The Prince of Demons

I continued practicing manifesting what could be as much as I could. I really need to give this a name at some point. It was somewhere between a <Spell> and <Technique>, but I didn't think which one it technically was mattered to how effective it was. It is also technically just using my <Arcane Eye>, but <Future Peek> is similar and I gave that a name. It was all I could currently think about to take my mind off of the reality I was currently in; my body was reaching a point where I was struggling to even move off the ground. Just how much trouble am I going to be in once this is all said and done? There was no way I was not paying a hefty price for this. My body was shaking, feeling numb and without sensation, barely able to move, but it had this odd fine quality to it that I knew was because of Krahinn's elixir. What is that stuff even called? The sensation of my body being exhausted and worn to the point I currently couldn't stand while feeling completely (mostly) fine was weighing down my mind.

"Krahinn, what is that crap I keep drinking called?" I inquired, trying to find the willpower to move off the ground. I was panting yet somehow didn't feel exhausted; it really was starting to sink in how unnatural this state truly was.

"False Immortal's Serum." Krahinn answered after looking at me for a few moments. Is it me, or is time moving kind of funny? I was likely getting delirious from all the exertion again which unnerved me because I could think clearly this time. Am I just that far gone? Or are side effects starting to become difficult to distinguish from reality?

"What does it do, exactly? I can feel my body not slowing down or breaking down from all the <Backlash> I should be taking, and it clearly only can reinforce my body to a limit. What I don't get is why is this stuff so rare? How does it work?" I inquired, still trying to stand up. Is it a lack of calories Am I hungry and just can't tell?

"Eat this Nil." Krahinn ordered, summoning what looked like a kind of ration bar for me. He tossed it at me, and it kind of just bounced off my head. Yea, my arm is not moving to catch that.

"A little help please, Luna." I requested. She helped lean me up, slowly feeding me the ration bar. I was struggling to even chew it my body was shaking so much from trying to eat.

"As I said before, the rarity comes from possessing a truly rare ingredient and needing someone skilled enough to make it. More accurately, it needs the nectar from the flowers of Arelzka, which bloom once every three and a half decades or so. Getting enough nectar to make even one is challenging, even for a King as it does have ceremonial and other significant uses. As for what it is doing, False Immortal's Serum technically just preserves your body in an unchanging state as long as you have some inside you, hence why you need to keep drinking it. Your body is being kept in the state of not having the <Backlash>, and as long as you can keep drinking and taking in more of it, you'll be fine. That being said, just because your body is being reinforced and held in a preserved state, sufficient damage or injuries can overcome it, hence why it is called False Immortal's Serum. The benefit is you can train with little fear of the damage to your body while it lasts, and it is great when fighting a monstrous opponent as it will keep you together better; just know it is possible to still die while you are under its effects, it is simply harder to. The flowers will not bloom again before your fated day with the Scius, so my stock is all we have. Therefore, it is reserved for do or die emergencies like this." Krahinn explained. Does something this difficult to obtain and create prove that nothing can make you immortal? It is just a fleeting state of being? But the Void King lived a long time. That might be more unageing rather than immortal.

"So, the plan is to save some for the fight with the Void King?" I inquired as I struggled to swallow some of the ration bar. Does it naturally have no taste, or is that a concerning side effect of all this training and elixir drinking?

"Ideally, yes. If we need to use it before then while unfortunate, False Immortal's Serum is a leg up to help win, not something that will overcome him by itself." Krahinn answered. This bar really tasted like nothing and had virtually no texture. What am I even eating?

"Is the bar supposed to have no flavor or texture?" I checked, trying not to sound concerned. Luna and Krahinn's faces both informed me that was indeed a side effect, not the bar.

"It is generally soft with a little crunch and should have a nutty flavor." Krahinn replied. Luna was looking scared at me at the moment.

"Nil, I think it is time for you to rest. This stuff aside, you are clearly reaching some limit." Luna stated. The fear in her voice as she spoke shook my resolve. I think I need to somehow keep going though. Her palpable concern made that thought difficult to defend for some reason.

"She's right. If your sense of taste is gone that can only mean the elixir is shutting down functions to siphon <Mana> and energy towards keeping your body preserved. With how much you are still shaking, we have reached the extreme of what can be trained. I was hoping we could go a little further, but I suspected there might be a limit somewhere even with False Immortal's Serum which is where we currently are. You have gotten the <Lord's Eye> working and have improved vastly at using it which is what we needed." Krahinn agreed to my surprise. I'm glad this torture can stop, though with him being willing to stop means I truly am at the edge.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"How am I going to drink this stuff while I'm asleep?" I inquired, leaning against Luna.

"Luna." Krahinn answered. I think my face got a bit red when he said that.

"Grow up you two; I know you have kissed and its either that or pour it down your throat which you might choke on." Krahinn snapped, sounding a bit irritated.

"I thought I was staying here." Luna checked. Her voice didn't change or get squeaky at all from that. I felt oddly pleasant as I realized that fact.

"You will be going with us to keep feeding Nil some False Immortal's Serum, and tomorrow I am dropping you off in Phestia with Hoggdin and Ipnerslei for safekeeping." Krahinn informed her. She'll be safe there.

"Next time I won't need to be there." Luna vowed, sounding annoyed about it.

