Timeless Assassin

(Juxta Military Base, Planet Juxta, Leo's POV)

That night, after hours of sparring had left the Juxta training grounds echoing with the sound of steel and laughter, Leo finally allowed himself the comfort of a long, refreshing bath, as the hot water rolled down his skin and washed away the sweat, grime and dirt, leaving his body clear and invigorated, like a weapon fresh out of a whetstone.

*Sizzle*

The steam lingered on his skin as he stepped out, his gray eyes catching the faint reflection of his own frame in the polished metal of the chamber wall, as for the first time since his breakthrough, he truly looked at himself, and how powerful his muscles looked when taut.

'Yeah, Amanda is a lucky girl…. If I walk around naked with this body, quite a few girls will have nosebleeds.'

Leo thought, as he admired his own skin before putting on some robes.

From there, he went looking for the tallest turret of the base pointing towards the night sky, before scaling it and sitting on its tip, just like Charles often did to enjoy some quiet and a nice smoke.

However, unlike Charles, he did not light a cigarette up there, but instead pulled out his new Meditation Manual, that was going to be an integral part of his journey as a Transcendent warrior and beyond.

[Emperor's Suppression Manual]

Leo traced a finger across the manual's cover first, running over the etched sigils that faintly glowed when touched, as though the Timeless Assassin's presence lingered still, watching to see how well he would wield this gift.

For a long moment he simply breathed, if today was any indication on how important aura mastery was for one's journey as a warrior, then this technique was going to be absolutely vital for his growth, no matter how difficult it might be to master.

"Please be kinder to me than the SevenFold Revelation Codex was…." He prayed, before biting his fingers and dripping his blood onto the cover to complete the binding process.

*Glow*

The old book glowed faintly as it accepted his blood, as only then did it allow him to turn it open, as text began appearing before him, written in purple ink on the first page.

[Your aura is your throne. Do not sit upon it, make others kneel before it.]

Leo frowned faintly at the ominous phrasing, tilting his head as though trying to understand who the fuck starts a manual with a line like that.

'Fuck me, I hope the Timeless Assassin doesn't write his manuals in ominous language like Kaelith.'

Leo prayed, however, the very next line shattered his hope.

[To learn how to suppress, you must first learn how to reign.]

The text read, as right at that moment Leo exhaled deeply, his brow furrowing deeper, not because the line was particularly hard to understand, but because he could already foresee a grim future of having to endure page after page of this kind of phrasing.

'Great… so this is where Kaelith gets it from. Looks like ominous, cryptic shit runs in the family.'

The realization sat heavy on him, as if he had just uncovered some cursed inheritance, the same way a son discovers his father's bad drinking habits. If the Timeless Assassin truly wrote the entire manual this way, then he would have to suffer through more riddles than explanations and more philosophy than practice.

Still, underneath the irritation, there was weight—he could feel it. Every word was designed to hammer an idea into his mind, not just to teach him what to do, but to mold the way he thought about aura itself.

[Master this technique and you will Master the ability to fight against a million opponents alone.

For you shall become a walking army, one that doesn't need lowly troops to support him in battle.

You shall become the Emperor Of Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds]

The manual promised as Leo couldn't help but feel goosebumps arise on his skin upon reading that part.

'I wonder what it will feel like to suppress a million opponents alone?

To walk onto a hostile planet without fear of being captured, because I know, not even the combined strength of everyone on that planet can stop me.'

Leo wondered, as he felt his heart skip a beat at the thought.

[The throne is distant, but its path begins with one step only.

To walk it, you must first master the art of Aura Projection.]

The manual continued, as Leo now read every word with absolute focus.

[To learn Aura Projection as an Assassin you must first unlearn everything you know about yourself.

All your life you have been taught to bury your aura, to veil it, to strangle it silent so that no eye or sense could discover you.

That instinct has made you invisible. But invisibility is a weakness and a coward's tool.

To reign as an Emperor, you must not hide your throne, you must drag it into the open and force the world to bow beneath its weight.]

Leo's lips pressed thin as he read, his fingers drumming lightly against the manual's page, as he realized he couldn't make sense of what the Timeless Assassin wanted him to grasp here.

[Projection is not concealment reversed. It is dominion.

Stretch your presence beyond the prison of your flesh.

Let it coat the air, let it press against the ground, let it stain the breath of those around you.

When the weak stumble and the candle trembles, then you will know the first step has been taken.]

The manual said, before the purple glow started to fade, as a few seconds later, the pages turned blank once more.

"What the fuck? Do these guys need English classes or something?

Who the fuck writes a manual this way.

Can't you be more fucking specific on what you want me to achieve?

And why the fuck does the text fade away so fast?

Would it kill you to let it linger forever?" Leo cursed, as he felt the frustration of learning the [SevenFold Revelation Codex] wash over him all over again.