There are several different paths of ways for cultivation the path that mental masters walk upon, and it all comes down to how you awaken your mind realm. The special talent is blessed on them since birth, but things are a bit different for Azrail, who has forcefully awakened it. Thus, this way Azrail has to choose the path of which type of mental master he wants to walk.
Several paths lay in front of him, with the limbo space being spread with the souls of the dead that have yet to be called forth. Azrail has a vast majority of information and cultivation paths that he can take, the formula being on which path forward he should be going.
'Um... my fighting style will be very much different from the rest, and I need to cover all basics.'
A single cultivator can't be good at everything, in his thirst for power, he would have a path he will be walking. For some the path of pure power, others defense, some elemental control and more, which would open up the person itself to have at least one level of weakness and everyone's the same but Azrail has the chance to leave no gap for the rest to even come close to catching up with him.
Azrail plans to tailor each of his powers to a certain direction that will make it such that at the end of his goal, he will be the master of all, a single man that none can even come close to scratching up, it would be such that just fighting him would arouse despair in the hearts of others.
'Cultivating Qi will boost me towards my path of the Omega Asura, a power of sheer might and attack.'
Azrail still has 9 more flames left for him to open up, they will be giving him different levels of fighting powers, and in his attack and fighting, many won't even be able to come close to him. His enemies would burn up and float away before they can even make a dent on him. From the path the fire is going towards Azrail could understand many things.
He would have the sheer power of the 11 flames around him, they being able to move and fluctuate and fight of their own will once they reach their potential, each bearing its unique elemental power and fighting style, thus just with the Qi cultivation Azrail will be more than a one-man army, a pure fire raging Asura that no one can get close to.
Instead, Azrail is thinking of embarking on a more unorthodox journey – a collection Symphony. This path acknowledges the unique blend of powers within him and seeks to orchestrate them into a combined force.
The first step involves forging a connection between his disparate energies. He utilizes World Spirit Energy as the conductor's baton, channeling it to harmonize the flow of Qi, soul energy, and mental control. This allows him to unleash devastating attacks that combine raw power with precise manipulation, breaking through defenses and exploiting weaknesses.
Though from what Azrail could gather, perhaps, the soul energy itself would play a better smoothing component, Azrail could still feel it from back then when he first stepped through the layers traveling through a certain path towards Torex's domain, that single nearby mixed place with several energies moving with perfect symphony, an extremely dangerous power that can take down anything, Azrail wishes to wield that energy in his hands.
'The unique adaptability of soul energy is the answer to this'
Azrail delves deeper into soul energy, learning to sculpt and manipulate it into constructs. These constructs could be ethereal warriors imbued with the power of the eleven flames, or intricate shields woven from the very essence of souls. This allows him to create a versatile fighting force that can adapt to any situation.
The Symphony of connecting several energies is fraught with danger. The sheer complexity of harmonizing so many energies requires immense mental fortitude and discipline. A single misstep could lead to a catastrophic energy backlash, potentially injuring him or worse. Additionally, Azrail constantly walks a tightrope between control and chaos. His power lies in the intricate symphony he conducts, but losing control of one element could unleash a cacophony of destruction, jeopardizing himself and everything around him.
Through meticulous practice and a deep understanding of his energies, Azrail strives to create a symphony so potent that it can warp the fabric of reality itself. He envisions a future where he can manipulate the fundamental forces of the universe, bending time and space, and shattering the very boundaries between life and death.
Azrail understands the necessity for adaptability. While he focuses on harmonizing his energies, he also delves into the darker aspects of soul energy. He learns to manipulate the fears and anxieties of his enemies, creating a symphony of horrors within their minds. This doesn't rely on brute force mental domination but on subtle manipulations and psychological warfare.
All of them are important for Azrail's future path.
'I need to begin with focusing first on getting all the powers on the same level, then its refinement.'
Thanks to being chosen by Death, the true talents of Azrail lie at an unseen level that can't be matched at all. Trying to even measure it would be pure stupidity, but even with all this, Azrail kept his mind calm, because he understood where the depths and desire of this power came from. So for now, he will use it to the limit, and in the end, he will drive the very gifts that came right down to 'their' hearts.
'I need to be calm for now.'
There is no use focusing on a goal that lies far ahead. The most important thing right now is for Azrail to take small step by step. The last goal that lies is extremely far away for the current weak him, thus with deep breaths Azrail started to cool his mind, the powers he possesses and will definitely possess into the future playing through his mind, twirling all around.
'The main start would be from cultivating the Omega Asura's Wrath.'
Azrail thought, he starting to barely scratch the true power of this cultivation technique that seemed to lay beyond a grade kept, especially with Azrail already having the needed 11 flames already existing within himself, all that was left for Azrail was to awaken them one by one, each one needing its own grueling conditions to be activated.
Azrail got "lucky" with the first two flames, but later down the line, lots of risk and resources are needed for Azrail to take the rest of the steps further in. Azrail is currently in the Minor Realm of Mastery. He has unlocked the basic power of the first two flames and can utilize them in basic attacks. However, he's yet to tap into their true potential. The vast majority of the technique remains a mystery waiting to be unraveled.
