Chapter 2 - The First Perpetual

“Two down, six more to go.”

The wolves couldn’t understand his language, but they didn’t need to. Something deep in their bones told them to stay away. Something that made them shiver in the cool breeze of the night. When his eyes landed on them, they felt a subtle pressure fell upon them. They took a step back subconsciously. They feared him.

So, seeing the situation getting worse, the pack leader of the wolves made up her mind. She decided to retreat. She feared him and so did the others. Then, she signaled them to head back, growling in a low tone. The others got the message, and they followed her decision. She already lost two and couldn't afford to lose more. Plus, the rest were too wounded to fight. They slowly took a step back one by one, not daring to let their guard down. They gazed at the human. Slowly but surely, they made it to the front gate. Without hesitation, they quickly dashed off into the forest, running into the jungle night with great haste. As the sound of footsteps grew ever distant, Lazas’ body began to ease from the tension.

[1/27→0/27hp]

Seeing them out of sight, he sighed a breath of relief. Lazas released his fighting spirit and suddenly collapsed on the ground, his body unresponsive to his mind commanding it to move. He pushed his body beyond its capability and kept pushing even more. This was a miracle that he could even stand at all. Yet, his time had come. Before he fell down, his father caught him in his arms. The boy’s father panicked and yelled for help, his hands quickly applying pressure on the wounds to alleviate some of the bleeding. Unfortunately or fortunately, Lazas’ last moment was held in his father’s caring arms, his life starting to wither away. “No, no, please no. Please, don’t leave us. C’mon, wake up! We won… we won. Don’t leave your father behind. Please,” he said, softly shaking his body to urge him to say something.

Yet, the response did not come. No no no. The father frantically shifted around. He needed to do something, no, he wanted to do something. He began brainstorming ideas, anything to stop his son’s impending death. But it was only met with failure as if to have the ideas bounce back at him like throwing a ball against a brick wall, his years of experience telling him that it was a lost cause. His heart rate slowing down, the profuse amount of bleeding, the unrecoverable injuries. It was futile.

Time slowed for him as he dug deep into his mind. Suddenly, an idea formed despite all expectations. In a flash of inspiration, he considered a way to save him. A soul technique. [Aura: Regenerate]. Passed down by his own father, it was a rudimentary technique that could regenerate severe injuries in a matter of minutes through the channeling of soul matter. Or otherwise known as Aura, a mystical type of energy.

Unrefined and unfinished, the Aulrion skill was still the only straw he had left in his reservoir. The untested skill could prove to be a harm to his son or… it could heal his wounds. His gaze fell onto his son once more, seeing the face of a child. An innocent boy that shouldn’t have died at such a young age. However, the technique required a high degree of mastery in soul manipulation, in which his small tribe was sorely lacking in. It took time and resources to learn, and his people had none of those. At the sight of his son, his eyes gained a determined glint where it once were wavering. Holding his son gently, he began activating the incomplete technique, channeling his Aura through his body. With a fiery determination to face those odds, he pumped his veins and blood with an unprecedented amount of energy, pushing pass his limit as he felt his temperature rising in heat. The energy flowed through his core, chest, and arms.

When it eventually reached over his wounds, the energy covered his injuries in a faint light, slowly closing up the open wounds. The flesh and skin rapidly grew out of his body, filling in the bleeding gaps with tissue. The fiery, albeit calming, energy stimulated the regenerations by multiple factors, speeding up the healing process where it would have taken months to recover. Noting the skill working as intended, albeit with a hint of surprise, he started to guide the energy out of his hand and onto his son’s shoulder. Yet, it refused. It refused to come out of his body. But, as a father doing what he does best, he pushed on nonetheless. He pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed and so on and so forth until a tiny piece of Aura existed out of his hand. Pop.

