.
And Aodhán refused to do that. He would have to find another way to tell Daruk. Until then, it would just have to remain a secret.
Daruk read Aodhán's conclusion from his expression and nodded in understanding. "Later then. I'll wait."
Aodhán smiled. "Not like you have anywhere else to go."
"Fair point." Daruk chuckled and uncurled his legs from their meditative pose. "I want you to know that I'm very proud of you, though. The way you stepped into that tribulation," he shook his head. "I didn't want you to go, but then you came out far stronger than we could have ever imagined, and I was just blown away."
"And that flood you unleashed…" he trailed off, awe evident in his tone. "Just amazing. Have you even seen your status screen?"
"No," Aodhán replied, grinning like a fool from the awe in Daruk's words. "Want to see?"
"Of course. Are you kidding me?" Daruk joked as he sidled closer.
Aodhán shared his screen with Daruk and then settled to review all the notifications blinking in the corner of his vision.
Congratulations! You have evolved into the advanced class.
Minor regeneration >>> Basic regeneration >>> Lightning regeneration.
You have gained passive resistance to evolved skills.
All skills have evolved into the advanced class.
Congratulations! Your core has undergone a second tribulation. Evolved core sense >>> Advanced core sense. The cores of mythics are now an open book.
Congratulations! You have gained true insight into the Origin plane of storm. The consciousness of storm now recognizes you as a part of itself.
Congratulations! You have gained an icon: The Prime Convergence—The Scattered Becomes One.
Congratulations! You have gained a new title: Adept. [See full details below.]
Congratulations! You have gained an aspect. New title gained: Preeminent. [See full details below.]
Congratulations! Elemental Lightning—Stage 1 has evolved to Elemental Lightning—Stage 2. [See full details below.]
Congratulations! You have gained a new skill: Lightning Body. [See full details below.]
Congratulations! You have gained a new skill: Storm's Wrath [See full details below.]
[STATUS]
Name: Aodhán Ashoka-Brystion.
Title: Neophyte, Storm Spirit, Bronze, Origin Marked, Seal Bearer (3), Silver, Novice Runesmith, Amateur Rune Scholar, Harbinger of Aberration, Treasure Hunter, Adept, Preeminent, Treader of Dread—Greater Variant, Icon Bearer, Chaos Clad Butcher (Shared Title).
Class: Advanced Storm Awakened: 3.17% (PENDING)
Tier: 27—64%
Icon: The Prime Convergence; The Scattered Becomes One.
Aspect: Water.
Aspect Mastery: 10%
Glimpse---> Opening---> Channel----> Force: Increases elemental affinity and abilities by 10%
Techniques: Perfect Will Imbuement (15), Energy Enhancement (Rough), Empathic Link, Veil of Shrouded Mind (Forbidden), Choose Target, Dread Tempering.
Skills {Innate}: [Storm Creation and Manipulation] [Lightning Creation and Manipulation]
{Other}: [Lightning Surge] [Lightning Beam] [Lightning Descent] [Create Constructs] [Absorb Energy>>>Absorb Energy] [Spear Rain—Lightning] [Spear Rain—Storm] [Vortex of Lightning] [Vortex of Storm] [Elemental Lightning—Stage 2] [Eye of the Storm, Passive] [Surging Momentum] [Lightning Body] [Storm's Wrath] [Synchronized Carnage]
Bloodline: Origin Storm Supremacy. {Unique+}
· Amplifies storm abilities by 6% + {Eye of the Storm, passive}
· Grants major resistance to lightning
· Aura of Origin supremacy.
Familiar—Dragonkin (Fury)
Perks: Psychic Bond, Merge, Berserk, and Stealth.
Treader of Dread—Greater variant: This is a title given to any evolved-class awakened who willfully pits themselves against an advanced-class creature no less than five tiers above them and then survives to tell the tale.
Effects:
Ø Defier's Grit: Increases resistance to aura suppression from enemies no more than 50 tiers above you.
Ø Battle-Honed Core: Grants an increase to willpower regeneration, energy manipulation, and recovery during life-threatening circumstances.
Ø Dread Tempering: Unlocks an alternate path to bloodline evolution and refining. Bloodline can now be refined through accumulated near-death encounters with creatures five or more tiers above you, rather than consuming vast amounts of willpower. May trigger unique bloodline paths not found through conventional willpower evolution paths. Unique+---->Unique++ (1103/7200DT)
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Adept: This is a title given to any awakened who successfully crosses the 2nd milestone tier. You are no longer a neophyte. Your eyes have seen. Your ears have heard.
Preeminent: This is a rare title bestowed upon an awakened who has surpassed the natural order of magical advancement. You specialize in breaking preconceived limits.