The Omega Asura's Wrath isn't just a cultivation technique; it's a legacy forged in vengeance and fueled by an insatiable hunger for power. It offers Azrail a path unlike any other, demanding unique needs, bestowing awe-inspiring powers, and requiring him to delve into the very essence of fire itself.
It has its own unique Needs such as:
The Remnants of Asura: The Omega Asura wasn't the only fire-wielding entity. There are remnants scattered across the cosmos – weapons forged from the heart of dying stars, armor woven from the fabric of singularities, and even fragments of the Omega Asura itself. Mastering the Omega Asura's Wrath might require seeking out these remnants, either to harness their power or to overcome them as a test of his own worth.
'Thankfully the tradeoffs I receive for it are nice'
Azrail dived deep, the sweet rewards of his path slowly flowing in.
Flame Mimicry: As Azrail progresses, he won't just wield the flames; he'll become an extension of them. He can mimic the properties of each flame – teleporting through the void like the Void Flame, becoming invisible like the Shadowflame, or even gaining the raw destructive power of a supernova with the Stardust Flame.
Symbiotic Symphony: The awakened flames aren't just tools; they become Azrail's companions. Each flame develops its own personality, quirks, and even special abilities. The "Stormfire Flame" might become a mischievous prankster, teleporting Azrail out of danger at inopportune moments, while the "Inferno Flame" might be a loyal warrior, yearning for glorious battle. Learning to harmonize with these diverse personalities becomes a crucial part of mastering the symphony.
Infernal Domain: Beyond the Infernal Form lies a terrifying power – the Infernal Domain. Here, Azrail doesn't just transform; he warps reality itself. The environment around him becomes a reflection of his inner fire, filled with swirling lava rivers, obsidian mountains that pierce the sky, and storms of ash and embers. Any opponent caught within this domain faces not just Azrail's wrath, but the wrath of the Omega Asura itself, a power that bends the very fabric of existence.
Command over the Eleven Flames: Each flame holds a unique domain – Inferno Flame manipulates raw heat, Void Flame bends space, Shadowflame commands darkness, and so on. Mastering the Omega Asura's Wrath grants Azrail dominion over all eleven, allowing him to create devastating combinations and techniques. Imagine a storm of lightning fueled by the Inferno Flame, teleporting enemies into the heart of a blazing inferno. The possibilities are endless.
Evolving Flames: The flames are not static entities. As Azrail grows stronger and unlocks their inner fire, the flames themselves evolve. They gain sentience, develop unique personalities, and even develop their own special abilities. This creates a dynamic symphony within Azrail, with each flame contributing its own voice to the overall power he wields.
Infernal Form: At the pinnacle of the Omega Asura's Wrath lies the Infernal Form. This grants Azrail a transformation, merging his body with the essence of all eleven flames. He becomes a living inferno, radiating immense heat, capable of warping reality itself, and wielding the power of a vengeful god.
'All in dew time....'
'I need to get myself on those resources if I want to increase my level of mastery of Omega Aura's Wrath.'
In return for the mind-blowing powers that Azrail will be receiving, he has to give forth an unbelievable level of resources for it, and many of those you can't get with just money. You need money and power, but thankfully to deal with that for now, he has Nylan, the mad man having the means to get the 'low' level resources for the beginning. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
With his connections, everything would flow smoothly. So, in that part, it's okay. The main art would be awakening another flame, but Azrail already has a small plan for it. Once the organization he sent the message to finishes reading his deal, the plan will fall through, and Azrail will be able to make his first move.
'The only other problem will be running point.'
The plan to have spies within the major powers is slowly falling through. To place absolute loyalty and power, Azrail has the plan of creating a very unique path of control, a thought that ranged in Azrail's mind one day: what if he takes the power of soul, mental control, and a hint of the unique World Spirit energy to create a technique that can't be broken and is fully controlled for mind manipulation?
A new power path that will be extremely useful to Azrail, though even beginning at that will take some work from Azrail's side. For that, he would need some masterful ideas and knowledge, which again thankfully lie in the suspended level of Limbo, where the souls first lay before being judged of power and position.
The unique thing about Limbo is the fact that it lays beyond the level of time, which means that time there is practically nonexistent. The souls that lay there are all the souls in existence, the point in which Azrail enters being a frozen point, a level laying with souls of the past, present, and the future. Though right now, Azrail hasn't reached the level to access the souls of the future, even the past is pushing Azrail's command over death.
'Right now, there are several priorities that I have to deal with.'
Azrail has to smooth his path, develop and plan for his faction, creating techniques to match his goal, arrange the memories of the future to create the great path for him. Though for that, he has All-Seer, making it a much more efficient manner of creating a path for it. Then Azrail has his own personal life that he has to deal with.
'Sigh, that will be a headache.'
Azrail has no interest in moving with darkness in his love life. Valencia won't be a problem, but the other two, bringing them in on his 'active' love life will be a pain in the ass. Though once again, Azrail has someone like Valencia on his side, the thought of her sending a certain flash through his eyes.
If it was before the evolution field, then Azrail would have kept his vigilance against Valencia even after everything she did for him. His emergence of her past and of what he read about her in the future, making it very hard for Azrail to let go of all the suspicions he had into the changed behavior of Valencia.
