"I need to recover fast. Even if it is to my prior state before the attack, it will suffice. I know his secret now. Although they seem to have no enmity against me, I must still be on guard." He began to walk deeper into the cave as he spoke. But even this task proved difficult. His steps were slow, and his breathing strained. Dyspnoea wasn't the only thing he was battling against, for maintaining his balance as he moved was another war he was embroiled in- one that he was losing horribly. After stumbling for the third time in just a matter of seconds, he finally decided to use the walls of the cave for support. Utilising this makeshift railing, he slowly made his way deeper into the cave.
"But for now, it seems we have a common enemy. They must surely know about Seth now. Once the Brute King killed the Assassin Head, he knew this." Amidst batted breaths, the solitary figure matched on. Normally he wouldn't be so sure that Ray would know about Seth. After all, it was hard to catch a glimpse of the dark god. Even he had spent a long time trying to find out just who was hidden in the shadows. And were it not that the dark god had revealed himself to the Assassin Association's Head, he wouldn't have known just how sinister the character who lay in the dark was. The only reason he was so confident that Ray knew, was because of Ray's secret- the secret the Brute King had revealed to the dying assassin thinking that he was the only listener. When he had discovered the dark god, he knew he couldn't handle him alone, especially in his current state (the state before Ray singed him with Brimstone). He needed allies. And although the Brute King wasn't an ally per se, he was better than nothing. Especially when one includes the elder god who is in his company.
"Besides, from the rumours I have heard, the Brute King isn't merciless, neither is he a killing machine. He only goes after those who dare pit themselves against him. And since Seth is the bigger threat, I doubt he'd clash with me now. But I'm really starting to regret placing a scanner on him. What if he considers that a gunfire? Hopefully he is as insightful as people say. Either way, regaining my strength comes first."
His speech was broken and in parts. It would surely be easier if he just decided to keep mute. But it was almost as if he was addicted to speaking. He just couldn't shut up.
After what felt like ages, he finally returned to the end of the cave. At this point his entire face was filled with sweat. If there was light in the cave, one would be able to see how soaked his attire was.
"What happened to you? What has caused you such exhaustion?" a second voice was heard in the cave. The green eyed man wasn't the only one here. There was someone here with him! He wasn't concerned with the voice though. He moved towards a large rock and lay down on it, finally choosing to answer once he had a connected a strange looking tube to his neck.
"None of your business." He seemed to finally gather some energy, as his formerly shaky voice was now stable. Whatever the source of strength was, it was surely connected to the tube that was attached to his neck. Although the new voice sounded concerned, its owner wasn't. As long as one paid a little more attention, they would sense the mockery in that tone- along with a bit of resentment.
"You can hate me all you want. I am never letting you go." With his eyes closed, the green eyed man spoke to the figure who remained hidden. Well, this new character wasn't really hidden. It was due to the darkness of the cave that his likeness had been conserved, and unrevealed to the human eye.
"You have given up half of your power just to bind me. Is it truly worth it, Indra?" the words of the stranger were like a bombshell. If there was any god or ascender present, they would gulp down their saliva nervously. The weak looking man was Indra! The King of the Gods and the Lord of the 4th Heaven! His power was legendary, his fame resounding. His legend preceded him always, and his strength was truly at the peak of this universe. If Ray was to find out that his potential sparring partner was Indra, he would be even more excited. Of course, the Brute King was a strange existence, for many others would fear the thought of even being in the same room as him. He really was right when he stated that in his peak he would have been able to handle the Brute King, and the elder god who stood by his side. Though it would be an issue to handle them together. But if this was Indra, then who was the figure that he was guarding? A figure who could cause the Lord of the 4th Heaven to use half his strength just to keep him at bay was no trivial one.
