What was strength?! And no I don't mean the physical might and capabilities we all possess.
Strength varies from person to person, for some it's social or influencial prowess and power.Others it's political and governmental capabilities, for some it's the shear amount of wealth they possess.
In whatever form power is power, but there's only so far a power that depends on others can go.
A single scandal can break a celebrities career, a single hiccup can bring forth the impeachment or even imprisonment of a government official.
Such power was too... infantile to be considered as such due to its varying limitations.
But what if someone trained and honed their skill to supremacy, to their absolute peak and cusp, this would be power than could never be taken away or lost.
This was the sort of power Warlords if the Olden Eras had, their Generals and commanders would follow this individual and independent strive in order to carve out an existence that would not falter over the pleasantries of the mundanes
Mana core Cultivation, Body cultivation, Aura cultivation, Weapon mastery, Breathing techniques, magic, spells, arts, arrays or techniques, elemental mastery, soul Cultivation, were all means a being could use to raise themselves.
But even given all the manuals, all the resources, masters or even relics that bear will, it would ultimately come down to someones own resolve.
Was the path to power really worth it?! Kamila's resolve had faltered, she was no longer sure If the oath to strength was really hers, she was in pain yes, he senses muddled yes, her body nearly broken yes and on the verge of death.
But her mind had become strangely calm as she questioned herself, was the pain she just felt worth it?! As if by coincidence or luck maybe even fate a lingering memory of Berian came to mind
Her Ancestor was battered and bruised heaving heavy breaths as her right had held the floor and her left held her chest, her knees to the ground as sweat drenched her clothes.
She was young, too young maybe nine or ten years old, her father stood before her, one hand behind his back with the other holding a long curved stick,.coated by the most faint embers of red energy.
" Dad....I...don't want to be strong....." Berian panted as she tried to catch her breath
"Can't I just....live with you guys.....till I'm married or something...." she heaved taking in gasps of air
Yeriv laughed as he dropped the stick and helped her up to her feet "well you can my little lion...but let's say ten twenty years from now...you get caught up in a mess and your mom and dad are not around to help...what will you do?" he asked softly as he sat her down one of the tree stumps within their compounds
" I'd run home!" she answered almost immediately earning another laugh from her father " Indeed my little lion is always welcome home...but imagine your not close to home and all alone what will you do Berry?" he asked again softly
" I would fight..." Berian whispered her voice trailing off her eyes cast down
" Indeed my little lion is always a fighter...but by the. you'd be weak....and when the weak fight, only death follows....it might be their parents, maybe brothers or sisters but death always follows," he sighed as he patted her head
" Berry, I've seen far too much, I've lived for far too long...despite my dashing looks I'm older than your uncle added by another Uncle," he laughed to which Berian giggled
" And I don't want to see my little lion die before I do...I don't think I'll be able to handle that, so no matter how painful or tiring training is....can you promise me you'll try your best....to be the strongest you?" he asked lightly with a doting fatherly smile
Berian's eyes trembled as she but her lip as she nodded clenching her fists.
'To be the strongest me?! Will it be worth the pain?!' Kamila questioned.
"That's for you to decide....This world is unkind to the weak...It's survival of the fittest...He with the strongest fist is right and those below are wrong....that is the way if the world...red cub" Berian stated within Kamila's soul
" Before you ask I will not help you...even this conversation is too generous for me....if you die I mearly loose a wisp of my soul....besides I'm already dead what difference does it make for me" she shrugged.
" So if your going to kill yourself be my guest...your not the first Potencial successor I've heard, your just a bit more special nothing else...so go ahead and die...be among the list of my many disappointments," Berian concluded as her message had taken less than five second.
Kamila felt her soul shudder, she did not know why or what had triggered it but something Berian said deeply shook her core, her soul as the cub that was her aura opened it's eyes
It's eyes were golden, mixed with a multicolored hue that sat around her irises
Kamila willed her pained body to stand as the pressure from her soul crushed everything within a one metre radius of her.
There was a small list of things that ticked Kamila off, Kaleb's smelly boots, Kaleb's under the sheets farts and a few mundane things any younger sister would hate from their older brother, but what she hated the most was being.....a disappointment
She had vowed herself in sound mind to carry Berian's legacy and for her to die two days later, how could she allow it
Her resolve still wavered she had yet to claim what she thought strength was worth but in this moment....that would not matter as all she would strive for was something simple
' I will never be a disappointment....Never again....I refuse to be called that!' she bellowed internally as the doting Aura of Nala, Berian's Red aura manifestation, descended.
It smiled with gentle love before allowing itself to cloak Kamila who was still in terrible shape
Her spear had been knocked out her hand and was currently far from her but that didn't matter, she had seen in Berian's memory, her aura was anything she willed it to be, it was her and she it
So she willed a spear of red, orange fiery blazing crimson blood aura, it was a formless but solid construct that looked like a spear...more or less.
She Raised her eyes and saw the Panther look at her with apprehension, caution and fear, it knew all to well that right now it was in the presence of a royal Predator
The Red aura flashed and bound the panther before it moved, Kamila took a javelin throwing stang and released the spear construct with all her might.
The Panthers head exploded into paste as its head was blown of, it's neck crushed inwards by the pressure of the strike, its ribs caved in and pierced it's lungs.
It fell to the ground is unable to breath