Elemental Lightning—Stage 2: Three new colors have been added to your arsenal. Silver, violet, and gold.
Absorb Lightning >>> Absorb Energy: Absorb the energy from energy sources or others to enhance yourself or fuel a skill.
Lightning Body: Transform your physical form into pure lightning, allowing you to move at the speed of lightning, phase through conductive materials, and become immune to physical attacks while in this state.
Storm's Wrath: Open the floodgates of heaven to unleash a flood of water on your enemies. Drown them in judgement and steal the air from their lungs.
Aodhán blinked at the large screen, surprised at the length of notifications he had to go through. But this wasn't just the result of a single evolution. It was the culmination of all his effort and experience in the evolved class.
Beside him, Daruk released an audible sigh of awe, and Aodhán chuckled, proud of himself. He had to admit it felt good seeing all his hard work and suffering condense into a pile of achievements, titles, and skills.
The first message was something he already knew, but seeing it still brought a smile to his face. The advanced class. Finally.
The second message, however, was a little confusing, but just as he had the thought, Daruk asked, "How does the lightning regeneration work?"
Aodhán frowned, not quite sure. He had an idea, but he couldn't know for certain until he tested it. He glanced down at his palms, and after a moment of hesitance, stretched one toward Daruk. "Make a cut."
Daruk grinned evilly, and Aodhán narrowed his eyes in warning. "A small cut. I swear I'll punch you to space if it exceeds three centimeters."
Daruk chuckled and pressed a finger against Aodhán's palm. The finger transformed into a jagged icicle, and without hesitation, he dragged it across Aodhán's palm—exactly three centimeters.
"Dick," Aodhán cursed through the slight pain and raised his palm to see the wound better. Daruk leaned in, and both their eyes widened as gold lightning sparked between the torn skin, sewing it together in an instant. The whole regeneration was lightning-quick and apparently very energy efficient.
"Well, that's something," Aodhán said with a smile.
"It is." Daruk agreed, though his expression grew thoughtful. "I wonder how it would fare against poison or curses."
Aodhán's smile morphed into a scowl, and he quickly pulled his hand away. "Let's not test that out just yet."
They both laughed, and Aodhán turned his attention back to the screen. His gaze landed on the fifth message, and he smiled. Core sense had evolved well.
He had known this would happen with his evolution, and although the notification only spoke about mythics, core sense had also grown in depth and range. Back at the oasis, Aodhán had discovered that he could sense the intents of the horde—like a strong emotion billowing out of their cores.
He wasn't quite sure how that was possible—people didn't usually feel emotions with their cores—but apparently, they were linked somehow.
The notification about his icon came next, and this time, Aodhán couldn't hold back his grin. He was proud of what he had accomplished with this icon. He hadn't tested it out, but he knew exactly what it did, and it was awesome.
"A storm is simply a gathering," he whispered to himself, his grin widening as he remembered Az'marthon's last words. Those words, while simple, had such a profound impact on his mind that they had followed him into the origin plane of storm, contributing greatly to the formation of this icon. But that wasn't all. Aodhán had taken Az'marthon's words and sharpened them into something greater. Something far more powerful.
Why only gather clouds when he could gather energy or chaos itself? Why stick to just elemental storms when he could branch out into concepts and even abstracts?
He chuckled to himself, excited to see the effect of the skill with his own eyes. He couldn't wait to test it out, but for that he would need to regenerate more willpower, which by his estimate would take another five hours at least.
It was a long time, but without the dread tempering technique exponentially increasing the rate of his regeneration, Aodhán was certain it would take even longer.
Still smiling, he scrolled past his new titles until his gaze landed on the Elemental Lightning skill. Excited, he scrolled down to see the full details, but Daruk beat him to it.
"Silver, violet, and gold? That's a weird set of colors. What do they do?"
"How are you already down there?" Aodhán asked, still scrolling until his gaze landed on the single sentence that served as the description for the second stage of his class scaling skill. He stared at the line of text for a moment before shrugging. "There's not much information to go off, so we'll just have to test it out like the previous one."
Despite his slightly dry tone, Aodhán loved getting a feel for his skills himself without the system spelling things out for him. It made things a hell of a lot more confusing, but it was fun, and it gave him a better understanding than any description could convey.
With a blooming grin, he stretched a hand toward the opposite wall and leaned into the chaos around him. Daruk backed up immediately, eyes narrowed and arms subtly raised in caution.
When Aodhán raised an eyebrow in question, Daruk shrugged. "No offense, brother, but your skills have never been described as tame. I'd rather not take any chances."
Aodhán scowled. "I'm not going to blow anything up or, worse, miss my aim."
Daruk smiled. "I never said you would."
