Chapter 123: Training Day
Darius stood deep within the depths of Gaia, the abundant mana of Agarttha surrounding him. The glowing ley lines overhead tore through the sky, their light casting faint reflections across the surface beneath him. He watched as Barrond lumbered away, the World-Bear's parting words echoing with doubt.
"I hope you can find the strength you're looking for. I will make sure the fox receives proper guidance. So just make sure everything doesnt become a waste."
Darius's expression remained unreadable as he lowered his gaze to the small root resting in his palm. 'I hope so too.' With a flicker of thought, the root vanished into his pouch.
Extending his mana sense outward, he scanned the glade for any trace of the bear. Satisfied that he was truly alone, he nodded and began to move.
"Last time I was here, I didn't get the chance to explore. Don't think some time spent familiarizing myself will hurt anything."
With his hands clasped behind his back, he disappeared in a burst of wind, reappearing atop a shimmering pine. His azure eyes swept over the expanse of Agarttha, its ancient beauty rivaled only by its raw, unyielding power.
Yet, his thoughts were far from the present. Daemen's voice replayed in his mind, 'It's your Father, Darius! We should go now!'
'Jarek…' Dissapearing from the pine, the name lingered in his mind, his emotions agitated. As the glade sped past him in blurs of emerald and gold, a peculiar detachment settled over him. 'I should feel more… Daemen's reaction was the appropriate one, wasn't it?'
Landing lightly on a rocky outcropping, Darius frowned, his memories surfacing. He thought back to when he was twelve, standing in the estates cellar. His father had just handed him the signet ring, his mother beside him with a warm smile. The moment had felt monumental, even then.
"I love you," he'd said as they left him to explore the Vault, he remebered it feeling awkward and forced. It was the only time he could recall saying it out loud, in either life. They had seemed so pleased, Jarek's apparent shock and Amara's sparkling aura burned into his memory.
Now, that memory felt distant, like a page from someone else's life. He exhaled sharply, brushing the thought aside as he continued to traverse Agarttha. His mind, however, lingered on its implications.
'That feeling of confusion... how out of place it all felt. It makes sense now,' he reflected, his pace quickening. 'Ironically, I can thank this situation with Jarek for this clarity. But no matter what, he's still my father in this life. And as a Valdene, it's my duty to save him.'
Even as a faint urgency and worry simmered beneath the surface, Darius faced the deeper truth. Growing up with the Valdenes had of course, given him attachments, but those bonds had been interwoven with Daemen's influence. With Daemen now separate, it felt as though those emotions had departed with him, leaving Darius with the clarity of his truest self.
He came to a halt atop a jagged cliff edge, his eyes fixed on the fiery cascade of a glowing ley line just in front of him. Beyond it, the glade stretched endlessly, an alien landscape of multicolored light and shifting mana. His aura flickered to red as he stared into the distance, his thoughts tightening like a coiled spring.
'In the end, nothing has changed.'
Without hesitation, he stepped from the cliff. The raw current of mana enveloped him, his body aligning with its chaotic flow as he descended. He landed with a resounding crash, the impact sending tremors through the ground. In the next instant, he launched forward, the sonic boom trailing him as he tore through the glade.
'The ley lines increase the deeper I go. I need to find where all fifteen converge—that's where I'll make my cave.'
With their currently being only eight above, the imbalance of mana in the region tugged at his senses, the overwhelming presence of fire, wind and earth grating against him. Still, he eagerly pressed forward, counting the streams as they appeared overhead.
'Six months isn't enough to match Crowley. A Master-Adept's power rivals that of a Gold Knight, around 2,500 Cauldrons of Force. I'm barely at 200.'
The gap between their power was immense, but he dismissed the doubt with a steady exhale. In this situation, one couldn't gamble on certainty. Even a slim chance would have to be enough. His muscles coiled as he leapt again, each step propelling him deeper into the glade.
'Ten ley lines.' He estimated his distance traveled so far—a hundred kilometers at least—but the end of the glade remained elusive, Agarttha's vastness making his desire for it grow.
Landing softly, he paused, an idea surfaced that had been itching him. 'Why not? I'll give it a try.' His hands, which had been clasped behind his back, fell to his sides as his breath steadied.
'The Ethereal Steps...'
His aura shifted, a gentle green swirling around him. Wisps of red slowly began to seep in, interweaving with the green in a delicate balance.
'Remember what Marcus showed you... keep yourself grounded.'
As the fire and wind mana began to harmonize, his body relaxed, his stance fluid yet firm. Then, with a single deliberate step, the world blurred.