But the moment 'they' gave him all the info he needed, he dropped all the vigilance he had against her. Heck, in fact, knowing what he knows, Valencia will be very useful to him in many ways, essential even towards his love life if he wants to keep things more...controlled.
'But she is a double-edged sword. If I let her brew too much, it would be disastrous to me.'
Azrail knows deeply how twisted that mind of Valencia's is turning out to be, and he needs to deal with it in a delicate manner to control all that obsession and love that passes all boundaries. Though then again, Azrail won't deny the fact that this situation of having such a beauty and mind so crazily in love with him doesn't make him feel quite giddy and prideful.
The question made Azrail shake his head with a wry smile as he asked.
'Why the hell do you have some information like that on you?'
Azrail asked, lost for words.
[Hey, it's still information, plus I have the info of some powerful figures of the past and still living, info about their harem pain.]
'Nope, I'm not that desperate to see other people's harem suffering. While mine is a bit mad, I still enjoy the madness.'
As Azrail spoke of this, a hint of the great madness that he kept in check flashed through his eyes for a moment, a madness that would even make Raena quake in her boots.
[[Master, even I have a lot of information from the tower about the powerful ones that lost their dicks!!]]
Hearing the loud, excited shout of Mia, Azrail almost choked on where he sat. The excitement in Mia's voice clearly asked for a praise from him, the thing he had learned here being the fact that unlike the annoyingly aloof All-Seer, Mia is a much more praise-seeking AI. She's always wanting to hear him praising her or rearing at any situation to be of use to him.
'Where did that aloof AI go that tried to dominate control in the past?'
While Azrail thought of this, he reluctantly thanked Mia.
'Good work, Mia.'
[[Hehehehe...]]
[Humph!...]
'Did you just pout?'
Azrail asked, but he got no reply. In the end, he could only go forth to focus on the current issues at hand.
Leaving aside his grumpy All-Seer, Azrail focused back on the present; he already had a plan kept in place to deal with the meeting of all the three and it would be soon too, once some things were settled he would dive into it.
'Right now the most important thing is to get the view of the Ai family.'
Even above that, Azrail has to deal with his little aunt, the second villain that rose from this family, though unlike Azrail her path was different, she reached higher in her path of villainy, a path she got by making a deal, a deal that came to place after Kia murdered the entirety of the Ai family, well at least what was left anyway.
'Sigh...it's still hard to dive into these memories.'
Azrail thought, the scene of his uncle's decapitated head on a table flashing, the scene of the entire Ailin city in blood, fully destroyed flashing, and the scene of Kia standing atop the corpses of the dead while drinking in the blood from the cut-off head of Guo Ai And Fulu Ai.
'I was the only one left off from the list.'
Azrail could remember it, that scene breaking his heart. This had happened later in his life, and the moment he saw it he directly tried to kill Kia, but it ended up in failure, the one she made a contract to safeguard at the last moment. From there began the rise of the iron bloody witch of chaos, a being that went on to create a great amount of chaos and death, and the funny thing being she became among the 21 catastrophes that ended realms, a great danger similar to Ravenna that affected the whole cosmos.
'Should I kill her?' n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Even with her newfound power, Kia wasn't satisfied. Anya's insatiable hunger urged her on. She razed entire cities, leaving behind a trail of death and devastation. She reveled in chaos, her laughter echoing through the ruins of civilizations she had brought down. Her actions earned her the horrifying moniker, "The Iron Bloody Witch of Chaos."
Despite the carnage she wrought, a sliver of Kia remained trapped within. There were moments, fleeting glimpses, where a flicker of her past self surfaced. The scene Azrail recalled, with Kia standing atop the mountain of corpses, tears of blood staining her face, was one such instance. In that moment, the monstrous Anya faltered. Kia, buried beneath generations of cruelty, surfaced, pleading for the oblivion of death.
However, Anya quickly regained control, locking away the sliver of Kia once again. The Scourge of Realms continued her rampage, her influence spreading like a virus throughout the cosmos. She eventually transcended the shackles of the Ai bloodline, becoming a fully realized entity, one of the 21 cataclysmic forces capable of unraveling entire realities.
Azrail's dilemma was clear. Kia, the sweet girl he once knew, was a prisoner held in one of the great evils. The question gnawed at him: if he killed Kia, the physical form of Anya, wouldn't that simply trap the monstrous entity further? Or would it unleash her unfettered upon the cosmos, free to consume everything in her path?
He knew he couldn't leave things unchecked. Anya's awakening was inevitable, and with it, the return of a cosmic horror. He had to find a solution, a way to sever the connection between Anya and Kia, to save the little aunt he once loved while stopping The Scourge of Realms. from rising once more.
'Her soul I need to deal deeper into her soul.'
From the information Azrail has, Kia is the perfect vessel for Anya, Kia itself being born from a broken-off piece of soul and a million years of planning, the perfect one for Anya to break out and live over, as such Kia possesses immense potential and power of growth, the only thing she lacks is the knowledge and ability to use them.