He pointed at the wall and waved a hand. "Go ahead. I'll just stand here, ready to quench whatever fire you inevitably create."
But Daruk was wrong, because no fire erupted when Aodhán finally activated {Elemental Lightning—Silver}. Instead, the silver bolt of condensed lightning simply phased through the wall without any effect whatsoever.
Both boys jumped to their feet immediately.
"Phase Lightning!" Aodhán exclaimed excitedly and quickly shot another bolt to confirm, adding a few strands of willpower to the skill to boost its willpower.
The result remained unchanged.
Aodhán laughed out loud, thunder rumbling out of him as his control over his voice slipped. This was exactly what he'd been praying for. Now he could recreate the Medusozoa's skill without issue, although looking at the pile of skills he had just gathered, Aodhán doubted he would need it. Still, he'd master it simply because it was magnificent.
Daruk, however, stood frozen in shock, a grimace twisting his features as he swore, "By Raol, isn't that the Medusozoa's lightning?"
"Not exactly," Aodhán replied, shaking his head. "That was spectral lightning, which deals more with the metaphysical and spiritual realms. But phase lightning is similar enough that I should be able to recreate the Medusozoa's skills with ease."
Daruk's grimace deepened. "That Medusozoa creature is just horrible. I nearly died in the tower battle against it."
Aodhán chuckled darkly. "It certainly is a nightmare to fight. And when I recreate its skills, I'll be just as terrifying."
He laughed with wicked delight, already envisioning a thousand ways he could use the skill, while Daruk just shook his head in resignation.
One thing was certain—Aodhán had just ascended to a higher realm of power with this skill alone. Getting the phase lightning would have been gift enough, but Aodhán still had two more colors to test out.
{Elemental Lightning—Violet} shot out of his palms next, and its effect was immediately obvious. The bolt struck the wall instantly, seemingly warping through space to arrive at its target immediately.
Daruk raised both eyebrows in shock. "Did that lightning just teleport?"
Aodhán's smile stretched into a grin. "Indeed, it did, dear brother. It most certainly teleported." His grin grew predatory, and he whispered. "I wonder if I could hit Jethro from this distance."
The moment the words left his lips, Aodhán felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. Even Daruk felt it too, like a cloud of hateful energy directed at them.
It was just like the moment he had threatened Jethro before the tribulation, but to an even greater extent. Despite the danger, Aodhán relished these reactions. It made it clear he was getting under Jethro's skin. That was all he could do for now, and he intended to excel at it.
His smile widened as he added. "I bet he would burst open like a bag of blood and bones with how strained his spirit currently is."
The atmosphere grew razor-sharp, and Aodhán could practically hear Jethro's mental screaming: He's lying. I'm perfectly fine. I am the legacy of Sárán Beithir. I most certainly do not have a strained spirit.
"When did you become this trouble hungry?" Daruk muttered quietly beside him, a small smile on his face as he shared in the moment's satisfaction.
Beneath all his logic and common sense, Daruk was enjoying this, and as the cloud of anger above them intensified, he scowled at it. "If you're going to send another tribulation, take it outside."
Aodhán chuckled. "Now look who's courting trouble."
Daruk snorted. "They deserve every cutting word they receive. Surely, they don't expect us to accept this like docile sheep. We were kidnapped. We have families. Parents. A mother..."
Aodhán felt the weight of his emotions crash down on him in that moment, and his excitement died.
Ever since their kidnap, he had been too preoccupied to sit down and think of the people worried for him. Synové would be sick with fear by now. Yue, Aldric, and Unrid wouldn't fare much better, though at least Aldric would be taking action. were powerless to help would most likely be eating them alive.
Exhaling heavily, he murmured. "We'll get out of here very soon. Trust me."
Daruk closed his eyes against the surge of emotion welling in him and shook his head. "You don't know that."
"Actually, I do," Aodhán replied quietly, and his smile returned. "I do know that. I need you to know it too."
Daruk stared at him for a moment, reading his expression and the assurance he bore.
"You're serious." He whispered a moment later, and Aodhán smiled.
"Dead serious. A plan is already underway."
He didn't care if the cultists heard him; they couldn't do anything about it anyway. His will imprints were already flowing across the river of the origin plane of storm. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon it and found them.
He wished he could teach it to Daruk; that way they could improve their chances. Also, he would be able to test out the theory of why he was suddenly free from the negative effects of chaos, but that would have to come later.
Daruk stared at him for a long moment, reading his expression in silence. Aodhán expressed as much assurance as he could without speaking, and after a long moment, Daruk nodded. "We should probably find out what the last color does."
Aodhán chuckled and turned his attention to the last color: gold.
