I woke with a start, my chest rising and falling as I gasped for air. The cool breeze brushed against my skin, carrying the faint scent of earth and grass. Above me, the branches of the ancient tree stretched high into the darkness of the maze, its leaves whispering softly in the wind. The glow from its bark was faint, but it gave the entire area a serene, otherworldly atmosphere.
As I stirred, something shifted on my chest. I looked down to see Umbra sprawled across me, his tiny form rising and falling with my breaths. His black wings drooped lazily, and a soft snore escaped his lips.
"Umbra?" I muttered, my voice raspy.
At the sound of my voice, his crimson eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, flapping his wings erratically as he hovered above me.
"Finally awake, huh?" he said, his usual cocky grin creeping across his face. "You really know how to worry a guy."
"What happened?" I asked, sitting up slowly.
"Oh, nothing much," Umbra replied nonchalantly, inspecting his claws. "You just decided to go head-to-head with a guardian samurai, collapsed like a sack of rocks, and then slept for three days straight. Real hero material."
I groaned, my entire body feeling heavier than before. But as I moved, I felt something different, a weight on my back that hadn't been there before.
"Umbra..." I hesitated, my voice filled with apprehension. "What's this... feeling?"
He tilted his head, his grin widening. "Ah, yeah. About that. You've got a surprise."
He floated behind me, and I twisted my neck to look. My breath caught in my throat as I saw it, It wasn't the brilliant white of heaven, but a black wing with red streaks running through its feathers, pulsing faintly with a dark, menacing glow.
"What... is that?"
"Your wing," Umbra explained, his tone unusually serious. "Well, one of them. The other hasn't grown yet, which is bad news. Without both, you're unbalanced. If you try to use too much power, you'll probably end up hurting yourself. Badly."
I stared at the wing, its ethereal glow mesmerizing. A mix of awe and unease churned in my chest.
"How do I make it go away?" I asked, panic creeping into my voice.
"Relax, I'll show you," Umbra said, fluttering around to face me. "Just focus on it. Imagine it retracting, like folding a blade into its sheath."
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused. I imagined the wing folding back into me, its glow dimming until it disappeared. When I opened my eyes, the weight was gone.
"Not bad," Umbra said, nodding approvingly. "Now, let's make one thing clear. You've got power, but it's dangerous. Until that other wing grows, you're walking a very thin line."
As I stood, I felt a surge of energy coursing through me. It was subtle but undeniable, a sign that something had shifted within me.
"Umbra," I said, my voice steady, "I think I've broken through."
He gave me a knowing smirk. "You're catching on. Welcome to the next circle of Arcanum, kid. Your fight with that guardian wasn't for nothing."
The realization hit me like a wave. All the training with Ronan, the battles I'd endured, it had all led to this moment.
"Does this mean I'm ready for whatever comes next?" I asked, hope and determination blending in my tone.
Umbra chuckled, his tiny frame shaking with amusement. "Not even close. But hey, you're one step closer. Let's just focus on not dying first, okay?"
We settled back under the tree, the glow from its bark casting soft light around us. Umbra perched on a low branch, his crimson eyes watching me closely.
"What do we do now?" I asked, my gaze drifting to the labyrinth stretching out beyond the tree's sanctuary.
"We stay," Umbra said firmly. "This place is safe, at least for now. You need time to adjust to all these changes before we dive headfirst into more chaos."
I nodded, understanding his reasoning. My body was still recovering, and the weight of the wing, even retracted, lingered in my mind.
"You're not alone, Lucian," Umbra said softly, his voice losing its usual teasing edge. "We'll figure this out together. One step at a time."
As I leaned back against the tree, the maze loomed in the distance, its walls silent and foreboding. For now, I would rest. But I knew that this was only the beginning.
Leaning back against the ancient tree, I stared at the labyrinth ahead, my thoughts swirling as I tried to make sense of the changes within me. The faint hum of energy coursing through my body was different now, more refined, more potent. Umbra perched on a low branch above, humming a tune that was just slightly off-key, but my focus was elsewhere.
I was no longer the same as when I had set out on this journey.
"I've reached the mid-stage of the fifth circle," I murmured to myself, feeling the weight of the realization.
