R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 21

R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 21 (in editing -v2) (Divine Scan updated)

Serena let out a frustrated sigh as she stared at the smoky pile of wood she had cobbled together.

‘Why won’t it work?!’

She glared at the wood again with a frown.

She was currently standing several dozens of meters away from the main camp, practicing late into the night. Her long brown hair was tied up in a bun and she had changed into a set of tight black pants, boots, and a form fitting grey shirt that clung to her, a set of enchanted clothes that were almost completely immune to fire.

‘Let’s try again.’

Serena’s grey eyes lit up as she activated her Bloodline.

Dull, orange flames burst into existence, covering the stack of wood in an instant. These flames danced all over the wood and began to flutter up into the air, simmering quietly.

Serena bit her lip as she stared at the crackling fire for one long moment.

The flames were orange and yellow… not red.

‘What am I doing wrong?!’

Serena possessed the Red Phoenix Bloodline, a Bloodline that was infamously powerful.

Farian Bloodlines were not like normal human bloodlines. They were a mystical, cosmic power, allowing Farians to draw and evolve into Bloodlines that were based off mythical beings. The Red Phoenix was an example of that. A powerful, legendary bird of flame that possessed unstoppable might.

Red Phoenix Bloodline users gained a portion of that strength in the form of the ability to create ‘Phoenix Fire.’

Phoenix Fire was a special type of fire that, offensively, had the power to burn almost endlessly, even if left to its own devices. These flames were extremely difficult to extinguish and capable of wearing down a stronger enemy’s stamina over time.

That very fire could be used to mark someone, transforming their life into a living hell as it constantly pulsated. Not only would it bring forth unending pain, it could also continue to spread if one didn’t pay careful attention, requiring continuous suppression through something like Ki, Mana, Divine Energy, or any other form of energy. The deadly fire could even ruin Artifacts, burning anything from swords to sandals and everything in-between. Spatial Rings weren't safe, the fire capable of spreading into and destroying a ring from the inside out if someone tried to store it.

Serena had heard of the horrors of Phoenix Fire from Myla herself. Warriors affected by it were forced to cut off fingers, hands, and even arms or legs in order to get rid of the ever-burning flame.

Leaving it on was a death sentence, regardless of how strong someone was. Superhumans still needed to sleep, or to at least observe periods of peaceful meditation, in order to survive. One could only go so many days without rest before they either perished or went insane and then perished.

When she successfully absorbed the Record Book, back during the horrifying assassination attempt that almost left Myla dead, Serena had gained real memories of Myla’s experience using Phoenix Fire.

Despite all of that, however…

She couldn’t bring out pure red Phoenix Fire.

‘I can remember teacher’s exact feelings and thoughts when she spawned Phoenix Fire. I’m doing everything the same!’ Myla’s eyes narrowed as she glared for the second time at the pile of burning wood.

‘...I just don’t understand…’ Her thoughts trailed off.

According to her teacher, Serena possessed a unique talent to draw upon her Bloodline near endlessly. The Wise Lady had personally taken Serena in and taught her how to unleash her flames, alongside all the training and history that went into becoming the Disciple Apparent of a Wise Lady.

If she could just master the ability to create Phoenix Fire in its purest form, she knew she’d be capable of unleashing enormous swathes of it. She would become a real, viable asset that could stand independent of her Tribe.

Serena let out a quiet sigh as she rubbed her eyes.

“Why is it so hard to understand...”

Just as she was about to start again, she heard the sound of crunching leaves coming from off to the side...

.. .. .. .. .. ..

“Who’s there?” A delicate, female voice echoed in the air as Micheal announced his presence by loudly walking on leaves, a voice that somehow sounded both confident and surprised at the same time.

“It’s just me, Micheal.” Micheal walked into the small, open clearing where Serena had been practicing, giving the Farian a friendly smile.

After discovering Serena’s location, Micheal had moved silently to her location. He had found her in the midst of her training and opted to wait for a moment when she took a break.

Inadvertently, he also overheard her complaints as she practiced and, out of his own personal experience, felt he had a good idea what her problem was.

Serena glanced at Micheal quietly, a conflicted look appearing and then vanishing from her face as she nodded at him.

“Can I help you?” While she didn’t trust humans as a whole, she felt that at least the one before her had done enough to prove himself trustworthy. There was little need to be on guard against him.

“Actually, I thought I might be able to help you.” Micheal returned with a nod of his own.

Serena quirked an eyebrow.

“Well, I’ll explain.” Micheal chuckled as he continued,

“I came this way because I felt a certain resonance between my Physique and your Bloodline, the first time I’d ever felt that.” Micheal pointed at his body and then waved over at her.

Serena nodded.

“When we were rescuing you, my teacher drew on her Bloodline to help heal you. We share the same Bloodline.” Serena had been there and witnessed firsthand the transformation that Micheal’s body went through, even if she didn’t quite understand the reasons for it. Humans were weird.

“I didn’t mean to intrude, but on the way, I couldn’t help but overhear some of the complaints you were raising.”

“Ah.” Serena blushed slightly as she awkwardly raised a hand to tug at her bun.

“Well, that…” She trailed off, unable to come up with an excuse.

“It’s natural to get frustrated.” Micheal shook his head as he slowly raised his right hand.

“I know what you’re going through.” Abruptly, the bright glow of Advanced Tier Sword Energy burst into existence as Micheal carefully drew the energy around his palm.

Serena stared at his palm, her eyes creasing.

“My Phoenix Fire is nothing like your Sword Energy.” She recognized the glowing source of energy from seeing other Farians wield it.

Micheal nodded.

“That’s true but also not true.” Micheal waved his hand off to the side in a sharp, cutting motion.

