A/N: (if you see ''——'' this. That means Ariel is conversing with the others. And if you see '——' this. It means Ariel is thinking to himself. Also this will be a bit of an info dump.)
(Enjoy:)
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Ether continued to stare at me with- what I could feel, an unwavering determination.
''Isn't it strange?''
"What is?"
I was a bit hesitant to say the next words, yet I managed to muster the courage.
''You know… me asking all these questions and doubting your beliefs.''
A sigh entered my mind.
"It's only natural to question your existence, especially someone as special as you. But you're just a child as of now, once you get older, you will realise a lot of truths and lies."
I was about to reply when Ether continued.
"But, you do have intelligence preceding your age. The way you talk, the way your body responds to my answers is intriguing. You were born as a Bane though, and a various amount of unexplainable events connecting to you will occur. I've never met a Bane before nor anyone I know has. I cannot get into contact with our higher powers either, even if I did, I doubt they would respond to a mere King."
The first half of Ether's words made a few beads of sweat slide down my back. Thankfully my body stayed rigid in its place and I had no clue whether it picked up on my nervousness or not.
Its last words however, caught my attention.
''A king? What is that exactly?''
A solemn air stirred up around Ether.
"A King is a natural powerhouse and counter against the Void, their being has ascended to accommodate the blood of their respective esteemed ones. Meaning we can have a slither of the divine in us. We take a step closer to stand side by side with the Esteemed Ones. And the ones who are closest to the Esteemed Ones are the Arms of Infinity, Body of Eternity, and Eyes of Wisdom."
'I see… Does that mean that the Kings are equivalent to Saints? It did say they have a "slither of the divine" In the movies that I saw, whenever there was a mention of Saints, they would call them Demi-Gods or Transcendents. Though all that stuff about the blood is beyond me.'
I readied myself before addressing my next question.
''Kings… you also said there was others who are higher ranked? In that case, is it correct to say that there is a system for our kind's ranking?''
Ether nodded in a robotic manner, replying.
"Indeed, children like you start as Soldiers of the legion you were marked with, if you are a Soldier with the Blessing of Eternity, you will be called a Soldier of Eternity. So on for the higher ranks. Another example is me, I've been blessed by Eternity. Climbing my way up to a King of Eternity." Ether declared "That aside, let me put down the ranks of our system."
In a blink, Ether was in front of me, with a few feet of space between us, it pricked its finger as a few drops of blood spilled. Slowly, the spilling blood turned into an unnerving stream, creating a puddle at our feet.
I took a step back at seeing such a large amount of blood.
''What the hell are you doing?''
Ether looked up into my eyes.
"I'm showing you our system."
When the last words reached my ears, the puddle stirred, beginning to swirl around itself. It's swirling became faster and faster as time went on. Then, in a burst of blood, letters and characteristics flew out, planting themselves in the air firmly, weaving into something that I could understand.
'Just like the Spell.'
When the puddle finally disappeared, I looked up at the writing.
It read:
One Tear: Soldier.
Two Tears: Captain.
Three Tears: General.
Four Tears: King.
Five Tears: Emperor.
Six Tears: Conqueror.
Seven Tears: Arms, Eyes, Body. It Varies depending on their legions.
''Tears, what are they?''
"They are the core of our powers, similar to the Void creature's cores. That's where we draw our strength and energy. They also determine our ranks. Look…"
Ether pointed one of its fingers towards its chest, and I almost slapped myself for not noticing something so obvious. In the center of its chest hung four obsidian Tears. Still and dull, however, I sensed a suffocating sensation whenever I focused on it.
''Aren't they vulnerable to be out in the open like that?''
Ether looked me in the eye and I swear I could feel its brows rising up in amusement.
"You think destroying a few rocks makes us weakened? Easy to kill? They are a critical key in our strength but they aren't everything. We have much more pleasant surprises for our enemies. You'll realise it too, eventually."
The way it spoke, its tone had a hint of unshakable arrogance that didn't come out baseless.
I was assured by its confidence and a bit apprehensive, especially after what I have witnessed at the start of the Nightmare. If my theory is right, the creature- no, the Protecter standing in front of me is at a level equal to a saint. Then, it's also natural for the enemies to be as powerful if not even more.
I took a shuddering breath at the thought, asking one last question.
''You said that every Protecter is under the blessing of one of the Esteemed ones, Infinity, Eternity, and Wisdom right? And I'm speculating that each blessing has their own unique advantages and abilities, if so, where do I fit in as a Bane?''
At my enquire. What I figured was a wide smile full of joy and respect Being directed at me as Ether's already familiar voice rang out:
"Allow me to explain, a Soldier of Infinity can change the shape of their hands at their will, and as they rise in ranks, the ability will spread to their whole body, a good example is Iron. A Soldier of Eternity can heal itself of numerous wounds very quickly, and when they get to higher levels, their regeneration will surpass imagination, they will also be granted the ability to heal other members of our kind with their blood. I'm a prime example of that. And for Wisdom, Soldiers of Wisdom are few and rare, only one in a few years will be born. Why? Well it's because once they've reached a certain point of strength, they'll become immune to the corruption of the Void.
