C55: Internal Dialogue, Waking Up
Word count = 1582 on 3/22/2024
So I came down with an ear infection. That's fun. Luckily I had already written half this chapter the day before so i just need to finish it up. The meds will last a whole week but I should be fine by monday. Which means the next chapter might be delayed depending on how I feel but currently I have a headache, left ear pain and random body weakness. So that sucks. Cheers. Hopefully this chapter will clear up a few features of why I decided to seal Axel.
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In the coming week that Axel was asleep, Orario spread the stories of his combat power further and compared it to legends of old such as the Argonaut and the Fianna knights but soon came to a realization that they aren't quite comparable. The Argonaut and Fianna knights had fought to stabilize Humanity's place in the world against the endless horde of monsters born and created. These humans were not supported by the Falna yet and worked together. Axel does have a falna but he showcased such overwhelming might by himself.
People aren't discrediting the Freya and Loki Familia but their contributions are far smaller compared to Axel's as they only fought against the smaller scorpions and Otar took down a single giant scorpion but Axel took down thousands of small ones, 2 of the 3 giant ones and even the main bad guy Antares all by himself.
People are split into 2 groups which then turns into 3 when another party questions if Axel is more comparable to the 'Legends' (immortals/saints) but that group is shot down immediately by the two mobs as the saints all had grand contributions that affected the hearts of all people. Be it magic revolutions, monster slaying supremacy that far surpasses what the Argonaut or Fianna knights could ever do. The third group still remains standing due to bringing up the 'magic revolution' aspect and how even if small scale, it is rapidly catching up to the legends of old. This argument cant be denied as such, they ignore this group and focus on their own arguments.
Meanwhile in a black cloudy void, Axel is lying down peacefully.
"Zzzzzzzzzzzz"
"Mimimimimimimimi Mimimimimimimi"
"Wake up"
"No"
"You allowed yourself to be sealed so easily. We could have resisted. Why didn't you?"
Axel sits up from his sleeping position with a hint of annoyance on his face as he looks at the ghoulish face of the elf spirit before him.
"Alright Ugly. Tell me what negatives we are facing?"
"We are weaker, slower, inferior in every way than we were before" The elf shade clearly spells it out for Axel.
"Well you missed one aspect but it seems you were the only one affected by that aspect Celebrimbor. You're the only one who is growing stupider" Axel retorts and the elf rolls his eyes when his human half approaches.
"Alright, let's keep this calm everyone. Why not explain your own reasoning to everyone here for why you just accepted this?" Talion, the fallen ranger of the Black gate kindly asks Axel.
"Simple look at it" Axel points up to the mirage form of their falna and the new addition to it.
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"Yes we grow weaker than before but our potential is still the same as before, we won't die if we still retain our endurance. Our growth during battle is even better which means. Overall, I can craft better magic items, Gradually strike harder, ever closer to What Asura already does for me with his abilities but with no mind cost and with Chain attack stacked on Berserker. That means we turn addition into multiplication since both were raised by 2 levels." Axel clearly points out how the details of the seal can be interpreted.
Axel then gets up and Approaches Asura who is bound in chains and sitting next to a sleeping sealed Radahn shade. An unhappy expression on Asura's face as the memory of being sealed before threatens to make it go berserk. Axel looks at Asura as he asks, "Well? Can I finally learn it?"
"With the seal on your body, you indeed won't die from harnessing the mantra but are you certain you wish to follow in my path?" Asura nods but questions.
Axel himself nods as he states, "What about me could potentially lead down another path. We can already partially control our rage and who is to say that the remaining shadows cant assist in that further. I won't drown in my hatred. I refuse to."
The elf leans over to his human half as he asks, "What is a mantra?"
Axel who overhears this kindly explains to them. "Mantra is a path to power that Asura used in his life. It is the path of Wrath. Using one's own rage to harness power beyond measure. His skills already show a glimpse of this but if I revealed it's full power then I would break apart akin to a Ceramic jug that was caved in on itself through our own crush spell. It would not be pretty. But with the seal on our strength, even if I use at leat 50% of the mantra I can handle, It would easily allow me to surpass our previous power."
"All the speed and power you complained about were never lost, just sealed and waiting for us to stockpile it further until we can finally break off the shackles to grand new heights.
THe Ring maker falls silent at such a possibility but before he can add his opinion on such. Axel clarifies, "Of course the change won't be immediate, we need to gather a few reagents for the awakening ceremony which I had already been on the lookout for but we had been in the dungeon since Asura awoke inside me. So I never was able to gather them but during that wait time itself, we can further practice, learn and study. Our growth has never stopped, just slowed and we have a way to get past that, not relying on the falna for our strength."
His announcement seems to rile up all the shades except the sleeping Radahn and the emotionless Migi (parasyte) shade. In this whole time, the parasyte has been the one with the smallest personality as it came with memories but not its original personality, then with the suppression of glutton, it simply became an automaton, fighting and changing its shape for greatest effectiveness.
Axel concludes the dream, "So we will lie low for a few more weeks until we gather everything and in the meantime, figure out how to further improve."
"Talion, I'd like to learn some of your swordsmanship. I am very lacking, even if my only sword is a giant one. I'm sure i'll find a way to shrink it or something in the future with my magic."
"Elf, go back to researching how to make better runes. It's too hard to make your designs and i'm not an elf. Weird for me to use elvish runes as a non-elf. "But I am", I don't care. Go back and study. "
"Migi…keep doing you bud"
Axel throws out commands as he sits down next to Asura to learn the necessary information required before he begins the mantra ceremony.
Axel finally wakes up, his body heavy and weak as he clenches his fist and rises from bed.He gets dressed as it seems Raikou had undressed him. Hopefully that is all she did but he has no reason to believe otherwise as she was emotionally distraught upon hearing he would be sealed.
He soon hears the door open to reveal Kaoruko coming in with some porridge on a plate. She quickly sets it aside and hugs Axel tight into her bosom. "Oh you are alright. Any problems? Are you feeling sick or anything?" She shoots out one question after another but Axel can somewhat respond.
"Muh muh jing suffmocated by your bweams" (I am Being Suffocated by your Breasts) **He takes a bite out of her which causes her to recoil and hug the place where he just bit.
"Ah, much better." as he spits due to the taste of cotton clothing in his mouth.
"How long have I been asleep?" He asks seriously.
"One week. The city is clamoring all about you."
"I see, then they will likely be disappointed in the next week or two until I find another method to increase my strength artificially or awaken a new fragment which should elevate my strength again. Even if it is sealed as well."
He states as he finishes getting dressed and quickly eats the porridge provided for him. While his endurance remains high, the very fact that he was lying in bed for a week is still enough for a bit of weakness to seep in. Especially with the weakening process going on. He needs to eat more to recuperate his stamina before he can even return to the dungeon.
Axel leaves the room to pacify Raikou and then asks one of the neighboring knights of Camelot to be a messenger to his friends to inform them that he has recovered as well as that they would be returning to the dungeon tomorrow.