Sensing the energy freed, his eyes danced up in glee. Before he could manipulate his energy to move into his son, his hand suddenly exploded as the unstable Aura met the cool air, his flesh disintegrating in a flash of heat, the blast destroying everything in its wake. Boom. While the abrupt explosion spattered the radiating blaze to its surroundings, his hand was destroyed in the aftermath, leaving his arm in orange burn marks and pieces of opened bones. The once serene energy had grown too volatile, and the technique was not the skill [Aura: Heal] to stabilize it. It was something far more advanced and ahead of his time. The father broke his concentration, but not before his son’s body suffered partial damage as well.

The villagers gathered around their chief in silence, quietly mourning the death of their loved ones. They looked at him, steam emanating from his body and a hand slowly regenerating from the blast. He looked lost, grieved, angry, and lifeless. Seeing this, his wife walked out of the crowd and held her son and husband. She started crying with him with powerful tears dripping down her face. “Why, why did it have to be my son?” Wavering

“...”

The pair of them sat in silence, grieving for their son’s early departure, while the grounds splashed with tears. The mourning stopped, only a few seconds after, as something glowed in Lazas’ clothes. Then, it started to speak with a muffled noise, “Hello, I think I can save your son’s life.”

There was a moment of silence until the father quickly pulled out the glowing metallic stone from his pocket. It continued to say, “Yes, I can save your son’s life. I am Lucifer Morningstar, the Lord of the Afterlife. You may just call me Lucifer. Like I was saying, the boy could be saved. It would be sad to see him go, and I only just met him a few moments ago.”

The voice of the entity calmed the people’s souls with an unknown supernatural power. He spoke like how a benevolent ruler would greet a peasant. The crowd looked surprised and awed, and everything turned quiet. Then, a middle-aged woman kneeled down in respect, and one by one they followed suit. They remained silent so they didn't interrupt this moment between their chief and this god-like being.

“The boy was a smart one, maybe too smart for his own good. While the boy and I were having a nice conversation, I quickly sensed a pack of wolves gathering near his village. So, I gave him a few hints here and there, and he expertly picked up on them. Truly, I was rather impressed. Shame that he’s gone… but, don’t worry, his fate wasn’t meant to fade into history. So, I’ll give you an offer of a lifetime. As the God of Life and Death, I give you this grand offer… Are you willing to sacrifice your life for his?”

“Yes. Without hesitation.”

“Good, then shake my hand.”

An ethereal hand appeared out of the metallic stone. It floated in front of him. The father stared wide-eyed at the magic that just happened. He nodded to himself. He gave his son to his wife and stood up. No doubts in his action, he gave a firm handshake, and a strong one at that. Then, he felt his life force suck out of him and went to his son’s body. He looked behind him and saw golden threads connecting him with his son. His jaw dropped, but he never moved his gaze from him. The threads radiated in golden lights as they wrapped around Lazas’ back and his shoulder, where his arm once was. His eyes began to tremble as his family gasped. His father looked at his son in anticipation and excitement. The threads disappeared, and the boy woke up once more. Wounds on his body seemed to disappear as it got replaced by multiple scars. The crowd cheered that the boy could live again. They bowed down to this deity in reverence and worship. His mother, who had mixed emotions, now smiled at her son. The three families hugged each other in silence as Lazas accepted it in confusion.

“Hello again. You finally woke up.”

“Wait. You! Thank you for warning me about the attack. Right now, all I remember is falling asleep and then this happened… I died? And… I’m back? You-”

“Correct, I’ve brought you back to life at a hefty price. Your father paid that price, and now he has a couple more hours to live.”

“Hours?”

“Around a quarter of a day.”

“No! He can’t! You have to-”

His father hugged him from behind, “It’s okay. I’ve already chosen this.”

Lazas, wanting to change his fate, stopped in his tracks because he saw his father’s eyes. They were firm and unwavering. He gave up in his father’s arms, and his mother held both of them. They both grieved in silence, but they were glad… glad to spend their final moments with him. As to break the hanging silence, she began narrating what happened after his death. Eight hunters were killed while they killed three Dire Wolves in return. Two of them are from Lazas’s fight. She told him about how his father fought bravely and made a breakthrough in his technique. She couldn't help but cry once more knowing that her husband will be gone. They continued to hug in silence. After a few minutes, his father tried to break the tension, “Want to learn this old man technique? Careful though, this technique is very dangerous. It almost blew off your face!”