Unlike the previous two, this lightning felt comforting as it activated, manifesting in his palm like a bundle of golden threads rather than a crackling bolt of electricity. Aodhán aimed it at the opposite wall and watched with bated breath as the energy shot forward, then diffused into the surface without any noticeable effect.
A grimace twisted his features as unease curled through his gut. Traumatized by his experience with sylvael lightning, Aodhán didn't like the direction this was heading one bit. This lightning behaved too similarly to the sylvael lightning, flowing in an almost fluid manner that made his skin crawl.
Suddenly, what had felt comforting before suddenly felt disturbing. Aodhán's grimace deepened when Daruk asked, "Did that do anything at all, or did I miss it entirely?"
"I don't think it did anything." Aodhán responded cautiously, and Daruk, oblivious to his sudden unease, simply shrugged.
"Well, that tracks, I suppose. Your sylvael lightning didn't do anything when we first tested it either."
Daruk's words only intensified his discomfort, and Aodhán tensed involuntarily. He didn't want a repeat of the Sylvael lightning incident. One poisonous lightning was more than enough for a lifetime.
"Maybe you should try again," Daruk suggested with a frown, moving to inspect the wall. "Add some willpower this time. Perhaps even chaos."
"I'm not sure that's wise." Aodhán shook his head, reluctant to discover what that might accomplish. He eyed the harbinger of aberration title on his status screen with suspicion, wondering what fresh brand of trauma the system had packaged for him now.
But Daruk was right. He couldn't determine the skill's true nature until he used it at full power. Whether he wanted to or not, he needed to know. And so, with reluctance, he channeled five strands of energized willpower into the skill, merged it with chaos, and then activated it.
This time, as a more condensed stream of gold lightning struck the wall, they finally noticed something. The surface shimmered subtly, and several tiny cracks sealed shut. The change was so minimal that even Daruk, standing closer to the wall, wouldn't have noticed had a small vine not fallen away from where its root had been pushed out of a sealed crack.
Aodhán stared at the fallen vine, mouth agape, unable to believe what he was witnessing. Daruk, however, had no such reservations and whisper-screamed, "Did that wall just heal?"
"Don't jinx it," Aodhán shushed him immediately, eyes wide and heart hammering as his gaze darted between the vine and the now-smooth wall section. Daruk was right—the wall had actually healed. But after so many failed attempts to acquire this exact skill, Aodhán couldn't believe the system had simply handed it to him on a platter. There had to be a catch somewhere, a disappointment waiting to reveal itself.
"We need to test it more," Aodhán said, shaking his head. "I need—"
Chaos responded to his intent immediately, surging into his spirit without summons. It flooded his pathways, and without hesitation, Aodhán poured willpower into the skill. He abandoned precision and strands, simply funneling raw willpower into his channels, letting it merge seamlessly with the chaos rushing through his spirit.
The energies combined into something new—a liquid-like power that surged through his pathways like molten lightning.
The skill activated a moment later, but what appeared in Aodhán's palm wasn't a bolt this time. It was a beam—a condensed, crackling torrent of golden energy.
It struck the wall with explosive force, yet rather than destroying, the lightning diffused into the stone with a resonant whoosh. This time, the effect was unmistakable.
Across the entire wall, cracks were sealed completely. Weathered surfaces took on a lustrous, renewed appearance as centuries of mold and grime fell away like water shaken from a dog's coat. Within seconds, the moss-covered cave wall transformed into a gleaming expanse of rock so pristine and smooth it resembled polished marble.
Aodhán couldn't believe it. It wasn't just healing. It was restoration.
He needed to test it on something alive. His gaze shifted to Daruk first, but his brother immediately raised a jagged icicle in warning. Aodhán turned his attention elsewhere, extending his core sense to locate anything at all with a core.
He found something moments later and blinked deeper into the cave, eyes scanning the walls for the exact source of the glowing core he'd detected. His gaze settled on a mound that differed from its surroundings, and he rushed towards it.
The mound cracked upon his approach, and a small lizard-like creature tumbled free, body flailing as it plummeted toward the ground. It was no larger than an Ifrit, and its core pulsed with the earth affinity.
Aodhán caught the creature mid-fall and returned to Daruk's side, a claw materializing on his index finger to puncture the lizard's skin for testing.
Before he could act, however, an alarm shrieked through the air, and a line of text appeared before them in bold crimson text.
BOUNTY CREATED: FIND AODHAN ASHOKA-BRYSTION AND KILL HIM.
REWARD: AN AUDIENCE WITH THE FATED.
TIME LIMIT: 5 HOURS.
"Oh shit!" Aodhán cursed as he read the floating text. But the words had barely even left his lips when the first explosion struck, and a familiar core entered the range of core sense.
Entropy.