The ground beneath him exploded, an eruption of flames and wind ripping into the air. The fusion of elements turned the landscape into chaos, the force of his step carving a destructive path through the glade. From above, it looked as if Agarttha were under siege, its centuries-long peace shattered by a barrage of relentless explosions.
Darius halted, the earth tearing and smoldering around him as he skidded to a stop. His glowing eyes radiated excitement, his mind racing.
"Incredible. I wasn't expecting results like this, but this is... Basic concepts… wind fuels fire. If I can master this—combine it with the other elements—"
His gaze lifted to the ley lines above. He counted aloud, "Eleven, twelve, thirteen…"
Smiling, he crouched slightly, his aura igniting with anticipation. Another thunderous boom echoed as he launched himself forward, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. The wildlife scattered, fleeing from the bursts of fire and wind that roared as Darius raced toward the center.
Speeding through the glade, his body became a blur as fire and wind mana surged around him. 'My speed has at least tripled, but it's not enough.' While this fusion gave him explosive speed in quick bursts, his lack of familiarity and it's straightforward nature caused his maneuverability to suffer—a drawback he couldn't ignore.
After traveling like this for a few more hours, practicing his new movement technique and lost in thought, the mana within him suddenly cycled faster, the familiar rhythm intensifying as his body felt lighter, almost weightless. Glancing up, his pace slowed before halting entirely.
"Finally."
Above him, fifteen elemental ley lines burned, their mana surging like coiled flood dragons. Three streams of each element twisted and roared, their vibrant energies creating a vivid display of light and power.
Scanning the area, his eyes locked onto a natural rise in the ground ahead. "That'll do."
With a single step, he appeared at the base of it, his aura shifting to a deep, solid yellow. Pressing his palm forward, the hill trembled briefly before cracking, the earth pushing back, slowly revealing a man-sized tunnel that stretched deep into the hill.
The sound of crumbling rock and falling dirt echoed from the emerging cave, the rich, damp scent of soil filled his lungs. Stepping forward, he folded his hands behind his back. The air grew cooler, the light from the ley lines above fading behind him.
Satisfied with his work, he turned briefly, waving his hand, the tunnel's entrance closed, the rocks at the entrance collapsing to seal it.
His azure eyes easily guided him in the darkness. Reaching the end, it opened into a small area, a large dome of sparkling rock that would serve as his cultivation chambers.
Reaching the center, he sat down in the lotus position, closing his eyes, his mind, body, and soul began to attune to the intricate details of his cultivation technique.
'I'll aim to break through in one go.' His meridians began to cycle faster, the tattoos on his body igniting with soft light, casting shadows across the walls.
With steady, practiced movements, he began to trace runes of mana in the air, his finger weaving intricate patterns. As he completed the process, five layers of elemental runes floated before him.
Waving his hand, the runes descended, imprinting themselves into the cave floor. The ground beneath him grew warm as the array came to life, its lines and symbols glowing intensely for a brief moment before fading into the stone.
'With the Elemental Nexus Array...' Darius touched his pouch, and in an instant, a mountain of beast crystals and chaotic mana crystals spilled forth, their multifaceted surfaces catching the faint light from his tattoos. The towering pile filled the remaining space of the cave, the air now choked with raw mana.
'And with more crystals than I need, maybe I'll have enough time.'
Outside, the wildlife of Agarttha had only just begun to settle, the earlier disturbance of Darius's movement technique fading into memory. But the peace was short-lived. Above the hidden cave, the fifteen elemental ley lines began to shift, their movements slow yet deliberate.
The once steady flow of mana twisted and groaned, each glowing stream bending unnaturally as they converged toward a single point. The creatures below froze in place, their instincts screaming, warning them of the unnatural power gathering in the sky.
Darius sat unmoving, his expression calm but resolute as Gaia's mana currents began to bend to his will.
----
Tem sat by the water's edge, her fingers idly tracing patterns in the dirt as she adjusted the scroll spread across her lap. The faint shimmer of her brown scales caught the sunlight as she stretched. With a practiced motion, she rolled up the scroll and touched her pouch, the scroll disappearing with a satisfied grin.
Dusting off her green trousers and flicking the back of her brown tunic, she stood, staring up at the artificial sun suspended high above the Beast-Farm. "Aunty, do you think Darius might be wrong? I don't think I like poison. Isn't it kinda... cowardly?"
A gentle push of water lapped against the shore as Ursie shifted her massive body, her antennae swaying lazily. "You have an exaggerated view of things, child. There's no cowardice in survival. The only shame is in being unprepared."
Tem scowled, kicking a clump of grass into the water. "But Milo got a cool sword technique, and Leek got a fist one. I'm supposed to... what? Slip something in someone's drink when they're not looking?"
