Chapter 49 - Awoken

Jiran's skin was on fire. He jolted awake with a gasp, his hands already moving to stamp out the burning flames on his arms and chest. He watched his limbs moving in slow-motion, his groggy brain slowly coming to the realization that he could see them moving despite his eyes still being closed.

Thank the Fathers. It was just a dream. Though my skin definitely itches like crazy from all this red density. What a weird way to sleep. I could feel everything inside my manabody even while I was dreaming. It was all diluted and hazy, but still, it was there, watching me sleep. Watching myself sleep. So weird.

A flicker of focus into his eyes activated his status and he reviewed the messages from the previous night as well as the changes to his acclamations.

Shaping + 2

True Origin of Water + 2

True Origin of Wind + 2

STATUS  Active Dual Mind / Manaseed > Awoken Manabody

So manaseed was just the first stage of the manabody and now I’ve got the normal one? Or is Awoken Manabody something different than the tier five skill?

Reading each line sent a jolt of electrical exhilaration down his spine. By the end of the few short updates, he was wide awake and eager to jump back into his training.

It's official. These messages are super addictive. I want mooooore! Cool it, Jiran. Gotta get control of these impulses before they start to take over and I run out of willpower.

Jiran let himself relax for a moment with his eyes closed, reconnecting to the real world around him through the senses of his manabody.

He marveled at the coarseness of the sand particulates in the air. What would be invisible to his naked eye was seen with Incredible detail. Jiran was certain that if he could zoom in just three or four more times he would be able to see the molecular structures of whatever he wanted to perceive. Luckily, he could choose what to focus on and his aura’s brain filtered out the rest into a pleasant background noise.

It only took a flicker of thought for a single grain of sand to encompass most of his awareness. He released his focus and allowed himself to feel everything all at once to the point a slight headache began to thrum behind his eyes. He keenly felt the massive quantity of grains beneath his tent and the poisonous stinger that was a few short centimeters from his calf.

AHHH!

The peacefully sleeping scorpion was crushed into goopy paste inside Jiran’s aura before he realized what he was doing.

Oops… Guess I sort of panicked there. So, you can be used as a weapon too? Sorry little scorpion but thank you for the lesson!

Jiran tried to imagine the same pressure that had crushed the large insect but his manabody refused to cooperate. Unlike his manapool that resided inside his chest, the manabody was spread evenly throughout the space around. He tried to direct a thread of emotion into it, assuming that because it responded to his panic it would work similarly to mana, but there was no response at all. He furrowed his brow in frustration as his thoughts whirled within his mind.

If there is no direct connection between emotions and the manabody? If not, then how did I control it? I feel like I’m missing something important here. I’ll have to ask Lenton.

Jiran’s stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him he had the appetite of a teenage boy and not the eight-year-old his status claimed he was. He dressed and found more of those delicious desert fruits to munch on while failing repeatedly to get his manabody to move to his will.

Niya showed up eventually, skipping through the camp as if she were safely behind imperial fortifications in the middle of a city and not a dangerous desert teeming with beasts.

“Good morning! Hey, I forgot to ask you yesterday cause I was so tired but where did you go the other day and what were you doing? That reminds me! Are we going to spar today?” She bounced past him, scooping up a few pieces of fruit while humming a happy tune.

Good old Niya. Maybe I don’t need to worry about her so much. Samris is clearly taking good care of her and she feels safe with them.

Jiran found himself smiling as he watched her dance around the food table. “Good idea, let's train right now.”

She flipped around with wide eyes at his menacing tone before taking a hasty step away with a gulp.

“R-right now? Are you sure you don’t want to wait a bit? I usually train with Samris in about an hour…”

“Yup, right now! Then you’ll be all warmed up when Samris is ready,” Jiran’s grin was predatory as he foiled her plans to use him to skip out on training with their shared mentor.

Her shoulders slumped but she followed resolutely as he walked to the section of camp Samris had smoothed out for sparring. He picked up one of the two practice spears. The weapon felt awkward in his hands after so many days without practicing.

He gave it a few spins and swings before shrugging. He faced Niya who was watching him warily.