"Face it Luna, you're ten. If Nil didn't have such a useful <Arcane Eye> and the fact Nyx would throw a hissy fit about his absence, he'd be joining you there. Unfortunately, hiding him from Nyx's surprise is impossible, so he has to ride out the storm." Krahinn pointed out. Such joy, having to deal with that cindelrock's plan.

"Still upsets me." Luna shot back. Her voice had a distinct bitter tone that made me feel a pang of guilt.

"It's okay Luna, I appreciate you're here with me now." I assured her. Please be cheering her up. She gave me a hard to decipher look.

"Someone is just enjoying I'll have to give him the elixir." Luna teased me. She smiled.

"You know it." I taunted. I could feel Krahinn's annoyance ooze off of him in waves.

"Just because it is my idea for necessity does not mean I wish to witness this." Krahinn warned us.

"Why are you keeping us here then?" I asked. We could go back to Tenebrae now.

"Because you need to recover more than you have until we return. Your body needs to recover and rest as much as it can. We are going to use every moment we have to the fullest." Krahinn replied. That makes sense.

"So, while we wait, are there any other useful elixirs Luna or I could have?" I checked. There is bound to be one.

"In the three or so years we've known each other, have I ever offered either of you one other than the False Immortal's Serum?" Krahinn probed. He could have just said no.

"You have not." Luna answered as she also grasped his point.

"Why do you think that is?" Krahinn pressed. We are getting a detailed no, apparently.

"Because they do not exist." I tried. It was the likely answer given his questioning.

"Actually, the answer is yes. That is not the problem with them." Krahinn corrected us. I wanted to sigh, but I was too curious to know the problem with using elixirs to boost my abilities.

"Can you please explain?" I requested while trying not to sound too irritated.

"You do not build muscle by watching someone else train; you have to train on your own to see the result. It is a similar concept with the elixirs, whereas the effects are either temporary like False Immortal's Serum, restorative like a healing or <Mana> potion, or so minor you would have to guzzle countless of them to see marginal gains. Technically speaking, you could be consuming countless of them to add that marginal increase to your overall ability, though I doubt the effects wouldn't be diminishing after a certain point. For what you need, effort and hard work are the only things reaching that point. There are no shortcuts which in a way is kind of poetic. I am not saying being born rich was not helpful to your plight, but in less dire circumstances it more sped up your ability to reach the top." Krahinn elaborated for us. Good to know, even if the answer is a bit disappointing.

"How does <Affinity> work then? Nil has a <Celestial Tier> and I only have a <Divine Tier>; no amount of training is getting me to <Celestial Tier>." Luna asked. From what I remember of Uncle Nez's lectures, purifying one's <Affinity> is possible. Krahinn looked at me.

"What?" I checked, not grasping his stare.

"What do you mean, purifying one's <Affinity>?" Krahinn pressed as he materialized in front of me.

"It is something Uncle Nez discussed in the past but did not overly apply to me." I clarified. Krahinn was emitting an aura so intense it was suffocating.

"I recall it's possible, but I never looked into it as I possessed a <Divine Tier>. My question is though, Krahinn, what were you going to answer my question with until Nil thought about that?" Luna probed. Krahinn looked like he was about to have a stroke he was so incensed by what we just said.

"What I was going to say is <Affinity> measures closeness to a concept, with the higher the <Tier> the closer you are. While someone with a low <Tier> may not be able to cast as advanced of <Magic> as others, one of the most terrifying Practioners I ever met was born with a <Basic Tier Affinity>; he faced all the odds and ascended to a place where none would laugh at him now. You can overcome a gap in <Tiers>; it is by no means easy and life is easier when you have a naturally high <Tier>. Overcoming someone like Scius on a time crunch? You need to start as close to the finish line as you can get to hope to win that race, but in less dire circumstances you can overcome it. However, you just said purify one's <Affinity> like that is something that can be done by not a Lord." Krahinn explained. His eyes were twitching violently at the moment.

"Why do you look so annoyed by that?" I asked, not grasping why Krahinn seemed to be almost going apoplectic over this.

"Because in all my conversations with Nez, that somehow never came up! And if that means what I think it means, how have you all been sleeping and ignoring one of if not the strongest way to improve your <Magic>?! That is not something thought to be possible, and you both dismiss it casually?!" Krahinn roared. I remember hearing it as one offs in passing, let alone being something worthwhile.

"It's tedious, difficult, and often quite slow." Luna defended us. Krahinn looked like he was about to flip a table in annoyance.

"YOU DON'T SAY?!" Krahinn snarled with venom dripping from his voice.

"How is it useful to me?" I inquired. My <Affinity Tier> can't go any higher.

"Maybe not overly to you, but to Luna and me, that is a completely different story. You really got lucky beyond measure and didn't even realize what was available to you!" Krahinn snapped. I am guessing that is more useful than I am thinking.

"No shiza! Recover more! The instant this <Null Space> is up, we are having a conversation with Nez." Krahinn declared as he summoned a throne and sat down in a huff.

"Do we have time for that?" Luna inquired in a tone between mocking and genuine curiosity.

"The instant this is over, I will remember that." Krahinn promised as Luna and I decided silence might be our best bet for the next hour and ten minutes we had left.