When I'd trained under Ronan, I had just barely broken through to the fourth circle, hovering at its beginning stage. It had taken months of grueling effort, refining my control over the four elements, strengthening my body, and learning to harness Arcanum from my surroundings. Each breakthrough was a battle, but I had climbed higher.
The circles of Arcanum weren't just simple milestones. Each one was a test of growth and understanding, split into four distinct levels:
Beginning Stage: The first glimmer of mastery, where one could barely tap into the true potential of their circle. It was raw, unrefined, and unstable, like a flickering candle in the wind.
Mid-Stage: This was where power started to solidify. Control became sharper, and one could use their abilities with more precision and efficiency. I had reached this point now, and the surge in strength was undeniable.
Advanced Stage: A point where one could wield their circle's power as an extension of their own will. Techniques were smoother, stronger, and more versatile. It was the mark of someone who truly understood that Arcanum circle.
Principle of the Circle: The pinnacle of mastery for each stage, where one not only controlled their power but became one with it. This was where true mastery lay, the culmination of experience, insight, and raw talent.
My training with Ronan had laid the foundation, pushing me to the early fourth circle. But my battle in the maze, the overwhelming struggle against the samurai guardian, and the manifestation of my dark wing, all of it had thrust me forward, igniting something deep within.
"Five circles," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "Mid-stage... I didn't think I'd get here so fast."
But this was just the beginning. Each circle grew harder to break through as the gap between stages widened. And yet, I felt a strange sense of excitement rather than dread.
Umbra's voice broke my train of thought. "Feeling proud, are we?"
I glanced at him, his tiny form smirking at me from his perch.
"I've earned it," I replied with a faint grin. "Though I'm still nowhere near where I need to be."
Umbra chuckled. "True enough. The fifth circle's impressive, but don't let it get to your head. You've still got a long way to go, kid. Especially if you ever want to stand toe-to-toe with the big players out there."
I nodded, understanding his point. The Arcanum Circles were my measure of strength, yes, but they weren't the only thing that mattered. Control, strategy, and experience were just as crucial, if not more so.
For now, though, I allowed myself a moment to appreciate the progress.
The first time I felt the pull of my dark power was a moment I would never forget. It was as though something deep inside me had finally stirred, awakening after an eternity of dormancy. The power had always been there, lingering just below the surface, but now, it was alive, raw, untamed, and full of potential.
Umbra, ever the enigmatic teacher, had watched me closely. As he had said before, "The Dark Circle is something different. It's not about balance like your normal Arcanum. This power feeds off of chaos, from emotions like rage, sorrow, and despair. It will not obey unless you truly embrace it."
His words echoed in my mind as I stood in front of the great tree, the dark wing hanging awkwardly at my side. For so long, I had trained to master the traditional Arcanum, but now, this new power, the Dark Circle, was something far more volatile. I could feel the weight of it inside me, but I had no idea how to wield it, much less control it.
"Alright, Lucian," Umbra's voice cut through my thoughts. He had noticed my unease. "The first thing you need to understand is that your Dark Circle is not like the other circles you've learned about. While Arcanum focuses on balance, your dark power will only grow stronger through chaos and conflict. You can't just try to control it, you need to embrace it."
I nodded, trying to process the implications of his words. The Dark Circle had four stages, much like the Arcanum Circles, but they weren't comparable in the way they worked. While Arcanum was based on the manipulation of elements, the Dark Circle was about embracing and harnessing the very essence of darkness, using it as a conduit for raw energy.
"Let's start with the basics," Umbra said. "The first stage of the Dark Circle isn't that hard to attain. It's called the Beginner's Stage. Your goal is to manifest your dark power. You need to pull it out from the depths of your soul and shape it into something tangible. That's the only way you can safely start using it without hurting yourself."
I frowned. Manifestation? I had barely been able to understand the dark energy that swirled inside me, let alone try to shape it into something useful. But I had no choice but to try.
"Remember," Umbra warned, "If you fail, the energy could overwhelm you. It will try to corrupt you if you let it. But, for now, all you need to do is bring it out in a controlled manner."