Jiran started slowly, moving through the warmup forms. He watched Niya closely as she joined him, using her motions to remind himself of the minute muscle movements he had already forgotten. They closed the distance between them then flowed together through the dodges, parries, and thrusts until they were both lightly sweating.

“Okay, let’s start,” The instant he was done speaking, Niya was already launching herself toward him with a vicious snarl.

Jiran pivoted on his back foot, smoothly dodging the point of her spear. He slowed down his speed and power to match hers but she was still blindsided by his fist that buried itself into her side. She released an undignified squawk while stumbling away from him.

After regaining her balance, she growled and launched herself at him again with similar results.

“Why are you blindly charging at me? We just went through each of the strikes, why not use one of those?”

“They’re too weak! There’s no power behind them. Even when I hit Lord Feylon with them, they didn't hurt him at all.”

Jiran’s eyebrows shot up. “You actually managed to hit him?! Of course you can’t hurt him, he’s several tiers above you. Just wait until your concentration attribute doubles, then you’ll begin to understand how much tougher he is than us. For now, use those attacks on me. I guarantee if you hit me with one, I won't be able to ignore it.”

Niya dove at him again, this time in a proper offensive stance. She spun her spear around in rapid feints and thrusts while holding her footing stable. Jiran grinned as the difficulty of their practice skyrocketed. His body moved on instinct as he dodged by the slimmest margins. The new senses of his manabody let him perceive every twitch of Niya’s muscles, allowing him to react almost instantly to every attack. Thirty minutes later, Niya threw her spear on the ground in frustration while glaring at him.

“You’re cheating!”

“What are you talking about? I'm not cheating.”

“You're moving before I do!”

“I’m making sure to move at the same speed you are. How is that cheating?”

“No, not that! When I commit to an attack, you're already moving out of the way before I even start swinging! How is that not cheating?”

I am?

“Are you sure? I’m just reading your muscle movements the way Samris taught us. You should be able to do the same thing. He took you through the crazy slow movements, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he taught me that. And no that’s not what I’m saying. You’re actually moving before I even twitch a single muscle. I just tested it, I committed in my mind to an attack and you were already dodging it even though I stopped myself before moving!”

“I don’t know, Niya. I’m just reacting to your attacks. I clearly saw you move just now and started to get out of the way. I'm really not doing anything spec—”

Foresight! Has foresight been working passively all this time to let me perceive things a second before they happen? What else has it been doing passively? Is the curse passive too? Something that’s always there and I’m so used to it I can't see it?

Jiran’s stomach dropped and he felt himself sinking into the sand beneath his feet. A firm voice snapped him from his melancholy and he spun around to find Lenton staring down at him from less than a meter away. “I’ve waited long enough. Come along, Jiran.”

Lenton looked anything but patient and Jiran quickly bowed to the man before sticking the butt of his spear into the soft sand. “Thanks for sparring Niya, it was fun. Let's do it again tomorrow,” He waved at her and then smiled when she stuck out her tongue.

Lenton spun around and floated away leaving Jiran to quickly trudge through the shifting ground. Lenton took him out of the camp and deeper into the open desert.

“Some lessons are too important to let you learn the hard way. You have accessed your manabody,” He said matter-of-factly then paused a few moments before continuing. “When we first met, your manabody was completely destroyed. The filter I had you drink at your tiering restored enough of it that it was able to begin healing naturally again. Without that filter, you would likely be dead right now.”

Jiran swallowed hard, feeling the truth in his master’s words.

“It is a serious matter to completely drain the energies of your manabody. I’m not sure how you managed it, but do not do it again,” Jiran had never heard Lenton use such a commanding tone and he nodded vigorously in agreement.

When Lenton did not continue, Jiran launched into an explanation. “I think it being drained was related to my unique ability activating.”

Lenton released a thoughtful hum as he tilted his head. Taking advantage of his silence, Jiran snuck a question into the conversation.

“How do I control my manabody? It activated instinctively once but I have no idea what I did.”