'If I play my cards right she will be a perfect soldier for me'
Azrail's eyes flashed, the knowledge that he only bears passing Ruthlessly through his mind and thus a plan for the future slowly shaping place.
'This is a hard decision to make.'
While Azrail thought of this, Valencia entered into his room, her gaze lingering happily on him, and the moment it was just the two of them, the veil on her face got taken down, as that stunning face appeared to the world. Seeing her, Azrail stood up from the bed, she, without wasting a moment, jumped into his embrace and hugged him tight, this making him smile a bit while relaxing his body as Valencia spoke.
"I could feel all your complex emotions, I just wanted to make you relax."
Her soft, smooth voice, like silk, blooming in Azrail's ears as he, already now feeling like his mind calmed down, spoke, patting Valencia's back.
"Don't worry, I am fine."
To this, she raised her head to look at him, those pink eyes of hers fully focused on him, and it was at that moment, that Rhea, the little mischievous fox, jumped right out of Valencia's soul space, the little one soon settling and jumping above Azrail's head.
"Nei~nei!~."
Such cute sounds were being unleashed from her as she kept bouncing around, seeing this Azrail smiled, the little warmth all around, helping the dark thoughts that were taking over his mind calm down. Thus, holding Valencia's shoulder, he placed a light kiss on her forehead, the action going to now make her face fully pink from her blush.
Even the tips of her ears turned red, while those pink eyes of hers for a moment seemed to flash with the symbol of hearts in them.
"Hehehehe..."
Such a chuckle started to leave through Valencia's mouth as she rushed forth to hug Azrail, rubbing her head on his chest.
'Where is that cold girl that tried to kill me?'
Azrail asked to himself, though he didn't lay on that thought for long as the room soon shrouded itself, the whole place being cut off from reality as Adria, the very beautiful elf, whose stunning beauty was beyond measure, came out. Azrail went into a daze for a moment as he shook it off.
"Tell me before you come out, it's not easy to keep my mind when you are so outrageously beautiful."
Azail suddenly spoke out loudly, his eyes matching Adira's who seemed to find the situation of him being able to see her face uniquely satisfying enough to try it all the time, though these sudden words of his brought a light arrogant smirk to her face as she spoke.
"Humph... it's not my problem if you can't handle my beauty."
Though as she said this, Azrail noticed the fact that the ends of her long elven ears were red and he could see them trembling and shaking a bit.
"Guess she is pissed, huh?"
Azrail said, looking at the fallen piece of ceiling, Adria slightly pulling off at the mark of fate she wields, to show off her control over fate, quite the cute way of throwing a tantrum if one can say so.
'Thanks to her completed soul, the transformation of her true gentle self is happening faster than before.'
Azrail marked and to take advantage of that Azrail has already left his 'mark' on her soul, one she will never find but one as wills, will be very useful to him and thus with that thought Azrail sat on one of the chairs and Valencia, as if it's normal, quickly took her place in his lap, their height being similar enough to have her head fall to his shoulder.
While she did this, the little mischievous Rhea kept running around, her pink tail flashing.
"Do you need my help to deal with your aunt?"
Valencia asked, her tone gentle, to which Azrail, brooding a bit, spoke.
"I might need it."
"You plan to make use of her?"
To this, Azrail nodded his head.
"The powers of 'that' will be very useful to us, if I can extract it and only keep the power on Kia then it would be a win-win situation."
Valencia's eyes frowned at those words, her mind going through some scenarios after which she spoke.
"What if you can't keep that power without keeping 'that' within Kia?"
To this, something deep flashed through Azrail's eyes, a thought, after which he spoke.
"Then I would just have to make 'that' my servant."
The dominance in his words shocked Valencia and even made the soul of Adria lose itself. Well, how couldn't it, when Azrail literally speaks of making one of the greatest tragedies, one of the most evil entities that roamed the cosmos, his servant? Most people would have stoned him to death calling him crazy or stupid, but both the women could see the seriousness in his eyes as he said this.
'I already have one calamity working for me, why not add another one to it?'
Azrail mused at that thought but even he had to agree that his thoughts were very stupid and dangerous, unlike the rare form of Ravenna, the one called Anya is anything but a piece of meat waiting for him to savor, she is a monster that lives hidden from the world, her influence all around the cosmos, with her loyal servants spread around like a cult.
The cult members of Anya are among the highest-rated ones to kill on sight by all-powerful organizations around the cosmos, that's how dangerous she is. And now Azrail sits here calmly, within the lowest of realms, and talks about making such a woman his servant? Anybody would think that Azrail has lost it.
'Having to tame her will go a long way in getting more and more power.'
Azrail, thought slowly patting the back of Valencia sitting on his lap, who was lovingly twirling his hair while secretly taking deep sips of his scent.
'Are you sure you don't have dogkins DNA on you?'
Shaking off those thoughts, Azrail focused on the main advantages of taking in Anya. Sure, she might be one of the most evil entities of the past, hated across all cosmos, wanted to be killed by the majority of the great powers, fully crazy for power, being extremely cruel with a lot of heavenly curses under her belt...
'Maybe I don't want her?' n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
[Finally some normal brain cells.]
'Piss off!'