For a split second, the Advanced Tier Sword Energy was replaced by Master Tier Sword Energy. Micheal could only do this for a tiny moment and could only imbue just the tiniest amount without ripping his hand apart, but for a demonstration, it was more than enough.

The Golden Master Tier Sword Energy shot out and sliced through a falling leaf, perfectly splitting it in half.

“You’re a Master?!” Serena visibly started, her eyes widening as she stared at Micheal in shock.

The Master Tier was a state of being universally recognized by most species. The feeling of Master Tier Energy, whether that be Sword Energy, Ax Energy, or any other form of Weapon Energy, was a universal, golden color that emanated danger. This tier of Mastery wasn’t only limited to conceptual Weapon Energies either. One could achieve a Master Tier transformation in any of the endless ‘Paths’ one might take.

The fact that Micheal was a Master was not common knowledge. In fact, the only people that were aware of it for certain among the Farians were the Lord Justiciar and the Wise Lady.

Serena sputtered as she looked at Micheal, at a loss.

The fact that a human that looked to be her age was already a Master was indeed shocking.

After a couple of seconds, she pursed her lips as she asked,

“Are you one of those Masters who revert back to their youth after transforming?” The Master Tier transformation was different for each person, but for most Weapon Energy Masters, the transformation came with the added benefit of extending their lifespan which sometimes included making the old appear youthful.

Micheal shook his head.

“No, I’m 18 years old, 19 in a couple months..” Technically, in mental years, he was more than 30 years old after returning to the past, but that didn’t affect his physical age.

Serena’s eyes took on a hint of appreciation and guarded respect.

Michael mentally shrugged as he saw this, realizing the misunderstanding she was having.

‘Well, it doesn’t hurt my cause if she thinks I’m a sword wielding genius.’

“The reason I brought this up is because it relates to the problem you’re having.” Micheal continued.

“How so?” Serena’s stance became much more open to Micheal after discovering he was a Master.

“You’re trying to advance your Phoenix Fire to a higher state, right?” Micheal asked.

Serena nodded.

Micheal’s eyes flashed as he pulled up a Divine Scan of Serena.

.

— - Divine Scan— -

Race: Red Phoenix Farian

Title: -

Traits: -

STR:    D+     (Growth Rate: Rare or lower)

END:    D+     (Growth Rate: Rare or lower)

REG:     C       (Growth Rate: Heroic or lower)

SOUL:   B-     (Growth Rate: Mythical or higher)

MANA:  D+    (Growth Rate: Heroic or lower)

Path Notes: A Red Phoenix Farian that nears the Path of the Original Flame.

.

He focused on the Path Notes of the Scan.

‘A Red Phoenix Farian that nears the Path of the Original Flame.’ His mind raced ahead of him as he read that.

The fact that it said she ‘nears’ the Path of the Original Flame instead of saying she ‘walked’ the Path of the Original Flame was significant. It meant she was on the cusp of comprehending how to use her Phoenix Flame, but had yet to fully reach that point.

“That’s exactly where the problem you’re having is.” Micheal motioned towards the still smoking pile of wooden debris.

“It’s a problem I’ve run into in the past, personally, as I tried to increase my Mastery over Sword Energy.” Micheal continued, his voice taking on a hint of confident finality.

“You’re trying to force Enlightenment.”

Perhaps more than anyone else, Micheal knew the deep, rage-inducing struggle of trying to force Enlightenment, Comprehension, or any of the other terms people used for when one enhanced their ability to manipulate a conceptual power.

He had struggled with this issue often, and repeatedly, during the first timeline, as someone whose talent for comprehending conceptual powers was mediocre.

It was a difficult thing to wrap one’s head around. The mystical energies that melded into the background of existence were a nigh-incomprehensible thing to most people, especially to the humans that came from Earth, a world where nothing of the sort existed.

Serena’s Phoenix Fire had its roots within the Path of the Original Flame, a Path Micheal was unfamiliar with, but something that, at its core, was a conceptual power, just like Sword Energy.

Serena bit her lips as she heard Micheal’s explanation, her face turning dour.

It was almost the exact response she had received from her teacher when she asked the Wise Lady about her problem.

“I know that I can’t force myself to grow… but what am I supposed to do?! I can’t just do nothing!” Serena clenched her fist.

She had seen far too many of the people she knew perish. Serena had arrived on the First Layer as a member of the Second Wave and had spent more than 2 years in the 7 Layers. Over the course of that time, a feeling of helplessness and impotence had risen within her.

She knew she possessed one of the most powerful Bloodlines among her people. Despite that, she had been stuck at the final step of evolution, unable to make full use of her Bloodline. If she could just cross this one final gap, her ability to attack, defend, and heal would increase enormously.

“At times like this, there’s only one thing you can do.” Micheal returned, his voice slow and steady.

“And what’s that?” Serena responded sharp and bitter.

“You need to relax and let it go.”

Serena’s eyes bulged for a moment as she heard Micheal’s solution, staring at him in disbelief.

Micheal smiled slightly and gave a helpless shrug.

“I know it sounds counterintuitive… but that’s what you need to do.”

Serena looked at him doubtfully.

"Are you saying I need to give up in order to improve?” She frowned, clearly unwilling to believe him.

Micheal paused for a moment as he stared at her, thinking for a few moments before making a decision.

“Well… it's not easy to explain. Here, if I can’t convince you with just that, why don’t I share with you my own, personal experience.” Micheal looked down at his hands for a moment, the smile on his face fading away.

“Let me tell you about the time I broke through to become a Master. Perhaps it will help.”

Serena’s frown eased up as she nodded her assent.

And like that, Micheal began to talk, changing certain details here and there to avoid exposing the fact that he had gone back in time.

His mind jumped back to the past, memories swarming up as he spoke…

Memories of the first timeline where, on the 3rd Layer, Micheal first broke through to the Master Tier.

.