“Of course you can't, like with all things, understanding will bring power and control. For now, focus on feeling it. Leaping ahead with control before you comprehend anything is pointless and will only damage your foundation. Mysteries spur the mind to greatness, Jiran. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Jiran tsked but let it drop, having expected the non-answer before he asked.

So he just wanted to warn me not to let my manabody get sucked into that… whatever it was that caused my tiering injury? How am I supposed to prevent that if I can’t even control it?! I could definitely keep my mana from being drained like that again but not my manabody. Maybe he’ll at least tell me about the cube though.

“What was that shining disc I saw in the cube?”

“Just a shiny rock I stuck in there some time ago. As I said when I first lent it to you, it’s a training tool, opening it is the prize.”

Well, I’m certainly not going to complain about that, I did upgrade an acclamation from finishing it not to mention getting Dual Mind.

Jiran pushed his rampant thoughts down as he once more changed the subject. “I would like to go on a hunt today,” He said hopefully.

“Where do you think we are going, foolish child?” Suddenly, Lenton lifted himself several meters in the air and zipped away, blasting sand everywhere before rapidly fading from sight.

That’s so cool. I can’t wait until I can fly like that. Was he using his manabody to do that? Hmm, I wonder if I could… Ugh, this is so stupid. Am I really going to try it? It should be fine, I’ve got a lot better control now after my practice with the cube and I’ll be careful. Besides, I can heal myself if it goes wrong.

Jiran pumped his arms to psych himself up before he leaped into the air. An extra thick layer of Coating covered his boots before he activated Gas Manipulation. A tiny amount of hydrogen gas leaked from his feet before he ignited it with True Origin of Fire.

The explosion wasn’t nearly as large as the few times he had used the gas to fight but it was more than powerful enough to blast him uncontrollably through the air. He soared end over end with a loud shout before face-planting in the sand dozens of meters away.

Gas Manipulation + 1

“THAT WAS AWESOME!” He leaped to his feet with a shout, laughing maniacally as he punched the air.

I could see everything with my manabody, the gas wasn’t mixing enough with the air before it ignited so the force of the explosion was erratic. I need to use a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen so they are combined properly already.

For his second attempt, Jiran didn’t jump into the air but instead held his arms out to his sides. He created a constant stream of gases from both palms. It took him several adjustments until the pressure was strong enough to lift his body without sending him flying.

When he was confident he had it right, he jumped high into the air, and this time, was able to control his flight for several seconds before his leg twitched and the change in directional force sent him careening into the sand.

Undeterred, Jiran leaped again and again, each attempt bringing him closer to stability. It wasn’t until he added stabilizing tugs of Forcing that he finally began controlling himself. His laughter split the air as he blasted himself through forward so fast his eyes watered.

He caught up to Lenton a few minutes later. His crash landing sent up a surge of sand that had the old man shaking his head with a sigh. “You should have been out of mana after five seconds of that nonsense and yet here you stand with over eighty percent. Truly ridiculous. Don’t think for a minute that I won’t eventually discover how you’re so efficient with your mana.”

Competitive much? Good luck old man! Particle physics isn’t exactly something you just figure out.

With utmost seriousness, Jiran threw Lenton’s words back in his face. “Mysteries spur the mind to greatness, Master. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

They shared a chuckle before Lenton’s gaze sharpened and he turned to a distant rocky formation. “Go on then, plenty of tier fours for you to test yourself on. Try not to get too badly maimed, regrowing a limb can take quite some time.”

Regrowing a… Holy crap, he’s serious. He would actually let me lose a limb before he jumped in to help. Yeah, that would suck.

Jiran’s heart was racing as he cautiously approached the distant rocks. He converted some of his breakfast to refill his mana and activated a Coating and Light Manipulation to further his stealth.

He saw nearly thirty thick-chested beasts milling about the shade of the rocks. They used their large, clawed paws like a scoop to dig up huge holes in the sand. After uncovering bugs and plants, they would quickly slam their huge heads into the holes to devour whatever was unlucky enough to be found. Each time they moved, the large spikes protruded from their bodies jostled in the air, clacking against one another like banging drums.

