Iron ended up leading me to a secluded building in the outermost layer of the magnificent city. On the way, all I could feel were "Eyes" of wonder and awe on me, inspecting every inch of my body. Messages of praise and hope filled my head every second until finally I was led to the lonely building.
Without saying a word, Iron walked inside and I followed right after. Inside was a vast space incomparable to the size of the building outside, the environment, a dry, suffocating wasteland with grey clouds molding into an unmovable wall of haze. Blocking the sun, if there even was one.
'It's just like the hospital earlier but also different.'
Indeed it was different as another second later, a searing pain ran through my whole being, alongside an uncontrollable and maddening itch.
It was so sudden that I didn't even have the time to react properly, making my healed form buckle on its knees with cold, familiar sweat running down my body.
'Argh!'
"As you might've been wondering my liege, this place is similar to the healthcare. However, the healthcare and this place are meant for entirely different purposes, one is for healing, and one is for sharpening our bodies. You see, these spaces were built by non-other than the Esteemed one of Wisdom. It derived these ideas or concepts from the minds of the void creatures, especially the powerful ones of their kind. Then, it increased the nature of these places to the absolute for our training or healing."
Iron's hand spread out to its sides, declaring in a loud tone.
"This is what we call Worlds of Truth. Stolen from the very minds of our enemies."
I felt Iron's eyes digging into me through the pain, it's words barely comprehensible in my alluded mind. Something sticky and wet slid down my sensitive skin, creating a vomit—inducing sensation in my stomach.
My cries went on for a while with no word from Iron, eventually, my mouth became dry, my throat sore. Air—hot air wheezed itself into me, which in turn caused a burning of my insides. Nothing was spared. My eyes tinged with burning spice, tearing up a second later.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In front of me, a disturbance reigned over the air. Through the haze of pain, I opened my eyes into a slit, only for them to widen in shock as goosebumps rose in my very core.
Iron stood in the dry wasteland, smoke bellowing out of its body in waves, its surroundings so hot, even with my evolved vision, I could barely draw out its figure. But what shocked me wasn't that, its right arm, now a spotless, curved sword was raised upwards. Its size piercing the indomitable walls of grey clouds. Such a small body holding a sword thousands of meters high. The least I could do was be shocked.
In an imperceptible move, undetectable by the naked eye, its arm blurred in its place. The still, upright sword cleaved the clouds into two equal walls with a speed unimaginable for its size. Space shook, the ground trembled at the incoming disaster, and the air cried a helpless cry.
Boom!
The sword, a white blurry trail, extended miles in the sky, the ground met the same fate a moment later by splitting open willingly. The world spun along with my vision as a cacophony of noises hammered into my head. Making me tumble across the shaking ground. The pain now only a background noise.
The all encompassing heat of this World came to an abrupt halt, stopping its merciless destruction of my body and its insides. As if its inevitable influence had been slipped from it right under its nose.
I found my mind sharpening once again, no longer affected by the pain, my body, drowned in sweat, started to recover from the damages, albeit slowly.
My mouth, letting out hot vapours of hot air, exhaled whatever it was that invaded my insides. A few moments of exhaling a terrifying amount of vapour later, a refreshing breeze entered my body, rejuvenating it.
Finally, I had enough strength to turn my focus onto the still, silent Iron. Trying with difficulty to keep my tone indifferent as I transferred my intent.
''That was… impressive.''
At my words, Iron's tone betrayed a hint of amusement while replying.
"This is nothing, it's the least a King under the blessings of Infinity can do. Believe me my liege, what I showed you was just the norm."
A second later, Iron blinked into existence a few feet away, its grinning face directed at me.
"Now…"
"The reason I brought you here is this."
With a snap of its thick fingers, a rumble resounded. From the opened ground split into two halves by Iron's strike. A mangled head of black fur rose, followed by another and another and another.
In a minute, the wide valley was filled with bodies of disfigured abominations that sent shivers down my back. Masses of limbs, tentacles, and tailes huddled up in an unrecognizable group of flesh. The size of some behemoths that I wouldn't dare to imagine what they were like when alive pushed my mind to its limit.
