A gold crown fell into a puddle of blood. It's impact sending waves of anguish throughout the world. Green vines danced and slithered towards the crown, insane following them. And in the backdrop of it all, in the darkness was a pair of glowing yellow eyes, indifferent to it all.
Haa...haha!
Syphers body shot up as sweat dripped down his body. The blanket covering his body was thrown away and Sypher hurriedly stepped out of bed.
"That dream felt strange, it was like it was trying to show me something." The young boy pondered while he put his clothes on. The materials of the empire were surprisingly comfortable, making for some nice clothes.
The Underhive barely had any light, with no sun to signal the time of day, so Sypher had to figure it out himself.
Opening his bedroom door, he stepped onto the halls and made his way down to the lower levels of the church. Mortals moved Hurriedly as Sypher passed by, most of them bowing to him in respect.
"They must have already been informed."
Their reactions signaled to him the authority of Dreamweavers in this world. They were-in essence- supersoldiers that could kill anyone for simply looking at them the wrong way, so long as they weren't causing nonsensical slaughter that harmed the Empire. Who wouldn't be respectful in front of such a being? Even the lowest caliber of Dreamweavers could be a force to be reckoned with for a normal human.
Not long later...
Arriving at the arena that still had grains of sand on its surface from the previous battle, Sypher found Clementine in full armour waiting for him.
"I see your arm has healed, I won't have to hold back your training." A golden sword materialised I hear hands as she spoke. None of her previous kindness was present, only a serious aura," On the battlefield, you'll have to face Weavers from the Cult, each one with a different ability and level."
Sensing the atmosphere, Sypher pulled out his dagger and took a defensive stance.
"You must learn to be ready for anything, War is cruel and unforgiving. One mistake and you will die."
The air shimmered with golden particles. Sypher blinked....and she was gone.
"Fast!" A golden blade of light rested just above Syphers neck, burning the skin below ever so slightly.
"But, should you ever come across a Dreamweaver over 2 calibers above you, flee." Their was no questioning the warning, and Sypher knew why.
If he met someone at the same level as Clementine, who had just showed off her ability to kill him in a split second, then he wouldn't even know how he died. That was how dangerous it was.
"I understand Clementine, I will not engage them." Sypher wasn't lying, he was not some fool who rushed into a fight that he couldn't win unless he was forced into it.
"Good, now then... Let's start the real training," Clementines sword retreated from the boys neck as she stepped back and held out her hands," You will start by defending against my friends."
Golden particles clumped together in every corner of the arena to form no less than a hundred thousand short swords. They seemed so tightly packed that the room struggled to hold them all.
Gritting his teeth, Sypher once again took a defensive stance.
"BEGIN!" Clementines warning was followed up when one of the swords shot towards Sypher at blinding speeds.
CLANG!
The sword fell to the ground and dematerialised.
Cypher had managed to defend, only receiving a glancing blow from the sword that left a shallow cut on his arm.
Centering his sword in the centre of his body, Cypher prepared for the next.
CLANG!
Another blade fell, this time not managing to cut him this time.
"Heh, your a quick learner. How about we increase the intensity a little!" Clementine was the embodiment of a demon in this moment, causing Cypher to grow more vigilant.
Two hours later...
Huff...huff..
Riddled with cuts that formed a puddle of blood beneath him, Sypher panted heavily. Cleantine had infact increased the intensity, to an obsured degree!
Sometimes the swords flew so fast he couldn't blink for even a moment, and sometimes more than one shot at him.
This might sound like a small thing, but having to multitask three individual swords that each simultaneously flew from different directions was no small feat!
"Your performance was beyond my expectations, I think we should continue this every day." Clementines smug grin was like an arrow through Syphers heart. However, if it meant getting stronger, he would endure it forever.
"Now then, I will show you how to increase soul Caliber."
Cyphers exhaustion instantly vanished as his ears listened intently, not wanting to miss a single detail.
"Sit down and cross your legs."
Following her own instructions, Clementine sat on the ground and invited Sypher to sit next to her.
"What next?" Syphers excitement was palpable. He followed her instructions and sat on the could ground. This was what had been eluding him since he awakened. The first time he broke a chain felt like a simple consequence of emotionan instability but the remaining chains were each two strong to break with such means.
"Good, now enter you soulspace."
Clematine also entered her own, though Sypher had no idea what her's looked like.
Soon, Sypher closed his eyes and found himself in an endless white desert. Everything was just as before, the should core rested peacefully in the sky.
"Now, try to imagine a place, building or anything that blends perfectly with your soul space. Gather your energy, and make it a reality." Clematines voice echoed in his mind, her words somewhat confusing to Sypher but he tried anyway.
'A place that fits with my soul space?'
Images flowed through Syphers mind until he landed on one image in particular.
Gathering his energy, the entire desert roared to life, sand lifting up and swirling below his soul core. His eyes narrowed in the immense strain he had to exert.
Ever so slowly, they sand clung together through the painstaking effort of Syphers will.
"Just a little more!" The drain on Cypher's energy was immense, like trying to lift a weight 10 times your limit.
Eventually- after much effort-the sand receded. The reveal was grand, like nothing Sypher had seen before. For after all his hard work and efforts....a single sand brick lay below his soul core!
"Hahaha, you thought you could build an alter in one try hahah..." Clematines voice shot another arrow into Syphers heart as he looked at the brick.
In his mind, he had imagined a grand pyramid like structure that towered over the land directly below his soul core, however all he could produce was one brick! Disappointing but still a remarkable achievement nonetheless.
"Don't look so disappointed, look up to your soul core." Clementine ordered. While she couldn't see into Syphers soul space, she had experienced a similar disappointment when building her own alter and teaching her son how to build his.
Cypher followed the commands, looking up at the seemingly unchanged soul core.
"What!"
Looking closer, a remarkable change had occurred, for on one of the nine chains lay a single, small crack.
Clementines voice chimed in," The more levels you countruct for your Alter, the stronger you will become. For a talent like you, you'll grow rather quickly."
'So that's how it is! If I can complete one brick every day, I should break the second chain within 30 days!' Syphers talent in maniputing his own power was among the upper echolons of this world, on the level of a prodigy. Not many could match his pace, not even Clementine who took 90.
Though, there were others with similar abilities, like her son or the Prince of the empire. Each one would grow to be a monster in their own right.
"Now then, wake up."
Sypher left his soul space and found himself back in the arena, Clementine looking at him with a smile.
"You've completed your first step in becoming a proud servant of Endo, you may can visit the library for one hour a day in your free time. If you want to practice in the arena, you can do so. We'll meet here tomorrow for more training." Clematine stood up, ruffled Syphers hair and waved goodbye, having to hold another execution in a short while.
Sypher watched her back as she left, already planning to visit the library after taking a bath. The day had been short but more importantly full of valuable experience.