“Haha, yeah. Of course!”

Before Lazas could continue their conversation, a calm voice abruptly broke in, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. That skill uses one's energy and lifespan to regenerate. Both of you have the same lifespan, so I wouldn’t dare to do it.”

“WHAT! You never told us this! I don’t want to lose my husband and son. You have to do something!” she said demandingly as she trembled in fear. She just realized what she said might have offended this god, no she definitely did offend him, but she continued on. “Call me selfish, but no parents should watch their children die before them. I’ll ask again. Please, can you do something? I’m willing to pay the price too.”

“Mom, no-!”

“Shhhhh,” he shushed, blasting out a dominating aura surrounding him. “There is no need to fret. The boy will live. I just need him to be awake during the process. Well then. Lazas, are you willing to become my champion? You have faced challenges that life gave you. Fought against impossible numbers and won. Face death and live. Soon, lose a parent. These challenges gained my approval. Again, are you willing to become my champion… Lazas Xanril?”

He looked at his father with mixed emotions. He nodded to his son to go on, and no doubt his mother was nodding as well. The village, who sweated buckets when the aura was in full force, sat in silence. Lazas, the hero who saved his people, said, “Yes!”

“Then that shall be granted. You are the Perpetual, the one who died and lived to tell the tale. You shall not age. You shall have strength. I grant you, [Immortality]! Some people called it a curse, and I say nay! It is a chance! It is a chance to witness the progress of mankind itself,” his voice boomed in the area, giving it a divine majesty.

Before the people could prostrate themselves, the stone stopped floating and fell to the ground. “This is your last chance to say goodbye to your father. I don’t want to interrupt the moment. Although, I do have one thing to say. Kartash, your technique, when you tried to save him, was truly beautiful. You may not know it, but your body was moving on its own and started readjusting the veins to optimize the flow of energy. I might say it was the pinnacle of mankind, refining it through challenges and death. A man was willing to do anything to keep his son. Truly beautiful. Your skill no doubt will be powerful in Lazas’ hands,” Lucifer talked for one last time.

When his name was spoken, he was surprised. Then, he quickly shook his head like he shouldn’t have. Of course, he knew. But what he said quaked his core as he felt moved that a god personally acknowledged his struggle and desperation as an achievement. His face started to twist into a smile as he felt grateful to be blessed by this god. He had only felt thankful a few times in his life, once when he was handed the title chief, married his wife, held his son in his hands for the first time, able to bring him back to life, and now this. His tears of joy could not express how much he needed to hear that. If given the chance, he would no doubt give his devotion to Lucifer. When he finally cooled down to keep his emotion in check, he began prostrating himself and started to worship him in his mind. He prayed that he would look over his son and village, guide them into a better path, and help them in times of need. The people, seeing the chief, followed suit and prayed.

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He opened his eyes when he finished chanting his prayer. Once he was done, he stopped holding his hand together and looked at the stone in respect. He was now content with his life and was all ready to go to the afterlife with a smile.

—

In his domain, Lucifer watched the villagers through a screen that was viewing the area from above. Everyone, including children and the elderly, were praying to him, and he nodded in acknowledgment. He smiled at them to see the people so happy, even with their short lifespans and ignorant life. No… not ignorant, Father would probably go on a rant if he heard me. He looked down onto his system panel, giving him another reason to smile. [+52 Faith Points] [+52 Faith Points] [+15 Faith Points] [+15 Faith Points]. The system notified him of the incoming FP from his worshippers. With the new points he can spend, he tapped on the black and white panel to open his status.