Now that, sounded ridiculous. And, as if sensing my disbelief, Ether continued confidently:
"You see, we as a race, all have a certain resistance to the Void, originated from our first trial, when we had to suppress the destructive intent of the Void. But that's it for the Legion of Infinity And the Legion of Eternity. The Legion of Wisdom are our eyes and ears, their duty is to constantly roam the void in search of the Void's fledglings. Their eyes open the path to the truth— no, it's more appropriate to say the truth reveals itself before them. Hence, their resistance will continue to accumulate as they experience the forefront of the corruption. They are also the most in contact with the Esteemed Ones. Whenever there's an order or urgent gathering, they are the ones to relay the words of the Esteemed Ones."
A lot of surprising facts that were very hard to fully take in and understand filled my brain.
'Once I get a bit of knowledge, I can de-crypt this information.'
My mind already felt a bit stressed in face of the vast amount of information. But I held on and asked once more:
''Again, where do I come in?''
"Well…"
An exhale of breath reached my mind.
"You as a Bane have the blessings of all the Esteemed Ones, thus, you will have a specialty in all of them."
'Ah… I see. That's why I had those Attributes.'
I didn't know whether to be proud or scared. Sure, it all sounded wonderful. It even felt a bit good to be this respected when you've only been the bottom of the bottom and everyone treats you as a waste of air or food except family. Family is different. But, I know this power won't come without a price, once I finish this Nightmare, if I even can. The Spell will give me a flaw. That is not something I'm looking forward to at all.
'Hmmm… let me see my Attributes and actually see what they're about.'
I fired of the multitude of words until the same interface with the complex runes shimmered in my face.
***
Attributes: [Shaping], [Blessing of Infinity], [Blessing of Eternity], [Blessing of Wisdom].
[Shaping]: [The body is not the limit, the mind is. Set it adrift and go beyond what is human under the blessing of Infinity.]
[Blessing of Wisdom]: [The Eyes of Wisdom will show you truth.]
[Blessing of Eternity]: [The Body of Eternity will invigorate you.]
[Blessing of Infinity]: [The Arms of Infinity will guide you.]
***
''Wait, if you said that each blessing has its own unique ability, then why do I only have the ability under Infinity's blessing?''
I chose to take a gamble by asking this question, I did not know whether there's some special test to find what ability you have or not, but I will trust their ignorance on the matter related to Banes, as Ether said, their generation didn't know anything beside how special of an existence I am. Only the higher ups know, which was unlikely for them to make an entrance now.
So I waited with a rapidly beating heart and bated breaths as the silence stretched to an uncomfortable degree before Ether broke it.
Its tone was normal, nor did I find any hint of suspicion on its features.
"My liege, we are born by the mixing blood of the Esteemed Ones. That's when we are evaluated by them and chosen by one of them. However, that doesn't mean the other two bloods that we have are erased. No, we stil carry them. Our first ability is connected to the one who blessed us, after that, once we get more powerful, we receive the abilities of the remaining Esteemed Ones. But… we cannot evolve those abilities, we can only get proficient in them. There's a clear limit that we cannot go beyond."
Again, a wide smile full of reverence was directed at me.
"That's where you come in my liege, you can evolve and progress in all of the diverse abilities of the Esteemed Ones. You'll be able to shape your body in bizzare ways, your eyes will be your keys to unlocking any mystery, your body will be the saviour of many. That's why you're a Bane. A special existence. And it seems your affinity with Infinity was the highest, hence your first ability."
'That's very powerful indeed, I don't think I've ever heard of such a unique Aspect, though I'm not one to talk with my very limited knowledge. God knows what type of deeds the great, legacy clans has their hands in.'
I focused on Ether again, expressing my gratitude.
''Thank you for making it so simple for me, I hope I didn't bore you with such questions because this is very interesting to me.''
Ether responded with a low bow.
"There's no such things as getting bored, it was my pleasure to be of use. If you have anything else you want to know, I'll be here or you can just order Iron. I'm certain it will be happy to accommodate your needs."
Its words nearly brought a smile to my lips, thankfully, Iron barged in just at the right time, it seemed breathless as its chest was heaving up and down.
It kneeled before me in an instant, its voice reaching me a second later.
"Mahoraga, my liege, it's an honor to have the chance of fighting by your side. If you are ready, shall we head out and train? I'll sculpt you into the perfect warrior. Of course, with your permission."
Taking in Iron's words, I took a deep, silent breath, knowing every kind of abominations were waiting for me. But I had to survive.
I had to.
''I'm ready.''