Pillars of smoke descended on Dante's Spine. Valerian, Alexander, Lilian and Oswald.
Valerian took the lead and began to speak as they descended the stairway into the tomb.
"I will not waste time. Alexander, you cannot go with me, you are too weak. You need to stay here with Lilian until we return. Lilian will tell you a little more about our history and help you read that book I gave you."
"May I ask where the Lord is going?" Lilian spoke up.
"I have an agreement with Oswald that needs to be completed." Valerian said without explaining further. "Oswald, wait for me down there. This will only take a moment."
A portal opened in front of Valerian and he walked into it unsure of what he would find.
*****
Inanis sat down quietly, studying and managing the flow of mana in his body. He no longer looked like the ailing and weak boy that he had once been.
His hair had turned pitch black but had a slight purple shine when he stood in the sun.
His muscles were defined but not outrageous. His body seemed to be built to balance both speed and strength.
His magic had just recently entered the seventh circle and was at the late stage of [Second] tier magic. He was still impatient. He wanted to rush into the eighth circle so that he could achieve the next tier but the bump on his forehead reminded him that his magic teacher was a cruel demoness.
He struggled with the lessons, especially Lilith's, but no one could doubt the boy's will and devotion.
Suddenly Gabriel appeared before Inanis.
"Hurry, He is coming." Gabriel disappeared, not needing to explain further. Inanis understood. Valerian was coming.
He dashed out to the courtyard and found four of the Seraphim kneeling in front of a portal.
Inanis walked slowly toward them, unsure of what to make of the situation and somewhat excited to show his progress.
While caught in his own emotions and thoughts, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him down.
"I have taught you the proper etiquette but now you seem to want to get me killed." Gabriel's voice was stern but his eyes were filled with joy. He gave a brief smile and winked before bowing his head in the direction of the portal.
Inanis tried to swallow but his throat was dry. He felt like if he forced it he would choke on his own tongue. He bowed his head and waited.
The sound of boots on stone was soon heard. The light from the portal disappeared.
"You may rise."
The four generals, without hesitation, stood and looked up at Valerian.
"You too."
"I am not worthy." Inanis said, his force was shaky.
"And still, I have told you to rise."
A moment of hesitation then Inanis stood up and looked at Valerian.
Valerian did not look older than him but the vampire's aura was so imposing that Inanis almost felt like he would be crushed back down.
"Good. You can stand in presence even with me intimidating you." Valerian spoke in a slightly pleased tone. "You must have fought my generals quite often to achieve that."
"Thank you, Lord Jata."
"I came here to see if you are worthy of being my son and inheriting all that entails. This was your wish, was it not?"
"It still is." This time Inanis' voice was firm.
"Your will is strong." Valerian nodded. "So you must strike me."
The four generals faces faltered when they heard that. They still had trauma from the sparring matches they had with their Lord back in the primordial era and this boy was no match for them let alone the Lord.
"Oh do not worry. I will reduce my strength to your level. You give me your most powerful strike and we see if you are worthy."
One strike?
Inanis felt pressured. He had been taught so much and he was supposed to put it all into one strike?
"Fist or weapon?" Valerian asked.
"I will use a weapon."
"So be it." Valerian nodded to Asura.
Asura walked over to Inanis. A small purple portal opened and Asura pulled out a double edged sword and handed it to Inanis.
"Good luck, kid." He said and the four generals retreated.
Valerian's aura began to fall. The decline was sharp and undeniable like watching a roaring falls turn into a leaky faucet.
"Come at me."
Inanis did not was time. He assumed a stance Gabriel had instructed, held the blade the way Asura had trained him, channeled mana into his body and sword the way Uriel had shown and targeted the areas of the body that Lilith had taught him about.
The preparation of four higher beings became fused in his every move to form his own unique style.
"Did you teach him that?" Asura asked Gabriel.
"I thought you did." Gabriel replied.
"The boy is mashing our teachings together." Uriel hissed.
"Surprisingly, it is working." Lilith stated. "It a couple times better that what I thought he would be capable of."
"It is not how we taught him to fight." Uriel insisted.
"Yet, it is what we taught him." Gabriel added.
"Would you bet your own life on that being enough?" Asura countered.
"He does not have to. We have already bet ours. If we really did our best in this short time frame then the boy has hope and so do we." Lilith stated.
Valerian heard the conversation the Seraphim were having and was intrigued.
He did not rush the boy.
He waited, calm but curious to see what the boy could do.
Inanis raised his sword higher and charged with speed that would have been a fantastical dream in his past life but had become a reality since training with the generals.
To Valerian, this brute like charge reeked of Asura's influence. It was not that impressive at all.
The boy got up close, Valerian was ready to defend from above. He would not let such a cheap imitation touch him but he sensed a brief change in the young one. A change that made him stay his hand.
At the last moment, the boy dropped his sword and his right hand caught it, with all his strength, Inanis set the sword ablaze and gave a upward slash that cut across Valerian's shirt cutting his abdomen all the way to his chest.
The boy did not stop there. He followed through with the momentum he had built and slammed his shoulder into Valerian's chest sending the vampire backward into the air.
Valerian catching his wits did a somersault and landed feet first a few paces back.
"The charge and aggression of Asura. The quick thinking and power of Gabriel. The terror and mana control of Uriel. The scheming and deceptiveness of Lilith.
"But you still have the heart of a human. You did not make a killing blow, you merely wanted to wound me. No matter, the world will harden that heart soon enough." Valerian began to evaluate the performance.
"Did you know he could do that?" Gabriel asked.
None of the Seraphim replied. They waited for their Lord's judgement.
Valerian turned to the Seraphim. "You have done well and nurtured him this far. I will take the reins from here. Thank you."