(So...we're not in the ball park of the 1200 stones goal, which is fine. No pressure. We still have till tomorrow. I'll post the extra chappy if we hit it by then. Anyways, enjoy today's early chappy)
However, the book that caught my eye the most was something called Affinity and Power: Path of the Nephilim. It was co-authored by Sparda and Eva.
It talked a great deal about understanding demonic affinity, power, and history. Generally, most greater demons are born with a singular affinity, whose attributes were expressed through weapons crafted from infernal Steel (Devil Arms).
For example, a demon with mind affinity could have illusions and dream manipulation attributes showcased by a powerful headdress and some earrings.
However, that was not to say some demons could not use their affinity without Devil Arms.
The exception to the one affinity rule were rare and powerful demons like Sparda. His affinities were:
Metal
Strength
Mind
Space
His affinities and their attributes were brought to their full potential through his legendary armament and armor.
Dante and Vergil were set to inherit at least two of his affinities regardless of who their mother was. What Sparda had not counted on was meeting Eva.
Angels were very similar to demons in that they also had affinities to certain powers, but every Angel also possessed racial abilities essential to their survival.
Angel Regeneration
Angel Aura
Wind Manipulation
Farsight
Angel Wings
Limited immortality
Demons shared the last ability, extreme natural durability and strength that only seemed to grow with time.
Eva had an affinity roster that had me doing a double-take.
Energy Accumulation
Manipulation
Dimensional control
Shape manipulation
It didn't seem like much, but boy, did it explain a fucking lot. Considering everything I'd seen Dante from the DMC games show off, it was all starting to make sense.
In the very middle of the book, there was a ritual that was supposed to help reveal my affinities.
Since I had the energy control and knowledge of a toddler, I did not mess with it for now. Instead, I focused on the second half of the book.
Armaments of the Nephilim
Sparda and Eva started forging the Yamato and Rebellion when rumors of Mundus's invasion began to spread around the galactic sector.
Dante and his brother were babies at the time and had only manifested one affinity each before Sparda and Eva got to work.
Vergil had a pronounced affinity for Space, and Dante for Shapeshifting.
The weapons took several years to finish, each made with considerable energy and blood investment from parents and children.
The weapons were made from Infernal metal from limbo and alchemically altered by Angel magic and Alchemy to accept Eva's esoteric energies.
The end results were what Sparda described as 'weapons that broke reality on a fundamental level.' He estimated they were almost on par with his most powerful weapons, Alistar, Sparda, and his Demonic Armor.
Because they were so powerful, Sparda and Eva placed considerable limitations on the swords to ensure they could never be abused, even by their sons.
They could only reach their full potential after 30 years had passed or the weapon fed on enough souls to unlock their true power.
Rebellion had the ability Sparda called Unify–which could combine two items of any origin so long as they were compatible and Dante had sufficient power. Yamato had the power to Divide with roughly the same guidelines as Rebellion.
Things made a little more sense now.
Initially, I was afraid that Shin had removed the ability from Rebellion when he made it, but I was coming to realize that it was not his power to give away in the first place. It was like he'd said; he merely swapped out one soul for the other.
Armed with this fresh information, I picked up more of Sparda and Eva's notes on the specifics of how they crafted the Devil Arms. Shockingly, it was in a forge below Kamar Taj, and they had gotten their infernal metals from the demons.
I could tell that learning to craft new demon Arms was no small undertaking, but I was certain that in time, I could figure it out and integrate new weapons into my repertoire. It would certainly save me the hundreds of thousands of red orbs it would've otherwise taken to purchase some of those weapons.
Rudra and Agni, for example. Dante's demonic fire and wind sword from DMC 3 cost 1,000,000 Red Orbs. Don't get me even started on Cerberus or Gilgamesh.
Finally, my reading brought me to the magic tomes left for my practice. There are two of them, each containing foundational techniques every paragon of the Demon and Angel Species should know.
Sparda's book was as informative as it was brutal. It turned out I was not nearly as good with Demonic Energy as I thought I was, but I was not nearly as bad either.
Demon Evade was a fairly novel skill despite its ease of execution. I didn't find a reference to it once, but it could be in one of the books that burned.
According to Sparda, true control and mastery over demonic energy came from understanding the affinity of your power and leaning into its natural strength. Couple that with an overactive imagination and years of relentless practice, and Sparda claimed that your power could reach heights never before imagined.
Most of the demonic techniques the book taught boiled down to Burst. A Burst strike was something I could already manage, as was a Burst chained with a leap and a double jump. Things started to get interesting when the techniques started incorporating affinities.
