I hesitated before going in. If there was something I had been taught by the unexpected fight I'd found myself in, it was that I would have to be careful. It wasn't my life that was on the line this time. I had Yuki with me and I'd gotten closer to her. At this point I viewed her as the precocious little sister that liked to play around too much.
So I decided to stop and rest for a bit. I needed to be at 100% to face anything. My injuries were healing very fast and within an hour I was back to normal. Well, as normal as someone like me could be. My stomach growled in hunger and I remembered I hadn't had anything to eat in a little over 2 weeks. My biology was weird that way. In the water, I didn't have a need to eat or sleep because all energy expedition and sustenance were reduced due to my being a demigod of water.
I didn't know if that also applied to Percy or if I was somehow more special. You know what? I think it was the latter. I had brought Percy's powers to a level he hadn't shown before in his universe that at this point, they were my abilities. Mine and mine alone. As far as I knew Percy couldn't have extended his control over water to blood and his earthquake powers weren't near strong enough to do what I could with them. I was a different demigod than he was. Where he had adopted his water to be a support to his great sword skills, I had gone for versatility and power.
I now had the capability to send a friggin tsunami towards the city and destroy a large chunk and enough control that I could weaponize a single drop of water. That's besides the point though. That train of thought had been brought about by a question. Why was I suddenly feeling hungry? Maybe it was because of all the stamina I had expended in the fight. I was a stamina beast and the only reason I had even struggled against the clone was because of how bad a match up he was.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Let's goooo…"
"Settle down and let me think."
I shushed her. She pouted but stopped whining.
The smart thing to do would be to turn back. That last fight had shown me that I couldn't afford to underestimate this place any longer. But...this feeling. This feeling of inevitable loss I know I'll feel if I turn back and leave... Something is begging me to proceed. And so irrespective of my better judgement...I stepped forward.
" Ok Yuki, let's go. I just hope I find something to eat inside."
"Yay!"
She was about to fly forward but I caught her and looked at her disapprovingly.
"Remember what happened the last time you went off without me?"
She at least had the grace to look sheepish. I stepped through the gate and onto a dry floor. The courtyard I found myself in was dry and well kept. Must be magic, I thought to myself. A brief chill spread throughout my body and I shivered.
"Did you..."
I didn't finish that sentence as a rainbow of colors exploded in front of us. I felt a pulling sensation everywhere on my body. I heard someone screaming as we were stretched into every direction a hundred times before it stopped.
I heaved in nausea while trying to vomit. Yuki was by my side and she didn't look any different from me.
"We are never doing that again."
I told her and she wholeheartedly agreed.
"The one responsible is in for some serious pranks."
I winced. Yuki's pranks usually ended up being a little too extreme.
We brought our attention to our surroundings and Yuki's eyes went wide as saucers.
"So pretty."
I nodded. Awed.
The previously unoccupied courtyard was now full of people. The distinguishing features was that they were otherworldly beautiful. The men were fit and handsome and the women glowed with beauty that surpassed anything I'd seen before. They were dressed in silken robes that further enhanced their looks. For a moment I felt a bit self conscious being surrounded by an exhibit of a bisexual nerd's wet dream. Only a moment though.
Some were carrying huge tomes and books and others what I thought to be magical artifacts. Staffs, wands and ornate looking jewelry.
"Ah how I miss seeing lively young apprentices walking around the conservatory."
Yuki yelped and came to hide on my shoulder. My reaction to the new individual though was much more muted.
"Hey."
Middle-aged, black hair with streaks of grey in the beard, robes far grander than what the apprentices in the illusion were wearing. All in all, this man's presence screamed of importance.
"Jin, he's not alive but I can feel him."
Yuki whispered next to my ears.
Was he an astral being like Logan and Yuki?
"You're not a mage are you?"
He directed the question at me. Ok, that wasn't what I was expecting. No introduction? Or even inquiring on who we were? I think this guy is one of those eccentric individuals who liked to talk in cryptic terms and make things harder just for the sake of it.
"No. I'm not."
After my answer, he snapped his finger and we found ourselves looking out into the stars. We were floating in space and constellations of billions of galaxies surrounded us.
"Look at all this Yuki...Yuki?"
I couldn't find my companion anywhere when I look around.
"Don't worry, I just pulled you away for a bit. Your elemental friend is alright."
Ok, I don't like this guy. Unaware of my glare or aware and just ignoring it he spread out his hands.
"Thousands of magic practitioners have seeked to control the very source of magic for eons and failed. Only one of us, has ever glimpsed upon the truth and it devoured him and and an entire civilization. Magic cannot be tamed. It can be called upon to lend it's power to those worthy. But. It. Cannot. Be. Tamed!"