[Name: Lucifer, Lord of the Afterlife]

[Faith Point: 154]

[Believers: 54]

[Blessings: 4/10 uses. (Note: reset after two years) Special Affinity: Life and Death. Any blessings relating to life and death will greatly reduce the cost of FP. All other skills that normally can be accessed, such as speaking to their believers, will cost the normal amount.]

[Special Ability: Lucifer’s the Best! Granted 200% more FP. (Note: shhhh, don’t tell anyone)]

[Champion: Lazas Xanril the Perpetual]

Now that they became his believer, he needed a way to protect them. His worshippers will grant him 1 Faith Point each day, and he could use this to give out divine miracles and such. Lazas was an obvious answer, he could fight off any beasts and hostile groups. But he wasn’t going to solve everything on his own, so he tried to make a long-term plan for the village. The beasts in the area are too dangerous and inhospitable, making it unacceptable for them to live in. The people couldn’t live in the jungle because they had no advantages against natural predators. He couldn’t force them to move out immediately, but they have to find a better home. He turned over to his panel and opened the mini-map that was provided to him. They were in a jungle that spread 1,200 miles wide, and the east side was filled with mountains. Even if they went over the mountains, they would only find even more jungle. They couldn’t go up north because it would get cold during the winter. They hadn’t adapted to a cold environment yet, so there’s no point sending them up there. Last time he checked, nomads were roaming the ice lands, but that would be settled for a later time. There were oceans in the south and a great plain that is filled with grass in the west. The plain would be very useful for civilization to strive in, but it is over 1,000 miles away from the village. It would take them a month to walk there with all the obstacles in the way. No, it is still the best choice he could make. The plain would provide them with natural protections against beasts trying to lurk in. On the other end of the plain was a forest, where they could hunt and scavenge for food. This would be good for sustaining life for a few centuries until they learn how to farm.

Once he made up his mind, he decided to set his goal to move the village to the plain. This would be a long journey, but it would be fine. While he was contemplating, the father and son duo talked about how he first found a metal rock, and how he appeared in Lucifer’s domain. The father laughed in joy as he said this, and so did his son. He couldn’t be any luckier, as his father thanked the heaven for giving his boy a chance. Then, the father recounted his side of the story, how he dodged two attacks in a row and fought back with an attack. After that, he realized that he still hasn’t taught his son the technique he created during his lifetime. “Wait, here I got a surprise for you.”

He walked back out of the cave with a stone tablet in hand. “Look here, this is the knowledge that you need to learn. Remember when this old man told you about teaching you his technique? Oh boy, sit down cause this is gonna be a long one. First of all, you need to find your soul deep inside your body. It is an important part of you that grows with you as you grow older. You channel this energy called Ki out of your soul to improve your body's capabilities such as empowering your arm to give one hell of a haymaker. Or your legs to run faster. It is not as simple as it sounds because you have to tell the Ki what to do. You can’t just channel your Ki down your legs all willy-nilly and expect it to make you run faster. At most, it would just blow off your legs.”

“Woah, that sounds so cool. Wait what happens if I force the energy into my brain? Oooh, how can I make a technique like you? Could technique guide the energy…” They both continued on with lessons while his father answered most of his questions.

Lucifer broke his train of thought as he turned back to the screen that is showing the father passing his experience down to his son. He could use his limited blessings to transfer his technique to Lazas directly. He was not lying when he said Kartash’s skill was the pinnacle of humankind during this age. His son would find it really difficult to replicate the same result. With his immortal lifespan, the regeneration would be very powerful in his hands. Plus, it would fit with the theme of his Perpetual title, or that’s what his father would say. Finishing his thoughts, He directly used one of the blessings to transfer the knowledge over into his head.