Toning down All-Seer Azrail focused on the current ways Anya can be of use. That woman, even though sealed now, has her 'cult' spread all around the cosmos, several major powerful characters staying in powerful organizations being her marked worshipers that hide in the light to spread her darkness of blood and frenzy.
Anya's repeated attempts to get control of the cosmos more and more has made her cult the most powerful and well-hidden one in the world, her special abilities and talents for bestowing her blessings and more being extremely powerful enough that several talents that rose from nothing worship her like a supreme God of Knowledge.
'Her knowledge is extremely vast, isn't it?'
[During that time she arose first as the most knowledgeable scholar across the cosmos, the respect she demanded at her prospects was unmatched.]
'Um... continue.'
[She can almost reach my craze for knowledge, though that being added with her desire for power, with two such things, she touched upon the lost legacy of a fallen primordial legacy of the last, this one being from a primordial that certain other powerful primordials had put down.]
'And that power went to someone crazy like her?'
[In the beginning, she wasn't all that bad, but she had accepted the power and legacy of that primordial.]
'I can't hear the name, can I?'
Her parents being carved up like toys, her sisters being used in ways beyond imagination, her brothers being thrown out as mere toys whose life essence the worst of the worst started to suck and take away, their pain never-ending, their hatred focused deeply on the woman, that had to go forth and call this disaster to the family due to her never-ending desire for knowledge and power.
The scenes followed the scene of the one person she coming to love being ripped apart like paper, his torture following soon, anybody she coming to trust betraying her, the calls of extreme haters of the ones she knew reaching her ears, the heart-filled calls of her best friends, they cursing her for being born, for being forced to know her.
She herself being put forth, hunted, hated, and killed, the ones at the top going forth to place stupid rumors and control, taking over the narrative of the situation such that the young Anya at that time became framed for the death of everyone she knew she being called forth as an evil that slaughtered everyone she knew.
Her torture continued with her being hunted down and hated by everyone, slowly by slowly the powerful kept chipping away at her until finally, she broke...
Anya took up the mantle of what they called her, she fully accepted the powerful and psyche of the primordial she was chosen of and thus she truly became what the cosmos made her out to be, a true harbinger of blood and chaos, an entity of pure evil, hate, and murder, one that took up the torture of her family to inflict on others, be it guilty or innocent.
She wasn't born that way, the cosmos had just broken her...
'Sometimes what you sow will get you back.'
Having seen just the gazes of what had happened, Azrail understands deeply where the fault all lay, but that doesn't make Anya not guilty of what she had done, civilizations, species, and powers fell under her pursuit of power, her hands already stained with more blood than Azrail can dream to match, the hate towards her at the beginning might not have been justified, but the current hate towards her has all the reason to be justified.
'But I still want her.'
From what Azrail can see, the rewards far outweigh the risks if he can get Anya to be his slave, but it would need far more planning than what he did with Nayan. This is a woman with an extreme amount of power, someone who has been planning behind the scenes for a long time, waiting for her chance to finally come out and spread her desires again.
"Valencia, I will need your help on this issue, we would need to make a detailed plan with Nayan for what I want to do, perhaps his unique mind might have a solution to the path forward."
"Um...."
Valencia nodded her head at those words, and just as she did so, the body of the two flashed from where they sat, soon appearing on a powerful throne back in the Realm Scrapper. The moment he did, one of the moving clones made by Nayan quickly bowed his head at Azrail as he spoke.
"Master, why the sudden return?"
To this, Azrail freely spoke.
"We need to brainstorm some ideas in order to make Anya, The Scourge of Realms, my slave."
"Huh?"
Was all the response that Nayan could give.
"Ma-Master, are you talking about the An-Anya?"
Nayan, in his different colored disguise, asked him, the poor, crazy guy trembling in his place. Even to him, the idea of what Azrail spoke of can't easily be registered in his mind. To this, Azrail, sitting on the chair with Valencia in his lap, looked down at the trembling man as he spoke.
"Yup, the very one."
To this, all Nayan could do was hold back the sheer chaos that filled his mind. Why does this kid keep acting like it's normal about the fact to make one of the most powerful evil ruling entities in this cosmos his slave?
"Ma-Master, I would like it if you could be a bit more specific?"
The poor scientist, already tired from all the shit that Azrail is making him do, asked, his soul already feeling extremely tired. Yet his ruthless master doesn't seem to give a shit about it as Azrail started to explain to Nayan the basics of what is going on. And the moment Azrail finished his explanation, the only thing Nayan could do was blink his eyes in wonder as he asked himself.
'What the fuck is wrong with this family?' Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Why the hell are such powerful people rarely talked about in the cosmos, but whose names causes tremble around just at their names are mentioned gather around this little kid? And all that gathers around the kid are people hated by the cosmos too.
There is Nayan, Adria, and now the kid is planning on adding Anya to his collections.
'Does this kid plan to keep adding disasters to his life or what?'
Nayan didn't know how correct his thought was. The poor intellectual dude will know into the future that among the ones that will follow Azrail, he will be considered the more 'normal' and 'less' evil.
"So, can you do it?"
Azrail asked. To this, all Nayan could do was rub his forehead as he spoke.