Ursie let out a gurgling laugh that caused Tem's cheeks to flush. "Don't exaggerate. Do you truly think big brother chose without purpose? Do you think he just handed out techniques randomly?"
Tem hesitated, her foot digging into the soil. "No. I'm sure he has a reason."
Ursie clicked her jaws, her antennae still. "Don't mistake his choice as something weak, or cowardly. Darius intends for all of you to be useful. He's placing his faith in you—prove him right."
Tem sighed, her expression still doubtful, but she nodded. "I wouldn't dare disappoint him. But I can still complain a little, can't I?"
Ursie let out a stream of water that Tem dodged effortlessly. "Always to me, how lucky I am."
Ignoring the tease, Tem leaned forward, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "What did he leave you?"
Before leaving Haku with Barrond's two Guardians, Darius decided to adjust the training timeline for the children. Instead of waiting, he provided each of them with beginning movement and martial techniques he had specifically designed for them. Without forming their cores and starting their cultivation techniques, he ensured they each still had the tools to grow stronger in his absence. But for Ursie, he gave the mana-beast something different.
"He left me an opportunity," she finally answered, her gargled tone even. "I won't say more because my expectations are low. But I'll still do my best to grow stronger. If I'm too weak when he returns, at least I'll know I gave it everything."
Beneath the tranquil lake surface, far from Tem's view, lay a staggering pile of radiant blue chaotic mana crystals, each one as large as a man's head. The faint glow of the high-grade crystals pulsed like a heartbeat, a glowing mountain within the depths. Nearby, a huge hole carved from the rocky lakebed radiated a pulsing white light, revealing a immense cluster of frozen swamp-roach eggs.
Back on the shore, Tem's eyes sparkled as determination reignited in her. "I know you can do it, Auntie. You're gonna be the strongest mana-beast in the world one day, and I'll be right there behind you!" She clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. 'Venomous Tide Surge. Serpent's Water Dance. I'll finish their first layers before he gets back!'
Ursie's tail flicked through the water, creating a gentle spray as a gurgled laugh escaped her. "You're ambitious, I'll give you that. But I think that title will belong to another beast. Still, I don't plan on giving up either."
Tem grinned, her confidence unwavering. "Deal. I'll become the strongest Werefolk in the world, and you'll be the strongest mana-beast."
Ursie's antennae swayed, her mind flashing to Haku's fiery aura and unyielding strength. "Then we should start immediately. I'm sure the others are already working on their techniques, and that fox certainly isn't sitting still."
Tem's eyes widened. "You're right! Thanks, Auntie!" Without hesitation, she darted off, her movements a blur of energy and purpose. "We'll show Darius he can count on us!" she shouted over her shoulder.
As Ursie watched the girl bound away, her heart felt lighter despite the immense challenge ahead. With a powerful flick of her tail, she created a massive wave that crashed into the air before diving beneath the surface.
As Tem glanced back, her grin widened at the rainbow forming from the falling droplets. It was a magical sight, one that fueled her fiery spirit. "A slave," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them with renewed vigor. "I was a slave!" she shouted, her laughter ringing out as she sprinted faster.
Deep within the lake's shadowy center, Ursie swam toward the glowing pile of crystals. The rhythmic blue and white light painted her scales as she paused near the hole in the rock bed. Her massive eyes lingered on the pile of frozen eggs.
"For he who came first…" Ursie hesitated, her teeth grinding for a moment before shaking her head. 'I will evolve.'
Reaching forward, she sank her jaws into one of the massive crystals, its energy coursing through her as the light in the depths brightened.
----
At the same time, outside the Vault, Haku crouched beneath a fallen log, his animal form squeezed into a tight gap, barely shielded from view.
'Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,' he repeated silently, his ears twitching, nose flaring as he scanned the air.
"Found you."
'Fuck you!' his mind screamed as he bolted, narrowly escaping as a massive stone axe obliterated the log, sending shards of wood flying.
"Hiding isn't part of the training, little kit!" Labrys's voice boomed behind him, filled with mocking amusement. "Where'd all that confidence go? Comon, summon those little ghosts again. I'll even let one of em hit me!"
Haku snarled, flames erupting around his body as he shifted into his beast form. His large paws hit the ground, propelling him forward with terrifying speed. The mantra in his head returning, 'Fuck you, fuck you, fu—'
The sound of rushing wind cut him off. A tree ahead exploded into splinters, its remnants spraying across his path. He leapt over the next one just in time, his flames igniting into a burst as he roared mid-air.
"FUCK YOU, DARIUS!"