A burst of power exploded out of him and right before my eyes obliterated every single star, planet and galaxy. Leaving only us standing in a glowing platform looking out into the void. I was on my knees breathing heavily.
"What...was that?"
I whispered.
A little ball of light not bigger than a pea appeared in front of us.
"But magic can be nurtured from within. By borrowing power from the mystical energy existing all around us...a spark can be lit. Different from the sphere of gods that powers divinity. A mortal being can form a personal well of mana in the soul. Countless theories suggest that this is the way to achieve transcendence. By growing that well of energy one can become capable of anything. Imagination being their only limitations."
The ball of light had grown into the size of the sun and I was completely gobsmacked. I stretched out a hand to touch it and pulled back in indecision at the last minute.
"You're wary. That's good. Magic is not a plaything. It builds and destroys."
The ball of light imploded upon itself and birthed a city of gold, with flying gliders and figures cloaked in obscurity fighting giants. Another being appeared and waved it's hand. Everything was destroyed.
"It's a fickle thing. A blessing to those of strong will and a curse to those with insatiable greed."
A figure clad in golden armor gestured upon a barren world and it turned green as life was restored. The scene changed and a figure sitting on a magic circle finished its chant but chains of black that scared me to my soul shot out of the magic circle and pulled him in amid his cries and shouts.
"But all that is pointless."
He finally rounded to look at me as we found ourselves back in the courtyard. Yuki didn't seem like she had noticed we had been gone as she was still standing on my shoulder. I was curious so I asked.
"Why?"
"Your body is not capable of wielding magic. It's too shackled by divine power that the only way for you to practice magic is if you gave all your power up. I had to tweak the second test to see your magical potential and it's overwhelming. What a pity."
Wait. No no no.
"There has to be a way."
I couldn't give up everything I had worked for. I had struggled, schemed, killed and taken risks to reach where I was. And I couldn't, wouldn't give up all my power to start from the bottom again. The man shook his head.
"I applaud you for your power. The first test was a test of strength and you managed to overcome the blood vines successfully and make it here. The second was meant for courage against insurmountable odds and you never lost hope. It's a pity."
He turned to go.
"Wait. The runes. I feel connected to them. That has to count for something!"
For a second, he hesitated but then decided to answer me.
"Yes...runes are incredibly powerful. And they use natural magic to power them up but you would be drowned in the torrent of taint that comes with natural magic. It's a versatile branch of sorcery that only someone with their own mana to counteract the taint can use. As I said before, your soul is shackled by divine energy, so you cannot awaken your own personal energy."
Is that the reason why I can't bring the abundant energy in my mindscape out. Could that be my mana?! No. At least I don't think so. I believe that the energy inside me is something I can change into any universal energy. It's affinity-less after all. That must be my unique nature or the overwhelming talent he's talking about. This answers many questions and raises more instead. For instance what does he mean by 'your soul is shackled by divine energy?'
What was all that about? I wasn't dumb so I could make conclusions based on all the information I'd gotten. For instance, someone had been leading me on to follow a certain path. But things had changed. Starting from my meeting with my impersonator early on, then with Alfred's help the Template System had been dismantled, then losing part of my memory and finding out about it from Logan. Someone had been trying to make sure I did what they wanted me to do. Puppeteering me from behind the scenes and I didn't think that the Monitor had anything to do with it anymore. Was any of the power I currently had even mine? I had been happy using Percy's abilities in ways he hadn't ever used before but hearing that the divine energy was actually limiting my potential was a huge blow. But I wouldn't come to decisions just yet. I had no reason to believe anything this guy told me so I would play it careful. But one thing was certain, very soon I was going to have to make a big decision.
"There is...a way to shield you from the taint. But it comes with untold agony. And after it's done you'll be able to use rune magic and nothing else. You will forever be limited to that branch of magic up until the time you undo the influence of divine energy on yourself. Are you willing to take the risk? The pain is mind shattering and out of those who have attempted it not many survived."
Pain? No one likes pain but, if this could give me a way to get even stronger then...I would gladly take it. I already had ideas floating in my head. I had a feeling that magic was going to be my trump card. Yuki had been silent all this while, listening much more intensely than ever.
"Jin...is divine energy the reason why big brother is being kept in chains?"
"Most probably. Yeah."
"Then...I wanna learn magic too."
I could see there was no way she was going to back down. I looked over at...
A weird look came across my face.
"You never introduced yourself actually."
"I am but an echo sustained by a magical artifact but you can call me Grand Master Zoren. The last sorcerer of Atlantis."