[Transfer Knowledge: All knowledge and experience will be copied onto the target’s brain. Cost: 1,000 FP]

Nope, that went over his budget. He started with 1000 FP, and used 980 FP during the course of the event. 20 FP was used up when he spoke to Lazas and Kartesh, using two blessings in the process. Another 10 FP was from reviving him from death for a moment, and 950 FP more for his immortality. The ability [Immortality] is pretty powerful, but it was only made cheaper due to his special affinity and the fact that Lazas was his champion. With only 154 FP in hand, he tried to readjust the blessing so it could be cheaper. The system usually graded the blessings based on how difficult and complex it is. For example, even though it was just transferring knowledge, it was copying the skill and completely making a new one.

[Transfer of Knowledge: All knowledge and experience will move onto the target’s brain while wiping out the original source. Cost: 500 FP]

Still out of his budget, but he had one more idea in mind.

[Inheritance of Knowledge: All knowledge and experience will be given to the soul-bonded target upon death. Cost: 150 FP]

(Author’s note: 1000 FP may sound like a lot, but he could just wait to get it under 10 days. Later in the story, he won’t be transferring any more knowledge because of several reasons that I can’t fit into the story. Sorry >~<. For example, even if he uses his limited blessing on mass, the FP cost will skyrocket by a hundredfold.)

This would do. After Kartesh’s death, his skill [Aura: Regenerate] would be inherited by his son. He pressed on the panel to confirm that he would like to use this blessing. Now, he was allowed to use his own power to affect the world. Of course, he couldn’t use any other of his natural powers until the system permitted it, but it was a nice feeling to have. He began to transmit his consciousness into the father’s head. “Hello again, I’ve noticed that you are trying to pass down your technique to your son. There is no need for that. I have already cast a spell on you that when you die, your skills and experiences will be inherited by him. So choose how you want to spend the time with your son wisely.”

He froze for a second. Noticing his father’s lack of focus, he called out, “You okay dad? You looked awfully pale.”

He shook his head and smiled knowingly. He didn't doubt that the god wouldn’t be able to do that, but he still decided to spend his time teaching his son. Although he has a short time left to live, he still enjoyed teaching him. So he continued talking to him about how to use a spear, how to aim for the center of mass, how to position yourself sideways to your opponent for less surface area to hit, predict where the target is going to move, and more as the minutes passed. “Haha, how do you feel about losing one of ya arms?”

“I feel okay… actually I feel pretty cool-headed, surprisingly. It’s like I gained more confidence and calmness. Even though I won’t see you again, I can feel my inner peace telling me that everything will be okay. So it left me with more time to do whatever I want. For example, more time enjoying life with you and less time mourning your end. Anyhow, you think I can regrow my arm back?”

“Well, that’s good to hear my son starting to grow up, haha. But regrowing your arm, I don’t know. Give it a try.”

After telling him to give it a go, Lazas began meditating and trying to find his soul. In his mind, he pictured himself sitting down with his eyes closed. He saw his body surrounded by a red hue that sometimes expanded and retracted. According to his father, this is what people called a soul. Using his inner energy Ki, he grabbed a part of his soul out of his body and removed a big chunk out of it. A feeling of dread came over him. Just as fast as it came, the feeling faded away. His immortality regrew part of his lifespan and soul. Then, he refocused and started to brew the Ki and soul together. He twisted and spun them in his blood, making them boil in the process. From the outside, his body started to steam out vapor as he sat there. The next step would be to guide his boiling blood to an open wound, so he moved his hand to his mouth and bit on it. Ouch. He gently guided the blood to his remaining hand down from his chest. As the energy-containing the blood flowed to his arm, an increase in steam started to come out of it. When the energy reached it, his bite marks disappeared and replaced it with a scar. He nodded and guided the leftover energy to his right arm. But it stopped in its tracks, unable to move an inch further. “Strange, it doesn’t let me heal my missing arm.”

“That shouldn’t be, I grew my missing hand when I blew it up. There weren't even bones left. Weird.”

“Could it be that it took too long to heal so it couldn’t?”

“I guess? Who knows. The ways of the Ki are mysterious and still an uncharted territory. Me and my father traded the basic form of manipulation from the other tribes. Shame though.”