"I would have to look into it, and I also need a clear directive of the plan you are thinking of executing."
To this, Azrail nodded his head, while Nayan tried to go with the flow. Hey, as you might have heard, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
'In this world, there are no rewards without suffering.'
As Azrail asked this, Adria didn't deny it, her gaze strong as she focused on him. As someone that lived for as long as she did, as someone that has seen things as she did, Adria knows for the better that the heart of people changes and fluctuates. The true heart of a person can never be fully understood by someone, and Adria has no desire to give rise to someone that might perhaps grow to stab her in the back... again.
"Adria, I think this is a pivotal point for the two of us, and for that, I am more than fully prepared."
As Azrail spoke of this, his soul deep within him started to tremble, a single thread of peace that pertains to his soul slithering out from him as the same happened to Adria's, the elven woman's eyes widened as those two threads suddenly connected, forming a powerful conjunction point, a small shine of light forming from the connection.
"Soul connection, you are willing to go this far?"
Adria asked with suppressed amazement, her mind almost being hypnotized by the beauty at which Azrail controlled the soul energy, a chill also passing through her back at such a cosmic level-breaking ability. But for now, she focused on Azrail, who with a light smirk, replied.
"I believe I should do something like this now, else the faint seed of doubt you have for me might one day grow to be something that might divide us."
To this, Adria, saying silently, nodded her head. Now with such connections formed between the two to the highest level, there cannot be any sort of deceit allowed. Adria could tell with utmost clarity and precision the truth of the words that Azrail is about to speak. Hence, taking a deep breath, Azrail started to speak.
"Let me tell you something clearly, Adria. To me, there is nothing more precious than the people I care for. Once they are mine, I won't let anybody make them cry. I will protect them with all my heart. After all, what's the use of having all the power that I have if I don't have anybody to celebrate it all with?"
Speaking, he turned his gaze for a moment to Valencia. Azrail spoke.
"I will use any and all tricks, even the most evil ones, to make what I want mine. But once it is mine, I will never hurt them, I will never betray them. I will strive my life to make the people I make mine the happiest in all the realms."
Saying so, Azrail faced Adria again.
"I am not a hero, nor do I truly wish to be a villain. All I wish for is to make the people I care about happy, to see them shine, to keep them safe. And for that, I would be a hero if I have to or a villain if I have to, but I will never ever turn my back on people that are already mine, and that is my path."
At the end of Azrail's words, Adria's eyes shined, the connection between the two shining forth to a great level, as Adria, for a moment, came face to face with a soul similar to hers, the truthfulness and purity of Azrail's determination shining forth. And Adria could feel it, the soul of someone hurt and hunted yet stitched back together through will and might.
The one in front of her isn't one that lives just for himself; he lives for the people around him too. There being the will of domination, desires, lust for power, and everything, but deep in the cleanest and most central part of all, Adria could see that fixed soul of purity, the purity of a person that would do anything for his people.
Purity of the one that will never betray, will never turn back, and will do anything and everything to protect and love.
'This is beautiful...'
Adria could tell at a glance that this purity won't change; it's a fixed path that cannot be shaken by anything in its path. What Adria feared was the fact of Azrail ever changing from the power he keeps accumulating. Adria had seen with her own eyes how power had changed men, turning them from loving members to killing beasts.
Thieving and betraying for power, she had seen all of such ugliness. But now, floating here like this and gazing at this soul, she can tell that no amount of power, wealth, connections, death, anger, or sadness, none of it will break the path that this boy is walking. And to it, Adria got entranced, her mind being swept in by the soul of such obsessive love and compassion that for a moment, a trace of envy flashed in her own heart.
The cosmos is a dangerous place, truly trying to get a partner that you can trust 100% in this cosmos where everyone betrays everyone is a daunting task. Many times love can be a fleeting emotion here, and families and powerful organizations can fall from within. No one can say what their significant other is thinking at all times.
Hence, it's true that one can't mark how someone can grow up to be, but at times there are fixed ones, ones that understand themselves so deeply that no matter what comes their way, their behavior and actions would be the same. The biggest luck of anyone in the cosmos would be to get someone on your side who would never betray you and would stick to you through thick and thin.
A loyalty not out of slave contracts, mind-controlling, memory manipulation, fate manipulation, or anything like that, but a core behavior or character of loyalty and love that lives and cares for their family such that, even at the breaking point of achieving their greatest dream or power, they wouldn't break to betray their loved ones.
Adria could see it in the fateful soul path that Azrail was showing her, his soul having the greed, and desires like anyone else, perhaps his soul even being darker and more manipulative than others, perhaps even going forth to do evil to get what he wants. But at the center of it all, she can see his character of never leaving behind the ones he loves. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
It's a twisted form of a path, him cloaking his hand towards evil, doing evil, hurting the ones first before he makes them his, perhaps breaking the lives of others before he brings them or cares for them, a twisted form of character. But Adria could see that once it's done, there is nothing that will force Azrail to hurt them again.
Isn't that a twisted beauty?
Adria couldn't even come to remember the time she had seen anyone whose fixed path of might exists like this, a twisted beauty of the soul and fate, something that is twisted to be so dark that there exists some sort of bewitching light holding all that darkness together, a will that will not break nor bend to another.
