As Sirius looked down at the dark silverish-purple crystalline grass on the ground, he wondered where it had come from. His eyes suddenly caught something else.
"Another one? Wait, there's more," he muttered, noticing patches of the strange grass scattered around. The crystalline formations were writhing slightly, shimmering in the dim light. He would have panicked, but then a thought struck him—My soul... it has the same color. Could this have come from me?
The thought spiraled through his mind as he squatted to touch the grass. He broke off a piece, which came away easily. It wasn't thick like ordinary grass. Crushing it in his hands, it disintegrated into a fine powder, made of tiny crystals.
His eyes widened with realization. He stretched his hand forward and summoned salt. Sure enough, dark silverish-purple salt emerged from his palm. He stared at it in shock.
"Even my soul weave has mutated..."
This was unexpected.
"Is it because of the ring?" he wondered aloud, glancing down at the ring his Aunt Ava had given him. He absentmindedly leaned against a dead tree for support, but something about the texture felt wrong—smoother, unnatural.
Shocked, Sirius pulled his hand away from the tree and noticed that the part he had touched had turned the same dark silverish-purple hue as the grass. His eyes widened further in astonishment as he stared at his hands.
He touched another part of the tree with both hands, confirming his suspicion. The areas he touched were turning into salt crystal. With just a touch, he could transform anything into salt. It took about five minutes for the tree to fully convert, turning into a dark, crystalline version of its former self.
He tapped the tree, and it was surprisingly durable. A bit of excitement bubbled up inside him.
He also created some salt using his weave and was surprised with his discoveries
"I can manipulate the salt I create," he realized, which should be impossible for a tier 1, though there were limitations. First, he could only manipulate salt he had personally created with his soul weave, and second, he had to be in physical contact with the salt to control it. His left hand seemed to be the conduit for this power, and the instant he broke contact or stopped channeling his essence, the salt would lose its shape.
"Oh, and it guzzles my soul essence like crazy," he noted, feeling his essence deplete at three times the normal rate when he used his manipulation. Oddly enough, the transmutation itself didn't seem to use any of his essence—it felt natural.
There were other catches too. He couldn't transmute sand or stone, but he could alter plants, trees, and even the corpse of the Abyssal Shade he had fought earlier. His clothes were also susceptible, and he barely managed to pull his hand away before his shirt was transformed into salt crystal.
"What about humans?" he wondered aloud, staring at his hand with a mix of fear and curiosity. Hesitantly, he tapped his own arm with his left hand, expecting the worst. Nothing happened.
A wave of relief washed over him. "It seems I have some immunity to it. Or maybe it's just humans?"
He wasn't sure. He experimented further, holding his hand against his skin, but his body remained unaffected. "I can transform almost anything into salt, but humans... maybe they're different," he thought, as he cast a glance at the now-crystallized tree.
"I'll have to be careful not to accidentally touch anyone," he muttered. The last thing he wanted was to turn someone into a salt statue.
"More importantly, though..." Sirius gazed at the tree. "I can use this power to my advantage. I could create a weapon that could actually do some damage."
He eyed the bark, realizing its potential.
He carefully tried to peel away some of the bark, but it instantly turned to salt the moment his left hand touched it.
"Damn it. This is going to be harder than I thought," he sighed, realizing he had forgotten about the transmutation power again. He collected the crystalized bark and used his right hand to shape it into something resembling a sword. It had a single edge, and he flattened one side to give it a sharp appearance. After some time, he had successfully crafted a makeshift weapon.
It wasn't the most elegant weapon, but it was functional, and that was all that mattered.
Sirius examined the result: a dense, dark salt blade. It wasn't perfect, but it was something. "Not bad," he said, giving it a test swing. The weight was heavier than he'd expected, but the toughness of the salt more than compensated.
"Let's see what you can do," he said, turning to face a nearby dead tree. With one swing, he sliced through the trunk. The blade cut through smoothly, the dense salt edge proving its sharpness as the tree collapsed in two with a heavy thud.
"Not bad at all." He grinned at his new creation.
However, before he could continue, a low growl echoed through the clearing. He turned his head, spotting a leopard-like Abyssal Shade approaching from the shadows.
Their eyes locked for a tense moment.
The creature's eyes gleamed with hunger as it bared its teeth. Without hesitation, it lunged at him.
Sirius readied his salt blade, adrenaline pumping through him. As the Shade pounced, he sidestepped just in time, slashing across its flank. The blade bit deep, but the Shade was relentless. It twisted and clawed at him, its claws swiping dangerously close.
In a desperate move, Sirius aimed low, bringing the blade down hard on one of its legs. The salt blade sliced through, and the Shade howled in pain, its body staggering. He followed up with another slash, catching its other leg and sending the creature crashing to the ground.
The Shade writhed in agony, its form twisting as it struggled to recover. Sirius's heart raced as he approached, knowing he needed to act quickly. With a steadying breath, he touched the Shade's wounded leg with his left hand. He felt the familiar energy surge through him, and he watched in a mix of horror and fascination as it began to transform, slowly crystallizing into a dark silverish-purple statue.
"Come on…" he urged, witnessing the agonizing change unfold before him.
The Shade let out a desperate roar, its body becoming more rigid, more defined, until finally, it was reduced to a solid, glittering statue of dark salt. The gruesome sight left him breathless, the remnants of the Shade frozen in a moment of agony.
Sirius stood over the remains, watching as the dark salt mixed with the ground. "Even living things," he muttered, a dangerous realization sinking in. "Anything organic…"
He glanced down at his hand, the weight of his newfound power heavy on his mind.
This mutation wasn't just a blessing—it was a double-edged sword. Anything he touched could turn to salt. He would have to be careful. Very careful.
Before he could contemplate further, the sound of more Shades approaching cut through the air. The slain creature had called for backup.
Sirius tightened his grip on his salt blade and prepared for the fight. There would be no turning back now.