My body started trembling as a wave of fear washed over me while I desperately tried to control it. My tries, helpless.
'I have to face these? I have to survive facing them and possibly kill them? An outskirts rat with no experience, no knowledge was supposed to overcome all this?'
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the huge palm making its way to my face. Slapping me with a force that sent winds out of me.
"My liege…"
Iron spoke, its tone heavy.
"I do not condemn fear, I encourage fear, but not to cower away in your place, not to doubt yourself of your capabilities. Once you do, you won't stop. Doubt is much more terrifying than even the Void. Losing your purpose, your reason just because of a moment of self-reflection terrifies me. My liege if you plan on doubting yourself at every second, then I suggest you do not join the battlefield, you still have the blessing of Eternity. Your choices are infinite."
Words that I prepared got stuck in my mouth. Silence overtook me as I contemplated Iron's words.
"If you don't see yourself leading our kind to victory. Then leave. I know it isn't fair to put this much expectation on you, But you were born to brunt pressure. Your existence is a wonder of nature itself. There's no point in excuses. A leader of our kind is perfect, will be perfect and remain perfect. It's that simple."
Its words were harsh but true. Grim understanding slowly took over me.
Iron, finished speaking, pointed at itself.
"And I have been entrusted with the duty of sculpting you into a perfect leader and soldier. So it's safe to say we're in the same boat. Hence, stop doubting and cowering and start thinking what your limitless potential is capable of."
***
After that very harsh and brutal speech. Iron went into the valley, hoisted up an abomination that resembled a giant tiger with curved claws that looked like it could pierce anything. Then, severed apart one of the creature's claws effortlessly before throwing it at my feet.
Thud!
With a nauseating sound, the claw hit the floor, ensuing silence between us.
"…."
"…."
''What? What am I supposed to do with this?''
"Stab yourself with it."
''…Pardon?''
"You heard me."
I held back an exasperated sigh.
''Explain why."
"Soldiers of Infinity have one thing in common, and that is Shaping. Shaping is the core ability provided by Infinity. At first it allows us to only change the shape of our arms. In later stages, the ability will spread to our whole bodies, thus making us nearly invincible with a body that moves according to our will."
Iron continued after a slight pause.
"Us soldiers bearing the blessing of Infinity are only limited by our imagination. But that only applies to Kings like me. You— or anybody of our kind who are newly born don't have to worry about such things. After all, only your arms are tied to your ability, not your body."
''Alright, I understand all of that, but what does it have to with stabbing oneself?''
Iron decided to act instead of responding. It held up its hand, signaling me to focus on it. Then, a moment later. At the center of its wrist, a familiar curved claw polished with a sharp whiteness dug itself out in a splash of blood. The skin of its arm started twisting and churning, creating a horrifying sight of the skin morphing around the claw, shaping into the same shape it had been before when it tore the sky into two.
After the little display, Iron started once again.
"What I just did was replicate the claw in its structure, strength, size, how sharp it is, how it feels getting pierced by it and how much damage it causes. These are all components that are needed to perfect your Shaping to its most optimal form. That's why I told you to stab yourself with it. You need to get so familiar with it that you will consider it another limb or arm of yours. That's the basic principle behind Shaping."
I took a few moments absorbing its words. Coming to a sudden, pleasant conclusion.
'Does that mean I can use it on memories? If so, this indeed has limitless potential.'
"And…"
Iron's voice brought my attention back.
"If you reach my level…you will be able to use the true nature of things you replicate. That opens a whole new world for your eyes. One that is infinite and invincible."
At Iron's words, my breath hitched thinking of all the possibilities. The fear that clouded me vanished, making way for a barely suppressed greed that influenced me too quickly.
Looking down, my gaze held the claw before I leaned down. Grabbed the base of it, and lined it up with my stomach.
My arms holding it shivered a bit, my heart beat loudly in my chest. The breath coming out of me turned ragged. Mentally preparing myself, I took one last deep breath, gripped the claw harder, and then drived it into my stomach.
Shluk!
A/N: sorry, midterms came up and after, I had some family business. But here you go, enjoy.