RE:volt! Chapter 13: The Core
As the heavy wooden door closed and sentenced Ark to darkness. He wasted no time, immediately taking in a breath of air that he held within his lungs.
Silence. That's what he heard. Despite the holding cell being beside an active forge where the blacksmith was hammering away, the room he was in was padded and created with special materials that dampened sound. The purpose of the room was to cut all audio and visual stimuli, to leave the slave alone in the dark, afraid, unsure of anything besides the chains wrapped on their wrists and ankles. A prelude of what their future would entail.
But Ark wasn't afraid.
No, he relished the quiet. For the first time in years he was finally alone. Giving him the opportunity he needed.
He wouldn't waste this opportunity.
Taking a seat on the cold hard floor, Ark crossed his legs, his breath still held as he did his best to ignore his injuries.
One thing was for certain, he had a broken rib, maybe two, but he wouldn't let that stop him for doing what needed to be done.
Ark exhaled through his mouth, releasing the tension in his shoulders.
From his research with Jasper, there were a number of ways one could uncover their magic potential. The easiest and primary way was having someone channel magic through their bodies and stimulating dormant magic circuits to awaken. The preferred method of awakening that was only available for those talented.
Next was partaking of magically infused flesh, either from a beast or a human that had awakened their mana. For those that possessed a strong resistance to mana or insensitive magic circuits, this was the manner that many gained abilities.
But… For those that had neither the connections nor the means, for those in chains like Ark, there was another way. The boundary of life and death.
Ark crossed his arms and wrapped his hands around his neck, his fingers tightening and choking himself, depriving his body of oxygen.
Hypoxia. That was the term Jasper had for it.
This method yielded different results for different people. At the brink of death, the body's capacity for mana could be turned on instinctually. What this meant was that the body, in its desire to save itself would activate any latent potential and begin forcefully distributing mana, rapidly kicking starting the body's mana circuits into an all or nothing overdrive state.
It was risky and above all, costly, destroying large swaths of one's own future magical potential for a small ember of mana.
But… Thanks to Jasper's research and aid from Liana, the trio were able to uncover a means of restoring damage circuits, of fixing one's potential.
This was how Roland's party had roped him in.
Memories of Ark's past life played as his vision blurred and his hand continued to press firmly against his carotid.
"Liana…" Ark choked out, tears in his eyes. Despite being reborn and spending years in his new form, the sting of betrayal, the death of his lover… It…
Hurt.
All the discoveries. All the research. All the joys of life that he had come to cherish and uncover as the Hero Ark amounted to nothing as his closest friends aided each other in his demise.
Prince Roland the Noble, a righteous if not pretentious leader of Aldana who Ark considered his rival.
Stya, The Ice Beauty, a cold but close confident from the Stera hinterlands who always had Ark's back.
Xon, The Spearman of the sky fortress Cloudia, the loud mouth drunkard who, while being cowardly had always shed blood with him.
And finally Jasper.
The brilliant Jasper… The First Archmage of humanity and self proclaimed illuminist, a term the man concocted and proclaimed would be shared by researchers and explorers everywhere. A term that would be for people who would dare to uncover the unknown and dedicate their hearts to unraveling the mysteries of a world free of dragons.
His friends…
Ark's hands subconsciously tightened further, drawing crimson ichor as his heart picked up speed, his body attempting to circulate blood faster to account for the lack of oxygen pouring into his body.
His friends… comrades.
Ark's face contorted with anger.
Bastards. What had he done to deserve this fate? What had Liana done to warrant her death?!
Ark's chest heaved as his body involuntarily hiccuped, his lungs gasping for air, begging for it as Ark's vision darkened and he saw no more.
A second passed, then another before Ark gasped, sitting up, his body automatically breathing as he blinked, his vision taking in the familiar darkness.
He swallowed, lifting his shaking hands up and repeating the process.
Once, twice, three times.
On the fourth try, Ark's neck was bruised, but he couldn't give up, he had to press on. Force his body to believe it was-
Every fiber of Ark's body suddenly pulsed, his heart seizing up as his vision dimmed before all he saw was white and then the natural darkness returning.
Well… I can't believe that worked. Irelix commented as Ark suddenly vomited, his entire body wracking with an electrifying sensation close to ecstasy.
Mana.
Ark blinked, a feeling in his solar plexus that seemed to build and condense, forming a pressure in his chest, a pressure he hadn't felt in years. It was weak, a small flame, mere embers, but it was his, his flame. And soon it would grow as he nurtured it.
Soon the sensation began to lessen, the ball of energy breaking apart and flooding through his body with an audible snapping sound as every muscle and tendon he possessed suddenly constricted all at once without warning.
"UHK!"
Fortunately Ark was sitting when he lost control of his body, his muscles forcefully relaxing with drool mixed with blood leaking from his slack jaw.
Ark wanted to scream, wanted to cry. His mouth hung open yet no noise came out as his body failed him and his blood seemed to ignite with a burning sensation that explored every inch of his being.
Something was wrong.
That small ember had inexplicably exploded, becoming a raging inferno that churned in his chest.
Whats?! Happening?! Ark cried inwardly between the pain. It felt like his soul was on fire, the very essence of his being being used as kindling to create a vortex of raging mana.
Golden light began to emanate from Ark, his body creating a bioluminescent reaction that made the embrace of darkness peel away.
Irelix?! Ark called out, demanding an answer as his eyes could see his fingers changing, warping, forming black scales.
He was morphing into a dragon!
You lizard! You set me up! Ark barked, yet he got nothing in response from the-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!" Ark screamed, his body exploding with a massive amount of energy that removed every shadow from the cell and turned black into white.
At least, almost every black thing.
In the far corner, just at the edge of the sphere radiating from Ark, Irelix stood. The progenitor of Dragons scowling with a pained face and her black-scaled hands held out, attempting to hold the escaping energy at bay.
"A LITTLE HELP HERE MONKEY!" Irelix screamed, her voice laced with what seemed to be genuine fear and panic.
Ark didn't know what to do, for once he was at a loss, the experience he was undergoing foreign to him.
Are you daft?! Draw in the energy or we both die! Irelix yelled as feeling returned to Ark's extremities.
Ark didn't need to be told twice, he reached out, his mastery of mana not quite what it once was, but he had the basics down… or, at least remembered it.
The two combined their efforts, human and dragon, Ark's tiny body creating visible scales along his skin that hardened then cracked, bursting like pouches of pus that scattered glimmering mana across the room.
Ark clenched his jaw, the feeling of what was occuring to his body painfully indescribable.
Draw in the energy and hold it!
I'm trying you lizard! Ark barked back as the shining sphere of violetile mana around Ark began to shrink.