Their tough skin looks resistant to heat. I might be able to blow them all up with gas but how would I spread it around them before getting dismembered? They don’t look slow and I doubt I could safely fly above them without making a mistake and falling down there to get eaten alive.

What other options? Ice is probably out, it would be too mana-expensive without any moisture in the air. Electricity? Wait, doesn’t sand create a lot of friction when it’s airborne which builds up electric charge between the grains? Yeah, that’s definitely worth a try. They haven’t seen me yet, so if it doesn't work, I’ll just fly away and sneak back to try something else.

Jiran created a powerful Shaping of wind from his outstretched palms that kicked a huge wave of sand into the air. The sand quickly spread out hundreds of meters before him as he continued to put more and more mana into his True Origin of Wind. His hair was flung into a wild mess and he had to cover his eyes with Coating to keep the sand out.

Through bleary vision, he watched as the entirety of the rocky formation was eventually covered in sand. He focused on his manabody and could tell there was a massive amount of static in the air around him. Hoping it would be enough, Jiran released the shaping and covered himself in two layers of Coating, making sure each took full advantage of the Adaptive Elemental Aegis evolution.

That worked better than I thought it would, might as well go for broke and try to get a couple of them at once. Guess I’ll just aim for those two that are closest to me. Better use a bit more juice since they are so far away.

Jiran charged his arms with a full sixty percent of his mana before unleashing his Shaping into the faltering sandstorm. He pushed his mana through his fingers as fast as it would flow out of his skin while gently guiding it in the direction he wanted, until it was out of his range.

True Origin of Lightning!

Forcing was the only thing that kept his body upright as an elephant kicked him in the chest. A torrential concussion of thunder followed on the heels of two massive waves of blue electrical energy that tore through the charged sand cloud. Arcs of power as thick as Jiran’s chest shot in all directions, piercing into every rock, plant, and beast within two hundred meters.

Screams of bestial torment were the only sounds loud enough to overwhelm the explosive charges of static and the popping of overwhelmed flesh. Sixty seconds later, the sand settled to reveal over two dozen very dead beasts.

True Origin of Wind + 2

True Origin of Lightning + 2

Woah…

Jiran’s eyes dilated as he saw little blobs of ghostly red density lift from each of the remains and creep through the air toward him with surreal slowness. Suddenly, foresight began to blare a klaxon’s alarm in his spine as imminent danger loomed ever closer. Jiran’s heart rate spiked and adrenaline coursed through his muscles.

Oh Shiiiiiiiiit!

He turned to flee but was far too slow as several waves of challenger density slammed into his back one after another. He felt primed to explode from the influx of density. The burning sensation from the morning took on a whole new level of carnage within his body as every cell of his being was stuffed beyond what it could possibly contain.

Jiran screamed for an eternity that only lasted a minute. When the pain subsided enough that he could think once more, his foresight sent an overwhelming portent of danger through his neck.

What is happening?

Flashing status alerts caught his attention as unmitigated euphoria began to chew away at his mind.

Challenger protocols complete

Activating challenger ascension protocols

Prepare yourself challenger

A horizontal line formed in the air right before him. It twisted, widening into a gaping hole in reality. Through it, all he could see was a churning, red sea. An irresistible suction pulled Jiran into the hole a fraction of a second later. The red waters surrounded him, tugging on every centimeter of his body.

Suddenly, Lenton was there. Jiran saw his mouth open in a primal roar though he couldn't hear anything over the rushing of wind being sucked into the hole behind him. Lenton’s arms spread wide as he planted a hand on each side of the portal.

His master flexed, and reality bent to his command. His eyes glowed white and shone with power beyond Jiran’s comprehension. His clothes were blasted into nothing as titanic energies raged around him. The landscape behind the old man exploded like a nuclear bomb had detonated. Veins of crackling lightning lifted from his skin as his hands, ever so slowly, spread the hole in space wider.

Jiran struggled to reach him. He threw every ounce of desperation into swimming toward Lenton but his body was being hauled away far too quickly. They were pulled further and further apart. Eventually, Lenton’s strength failed. The last Jiran saw of his master were his fingers being severed by the closing of the portal as he was churned through an impossibly vast sea of red.