Chapter 25 - What It Means To Be Unique

I did it! Never been done before my ass, that wasn’t hard at all. Okay maybe I got super lucky to figure it out in a dream but that’s beside the point.

Revelation - Seek the answers within

Did the system rip that from a self-help guide? This has got to be the least detailed description of a technique so far. Where are the details?!

Skills and techniques are layered with intricacies that would never be apparent without considerable trial and error. It would be great if some of that information was explained beforehand.

Jiran opened his eyes and activated the technique with bated breath.

He could feel the pseudo-emotions produced in his brain link with the mana in his chest before… nothing. After draining his mana completely, the emotional link destabilized and vanished. Jiran blinked several times as confusion eventually turned to annoyance.

Is this some kind of scam?

Revelation + 1

What?! Why did I get a level from that? At least I got something from my entire mana pool being drained in three seconds. Definitely a scam.

The air beside Jiran’s bed began to dance like a heat haze before an old man wearing nothing but his underpants popped into existence.

Lenton wore a knowing smile as he stood before Jiran in the middle of the night.

“Congratulations, Jiran. To think you would discover the technique within a day. Impressive, very impressive. I can’t wait to rub this in that fool Schtitwart’s face.”

Huh? You made me do this before tiering just so you could prove to some other douchebag that you’re right and he's wrong?

Seeing Jiran’s scowl, Lenton released a barking laugh with his hands on his hips.

“Not what you were expecting, kid? Well, tough luck. Nobody does anything without a reason. If you’re enough of a schmuck to get dragged into someone else’s plans, then accept the fact you’re already being used with a little dignity.”

“Fair enough, but what was your reason for making me read those awful books? They were shrelk crap. I don’t think a single thing in there was useful in any way!”

“Of course they’re crap! I told you to learn to think for yourself, didn’t I? Everyone you ever meet is going to spout gibberish they heard from others as if it were gospel. Learn for yourself, through your own experience. If you do gain knowledge from another, always verify its authenticity before accepting it as truth.

"Obviously, you can’t tell a child to learn something and they just mysteriously understand it. You have to show them in a way that’s so obvious that even… well, that even a child could understand it.”

Lenton’s confident nod struck a cord of annoyance in Jiran, causing his eye to twitch sporadically.

I feel like I would have understood that if he just told me beforehand.

A sudden realization brought his emotional tantrum to a screeching halt.

All of Brandon’s memories are the same. I shouldn’t trust them out of hand just because they are in my head, I need to verify everything.

That’s going to take a ton of experimentation.

The idea of spending seasons, possibly years, testing wild theories and verifying thousands of bits of knowledge from another world sent a shiver up Jiran’s spine. A wide grin that showed all his teeth split his face.

“That’s the spirit!”

Lenton matched his wild grin with one of his own.

In the darkness of night, a man and a boy grinned at one another. When their eyes met, they remembered that neither wore more than their underpants. Lenton’s nervous laughter matched Jiran’s in an eerie echo that would have sent most children screaming.

Coughing into his fist, Lenton’s eyes took on a hard glint.

“It’s time we talk about your Unique status, boy. Tell me the extent of your knowledge on the subject.”

“Oh, sure. I don’t know much about it beyond what we discussed yesterday. Samris said he wants to study it and that's why he's helping me. Is that why you’re helping me too?”

“So clueless! He truly told you nothing?” Lenton shot an annoyed glare upwards in the direction of Samris’s room.

“Fine, I’ll fill you in on the details just this once, so you better pay attention!

“Not much is known about Unique abilities. No two are the same and they are incredibly rare. As far as I know; you, Samris, and I are the only ones in the entire empire.”

What?! That’s not just rare, that's freaking shiny legendary rare.

This is a lot more serious than I thought. Something this rare will put a target on my back. Now that I know the truth, can I even be sure that Samris and Lenton aren’t going to try and use my ability for their own ends?

I guess they’ve already stated plainly that they plan to. No, this whole train of thought is useless. If they tell me to do something I don’t want to do, I’ll just refuse. If that gets me killed, there’s nothing I could have done to resist either of them anyways.

So why worry about it before it happens?

“These abilities are always powerful and function outside the boundaries of mana, skills, techniques, and the tiers. Most skills and techniques grow stronger as you ascend. New skills combine with old ones to create an ever-growing foundation of power.

“However, Unique abilities do not interact with any known techniques or skills, they are completely separate and never grow stronger once they manifest.

“That doesn’t mean they can’t be used alongside skills though. For instance, Samris could project his voice with the aid of mana and it would increase the range of his ability. The effect would not increase in strength though no matter how much mana he used to boost it.

Wow, that’s a lot to take in.

“Unique’s always come with some form of backlash, or as Samris would call it, a curse.”

Jiran gulped as the severity of his words registered.

Yeah, I knew it sounded too good to be true. So Samris’s curse would be the brainwashing thing, he can’t have a normal conversation with people. But he can with me. Why is that?

“Clever as always, and no I can’t read your mind. Your face is just an open book, child. You should do something about that.

“Lastly, these abilities are severely diminished in effect when used on others who have one of their own.

“That, unfortunately, is the extent of all knowledge around unique abilities. There is nothing else, and I mean to remedy that ignorance, using you.”

If we work together, we might even be able to figure out how to fix the curse. It’s definitely worth a try. I don’t like the idea of having this executioner's axe hanging over my head.