"For you Shiva, I would give up all my strength, so long as I can keep you silent. I don't know how you discovered this world, but I am very reluctant to let you go. Who knows what you would do as long as you are set free." Indra had a serious look on his face as he stated what he deemed to be the most important task of his life. The name of the one who remained in the darkness would bring fear to the ears of all who heard it. All who beheld his face, or even his frame would tremble in trepidation, for he was Shiva, Shiva The Destroyer! There were many who laid waste to worlds on a whim. Ares was one of such fellows, and so were several other ascenders who had so much arrogance built up in themselves that they made the sin of pride their constant companion. Even Ray who was a relatively humbler god, had laid waste to several organisations. The Assassins Association was a perfect example of this. Although they had definitely wronged him, it didn't change the fact that he had killed them all. And even taking out his rampage on the Assassins Association, he had laid waste to many. He wasn't called the Brute King for no reason. And that was exactly the point- he was only called a brute. So if one of these ascenders or gods was titled as the destroyer, you could pretty much imagine what this entity had done to deserve such a title. Even more terrifying was that this ascender was on a small world like Zandor, where there was none who could truly stop him if he were to be unleashed.
You should focus your efforts on that bastard Seth! Why would you bother with me! I have caused no harm since I came to this world. Long before you arrived I was here, yet I did not do anything wrong. Why do you bind me now?!" Shiva angrily screamed. As 'The Destroyer' angrily shrieked, the sound of chains clanging could be heard. It would cause any who had ears to assume that he was bound.
"Did nothing? All who entered this valley have been sucked dry of their essence, their lives robbed away. Yet you say you have done nothing?" Indra didn't lose his calm at Shiva's anger. He calmly lay down on his rocky bed, the tube still connected to his neck. His response was enlightening, allowing one to understand why this valley known as 'The Deep' was so dangerous. The Deep which was always welcoming to visitors yet reluctant to give them back was Shiva's playground. This death trap was formed because of Shiva. The god who lay bound in this cave had created a domain in this valley using his inner energy. This energy was corroding, taking away the lives of all who drew close to it and feeding it to the domain's owner. This method was a sinister way of increasing one's strength. And it was a method that was frowned upon. Though to be fair, not all people could use this technique. It took one who was a master, whose understanding of the extremely rare law known known as the law of corrosion, to truly use this technique. This was a major law. In the entire cosmos, there was only one known user of corrosion. In a sense, Shiva and Seth were very similar. Both were the only known users of their laws- and they were pretty darn good at it. Corrosion was a law that housed unpredictable elements like the poison element under its belt. Users of this law were strange and unpredictable. That was why many fell victim to Shiva. No one truly understood his law. When one meets a lightning elementalist, they would be very wary of the destructive prowess that these wielders possessed. The same went for fire. With elements and laws that were relatively common, they were easier to defend against. There were records on these elements, making them relatively well studied.
Laws could not be controlled by wielders unless they were thoroughly understood. It was at this stage that one truly became an ascender. The ascension realm was a difficult hurdle not only because of the insane amount of inner energy one was required to possess, but because a major element must be thoroughly understood and mastered to become a true ascender. So what at all happens to those who do meet the requirements for inner energy, and yet have no complete understanding of an element? Well these individuals did become ascenders, but their ascension was regarded as false. They were referred to by all as False Ascenders. They had the power, but no true way to unleash it. They were basically Nobles- nobility realm experts- with a far larger pool of inner energy. So what were the requirements to become a Noble? And what of reaching the Heaven realm?
To begin with, the Heaven realm was the first true step towards detachment from the mundane. The heaven realm was not that difficult a hurdle. As long as one was talented enough, they would definitely breakthrough this wall. Unlike the Ascension realm, one didn't need to fully comprehend a major element to become a heaven realmer.
The nobility realm in contrast was much more complicated. First, one couldn't just break through into this realm. Just like the ascension realm, this hurdle wasn't so simple. Although one wasn't required to understand a major element, a minor element comprehension was a prerequisite. Without the acknowledgment of a minor element, one could forget about becoming a noble.