Adria had seen caring ones, but they wouldn't bend or break their so-called 'pride' for nothing. But Adria could see it, Azrail wouldn't hesitate to bark, beg, or kneel if it meant keeping his family safe, a will to love his family first being so ever-present and shining. And such a thing, such a fixed level of never-changing confidence, can only arise from one reason: 'Supreme understanding of oneself.'
.....
[You must be crazy to do this, don't you understand the repercussions of mental collapse when you show a fate seeker like this your own fate?]
All-Seer's question ran in Azrail's mind, its curiosity ever present in how it presented the issue to which Azrail gazed at the floating Adria, her form shifting around, trembling here and there as she floated above with closed eyes, a shining light bursting from her soul as she did so.
'I did it for that same reason.'
Azrail spoke back to which All-Seer replied.
[The ones like that, her species itself serves with the greatest intent for an Irregular fate, and if you add the species and progression she had evolved to, you doing this would-]
'Make her crazy, I know.'
Azrail interrupted with a hidden smile on his face. Adria was or in a way is a royal moon elf, one of the highest-rated species of elves there are barely any of them left around in the cosmos, and one of royal blood even more. But what awes her even more to Azrail is the path of evolution she took and the 'profession' she holds.
Those beautiful central purple stars in the background of her blue pupils aren't a normal thing, not to mention the rest of the swirling little stars in her eyes. The moon elves themselves are said to have an uncanny gaze into the moon, the power of the shining moon night capable of breaking through and gazing at unseen fates and futures. And in the case of Adria, she stands at the top of it all.
Adria didn't just go forth to gaze and resonate to the moon, Adria went forth to connect and take the stars that shined far from the moon, a power that led her to see and wield fate like no other. Becoming one of the daughters of Fate itself.
Moon Elves had the moon above them, the very singular moon that floats up above below the stars, the closest thing to gaze from the land. The innate resonance that moon elves had to that calling of the moon was something else, but Adria went above and beyond that, she didn't just take the moon, she had aimed for the stars, and Adria achieved her goal too.
Adria took the stars as hers, tapping into the untold power of the stars that exist in all powers of time and fate. Both the spatial resonance of her blood and the ability she chose to wield gave birth to her power, the extremely rare Fate Seeker, a profession and power only granted to a handful across the vast history of the entire cosmos.
And Azrail now poked into such a being. The biggest disadvantage that holds such one back is the presence of anything that might bring a sparkle into their eyes. To the ones that could peer and shift fates, the normal path of life would look dull and grey, no fate would be enough to match their hearts and desires. Thus, the concepts of desire for love are extremely foreign to them all. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
And in Adria's case, it's even more special. Her broken soul, the connection of her lineage, the profession she chose to wield—all of this accumulating and coming together to form a much more open prey that Azrail can act upon. The sight that Azrail has shown Adria is something that will drive her crazy enough, a small truth among the truth, that's what Azrail had shown, and its effects now are shining forth.
It's been a few minutes since he had shown Adria his soul path, and ever since then she has been silently floating up above in her soul form, her form itself trembling, its shape changing and fixing back together at intervals. Now all three of them present in the room just kept looking at Adria, who kept twitching, seemingly going through something of her own.
"Cough... did you break her, master?"
Nylan asked, to which I just gave him a side-eye. Valencia was still on my lap, she had more idea about what I did to Adria, as she with a pout spoke to me.
"You don't have to be such a bully, she is still my master after all."
"Sorry, sorry, I will be more careful next time."
Azrail replied with a smile as he patted Valencia's hair, this action quickly throwing out any sort of dissatisfaction that Valencia had as she melted into Azrail's embrace. One can only imagine the face Adria would make if she saw how easily her own disciple was subdued by her anger for her master, though in this case, Adria also couldn't be said to be any better.
Yun asked, seated beside her being Xuanyin, beside whom is Azrail, and the next being Valencia. Raena chose to sit this one out, though from what Azrail could understand, she was drunk and was probably doing some kind of sunbathing atop an extremely large tree in the estate. To Azrail's mother's question, the room turned somber, the rest of the members sitting facing the lineup of Azrail and Yun.
Kia, ever ambitious, now has a serious determined face falling over her, sitting beside her Guo Ai had Fulu Ai wrap her hand around her husband's hands, while Braze also seemed to have shed his initial goofiness. The serious atmosphere raised the temperature all around as Kia was the first one to speak.
"I want to reach the top, the highest point that no one has ever touched, that's what I want."
Her answer was more than showing the path she was willing to walk, to this, Yun nodded with a slight smile, the little proud look making Kia, who considers Yun her model, beam in happiness at her seat. Though Kia quickly controlled her expression to keep a very serious gaze, then the eyes of the room focused on the pair of Guo and Fulu, Guo Ai taking the lead as the old man spoke.
"The two of us have already lived a great happiness of our lives and to tell the truth just this situation of being around like this is the greatest happiness for us, nothing more have we were dreamed of taking..."
The words the man spoke earned nods from all directions, the direction of his words sparking the meaning of his choice, but it wasn't done.