“Hmm, guess so. Hey, it adds character to me, doesn’t it? I’m gonna show off my scars when I meet the other tribes. Oh yeah, should we tell the other tribe men about Lucifer? Should we move the stone structure I found back here before it gets damaged?”

“That’s for you to decide. You will have to lead these people soon, so start thinking about them. But for my advice, just wait for our god to say something about it. Plus, we have more important tasks to do like getting food and reinforcing the gate.”

As they sat around a campfire, a fairly muscular man walked up to them and coughed, “Ahem, Kartash. Our people outside wanted to talk to you.”

The man was named Mavint and was the chief’s best friend. He continued, “Oh Lazas, you feeling okay?”

“Yup! Never felt any better,” he said while he stood up. “What did they want to talk to dad about anyways?”

“I don’t know… guess we’ll find out,” he awkwardly spoke.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Kartash led his way out of the tent while his son quickly put out the fire. When he got outside, he was surprised to see the whole village, including his wife, waiting for him. Not to mention the pots and plates holding dishes of food. “What’s going on?”

Behind him was his best friend, walking to him with a knowing smile. “We’re holding a feast for you, chief,” he cheekily said as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

“You guys, this old man is gonna be gone soon,” he voiced with a warm smile. “You didn’t have to make food for me, and you guys need to ration our stock. We don’t know when we’ll get another batch.”

“Nah chief, we’ll feast with you, for one last time. The best last moment we’ll have with you, and you with us!” Mavint cheered as one of the villagers yelled back ‘Yeah!’, agreeing with him.

He chuckled as he knew that it would lead to this. “CHEERS! Come celebrate our new chief and the martyr that sacrificed himself for his son!” his friend shouted with a boisterous flare.

“Yeah, yeah. I got it, I got it. Cheers!”

He grabbed the ale that was handed to him and jugged down the whole cup. The village started the party and dined with their chief. They began to eat the dried pork and chicken stew. They even stored the Dire Wolf meat for later. Some of them grabbed Lazas’s arm and forced him to drink. This continued throughout the night…

—

As the night passed, Lazas left his father’s side so he could have some alone time with his wife. He walked out of the party and quickly jogged over to the grave site. He ran along the side of the stone walls until he reached the site. When he made it, his shoulder slowly slumped. His face turned solemn and stoic when he looked down, seeing the eight gravestones. He ran his hand through his hair as he sighed out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. He released his tired body and lazily leaned against the stone wall. His head hung down as he fell on his ass. He just sat there for a good minute, processing everything that transpired. He wished he could change the course of events. Life wasn’t fair sometimes… yet he was determined to never let that happen again. Or at least have the ability to change it when the time comes.

After a few moments, he cricked his neck toward the dark sky, and he gazed upon the stars. He did this for a few minutes while he just stared into space. That was until he heard footsteps coming his way. The moonlight slightly revealed the face of his father from the sky. He strolled casually to the graves and stared at them. He stopped in his tracks as he gave a thousand-yard stare at one of the names. The emotions came flooding back in. The memories of the deceased did not ease into obscurity, yet they hit him hard like a bright light reappearing in darkness. Yoshi Maka was a good man. He was a good brother… and a good friend. “Yoshi and Mavint didn’t always see eye to eye, but they damn sure knew how to pull a prank. Even then, in spite of the brother duo hating each other, they could always trust each other like family. They went out of their way to care for me as well when I was young. I’m sorry friend…” he muttered over the grave.

Lazas’ fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. He has to get stronger. “Mavint has a message for you, and he wants me to deliver it for you. So don’t worry old friend, I’ll meet ya again soon enough, haha,” he chuckled in amusement.

His smile was still up but his eyes were not. They were softened as the eyebrow curved up. Memories of their childhood playing together and going hunting flashed across his mind. It was a happy time, filled with laughter and faint joy. He puffed a heavy breath and slowly sighed. Then, the two of them just gazed at the sky as the quietness spread.

Lazas looked over the eight gravestones and finally spoke, “Father… how do I become stronger?”