“I was not made aware of Samris’s ability manifesting until it had already fully formed,” Jiran watched the old man’s fist clench and he swore he could feel the world around him being squeezed as if the entire manor were in the palm of that hand.

“In the record hall at Cruex that predates the founding of the empire, there has only been one case in history where two Unique’s lived at the same time. They went on to kill one another but that’s not important.

“I had thought I would never get another chance to study our condition. Believe whatever you will of me, Jiran. But I am very thankful for your existence. Of that, you can be certain.”

“I’m already involved, whether I like it or not so I’ll help however I can.”

“Good, yes, excellent,” Lenton rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he regarded Jiran with an expression of pure greed.

Creeeeeepy!

“There is just one problem,” Jiran said while skeptically eyeing Lenton’s behavior.

“Do tell.”

“If I can’t trust what other people say, I’m going to have to fact check everything you just said. How can I know you aren’t wrong about everything?”

Lenton’s boisterous laugh caused the window to rattle and the air around him to dance like a heat wave.

“That's what I’m talking about, kid. Keep learning quickly if you ever want to catch up.”

Lenton quickly sobered, his voice taking on a no-nonsense edge.

“Your attributes are all capped, correct?”

“Yes, Master Filibree,” Jiran responded with a questioning tone.

“Fantastic! Some fools are in such a hurry to ascend that they fail to maximize each tier’s attributes. You can only double what you bring to the table.

"Now, let’s get you a new skill, shall we?”

Panic reared its ugly head and grabbed Jiran’s heart in a vice-like grip.

“R-right now? It’s the middle of the night.”

Oh god, what if there’s another accident. What if that’s my curse, that every time I tier up I have to go through that madness again?

Despite his efforts to calm himself, Jiran’s heart raced like a galloping stallion.

A strong, elderly hand landed on his shoulder, its firm grip instantly bringing him back from visions of that nightmarish experience.

“You’re going to be fine, fool boy. Am I not right here? I’ve been looking for a worthy disciple for twenty seasons. Do you think I’ll allow anything to happen to you until you give me what I want?” Something about the manic gleam in Lenton’s eyes helped Jiran reclaim his calm.

With deep, even breaths, his heart rate began to slow.

Think about the positive. Focus on the good.

I’m already twice as strong as a human from Earth. In the second tier, I’ll eventually be double what I am now. Four times faster, and stronger, not to mention the new skill.

Molding already unlocked several techniques that each gave me incredible powers. What will the next tier bring? Or the one after that.

No. It doesn't matter how painful or difficult it is. I want to keep pushing forward. I want to ascend.

Jiran nodded, prepared for whatever the night was about to bring.

Lenton tossed him a small bag. As soon as Jiran’s hands closed around the soft leather, he found himself outside in the yard. He blinked in surprise at the sudden shift.

With a wave of Lenton's hand, a dome of force sprang into existence around them. Jiran’s ears popped at the change in air pressure.

When he looked at the transparent dome, the hairs on his arms stood straight up. Whatever this field was, Jiran had a strong feeling it could easily stop Samris’s attack that had wiped out the beasts in the forest like they were bugs.

“The bag has a few tier five mana-pills and a seer filter. Eat two of the pills now. When the tiering starts, take the filter,” Lenton’s voice was devoid of its previous joviality.

Jiran kicked the last remnants of his fear to the side and swallowed two of the orange pills. He palmed the small vial full of clear liquid, studying the intricate designs of the flask.

https://imgur.com/d29muuN 

He converted a whisper of the density being released by the pills to refill his drained mana pool before the changes within his body began to cascade out of control.

“That filter is of the highest quality, I made it myself. It should clear out the impurities in your mana body. If it doesn't, we’ll just have to get a stronger filter for the next tiering,” Jiran watched as Lenton’s eyes darted about rapidly, scanning Jiran and a one-meter space around him.

What’s he talking about? What’s a… mana… bo—

Jiran lost focus as his vision started to shake and distort. A single frantic thought blared a warning that resounded through his entire being.

Drink the filter!

Jiran uncorked the vial with hands that almost refused to follow his commands. Unclenching his jaw which was already set in a grimace of pain, he downed the contents before collapsing to the ground.

His body was brimming with energy. He vaguely recalled the feeling of being far too full as every inch of his skin sought to stretch and expand. His vision darkened until there was only blackness around him.

The whole world trembled in a mighty groundquake, or possibly it was Jiran that was shaking. He could no longer discern the difference.

Jiran wanted to know. He needed to understand. Frustration at being in the dark took hold, and without a second thought to question, he formed a link with his mana.

Jiran floated in a sea of stars, trillions of shining lights moving all around him. One in particular, was close to him and radiated with a pale blue light.

What are you?

With that single thought, Jiran found himself before the light. No larger than his hand, it paused when he appeared before it, looking back at him with equal curiosity.

Jiran reached out and touched the light. Images, sounds, and feelings flooded into him at the contact.

https://imgur.com/VkpbrdS 

Explosions beyond comprehension. The vastness of an endless void. Forces ripping and pulling. Trapped for eons in a powerful compression. Universe devouring heat, expansion, change, and movement.

Suddenly, there was sky, water, birds, and animals.

Jiran gasped as the countless visions were compressed into a single second of contact.

He pushed deeper, wanting to understand more.

Was that the life of a star? Why is it here? Where is here?

The pale blue star shimmered. Somehow, Jiran understood its subtle whisper.

“Soon.”

Then there was a great pulling force, impossible for Jiran to resist. He was whisked through the sea of stars at incredible speeds until darkness claimed him once more.