Two of them, in particular, caught my eye.
Wave of Desolation—Unleash your Demonic Energy in a 360-degree wave around you, inflicting your enemies with your overbearing affinities.
Demonic roar: Infuse your affinity into your voice and declare your supremacy with a world-shaking roar. Effect will differ based on affinity infused.
Angelic techniques were far more interesting and promising.
Smite: Build up Angel energy in your weapon of choice through a series of rapid attacks using energy resonance and unleash a powerful final strike on your 30th cut that deals 5x the damage of the intended attack.
Drive: Fill your weapon of choice with Angelic energy and unleash a compressed blade of energy based on any affinity of your choosing.
Gust: Release a sustained burst of energy from specific areas of your body, allowing for greater control.
Eva's technique book concluded with a chapter on angel energy manipulation.
According to her, the best approach to angel energy manipulation was pure intention juxtaposed with restrictions. When channeling it, you make mental barriers that block off whatever direction you do not want them heading in before you let the energies flow.
Intention and knowledge come into play when you understand your affinities, and you put that knowledge into practice with energy.
This simple explanation, she claimed, could get me up to the pinnacle, but after that, I would have to focus on combining affinities—threading down the true path of the Nephilim.
I put all of the fascinating magic aside for now and went searching for Yao with the ritual page bookmarked.
"You went through the books rather fast," she observed when I showed her the page. "I cannot perform the ritual myself, only help and watch until its completion."
"I wasn't expecting you to completely hold my hands."
"Good then," she nodded before adding. "I must admit I am a little curious about what affinities your obscure heritage will grant you."
"I have a few strong guesses, but the rest is really up in the air."
She led me down to an isolated room with an open window, and we got to draw the ritual circle in blood, specifically my blood.
It took some getting used to, but once I rationalized that I was going to be losing the blood anyway from my burns, it made the process several times easier.
After the giant ritual circle was drawn, the ancient one summoned some salt and instructed me to channel my demonic energy through the circle. It lit up a sanguine red, bathing the room in an overwhelming light before slowly receding. I saw eight orbs floating in front of me, all various colors of the rainbow, and I got a notification.
You've unlocked the Affinity tab. Explore it to see which affinities you have and grow them over time.
(Demon)Fire—high
(Angel)Wind—high
(Demon)Density--middle
(Angel)Dimensional--middle
(Demon)Shapeshifting--high
(Demon)Gravity--low
(Angel)Time--low
(Demon)Mind—mid
"Sweet mother of…"
Even Yao's eyes bulged as she observed the orbs. "T-That should be impossible. Your father was one of the most powerful Archdemons, and he only had four. Some of the affinities you're showing tap into fundamental aspects of reality. Do you know what would happen to you if the demons ever found out?" I saw genuine emotion in Yao's eyes for the first time, and it was fear.
"Never tell anyone about this," she urged. "Do you understand!"
I nodded mutely and watched as Yao massaged her nose bridge.
"I'd expected 4 or 5, maybe; even your brother had only 6."
"Wait, you met Vergil!"
Yao nodded. "Two years ago. He came here, hungry for knowledge and departed soon after, vanishing off-world, supposedly looking for something powerful enough to free your father."
That explained why he wasn't on SHIELD's radar.
"You're just as impossible as Jean Grey," Yao said, shaking her head. "We need to reassess your entire approach to training and magic. You might just be the biggest advantage we've had on our side in generations."
"Then let's start with this," I said, waving to my entire body in general. I couldn't very well reach the pinnacle of power with one hand tied behind my back. "I learned a few new tricks during my fight with the phoenix, one of them being a passive reinforcement magic against Fire and Pain. I think if I expose myself to other powerful magic that is tangentially related to my affinities, I should be able to develop a thicker skin or some kind of grand magic that can help me adapt to the cosmic radiation that's slowly eating away at me."
Yao hummed. "It's certainly worth the try. Considering your exemplary healing factor, you're guaranteed to bounce back from most injuries. But from what you told me, developing that technique of yours will take a lot of time, pain, and profoundly powerful magic. After all, it took exposure to cosmic fire to develop the first two; it's only going to get harder from here."
My mouth went dry, and goosebumps sprouted on my skin. "I hadn't thought of that."
"It's just something to consider before we get started," Yao said, then suddenly stared at the wall as if looking through it. "Jean is awake. You should go talk to her."
(Love a good lore dump. Whose pumped for the new arc? We're at chapter 75, and by Sunday we'll be at Chapter 77. Support me and read ahead on Patreon.com/ArtandCreativeWriting)