I closed my eyes and focused inward, reaching for the darkness within me. The sensation was familiar but foreign at the same time, like I was touching something that both belonged to me and didn't. It was like grasping for a shadow that danced just beyond my reach.
I reached deeper. I could feel it now, pulsing in the depths of my consciousness. The energy was cold and heavy, swirling like a storm. It felt hungry, restless. My heartbeat quickened.
"Good," Umbra encouraged. "Feel it? Don't force it. Just become it."
I nodded. The longer I focused, the clearer the sensation became. It was like sinking into the abyss, a place where emotions blurred and the world faded into a quiet hum. My hand twitched, and the air around me grew colder. The darkness inside me began to twist, drawing itself toward my outstretched hand. It felt like it was pulling at my soul, trying to take over. I fought against the urge to let go, reminding myself that I needed to manifest this power, not let it consume me.
For a long moment, I struggled. My breathing quickened, and the world around me seemed to spin as I fought to control the pull of the darkness. Then, at last, something clicked. A single thread of dark energy snaked its way from the core of my being, curling into a tangible shape. I held it in my palm, a dark, swirling mist. It was faint, but it was there.
"You did it," Umbra said, his voice filled with approval. "That's the first step. You've manifested the dark energy. Now, it's yours to control."
I looked down at my hand, where the dark mist pulsed gently, responding to my emotions. I could feel it shift, like a living thing, swirling and weaving around my fingers.
But it wasn't stable. I could already tell that the moment I lost focus, it would slip from my grasp. Umbra's voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Don't think you're done," he warned. "Now, you need to learn how to maintain it, and control it. If you lose control again, it could spiral out of control. And that's where things get dangerous."
For the next few weeks, Umbra trained me relentlessly. We worked day in and day out, practicing how to keep the dark energy stable. At first, it was just about forming it, but soon, we moved on to shaping it. I had to make the power flow in and out of my body without losing control, and then, once I was able to control it, I had to shape it into something more useful.
The hardest part was holding onto it. Every time I grew distracted, even for a second, the energy would slip from my grasp and fade back into the shadows. I learned that it was far easier to summon the dark energy than to maintain it.
Umbra's training became more intense as time went on. He constantly pushed me further, testing my limits. His methods were harsh, but they worked.
"You need to understand," he told me one day, after I failed to manifest the energy for the third time in a row, "This is about control, but it's also about focus. The Dark Circle doesn't obey conventional rules. It's about bending reality to your will. You need to break the rules in order to control it."
Finally, after nearly a month of intense training, I began to see progress. The energy didn't slip from my grasp as often, and I could now form it into a more distinct shape. One night, I sat before the tree again, focusing on the dark energy. I felt it stir inside me, coiling like a serpent.
I reached out with my hand, this time with more confidence. The dark energy began to swirl into shape, and this time, I held onto it, feeling it grow as it took form in the air in front of me. It flickered in and out of existence, but I kept it stable. For the first time, I could feel the power becoming mine, no longer an uncontrollable force, but a part of me.
"Well done," Umbra said, his tone almost proud. "Now, you're beginning to understand."
But the work didn't stop there. Over the next several weeks, we continued to refine the control, teaching me to manipulate the energy with more precision. I learned how to use it to shield myself, how to form weapons, and how to direct it as a projectile.
But I had only completed the first stage, the Beginner's Stage.
"The next stage will be harder," Umbra warned, his expression serious. "The more you advance, the more control you'll need. And it won't just get harder to control the power, it will become more dangerous. The Dark Circle doesn't just give you strength, it tests you, pushes you to your limits. And beyond."
The next stage, the Mid-Stage, was already a distant thought in my mind. For now, though, I had to focus on perfecting this manifestation of darkness.
And I knew the road ahead would be long and difficult. But I was ready. Ready to face the challenge and break through to the next level.
Umbra smiled, his eyes gleaming with pride. "You've done well, Lucian. But don't get ahead of yourself. You can't use this power too much until your other wing grows. It's dangerous, especially in the state you're in. I only helped you awaken it because leaving it unchecked could be even more perilous. Remember, you're playing with something that can consume you if you're not careful."
And in the stillness of the night, I silently agreed. I had taken the first step on the long, winding road of the Dark Circle.