"But we have also learned of the anger and powerlessness we felt when we couldn't protect our daughter."
It was Fulu Ai who spoke this time, extending the words of Guo Ai, both of them looking at Yun who smiled at them, yet it couldn't hide the scars of what had happened in the past and for this, a startling light of conviction started to spill out from the gazes of Guo Ai and Fulu Ai, the atmosphere getting cold yet hot as Guo Ai spoke.
"While we are happy with where we are, both I and Fulu desire to have the power and ability to help our family when it needs help. And we won't lie, the prospects of having power and looking down at the world, who with an ego can say no to that?"
As the final words came to a close, Azrail caught a glimpse of the inner desires for power that he sees in his mother in his grandparents, they might have hidden it well or perhaps after this happiness in mind the inner call of every cultivator for power must have been forgotten due to the status quo of happiness, but no matter how it was lost, it has been renewed back now and it's now glowing brighter than ever.
With such a heated atmosphere, the eyes finally landed on Braze, who couldn't hold his serious face for long. But the face this time he made didn't match any of his goofiness, the face he made this time matched one of hunger for power with the matched desire for protection. With a voice dripping with mischief, he spoke.
"When everyone is in, who am I to say no?"
"Good, looks like we have a long road ahead of us."
Yun spoke, a rare type of smile coming to her face as her gaze wandered towards Azrail who took in the gaze with a smile similar to his mother's on his face, with a sharp gaze Azrail turned to look towards all his family from his mother's side, the prospective advantages and weaknesses of all of them had passed through his mind before, and he had already mapped out certain paths that would have been perfect for them into the future.
"Since you all have decided, why don't we begin with the initiation?"
"What initiation?"
Azrail's grandfather asked, the man's eyes now starting to shine with the new burning flame as he asked so, to this with a smile Azrail spread out his qi, his Qi going forth to embrace everyone in the room as they all appeared in a room within the Realm Scraper, the sudden transport causing some discomfort, but they all quickly shrugged it off as Kia with her eyes shining forth asked.
"Where are we?"
As she said so, she couldn't help taking in deep breaths while trying to suck in more and more of the Qi all around, the perfectly amazing pure Qi, one rarely even seen in the realm above, it being like sudden drugs entering the system of the new members, being suddenly taken in to which Azrail quickly acted and covered them with his Qi to avoid them from taking everything in so quickly.
"Hold yourself for now, don't take in the Qi so suddenly, first, initialize yourself to the Qi, and slowly adapt to it before trying to take it all in, and such sudden action would ruin all your internal Qi."
To his words, the new ones quickly nodded their heads with serious gazes, the surprise and awe of the situation haven't left them, as even the room that Azrail took matched the scientific development of the highest realms with flashing Plasma displays adorning the walls, emitting data and information.
Hovering drones zipped through the air, their sleek designs and advanced propulsion systems a sight to behold. They served various purposes, from surveillance to transportation, gliding effortlessly through the spacious chamber.
In one corner, a holographic interface shimmered into existence, allowing users to interact with virtual simulations and databases. Through this interface, individuals could explore distant realms, conduct research, or engage in training exercises tailored to their cultivation path.
"Well, I still remember the image of my mother's mouth wide open, good thing I saved up the photos of that situation."
Azrail's reply earned a small blush across his mother's cheeks as she pulled at his ears again.
"Who taught you to talk to your mother like that?"
She asked, hiding her embarrassment.
"You."
Azrail's reply only made Yun pull harder, the scene around being warm as Xuanyin stood in silence beside them, still as always sticking close to Azrail, the rest including Guo, Kia, Fulu, and Braze now fully focused on getting the pure Qi into their systems and balancing the new feel all over them.
'Their reaction always speaks of the truth.'
The purely shocked faces of theirs like country bumpkins goes to show the clear difference written between the realms up, into the next realm above the technology takes the first leap, grounds fully covered and roads built, buildings change to scrapers of glass till the sky, the cars, vehicles, guns, phones, and more being brought into the loop in that realm, tech takes a very big leap there entering more of the level of technology of the world in Ingrid.
The only difference is that all the tech runs on a completely different level of energy source, energy stones, Qi stones, and Qi being all the energies being used with unlimited energy run without any sort of concept of pollution playing any hand, the commonness there has an amazing life with a different lifestyle from the lower realm, it's a whole new world to the top.
And into the third realm, it takes another leap, the technology changes from the cars to flying spatial ships, different from the airplanes of the second realm can be seen, plasma energy weapons and techs with an extreme amount of technological leap can be seen, it's in the third realm the heights of the highest realms can be seen, hence the power and distribution there are something else alright.
That's the main reason that the ones living in the highest of the realm have an extreme amount of disgust towards the realm members of the lowest realm, not to mention the shock the lower-rising cultivators would have to go through at the culture shock when they reach the higher realms.
'Power, entertainment, tech, and everything changes and you need to learn to change with it.'
The main thing all the higher climbers of realms face is adapting to the change in culture and situation around, some won't even be able to adapt and fall back into nothing, and it's the main reason that Azrail has given great importance to getting all the major information into the minds of his family, thus reducing the adaptation time completely.